Christmas fun times

Last night we went to Tower Christian School's Christmas party held at a local church. It was a very fun family time, with a gingergread house-making contest (using graham crackers), a potluck, a "fruitcake" launching contest, and then family square-dancing! Sounds corny, but it was really fun for the kids from Caleb's age on up. And our house won the prize! A Starbucks gift card - yum. Elizabeth is holding our A-frame house above, and maybe you can tell that the night before she lost one of her top front teeth. The other is loose too. I told her she'll be able to sing, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth". The dancing was fun and probably kind of silly too. At the end we did the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance. The Chicken DAnce is not such a big thing out here, so can you believe that some people didn't know how to do it? Anyway, a great Christmas party!!

A new family member?

Okay, we got a dog! We haven't finalized the name, but it seems we're calling him Hines, after a favorite Steeler and also it's pronounced the same as Heinz, so it's like their stadium too! He's a black lab puppy. I thought he'd be an inside dog, but Caleb goes absolutely nutso when he's in the house-shrieking and crying and everything. So....I guess he'll be an outside dog. It's kinda sad for me, but oh, well! He'll protect our yard.

Elizabeth was on a First Lego League Jr. Robotics team this fall. They learned about alternative energy sources. They didn't compete like the older teams, but they did get to display all of the things they made at the competition. She really enjoyed it even though she was the only girl. It adds a different dynamic - her house didn't have guns and force fields like the boys' houses. Hers was the only one with a yard!!

Children's Museum of the Sierra

In November we took a field trip to this great museum in Oakhurst, in the Sierra foothills. Everything was hands-on, and the kids loved it. Basically it's just play time with lots of cool toys. Emma loved climbing on everything, Caleb enjoyed the fire truck and pirate ship, and Elizabeth just had fun doing lots of things with her friends.

More entries to come....

Harvest costumes

Okay, so it's been 2 weeks since Halloween! I couldn't get my pictures to upload into a slide show for some reason, so here's one picture of the kids dressed up. We went to 2 World Impact harvest parties in 2 different neighborhoods that night. The kids had a ball! They didn't get much candy, but the fact that they got some was enough for them. Elizabeth decided to be a ladybug using her costume from her ballet performance. I found Emma's bee costume at our thrift store very cheaply! Caleb wanted to be Jack Sparrow. I just happened to be walking through a store and saw a Jack Sparrow costume in his size on sale. It even included a head thing with hair!

Caleb was hilarious. He went around saying to everyone in his trying-to-be-menacing little boy voice, "I'm Jack Sparrow!" At the second harvest party it was run by teens from our teen club, and he recognized 2 teen girls who have been his babysitters, so he chased them all around the yard with his sword. He had a great time.

Emma just walked around kind of aimlessly in her little bee outfit. She loves men, so whenever she saw a man she knew, she was happy to get some attention.

Vacation!!

We just returned from a week of vacation at the W.I. beach house in...Southern California. Hmmm, what's been happening there this week? Oh, that's right, wildfires!! While we weren't close enough to be in danger of them, they were burning all around us. On our first full day, Sunday, those horrid Santa Ana winds were blowing so strongly that we could not be on the beach or even outside at all because the sand was whipping around and in our eyes. Then later that day the big black cloud of smoke rolled in. It was so strange and eerie. I had a bathroom window open and when I went in, everything was black! I cleaned it and when I swept up, it looked like ash from a fireplace. So we were stuck indoors for a couple days.

So Monday we decided to check out the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library nearby. It was so windy up there too. We wanted to see Air Force One, and by the pictures you can see that we did. That part was very amazing. The building that houses it is just awesome, it looks like the plane is going to take off out the window. The whole museum was pretty interesting and "impressive" to borrow a word from Elizabeth.

Finally on Wednesday the winds died down for us on the coast and it was a beautiful beach day - over 90 degrees I think! Our Elizabeth was in the chilly water in her wet suit forever. She got to the point where she can boogie board on her own. She's growing up... Emma chased birds all over the beach. she calls them, "Fwa fwa". I don't know why. Caleb just ran and ran and attacked the waves.

Thursday and Friday returned to normal beach weather - 60's and cloudy-ish. Still the kids loved it. Since Luke's sister Kate and her husband Josh joined us for the week from New Jersey, Luke and I got to ride in the sea kayak and see seals and go out for lunch one day too!

I love the beach. It's my most favorite place to visit...

A tiring morning....

Today we spent the morning at the pediatrician's office. No one is sick, it was just time for Elizabeth's well-child check-up. Of course we waited a long time to see the doctor and then she suggested that we do flu shots for all 3 kids today. "Sure, why not?!" I said. Elizabeth was the most nervous, but she hardly even noticed the shot and said it didn't hurt at all. Caleb was next. He started screaming and threw himself onto the floor. My tough guy. I finally wrestled him onto the table and he let out a bloodcurdling shriek that everyone in the office heard. Meanwhile, Emma stood and watched it all and looked at me as if to say, "Don't you dare get me up there, Mom." But she's little and I had no problem getting her onto the table. She made no sound at all the entire time.



Betcha didn't know that Emma had such big feet, huh? She loves shoes. She loves wearing her big sister's shoes especially. She actually CAN walk in them. She is a big ham and will smile and laugh at the camera. Emma loves to have everyone looking at HER.


We had an interesting weekend at the Oaks for the Directors' Conference. Lots of talking. It was kind of exhausting for me, an introvert, to make conversation all weekend with people I really don't know. But it is always good to be reminded of the big picture with World Impact. Keith reiterated our commitment to planting churches, which is always great to hear. Hey, if you haven't heard of TUMI, it is very exciting. Right now we have 35 TUMI satellites in 14 states and 6 countries! AND Prison Fellowship is using TUMI in prisons. That is so cool. If you want more info, check out http://www.tumi.org



The other picture is a view driving home from the Oaks. The wild west.

Six Great Years

Elizabeth celebrated her sixth birthday yesterday. She and I discussed several party options, and she chose to have a tea party with just two of her friends, Abby and Leanna. So they came for lunch (checkerboard PB& J, fruit salad, yogurt, pretzels) and tea (chocolate milk) served in a friend's Japanese tea set. Then they made tiaras and ate her teapot-shaped cake and ice cream, and played with her new presents. I think she felt pretty special, she said she wants to have a tea party again next year! it was fun, especially since Luke took Caleb and Emma on a picnic during the party. I especially enjoyed hearing the girls talk while they were eating - they are growing up!

Life has been such a whirlwind here lately. Last Thursday was our fundraising banquet, and things are usually pretty hectic around that time. It went pretty well. We haven't had one in a few years, so we are getting back into practice. I'm glad it's over for this year! Tomorrow Luke and I are going to tthe Oaks for the annual Directors' Conference. This year they invited spouses for a change. I don't have to go to all the boring meetings, so hopefully I will get some rest and quiet and also some time to fellowship with the other wives. I am going to miss our kids though. Especially Emma. She seems so little still...

A week after that we are headed to the beach house for VACATION!!! I am so ready for that....

Soccer once again

It's soccer season again, and this year we have two little players.

Elizabeth is playing on a 4-5 year-old team even though she'll be 6 in a couple weeks. Last year she was kind of behind the rest of the team ability-wise, so I decided to keep her in that group this year. So....she towers a head over all the other players now. She plays much better though, and she was very upset that her team kept kicking the ball the wrong way! She told her coach, "We need a plan!"

Caleb is playing in the 3-year-old division. They are supposed to have their parents on the field with them. I missed his game since Elizabeth's was at the same time. But Luke said he was the only one who actually let go of his dad's hand! He scored 7 goals! 2 for his team and 5 for the other team. hee-hee! When Luke told him to score on the other goal, he said, "But Dad, this one's closer!"

It's hilarious.

A hike

A whole entire week ago, on Labor Day, we headed up to Yosemite (or "Oh-semite" in Caleb-speak) to take advantage of a day off. We were having super-hot record-breaking temperatures for a couple weeks, and of course it was hot in Yosemite too. 95 when we were there, which is hot for the mountains. So we did a 2-mile, totally-uphill-the-one-way hike. With 3 youngsters. Needless to say, we stopped more times than I can count on the way up and downed several bottles of water. When we got to the top - for us, anyway, since the trail connects to the several-hundred-mile John Muir trail - we were at the bottom of a waterfall. Now in our mountains in the late summer, the waterfalls are pretty dry. So the kids got this look like, "we did all that for THIS??" Especially Caleb with his flushed little face. Happily, Luke let them "dip" their feet in the stream, which technically you're not allowed to do, but everyone does it and we did it in a pool-type area, not an area of rushing water. Then they were happy. In all, we "dipped", as the kids called it, in 3 streams that day. This one, at the bottom of the Vernal Fall, was definitely the coldest and your feet eventually turned kinda red. The last one, in the Merced River, was fun and Emma plopped right down in it!

No matter how many times I visit Yosemite - and I've been there countless times now - I am always in total awe at the beauty and uniqueness of it. All hand-crafted by God for His glory and maybe a bit for our enjoyment as well. =)

A sad loss

We are sad to say that one of our chickens, Big Mama, has died. Many of you met Big Mama; she was a colorful and large chicken, much beloved by our kids due to her slowness. There seems to be no apparent cause for her death, other than the fact that she was getting on in years - chicken years, that is. Caleb is a little bit sad, and Elizabeth seemed kind of mad, but overall they handle chicken death very well. So here's a few pictures to remember Big Mama....

More vacation pics

Okay I'm finally getting around to adding more pictures from our trip. When we visited Luke's sister Kate and her husband Josh in New Jersey, they took us to the beach! It was a super-windy day and sand was in EVERYTHING. But it was still very fun and the kids loved it, of course. Emma went strong all day long and crawled all over the beach. Later back at Kate's we had corn on the cob. We had LOTS of corn on the cob on our trip. Kate and Josh wanted us to rate all the corn because they have a corn rivalry with Luke's other sister Lydia and her husband Jeremy in Wooster, OH. We did have corn at their house as well, and I have to say that .....hmmm.... well, we won't make any judgments. Although Kate's corn was fresh from the farm! But we also had delicious corn at my friend Shannon's house near Cleveland, OH AND we played cornhole, a native Ohio game! hee hee. You know, cultural experiences...

Prior to Kate's house we visited my grandmother in Mt. Jewett, PA. She and my aunts took us to Twin Lakes for a day,and it was so beautiful. The trees, and the lake and everything. It was a very relaxing day for me. Elizabeth and Caleb splashed in the lake and I let Emma crawl all over the grass. They have soft grass in PA. Not like our poky grass.

We also stayed with friends Geoff and Michele in Pittsburgh, but I did not take any pictures at their house! Shame on me. It was great fun seeing them and their kids.

On our last day we met up with Luke's mom and dad and sister Margaret at the Pittsburgh Zoo. We got to see the new polar bear exhibit. I thought it was just a below-water viewing area, but it was a tunnel! I was so surprised and it was amazing. They had just fed the polar bears before we went through, so they were swimming above us and beside us - very cool! Then for fun we stayed at a hotel the night before our flight and swam in their pool. And flew home the next day.

So all that was 3 weeks ago... Now... Emma is walking finally. Still very stumbly, but so cute. Caleb is finally going on the potty... ALL the time. So everyone is growing up. Next Monday (Aug. 20) Elizabeth and I will start first grade. She's excited, especially about spelling. I'm excited about spelling too. In school, I always wished I could be the teacher and give the spelling words for tests and use them in a sentence.

I am very much rambling. It is past 11 and I'm tired.

Emma's First Birthday

Emma turned one and we celebrated with a little party at Aunt Kristina's house! We had yummy cupcakes with icing made by Grandma and we got to celebrate with my Uncle John, Aunt Jacque and cousin Jelena too. Emma took a few steps on her birthday, but since then she hasn't. We used a bit of her birthday money to buy her a little push toy that she can walk behind now and ride on later. Today she used it and she loved it! She's so little, but the other 2 walked so early. We are all so thankful for Emma!

Fourth of July with Grandparents!

Well we have returned from our huge trip to PA/OH/NJ!! It was a long trip for sure! But really, with everyone we visited, I just felt like I wished we could see them longer. So it was good. I think we were all happy to return home in our own ways. The kids are re-adjusting to routines and bedtime and things like that.

So - our first week was spent in Point, PA - near Bedford - with Luke's parents and we got to see all of his sisters and their husbands at various times. The Fourth of July we spent at his parents' in-progress home on a hill. We cooked over the open fire for lunch and dinner and ate in what will be the dining room. Then we all headed to the river for fireworks. It rained a bit, but the fireworks still happened. Emma loved them and Caleb fell asleep - again.

We also enjoyed trips to swim in the lake at Shawnee State Park near their home. It was, as usual, a great time with family.

One busy week

If you read this during the week and have a few moments, please pray for us! Or me, anyway. It is a super-busy week, and I am not a super high-energy person who thrives on that sort of thing. So please pray for me to make it through with some sort of grace and patience for my children!

Caleb and Elizabeth are going to VBS every morning this week from 9-12, which is mostly good, it's just a rush getting out of the house - then we pick them up and speed to swimming lessons at 12:20. We have meetings/events every evening this week. This morning I had another appointment at 9:45 plus staff fellowship at our house at noon. Tomorrow Emma and I will head out early to Tulare, CA with a few other women to check out a thrift store there and get ideas for ours here. Then we head back to Fresno and I'll maybe meet up with Luke at the swimming lessons and take the kids swimming at a pool to meet our summer college interns!

And next Monday we leave town for our 3-week east coast tour!

Whoever said summers were lazy???

Babysitting Co-Op Fun!

Last week was our last turn babysitting all the kids for the wonderful co-op - at least till fall anyway. So we had a water fun time! We even broke out the slip 'n slide. Luke is such a big kid himself, he enjoyed it too! So enjoy the pictures!

And the music is in honor of Caleb, our own pirate boy.

Friends and family

We've enjoyed more visits with friends and family. This is the year when everyone is visiting us, and it's such a huge blessing for us. Last weekend Luke's sister Hannah and her husband Steve were on a cross-country driving vacation and they stopped with us for a few days. We took them to Avila beach one day. It was 55 degrees there when we arrived - and only about 58 when we left. Such is the nature of CA beaches. But of course our kids went swimming. Caleb loved the frigid water. Emma ate lots of sand and crawled around chasing birds. Oh - and Elizabeth lost her first tooth last Saturday! She is growing up...

Today my friend Kerry (from middle school, high school, etc.)and her husband and kids came to see us for just a little while. They live near San Jose now, so we've been able to see them a couple times a year, but they are moving to Washington, D.C. in the fall! We will miss seeing them so often. sigh...

Our kids love to have visitors and count the minutes until more arrive. I think now it is our turn to be the visitors - only 4 weeks until our big trip.

Recent fun kid quote:
Caleb: God is in Pennsylvania. We better go there.
Mommy: God is everywhere, Caleb.
Elizabeth (very thoughtfully): Except Canada.

Sorry to any Canadians out there!!! We know He's there too!!

A Skelly family visit

This weekend we enjoyed a fun little visit with the Skelly family! Andrew and I went to high school together and he also went to PSU with Luke and me, where he and Luke became better friends. Now he lives with his wife Jocelyn in Orange County, so we see them.....hmm, about every 3 years?! They have 3 kids about the ages of ours but opposite gender. They enjoyed playing together!

Also, on Saturday, Caleb had his last t-ball game and got this bobble head trophy. He loves it and has been sleeping with it at naps and bedtime.

Okay, I don't know what happened to the slide show. If y0u click on "view all images", you should see it. Sorry.

another day trip

Today Luke had a day off that was actually a day off, so we decided to escape the ringing phones and go to the mountains. This time we opted for Kings Canyon National Park, which is a little closer than Yosemite. We lunched on grilled hot dogs near the giant sequoias and were inundated with a tour bus full of French tourists whose picnic lunch included bottles of champagne! They were very nice and shared some yummy chocolate cake with us. We wanted to ask them what "cherchez l'intrus" means. In some hand-me-downs for Emma there was a little outfit that says that. Luke thinks that literally it means "watch out for the intruder", but there must be something more to it since it's on a cute baby outfit. Does anyone know?

After lunch and a walk through the sequoia grove we drove to Hume Lake where the kids and Luke splashed in the frigid water. Frigid because it's melted snow from the tops of the mountains. And Emma munched on cheerios - and attempted to munch on the pebbly sand.

Later we drove home and stopped at Taco Bell for dinner. Elizabeth showed me that on the drive home she discovered she has her first loose tooth! I was skeptical because a week or so ago she thought one was loose, but it wasn't. This one, however, is very loose. So of course she tried to eat her taco on the SIDE of her mouth. Very messy. She is growing up!!!

Ladybugs

Here's Elizabeth ready for her ladybug dress rehearsal. After I pasted her hair into a bun and put her lipstick on, she looked in the bathroom mirror and said, "I don't look like Elizabeth anymore!" She looked like a little ballerina! I stayed and watched the entire dress rehearsal, which was very fun. The ballet is Snow White and it's so cute. Her class did a very much 5-year-old type of job. Too bad we can't videotape it!

Hello summer?

So how did we miss the 70's and 80's again?? Okay, we had a week in the 80's back in mid-March, then it was in the 50's and 60's for the last few weeks and now today - 95!!!! What is up with that? I forget how we have practically no spring. Just summer! So - out came the pool and swimsuits and sunscreen today. Emma took her first dip in the pool and you can see by her face that she LOVED it. As soon as she got in, Caleb dumped water on her head, but she grinned anyway. The older kids like to jump off of a stepstool into the pool.

Poor Emma had to go for a blood test this week. At her 9-month appointment her iron levels were low, so I had to take her to get real blood drawn. Elizabeth was so traumatized, she stood in the corner of the room facing the corner with her hands over her eyes. Emma didn't seem to mind much at all.

Elizabeth has been having lots of Garden Ballet rehearsals. Tomorrow is their first rehearsal at the theater. Then Thursday will be dress rehearsal. How will I get her very short hair into a bun? That will be my challenge this week. Lots of hairspray and bobby pins, I am thinking. Here is a recent quote from Elizabeth: "Some words are hard for me to say, Mommy. Like 'diminutive'. That means small." She has a large and ever-growing vocabulary.

Caleb's new phrase is, "I strong like Samson." Sometimes he says that Daddy is "Strong like Samson". He is very interested in how big God is and where He can fit. "Can God fit in our swimming pool? Can He fit in Pennsylvania? How about in THIS country? [Meaning California]"

Okay I'm off. Since it's summer and all, I have to water the lawn.....

very happy feet

Those are my happy feet! Last year for my birthday (almost an entire year ago!) Luke bought me a gift card to a spa to have a pedicure, since at that time I was very pregnant - and it's hard to paint your toenails when you've got a big belly! But I put off scheduling it, so....I finally went today! It was only my second pedicure ever, and it just is so luxurious! Such an un-necessary thing, but I'm thankful to my wonderful husband for a fun, pampering gift.

Our Easter was pretty quiet. Church and ham. Talking on the phone to our long-distance relatives. It was a nice day overall. Today I'm making some amazing split pea soup with the leftover ham. Well anyway it's amazing when my friend Kim makes it. We'll see if mine can come close! It's a rainy and cool day, so it's great for soup.

Anyone out there have any expertise on running a thrift store? The great people who manage ours are leaving town on us =), so we're gathering ideas, information, etc.

Happy spring and happy feet to you too!!

Family

Last week Luke's sister Lydia and her husband Jeremy visited us from Wooster, OH. We were so happy that they chose to spend her spring break with us. Most of the week we enjoyed gorgeous weather and on Thursday we had a beautiful day at Yosemite. It's the perfect time of year for the waterfalls. I even caught a rainbow in this picture of Bridalveil Fall. It is so beautiful in Yosemite, I never tire of visiting there! We also enjoyed many late-evening games with them. We're looking forward to seeing everyone in July. Actually, Elizabeth is already anxious for Aunt Kate and Uncle Josh to visit us at the beach house - in October. She asked why they can't just come now! But it's another visit to look forward to.

springtime!!!

Caleb had his first t-ball game on Saturday. They have a 3-year-old division, and the parents have to be on the field with their children, so I thought it was pretty chaotic. I have to admit, sometimes I have a hard time entering into the parent craziness. (Jumping onto the field to film them, crowding around yelling, etc.) But I also noticed that many of the participants are the oldest children, so.... Caleb has wanted his own activity for awhile. Elizabeth has lots, so we are giving him the chance to play t-ball. He did pretty well after some initial shyness. I was surprised at how aggressive he was at fielding the ball. He was on the ground a couple of times! And he's very excited that his team's color is blue!

Elizabeth has begun rehearsals for the garden ballet on most Saturdays into May, so she is not playing t-ball this year. It is very cute. She's also started going to Awana. A church near us started it, so we don't have to drive her very far. She is almost obsessive about it. Last week she was very proud because she memorized all the verses, etc. to get her vest and handbook. Then she read the entire handbook and is memorizing as much as possible to get the next patches or whatever.

Emma is scooting around on her belly fairly quickly. Sometimes she actually crawls, but she's still getting that part down. lately she's been exercising her voice a lot - by screaming. We don't enjoy that a whole lot! She also says "Mama" and "Dada" a lot. She usually says "Dada" when she's happy and "Mama" when she wants something! She loves to eat whatever food we give her.

Fun times. We're still working on our summer trip schedule. Although we were hugely blessed to receive funds which more than cover the rental of a minivan for us. God is good! And the people He works through too!

You are my sunshine....

We've been enjoying some unseasonal (for us) warm temps in the 80's, so we've been having some fun outside everyday. Today I took some pictures. Emma was looking so cute! You can see her two bottom teeth (just the beginnings of them) in the one picture. She's wearing an outfit that Elizabeth briefly wore. What a beautiful day!

Ridin' bikes at the park

We've had a string of beautiful days above 70 degrees! Today was Luke's day off so we went up to Woodward Park and took the kids' little bikes for them to ride. Elizabeth did great. Caleb was kind of tired to start, I think, and Luke ended up carrying his little bike a lot of the way. Spring is definitely here. Lots of flowering trees and my allergies are in full bloom as well. Yikes! Instead of suffering for weeks first, I decided to head to the doctor early this year and get my prescription, so hopefully in a few days I'll start feeling better. When they hit, they hit hard!

I'm about to buy plane tickets for a 3-week trip to PA this summer. I'll let everyone know the exact dates after I've bought them. We're still debating between 2 different ones. I'm already excited about it and it's at least 3 months away! But we have lots of planning to do - visiting supporting churches and friends and family. Still - I'm very excited! Yay!

A new 'do

Last weekend Elizabeth, our big five-year-old, cut her hair. On both sides, some higher than her ear. So....I took her to have it cut. Not liking the mullet look myself, I insisted that they cut it all short, so it's chin-length with layers higher. And a chunk or two still higher, but we didn't want to go THAT short. I think it actually turned out reallycute. She misses her long hair though. A friend said it matches her personality - kind of spunky. Hopefully she won't do it again!

Visit from Aunt K

We just finished a very fun visit with my sister Kristina for a whole week. We were all sad to see her go. Elizabeth cried real tears when we got in the car at the airport after dropping her off. But it was much fun and we hope we will make it to PA this summer to see Kristina and lots of other family too!!

While she was here we had a busy week. We went to the zoo, the library, the mall, and on Friday we took a ride out to Monterey, one of my favorite places - such a gorgeous area. It was a cold, windy day there, however that did not deter the kids from playing industriously on the beach. Emma had a rough day, so I spent some time hanging out with her in the warm car while the others enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. We went climbing on the rocks, which you're not supposed to do, but how can you resist? Caleb is quite the adventurer and puts fear into my heart and I need to let him go - to some extent anyway - and be the little boy adventurer that he is. I missed the picture of him clinging to a sheer wall of rock. Yikes! We also went to a park there where they got to climb on the train engine. Don't miss Caleb's camo sunglasses. He loves them! (Actually, I had to do some work to convince him NOT to get the sparkly pink ones.) Much fun.

So we will attempt to return to our "normal" schedule now. But we will miss her. Anyone else who wants to come visit is so welcome!!!