just a little slice

ready, set, GO!

2011-11-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

so here we are...we are officially ready to announce that we want to adopt baby #2! we are just getting our homestudy updated and then when miracle birthmom #2 comes along, we'll be ready for her! we are excited and a little anxious jumping into this again, but it definitely feels like the right thing at the right time. if you know of any pregnant mommies looking for a forever family for her baby...pass her my info! can't wait to see what the future holds...

praying for opportunities.

hiati

2011-10-09T21:34:00.000-07:00

no, i didn't mean to spell haiti. i'm just wondering if the plural of hiatus is hiati. guess not since my computer keeps indicating a spelling error. anyways. it seems i, along with most of my friends, have stumbled upon a blogging hiatus. not apologizing, just noticing. time is flying faster than ever these days. i feel like i only blinked twice from july to mid-october. mind boggling, really. now just up to some crazy stuff. my 2.5 year old is going on 17...loving his daddy the most, wanting to ride his bike at any opportunity, watching motorcycling videos on youtube while i cut his toenails...you know...the usual. we had a blast in texas in july and the island of moloka'i in hawai'i in late august/early september. that is one seriously untouched island. just wanted to break back in here somehow and hoping i'll be inspired for a most interesting post sooner than later!

praying for pieces.

my 3rd mother's day

2011-05-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

i was recently inspired to share our adoption story...and even more so when i think about being a mom this mother's day. most who read this blog are probably familiar with it already, but i've never really written it down...

after about 3 years journeying the path of infertility...one that can only be described as a roller coaster of events, spending money, and continual heartbreak...we finally both felt happy about putting our money somewhere that, one way or another, would build our family. we came to a point where we knew we had a chunk of money to spend, and we did not want to spend it and end up in the same place...we wanted it to bring us a child to love.

to fill in the background a bit, we'd had every test done and came out with a diagnosis of "unexplained infertility." we did pills, injectables, a few IUIs (inseminations), a round of IVF, and 2 frozen embryo transfers. all this brought us not one single positive pregnancy test. when we came to the critical point, we decided our path was clearly to be adoption. we knew we wanted to do an international adoption, and we settled on the country of ethiopia, knowing we had a chance to get an infant (around 6 months old). everywhere else we either had to be 30 years old (and we were not quite that yet...) or the children would be older than 1 year. we felt good about our decision, contacted an agency, applied, and were ready to send in a check for several thousand dollars to secure our spot in "line." the plan was to write a check the following monday...it was now friday. i was at a good girlfriend's house when i got a phone call. the caller shall remain anonymous, but it was an acquaintance of the family. i let the call go to voicemail, and when i listened, her voice was shaking, but asking me to return her call as soon as possible. when i got in my car, i gave her a call back. she quickly asked where we were in our fertility/adoption journey, and i told her we had finally decided to pursue adoption. following a moment of silence, she told me that her 19 year old daughter was almost 6 months pregnant, and wanted to give the baby up for adoption. my stomach sunk and i tried to remain calm while i told her i would talk to my husband and call her back. after a bit of discussion between the two of us, and a phone call to each of our parents, we called her back and agreed to meet her daughter the next day.

to simplify the story a bit, i'll just say that the meeting went very well, and her daughter quickly told us she wanted us to be the parents for the baby she was going to be giving birth to in about 3 months! we shared our story, offered our assistance...stating that we could help her find someone to give her choices and files of adoptive parents to look through before making this decision. she said "no thanks...i only want you!" from there it was set. she went to the OB of my choosing, invited us to be a part of every doctor's appointment as well as labor and delivery. we hung out, felt and talked to the baby, went to dinner together, and just got to know each other. it was like a dream. separately we had to jump through the hoops of getting a homestudy done, CPR certification, FBI fingerprints, physical exams, etc...but that was no harder than all the poking, prodding, and blood draws of the fertility treatments! with a doula there for birthmom's support, we were able to be there in the room for the delivery of our baby BOY!! that was one of the biggest surprises...we hadn't found out the gender, but we were all convinced it was a girl! birthmom let us name him with the name of our choice and our last name. since then we have maintained an amazing relationship with his birthmom and her mother. it's been so wonderful all the way through. i can very easily say that none of that 3 years of fertility trials matter a bit to me...my life feels like a completely blessed dream that i have been chosen to be my boy's mama. i really think we got the best gift life has to offer.

i am so excited and proud to be his mama...and SO ever grateful for his birthmom on this mother's day, that she and God saw it fit for us to be entrusted with this lot in life. it may be the type of adoption we never thought we wanted (open, domestic, relationships with birth-family...) but it is SO special and we wouldn't trade a thing. the 3 year journey was there to bring us to him and him to us...

i strive to be the kind of mother my mom was- {is} to me, and i hope i can come close. i am SO thankful for my mother and my mother-in-law who are there for me through my journey of motherhood..and everything else!

happy mother's day to mothers who are, and mothers who are yet to be!

praying for the journey to #2!

hankering

2011-03-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

hankering: to have a restless or incessant longing. i have a major hankering for these two items right now:

so since i canNOT justify indulging in these beauties for my own enjoyment...i'm planning to make them for the big day! it's just around the corner, i can't believe it!!

21 days til he's officially a 2-year-old. sometimes i wish i could keep him little...other times i keep realizing that he's just a more and more fun person ALL the time!

praying for decisions and transitions.

time's a flyin'

2011-02-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

when i do get around to posting, i feel a bit uninspired..but how can i let a whole month pass? :) ah well. getting settled in the new house, my job searching, and taking some time for family fun is what life's about right now.

a few of the things H says these days that are extra cute (inspired by whit's most recent post):
-boo mommy
-mmmm...yummy! (even when watching the dog poop! ick!)
-go go go!! (typically when at a stop light)
-his version of the abc's...i must get him to perform when the camera is rolling one of these days
-his version of counting: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, TEN!! he sometimes does 5, 6, and 7, but he's usually too excited to get to TEN!!
-bye bye daddy
-mo mo muk (more milk)
-hoe, hoe! (i want to watch a show)
-bob! (watch bob the builder)
-monny monny pees! (banana please)
-beans, wice.. (everytime we drive up to a mexican restaurant)
-hi pok, bye pok! (when we drive by a playground, i taught him to say that instead of getting upset about not stopping there :)
-bootyyyy (he's fascinated with anyone's bum)
-oooo, coo mommy!
-oynge (orange)
-cho chooooo (train)
-achoo daddy (when joe blows his nose)
- oh woow! (usually when he sees the booger i pull out of his nose)

that's enough for now. i can't believe my little man is almost TWO!

praying for doors.

recap this and recap that

2011-01-02T21:50:00.001-08:00

that's how i feel my blogs are these days...recap this and recap that..blah blah blah. why i continue, i do not know. but here it is, 2011. happy new year! 2010 was a pretty good year with a few exceptions. my beagle girl, belle, passed away on Christmas Eve. it was peaceful for her, but we weren't here, so our friend, and dog-sitter, had to deal with the trauma. i felt terrible for her, but i think belle really spared me dealing with it all. i'm going to miss that old girl. she almost made it to her 12th birthday, but i knew since finding out about her heart condition that it wouldn't be forever.

now it's a new year. no resolutions here, but i'm excited about getting really settled into our new home, and going on my sugar/processed food detox starting tomorrow. i'm actually fearing that i'll forget and eat something i'm not supposed to :-) it's just 2 weeks...who needs donuts, french fries, in-n-out burgers, pad thai, gelato, cupcakes, pizza...or any of those other indulgences in which i have partaken over the past 2 weeks. i'm not even going to weigh myself before i start. just aiming to feel good and clean up this body of mine.

my little stinker is 21 months old and cuter than ever...but BOY can that boy be on the move. i really do need to optimize my health to be able to keep up with him...not to mention that he's growing so fast i need to build strength so i can still pick him up and handle him in the midst of his almost-2-year-old tantrums! eek! january is the month....it's going to be a great year...i just know it.

praying for marios, settlers, and what is to come.

a little of this...a little of that...

2010-11-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

only a thing or two going on around here in the past few months. guess that would be why my last post was in august! the details are much too overwhelming...since then:
- we went to maui for a week with my in-laws and some good friends
-i've been cracking away at classes to clear my teaching credential...one more to go...i hope
-i accidentally wandered out to an open house down the block which led to negotiations and escrow on a 2nd house
-we put our current home up for rent
-we went apple picking
-my sister-in-law came for a visit
-we were the rubbles with our little bam bam for halloween
-my mom came for a visit
-i started tutoring again
-my parents-in-law came for a visit
-we found out my sweet beagle, belle, has a heart condition and her heart is about 3x the size it should be

here's what will be happening within the next 2-3 weeks:
-we need to close on our new house...so the new appliances have a place to live
-there is plumbing, flooring, painting, and termite tinting to do prior to moving in
-we will be packing up a house lived in for 8 years...with a 19 month old on our heels AND moving a few doors down
-a few fix-ups to be done on the house we're renting out
-a renter is moving into this house the first weekend of december
-i need to finish one class and start another
-tutoring twice a week

ok that's as far as my brain will let me go right now...i think maybe i'm at capacity...perhaps my creativity is stunted in times of great activity :-)

praying for hearts, babies, changes, and schedules...thankful for so much.

cabernet and APA

2010-08-27T22:24:00.001-07:00

nothing goes together like a little wine and paper-writing...right? back in school and i'm just dusting the cobwebs off of my mind...affect vs. effect...APA formatting for citations...moo, baa, lalala. oh wait--something like that. so i brush the paper to the side and turn to the blog :) really, i don't think these 4 or 5 classes will be that bad...but it's hard to get back into it! especially now that i have to use my free time so diligently..sometimes, at least! this big formal project proposal and 3 little assignments all have to be in by the 1st of sept. we leave for maui on monday, though...so the goal is to have everything submitted by sunday night. i'm almost there...

other than school, H and i have had some fun excursions recently. he went to his first movie on mommy movie monday at a local theater to see eat, pray, love. we went with some good friends (H's love interest at the moment), so we had a great time. we've also tried out a new splash pad in westminster on one of our HOT days...the OC fair...the cerritos kids library...mom and tot breakfast out...we went on a hike with daddy last weekend in the angeles nat'l forest, and i'm sure there's more. in the works we have a trip to a petting zoo in san juan capistrano--to which we will travel by train! so fun..i can't wait to schedule it. also we'll be heading to a farm in irvine come fall, and we may also try out the little "pretend city" in orange county. did i mention i love my job?? it's like one big fun adventure in life :) it'll be nice to get this school stuff behind me.

i've also started researching pre-schools...which is admittedly quite overwhelming. i think i'll do that later.

H will hit his 17 month mark the day after we get to hawaii...hard to believe. it amazes me more everyday that he is mine and i am his. i'm SO blessed to be his mama. he had a little virus last week so we took him to the dr. where he weighed in at 28lbs 13 oz! wow...he'll be 30 lbs in no time! crazy! he is so fun, active, animated, silly, amazing...the list goes on. here is H's current word list (which he uses selectively!)
-mama
-dada
-hi
-up
-on
-off
-belle
-basie
-NO
-GO
-yeah
-wow
-"aduh"=all done

running into more and more moms with kids H's age AND new babies or pregnant...sheesh..more to think about! i'm SO looking forward to maui! aloha!

praying for the brothers and others.

just a little slice of sick!

2010-08-08T22:09:00.001-07:00

first of all- i'm not pregnant :-)

but i have had weird episodes of nausea, particularly when lying down to go to sleep at night. weird. i'm NOT over-thinking this one though, and i'm pretty proud of that. i think i'm on the upswing though...so that's the good news.

bad news is my little H came down with a fever this afternoon. as high as 103.5, but was down to 101 by bedtime. another weird one. he was acting totally normal! even interactive while reading books before bedtime! do you seem to attract weird illnesses and issues? it seems the more i talk to people in our age group, the more i hear about weird little fleeting ailments.

we did make it to the fair on wednesday last week which was pretty fun and exhausting...i didn't think i did too bad on the eating front with a hot dog and a crepe...but my stomach seemed to feel otherwise.

i've been consistently working out---i mean working out hard...for about 2 months +. after not dropping a lb, i was down 3 at the end of this past week (following the nauseous episodes..so hopefully it'll stay off). i think with all the strength training, it's taken a while, but now hopefully i'll drop these lbs like they're hot. hah.

umm..what else. nothing much new...just focusing on the working out (which is canned for tomorrow due to H's fever)...and now oh yeah-giving up diet soda. i love the refreshing sparkle and pop of that nasty, artificially sweetened beverage, but it's time to say good bye. it does no good for me. i'm really interested in working toward a super healthy eating plan with foods like i found on this yummy blog. but i think i'm quite a work in progress. i just need to work toward that progress part.

oh and i'm back in school. ick. finishing up the silly CA requirement of "clearing" my teaching credential. if i didn't do it by february my teaching credential would turn back into a pumpkin and i wouldn't be let back into a classroom if i begged. not loving the class, but it should at least be simple enough.

praying for mario bros, meanies, and ickies.

all the pretty little ponies

2010-07-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

just listening to the lullabies as the little one snoozes. the nights have been rough lately...hoping it's the final stages of molar #2 creeping through to the surface of his gums. what does that mean...you will have all the pretty little ponies?

i feel in a funny place right now. difficult to describe, but not all bad.

today i took a class at the gym called "bikini bootcamp." it was seriously hardcore. so hardcore it wasn't even fun! all those balancing moves left my feet cringing for a break more than my glutes. yikes. just blogging randomness for now.

off to rest my fatigued muscles, so i'll leave with those deep thoughts...

praying for steps, answers, kickers, and stuff.

time flies...

2010-07-06T21:51:00.001-07:00

when you're havin fun. we've been up to SO much lately, yet i haven't had any inspiration to blog. then time passes, and i feel like there's so much to catch up on...that i just do nothing!

H is keeping me VERY busy these days. he is running all over the place, testing our boundaries and his control, getting molars, bloody noses, stomach flus, and colds, and just being cute and fun almost ALL the time! it really is a great age. it's awesome to see him learning and expressing new things every single day. he's a quick-moving 15 month old who barrels around like he's invincible. now we've been through the stomach bug and are wrapping up a cold so we should be good and healthy for the rest of the summer....right?

we had a blast visiting with family on a big bear vacation in june. it was a very busy week and a half, but it was SO fun to get H together with his 4 cousins. they had a blast! he also got to experience his 1st {and 2nd} boat ride while we were there. when we got back, the 3 B cousins joined us for a day at disneyland--another 1st for mr. H. super fun...and completely exhausting! aside from that vacation we've done his first session of tumbling classes, which he loved, we've gotten back to the gym several days each week, we go to the local farmers market weekly, and everything else is flyin' by the seat of our pants! the man of the house got a new job offer last week, so we're jumping into that new adventure at the end of next week.

also on the horizon is baby #2...no, no, this is no announcement, but we are pursuing options to add to the family in a serious way now. not much more on that front at this point...but it's all in the works.

we had a delightful july 4th, but H was coming down with his cold over the weekend, so while we stayed busy, we also spent some time just hanging out. we're making more and more "family-friends" so it's been fun getting to know some couples + their babies a little better these days. in fact, i'm contemplating putting together a group to walk in the 3-day breast cancer walk in san diego next november, "mamas for tatas." could be a fun thing for my walker moms and me to shoot for! that's pretty much the recap...which i opted for in lieu of dishes or laundry this evening...

praying for the dos, tia, and rest.

i got nothin'

2010-05-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

fondly remembering one of my former students' frequent comments... i got nothin'

nothing of too much importance going on around here other than some baby-raising. it is getting a little different...more like toddler-raising at this point! that's right...H is officially a walker, as of his 13 month birthday! he walks most places and gets frustrated if he's on uneven surfaces or in shoes that don't cooperate quite right.

right before we left for new york, he was doing a bit more experimenting, but the week following that (my birthday week!) he really took off and started preferring walking to crawling. my baby's growing up! we had a fantastic trip to NYC, seeing all the things one should see, and now really want to go back again to get beneath the surface of that fun city! dad ended up ill and unable to make the trip, so we missed him, but it was fun to meet mom there and to see our friends brandon and stacy. H was an amazing traveling one-year-old. it was a bit of a challenge wrestling with him in our shared seats on the plane, but otherwise it was a dream! he napped on the go and took everything with happy spirits!

praying for grands, decisions, thoughts, and news.

spring 2010

2010-04-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

so as a general recap...we've mostly been home, but have had a lot of fun this spring. all that plus a trip to santa fe for a reunion of J's college buddies + families...here is a pictorial representation...

praying for families, fun, and news.

one slice down!

2010-04-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

so our BABY is not so much baby anymore! he went and turned one on us a week and a half ago. i know people say it...but i REALLY can't believe it. i see people out and about with "fresh" babies in tow...and i hardly remember that being us...one short year ago. the best year of my life. it feels so good to be doing every day the one thing you know you were meant for. the joy is limitless. yes, we are toying around with the idea of baby #2, but all the while fully enjoying the ease of a single little one. he is so much fun!

the little man is still cruising...easing his mother's mind from thoughts that he is a crazy-risk-taking dare-devil. he has let go for a single hands-free step, but still for the most part likes to get around speedily on all fours. he eats everything but isn't crazy about eggs...and seems to be getting more picky about breakfast foods...but no one here is worried about his weight! at his 1 year appointment he tipped the scale at a hearty 24 lbs 12 oz, and is 31 inches long...has almost 5 teeth all the way in, and his head still falls in the 95th %ile. keeps those smart brains where they need to be! he is transitioning to whole cows milk from formula..and we are not sad to say goodbye to formula purchasing!

we had a fun trip to santa fe where H got to experience his first time sledding through the snow down a hill with his dad, had fun with the in-laws in town for the birthday bash, and now we're looking forward to our first family trip to new york city. i've never been, so i'm particularly excited to ring in my 31st year with this adventure. so many things seem to be going on all around us these days...happy and sad, so i'm working on a one-day-at-a-time attitude and enjoying the happy times!

next i'll have to do a first-birthday photo exclusive blog post!

praying for brands and fans.

a labor of love

2010-02-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

so i won't be posting the name or blog reference {yet}..or specific details of a close friend of mine who gave birth this week, but i did want to acknowledge the amazingness that i was witness to over the past few days. this friend of mine invited me to attend her birth months ago, and i was honored to have this privilege extended to me. last monday, the big journey began, and i assumed the baby would be born that night, or early the following morning. LONG story made short, the baby was safely born in the late afternoon on wednesday.

i've never seen such a labor of love like i saw this week. this girl was seriously tough.

on another note...i'm beginning to think that i am meant to be witness to labors and births that are exceptionally challenging in order to come to terms with my infertility battle. after this week...i'm definitely NOT aching to be pregnant :-)

hers is a beautiful story of a mother doing whatever it takes to have a healthy baby enter this world.

praying for new beginnings, healing, and lifetimes of happiness.

my favorite things

2010-01-25T20:41:00.000-08:00

this post was inspired by many questions by many a pregnant girlfriend, about my favorite items for baby-raising...not all absolute necessities, but i do keep it pretty real given our less than 1000 sq. foot bungalow for 3 humans and 2 dogs!
so here goes (in no particular order of importance):

-BOB stroller
-cloth diapers
-chicco travel seat hook-on high chair
-ergo carrier
-moby wrap
-ikea toy storage bins
-flip mino video camera
-little giraffe blankies
-aden & anais blankets + washcloths
-baby bjorn travel crib
-first years hands free baby gates
*(edited to add)-the nose frida aka the snotsucker. best snot-fighting invention ever!

i'm pretty sure i'll be adding to this post as we go along...we are only about to hit the 10 month mark of baby experience!

praying for procedures, healing, wholeness, luck, and surprises.

new beginnings

2010-01-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

so i missed merry Christmas, happy 8th anniversary {to us}, and happy 2010...oh, and happy 11th birthday to my sweet beagle girl, belle.

BUT

i didn't miss happy adoption finalization day {to us}! what a day it has been!! i knew very little of what to expect of this court proceeding at monterey park children's court. i did speak to one friend who has an adopted baby, and she warned me that it was more emotional than she expected it to be. i would give this advice to others! it's weird the feeling that overcomes one...even after 9 months of raising this beautiful boy, to raise one hand and swear to parent him to the best of our ability, treat him as our naturally born child, and understanding his entitlement to inheritance, brought a whole new level of feeling like a chapter of this adoption has come to a close, and a new one is beginning. the judge was great and kept things fairly light, and he was very pleased to meet H's birthmom and birth-grandmother. apparently it is highly unusual for a birthmom to come to this event, and it was so nice having her and her mother there. she got choked up which almost sent me emotionally overboard, but i managed to keep it together. no pictures yet...our attorney's wife did all of the photography so we will be getting those shortly. it was a beautiful occasion, and extra special since both of our sets of parents were able to be right there with us.

praying for wholeness, new beginnings, and good lives.

days like this

2009-12-18T21:26:00.000-08:00

sometimes unplanned evenings or days turn out to be some of the very best! at about 6PM we headed out for a walk. we ended up deciding to walk down to a little deli called olives on 2nd street for a light salad dinner. the freedom writers were there for a book signing and they provided free appetizers. yummy deviled eggs and shrimp cocktail! the salads were good too, and H tried garbanzo beans (yay, another form of protein!), peas, corn, and of course old faithful...avocado. while there i met a girl who has lived here for just 7 months...another dallas transplant! the good news about her is that she has a baby boy born half a month before H! we're going to set up a playdate soon and she told me about a free storytime at the local library. from there we did some window shopping and stopped for hot tea before walking home. H had fun in the stroller for most of the time, and on my back for the last half mile or so. his giggles and kicks on my back make it seem like he's almost not even super heavy :-) man i love that little guy. anyways...just one for my memory book as he came home, got ready for bed, and slumbered, all within about 20 minutes. now for some date night time in for us!

praying for joy, families, additions, and possibilities.

my favorite time of year!

2009-12-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

so i've thoroughly been enjoying H's first fall...crisp leaves, cool breezes, cute sweaters and jackets...it's been fun!

nothing, though, compares to the joy of this holiday season with our little one around! it's fun for me to be a part of, but almost more fun to watch joe as a daddy make it all so special for H! we've been doing an advent activity calendar which has been fun, we have a FULL-sized Christmas tree for once, our stockings arrived in the mail just yesterday, and the annual card was even more fun to put together! we can't wait to get back home to texas for the big day to share the joy with the whole family...and 5 cousins aged 5 and under! that'll keep us busy!

now that H is fully mobile, we'll have our hands full on that airplane ride more than ever! wish us luck! :-)

pictures soon to follow!

praying for holidays, travels, families, and joy.

days of yore

2009-11-20T15:04:00.000-08:00

i was just remembering that episode of friends where rachel bought a bunch of stuff at pottery barn but convinced phoebe that it was all from thrift/antique shops. when ross asked rachel what time period they were from she kept responding with unintelligent answers like days of yore and yesteryear. i'm pretty sure i peed in my pants a little during that episode.

anyways...it's been almost a month since my last post because i just kept feeling uninteresting for the most part when i wasn't too busy to take a minute for the blogging world.

the weight loss competition ended this wednesday, and i was down 16 lbs at the final weigh in. my team went to an awesome celebratory dinner on wednesday and i think i have a couple of those pounds to give back after that ;) it was all worth it though. our team lost 79 lbs in total over 12 weeks! a bit more to go, but it was a great part to have well underway before the holidays.

much of my days have been spent walking, working out, doing this or that around the house, and of course some fun stuff like baby dance class, lunches out with friends, a visit from tia sara, etc. time has been flying!

H is now 7.5 months old and this week has really been working on his crawling skills. i'd say he crawls with an inchworm flair. it's the cutest thing, really! but he is able to make a good distance, so all eyes are on him...especially before we get around to a bit more babyproofing around here! he's eating anything and everything...and i LOVE giving him real people food instead of bothering with purees now. he's a hearty eater and it works in my favor for distracting him when we are trying to do things like eat out at restaurants.

in other exciting news, we got a court date for the finalization of H's adoption! we'll be going to court in LA on january 13th, and perhaps having a party to celebrate on the 16th. what a blessing he is to our family!

i'm sure there's more going on than that, but i feel like i need to spend the rest of naptime either napping, working out, or working around the house. decisions decisions.

praying for follies, families, oneness and tao.

why i loved today:

2009-10-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

-a windy walk with a good friend
-a teeny but good enough bit of weight-loss at my 8th week weigh-in..bringing me down 13 lbs total so far
-a stop for H to play with friends at the park
-a nap for me and a great nap for H
-diapers washed
-kitchen cleaned
-successful tutoring session
-found hubby's favorite cereal at albertsons
-an amazing italian food dinner with a good girlfriend...wine, pasta, creme brulee...mmmm.
-good convo with the hubby
-got laundry folded
-topped off with a warm bath
-now into bed with my miniature snuggle bug and my bigger snuggle bug

that's what i loved about today. God is good!

praying for safe travels, brokenness, and accomplishment in pursuit.

funny tidbits

2009-10-25T21:08:00.001-07:00

the funniest thing happened today. our luggage came off the conveyor belt, and plopped onto the metal part that goes around (what is that called anyway?). yes. that was funny to our little bear! we were just off the plane from visiting mimi and mom in phoenix, awaiting our bags. as soon as the first bag came out and plopped onto the metal, H started giggling! i looked over to see what he was looking at, and saw that he found the dropping bags to be funny! bag after bag came tumbling down and his giggles were obvious to everyone around us. i think it had to be one of the cutest moments ever!

we had a good visit, though mimi ended up getting sick and not spending a ton of time with us. H did great on the whole weekend, even with a stuffy nose. thank goodness for the nose frida...aka, the snotsucker. hopefully mimi is on the mend and we were just happy to have the time we did, and to spend lots of time with my mom...always a special thing.

praying for health, recovery, babies, and rest.

CDing

2009-10-15T22:51:00.000-07:00

that's what we cool kids call it...CDing {cloth diapering}. i've been meaning to post about this hobby of ours for quite some time now, giving friends some place of reference when they ask about our CDing system. we tend to get the following responses when we tell people about the fact that we CD:
1) wow, you're brave! i would never take the time to do that.
2) oh, i would try it if i only had one kid
3) what service do you use? isn't that MORE expensive than disposable diapers?
4) ew, you put THAT in your washer and dryer??
5) wow, that's cool! how do you do it??

we mostly get 1-4 but occasionally i score a #5 in conversation.

many people love the idea of the ease of pocket diapers in which you use various layers of absorbent inserts...VERY handy. the only drawback is that these are somewhat tricky to get to fit a newborn, or up to maybe 12 lbs or so. oh, and they come at a pretty penny too!

so here is how we do it, and it has worked great for 6.5 months so far! since we didn't know what system to use, we went cheap and decided to see how it went as we went along. we ordered 24 infant unbleached cotton indian prefolds and 6 XS thirsties velcro diaper wraps. this fit our needs perfectly from the beginning, saving us the need to use 'sposies in the early weeks. before too long we ordered the size S of the thirsties wraps (6 more) and 24 of the toddler sized prefolds. by the time we were going up to this size, however, i also noticed my use of the bumgenius one-size pocket diapers was greatly increasing. the handy features on these are the snaps on the front that allow you to change the size with growth of the baby. within the first few weeks i learned that because the pocket diapers wick moisture away onto the layers tucked within, you can leave them on for longer! with the proper stuffing (which takes some trials) i was able to not change his diaper at all through the nights! that was quite a perk to the nighttime feeding routine! i also like using them for when we are out on the town or going to be gone for a while. the cotton prefolds should really be changed at least every 2-3 hours like a 'sposie. we just added more pocket diapers to our collection over time, and will likely continue to do so until we have maybe 16 ish.

we did also get crazy and invest in a diaper sprayer, also made by bumgenius, which easily hooks up to the toilet and gets out the extra messy stuff if your baby is on formula or starting solids. until then, they can just go straight into the washer as they are! i'm sure everyone figures out their own washing routine, but here's what i do...
-usually wash diapers every 2-3 days in a cold prewash followed by a hot/cold cycle with only a tiny amount of detergent. i use 7th generation unscented, but supposedly the BEST is a brand of detergent called planet. i'm planning to switch soon!

another question i often get is whether or not we use them when we travel...and YES! as long as i will have access to a washer and dryer i always do. i'm addicted to them as an outfit accessory...SO much cuter than 'sposies!

so far we have bought everything for our diapering needs at abbyslane.

happy diapering!

praying for minds, peace, transitions, and bodies.

making the switch

2009-10-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

so...recently we made the switch to cloth, reusable paper towels. we're really quite happy with the switch and it's nice to feel not so wasteful. that got me to thinking a step further--about reusable toilet paper. a friend of mine brought it up again yesterday to ask if i would ever do it. before throwing up, if you think about it, why would it be any more gross than the cloth diapering which we do and LOVE? so i would totally like to make the switch, but joe is less than jumping on the wagon. he was all about the paper towels, in fact he's the one that found the ones we bought! but this idea he doesn't love.

so maybe provide paper for the messy jobs, but why not reusable toilet paper? i can't think of any reason...

praying for open minds, peace, opportunities, and blessings.

decisions, decisions

2009-10-01T22:41:00.000-07:00

6 months old.....really??

so many decisions to be made! how do i make the right ones?? unfortunately i know the answer...but that answer still seems to leave me unclear. it seems there are more things i'm questioning than i'm sure about these days...kind of driving me nuts!
-should we try feeding whole, solid foods?
-should we get a crib or continue co-sleeping? i guess we at least will need a crib for naps by the time he's crawling--any day now!
-how should we incorporate H's tummy mama into our lives once he's aware of what's going on? i want whatever is best and easiest on his heart.
-should we give the flu and swine flu shots all at the same time, or is that too much?
-should we go on the church retreat despite the long drive?
-when should we really start thinking about baby #2? i want H to have his time, but i know the process can take a while too!

seeing H turn SIX MONTHS OLD has just made me feel like i need to get a handle on these decisions! he's doing so wonderfully, and people always comment on how happy he seems, and i want him to always be that way! he's growing so fast it blows me away.

october 1 and it really feels like fall is getting underway...and i like it! joe is convinced i am so happy about fall because it's little bear's first fall...new, cute clothes, fun adventures, pictures in the pumpkin patch, and longer evenings. whatever it is...it's fun, even in the land of unchanging seasons! we are looking forward to a visit from my parents-in-law this weekend, but we'll miss tia sara!

praying for wisdom, peace, hearts, and trees of life(A--that one's for you:).

it does a body good!

2009-09-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

3 weeks into the local biggest loser competition, my team is ranked 30 out of over 100 teams, and i've dropped 7 lbs! i already feel SO much better. it's amazing what a little extra weight can do to your energy. even though the little guy isn't sleeping well, i am getting so energized by all the exercise i've been getting. the most rewarding part, perhaps, is that i'm being very reasonable and not over-restrictive on my eating habits. this is totally what i needed right now. well...that AND some sleep. seriously though, it feels great! if you're thinking about getting off your booty and exercising..do it! i think i'm getting addicted.

H is napping well these days, and i think maybe that will contribute to getting back to better night-sleeping habits. my hopes are high. the past couple of nights have been getting a bit better, so hopefully we're on a good trend.

there are a few crafts i'd like to get around to in the near future:
-curtains/window coverings of some sort for the nursery--yes, still a work in progress and he's almost 6 months old!
-filling in the sweet new baby book i just ordered custom off etsy
-painting wooden letters for H's wall
it really stinks that crafts cost $$ because that seems to be our biggest challenge since losing my teaching salary! all worth it in the end, but penny pinchers is our middle name these days.

last week H and i went to the aquarium with our friends brooke (and gus) and loved it so much that over the weekend daddy and i took H back. he loves watching the fish...especially the big guys! we also have been spending more time at the beach lately..because why not?! i do love fall being in the air these evenings lately...and the cute little footie pajamas for H that entails. a quick recap in pictures and i'm off to grab a piece of a nap!

praying for teeth, pain, hearts, and minds.

a little of this

2009-09-06T23:12:00.000-07:00

i've been reminded several times over the last few weeks of the fact that without pain, there would be no healing. our friends who lost their newborn son a few days ago have reminded me that it is through darkness that light is seen. we went to visit H's tummy mama tonight. she sent me a text message today that said how she loves us and is so happy that we are H's parents because we make him so happy. when she found out she was pregnant, she was desperate and afraid of the darkness of her potential future. when we were traveling the road of infertility (as if we've stopped...) i found myself often in a dark place, worried that my dreams would be crushed. every time i look into H's eyes, hear him giggle, or snuggle with him as he sleeps, i can't imagine a brighter light, or a greater great. if not for our darkness, struggles, and uncertainty, we wouldn't have him. it is a peculiar concept that i suppose without darkness there would be light, but we wouldn't be made aware or appreciate that. hard to understand when i certainly don't want to believe that God makes bad things so we can appreciate the good things...

the weekend has been great, and it's so nice knowing joe doesn't go to work tomorrow, and that makes it at 4-day work week for him. i have butterflies in my stomach for teachers returning to work, but none for myself :) hoping our tutoring business gets a good jumpstart to another growing year this year. there's much work to be done for that!

H has backtracked on his sleeping and is now doing 3-4 hour stretches. tough to swallow when he's gotten me used to 8 hour chunks! he loves to hang upside down like a bat, drink ice water out of a grown-up glass, and eat mushed banana! i got a few more foods today for him to try this week. it is a delight to see him grow and so fascinated by this world. he's wearing 6-12 month clothes even though he just hit the 5 month mark...he's a sturdy baby! he's been so brave for his shots each month, and when he accidentaly bonks his head on mine it hurts me more than it does him! he's a tough guy and we're pretty sure he'll be up for trying anything...the little daredevil. i should sign off so i can catch 2 hours of his 4 hour stretch!

praying for healing, understanding, next steps, and growth.

a new day

2009-09-02T13:04:00.000-07:00

so it's a day late, but i wanted to post something a little more uplifting...it's a new day...a new month, and a new fall to look forward to! i can't WAIT to take H apple picking this year. when joe and i did it last year it was totally fun, and a great couples date...but i must admit that the whole time i longed for our 3rd party to make it complete with little smiles and giggles as we pick out the best apples of the bunch! it will be a blast!

this summer has been fun...from the baby shower alyssa threw for us in june (click her name, she posted a bunch of pics of the day, and i'm a little too lazy and on borrowed nap time:), to texas to meet H's cousins, mo ranch, kauai, and back to texas to babysit baby benji. i love these memories. i have the best family and friends a girl could ask for.

we've already been discussing baby #2...and how to bring him/her home and make H a big brother. we have a thought about what we may do next, but will be thoughtful and diligent before making that decision.

i really need to figure out how to do a picture collage because this one by one thing keeps crashing. dirty bottles are calling my name...

praying for healed hearts, new beginnings, and miracles.

for days...

2009-08-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

for days i have wanted to post a new blog...and many thoughts and ideas have crept across my mind about which to write, but i have a hard time finding importance in much of it lately. while i do want to blog about a few simple and very happy things, first i need to write about something a little heavier on my heart.

at the beginning of august a friend from high school gave birth to her 3rd son. at 20 weeks gestation they found out he would be born with a heart defect. they planned for what they thought would be the worst as they received multiple diagnoses as the pregnancy progressed. they knew that within days, or if lucky, months, their baby boy would need extensive heart surgeries. this is what they thought they were preparing for. little samuel was born with not only heart problems, but in addition, one of his lungs was collapsed, and the other not functioning well. from there his kidneys were also giving out, and as of late last week, the doctors working with them said they have nothing left to offer him, and that he would not come out of this battle a survivor.

i consider myself a Christian, and i feel like my faith has grown significantly over the past few years...however, when i read the blog about samuel's heart, i learn that perhaps my spirituality is not as strong as i wish it was. samuel's parents have the most amazing outlook, even today as they realize they could have only moments left with their little boy on this earth. i can't imagine feeling any peace at a time like that, yet they experience and speak about the grace of God through this whole tragic ordeal. just makes me think.

praying for this little one and his amazingly strong family.

and the verdict is...

2009-08-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

apparently the little guy likes his own space. since he started sleeping in his own bed last week, he has given me a stretch of 6.5, 7.5, 8, and last nite TEN hours straight of sleeping through the night! maybe it's a coincidence, but it's evidence enough for me to wipe away the tears and keep him in his own bunk! i haven't felt this good in the mornings in almost 5 months! it's crazy how nice a full 6-8 hours of sleep can be (of course i haven't gotten in bed at the same time as him, so i miss out on parts of potential sleep there.)

H also had his first tastes of banana and watermelon over the past week. the boy loves to gum that stuff down...but i haven't fully commited, so he's only gotten a couple of small tastes. he is also loving ice water these days. he is such a big boy and enjoys swinging at the park too!

on another note...i went up to the school today to meet my replacement teacher. i wish her good luck...she doesn't really strike me as middle school material, but hopefully she'll find her way!

monday H and i leave for texas to take care of my nephew, baby B for the week while his nanny is on maternity leave. i'm looking forward to some good, quality time with B ;) i know my other sis must be way jealous...we'll take pictures!

we started a new gym schedule which gives me some sort of workout every day during the work week. joe and i are doing 2 evenings a week together with H visiting the childcare room, and i do various other routines on the other 3 days. so far...so good...and the lbs are dropping. at least i'm being rewarded because i tend to burn out on being good pretty easily these days! motivation hit hard upon our return from hawaii when i stepped on the scale and thought there must be an invisible, hefty toddler stepping on behind me. these are the days of my life.

praying for hearts, breaths, families, and health.

pitiful

2009-08-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

i'm sitting here crying because i just put my baby to bed in his OWN bed. mind you--it's a co-sleeper...actually connected to my bed. but something about it i don't like...seems like i'm making him cuddle with an inanimate object. hmm. we'll see how long this lasts. i only tried it because he seemed to want more room to roll around without my weight slanting our mattress toward me...boo.

praying for hearts.

mo-om!

2009-08-10T16:12:00.000-07:00

that mo-om should be said in a whiny voice. my mom is after me to update my blog!

so we are back from an amazing visit to the island of kauai. this little one was a total champ...the airplane rides, 3 hour time difference, hikes, ocean swimming...you name it, he did it..and mostly with smiles! i really think he did love his first island adventure. he also accomplished something new...as of his 4 month birthday on 7/31, he officially rolls from his back to his tummy in addition to tummy to back. he's growing WAY too fast. bet you've never heard a new parent say that before! here is a quick photographic recap of our vacay...
nappin in the shade!
swinging on a vine with daddy
at the beach-kilauea bay
daddy snorkeling
daddy making spaghetti tacos...of all things!
one of the views from our bedroom
the infamous puka dog...delish..joe had the gluten free version

being silly
ke'e beach
H in the water

on our deck

view of kilauea bay after a hike
kilauea lighthouse
first day with auntie robin
drying off after a humid, sweaty day
in the rental car...ready for adventures!

part 2 will have to come later..nap time is over and the rest of the pics haven't yet been uploaded!

praying for families.

creations

2009-07-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

wheeeee! my boy is getting SO big! he graduated from the infant seat in his BOB stroller and now sits like a big boy!!

part of the beauty of my little boy getting bigger and more independent is that i have my hands free a little bit more often! i have been able to work on a few fun and functional creations with my sewing machine.

#1) do-it-myself baby legs...don't really need them til the fall, but they already look cute on him in my humble opinion!
#2) i completed a water ring-sling to use next weekend at mo-ranch, and the following week in KAUAI! i think it'll even function as i'm hoping it should...
#3) i am in the process of finishing a wet/dry bag. i have yet to install a zipper (1st time ever) and then it will be complete. here is a pic of the work in progress...so far it's just the wetbag portion with the waterproof lining.

praying for creative minds, steps forward, health, growth, and progress.

bo-ring

2009-07-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

well, i'm not bored, but i feel boring these days. boring to other people. these were the highlights of my week:
-organizing my shoes in a sustainable fashion
-clearing out bags of stuff to donate to either goodwill or the long beach rescue mission
-finding a floor model red crib to put in H's room...not that i plan on him leaving my side anytime soon for a great deal at pottery barn kids (and then convincing dear husband to agree to the purchase!)
-H getting soooo close to rolling from his back to his tummy. that one darned arm keeps getting in the way!

now i just have to write a ton more thank-you notes from the dallas shower and a couple more from the long beach shower...that task should get worked on next week. then we head to mo ranch for a weekend and finally kauai for a week! busy busy!

praying for mamas, babies, friends, outlooks, and budgets.

random ramblings

2009-07-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

-H found his hands and he loves to eat them. he also weighs 14 lbs 7 oz as of his 13 week birthday!
-we had a blast in texas last weekend introducing H to his aunts and cousins. 5 kids under 5 makes for good times.
-our final baby shower was this weekend. H had fun and so did i...thanks to steph for the party!
-we made it back to CA safely, but not without H picking up a case of pink eye somewhere along the way! he's a trooper getting the ointment in his eye twice a day, but it's no fun. doesn't seem to bother him much though, so that's good.
-3 friends have had babies within the last 3 weeks, and one to go!
-recent news of another good friend and a family member that are pregnant...i don't know how i'd survive if little H hadn't come into our life!
-we are going to kauai at the end of this month with our great friends robin and hwa...and we can't wait to introduce them to H!
-i really want to start running but i keep chickening out of really going for it.
-i'm going to start making superfood smoothies...got some stuff at the farmer's market but still have to go to the store. ugh.
-my favorite meal to cook these days is a whole chicken in the crockpot. SO easy.
-i can't wait for the weekend...joe has friday off in celebration of the 4th.
-our housekeeper is back and recovered from knee surgery. hallelujah!
-one of my flower girls is going into high school. that makes me super old.
-H says it's time to eat...that's it for my creative writing session.

praying for stickies, peoples, health, and wishes.

a dream come true

2009-06-12T21:59:00.001-07:00

i told joe when we were 14 that my dream was to become a stay-at-home-mom. as of this afternoon i am no longer a teacher at a school, and i only have one teacher's pet pupil to focus on. i'm so excited to be able to do this full-time job! i can't thank H's birthmom enough...

praying for babies and mommies, safety and health.

this little guy of mine

2009-06-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

my dearest hunter bear (formerly known as...baby fish),
i loved you from the minute i saw you and they were suctioning out your new little lungs. my heart was filled with happiness to see you, and fear at the rush of the NICU team all at the same time. you have literally been nothing but a joy...for 10 weeks now. i guess most people don't celebrate a 10 week birthday, but this week brings about a few changes for us. the first 8 weeks were days you and i spent blissfully together, while for the past two weeks your nana has been out here taking care of you while i went back to wrap up my school year. tomorrow i'll graduate my last group of 8th graders and say farewell to my career...for now. you are my new specialty and i vow to learn how to be the best mommy possible to you. you make it pretty easy.

you are getting so big and strong. at your two-month appointment you weighed in at 12 lbs 4 oz, and measured 23.5 inches. that's the 75th%ile for both! everyone that sees you can't resist your sweet little man face, your long toes, and your contagious smile. i can't believe you're really ours sometimes. you talk to us so much now...cooing, giggling, and letting us know more and more what you want. we sometimes call you captain demando because you go from happy to I NEED MILK NOWWWW...in a matter of seconds! you have yet to have a crying episode not easily settled by the token offering of a bottle. your daddy is lying with you on his tummy in the other room as i type, and nothing warms my heart more than seeing how much he loves being your daddy. you are everything we ever dreamed of...and we tell people you make having a baby look easy because you are so amazingly good.

you love rattles and are getting more and more interested in toys. you are less excited about tummy-time, but all of a sudden about 3 weeks ago you started loving bathtime! you are also super happy on your changing table by the window, looking at the trees and welcoming the morning, or watching the sunset.

you had fun with your uncle david, nana and grandad for the 2nd week of your life, and when you were about 4 weeks old your oma, papa, and tia sara came just to see you! when you were 5 weeks old we took a roadtrip to phoenix for you to meet your great mimi. you were a perfect angel for the whole car ride there and back. no one can meet you and not fall in love with your precious little self.

we started stroller exercising with our friends brooke and baby gus for several weeks before i went back to work, and you love those outdoor excursions. since nana has been here you've been utterly spoiled. grandad came in for the party that your auntie alyssa threw for you last weekend. you got so many presents and we had about 40 people here all for you! we have had several amazing friends or friends of friends who have donated their milk to help you grow big and strong. your aunts elaine and whitney and their little families can't wait to meet you when we take your first flight to texas at the end of this month. better catch a nap before you and daddy wake up and you want me to get you in your jammies for bed. i love you, my prince.

xoxo
your forever mommy

always praying for you.

i heart cloth diapering

2009-05-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

well..i fully intend to do a real...thoughtful post on how much i love cloth diapering...and how it's NOT crazy hard! for now i have a sleepy one to put down so i'll save it for later today perhaps. i do want to say how excited i am to try something new with my system...a grobaby cloth diaper! these are new to me...but i love the idea and the promotion they're having! more news on that front to back later. hah!

praying for sleep ;)

how could i not?

2009-05-13T04:07:00.000-07:00

my sweet potato bug is 6 weeks old. how could i not be in love even in the middle of the night? i love you my fuzzy-headed prince!

praying for growth, progress, happiness, and pursuit.

first family road trip & a happy mother's day!

2009-05-10T22:07:00.001-07:00

ready...set...step on it, dad!!
we spent the weekend visiting my 97 year old grandmother (last name hunter), along with my parents and my aunt and uncle from illinois. hunter did beautifully in the car both ways, requiring only one stop each direction for gas and bottle fill-ups. it was great to celebrate my first mother's day with my mom and her mom. she loved meeting hunter and we had quite a photo shoot to capture those moments.

i have certainly spent a few mother's days crying over the past few years. not this year. i am so thankful to hunter's birthmom for making it possible for me to celebrate today completely happily this year. not only that, but i also got more 1st mother's day wishes from family and friends than i could count! just another realization that i am so blessed and lucky in this life. yes, i still fall in the category of unexplained infertility, but that piece of my life is on the back-burner now. it's so wonderful how things have worked out.

love at first sight!
visiting over breakfast
napping on his grrrr
playtime!
praying for the folks who are still dreaming of becoming mamas, & folks that are.

for real.

2009-04-27T23:40:00.000-07:00

i'm really 30. managing to post before midnite so it counts. we had a fun day but i'm so beat i'll have to capture it another time...off to catch some zzzzzs...i hope.

praying for pains, healing, futures, and many many more.

my little monkey

2009-04-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

my little guy is 3 weeks old today! it has been crazy, wonderful, exhausting, fun, silly, and overwhelming...all at the same time! as i tell my husband...i LOVE my new job! if it weren't for a lack of sleep, this little guy would make it way to easy on me! he is one pretty laid back kind of guy so far. he hit a 3-week growth spurt yesterday so it was his fussiest day...little did i know all he wanted was to eat all morning! so much for the every 3 hour schedule. he was still pretty good through the night though, so i'm thankful for that. i was talking to a friend with a 3 month old who she says sleeps 12 hours through the night now! i don't want to wish away time because my little monkey is sooo sweet and cute! ...but those sleepful nights sound awesome :) he is already growing so fast!

this is exactly what i've always wanted in my life and i don't wish our journey to have gone ANY other way.

dear husband came home from work yesterday and treated me to an evening in the hottub with champagne and MY music on the outdoor speakers, all while he monkey sat the little one out on the deck. it was such a great night and made me once more thankful for all that i have!

we are planning trips to phoenix in may, dallas in june, san antonio in july, and hawaii in august...so here's to not being tied down once we entered baby-land! speaking of baby-land...it's feeding time again!

praying for progress, healing, happiness, and safety.

our prince is here

2009-04-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

well he is definitely the love of our life! we are completely spoiled by our little beautiful man. not all the medical issues are completely resolved...but they did release him to our care last sunday. he goes in for another bilirubin test tomorrow and we're hoping the levels are decreasing. he is such a love bug and has been so easy for us. yes...i've lost many hours of sleep, but about the only time he has cried has been during diaper changes or immediate hunger needs. other than that he has been content and the sweetest pea ever. i can't believe we're really here in our life...what a joy! here are a few shots from our little man photo shoot yesterday.

praying for levels, health, mamas, and sisters across the world.

still waiting...

2009-04-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

well, after the white blood cell count issue was quickly resolved and doctors realized there was no lung infection from meconium, they told us hunter would be able to go home on saturday! ...friday came around and he was looking a bit yellow, so they needed to keep him under UV lights to bring his billirubin levels down. now there's a chance he'll come home tomorrow (sunday) if he can maintain the lower levels without the lights on him over nite. i am SO anxious to get him home. he is the best snuggle bug in the world. i already don't know how i was happy without him. he is the best thing ever! this house is going to be snuggle central when we get the little booger home. he is so big and healthy--and what a hearty eater!

praying for mamas, papas, homes, health, and families.

hunter's first day...

2009-04-01T18:35:00.001-07:00

more to come from today...his 2nd day around when we actually got to hold his little body in our arms! yippee!! :)

praying for health, safety, mamas, and lives.

good day for a birth-day

2009-03-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

this is it folks. our baby boy, hunter sidney was born today! details and photos to come later. he is in the NICU until thursday just getting checked out after some major meconium swallowing. silly baby...what's next after eating poo? he WILL be fine and i'm ready to get back up there to him...wanted to actually have a blog post on his day though...despite the delerium.

praising for miracles, gifts, and futures.

baby _________

2009-03-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

haha...not my baby, but my sis is pushing hers out right now!!! happy delivery thoughts whit and baby _____!!!!!!!!! eeeeeekkkkkkk!!

fun little things!

2009-03-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

thanks to alyssa for finding this woman's site on etsy..watermelon wishes. if you haven't been on etsy before, you must. it is amazing. i'm getting this super adorable diaper bag...and she has several varieties and you can mix and match fabrics...even send her your own fabric if you like! i can't wait til this little gem shows up on my doorstep in 7+ days!!

now that the ENTIRE to do list has been done...it's time for the fun stuff! i love this part! we also scored this sweet adoption children's book by jamie lee curtis to read baby fish when he or she comes home!
i love these little things. no plans for what's next...we'll see!

praying for safe arrivals, happy hearts, health, and the works.

just another day in the life

2009-03-23T22:30:00.001-07:00

this was worth 2 posts in one day. every time i get sad about my princess belle getting old...she goes and pulls an old trick out of her hat and makes me laugh til i'm blue in the face...10 years old and going strong!

introducing...BOB:

2009-03-23T18:27:00.001-07:00

BOB. the most amazing stroller ever. seriously... i feel bad when we are out shopping and i see people checking out the $800+ stroller systems. this is all anyone needs...a jogger/walker all in one. just check it out at rei if you're in the market for something of the sort. we also managed to seal the deal on a car seat this weekend, cleared out 2 drawers + space in the linen closet for baby fish, and did 3 loads of baby laundry. any time now! we are so ready. checked off by the social worker on friday, we can officially be considered licensed foster parents in addition to our new adoptive status when baby gets here! parenting class tomorrow nite and the list will be complete!

praying for safe arrivals, friends, new things, sabbath, and old fix-its.

Christmas eve...

2009-03-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

that's what it's starting to feel like. like Christmas eve. you know...that giddy feeling knowing that whatever you face in the morning is going to be fun, bright, new, and exciting...maybe even a little challenging to figure out...but you really have no idea what it is. well, we know it's a baby coming, but we don't know much more about what's in store for us. perhaps Christmas won't really be here tomorrow, but it's definitely sooner than it's ever been! we are closer than ever to being a family of 3 and it feels amazing. despite the crazy errand running, appointment setting, and baby stuff buying, this really is all going to end up with a baby in our home! it's fun! we're at 35 weeks and counting. 3-5 weeks to go! i even put in my adoption leave request form today at work...weird!

the lamaze class this weekend went REALLY well, so i can already say i'd highly recommend our doula/lamaze instructor. baby mama feels ready so as soon as baby gets a little more ripe he or she can make a daring entrance to this world! i really.can't.wait.

our neighbors also spoiled us with a little baby shower gathering last weekend which was really fun too. i'll post pics later, including the M&Ms that were personalized for baby fish!

praying for smoothness, happiness, excitement, families, surgeries, anxieties and processes.

ppd not dpt

2009-03-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

oh my gosh. i could be so rich right now. i was at the dr. to get an adoption physical form filled out...and i needed a TB skin test.

don't ask me why i didn't question the fact that a TB test is not supposed to come in the form of a huge needle injecting into a muscle in my upper arm. so after withdrawing the needle, the nurse managed to prick herself with it. oh dang. i assured her i don't have AIDS...for what that's worth. so i asked when we come back to have the tests read and she said friday. once outside i saw the red indicator mark on joe's forearm and said hey...why doesn't mine look like that and why did they do it up here and cover it with a band-aid??

upon further investigation and a return trip back into the doctor's office, i learn that apparently p.p.d. sounds suspiciously like d.p.t. yes...she had given me a tetanus shot! i was laughing and told her i'm sure i need that too...and that i'd be set if i encounter a rusty pitchfork in the near future, but i know i need a TB test! she gave me that too and then hopefully went home to clear that foggy mind! hah! it's been years since i had a tetanus shot, so it's all fine, but SCARY that it would happen and i didn't even question it! i should have known better! oh i can never seem to come out of an encounter without a story behind it these days...

praying for healing, emotions, friends, bumps and aches.

omg

2009-03-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

wow...there is SOOOOO much to do!! for some reason all these tasks came to reality last week after talking to the social worker with the agency doing our homestudy. the line up for this week alone is:
-physical exams and forms at the doctor
-TB tests for both of us
-fingerprint appointments for both of us
-prenatal labor and delivery appointment with the OBGYN
-get necessary reference letters
-employment verification
-write autobiographies

all that should be done by friday! i had another appointment this afternoon for my jacked up shoulder and he's sending me to a new physical therapist so i'll add that in to my weekly routine for the next month! lots to do...but all so very worthwhile once that little bundle is in our arms within the next 4-6 weeks! i can't believe it's down to that! we hit the 34 week mark today.

so far we have the following baby gear:
-arms reach co-sleeper
-organic mattress/sheets
-a few onesies
-24 infant cloth diapers with wraps
-cloth baby wipes
-couple of baby slings
-a happy lamb wool mat for tummy time
-a freezer full of donated breastmilk (thanks to you know who you are!)
-a box of gifts from an amazing store, the green depot, from another great friend (you know who you are too!) including organic onesies, bibs, pacifier, hooded towel, and 2 fun little natural wooden rattles!

a friend of mine was over when i opened the box of organic gifts, and she was like, "um...are you going to accept normal things...like things with color?" it was hilarious. of course we are...we just get the basics organic and anything else people give us :) we are looking forward to a very low-key get-together with the neighbors this weekend to celebrate baby fish and add to our collection of baby items. we also have our lamaze class this sunday! all we really need now is a car seat and some bottles...and maybe a few more outfits! i may have forgotten something on that list...but i have to go cull through stuff and see what ele we must have within the next few weeks. back to work...

praying for babies, mommies, tingles and pains.

dear baby fish,

2009-02-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

it just hit your daddy, birthmom, and me how soon you are going to be here! your birthmom is getting anxious and ready for you to make your appearance...and to get back into her designer jeans too! your belly-making presence hasn't quieted her fashion sense yet! we are all excited to see your little face and meet your feisty personality. we went to the doctor yesterday and you are about 31 weeks along now, and heart is beating strong. for a while time seemed to be creeping, but i think we're on the downhill quick side of the slide now. you're a week from being 8 months big! time for us to really start getting ready. we will have a little shower for you with the neighborhood family in early march, and then the rest of your parties will be with you in attendance! we thought "meet the baby" parties could be fun...plus then we'll know if you're a tough guy or a princess! your birthmom is keeping us posted on your kicks and flips, and we even saw you from the outside doing a little jump yesterday! your birthmom really wanted chicken strips, so we went to dinner and spent some time talking about you and how you may look and act when you are toddling around here. as we explore this thing called adoption and all the ways that could look, we are all feeling happy with the fact that you will have a big family that has loved you since you were a tiny little baby fish. we have even had friends and family who have offered to pump milk for you so you can get some of that liquid gold for the first months of your eating life. you are surrounded with love! hang in there a little longer and we'll be snuggling soon!

praying for safe arrivals, sisters, babies, friends, and thoughts.

awesome

2009-01-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

having a housekeeper is awesome. thanks to cousins andrew and christy, we were inspired to incorporate her into our new baby budget. i can't think of a better way to spend $10 per hour on a saturday morning. i may be blogging now, but it actually does get me off my seat to organize things. today's mission: baby closet. how are we going to have space in this place for another being?! i'm about to find out....to the benefit of goodwill!

project #2 for the day: putting a patch on belle's dog bed. she felt feisty last nite and chewed a hole right thru it and its innards are spilling out. grrrr.

praying for sisters, babies, doggies, friends, and reconnections.

guilty pleasures

2009-01-13T22:15:00.000-08:00

just a little inspiration to jot down a few current guilty pleasures:

1) watching the NEW 90210
2) playing WAY too much scrabble and word twist on facebook
3) watching the video of baby fish's ultrasound several times a day
4) employing a housekeeper to maintain my house for me
5) taking long baths 1-3 times per week...how could this habit start now?? i have already let joe know that he's going to be on daddy duty while mommy takes baths at least once a week after baby comes!

those are my most recent indulgences...what are your guilty pleasures??

praying for sisters, babies, drama, friends, and groups.

there we were

2009-01-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

i was reading one of my favorite new blogs today by the lady who started the eco-friendly baby company, the little seed. she introduced me to a new term. joe and i were recently left wondering what to call ourselves. what category do we fit in, and what will we fit in when we become parents? here it is. we are yippies! as you may guess, this is a combo of yuppie and hippie. i'm not sure if i'm proud or embarassed, but this is a fairly accurate description of our taste. we are getting to be very natural-minded...not so much for eco-conscious purposes (though that's a nice perk) but for health reasons. we also like nice things and convenient things offered to us by modern technology. i had to laugh. yippie. what's in store for a couple of yippies like us?

oh, and i'm going to my first ever lakers game this weekend. i'm hoping to get a peek at mr. nicholson himself.

praying for moms, babies, pups, issues and tissues.

2009...a year to remember

2009-01-01T20:51:00.000-08:00

happy new year! i fully anticipate 2009 being the best.year.yet. our official due date is april 11th. everything is going swimmingly and we met the baby fish yesterday at our first ultrasound with baby mama. we asked the tech to keep baby fish's secrets secret...so only she knows what we're having. i'll get around to scanning in an ultrasound shot asap! baby measures perfectly for 26 weeks and is in the 51st %ile for weight. all fingers, toes, and eyes are present.

we had the most laid back NYE ever. i told joe we must be practicing for what new year's will be like when we become parents. i was in my PJs from 4:30pm on NYE until about 2pm today. can't complain about that!

we did some babies r us browsing and organic mattress shopping today. i love that stuff. our baby mama said she feels like for once in her life she's doing something right...and that feels like music to my ears. so all that being said... i can't wait to see what--and who--2009 has in store for us!

praying for decisions, moms, beasts, cares, and peace.

7 years...and one to grow on

2008-12-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

it's that time of year again. family time, holidays, face stuffing, gift wrapping, new year planning, and of course, our wedding anniversary. what a party it has already been. we have somewhat of a unique perspective since we have actually been together for 15 years...only 7 of them have been bound by the law; but make no mistake, it's been bound by God for all 15.

this anniversary is unique in several ways:

1) it's lucky #7
2) it's the anniversary of copper and wool gifts {traditional}
3) we celebrated a night early with the family
4) we were in our OWN home on our anniversary...this is our first time not to be in texas!
5) we have spent much of the day researching organic bedding and other chemical free materials for "baby fish!" (that's what we're calling baby for now).

this is the first year where we can actually plan on our new little family member and we are LOVING it. we will be going for the first ultrasound with baby mama on wednesday and are elated at the prospect of seeing his/her face for the first time. oh, and no...we won't be finding out what we're having...making it all the more magical on our baby's birthday!

so after flying in early this morning, we're just home kickin it in some new lounging duds from Christmas, and we are loving today. we had a wonderful Christmas holiday home in texas with the family...with no immediate family missing. it was a unique holiday all around but it was truly full of delight. looking forward to a bigger family Christmas 2009...and here's to the 8th year of our happy marriage!

praying for friends, family, cohesiveness, health, and little baby fish :) i love that.

jumping for joy

2008-12-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

well it is certainly a season for joy. i do love this season...even though it is coming and going more quickly than i can truly appreciate. i have about 6 people left to buy Christmas presents for. that's right..6...or maybe 7. it's 8 days til Christmas and i still have shopping to do, and half of our cards still eagerly waiting to be put in the ice cold mailbox. it's totally freezing outside for so cal, and our heater is broken until heater man comes back on friday. sweet treats are ready to be distributed at work tomorrow and i still have about 20 nutcracker stamps left to be utilized in the season. my advent calendar will be waiting for next year...when we hope to include a little one on the daily activities. that's right...we are definitely planning to adopt a baby! the details of the situation have to remain confidential, but we just may become parents a few months sooner than we anticipated. so now we're researching gear, brainstorming names, and riding a whole new emotional roller coaster until all the kinks are worked out. we are excited while still holding out the understanding that adoptions are an extensive process and it could take a while to have everything finalized.

so happy holiday season everyone...remember, don't cloud the holidays with expectations...if it's not done yet...it can wait! enjoy!

praying for smooth sailing, health, friends, and holiday healing.

flyin' time

2008-12-08T19:10:00.001-08:00

my how time flies. i keep coming to this page and then i have so much to say i don't know where to start OR end...so i end up writing nothing.

the shoulder knots are still there and i'm thinking i'm destined to have them forever. i've been to physical therapy and even to a specialist doctor dude...the kind slips my weary brain right now. anyways, he swears it's not cancer, and i did come out with a diagnosis of scapular dyskinesia. sounds tough right? so basically my scapula on the left side moves all jacked up and crooked which throws off all those bones and muscles. comfort and joy.

on the baby note...there are updates, but i can't give much in the detail area yet for a variety of reasons. all i will say is we are seriously exploring the adoption path now. i didn't think it could get anymore roller-coaster-ish than infertility, but this just may be adding some creative chapters to our book. i'll leave it at that and update as soon as i know more about the direction we're taking with all that stuff. a baby we shall have.

the business is doing quite well and i've actually brought home a good chunk of extra cash this semester and business is growing. that's some good news. savings for baby.

we went to estes park, colorado to meet up with my bro, his girlfriend, and my parents for thanksgiving. we rented a cabin close to his place and had a great time. i've never felt so out of shape as i did hiking thru the snow in the elevation. fatso. but i have also been getting back to the gym and our long evening walks a bit more often these days, so hopefully after the holidays i'll really be on track. move it move it.

that's our right now in a nutshell...without too much of the dramatic parts. i'm hoping we actually get a tree...or at least take down the boxes of decorations soon. one of these days. maybe my homemade crafty advent calendar {thanks to my craft teacher, alyssa} will be finished by the time the month is halfway over too!

praying for peace, smooth sailing, happiness, friends, and the season.

return to innocence

2008-10-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

i never really thought about what that phrase means. how refreshing it would feel to be returned to innocence...almost impossible in our earthly existence i'm finding. i have some knots in my back that have been irritating me for a few weeks now, and as the fear of cancer creeps up here and there {as i've mentioned before...it often does in my mind}...i am reminded more and more how nice it must be to feel innocent. i think stress definitely plays a role in lack of innocence. as you experience more stressful life situations, your mind is opened to the possibilities of sadness and unwholeness.

interestingly and thankfully i am also often reminded of the happiness and hope there can be. i don't think all of this would be possible if one was completely innocent because taking things forgranted is easy when a person has innocence. when i WAS innocent...at least when i felt that way, i realize now how many things i failed to appreciate. it's so much easier to appreciate the little things now. i guess that's the price you pay for a little bit of life's wisdom. a friend of mine today sent me an e-mail saying she was praying for me...and that she would be so happy the day she meets my baby. that was hopeful :)

and now for some teacher humor:
i caught a student with a plagiarized paper today. after asking him about a few sentences which contained words i thought to be a bit over his head, he was adamant that they were indeed his words. ok . i'm no fool, but i really wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. i asked him if he was confident that if i googled the name of the book i wouldn't find this essay out there on the internet somewher. he looked me in the eyes and said he was sure. so i tried to read on with a believing heart...until i got to the last paragraph. the first sentence of the final paragraph stated this: "I really enjoyed the book because I realized that even though I have cerebral palsy I can do so many things..."
"ummm....{insert student's name} do you have cerebral palsy?" he looked at me as though i was speaking swahili which elicited his response of,
"huh?"
"well it says right here that you have cerebral palsy..."
"i don't even know what that is..."
"ok, now let's try telling the truth and it'll be a lot less stressful for all of us."
"...fine. i copied it."
i thought to myself. OMG. that is the worst job of plagiarism i could ever imagine. but it made the catch so totally priceless. good news is...he has until friday to turn in an essay.

quote of the day:
i was out for the past 2 days for one of our procedures. one of the "bad kids" who i recently was fortunate enough to have placed in my class came up to my classroom, saw me and said, "YES, you're back...ya know, you really make this class for me." hah. talk about an eddie haskell. it was great. had to get some mileage out of that one.

praying for clear minds, meaning, knots, safe road trips, and babies and grown ups tryin to make it.

it's ahna*bell!

2008-10-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

i'm totally in disbelief. on monday, my oldest sister, elaine, had her 3rd baby...and several of us in the fam had all decided there was no way it wouldn't be a boy. well...it's a girl! so crazy. i was at target within hours to send off some appropriate purple and pink...the girl might otherwise live her babyhood in green and blue! not really...but man, i've been looking for a reason to buy that stuff. i love those boys but girl clothes are SO much cuter!! so welcome to the world baby anabel! can't wait to book tickets to meet her! eek!

praying for backs, friends, struggles, groups, and stress.

it's fall y'all!

2008-10-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

so i got a bee in my bonnet this week and really wanted to go apple picking. not being a native californian, i didn't even know where you had to live to be able to go apple picking, so i googled it. i didn't think we'd do it because it was a little less than a two hour drive, and our schedule has been SO packed, i figured it was a lost cause. well we got up this morning...i mentioned it again, and my dear, sweet husband said, "let's do it!" so i found a nice little family-run orchard in yucaipa, "willowbrook," and we set the GPS and were on our way.

it was a perfect, beautiful day in yucaipa, ca. the air was fresh and crisp, and so were the apples! gala, fuji, and winesaps, oh my! we filled two bags at willowbrook and rileys farms, and didn't have time to make it to the pumpkin farm.
we also intended to press our own cider, but by the time we arrived they were out of cider apples. next time. this is totally going to be our new family fall tradition...i loved it! there was even a cute horse there, and a sweet baby pig named blossom. so cute!
joe has been bothered by his sinuses ever since a skunk sprayed under our house last nite...we thought it was allergies, but after being gone all day and getting home, it had only gotten worse. now he's lying in bed with the vaporizer going and vicks vapo-rub on his chest. poor guy...i guess i wore him down! what a crazy week it has been between work, the "business," dr. appointments, social engagements, and a new mid-week book study we're in...it's high time for a break! today was just what i needed to feel rejuvenated...too bad it landed joe in the sick bed. hopefully he'll be feeling better tomorrow.

praying for health, healing, knots, birthdays, popsicles, and others.

are you kylie's mom?

2008-09-30T22:25:00.000-07:00

this was only one instance that made me feel OLD within the past week or so! oh...did i mention kylie is a SEVENTH GRADER?? i was innocently passing by a student's desk last week when he turned to me and said, "i know who you are...you're kylie's mom!" my blank stare gave him the answer to his un-question. he continued to push the foot deeper into his mouth when he said, "well WHO'S mom ARE you?" awkward pause. hey kid--i'm not anyone's mom! fortunately i immediately saw the humor and irony in the situation rather than pouring out infertile tears onto his airwalk shoe.

this instance was two days following a church service i attended. i came out refreshed and renewed with my spiritual self, and was met at the door with a cute young mom who ran up to me and said, "mom's Bible study starts this thursday!" as she casually dropped a flyer into my palm. my eyes met joe's and we both let out a chuckle. if she only knew.

number three. joe said, "i was looking through some of our wedding photos on my computer...you look like a totally different person!" oops. he didn't even begin to realize the mistake he had just made. so what...15 pounds and 3 years of infertility stress adds some morphing to a little self!

at least i can laugh.

on another note. we have an AWESOME new online grading program! not only does it hold teachers accountable, it does the same for parents and students! this program entails everything from grades to current assignments, missed assignments (zeros), assignment descriptions, uploaded worksheets, and communication capability. so i started a new plan. on the program, daily there is a refreshed list of "high priority" students. this includes students with two or more grades below 70%. SO my 8th graders have a knack for landing on this list. they also have a 20 minute "nutrition" break (recess) between 3rd and 4th period. i made a new policy...high priority kids with zeros get to come to me for that 20 minutes every day! i've had a handful of students go from Fs to Cs in the past 5 school days! one of the students came to me himself and said, "dude, this nutrition break thing you're doing is really working!" don't worry. i did pat my own back :) one of the teachers also came to me and said, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it!" hopefully we'll be able to keep it up.

praying for aunts, foots, stress, and belief.

uterus oh uterus

2008-09-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

one of the compliments i received yesterday: "you have one of the most beautiful, perfect uteruses i've ever seen!"

well...thank you! after all, i have been feeling a little frumpy lately. what kind of compliment is better than that of my uterus?! so i had a hysteroscopy yesterday. totally easy...they tell me i was in and out in 5 minutes since they found nothing entertaining to do in there. all i remember was waking up and saying, "can someone please scratch my right eyebrow?" it itched from the air i was blowing up thru the oxygen mask. some nice nurse lady came over with delightfully long finger nails and cured the itch for me. it felt heavenly. apparently i come out of my shy shell when i'm going in for surgery. i made the folks laugh a few times before and after i was knocked out by a calorie free buzz. now i have some nice pretty uterus pictures to add to my collection. boy, if we never end up with kids we'll certainly have an interesting photo wall in the hallway!

there is so much going on in the lives of some of my friends right now it's just crazy. guess it all evens out because i'm feeling exceptionally peaceful these days...so i'm hoping i can bring some of that to some of them. i'm starting to really get that no matter what we do to fool ourselves into thinking we have some amount of control over our lives, the fact remains that we just don't! the part i'm really starting to dig is that God really wants us to be joyful. He's with us in pain and mourning, but He wants us to be happy. and He wants to bless us. i love that. i may have mentioned before, the book that i'm reading {slowly but surely}, The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People, by John Ortberg. it kind of came to me when i was watching the today show on infertility. these two ladies were talking about how they used complementary medicine, meaning combining eastern and western medicine practices. i've been doing acupuncture for 2 years. i love it and i think it has many overall health and well-being benefits. what's funny is how people swear that whatever they're doing at the time, is what made it work. in this case: infertility. once these ladies added in the acupuncture, yoga, etc. to their western medicine treatments, they ended up pregnant. one of the ladies made the comment that going to eastern medicine gave her some control back. well, that's great and all to feel that way, BUT...she really still did not control what happened. funny how things can just hit you at some points. so out of control i remain. and i'm starting to be somewhat ok with that. trying anyways.

oh, and i'm getting the picture of dr. phil, my friend and me this weekend. yay!

praying for more peace, friends, babies, and great guidance.

seven years

2008-09-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

it's been seven years since THE 9/11 that changed the way we think. it's amazing to think that the babies who were born on that day are 1st or 2nd graders by now. some of the ones who lost a husband or wife are happily remarried by now. no one i have talked to does not remember where they were that morning. i slept in late because i didn't have a substitute teaching job that day. with groggy eyes i came out to where one of my roommates was watching the 2nd plane head into the twin towers on t.v. with her mouth dropped open. i was so oblivious, i didn't even know what the twin towers were. yes, i was a college graduate. i've learned a lot since then. much like my parents' generation with the kennedy assassination, those of us who were around and aware, will not be able to convey the feelings that the attacks brought about. i didn't know my brother was in new york seeing the trauma unfold. i didn't know how big of a deal this whole situation would turn out to be. i didn't know much...but i've learned a lot about life in the past seven years...and i feel certain there is more to learn!

in thinking about the anniversary, i thought i'd write about what has happened in my life in the seven years since 9/11/01.

got married
moved from texas to tucson
became a personal trainer
moved from tucson to so cal
worked for a non-profit organization
earned a master's degree and teaching credential
became a teacher
foster parented a teenage girl
became a foster grandmother
partied at a 2 million $$ hollywood bash
learned about fear
saw friends through some difficult times...death, divorce, depression
experienced infertility
went to therapy
lost 20 pounds :)
gained some back :(
became an aunt 2.9 times over
buried a grandfather
did a triathlon
sang in a Christian praise band
traveled to mexico, hawaii, paris, hawaii, hawaii, boston, outer banks of NC, colorado, texas
met great friends
lost touch with some great friends
grew in friendships i've had forever
learned to appreciate family
grew afraid of the idea of loss
started writing a book
started a small business

and i hope there's much more to come and much more to appreciate in the years to come.

happy birthday to my MIL!

praying for aunts, leaders, soldiers, and baby stuff.

37 to go!

2008-09-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

wow! one school week down, 37 to go! that is SO not a big number. totally manageable. after the first week, the verdict is that my groups are all pretty good! i was really worried because i miss last year's 8th graders so much, but i think some of these kids will be fun. my goal {besides educating them academically} is to get them a bit more involved in each other's lives. i realized that one of the things i really loved about my last group was the fact that we were all genuinely interested in what was going on in each others' lives. to play into this, my first activity was this: share one fun/exciting/adventurous thing you did this summer. each student had to then ask the spotlight kid a question to get more details about his/her summer activity. it went really well and made me feel like there is definitely growth potential and these kids just might leave me with not a totally self-absorbed view of life. now if i can get them to do the same with me...we'll be on a roll. i find that where last year's group would ask me what i did over the weekend, most of my other kids ask me, "what do i have to do to get out of this class?" now THAT makes a teacher feel good :) i truly don't take it personally, but it is nice to be able to have a casual conversation with my students. i did have one new group, so i had to put on my structured teacher hat displaying my rules...but other than that, we are all pretty comfortable with each other and they know my boundaries. all in all, i'd say the first week was not too traumatic at all...besides getting used to waking to an alarm again. yuck.

on another note, one of our teachers randomly fell and had a seizure while making copies in the copy room at school...fortunately she was caught and 911 was called immediately. she seems to be fine, but they are obviously running a whole slew of tests to figure out the cause. hopefully that's the one and only disastrous event of the year and hopefully it won't be a trend!

oh, and one more thing...i got to school to find out our VP is pregnant! as of recent news, so is my almost last best friend! maybe this is a fertile year for many of us...

praying for moons, minds, and bonds.

may as well

2008-09-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

and a happy labor day it was.

i may as well start september off with a blog! i can't believe how the summer flew. it feels like i just had a couple of weeks off and am going right back to the grind again. in a way that's good because i don't really have any anxiety about going back to work. maybe that's just because i'm teaching the same gang again and singin the same song for my 5th year now. i'm proud yet ashamed to say that for the first time ever i'm going into the new school year with an organized classroom closet! i get to break in easy and work in my classroom by myself tomorrow and the real rush comes on wednesday. baby steps. my goal tomorrow is to eat healthfully even though the PTA is feeding us lunch. those are some of my downfall days for calorie counting. not this year.

it's been a great holiday weekend filled with writing {our book is coming along nicely}, church, friends, baseball games, biking {flat tires...}, long walks, cooking out on the deck, back-to-school clothes shopping, tea-drinking, and some wine. i feel fortunate right now.

oh, speaking of feeling fortunate...two of these little items have befallen us randomly over the past week. literally, just lying in our way trying to get somewhere...that's got to mean good things...right?? don't worry, i totally did not keep them and they are not sitting in the sink getting sterilized and kept for posterity. maybe they're not. i'm feeling good about the '08-'09 school year. this is the one!

praying for marzipants, new beginnings, assurance, vision, and freedom.

back to school shopping

2008-08-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

after doing a bit of pre - school year shopping at a local teacher supply store, i was inspired to write this post to get happy about heading back for another joy-filled year.

a few things i love about back to school time:

1. fun new borders for bulletin boards and doors
2. fadeless board paper
3. kids actually have most of their school supplies and they are not in dog-eared form
4. seeing coworkers i don't see much of during summer
5. being amazed at how much middle-schoolers grow over a period of under 3 months
6. never being bored
7. thinking of ways to help the kids actually like being in my classroom
8. fresh, clean file drawers

that's all i've got for now. i'm going to spare myself the negative energy of posting the list of what i dislike about going back to work...and i'm not sure i have the time before pilates :)

praying for good things.

the doctor is back

2008-08-26T19:25:00.000-07:00

i love august for a couple of reasons. a) we usually tend to take a vacation in august, and b) the new season of dr. phil starts up! i have managed to go to 4 tapings (once each of the past 4 seasons) and i always love the experience! today was a different experience altogether. today my friend lauren took me with her as a VIP! she is the personal trainer for one of the producers, so we walked right in, sat in the 2nd row, AND got to go backstage to meet the man AND take a picture with him! i don't know if i'll ever want to go back to the nosebleed section again! we had a great time...thanks lauren!

we're just getting into the swing of things around here. since getting back home last thursday, we have recommitted to walking 4 miles per day for ourselves and our dogs' sakes, we are back to calorie counting, and joe has started his new job! between all of that and me heading back to work next week, we've got a lot of stuff going on! to relive the R&R of our vacation, here are a few shots of us on the big island:

it was a great trip, and we're thinking once a year to hawaii just might not be enough...

i'm actually {kind of} looking forward to getting in my classroom to spruce it up a bit for the kids. it's going to be a little tough going back and not having my 8th grade group from last year...they really made me smile. hopefully another group will tug on my heartstrings this year. i got the house cleaned up today and ready for maintenance cleaning once i'm back at work, and i've got a few other loose ends to wrap up before it's back to the daily grind.

praying for new beginnings.

the harvest

2008-08-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

i've crawled into a hole and now i'm coming out. we've been in hawaii (the big island) for a week...it was kind of an emergency trip, planned with a week's notice after a bit of momentary infertility depression. it has been such a rejuvenating trip for us! we invited the in-laws along and have had a great time in a big amazing rental home. we have been on several adventures, not the least of which was watching the natural beauty and splendor of an actively erupting volcano! i know the picture does not do the brilliant colors justice, but it gives you an idea.
i also got a sign that i've been waiting for. we drove past a sign that had the following words, "pray for harvest but keep plowing." it was just what i needed to hear! so the journey continues.

we're headed home now and back for another week and a half or so of summer vacation before school starts up!

praying for the harvest and the energy to keep plowing...safe travels, and health.

thoughts on becoming a mother

2008-08-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

i wanted to post this little poem that i found online somewhere by an unknown author. as a disclaimer though, i would like to state that i have several friends and family members who have had or are having babies in the time we have been ttc (trying to conceive). this month marks 3 years in this adventure for us, so some have even had more than one in that time! i want to say that i am not bitter toward those in this category (well...toward most of them:), and i am so happy that i only know a few who have had to endure this character- building journey called infertility. i have found recently that i am perfectly able to be both happy for and jealous of people simultaneously! i also know that many of these folks in my life are or will be absolutely amazing mothers...so i definitely don't intend this poem to seem as though i think i will be better, nor do i think i have troubles any larger than anyone else...

Thoughts on Becoming a Mother

There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and they are good mothers and love their children... I know that I will be a great mother.

I will be great not because of genetics, or money or that I have read more books, but because I have struggled and toiled for this child.
I have longed and waited.
I have cried and prayed.
I have endured and planned over and over again.

Like most things in life, the people who have great appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams.
I will notice everything about my child.
I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover.
I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life.

I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream.
My dream will be crying for me.

I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see.

Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love.

I will be a better mother for all that I have endured.
I am a better wife, a better aunt, a better daughter, neighbor, friend and sister because I have known pain.

I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body, I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall.

I have prevailed.
I have succeeded.
I have won.

So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort.
I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs.

I listen.

And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely.
I have learned the immerse power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard.
I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.

I have learned to appreciate life.

Yes I will be a wonderful mother.

- Author Unknown

praying for miracles, peace, friends, unquestioning minds, safe travels, and aunts.

what if it does?

2008-08-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

i've been watching somewhat regularly the nbc t.v. show, nashville star. well, it ended last nite and the winner was melissa lawson. she was really good, though my fave candidate and childhood friend, alyson gilbert, was eliminated a few weeks ago...darn public voting systems! anyways, the final song melissa sang hit me like a ton of bricks...in a good way! i totally love the lyrics and plan to let this song be my own personal, uplifting theme song. just thought i'd share some of the positivity today.

What If It All Goes Right?
Melissa Lawson
What if every road that you’re taking is a dead-end?
What if love leaves you all jaded and broken?
What if that limb breaks that you’re climbin’ out on?
Yeah, what if it all goes wrong?

But what if it all goes right?
What if it all works out?
What if the stars line up and good luck rains down?
What if you chase your dreams and it changes your whole life?
Yeah, what if it all goes right?

What if that road is a beautiful slow drive?
What if that love is lasting a lifetime?
What if that limb holds you up tree strong?
What if this time nothing goes wrong?

Yeah, what if it all goes right?
What if it all works out?
What if the stars line up and good luck rains down?
What if you chase your dreams and it changes your whole life?
Yeah, what if it all goes right?

What if you climb to the mountaintop and touch the sky, grab some flowers and it passes by?
You might fall
You might fall
But then again, you might fly!

What if it all goes right?
What if it all works out?
What if the stars line up and good luck rains down?
What if you chase your dreams and it changes your whole life?
What if it all goes right?

What if it all goes right?

praying that it all goes right.

show and tell

2008-07-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

it's finally time. i have picked up sewing, so here i will share a few of our original products, created by our new faithful janome heart sewing machine. this machine is dedicated to the cause of heart disease among women. here are a few original emily & joe designs:

1. patriotic bandanas for our friends' little pups on 7/4. 2. a little legless man dog toy for basie. 3. my first apron. 4. my first homemade skirt...excuse the drawstring, it needs to be replaced with something a bit prettier.

so i'm pretty happy with how these items have turned out, but my real gem has yet to be photographed...my first baby sling! i'm really excited about making these for friends (and myself)...and it's super easy!

my next project is a vision board. i'm super excited about putting the visions i have for my future on a board to look at.

on another note, we had a fantastic time at mo-ranch with my mil & fil, friends robin & hwa, and of course with the bubbies! oh, and don't shed any tears for me, BUT we took another route and missed the homemade peach ice cream altogether! quite a disappointment, but otherwise everything was great! here are a few shots from the eventful weekend.

off to work on the vision board while joe enjoys the movie he downloaded: batman returns. enjoy the weekend.

praying for vision, stickies, heart hands, and families.

goin' to mo!

2008-07-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

i'm SO excited about the weekend! to begin with, we get to see the bubbies...and it's been since april! they are all moved in to their new home, so we'll get to stay there for a night. then we'll head out to the ranch with mil and fil and meet up with robin and hwa. from there, our options are open! sister, bil, and the boys will drive up to meet us at the ranch and i'm sure it will be fun to watch the little ones romp around! on top of all that fun, we get to eat fresh, homemade texas peach ice cream. yum!

praying for travels, treatments, kids, and the journey!

is it a secret?

2008-07-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

there's all this hype out there about the secret, made popular by the book by rhonda byrne. basically from my limited knowledge base, this means determining your own fate by visualizing the outcome you desire. i don't know personally how much buy-in i have to the theory, but i find it intriguing anyway.

it's interesting because in the Christian world, this is often seen as an antithesis to God and His divine plan for one's life. i was sitting in a sermon on sunday morning at st. andrew's presbyterian church, and heard something i hadn't really heard before. the pastor was preaching on taking risks or getting out of your boat {a.k.a. comfort zone}. he was referring to living with faith and trusting God enough to not only do the things you are comfortable with. most of that of course i have heard in the past...what i hadn't heard was the phrasing that to me lit a light bulb to say, this is the Christian version of "the secret!"

it was referred to in the sermon as performative command, in which you seek something..really seek it, and if you practice actually saying it aloud, that God will help you live it out. now, this could have been only referring to getting up the courage to do something (risk), that God would give you courage, but i really heard it telling me that if you want something, say it, visualize it, ask for it, and your desired outcome could be found in the end. they were also making a point to say this is why memorizing scripture is important--not to show off amazing biblical prowess, but so that you can repeat it if you desire it.

SO, the challenge was to think of one thing that is your boat, pray about it, and you will be able to achieve it. in other words, you will be able to get out of your boat and achieve what you desire most. to understand more about your own boats, try reading the book, if you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat, by john ortberg. i haven't yet read it myself, i'm anxiously awaiting another book by the same author which should be at my doorstep any day now; but joe has read this one and found it to be life-altering! i'll post about my boats on another day...and let you know the outcomes.

praying for pursuit.

Our Kids

2008-07-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

inspired by a recent post by jackie, i thought i would take a minute to highlight the kids we do have so far!

for about a year and a half now, we have been supporting 4 children through the fantastic organization, world vision. we recently received their annual update photos and it is so amazing to see how they've grown! on the top left, is brenda from honduras. next to her is showkat from bangladesh. on the bottom left is daisy, and next to her, kiplangat; both from kenya, africa. aren't they beautiful?!

though what we can provide for these kids is limited; getting the updates and seeing their smiling faces is a huge reward to us.

the contribution is $30 per month, or $35 per month (depending on whether or not the children come from AIDS afflicted areas), prayer, and ongoing commitment. you can also send notes, birthday cards, and other written words of encouragement, but no physical gifts. it is almost too easy...simply an autopay to the credit card each month. prayer is perhaps the more difficult aspect of the commitment, as it actually takes time and thought to understand what is going on in their communities and their lives, but world vision makes that as easy as possible as well with their regular community updates and prayer suggestions.

makes it easy to know what i'm praying for now.

a belated happy 4th on the 5th

2008-07-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

how many of you have memorized the preamble to the constitution of the united states of america? i was just getting ready for bed, and still feeling a bit patriotically nostalgic, i remembered memorizing it in the 5th grade in miss smalley's class. i'm going to give it a try, no cheating from wiki anything:

we the people of the united states
in order to form a more perfect union
establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility
provide for the common defense
promote the general welfare and
secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity
do ordain and establish this constitution
for the united states of america.

wow, impressed? amazing what comes flowing back when you learn it in musical form. as a teacher...i should remember that. goodnite.

just a little slice of infertility

2008-07-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

i just learned that the elephant is considered a symbol of fertility. bring on some elephants.

so our summer plans have been few and far-between mostly because of the "infertility junk" we have been dealing with for going on three years. that's right...this sumer marks three years of our trials of infertility. ho-hum, poor us, right? three years ago i said i would NEVER be one of those couples who lets this drag on for 3 years before doing something drastic about it. well...here we are! joe and i even made up a song called "ain't got na'an a baby" sung to the tune of "deep in the heart of texas."

for the most part we have tried and managed to keep a fairly positive attitude about our situation. at the last consultation with our FABULOUS reproductive endocrinologist she asked if we are really doing "as ok" as we seem, or if it affects us more than we let on. in all honesty, it hurts so badly i can't stand it...BUT at the same time, as we told her, just because that one aspect of our life sucks, why should we be a bitter, sad, argumentative couple that makes every other area of life suck? of course there are times i break down crying for what seems to be "no reason," and who knows if it's the baby situation or all the hormones and drugs we keep pumping into my body to deal with it. typically though, we really do have a great life in all other regards, so i almost {not almost--i DO} feel guilty whenever i start feeling sorry for myself.

so this summer the pursuit continues. the other thing our doctor said when we went for our consultation after the last treatment failed was, "i want you to know i am truly relentless...i don't care if i have to do it for free--you will not leave me without getting pregnant and having a baby in your arms." thank heaven for wise, Godly, encouraging doctors! my physician research has paid off a million times! so aside from the trip to mo-ranch in the hill country of texas with the in-laws and an amazing couple of friends (yay robin and hwa!)...we will be rooted here in so cal for the summer. we still have my parents visiting again and joe's parents visiting this summer, so we'll be hosting more than traveling. we are also finally starting to figure out the voice in which we will be writing our book. i won't reveal the name, but we are writing a book about our infertility journey! ironic that we have no idea yet how it will end...

i felt like i hadn't included a real, "about me" type of post in a while, and felt a little calm and inspired about it today. wish us luck in this crazy journey...we can definitely use it.

i hope everyone had a delightful independence day celebration! God bless america.

praying for inspiration, patience, backs, treatments, and recovery.

summertime faves

2008-07-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

just thought i'd share a couple of our favorite summertime delights as of late:
caprese salads...yum! i've been eating them at least once a day over the last few days. needless to say we're going quickly through blocks of mozzarella, tons of tomatoes, and of course, fresh organic basil. i make a quick and easy...maybe slightly less fancy version than the one pictured above. one of these days i'll take a pic of my own creation.

preparation:
1) slice organic tomatoes (lately they are running the same price as non-organic tomatoes)...get the ones without salmonella please!
2) slice {thin} slices of mozzarella cheese (some people prefer whole or buffalo, some prefer part-skim)
3) rinse and cut basil leaves from stems...just the right size to lay atop each slice of tomato

once all the ingredients are prepared, i lay the tomatoes in 2 circles filling a plate. sprinkle a touch of salt on the tomatoes. then lay a basil leaf on each slice, followed by a slice of mozzarella cheese. crack a little pepper on top, and then lightly sprinkle some newman's own light balsamic vinaigrette dressing on each stack. it's important just to drizzle the dressing so as not to overpower the salad ingredients themselves. eat up!

the next favorite item of summer is usually enjoyed in the evening time, around a beach firepit, or perhaps the one in your backyard. chimineas or even stove top flames work too! oh how i love s'mores!

preparation:
1) buy honey-maid graham crackers {i save where i can and go with the low-fat version:}, jet-puffed marshmallows, and we go with hershey's milk chocolate AND special dark chocolate bars
2) use a wooden or metal skewer to toast your marshmallow perfectly to your liking
3) lay marshmallow on graham cracker half and carfully smush with the other half to remove the skewer...but don't leave the cracker on top yet...
4) lay on 1-2 squares of your chocolate of choice, and then again, smush closed with the graham topper
5) give the chocolate a minute to melt into the marshmallow, and enjoy!

repeat as needed until desired satisfaction level has been reached. happy days!

praying for all kinds of patience.

hello july

2008-06-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

i can't believe that june has come and gone...

the last week was spent with my parents visiting us here in long beach and it was SO much fun! they've never come to visit for more than a long weekend, so to have a week was such a pleasure! over the week mom and i did some major shopping, and had plenty of R&R. i ended up with a bunch of new clothes from ann taylor loft, 2 new pairs of shoes, some painted fingers and toes, and an awesome massage. best of all we had lots of family togetherness! joe had to work most of the week, but took off tuesday to play with us and dad before dad headed to his convention later in the week in downtown LB. i didn't manage to get the camera out during the week, but they'll be back at the end of july for my bro's new movie premiere so i'll capture some moments then.

it's been a GREAT start to summer! now we're looking forward to hanging out with friends on the 4th, getting into some exercise habits (did a 16 mile bike yesterday), heading to our yearly mo-ranch trip with the senior farriers later in july where we will also see my nephews and sister/bil, some book-writing, working on the business, and some overall fun adventures. i'm also planning to get into sewing, and i'm going to make myself a vision board. somehow, i think i'll manage to stay busy this summer, and i'm going to try to focus on not letting it fly by too quickly!

i have so much to be thankful for, and i'm feeling quite content these days...hope you are feeling the same.

praying for aunts, marzipants, backs, fosters, and all things good.

sigh. it's SUMMER!!!!

2008-06-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

seriously. i love being a teacher. i love summers. i really loved my 8th graders this year, and really wanted to post some pics of them, but decided i shouldn't do that without parent permission. they looked SO cute all dressed up! i am now officially on summer vacation until september 3rd (or something like that...)

so in the process of uploading the graduation pics to send to some parents, i came across a couple with the two of us in them...and we haven't taken many lately:
this one was in front of the race track at the toyota grand prix long beach. my wonderful aide from work and her husband took us and had great seats!
this was in front of some pretty flowers in temecula on my birthday. don't we look like californians?!

i'm beat from a busy last week of work...and ready to get into summer mode. oh, and by the way, my wii fit age was 22 last nite. i'm getting so fit :) it did ask me today though, "do you get any physical activity outside of wii fit?" i think i told it to shut up. hey, baby steps. i plan to get back into the pool this summer.

praying for continued good news for a.n's health, v.p.s, little ones, moving forward, and perspective.

wiiiiiii

2008-06-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

so i may have mentioned that i got a wii for my birthday. over the weekend we bought the infamous "wii fit" game. part of the fit test that you do each day prior to your training session is to check your center of balance and work on balance for overall posture improvement. following the body test, it gives you your "wii fit age." well, on day one (sunday) i had a fit age of 30. on monday i was 34, and today i was 38. something is wrong with this picture! i mean literally. check it out:
yikes! i never thought of myself as clumsy...guess this gives me something to work on besides calorie burning, strength training, and flexibility! seriously though...it was worth the search through southern california to find the fit. it is totally captivating...i had exercised for an hour on sunday and it felt like no time at all!

on another note, there are 2 days left of school! i should really say there are 2 school days left...i wish i could say that schooling was happening over the past two weeks, but alas, it seems all the kids want to do is watch movies and party! they may call me mean teacher, but i save all that for the last day. call me old school. i can't believe my 8th graders will be graduating on thursday! i will definitely miss this group.

on to season 6 of sex and the city...we've been watching it from the beginning and i'm hoping we'll be finished and ready for the movie by next week!

praying for moving forward, aunties, babies, and peace of mind.

weekend entertainment

2008-05-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

now that was entertaining. belle found herself howling at something outside while basie barked at me to feed her dinner. i had to stop filming or i would drop the camera...i was laughing so hard!

happy memorial day!

praying for aunties, fosters, friends, soldiers, and babIES.

kickin' it

2008-05-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

my sister notified me of this amazing sale...if you've never tried american eagle undies...here's your chance! if you don't LOVE them...go ahead and blame me. for this price, you'll never regret it! the deal is 8 pair for $25...and FREE shipping! wahoo! happy friday!

praying for contentment.

wingo was his name-o

2008-05-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

i've been too lazy for blogging these days...especially because i knew what i wanted to blog about but it requires uploading pictures :) so i have found myself with a bit of free time on my hands and thought i would take advantage of it!

so last weekend we were headed out, and putting the dogs out in their run, when joe noticed a little baby bird on the woodchip covered ground. he was definitely alive, but going nowhere. joe warded off the dogs and asked me to bring out a box. we made a little nest for him, and upon closer examination saw that one of his little baby wings was broken or paralyzed...so no flying for him, and he was a bit off-balance! thus, we decided to name him wingo. we were gung-ho to rehab this little guy...bought baby bird food and an eye dropper, and provided him with some much needed nourishment. unfortunately he was only with us for a few hours, but boy was he cute. we think he may have been totally dehydrated when we found him and he just couldn't make it. r.i.p. wingo! you were loved.

praying for all sorts of babies, treatments, aunties, and advancements. peace.

beans, beans, the musical fruit

2008-05-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

ok, so i alluded to my MIL's mother's day gift in my previous post. i wanted to do a spotlight posting on the organization because i think it's awesome! she called last nite to say she had received it, so i'm safe to bare all now!

so the organization is called "the women's bean project" and it is based in denver, colorado. basically this group runs a program in which they teach women to break the cycle of poverty by providing them with job readiness skills. the program is gaining in scope, and started out with a few hundred dollars worth of beans, but now includes beans, salsa mixes, coffee beans, spice rubs, and jelly beans! they give women skills they need to gain employment, and therefore support themselves and their families. you can buy gift baskets from them with a variety of foodie fillings and the proceeds go directly to the functions of the organization! here's a little youtube clip that gives an idea what they are all about...enjoy!

praying for skilled hands, progress, mimis, and little ones.

my roll has slowed

2008-05-13T17:06:00.001-07:00

guess i have been a little speechless lately (make that blogless i guess)! there's been a lot going on between the first session of the business, dr. visits--just call me a human pin cushion, work, and play, i haven't found myself sitting in front of the computer for extended periods of time!

we did quite a bit of gardening out back over the weekend which was nice...and belated happy mother's day to the mothers out there! that will be me one day{soon please!}...but fortunately i am not one of the "undergoing fertility treatment type" who freak out about not being a mother on mother's day. for many, it is the worst holiday of the year. i tend to think more about my own mother than i do about being a mother myself, so i consider myself fortunate for being a little ignorant like that. i kind of want to spotlight what i got for my MIL for mother's day, but i won't in case her eyes are checking in...she hasn't received it yet and i think it may be a few days more...so when she does, i totally want to blog about this company!

my 20 month old nephew can count to 13. he is amazing.

the next movie on my blockbuster Q is "27 dresses". yippee! the last 2 movies we watched were "the italian job" and "kiterunner"...both total winners. i don't usually go for heist films, but the italian job was a great one. i guess that's about it in a nutshell. so much, yet so little. i do have a few things to add to the notes for the book we're writing before running a few errands.

praying for balance, success, and kiddos.

mission...accomplished?

2008-05-04T19:14:00.001-07:00

so i made my own all-organic shampoo. i think i'll leave it up to burt next time. don't get me wrong. i totally did it. with the help of my sensible husband. instead of using loose dried herbs and a strainer, we used organic tea from trader joe's, hot spring water, and 100% pure castille soap...for those of you who are interested. it works, and i feel clean...but let's just say i'm glad i bought a condiment bottle for it because it really only works by pouring it directly on the head. it's the consistency of pure water :) it smells good, and feels fresh..and even creates a decent lather. it was a fun project, but i think i'll leave it at that once i use up this bottle!
on another note, we have officially launched our business. i won't post the name here because i would rather not have the internet find this page when searching for us. we have our first session this thursday, so wish us luck! we don't have a totally full group yet because we got our info out there a little late. we are working on the website, and i got the blog up and running today. check it out!

for my birthday last weekend joe got me a wii, so much of our weekend has been spent unproductively mario-karting. actually we got a lot of good stuff done too...cleaned the backyard, did laundry, put away the suitcases and cleaned up the guest room. so it wasn't all a brain drain waste of a weekend. we even did a good long bike ride this afternoon around the shore! it's been great. the project i really wanted to accomplish was cleaning out a corner junk pile in the kitchen and putting away the dog crates since we're in town for a while now. i had it all set to do that on saturday, but by the time i got home from work on friday, my dear husband had already accomplished that task! i really love that guy!

oh, and i wanted to mention another birthday surprise. my dear mother in law sent my gift a couple of weeks early...it is a really cute butterfly to put out on the deck. she mentioned that something else would be coming...and i got another box in the mail this week. she found a link here on my blog to my friend julia's jewelry website. she browsed the site and found a gorgeous bracelet...but not just any bracelet, a fertility stone bracelet! i love it and i feel so blessed to have such a thoughtful MIL. thank you sydney!! it looks a little bit like this one:
on with the week. praying for settling, confidence, and peace.

not enough to do

2008-05-01T22:56:00.001-07:00

weekend project:

i am making my own homemade organic shampoo! stay tuned for the results!

praying for someone else.

just one wish

2008-04-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

so i just wanted to log in once to note my 29th birthday...since there are still 38 minutes left of it. i had a couple of candles by which to make my birthday wishes today...so we'll see what the last year of my twenties has in store for me!

praying for the light of life all around.

p.s. thanks for birthing me, mom. and naturally at that. i totally didn't want any of those drugs in my system :)

i want what you got

2008-04-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

hallelujah. man, there is so much to be thankful for in life. i was talking with one of my bffs today, stephanie, and she really helped me realize how true it is that we all tend to want what we don't have...or what others do!

i was thinking the other day about how strange it will one day be to wish and want for something other than a child...since this has been my one request for more than 2 and a half years. family, friends, and health is really all that matters to me.

a teacher/coworker of mine came back to work today after a two-week grieving period since her husband abruptly died of a heart attack. all i could think to say to her was "hi ____." and give her a look that i hope said to her "i'm glad you are back and i am so sorry that you lost your husband." i can't imagine what she is going through right now. i wonder if it's true that it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. i guess so.

praying for happiness to overcome sadness, health to overcome ill-health, and more family accord than discord. i am thankful for it all.

kids

2008-04-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

so we may not have kids yet...but these two are nearly as entertaining. joe had the big idea a while back to put peanut butter on the dogs' noses and see what would happen. this is perhaps one of the most hysterical moments of my life. they have these LONG tongues, yet they couldn't quite curl them up enough to figure out where that scent was coming from. eventually i felt bad for them, scraped the peanut butter off the noses, and let them lick it off my finger. hil.ar.i.ous.

praying for happy moments and moving forward.

solve it

2008-04-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

i just learned that 80% of the diseases you could possibly name, would be cured if we could provide the world with clean water.

talk about taking life for granted. there is a new machine out there that costs about $100,000 for a single one..but eventually they will be down to about $1000. you can actually put ANYTHING into this machine, and it will produce clean water. this includes urine, liquids filled with heavy metals...even cheetos. amazing.

happy birthday, oh brother

2008-04-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

today is my big bro's 33rd birthday. happy b-day brother! he's celebrating with some self-imposed (and much needed) time-off and a good nap!

so big joe had an interview on saturday at UCLA for the MBA program. of course he did well :) we're anxiously awaiting his acceptance there and/or at USC! after the big interview we went with some friends to this little shop in westwood called "diddy riese." i should tell you this beauty of an ice cream sandwich would be worth driving on the 405 at rush-hour for. simply amazing. mine was M&M cookies sandwiching cookies 'n cream ice cream. a VERY worthwhile break from my anti-sugar diet!

the other update as of saturday is that i've managed to grow a huge cyst on one of my ovaries. horray. guess that means we're "on a break" anyways because there's nothing you can do until that disappears as far as infertility goes. oh well. it's no big deal {so they say} and everyone grows cysts now and then. it just happens that i've never had one before in all these months of constant ultrasounding. fun stuff. i won't bother writing about the insurance conversations...it might make me break out in hives!

on sunday joe took me shopping. he told me i never spend money on nice clothes {i may not say never...} so he wanted to take me to get some cute things i spotted at ann taylor loft when we were out and about on saturday. i got some cute things, AND this weekend they were giving 20% off your entire bill over $100! here are a few of my finds (anyone want to teach me how to make those photo collage thingies so these aren't so spaced out...feel free):
cute navy top--good for work
got this dress but in an orangey color
this dress has cute little pleats all down the front...not a "sale" item. guilty!
joe calls this one my "flight attendant" dress
comfy little sundress...just for fun
i actually bought this short-sleeved pants suit...no purpose in mind, but so cute with a hot pink shell underneath!
another guilty full-price item. fun shirt with ribbon straps!
loved this dress...with pockets!
another functional top for work or play

i also got 2 super cute 3/4 length-sleeve light weight jackets..perfect for spring or year-round so cal evenings!

a delightful break in my week came last night when joe and i hosted the first of a 6-week series on a sermon series by john ortberg. we fully enjoyed the company of a few friends, and it was great to bring some spirituality in on a day other than sunday!

i have also been coordinating our school's "Career Day" this year. the big event is this friday so i think the planning is almost done...but the stress hasn't been alleviated yet. we have open house tomorrow nite, so tomorrow will bring some spring cleaning in the classroom!

this weekend we will be heading to phoenix to visit my grandmother. joining us there from texas will be my parents, and sister, whit. we're driving with the dogs which always proves to be an adventure.

that should wind it down. more to come after the next events!

praying for baldies, babies, and saddies.

ack!

2008-04-09T08:03:00.001-07:00

no time for an update! this is a crazy busy week, but i have a few things to chat about including a shopping spree, a great new small group session with some church folk, a 2-hour conversation with some insurance people, a nice big ovarian cyst, and getting ready for career day and open house all in one week! that's the fly-by presentation of it all.

life is good.

praying for babies, the departed, safe travels, baldies, and the calm.

52 school days left!

2008-03-31T19:37:00.000-07:00

tomorrow really is the first day of april...i can't believe it. i'm hoping the students don't try to pull TOO many april fools' jokes on me.

a "quick" catch up:

easter with the neighbors was a blast. we really are blessed to live in such a great place. i'd rather stay in our little old house than move to a bigger one just to stay in this neighborhood! i didn't remember the camera, so the memories are ours. the squash/zucchini casserole turned out SOOO tasty. here's the link to the recipe for this "rich" veggie dish. i used half squash, half zucchini and it worked great and went over quite well.

after easter began my spring break week. i spent most of my time cleaning this mess of a house and i did a bit of shopping. i came out with a couple of cute shirts and a dress from the clearance rack at gap.

on wednesday we reconnected with some GREAT friends who used to be our neighbors. they recently moved to north carolina and are back for good now! we really missed them and are planning to make a much better effort to stay connected now! we missed you, B, J, & little P! aren't they a beautiful family?!
we left on thursday to go to san antonio/austin for the weekend. joe had a bachelor party to go to in austin, so we decided to make it a long weekend and see my "bubbies." i mentioned my sister is pregnant again...it makes my head swirl to picture a newborn in with those little guys! we spent friday at sea world and saturday checking out the new house they recently bought. it's super cute! saturday nite joe came down with food poisoning after the B party which was really unfortunate....he had a rough go of it and spent sunday on their couch. we managed to get up at 3:30 AM california time to drive to austin and catch our flite back to LAX this morning. i went straight to work and am BEAT now! i'll share a couple of updated pics of my little guys and then get ready for bed!
gabriel playing shy in his mickey shirt we brought him.
gabriel getting ready to ride his FIRST roller coaster with me!

daniel--i think he learned the "tongue out in pictures" from me! cute!
i love those little guys! spring break is over and it's back to real life...meetings, paperwork and all. we are proceeding in our infertility journey, but i won't share any specifics until it has worked! feeling optimistic!

congratulations to T and D whose little baby "sam" was born early saturday morning!

praying for success, strength, peace of mind, babies, and recovery.

happy

2008-03-23T14:21:00.001-07:00

happy easter! we're off to eat a bunch with our neighbors. maybe we'll take a few pics. i hope everyone is celebrating today!

flu-ke

2008-03-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

ok, i'm hoping it was a fluke. maybe my body just needed me to slow down a bit! i'm feeling quite a bit better, but pressuring myself not to push it. i've pretty much gone from the bed to the couch today. i watched a super cute chick flick, "just like heaven," which i would recommend highly! it would have been better on the new 50" plasma that should be arriving on saturday, but the good ole' fashioned t.v. served me well on my day of rest. dear hubby doesn't think i should attend band practice for fear that the effort of singing may set me back, so he will go and i will stay back and kick my feet up a bit more. hopefully my fearless band leader will still accept me for sunday's big easter service, despite missing practice. i'm hoping to be back at work tomorrow...i hate using sick time on being sick...especially right before spring break! argh!

prayers work.

praying for success.