2009

I thought I would post about some of the highlights of 2009 for our family!

-I turned 30! I had a HUGE party- with over 100 people at it :)
-My Dad and brother, Jake, came out to visit for a week
-Jeremy and I went to Vegas for a week vacation with NO kids!
-We went on Lift Winter Retreat with our teens
-Chloe had a birthday celebration at school
-Chloe had her first slumber party!
-Chloe turned 6
-Logan turned 2 and got his "big boy" bed
-Vision Conference was amazing!!!
-My Mom moved out here
-One sister got engaged
-Jeremy went to lunch with Brian Houston, Pastor of Hillsong, Australia
-Baby was born!
-We got to coach a Couple's Communication course
-My niece was born
-I hosted 2 tables for our Cherish Dessert/Breakfast & Fashion Show
-I made 6 wedding cakes, 8 birthday cakes, 2 bridal shower cakes, 1 bachelor party cake, 1 baby shower cake, and 4 misc cakes!
-Chloe finished Kindergarten
-Logan is potty trained!
-Baby and I took a trip to MO
-We surprised my Dad for his 50th birthday!!!
-Jeremy now oversees most of the North campus
-Jeremy is teaching in Vision College
-I started teaching in Wordshop
-Chloe went on vacation with Jeremy's parents
-We had our Revolution Youth Conference, with approx 550 teens
-Jeremy taught at a youth camp in ID
-Jeremy went with Pastor Casey to a conference in Hawaii (lucky!)
-Chloe started 1st grade
-And she has learned how to read
-The kids enjoyed Fall Fun Party and Trick-or-Treating on Halloween
-I got away for a few days to our Women's Conference
-We had a great Thanksgiving with great friends
-I did NOT go shopping on Black Friday this year
-We attended several Christmas parties
-We enjoyed Christmas Eve with my Mom, then went to Candlelight service at church
-Christmas morning was relaxing and fun
-Christmas night was spent with Jeremy's family
-Logan and Baby are pacifier-free!!!!!!!!
-We paid off one car, all credit cards and loans, most of the midwife- now just have to finish off the midwife and the other car then we are DONE!!!!

We definately had a very blessed year in 2009! There were some rough spots in the road, but mostly it was a great year :) Jeremy and I are looking forward to 2010 and are expecting GREAT things to happen.

Christmas

Well, we made a HUGE Christmas mistake!!!! We thought we were being smart. At Chloe and Logan's first Christmas we bought them tons of gifts, yet their favorite part was the box or paper. So this year we wrapped a bunch of empty boxes for Baby's first Christmas. I really just needed the boxes for pictures. We figured she would love playing with the boxes or chew on some paper. OH HOW WE WERE WRONG!!!!! The gifts that she got from my parents and grandparents brought absolute delight to Baby's face! Each time she opened a gift (and she did tear through the paper) she would light up and squeal with excitement at the toy or clothes inside the package. At first we thought it would just be one or two then she would lose interest. Nope. She reacted the same to every gift! We took the toys out of the packaging and she would play with the toys. She played with hers and rolled over to Logan or Chloe's and played with theirs too. We were laughing so hard that we completely forgot to get a video of her excitement. But I did get pics!

The kids had a great Christmas and got more than they could have asked for! We spent Christmas Eve day with my Mom then went to the Candlelight Service at Church. We were 100 people short of reaching the building capacity. So many extra chairs were brought out that we eventually had to bring out the plastic school chairs.

Christmas morning was low-key and amazing. A friend of ours came over, since he doesn't have any family around here. We opened presents and made a huge breakfast. The kids played forever with their new stuff, and their siblings stuff :) Later that day we went to the grandparents for dinner then out to Jeremy's parents for the night.

All-in-all, it has been a great Christmas season but I am glad to be done :) Now, on to planning 2010~~~~~~

Christmas Eve Service

It's kind of long. But the first minute or so is Chloe's part of the song. I also tried to find Logan but he was hiding in the crowd.

More pictures to come....

Christmas Time

Holidays are always a big deal around our house. The kids get excited; Jeremy & I get excited. And this year is no exception! Logan is old enough to really enjoy Christmas- so he and Chloe are besides themselves with excitement. So far I think we have done a great job of showing the kids that Christmas is not about gifts, although that is a fun part. Around Halloween I started asking myself, "If there were no presents at Christmas, would my kids still be excited about holidays?" And the answer has been YES! Don't get me wrong, we are having presents at Christmas. I just don't want that to be the main focus or their only memories. We have had weeks of parties, activities, special nights out, baking, decorating and gift/letter making.

This year we had to make a decision about Santa. In the past, Chloe hated him so it wasn't an issue. We just didn't have Santa. But Logan likes the guy and Chloe is now interested because of kids at school. So the verdict in our house...

There is a great book that talks about the fun of Santa and St. Nicholas. The basics of the story is that St. Nicholas was a God-fearing man who gave gifts to orphans and poor families (coins in shoes). He shared God's love in such a great way that we honor his memory each year, now in the form of Santa. Our kids know that Santa is not real but it is fun to pretend- and to keep the secret! I just loved that this explanation allowed for the fun of Santa but still focuses on God's love and the birth of Jesus!!!!

This year we added a second tree. I decorated the one in the front living room and let the kids decorate the one in the family room. It was a big moment in our house. I didn't do any of the kids' tree!!!! The lights are not evenly dispersed, the bulbs have clumps of the same colors, there are gaps, UGH!!! But I made it through and I have not "fixed" any of it. I even took pictures of it (below) as proof that I let everyone else do it :)

Yikes!!!! It's December already- and it's halfway over! Our days have been flying by. I will have lots of stories to share over the next couple of weeks. :) But my favorite recent story is about Logan. The other day we were at Fred Meyer and I gave him the change after we checked out. We ran a few other errands and were having great conversations. He was holding tightly to his precious change so I asked him what he planned to do with it. He got the biggest grin on his face and said, "I want to buy you a Happy Meal, Mommy!" He definately warms my heart and makes me smile!

The kids decorated cardboard houses. I never got around to buying the kits so we created our own. We always have leftover frostings in the frig and oodles of Halloween candy. So the kids decorated, and I got to clean out the sweets (without my kids eating all of it!) Sidenote: Yes, they did get to eat a little bit of the candy. And I'm sure frosting made it into their mouths from time to time.

We went to watch the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving. Jeremy had lots of fun playing and the kids had lots of fun cheering him on!

Our good friend Geoff got married (finally!) on the 12th. It was a great wedding downtown Seattle. Apparently, we got the memo to wear purple and black!

November So Far

November has been a fun month around here! We have had a slumber party (me), a nephew's first birthday, a wedding, 4 cakes, dinner and game nite, and a visit from Uncle Mark! In addition to that, I have managed to finish the last of my Christmas shopping, finish my Christmas cards, schedule and organize 5 holiday events, make tons of baby food and bake, bake, bake! I found a new recipe for brownies that Logan loves!

Lunch at The Crab Pot

Pier 57
We joined the New Moon craze! Actually, I joined and drug Jeremy along with me! I bought our tickets at the beginning of September and have anxiously been awaiting this night. This is not something I normally do- and probably won't do again. But the whole night was such a fun experience :) We went to the midnight showing. For some, it's probably not a big deal. But I am not a night person. I haven't seen midnight in a long time! But, great friends + great movie= great fun!

We got to the theater at 6pm. There were about 100 people there before us. We were at the end of the inside line. By the end of the night the line outside wrapped around the mall. I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been 40 degrees and hard rain! But we were cozy inside :) 2100 people were at our theater for the midnight showing! I think in June I will wait until it's been out a day or two. But all our waiting paid off. By the time we made it through the gate, our screen had just opened up so we had our choice of seats!

Playing Yahtzee as we waited. Pretty sure it was only around 9pm.
He was such a great sport!

Fall Pics

A Hike to the Ice Caves

Fall Fun Party

6 Months Old

Baby turned 6 months on the 21st. She is truly a joy and a blessing! Still, not a day goes by that we don't get stopped so people can get a smile from her or that we hear "She is the happiest baby I have ever seen." She brings so much joy to us and to those around her. She adores her big brother and sister! Sometimes when they are playing, we think she might crawl off the couch so she can play with them. There is definately longing in her eyes to be wherever they are! Her giggles are so sweet and delightful- and we can't get enough of them.
Baby started sitting up by herself a few weeks ago. No teeth have popped through but the way she chews on everything they should be here soon. She is also still petite. I am taking her to her 6 mo check up next week, but when we weighed her at home last week she was just over 12 lbs. Yep, she is still tiny. We have tried to introduce solid foods and even rice cereal but she is not interested. Once I got her to eat about 1/4 jar of peas. I am still trying to get her use to the textures of food. Hopefully she will not be as picky of an eater as Chloe! Aside from her disinterest in food, she is extremely easy going and chill! But she does "talk" a lot more now! Her form of "talking" is actually growling. I know it's strange, but she growls. Looking at her you would think that if she growls, it is cute dainty growls. Nope! It is a low, gutteral growl. She does throw in some higher babbling every once in a while, though. I am excited to see more of her personality emerge over the next few months and years!

Fun New Hair

Oct

I don't normally post pictures of my cakes on here, but I loved this one!

I took a little break from cakes for a couple of months but now I am back and loving it!
It's been life as usual for us- go, go, go! We just finished our Women's Conference. So good!!!! Every year we have some of the greatest speakers, and this year was no exception. Our church is also hosting the David Crowder Band this weekend and Jeremy Camp next month. Also, so many of our friends are getting married/have gotten married this year and we have had the honor of performing the ceremonies. Then of course, there is all the fun family stuff- the fair, circus, pumpkin patch, school events.... I so love our life!!!!

Jeremy and I are going on a missions trip to South Africa in March. We are so excited about that! This will be the first missions trip that Jeremy and I have been on since Uganda. I am hoping that we can stay an extra night or two in London on our way back. We spent our honeymoon in London and loved it. I am definately excited to go back. But we will see. I will probably be ready to get back to my kids!

Baby is almost 6 months! So hard to believe. She is still tiny but she is growing every day! Last night we tried a little rice cereal with her but she would not have any of it. She may be a pickier eater than Chloe! I am ready for her to enjoy solids and slow down on nursing. I know it is the highlight of parenting for some people. I have truly enjoyed our time, but our schedule needs just a little more flexibility. And since she is allergic to the formula, I am really ready to add in some baby food!

I'm the Baby!

Chloe and Logan were playing together in the front room and, like usual, I was listening in on their conversation. I always discover interesting things when I listen to them! So, the conversation sounded much like this:

Chloe: Logan, I will be the mom and you can be my baby.
Logan: No! I'm Mommy's baby. Not yours.
Chloe: Logan, we are just pretending. I will be the mom, you be the baby.
Logan: No! I'm Mommy's baby. Not yours.
Chloe: Logan, its just pretend. I am going to pretend to be the mom, you pretend to be the baby.
Logan: NOOOOOOO!!! I AM MOMMY'S BABY. NOT YOURS!!!!!

Oh, how I love my little man!

Life is feeling "normal" again! School has started, Wordshop is back in session, routine is back! Even though our calendar seems booked, it all feels so normal for us! Even though it is September, we have set our calendar for the rest of this year! We have added another church service on Sundays, which is run by our young adults and has great energy to it! We still have Youth, Connect home groups (4 of them), discipleship classes, women's Bible study, men's events that we are involved with weekly and monthly. I know some people couldn't handle having people around ALL the time and I think it is a grace that God has given us! We are walking out what God has called us to and we are enjoying our life as we do it!

Chloe started 1st Grade at the beginning of the month. She LOVES her teacher! Mrs. Harasek was the student teacher in Chloe's kindergarten class last year so they already had a great connection! So far the highlights of 1st Grade have been 2 recesses each day and getting to eat lunch and the ocassional breakfast at school! I have also had to learn to let go of some of my "motherly" control. School lunches ARE NOT the healthiest option! It has taken a lot of work on my part to let Chloe eat the school food and trust that she will make the right food choices. She still takes a lunch every once in a while, on days I know she won't like their food, and gets to take a snack to eat in class (they have the last lunch period). So I still get a little bit of a say about what foods she eats. But I know we have taught her well about healthy foods vs junk foods. She knows the importance of fruits, veggies and protein. But I am sure she gets chocolate milk everyday. And I bet she gets sugary cereal on days she has breakfast at school! Oh, well.

Chloe is also learning to read. I must say, while she is learning to read the rest of us are learning a new level of patience!!!! Chloe spends about 45 min a day reading. You would think we are flying through hundreds of books. But no. We are doing good to finish one book a week! It takes her about 45 min to get through 3-4 pages. Sounding out EACH letter takes SOOOOO long! She is learning, though, so that is all that really matters.