the best nesst

Valentines day {part 2}

2012-02-15T06:59:00.001-08:00

Phew. Valentines day ended up being a VERY busy day! Dave and I both had doctors appointments ( I had 3!). Even though dinner was rushed and we were both exhausted it was a nice and delicious dinner! As soon as Dave walked in the door Preston asks "dad did you get snow crab or king crab? It better be king crab!" the boy knows his crab and like I said yesterday he's been waiting days looking forward to this dinner. This is also the kid who wanted to have crab and shrimp for his birthday:)

Happy {heart} Day!

2012-02-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not a huge Valentines Day fan, afterall, I love my sweetheart every day of the year! But Gracie wanted to do a Valentines photo shoot and I happily obliged, I mean she was even wearing her heart Valentine pants...I couldn't say no! :) I would have included Preston in this action but for some reason he was wide awake from 1-3am the night before and was sleeping soundly in the bedroom.

It is tradition to celebrate Valentines Day with a crab and steak dinner. We can't wait! Prestons been asking for 3 days if it is the day to eat Crab:)

More pictures to follow.....

{Gracies first Valentines}

What is it about baby feet that are so adorable?

Gracie was more interested in eating the heart banner that we made rather than posing with it-oh well.

And while we talking all about Grace....she has

her first tooth!

there are 3 other teeth that will be here soon too-my she's getting big!

New discovery.

2012-02-12T12:00:00.001-08:00

Grace learned she has feet. She is quite amazed and entertained by them!

The joys of motherhood.

2012-02-04T07:37:00.000-08:00

Waking up at 6am to someone giving me zerberts on my belly and giggling.

:)

2012-02-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

A girl can never have too many accessories...

but the best accessory is a big brother!

2012-02-01T05:28:00.001-08:00

We've been enjoying the sun when it decides to peek out. We take full advantage of it by going on walks or playing outside. It makes us so, so excited for spring and summer!

Here are a few instagram photos of our walk at the park. I think this is my favorite app!

Best pumpkin bread-ever.

2012-01-31T08:16:00.000-08:00

This is hands down the best pumpkin bread I have ever eaten. And if that in itself weren't enough it is also sugar free, and made whole wheat flour...so you can feel good about snacking on it and giving it to your kiddos!
You better make 2 loaves though, the first one is guaranteed to get gobbled up quickly!
**I found this recipe at Cookie and Kate. I made a few changes to the bread that I made, you can check out her blog to see the original version. Her pictures are much cuter too!**

Ingredients:

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup honey {i used pure maple syrup}

2 eggs

1 cup of pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour {i just used regular whole wheat flour}

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and ginger

1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg and cloves or allspice

{I used 1 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice}

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup hot water

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Beat oil and honey together in a large bowl.

Add eggs, mix well.

Stir in pumpkin and vanilla, flour, salt and spices.

Add baking soda to hot water, mix and then add that in.

Bake for 60 minutes-let sit for half an hour.

Enjoy!

2012-01-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

Preston: Mom which is hornier, a buffalo or a rhinoceros?
Me: Um, what?
Preston: Which one has more horns?

:)

2012-01-24T00:00:00.000-08:00

Bedhogs!

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

Preston and Naiobi reading about big cats.

Grace {5 months}

2012-01-22T08:07:00.000-08:00

Dear Grace,

You are 5 months old! You are such a fun addition to our family and I am so glad everyday that I am your mama.

You are pure JOY my sweet grace and you bring an element of sweetness into our lives. You are so loved, my little Gracie-Goose!

xo,

Mama

2012-01-19T19:49:00.001-08:00

Snow day. Today it snowed all day, it hasn't stopped yet. Last i looked we had 8 1/2 inches. Preston's been wanting it to snow all winter so he could go out and play in it. Today he didn't last more than 5 minutes before he wanted to go back inside because his wrists were cold!

home away from home.

2012-01-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

This morning when I told Preston he couldn't have chocolate milk he informed me he was going to run away from home. I asked him where he was going to live and he said, "Starbucks!."

Do you think he would let me runaway with him?!?

Prestons 'aminal' friends.

2012-01-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

**Preston with Mingo the monkey. **

Preston thinks Mingo should go right back to Grandmas house (where he came from) because he tries to scratch Preston at night when he is sleeping. Actually, Mingos hands are sewn with something similar to fishing line, and seeing he's probably around 30 some years old, they are frayed, hence the scratching! Preston and Mingo are not friends:)

One of the many things I love about my Preston is his love for his 'aminals'. He has about 20+ stuffed animals from teeny tiny to a 3 foot stuffed bunny that he has to sleep with every night! Sometimes I try to sneak some in the closet thinking that he can't be comfortable and that these 'aminals' of his are about to take over his bed. My attempts are futile though.

The best thing I love about how he is with his 'aminals' is that he makes up these families. He knows exactly which ones are married to whom, how many kids they have and who their kids are friends with etc. A month or so ago we tried to give Gracie Prestons old glo-worm and he cried and cried because that was 'big bunnys' son. Ahhh, the complex world of 'aminal' relationships. I think it's sweet how much he loves them!

ponderings...

2012-01-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

something that's been on Prestons mind lately (get ready, it's deep!) is this:

Why don't superheros wear pants?

It troubles him. He wants to dress like these heros of his and he finds it annoying to have to undress down to his undies when he wants to play superheros, not to mention it's inappropriate when friends are over.

Alas, I have no answer to his dilemma. I have no idea why superheros don't wear pants. Perhaps pants get in the way when saving lives, I'm not sure. Sometimes parents just don't have the answers:)

Last night it was unusually quiet in the basement and way past Prestons bedtime, I went to see what Dave and Preston were doing. As soon as I open the door I see Prestons little tush, underwear on the outside sticking up in the air. They were both zonked on the couch--playing superheros is hard work! I won't show you the pictue of Dave...but let's just say he indulges Prestons superhero ideas;) wink, wink. Besides, It's always good to have a little blackmail right?? ;)

nessaanncam's photostream

2012-01-04T08:48:00.001-08:00

nessaanncam's photostream on Flickr.

more birthday pics....

2012-01-03T07:32:00.000-08:00

Phew, I feel like I can breathe a big sigh of relief, all the holiday and birthday (except my dads birthday) hoop-la is over. Life can resume back to normal. This holiday season seemed to go by really quick to me, I remember last year it seemed like time moved by so slowly, it was a really long winter! Here are a few more birthday pics of our ~~little~~ big boy. We celebrated at home this year with family. Preston had a blast playing with all his cousins.

I didn't make it up until midnight, I think I fell asleep around 11:45 and woke up another year older.

After putting on his new batman shirt, from Grandma & Grandpa he immediately struck a pose-it comes so naturally to him!

Obviously we had a batman themed party:)

Party Girls-Grandma and Gracie

Thomas made Preston this crown-preston LOVES it! He said

"I must be a king!"

Opening up his cool new razor scooter!

Grandpa and Gracie

Make a wish Preston!

Cruising along with grace in his cool new jeep!

Birthday Boy!

2012-01-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

An interview with the birthday boy.

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Waffles

Best friend: Thomas

Favorite toy: Batman

Favorite TV show: Spiderman

Favorite book: Batman

Favorite animal: His stuffed moose

Favorite song: Bye Bye Miss American Pie

Favorite place to go: Starbucks

Favorite outfit: His rascal shirt with soft pants

Favorite holiday: He said he couldn't tell me

Favorite thing to do outside: Play in the snow

What he wants to be when he grows up: Stay at home and work in the basement

What he likes to do before bed: Hear a Papa Ron and Bridgett and Jo Jo stories.

What he thinks about before he falls asleep: Chewbacca

Favorite thing to do with Daddy:Play transformers

Favorite thing to do with Mommy: Sit by me

Favorite thing to do with Grace: Play with her

Christmas 2011

2011-12-30T05:52:00.000-08:00

This was the best Christmas we've had.
We decided to do this different this year. We wanted to do without all the stress and busyness as much as possible focus on Christ more and enjoy spending time with each other and our families. We tried to focus on giving rather than getting, I'm not to sure that Preston bought that though, I think we will still need to work on that concept...he's only 3 after all;)

We opened presents on Christmas Eve morning instead of Christmas Day. It was a picture perfect morning. Dave and Preston both slept in until 9:30!! So I had time to make this delicious Monkey Bread recipe from the pioneer woman and get the house cleaned etc. {It took a while to convince Preston to eat this monkey bread and convince him it was NOT made out of monkeys!} With the fireplace going and coffee in hand we sat down around the tree and then it started snowing, it couldn't have been more perfect! Preston loved his presents which consisted of mostly batman toys, as he opened each one he exclaimed how much he loved it. Then he had all day to play with them before we left for Nanas house for her ritual Christmas Eve clam chowder dinner.

It was nice not to be rushed on Christmas morning. We headed to my mom and dads and had a fun day with family and ate lots of yummy food:) And as always Preston had fun playing with the cousins!

Although the tree and decorations are put away until next year the celebrating continues...Preston turns 4 tomorrow!!!

I love this picture of Jonah and Grace!
Jonah is one of those boys that loves babies{at least from what I saw!} He was always talking to her and wanting to hold her...maybe it has something to do with having 3 little sisters!

Grandpa reading the Christmas story

Daddy and Gracie

All the kids waiting for their turn as Grandma hands out presents.

Bens turn!

Addies turn!

Addie getting a little help

I love that the other kids are excited for the one who is opening!

Ryan and Ben

Robert and Addie

Ben

Thomas and Preston with the much loved Bat cave!

2011-12-27T12:47:00.000-08:00

Prestons big present this year was a Batcave . He's wanted one for so long and was so excited to get one for Christmas.

Thanks mom & dad!

Prestonisms.

2011-12-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

This is probably the last post of prestonisms of 2011. I'm sure he will keep us laughing just as much in 2012.

I've always heard how little boys go through a stage where they love, and I mean love their honey {aka mommy}. Preston tells me almost every day how when he gets older he is going to marry me. He has it all planned out. After the wedding we will go to Mexico {where Dave and I went on our honeymoon} and then we will spend time at the Weavers. That part makes me laugh, in his mind going to the Weavers is as much a treat as Mexico would be for me! Don't get me wrong, I like going to the Weavers too, but it couldn't quite compare with a warm sandy beach, an ocean so blue and drinking pina coladas while watching the sunset, no offense ang!

Preston is going through a 'fearful' stage...currently he's afraid of Chewbacca, the Wookie from Star Wars. He's not a villian, he's actually a good guy, but he terrifies Preston with how he hairy looks. {He hasn't seen Star Wars, he saw a picture of him in a book}For the last 3 days days he will come up to me and ask me to pray for Him and Chewbacca. The other night I woke up to Preston standing beside my bed staring at me he said, "Honey, will you pray for me about Chewbacca." I don't know how many times I've prayed about this darn Wookie, that's terrifying my boy the last few days! Yesterday when Preston was supposed to be napping I overheard him praying, " Dear Lord, help me not to be afraid, help me to know that you are stronger and mightier than Chewbacca." It was really sweet. I've never heard him pray wit such fervor before!

I found this on pinterest and it made me laugh!

Preston is really so sweet with Grace. Since she's been born he's never exhibited any signs of jealousy. In fact he's quite possessive of her. If Grace is crying and I go to pick her up he runs over and says 'I will calm her down.' He will even go as far as saying, 'that's my baby!' He even reminds me to change her diapers often so she doesn't get a 'radish' aka rash on her bum.

A few days ago I was in the kitchen making Prestons lunch and I hear him sit next to Grace in the dining room and say in an exasperated voice, "So Grace, how are you doin' today?"

I snapped this photo of Preston the other day. I was in the kitchen when I heard him singing-he was serenading Lily. What was he singing you ask? Well, "Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie" of course.

Which might lead you to the second question...who is Lilly?

Lily is a hamster we are pet sitting for about 5-6 weeks. Lily is quite loved, I'm not sure if the novelty of her will wear off any time soon but in the meantime she is quite the hit at our house.

Excuse the bluriness, but here is Preston and 'his' baby. She how much she loves her big brother!!

Preston wearing his hulk hair.

Prestons lincoln log house that he built all by himself, which he declared, 'awesommer than heaven.'

At dinner a couple of nights ago I told Preston I loved him '10'

{that's how he measures things, a lot is 10, a little is 1...you get the picture} He responded and I love you '5'. I guess I wasn't as lovable in that moment.

4 months old

2011-12-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sweet Grace,

I can't believe you've been with us for 4 months already! It seems like it wasn't very long ago when you were in my belly, and I was oh so uncomfortable and waiting (very impatiently I might add) to be able to hold you on the outside.

Words I would use to describe you are:
loved, happy, content, easy going, smiley (and gassy, it wouldn't be truthful if I didn't mention that. You are one gassy girl!)

You are definitely a mamas girl but lately you have been flirting shamelessly with daddy! You love watching Preston and he makes you smile.

You love your swing, being cuddled,and eating. You have started to discover the world around you, you reach out for toys and 'play' with them. You love it when I read board books to you-especially the ones that are black and white. Just today you have started to blow bubbles. Genius I tell you!

We gave you your first food on Thanksgiving-it was baby cereal and you haven't stopped eating since! I don't think you have a favorite food-you like everything! And boy, you are one messy eater!

Your stats:
You weigh 13.5 pounds you are perfectly average in the 50th percentile!
You are 24.5" long which puts you into the 62nd percentile

{just to compare, Preston was 15 pounds 14.5 oz and 25" long at his 4 month well child check}

So far, the biggest dilemma I have in being the mom of a little girl is what cute outfit I should dress you in and what accessories should adorn you cute little body. I'm sure that will all change in years to come. I love having a little girl-you are precious and loved. Happy 4 months baby Grace!

One Saturday afternoon...

2011-12-19T15:41:00.000-08:00

Dave and Preston looking at the Spokane River from the back yard of The Campbell House museum in Brownes Addition.

2011-12-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

this is using the instagram app on my phone, I think I like it! Unfortunately there is not an app to make your child smile and not make goofy faces.

Preston and Gracie

I've been giving embroidery a try-I saw this on pinterest and thought it looked easy enough! It's a cute little keepsake. Pretty soon I may move on to bigger projects, I just need to keep practicing my stitches!

2011-12-02T09:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's December already! When did that happen? Life has just been steadily moving along and at the end of this month...just 30 short days I will have a 4 year old!!

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are all geared up for Christmas. We put up our tree the day after Thanksgiving. If you know me, you know that is really early for me! We did it for Preston though, I think he's been asking since September to put up the tree! Yesterday he played with it for hours. He makes 'nests' in the tree with his little people, he just loves it! I remember Last year he would make 'candy cane nests'. It's a good thing I'm no perfectionist because he is constantly redecorating the tree. The beads of garland are pulled down, glass balls break, the tree skirt removed revealing my makeshift tree stand. It may not be beautiful, but it offers 1 little boy hours of fun-and that is worth it!

I finally managed to get some pictures of Grace smiling...it only took 3.5 months! Sheesh!

Nothing too exciting is going on in our lives, we are just plugging away at the every day, which is fine, I'm not complaining about that!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

{Preston is trying to hold her bobbly head still}

Happy Thanksgiving from these 2 little pilgrims!

Thank you Jesus for everything

to name everything one by one would take a lifetime.

Thank you for being faithful even when I am not.

Thank you for family and friends and the comforts of this world.

Thank you for the love that fills my heart to the brim. For laughter and kisses and newborn baby snuggles. For everything that I have, which is so much Jesus, thank you.

Family Pictures 2011

2011-11-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again....family picture time! I know it's been so long since I've posted photos and you are all wondering what we look like (dripping with sarcasm!) I know my blog has been a little overtaken with photos these days-it seems when I do have the time to blog it's easier to just post pictures than to sit down and write a post, it would also help if I felt like I had anything interesting to say;)

These photos were taken by, you guessed it, my Aunt Tandy at Tandy Luhn photography. Once again we were ecstatic with how they turned out! You would never know that it was freezing cold and pouring down rain! October makes taking pictures pretty unpredictable but we just love the background the colorful leaves make!

Here are some of my favorites! Thanks Tandy, for sharing your wonderful talent with us and giving us these memories!

And it just wouldn't be the same if Preston wasn't making funny faces! I think at this point he was cold and just wanted to go home!

sleepover!

2011-11-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

Preston had his first sleepover at our house this weekend. All 3 boys had so much fun playing in the leaves. I think another sleepover is definitely in the very near future!

Thomas loved this swing-he kept saying, this is amazing, i can't even feel my foot and it's amazing!

Grace

2011-11-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

Grace, completely zonked! This was the day we were getting
family pictures-I guess she got tired of waiting for the rest of us to get ready!

She's a cutie patootie, even when she's sleeping:)

I'm not sure why-but for some reason Preston loves to put hats on Grace!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

TMNT-Leonardo

carving pumpkins!

Gracie trying to get in on the pumpkin carving action.

Checking out his loot with Grandma and Gracie!

Preston trying to convince us that he is bigger than grandpa!

Halloween festivites started Sunday night, when we carved our pumpkins-Preston had so much fun. He loved his pumpkin and carried it with him everywhere that night. He even wanted to sleep with it!
We had Grandma and Grandpa over to go trick or treating with us-it is starting to be tradition. I think Preston was beside himself! Dressing up, candy and grandma and grandpa all in one night!
Preston loves handing out the candy to trick or treaters almost as much as he loves getting the candy. He stands on a stool with our dutch door open, he told a bunch of kids in his grown up voice, "I will be the one to hand out the candy." :)

2011-10-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

We are soaking in every bit of Fall that we can.
The crisp Fall air, crunchy leaves, vibrant colors and our tree lined street are all things that feed my soul. I just love this time of year!

2011-10-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

Preston-isms.

Today Preston trying to get out of taking a nap told me he was both judge and chief and didn't need to take one. That sort of talk assured me that he did!

The other night I was laying down by Preston at bedtime (which is when he really likes to talk!) He looked at me and said, "Honey, how about I put on some music?" He pulled the tail of his musical hippo and then looked at me and smiled. Then he said, "Now lets look at my lava lamp, just you and me." He's such a ladies man ;)

Preston always wants to know how big things. For example, he will ask if God is bigger than a house or if daddy is bigger than a tree.

Well today he asked if I was smarter than a buffalo. Sheesh I sure hope so!

Now this Prestonism really made Dave and I have to scratch our heads and think to figure out was he was talking about. This is how the conversation went:

P: Mom, remember Ms. Gruber (our neighbor)

Me: Yes

P:She died,she had cancer.

Me: Yes, she died. We miss her don't we.

P: Honey, remember when you had cancer?

Me:Ummm, (this is where Dave and I stare at each other in confusion) Preston, mommy has never had cancer.

P: Yes, you did. You had baby cancer.

Me: No, mommy has never had any kind of cancer.

P: (pretty insistent at this point) Yes you did! You had baby cancer, remember when you were in the hospital when Grace was born?

Now it clicks to Dave and I. Apparently He thought his little sister was a tumor, at least she was benign;)

2011-10-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

My little bear cub and a couple of vampires...

Surprise!

2011-10-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I was trying to get a picture of Grace smiling. I guess I'm just not funny, I tried for a good 45 minutes and did all my best tricks! I did manage to catch some pictures of 'surprised' Grace.

2011-10-20T06:16:00.000-07:00

2011-10-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

I have thoroughly enjoyed meal planning lately and it has made my life so much easier and the four o' clock hour less dreaded! Not only has it made life easier but it has made my trips to the grocery store more efficient and my shopping list more organized. I go to the store once a week, usually on Saturdays so I can go by myself:)

I was motivated to give meal planning another try (after previous failed attempts) from MacKenzie who blogs at Bold Turquoise.

I've also been scouring library books for new recipes to try. My favorite books have been Cooking Light and Americas Test Kitchen. (Both are available in magazine and book format)

As it always seems to be when trying new recipes there are hits and misses. I thought I would share our families favorites.

I've added a recipe tab to my header so you can try them too!

8 weeks old.

2011-10-17T15:39:00.000-07:00

Yawn-It's exhausting being so cute!

thinking...

2011-10-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning thinking about Seattle, perhaps it's the grey weather outside. It's been 4 years since we've moved to Spokane and we've only been back to visit once. That's because we don't miss it. We love living back in Spokane. But, every once in a while I miss certain things about it.

Things like:

The 2 story Target in Northgate
Walking around Greenlake
Ballard....I do miss Ballard very much!
The Great Harvest on Market street
How green everything always was
The atmosphere of downtown
Fresh seafood
Day trips and ferry rides
Kwanjai Thai, Teriyaki Plus and all of our other favorite places to eat. We used to eat out so often that they knew our "usual"
The smell of the Sound
Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park
IKEA
The Library in Ballard

There is a lot of things I don't miss:

Traffic obviously!
The fast pace of life and stress that accompanied it
Rain
People weren't as friendly as they are here
Living in an apartment

We keep talking about going back over for a visit. Preston would love the zoo and aquarium! There are also so many fun parks-my favorites are Carkeek Park and Golden Gardens. Our life is sooo different now, nothing like it was when we lived there. Life seemed so simple, and carefree, we didn't have many responsibilities and having 2 incomes could pretty much do as we pleased. (within reason of course) I asked Dave the other day, when you go to the store do you ever picture the store in Seattle and then remember you live in Spokane? Every once in a while I will catch him saying that he is going to run up to QFC;) To which I reply, Ok I will see you in 10 hours, have a nice trip!

One day, we will go back for a visit!

2011-10-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some random photos from the past couple of weeks. We've been making the most of out time on the weekends trying

to have as much fun as we can:)

Gracie, thinking she is a big girl sitting in her bumbo chair!

Duck pond at Manito Park

Gracie sleeping through our trip to Manito Park!

High Country Orchard

Pumpkins at Knapps

cowgirl gracie

2011-10-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

Dave and I were in the kitchen getting dinner ready. When we went into the living room this is what we found. Preston dressed Gracie up as Woody. I think it's a good look for her, what do you think?

2011-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of Autumn, although it won't really feel like it with temps in the 80's! I have mixed feelings about it being Fall. First of all, I am excited because Fall is my absolute favorite season. I just love that it puts me into a sort of sensory overload {in a good way} with all of it's sights, sounds, tastes, textures, but the downside is always so short lived and then we are right into winter which is my LEAST favorite season-yuck!

To welcome Fall we've been drinking lots of pumpkin spiced lattes, eating pumpkin scones and even made this fun Fall garland.

Are you sad to see summer go or are you ready for Fall?

The Fruit of the Spirit.

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

We have been teaching Preston what the fruit of the spirit is.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. {we will particularly be spending a fair amount of time on self-control when we get to it. *wink, wink.}

Last week, we worked on the first three...love, joy and peace. After we talked about what each one means I asked him some questions. Here is my little interview.

Me: Preston, how can we show daddy we love him?
P: By obeying him, giving him flowers and jewels, and hugs and kisses.

Me: How can mommy and daddy show you {preston} that we love you?
P:Give me candy and jewels, push me on the swing, go on walks to starbucks.

Me: How can we show Grace we love her?
P: Don't hit her, don't play fight with her and don't bite her.

Me: What are some things that bring you joy?
P: the black beast {our cat, don't ask!}mobius {the childrens museum} my cousins, jumping castles, jump n bounce, building a fire in the fire pit with daddy, and playing on the swing out front that daddy built.

Me: What are some peaceful things?
P: Not fighting, eating popcorn, reading books.

....to be continued

Gracie {at} four weeks.

2011-09-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our little Gracie Goose turned 4 weeks old!
How can that be you ask? I don't know. Time just passes by way too quickly if you ask me.
We have enjoyed and been challenged by the past 4 weeks. Having a little baby in our home has been so sweet, and if you ask Preston what the best thing about Grace is he will tell you, 'just loving her.' That just melted this mamas heart. The challenging parts have been nothing out of the ordinary...getting up in the middle of the night for feedings, getting used to nursing etc. Really, nothing to complain about. There is not much else to report about at 4 weeks, she pretty much does what she is doing in the picture, which is hanging out, watching her little world. She is steadily growing, but still has not outgrown her newborn size clothes, I think soon she will be in the 0-3. She's a tiny little thing, even though she is a little over 8 lbs. People are always surprised that she weighs what she does because of how tiny she looks. That's the #1 comment we get when we are in public.

We just love our little Grace.

hello.

2011-09-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted. I'm sure you know why:) I don't have any pictures to post but here is a quick update.

Grace is doing beautifully. Dave and I are adjusting to life with a newborn, and we quickly remember what it is like to not get a full nights sleep! The first 2 weeks were great. Last week was horrible, I had mastitis and migraines, and was just really emotional. This week is going better. Grace is growing, growing, growing. At her last check up she was 8lbs...almost prestons birth weight;) She loves to eat and be cuddled and we love to cuddle her!

Preston adores Gracie and always refers to himself as 'big brother.' If she cries he runs up to her and says, "don't worry, big brother is here." I've even heard him refer to himself as 'bigger, stronger brother.' So far there have been no signs of jealousy or any acting out.

I am adjusting to life as a mom of 2. We've been sticking pretty close to home and have been taking it pretty easy. My goal is to get organized around the house to make things as easy as possible. One of this things I've been working on meal planning. If you are interested here is a link to a blog with a great way to organize your meals for a year, yes a year! I have tried to organize meals many times before and this is the easiest and most practical way that I've found.

Well, I am off to start my day and enjoy this cool fall weather!

Cat Tales

2011-09-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cat Tales was on our list of things to do this summer. This weekend we finally made it out-and better yet, we got to go with 'the boys' {as preston calls his cousins} and grandma and grandpa. Here are some pictures of our adventure!

Gracie clearly enjoyed herself:)

Which ones are the monkeys and which ones are the boys????

Grace 6 days old.

2011-08-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

These professional pictures were taken by my wonderful and talented aunt at

{Tandy Luhn Photography}

located right here in spokane, wa

These are just a few of my favorites-unfortunately my netbook doesn't have a place to put a CD {I'm sure theres a technical name for that... CD ROM?} so I have to download them all on my dinasour of a computer! It took forever just to download these! I am so happy with how these turned out, and it was so fun to dress Grace up and pose her:) Tandy also came to the hospital to capture those first moments of meeting Grace...I will post those soon, the one of Preston seeing Grace for the first time is absolutely PRICELESS!

6 days old.

2011-08-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today Grace is 6 days old. I can't believe it's almost been 1 week already! Life is wonderful at our house, we are all soaking in the sweetness of Grace. She is such a good baby. I'm convinced that one of the many great things about having a girl is all the cute accessories that I can dress her in:)

{fist family picture}

{one morning I woke up to this, it made me so happy!}

{Grace, 6 days old}

{my friend Carrie made this headband-I just love it}

baby grace

2011-08-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

She's here! She's here! After so much anticipation, Graces birthday finally arrived. As of now she is all of 12 hours old. She is absolutely amazing. She is so calm and she nurses like a pro. We are all in love. She entered this world weighing 7 pounds and 5 ounces (Preston was 8-3) and 19 inches long.

I just have to say, that the C-section was also amazing! It was such a strange experience to wake up in the morning and fix my hair, get ready for the day and have a baby with no labor or anything! I think this will be my new preferred method of childbirth:) The hardest thing today was getting my spinal block-it took them about 3 tries, but is was still better than hours of labor and pushing and the end result was well worth it! :)

Dave and I are amazed at how well I feel-It is such a different experience than Prestons birth. (although Prestons pregnancy was much more plesant than this pregnancy-I guess it's a trade off) Deaconess has been such a good experience and all of the staff has been so nice.

I can't decide who Gracie looks like, some people say she looks like me...but I think she looks just like herself. She has more hair than Preston did and it's darker too. It was so fun to have all of my family here to meet her, I'm glad it worked out

2011-08-20T21:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight we celebrated my cousin Kamie {and husband Shanes} wedding. Preston was the ring bearer, he did such a good job we were really proud of him!

Our last picture as a family of 3!!

Preston and Daddy, they both look so handsome!

Preston and Great Grandma

This is Layla, the flower girl. She and Preston got along great, as you can see;)

Well, I am off to pack and do some last minute cleaning! We head to the hospital in 10 hours-it's crazy to think that in about 12 hours we will be holding baby Grace! Stay tuned for more pictures:)

2011-08-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

days to go!!!

tick, tock, tick, tock.........

2011-08-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

{Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll}

This recipe takes the cake-or should I say cinnamon roll?

This recipe, Clone of a Cinnabon couldn't be more right on. Much to my surprise it tastes exactly like a cinnabon.

Here is the recipe so you can wow your family!

Bread Machine:

1 C warm water (110degrees)

2 eggs at room temperature

1/3 cup butter, melted

4 1/2 cups of b

bread flour (I just used regular flour because that's what I had)

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp active yeast

Filling:

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 T cinnamon

1/3 cup butter

Frosting:

1 8oz package cream cheese softened at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

Place ingredients in bread machine in order recommended by manufacturer. Select dough cycle and press start. After dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21 in rectangle. Spread dough with butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar-cinnamon mixture.

Roll up dough and cut into rounds (1 inch thickness). Place rounds on a lightly greased 9x13 inch dish. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

While rolls are baking beat together frosting ingredients. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Enjoy!!!

Fishing, the fire station and garage sales!

2011-08-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

I am soooo glad that this is a new week. Last week was such a busy week for us, it felt like our days were packed full! By Sunday night we just about fell to the floor in exhaustion! We didn't do anything too exciting, we were just busy and had late nights. This weekend was busy too, but we had a lot of fun, so it was well worth it:) Saturday morning we got up early and headed out to my parents. Dave, Preston and my dad went fishing (prestons first time) and my mom and I spent the morning going to garage sales. I got a lot of goodies, it was a successful morning hunting for bargains. On our way home we spotted a fire station that was hosting an open house, we stopped and let Preston check out the fire trucks and I'm so glad we did. He was a riot! Later that evening we went to where Daves sister was doing an estate sale for her job and found even more goodies. Sunday we spent the day helping with the estate sale. Prestons loot for the weekend includes a lava lamp, an old disney view finder, some beanie babies and a motorcycle helmet...that he loves to wear, all the time:) I might have to do a whole other post to show you all of my goodies.

Here's a funny story for you about a conversation I heard between my SIL and a little girl (probably 10 or 12) at the estate sale. This little girl wanted to buy an old rotary phone. First off, she thought this phone was a cell phone and my SIL had to explain that it is what you call a 'house phone' she was confused and said well my mom has a cell phone can't I plug it in and have it work? My SIL explained that you have to have a home phone number to be able to plug it in and work. This girl had the most confused look on her face. She had NO idea what a home phone was-she said they've only had cell phones. I guess home phones are a thing of the past and not even recognizable to some kids! It made us chuckle and then feel old:)

I don't know how relaxing this week will be...it will be spent doing last minute things getting ready for Grace!! Only 6 more days-woo hoo!

Here are some pictures of our weekend.

Fishing with Grandpa-unfortunately they only got bites, no fish.

Preston LOVED meeting Mako, Spokanes only arson dog.

Trying on the gear, boy was it heavy!

{pregnancy timeline}

2011-08-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

I was looking at my belly pictures in picasa and thought it was fun to see how I've grown over the past 9 months!!
{well, maybe fun isn't the best word..but you know what I mean.}

...and yes I do know that 31 becomes before 33. No need to point it out;)

37 weeks!

2011-08-09T12:47:00.000-07:00

I know the baby ticker on my sidebar says 21 days until my due date, but as of today the actual countdown in 12 days!!! At my last appointment/ultrasound Gracie was still in breech position-so they went ahead and scheduled a c-section for Sunday August 21st! Why does 12 days seem like a lifetime away? I'm hoping that time will continue to go as quickly as it has the rest of my pregnancy, praying for patience and hoping that I can use this time to get things done and enjoy our time as a family of 3.

It's funny, now that I know there is an end I don't really know what to do with myself. A lot of times I find myself pacing, just waiting I guess, trying to pass the time. I think we are all in waiting mode. Every morning Preston gets a stool and sits by the pack n play. He just stares at it. He brought a mobile up from downstairs and plays the music and talks about baby Grace and being a big brother. The other day he told how it was going to be a 'big responsibility.' He likes to talk about how he will protect her and lay by her...it's so sweet. I cannot wait for them to meet!

Almost everything is ready. The bassinet needs to be brought up, the car seat installed, and my hospital bag packed. There is nothing left to do but wait and practice patience!!

modesty check

2011-08-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

So, A couple of weeks ago Dave hurt his back and work-Preston and I had to pick him up and take him to urgent care. While we were in the waiting room Preston noticed a teenager wearing those gym looking short shorts. What really caught his eye was the superman symbol on them.

This is how our conversation went.

P: Honey, look at that girl has superman underwear on!

Me: Shhhhh.

P: Honey, why isn't that girl wearing pants?

Me: Those are her shorts.

P: I think those are her underwear, but it's ok because her privates aren't showing.

That girl and her mom were just snickering quietly to themselves. I love how honest kids are, and how they call it like they see it!

::July Recap::

2011-08-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

1.picked strawberries at Greenbluff

2. visited the meyers with grandma and grandpa

3.went to priest lake

4. camped on bartoo island with friends

5. enjoyed some cooler weather

6.more camping fun with friends

7. playing at the beach

8.got crafty

9.enjoyed some time outside with the sprinkler

10. water play at the meyers

11. went to manito park one cool morning

12. rode bikes with the cousins

13. saw 'real' knights at the library

14. duck pond at manito

July was a busy month, and yet I still feel like a lot went undone! We played hard and had a lot of fun! I feel like we let some things go undone on the homefront while we played, and I am ok with that, it was well worth it!

So far, we have thoroughly enjoyed our summer-and the best is yet to come!!

The Plan for August 2011

2011-08-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

August is my all time favorite month. It will be even more special this year as we welcome baby Grace into our family! The reason I love August so much is because to me it is a transition month. I always say the August is 'summers encore.' That last month before school and the hustle and bustle of Fall activity starts. I always really, really enjoy the activities of August because I know it will be a good 9 months or so before you get to do them again. In August the wheat fields are more golden and the the lake water sparkles more, August is filled with anticipation as I wait for the routine and normalcy of life to resume.
While enjoying the last month of summer I also really, really start to anticipate the Fall, my favorite season! By this time I am longing for those cooler days, where I can slip on my cozy sweater and jeans...waking up in the morning and feel the crispness in the air. Going for walks {to starbucks for those pumpkin lattes!} and taking in all the sights of the changing leaves and hearing them crunch underneath your toes...anyways, I'm getting ahead of myself, it will be awhile before we get there:)

Well, we don't have a lot of plans this month, for obvious reasons. The only thing on my mind is getting this baby out! Tomorrow I am 36 weeks-only 30 days until my edd (estimated due date). Tick, tock, tick tock......:)

This months plans include:

My cousins wedding at the end of August, Preston is the ring bearer :)
A trip to cat tails
Spend an afternoon as a family at Riverfront park. I bought the groupons last week for a skyride and the Imax. We were going to go this weekend, but Dave hurt his back and couldn't take walking around too much. but it was so nice to stay at home for a full weekend!
Preston really wants to take Dave to Manito Park. Preston had so much fun when we went one mornning last month and he really wants to go back!

Other than that we are just going to hang out and wait and do the obvious things like go to parks, have playdates etc.

Happy last month of summer to you!

2011-07-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the lake.
We spent this last weekend at Priest Lake. It is most likely our last actual vacation as a family of 3. We took full advantage and we all had a lot of fun!Dave traded some hours of working for us to stay at a cabin. This is definitely the way to go when you are pregnant! Even though the water was freezing I spent some time floating-taking the pressure off my joints and it felt marvelous! Preston liked playing on the beach, finding treasures {aka. rocks} and kayaking, he even got to go on a jet ski ride. We just love Priest Lake, have I mentioned that before?? ;)

I ran across this quote in a book {Larkspur Cove} I was listening to the other day and I just love it.

If you're lucky enough to be at the lake, you're lucky enough.

It describes how we feel completely.

Sitting in the sun.
Playing in the water.
Beautiful views of the water and mountains.
Reading and relaxing.
Spending time together as a family, making memories.

These are my favorite lake activities.

watching daddy lay some sod from the upstairs balcony.

2011-07-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun/cute video that I took of 'Rainbow' man. Unfortunately it's sidewise, I don't know how to fix that!

Manito Park

2011-07-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

After a hard day yesterday, I was determined to make today a better day.

We needed to get out and have a change of scenery! To Manito Park we went. We visited the duck pond, the rose gardens, the Japanese gardens and the toys. Preston got to burn some energy and he LOVED this new (to him) park. We might have to make it part of our routine!

I loved that we got to be immersed in nature and surrounded by green. Sometimes I get tired of looking at houses and hearing neighbors and just feel like being surrounded with the beauty of Gods creation! Manito Park provided just that.

He has such a goofy smile!

As soon as he spotted rose petals on the ground he immediately picked them up as quickly as he could so he could give them to Grandma, because he loves her, he said.

He was so excited to see the fish!

I just love his little, curious 3 year old feet!

'Rainbow Man'

2011-07-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

Beware folks, there's a new superhero in town and he goes by the name of 'Rainbow Man.' I'm not quite sure yet if he uses his superpowers for good or evil-but if you get in his way he will throw a rainbow at you!

Yesterday I thought I was being a good, creative mom and set a up a rock painting stations for Preston and I to do some painting. Well, Preston had another idea all of his own. He decided to completely forgo painting the rocks and he painted himself instead.

Notice how clean he started out!

First, he painted on his gloves. And that paint on his chest is his 'symbol.'

No superhero is complete without knee pads!

Elbow pads too!

After he had painted most of his body-he jumped in the sandbox, oh boy! You should have seen how dirty the bath water was!

As far as I'm concerned, dirty boy=summertime fun!

Knights of Veritas

2011-07-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

One more thing we can cross off of our list of things to do in July is "Medieval at the Library." We went we the cousins and some friends and the kids had a blast, getting to see 'real' knights. It may have been a little long for Preston though, at one point he walked over to me, sighed, and said in a bored voice, "Can we go to Starbucks?" Perhaps like me, he was feeling the need to have an afternoon pick me up:)

Here are some pictures of our fun afternoon!

Fighting demonstrations. I bet the boys learned all sorts of new moves and phrases!

I think this was Prestons favorite part, getting to try on the helmet. For the first half hour of the demonstration he kept wanting to know, are they going to wear helmets????

When Preston has his mean face on-he means business, you better watch out!

The cousins and the knights.

::33 weeks::

2011-07-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

We are anxiously awaiting for baby Grace to make her arrival. Only 6 weeks and 4 days to go, not that I'm counting or anything;)
I can't wait to be able to sleep on my stomach, or just sleep for that matter. It feels like this whole pregnancy has been so uncomfortable! I don't remember being so uncomfortable when I was pregnant with Preston. It could be the fact that she is in a breech position! Hopefully she will turn around all by herself.
I am starting to feel the nesting instinct really kick in, it is such a challenge since I don't have any place to put anything!! We are going to have to spend a weekend doing some rearranging and organizing!
I am so excited to see Preston as a big brother. We have been talking to him so much about his upcoming role that the other night at dinner he asked us, "who's gonna be my big brother?" :) I wonder if he understands what is really going to happen-that there really is a baby inside me. It will be fun to see how he adapts to life!
Well, that is pretty much life these days. Nothing to exciting to report. But no news is good news right!?!

summer rain.

2011-07-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am loving this rain. It is a nice break from the summer sun.

I loved listening to it through my open bedroom window as I fell asleep and I love that it is still raining this morning!

A rainy day is a holiday. An excuse to let the ordinary tasks of the daily life go undone while you do things that don't normally get your time or attention. Like build forts and make cookies. A rainy day allows time for extra cuddles on the couch and reading just one more book. A rainy day allows you to stay in your warm, cozy jammies just a little bit longer than you normally would. It's even a holiday for my mind as I lay on the couch and think of nothing but just listen to rain drops on our metal awning.

Today, I welcome the rain and the respite from the ordinary that it brings!

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

knapps 2011

2011-07-08T14:57:00.000-07:00

The weather finally warmed up enough for the strawberries to ripen! We took advantage of this and headed out to Knapps bright and early on Wednesday morning. I was surprised at how many other people had the same idea! Preston wasn't that much of a help picking, but he had lots of fun eating and hanging out with the cousins.

I ended up picking about 23 pounds-we froze some whole and made lots of strawberry freezer jam. That night for dinner we had pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream-delicious! Preston kept asking why we were having dessert for dinner.

Preston, taking a break from eating all those strawberries

so he could eat a cookie!

I'm not sure why I put Preston in a white shirt-you can't see them all but he had quite a few strawberry stains:)

Priest Lake-July 2011

2011-07-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I get to mark camping off of our list for things to do in July.

We spent this past 4th of July camping at Priest Lake with a group of friends and had a blast! It was quite an experience to go camping being 8 months pregnant and all, but the good company and warm weather made it totally worth it!

The Plan for July 2011

2011-07-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

:: July 2011::

So far on the Calendar is

~~Camping at Priest Lake~~
~~Pick strawberries at Greenbluff--since they weren't ready last month:(~~
~~A trip to Kennewick to visit~~ ~~the cousins~~.
~~Free movies at the Garland~~.
Outdoor concerts at CDA Park in Brownes Addition every Friday night at 6pm. Go here to view the schedule. If you have kids, I highly reccomend going on Friday July 8th for Family Night. We went last year and it was a blast. The Jenks are playing again {a fun kids band} and there is face painting, free books, balloons, crafts not to mention the park and splash pad. I recommend bringing a picnic dinner and inviting friends along:)
Farmers Markets-I want to check out the Perry Street Farmers Market, I have yet to go!
Go to Medical Lake-they have a great walking loop, beach and park.
The usual summertime activities such as ~~going to parks~~, splashpads, ~~fellowship with friends!~~
Take Preston to Cat Tails Zoo.
Perry Street Fair-July 16th 10am-6pm
Family date at Riverfront park
~~Library programs-"Get Medieval at the library" & "Birds of a Feather" they both look like fun!~~

Phew! Plus doctors appointments, ~~dentist appointments~~, ~~a bridal shower for my little cousin~~, it seems like this month will be busy! Well, l will see what actually gets done as I seem to be oh so tired these days. Gracie must be going through a growth spurt or something, I've been feeling like I need at least 3 naps a day and lots of coffee just to get through 24 hours. Uggh. Poor Preston told me yesterday that, "I was so boring." Poor kid, I am! If you know of a fun activity that's not on my list please let me know!

locker love

2011-06-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, one of the joys of having a husband who is a carpenter is that he occasionally gets to bring me home some cool finds from a job that he is doing.

Right now he is working at a school and they were throwing away lockers, gasp! I told him to bring home as many as he could before they got scrapped.

Although my backyard is an eyesore at the moment....I know that I can do something really fun with these lockers! I have a store {tossed and found} that is interested in buying them, I am just not sure what they are going for-does anybody have any ideas???? I have heard anywhere in the range of $25-$100 per locker. That is quite a large range in price!!

Here are some pictures:

Today he is bringing me home a drinking fountain....:)

::June Recap::

2011-06-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

I wish I was better at taking pictures these days, but I am just not. I vow to be better at documenting through pictures in July!!

We didn't get to everything on our 'list of things to do' {I didn't expect to!} but that's okay! Here is a reminder of what 'the plan' for June was.

Some of the highlights were:

Artfest at Brownes Addition
Garage Sales
Celebrating a friends birthday at Chaps
Baby shower for Gracie
Art at the Market
Fathers Day
My sister and her family came in town
Celebrating another friends birthday at High Country Orchard
Prestons first time at a movie theater! We saw Shrek Forever at the Garland for free.
Buying a new family car, um, I mean van.

That pretty much sums up June-it was a pretty low-key month. The weather wasn't great most the time, but the days that were sunny we took full advantage of! I am looking forward to July, we have a lot going on and it should be fun, stay tuned to see what the plan is!

thankful{ness}

2011-06-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

It's multitude monday once again at A Holy Experience. I never did post last week so this is 2 weeks worth of things to be thankful for!

#147 My sister and her family coming over for a visit.
#148 Preston getting LOTS of play time with his cousins, and I mean lots!
#149 The greatest friends and family ever, who helped celebrate the anticipated arrival of our baby Grace.
#150 Celebrating Fathers Day, my Dad and Dave.
#151 The good weather this week is supposed to bring {finally, right?!?}
#152 Backyard BBQ's with friends.
#153 A new car for our family! Yay!
#154 A new place to consign my journals.
#155 Feeling a little more organized in life.
#156 Saving money through couponing. {I am getting back into it and love knowing that I am saving money!}
#157 the slow pace of summer days-enjoying being at home.

{Paint In My Hair}

2011-06-24T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! There is a really cool new store in town. It is called Paint In My Hair and it is owned by a wonderful husband wife team. Today is the grand opening-it is filled with all kinds of cuteness! Make sure to check it out if you can! You will find "one-of-a-kind upcycled furniture, handmade artisan crafts and a unique garden center"

2810 North Monroe
Spokane, WA 99205

Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday 10:30-4:30

yard sale link up party

2011-06-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

I've been wanting to do a yard sale post for the last couple of weeks or so and was pleasantly surprised to see that the Nester is having a 'best yard sale finds ever' linking up party at her blog where you can show off your fabulous yard sale finds!

For my most prized garage sale item, I certainly didn't have to look far, no further than my front yard in fact! I got it from my mom, when we had a garage sale together a couple of weeks ago.

this door was a steal for only $5!!
{Do you like this wreath? You can go here and buy one! All proceeds go to help bring Benjamin home from China}

Did you know that old door hinges are perfect for displaying recipes or business cards? These were a great find for .50ea!

2 child size papasan chairs for $1 ea! He's watching his "bibleman" DVD's that we found at the Liberty Lake neighborhood garage sales.

Petunia Picklebottom diaper bag also found at the Liberty Lake garage sales. I wasn't sure if $10 was a good price, but a friend assured me it was.

This are just a few of the things worth picturing that I found over the last couple of weeks. I also found.

A great deal on clothes for the family

A cool map of the US for Preston

Bible workbook with CD's-brand new!

A king sheet set

A new wallet for me!

I know I've found more little items, but most likely they are all put away, and only having had 1 cup of coffee and not walking around my house, this is all I can remember;)

What deals have you found lately?

Let's try this again, shall we?

2011-06-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, about a year or so since I've last linked up with Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience to give thanks for the simple things {and not so simple things} in life. Honestly, at times it just felt trite or cheesy and I had a hard time thinking of things to be thankful for. I know that sounds lame and ungrateful, but it's true. I want to try again though, because I really do have so much to be thankful for. I've been so negative lately and have had such a bad attitude and perspective and I realize that something needs to change, being thankful seems like a good place to start!

I think I left off at #135.

here are #'s 136-146

waking up early and enjoying being the only one awake in a quiet house
the Word and the encouragement it brings my soul
listening to books on my ipod
reading actual books when time allows
anticipating time spent with friends
making journals and enjoying the creative process
my husband and everything he does, need I say more?
being challenged by each new stage that parenting brings, or so i'm trying to convince myself! ;)
the sun pouring through the windows
yards sales and good, thrifty finds! {a post to follow??}

Art at the Market

2011-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again, for Liberty Lake Farmers Markets annual

~Art at the Market~

Mark your calendars for Saturday June 18th 9am-1pm.

Help support your local farmers and artisians!

A man cupcake...

2011-06-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

...Or

Savory Bacon Egg Cups

by Betty Crocker

This recipe is delicious and super easy, I knew I just had to shar it with you!

16 slices of bacon {I used sausage}

1 can of refrigerated biscuts

8 eggs

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350

Cook bacon until done, but not crispy {it will crisp in the oven}

spray 8 jumbo muffin cups with pam

Place 1 biscut in ea. cup pressing dough 3/4 of the way up the sides.

Place 2 strips of bacon in each cup.

Crack an egg over each cup.

Add salt and pepper if you wish.

Bake 25-30 minutes until eggs are set.

Enjoy!

Pallet Bookshelves

2011-06-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

While browsing the web the other day I ran across this blog and saw these really cool shelves that were made from discarded wooden pallets. I have been looking at shelves like this for quite some time, but just haven't been wanting to pay for them. Maybe you've seen some similar to this at pottery barn and while they are beautiful, at $119 the price is not! {Ok, so maybe they are not that similar but it is the same gist with forward facing books}

I knew my handy Carpenter husband could make these for me in a flash. And he did. This is the shelf that Dave made for me-it's hanging in Prestons room right by his bed, handy for bedtime reading.

There are so many other things that you can make with pallets-A whole new world has been opened to me:) I am thinking these would also make cute headboards and planters.

Click this link to see what more inspiring ideas!

{a morning prayer}

2011-06-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

{peonies from my flower bed}

Grant, Lord, this day:

Clear guidance

Quietness of soul to hear thy voice,

And a steadfast will to follow and perform.

-John S. Hoyland-

28 weeks and life these days...

2011-06-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

{picture courtesy of preston}

Today I am 28 weeks pregnant-which means hellooooo 3rd trimester!!! I have to say, I am so ready to not be pregnant anymore. I don't remember being this uncomfortable when I was pregnant with Preston. My skin hurts, my belly hurts and at times I can feel myself stretching! Some days I feel like I got done eating a huge Thanksgiving dinner all day long. I know it's worth it though and we are all so excited to meet this Grace of ours. Preston is always talking about how he is going to keep her safe, he tells us of all the things he won't let her play with, like knives and scissors and so on.

This week will hopefully be a quiet week at our house-last week was busy and so was this weekend! On Tuesday we took Preston to the ER. He caught a cold and his asthma started acting up. He got admitted right away and we ended up spending 1 night in the hospital-he did better than last time he was admitted but it was still a rough night. Let's just say a 3 year old who has had 10 does of albuterol (which is a steroid) a dose of oral steroids and 2 doses of IV steroids within a 24 hour period does make for a sleepy child! He was amped up for days, we were very happy to get our 'regular' Preston back! :) Despite not feeling good he had all the nurses and therapists wrapped around his finger. When they asked him his name as he was getting admitted, he ever so seriously told them it was Bruce Wayne (AKA batman). He is such a stinker! I should add he was wearing his bat mask pretty much the whole time too. He is always wearing some kind of mask or costume these days. I get a lot of weird looks.

This Friday and Saturday we had a garage sale. It was so nice to finally get rid of all of our junk! Now we have our basement back. Woo-hoo! What didn't get sold was immediately taken to the thrift store down the street.

I didn't make it to FarmChicks like I had wanted-but we did make it to Artfest at Coeur D Alene park in Brownes Addition, it was fun to look around-the highlight was the yummy food (In my pregnant opinion anyway.)

{enjoying our ice-cream!!}

'The Plan' for June 2011

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Go here to pick strawberries...lots, and lots of strawberries!!!

Next on the list of course would be to make strawberry freezer jam!

~~Farmchicks show~~ ~~June 4th and 5th. Last year on went on Sunday and from now on that is the only day you will find me there! Forgot the long lines and horrible~~ ~~crowds, plus on Sunday things are marked down and vendors want to move their product!~~
Well, I didn't make it to the Farmchicks show this year, maybe next.

~~Corbin Park neighborhood garage sale. 2nd weekend of June~~

~~Baby shower {which means my~~ ~~sister~~ ~~and her family comes to visit!}~~

Celebrate the dads on Fathers Day-June 19.

Go to Seattle...I want to visit our old stomping ground aka Ballard. I'm dying to go to IKEA, Woodland Park Zoo, Pike Place, Kwanjai Thai in Fremont, Golden Gardens, Carkeek Park...the list continues!!!

Outdoor concerts

Splash pads and various parks

Daytrips to Luby Bay

Spend some time here-we love this place for a mini getaway.

Because when you are a superhero....

2011-05-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

...you don't need pants!!!

{Oh shessh, I've had this sitting under my drafts posts for a while. I've gone back and forth about putting these pictures of Preston in his undies online-but they are just to gosh darn cute and since this is my journal, I don't want to forget this moment!}

This was one of those 'i dressed myself' mornings...I didn't tell him he forgot a few things;)

The cape is courtesty of grandma. On her list of many skills she can now add cape maker! :)

The Salvaged Gals

2011-05-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

{via}

Here we are, the salvaged gals.

If you didn't make it out to the sale this past weekend-you missed out! It was a huge success and we had a blast! If you made it out-thank you!

I can't wait for the next one...possibly in October???

In the midst of this busy weekend I did manage to sneak in a mani-pedi, a neighborhood garage sale and date night with my husband to celebrate his 34th birthday and our 6 year anniversary.

Setting up...

2011-05-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

Today while setting up I managed to snap some photos of what you can expect at the Salvaged For Good sale. This is just some of what you will see-you will have to come in person to see the rest! I was happy to see that things were very reasonably priced and I think this sale will be a huge success:)

I hope to see you there!!

Friday and Saturday 8-4 {no earlies!}

17503 N Kimberly Road

Colbert, WA

Getting Ready...

2011-05-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Phew! It's been a busy week getting ready for the Salvaged For Good sale!

All of my items are priced and packaged and ready to go!!

Here are some pictures of a few things I've been working on.

I hope you can make it out-It's sure to be a blast!

Check the Salvaged blog for the lastest information.

{blank journals}

{scripture journals}

Felt flowers can embelish just about anything!!

I like to wear them on my headbands, jackets or shirts or on a belt!

Burlap pinboard

Canada May 2011

2011-05-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it wasn't part of 'the plan' to go to Canada this past weekend, but part of the plan is to go with the flow and well, the flow took us to Kelowna BC-where Daves family has a lake cabin on the Okanogan. Last time we were there Preston was about 18 months so we were excited to take him again. Unfortunately this wasn't a 'vacation' for Dave, he and his brother Scott were busy doing some repairs on the cabin.

The highlights for Preston were seeing his cousins from Seattle that he hasn't seen since Christmas {Alyssa 15, Zach 12, and Porter 6} He had sooo much fun with them!! He also found some snails, 12 to be exact. He also spent a lot of time walking around with the camera taking pictures and throwing rocks in the lake.

The highlights for me were getting a lot of reading done-6 hours in the car of {mostly} uninterrupted 'alone' time. Sitting by the campfire and reading some more and waking up every morning to coffee made and Dave and I sitting on the dock soaking in the beauty all around us.it was such sweet alone time, that doesn't happen very often! Morning is my favorite time of day and it is even more special when my night owl husband is also up to enjoy it with me!!

Great grandma bought these water shoes for Preston just in time! :)

Ok, so this picture up above may need some explaining. This was one of Prestons favorite 'subjects' to photograph. Duck poop. He had to go take pictures of it at least 3 times a day, every day. It made him gloriously happy to do so.

Dave hard at work-he did such a great job!!

I have a picture of us in this same pose about 1o or so years ago-I will have to dig it out, I think it was before the days of digital cameras...at least for us.

flower power

2011-05-05T19:43:00.000-07:00

What is one to do when they are stuck inside with a sick kiddo-craft of course! Here are some fun tutorials from around the web-check them out!

felt flower tutorial from

{tHe fiCkLe piCkLe}

my paper garden

{tutorial here}

bed springs-aka cupcake holders-aka-silverware/napkin holders.

Ohhh, so many uses! :)

Be sure to check these awesome tutorials out!

2011-05-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

“God loves us; not because we are loveable but because He is love, not because he needs to receive but because He delights to give.”

— C. S. Lewis, Letters of C. S. Lewis

'Smores anyone?!?

2011-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was a pregnancy craving, maybe it was *wishing* for some real Spring like weather-but either way we seized a moment when it wasn't raining {or snowing!!} and fired up the fire pit for some family fun and dessert. They were delicious-just what I was craving!!

'The Plan' for May 2011.

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hopefully all those April showers will bring us plenty of May flowers!! I am hoping for plenty of sunshine this month and I am longing to get outdoors...work in the garden, enjoy BBQ'ing with friends and soaking in some of that sun I've been missing all winter long!

~~I imagine most of May will be spent getting ready for the~~ ~~Salvaged For Good~~ ~~sale which will take place May 20-21. We will also be celebrating Mothers Day, Daves 34th birthday and our 6 year anniversary!!~~

{Some highlights for the month are:}

*Spokane Farmers Market opens this month on the 14th {8am-1pm}-it is my goal to go at least twice a month and get some healthy local veggies for my family.

*It seems like superheros are what it's all about these days-in fact they've taken over our house! Free Comic book day should be fun, there will even be visits from superheros like batman and star wars characters!

*Hopefully if the weather dries up I will be able to go to plenty of garage sales on Friday and Saturday mornings and possibly have one of my own.

*May will also hold our ~~last MOPS meeting for the year~~. We will end the year with a ~~field trip to Spokane Family Farms for our very last 4th week get together.~~

*May is also the last month of my second trimester....three more months to go before we become a family of 4!!

*May 7th and 8th from 12-4pm 22nd annual Mothers Day Walking Tour of historic Corbin Park Neighborhood--{hey! that's where I live!} Tickets are a little pricey $15pp...but since it's my neighboorhood it might be interesting to visit the selected houses-yes, you get to go inside! There will also be free carriage rides around the park.

*explore Riverside State Park. I've only been once and Dave has never been!

*~~Date night~~ in Brownes Addition...Luna, The ELk-Any suggestions?

*Get the garden planted!!!!

~~Not on the plan was a last minute trip to Canada-we had a great time!~~

****{You can read about our 'plan' here}****

::Cowboy Campbell::

2011-04-30T18:42:00.000-07:00

This is one lil cowboy you don't want to mess with-trust me!

{scroll down to the bottom to see cowboy campbell in action...our real live dinner and a show.}

Fun with Burlap

2011-04-30T06:00:00.000-07:00

The Plan

2011-04-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but my calendar is already starting to fill up as I look ahead to the next 4 months.

I know I say it every year, but this year I want it to be different. I want to enjoy this summer and savor every.last.minute of it!

Part of my motivation is that this is the last summer that we will be a family of 3. I know that as Fall and Winter roll around life will get hectic, we will be getting less sleep and so on...

So I've come up with 'The Plan' which I've defined as:

living life intentionally. To do the unordinary...to do, see, experience and explore this little place we call home and the surrounding areas. To make memories as a family and fellowship with friends. To enjoy the beautiful outdoors, art, music, and food.

I've lived in Spokane most of my life (minus the 8 years I lived in Seattle from 1999-2007) yet there is a lot to Spokane and the surrounding areas that I have never explored! As much as I love being at home and and would consider myself a homebody I want to get out there and explore and enjoy where I live.

Every month I will come up with a list of things to do, that Dave and I have come up with. Of course nothing is set in stone it's just things we could or want to do.

On the first of every month I will post my plan and throughout the weeks I will post pictures of our adventures my the good and bad;)

What do you have planned for the coming months??

Preston.

2011-04-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

Oh Preston. My sweet, sweet Preston boy. I just need to take a moment to put in writing how life with you is these days.

Some days we just seem to butt heads. I wind up getting really frustrated, not at you though, it's the fact that we are so much the same you and I. Which is to say we are both strong willed and stubborn! At the same time I see so much of daddy in you too!

Our days start out with morning cartoons. You used to be happy watching shows like Barney, Sesame Street, Backyardigans...you know all those innocent pre-school shows. Not anymore more though, everyday you ask to watch Batman, Spiderman, Ironman-anything with a superhero in it and while they are just not appropriate for your 3 year old mind you try all kinds of ways to co-erce me into letting you watch them. Including, but Thomas gets to watch it all the time. {He doesn't by the way!} but nice try!! It's all about superheros these days!

I try to get you to eat breakfast-you are not eating much these days, a phase I hope. Every day you change your mind about what you like and don't like. One day you like carrots the next day you hate them.

Next on the agenda is fighting. You LOVE to play fighting. You run around with makeshift weapons, an old cell phone {to call 'star command' of course} and your bat mask. You fight those 'shot-doctors' and 'ticket-mans' {that would be policemen} and any other injustice that you perceive. I try to put a positive spin on your need to fight and I tell you how God made boys to protect girls. So all day long you talk about protecting me and Gracie and even Aunt Angie.

Next is lunch time-which you are not interest in. Who would be though when there is so much crime to be fought and a world to be saved? There is just no time to do trivial things like eat!

I try so hard to get you to take a nap-at 3years old YOU HATE SLEEP!! It is a battle to get your little body to relax and be calm. There is just so much to be done.

The highlight of the day is when daddy gets home. Phew, finally someone who will play fighting with you! It was a hard lesson but I think you've finally learned that you don't karate chop mommy!!

You love to be read to. You love to play outside and look for worms, slugs. You hate flys, bees and tweedles {beetles}. The other day I found a pile of gross dried up moldy worms in my flower pot-you are always trying to sneak in bugs. At this moment we have a 'pet' lady bug somewhere around our house.

You always tell us how you don't want to grow up. You want to stay a boy because you are worried that you won't be able to play toys when you grow up. You and Thomas got into a 'fight' about it one day. He tried to convince you that you would indeed grow up one day...but you insisted that you wouldn't. You and Thomas have these little spats often when you get together. It's nice to see you are not missing out on having a 'brother' relationship. I hope you guys are friends forever! Other recent 'spats' have been over you telling Thomas you controlled the world and he just wouldn't buy that, that upset you. To which he responded that he controlled Grandmas watch and that in turn upset you...and on and on.

You think the Weavers and Ducketts have the coolest toys. And they do. :)

Every night you have to go to sleep listening to 'Transatlanticism' by Death Cab for Cutie. On repeat. And sleep with the light on. And have all your animals with you in bed. You hate the humidifier. If you see it in your room you walk around saying, "Oh no! Not humidity!!" As if it was the worst thing in the world.

You can be such a stinker and such a sweet tender boy all in the same minute.

You are a wonder to me. I love to just watch you and stare at you and hold you when you are sleeping (that is the only time you are still).

You are getting over your fear of people (i think).

You made a racist comment in the grocery store the other day and then you continued to repeat it over and over very loud. We had to leave. Quickly.

You still hate going to church but are doing better at it. You don't growl at the other kids or tell them to stick their hands in the air.

Speaking of hate-that is a word we are learning not to use. It is a hard habit for me to break too! I tried using the word e-hat for a while but that didn't fool you and you called me out on it. You said e-hat is just as bad as saying hate. Oh you! You, you, you...what am I going to do with you?!?

One of my favorite things to do is to listen to you when you don't know I am. The other day I heard you tell your little people that, 'they were going to be in a heap of trouble!' Your conversations are awesome. You are most talkative at bedtime...this is when your brain comes alive with all kinds of questions. It usually happens just as I think you've finally dozed off and then all of a sudden you ask, 'honey, will you tell me about stealing.' I'm not sure if it's because you know it's wrong or you want to learn how to do it. Hmmm.

I marvel at the wonder of you. I love to think about who God created you to be. I can't wait to see how all this personality in a 3 year old will be developed and matured into a man.

22 weeks

2011-04-27T21:59:00.000-07:00

At 22 weeks I am:

feeling much better-so glad those first few months are behind me!
enjoying feeling Gracie make her presence known. those little flutters are turning into big kicks and punches! I'm a little concerned that it is always at night when she decides to say hello!
loving how involved Preston is. he loves feeling Grace move and he asks why she is doing 'hi-yas' (which is karate talk) inside me.
side note: today he found my wedding ring on my nightstand and brought it out to me. I told him it wasn't fitting right because sometimes when you are pregnant you get bigger and things don't fit...well later I heard him telling Dave, "here dad you can have this, mom can't wear it because she is going to have a baby and her thumbs are just getting way to long now." :)
am concerned at how uncomfortable I am feeling...I know I have a long ways yet to go! My tailbone hasn't hurt this bad in a long time (I broke it giving birth to Preston) I guess the baby is putting pressure on it-ouch!
still hate the smell of garlic. it's a constant battle in our house. and I can and will wake up if someone tries to cook with it late at night thinking I am asleep and won't notice-just sayin.
not sleeping well. ugg-that makes for a grumpy mama!
getting more and more excited as i anticipate Gracies arrival-it will be here before you know it!

2011-04-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

check out more {lovely} prints from here.

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well, we enjoyed a wonderfully sunny weekend, how about you?

It was nice to see the sun for 2 whole days in a row, even if it is rainy today.

Preston didn't enjoy coloring eggs as much as we thought...he was more interested in playing with the metal egg dippers, pretending that they were weapons, such is life these days;)

Preston, was NOT thrilled about dressing up for church. Can you see how crooked his tie is? He threw a fit about wearing it and then told us that he wanted to donate the whole outfit. I think he looks handsome though!

After church we headed to Grandma and Grandpas house. We enjoyed a delicious Easter dinner and an egg hunt. Grandma was sneaky and put money in some of the eggs. Preston would run around and shake the eggs, if he heard the jingle of money, he chucked over his shoulder-he was only interested in the eggs with candy, little turkey!

Salvaged For Good

2011-04-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

I've taken a l o n g break from exercising my creative muscles this winter. I think it's had something to do with this little life I'm growing inside me...taking all of my energy and the little life walking around on the outside that also takes quite a bit of time too!

BUT.....Spring is here! At least that's what it says on the calendar! I'm feeling a little bit more motivated and it feels good to once again break out my paper, hit the craft stores to see what is new. Thinking about how I can revamp what I make...give it a twist as I incorporate new ideas into my previous ideas.

There is also another reason why I am getting my craft on...there is an upcoming show that I am taking part in and without further ado I would like to introduce you Salvaged For Good. I am excited to be one of the 'salvaged gals'. It is a craft show with a twist--what Vickie describes as an 'upscale yard sale'

Here is what else Vickie, the Founder of Salvaged For Good has to say about her newest business endeavor.

"My goal with Salvaged for Good is to offer a fun venue where women can sell their wares and others can have a fun, creative, no entrance fee shopping experience."

"Salvaged for Good is my answer to the old fashioned yard sale with a vintage twist. It is also a creative way to put Proverbs 31:24 into practice. My Salvaged Gals all take something and give it a new use with the goal of blessing their families with additional income and using their Creative God Given talents."

So ladies--mark your calendars for the Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21. I hope to see you there!!!

2011-04-20T08:06:00.000-07:00

It's quite possible we have a vegetarian on our hands. Until of course he learns that beef and chicken and all the other meat products we eat come from animals and not the grocery store! I suppose then he will have a hard choice to make, but until then...

Last night we had salmon for dinner. He did NOT want us to cut it. He kept yelling, it's an animal don't cut it! You will hurt it! Then he tried it, remembering that he loves salmon and came back for seconds and thirds until there was no more left. At one point he was actually petting our dinner. :)

He is so excited to go fishing with Grandpa this summer. All the kids get a fishing pole for their 3rd birthdays, but considering how much Preston loves worms and apparently fish, I'm not quite sure fishing will be in his future! He might just have to go along for the boat ride. (Mind you, this is the same kid who when we got him his pet gold fish was disappointed because we couldn't eat it.)

Last night we went to the Chiefs game (they won in OT-woo-hoo!) He kept saying that he wanted both teams to win. It's so funny to see how his emerging personality keeps coming out.

I love how this little boy of ours can be 'all boy' one minute and then so tenderhearted the next.

One of those days...

2011-04-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

...or should I say on of those weeks. Can it be 'one of those weeks' when it's only Tuesday???

I am constantly reminding myself that children are a blessing. Even if that little blessing told me 'I was very irritating' and then the next day called me a 'bimbo'. Yes, my three year old son called me a BIMBO!!! In his defense, he didn't know what the word bimbo meant. Trust me, after I explained it to him, I told him never to call mommy a bimbo again!! {FYI-He learned it by watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}

But he also does cute things too...like every morning when he wakes up he asks me, "honey, how is your 'rubob' doing?" He means my rhubarb plant. And when I tuck him in bed at night and tell him that I'm so glad I'm his mommy he tells me... "and I'm so glad I'm your boy!"

I guess it makes up for being called an irritating bimbo:)

{click the picture above to be directed to Jones Design Company-where you can print out little cards like the one above so you can have a reminder that your child{ren} are a blessing-because we all need reminders*wink*}

behold, children are a gift of the Lord.
{Psalm 127:3 NASB}

Oh so beautiful!

2011-04-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

There is something you should know about Preston. He loves jewelry and shiny things. The other day, as you can see from the picture below he dressed his transformer in some earrings he found laying around. He was so proud of himself. He said excitedly, "Oh honey, look at my beautiful transformer! When daddy gets home he's going to say whoo-whoo (which is prestons whistle) what a beautiful transformer!

On a different note, here is our newest picture of baby Grace or Gracie??? (she is definitely still a girl!) I had my 18 week ultrasound today-she is growing beautifully! The techs thought she was very active and said she has really long fingers.

18 weeks

2011-03-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well I'm nothing if not consistent--I just happened to be wearing the exact same clothes, oh well. Maybe most people would've changed, but not me. I know you won't judge me;) Grace is definitely growing, causing a bit of discomfort to myself! I know she will just keep getting bigger and bigger!!

I enjoy 'getting to know' this baby girl. I've been feeling her move for a few weeks now and I love it! I think it's seems more real to Preston too. He prays for her at night and asks to buy her toys when we are at the store, it's really cute! I just can't imagine him being a big brother...it will be so much fun.