Wiens World

iPhone Friday

2012-01-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time, OK, a really long time, since I did an iPhone Friday post, so I'm going to share a few favorites from the past few weeks.

So sweet

Love the belly!

His head is as big as hers!

We had a sweet neighbor next door. She was a single woman, and several weeks ago she passed away unexpectedly. We really liked Polly and have missed her. When we got back from our trip north there was a package in our mailbox. The return address was out of state, but it said "Neighbor Polly." I opened it and found these sweet aprons. Polly had asked her nephew's wife to make them when Gabriel was born. There was a note that said how much Polly wanted the kids to have these and to be Mommy's helpers. It was so touching and brought tears to my eyes. What a sweet gift from a thoughtful woman. Two of them, actually, because the nephew's wife could have very easily chosen not to send them. I am so glad she did.

Our boy has some silly hair days . If you think this one is good, just wait...

Sweet, sweet brother. I so often find him cuddling with his little brother like this.

Gabriel is now rolling in both directions! He went tummy to back about a month ago, but just today went back to tummy, and Charlotte was the only one to witness it. She started yelling, "He did it! He rolled over!" I even questioned whether she had given him a little assistance, but she assured me she didn't, just helped him put his arm under him after he rolled so he could push up. Hooray! This pictures was taken a week ago, and you can see that he has clearly been working on this for a while.

Last week we had date nights. Charlotte and I had a Mommy-daughter date to Chipotle and Cold Stone Creamery. Aaron and Levi had Daddy-son-fun-night at John's Incredible Pizza. I'm OK missing out on that one. Gabriel was with Charlotte and I, and I felt a little guilty because it wasn't just one-on-one time. I asked Charlotte about it earlier in the afternoon, and she said, "I want him to come with us!" She was incredulous that I would think anything else. So sweet. And for his part, Gabe slept the whole time, so it really was a girls' night.

Granddad and Gabriel

We picked up this sticker at Powell's on our trip. I love it. It makes me happy. I really do heart Oregon. And it also sets our van apart from the other 400 white Honda Odyssey's in Fresno.

This is Jason. Jason is Aaron's brother. Obviously. They like to say they have the same ears. Jay was "adopted" into the Wiens family as a college student when his mom passed away. He had a special connection with Mark and Cindy, and we are really grateful that they took him under their wings, because we have developed a very special relationship with Jason and his wife Jill (who we also knew through her extended family and our FPU days). Last Friday Jason and Jill had a baby girl, and she is gorgeous!

Here she is, Ruby Juanita Brooks! See what I mean? Beautiful!

And here is proud "uncle" Aaron

Look at these cool sandwiches that Jamie created for Randy's birthday party last week. The theme was game night, and this is the checkerboard. Isn't it clever? Hope she doesn't mind that I stole this shot.

Gabriel, Charlie, and Ruby. Charlie is Ruby's cousin. These kids are all about 3 1/2 months apart. Isn't it amazing what a difference that makes?

And now you see what I mean.

And one final note: this is our 500th blog post! That is amazing! We started this thing in Miami on New Year's Day, 2006. Two states, three kids, and 6 years later, we apparently have had a lot to share.

At Long Last - Part 1: The Manginellis

2012-01-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

Finally, the pictures and stories from our winter break trip to Seattle and Portland! We had such a fantastic time together as a family, and with our friends all along the way. I know some of you think we are completely crazy for even attempting a road trip like this with three kids, and maybe we are, but it works for our family. Our kids are great travelers, and I personally think a car ride is much less stressful than an airplane ride. On a plane, when your kid cries it bothers everyone else, and then you have the stress of knowing that you are ruining everyone else's trip. In the car, it's just us that get frustrated. In the plane, kids are supposed to sit, buckled in, for hours and hours, they can't get up and move much, because any extended time in the aisle makes flight attendants nervous, and they inevitably have to go potty when the fasten seat belt sign goes on. In the car, we travel with no expectations. When kids (or moms) have to potty, we stop. When people get antsy, we get out and throw a ball around. When someone is hungry, Mom has a giant bag of snacks and drinks (all bigger than 4 oz.) at the ready. Sure, it takes longer than it did before kids, but as long as we know that going in, it doesn't seem to bother anyone.

We left on Tuesday morning and made the first leg in 10 hours. We stopped to spend the night with our good friends Derek and Julie in Grants Pass, OR. They bought a house since the last time we visited, and we expressed how nice it was that they bought a house that worked so perfectly for our visits! The master bedroom is on one side of the house, and the two guest rooms are on the other, along with a nice big bathroom. We didn't have to worry about our kids waking them up, and they didn't have to worry about waking us up early as they left for work. They were so generous to let us stay and use their home, even when they were getting ready for a trip themselves, and in the middle of the first week back to school. We love these friends so much, and cherish the time we get together.

The next day we continued to Seattle, another 10 hour day. We rolled in just in time for a yummy lasagna dinner at the Manginelli home, a place that feels like home. Our kids wasted no time, but got right to the serious business of having fun together. For the next three days, they played with Star Wars toys, Squinkies (a toy introduced to us by Emma and now a favorite), spent plenty of time running and jumping and dancing in the living room, and having a great time together.

Playing with American Girls dolls

Loads of action figures

A shared love of all things Star Wars

Can't you just hear him singing the Imperial Death March?

True kindred spirits, Emma and Charlotte made lots of crafts together.

Jen, making her famous peach cobbler...

and everyone gathering around to eat the extra crumble topping, made just for this purpose. It's called planning ahead.

Uncle Aaron, Luke, and Gabriel

Cuddle time with little Claire

Emma and Gabe

Big sister and little sister, both so beautiful

Most of what we did in our three days with our good friends was just hanging out in their home. It is such a blessing to have quality time with friends we rarely see face-to-face, so fun to watch our kids play and build bonds with each other. One of the other fun things we did was to go watch Eli's basketball game. It was his first game of the season, and it was so fun to see, such a privilege to be there. Here are some favorite pics from his big game.

On the bench, waiting to go in

Fast as lightning!

I really loved watching Charlotte and Eli together. They seemed to have so much fun. Such a treat!

More fun photos:

the boys

the girls

Luke is very particular about his style choices. He knows what he wants and any attempt to sway him is futile.

A delicious breakfast in downtown Seattle, thank to the recommendation of Jay and Jill!

Being silly together during game night

Like daughters like mothers

Three times as many people as when we first became friends! Amazing!

Stay tuned for part 2...

Welcome 2012!

2012-01-01T23:06:00.000-08:00

This is the second year that we have joined our friends the Isaacs at their cabin in Shaver Lake. The Lees were there again this year as well. We had such a great time. Six adults, seven kids, lots of laughs (and a few fights, let's be honest), and more food than any of us needed. Love this new tradition!

Micah's new race track kept the boys busy for much of the weekend.

Seriously? How cute is this kid!

Getting so big. Also fun to use leading lines.

Artsy picture by Aaron

We went on a walk and the snow equipment was out and unlocked. Seemed like a fun opportunity.

Pretty little Lucy

Last year there was so much snow that we got snowed in and the guys had to shovel us out. This year we barely needed sweatshirts. There was this one patch of ice near the snow equipment and our kids were so thrilled to play in it! Poor California babes.

Love this picture of Grace!

Handsome devil, er, penguin

Teamwork!

The big boys (sorry Gabriel)...

and the big girls (sorry Lucy).

Putting some mistletoe she found to good use with Dad

Super awesome picture that Aaron took of Grace having fun with glow sticks on the patio.

This is the boys' favorite tradition - the beer taste test. This year was a blind test. The beers on lined up by ranking here, best on the left to worst on the right, in case you are looking for some new onew to try, or avoid.

Happy New Year!

Skywalk

2011-12-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

I know I have been absent. You are all waiting for pictures of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I am posting something very random. It's because it's a small thing and not at all overwhelming. The others will come. Eventually.

Yesterday a friend invited the kids and I to join her at a new indoor place called Skywalk, basically a warehouse full of trampolines. What kid (and mom) wouldn't love that? Especially when they have a 6-and-under playtime. Even better!

Fall Fun

2011-12-01T11:43:00.001-08:00

Christmas Card Fails

2011-11-30T21:40:00.001-08:00

I wanted to get some pictures of the kids for a Christmas card. It did not go quite as well as planned. But my kids are cute, and the bad pictures are still kind of fun, so I thought I'd share them.

And these are just some fun pictures of our smiley little guy!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2011-11-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Charlotte had the whole week of Thanksgiving off of school this year. We began talking a while ago about taking a family trip during that time, and had entertained the idea of going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. When a groupon deal surfaced for a stay in nearby Pacific Grove, complete with aquarium tickets, our plans were set. We stayed two nights and spent two days in the aquarium. We had such a great time!

Daddy pointing out the otters

Levi was a little busy during the otter presentation. The first night in a hotel is hard. Kids don't sleep well. Not sleeping well makes grumpy kids, who make poor choices. Fortunately one time out did the trick and the rest of the day was fine.

Jellyfish - everyone's favorite

The new seahorse exhibit is great!

A leafy sea dragon

The deep sea exhibit is so amazing. I could sit and watch it all day. My favorite animal at the aquarium is the sunfish. It is perhaps the strangest looking animal I have ever seen, and every time I see it I think, "What was God thinking?" It looks like a swimming fish head, like someone cut the back end off and it just kept going. Crazy. We got the privilege of seeing a brand new sunfish introduced to the exhibit. This picture is of her first swim around the tank.

This is the big one, which was taken out to make room for the new one. We saw it on day 1.

You feel like you are really under water!

Little pearls

Checking out the tide pools

After reading Mr. Popper's Penguins this year, the penguin exhibit was especially fun.

On our trip I was on my own little scavenger hunt. I was taking pictures of letters in different fonts for a project I've got going. It is now very well documented.

iPhone...What Day Is It?

2011-11-09T21:06:00.000-08:00

I have intended to post pictures so many times. You see how successful that has been. Well, here are some of the pictures from my phone that haven't been shared yet.

A CD at Target - I thought it looked like they used my kid. Aaron said he wants royalties.

Levi got to go to a Little Gym class with is friend Jackson a couple of weeks ago. Fun!

Another binky picture

At a corn maze just before Halloween

Multi-tasking

Crazy hair day at school

Charlotte and her friend Kinnedy on their field trip. They call themselves sisters :)

These are my mommy bracelets. After each new baby, Cindy has purchased one for me from a friend in Portland. I love them. I like to tell Aaron that my goal is to have them up to the elbow ;)

Last week I worked. I am an English Language Arts Consultant, and last week I had a presentation to do, which meant quite a bit of prep work. I tried to get things done at home, but somehow that just didn't happen, so I arranged to head to Starbucks one night with just the little guy. I planned it so that he would sleep when we got there and not need to eat for a good two hours. Ha. Do you like how this is my fourth baby and I'm still planning things beyond my control? Well, I did get work done, but it took much longer than I expected.

Last Saturday was Violet's birthday. Our gift to her was a movie night all together, along with the Cars 2 DVD. It was so fun to just see our families relaxing together, not because it's rare- it's very common, in fact- but because I am always so grateful.

All in our slippers, ready to read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before bed.

Gabriel and Nana (great-grandma) this Tuesday after Charlotte's piano lesson. It has been so fun for the kids and I to spend time each week with Nana and Papa. Our kids are so lucky to know their great-grandparents so well, and to be building these memories with them.

Aunt Rubena (Papa's sister) came to visit this week, too. It was cute to see Levi showing off his little brother.

Well, I'm a little bit more caught up now. Of course, I actually started this post Wednesday, and now it's Sunday and I have another dozen pictures on my phone. Alas.

Halloween

2011-10-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

Pictures, in no particular order:

Darth Vader, Chewbacca, and a sunflower

Audrey was Princess Leah

The whole fam - Aaron was a riotous Canuck fan (a shout out to our friend James, really), I was pregnant. You would be surprised how many people actually thought I was pregnant. Even while looking at my newborn, they would ask when this one was due. And people, the pillow under my shirt was extremely lumpy. But the funnier thing was the people who know me well, who have even held my baby, who walked by me a few times before realizing that I don't actually look like that anymore!

Fun games at the church carnival

Gypsy Grammy helped man one of the booths - isn't she cute?

Aaron was in charge of Levi's costume and let me tell you, it was quite a step up from what I would have done. He used Dots candies, Legos, zip ties, and duct tape to create this masterpiece. Levi's chest piece concealed an iPod, set to loop alternately the sound of Darth Vader breathing with the Imperial March, Darth Vader's infamous song. It was awesome. And Granddad and Grammy supplied the essential light-up light saber (or light saver, as some Darth Vaders call it), since Mommy was too cheap to spring for that.

I made Chewy's costume out of faux fur and felt.

Even Darth has a soft spot for the Wookie.

After the carnival, we went trick-or-treating in the neighborhood with some friends. The kids got more candy than they could possibly eat, though they certainly tried. Call me horrible, but they got to eat all they wanted last night, keep 4 pieces for today, and then everything else got thrown away. And I don't feel even the least bit bad about it. Happy Halloween!

Birth Story

2011-10-19T22:03:00.001-07:00

This post includes the details of Gabriel's birth. If that is not something you want to read, please feel free to just look at pictures. Don't worry, there are no... ahem... invasive ones.

As you know, we were scheduled to be induced at 6:30am on Friday the 7th. I was a full two weeks overdue and my doctor was not comfortable letting me go any longer. And I was OK with that. All along we thought we would deliver at St. Agnes, but my doctor was on call at Clovis Community that Friday, so he had me go out there. Kind of funny that we have had 4 babies in 3 hospitals!

My mom arrived at our house at 6:00, and by then I had already been having strong contractions for about a half an hour. This was nothing too new, since I'd been having them for months, so I just expected they would go away. They didn't.

At 6:30 we arrived in the ER to check in. Clovis Community is remodeling, so there are a few weird things there right now, like having a woman ready to deliver check in with all the really sick people. But check in was quick, and we got right up to the room, where my contractions kicked up a notch. By the time the nurse checked me at about 6:45, I was dilated to 5 cm. This is always good news, but I tend to dilate really quickly through the first 6 cm. It's the last 4 that kill ya'. And historically, those last 3-4 cm take hours for me. But my body was obviously doing its job all on its own, so I asked the doctor if we could not do pitocin, and just break my water. I was still hoping to have another natural childbirth, and pitocin doesn't make that easier. The doctor, however, said that the baby was still really high for some reason, and he was concerned that if he just broke my water, the baby might drop quickly and get a cord wrapped around his neck, so he wanted to do pitocin to see if a few really strong contractions could move the baby down. The nurse, Linda, said she didn't think it would take much pitocin anyway, and came to start my IV.

Here I am, settled into my bed, watching The Today Show on television, having contractions, but doing alright.

At 8:30 Linda came to start my IV. As she put in the line, I had a vasovagal response. You can click to read what that means, or I can just tell you that I almost passed out. Pretty soon the nurse is calling for help, everyone is rushing in to my room, and I'm thinking, This can't be good. My blood pressure dropped to something like 80/40, they started pumping the fluids in, waving alcohol under my nose, and strapping on the oxygen. The nurses came in with the birth cart and started getting everything ready because they thought we were going to have a baby pretty immediately! It only lasted a few minutes, and then things were fine, but in that time, the baby's heartbeat dropped, too. He recovered quickly, but the nurse did not want to start pitocin until he had some time to recover.

In the meantime, my contractions began getting really close together, about 2 minutes apart, and when they checked me I was about 7cm. I was able to sit on my birthing ball, which was much more comfortable and helped move things along. Unfortunately, I still had to be tethered to everything because of that earlier drama. I had the blood pressure cuff, the fluid line, and the fetal monitor all on me. The monitor didn't always cooperate because I was sitting on the ball; it made it hard to get the little pads in the right spot. At one point the nurse had to sit on the floor in front of me, holding the monitor in place for about 15 minutes.

Everything was moving along great, my contractions were obviously working and I was breathing through them all pretty well. I even still had the TV on, which is not typical for me. But I couldn't get up and move much, which I would have liked to do, and I knew the pitocin was coming soon (the baby was still high, even after all that), so I decided, with Aaron's help, to get the epidural. I had tried an epidural with Levi, but it got kinked in my back and so after about 7cm, I had no pain relief at all. It was not enjoyable, and I did not want to repeat that experience.

At 10:00 the nurse started my pitocin. She didn't give me much at all, which was great. At 10:45 I got the epidural. The anesthesiologist assured me there would be no malfunctioning this time, and he taped my back from neck to tail! But it was a good epidural. I could move my legs the whole time and still had quite a bit of feeling, just not so much pain. The nurse checked me as soon as I had the epidural. She had said she thought I'd be pretty close, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. My labors don't typically move so fast. But sure enough, I was complete, a full 10 cm. And my bag of waters still totally intact!

At 11:45 the doctor came in and broke my water. He had me try to push a couple of times to see if the baby would move down more, but since I'd never pushed with an epidural before, it felt really strange and I wasn't terribly effective. He said he'd let me get used to things for a bit and then be back. At 12:15 he came in and said, "We're going to try to have a baby here." The nurse, bless her, looked at me and said, "We're going to have a baby. Let's do that." I pushed about 4 times, and Gabriel's head emerged at 12:24. His shoulders were so broad that they couldn't make it out on their own, so the doctor had to reach in and corkscrew him out. The rest of his body was a full minute later, 12:25 pm.

Gabriel had facial bruising like Levi, though not as extreme, so the doctor handed him to the nurse right away. Then he looked at me and said, "Next time I'm inducing you at 39 weeks," to which Aaron replied, "Next time?"

Worth every minute.

Transformation

2011-10-18T21:19:00.001-07:00

iPhone Friday

2011-10-14T22:01:00.001-07:00

Let the baby pictures begin!

Brand new

First Bath

Cuddle Time

Ready to go home. Each of our babies have been wrapped in this very special blanket from Auntie Jamie.

Proud big sister who loves to hold Gabriel

First day home - the big kids gave baby brother their most favorite items, their special blankets. It was so incredibly sweet.

My current favorite photo

We have received so many generous gifts. This one was not only generous, but also funny. Uncle Randy bought Gabriel his first shaving kit. He figured he'd been in there long enough he would need it when he came out!

Thursday night we went to the fair as a family. It was our first big outing all together. The big kids had a great time, and Gabriel did great too.

Ropin' some cattle

Friday morning was Muffins with Mom at Charlotte's school. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to focus just on my girl! Gabriel, Levi, and Daddy all stayed home and got a little more sleep.

Reading with Jessica on Friday night

A Little Late, but Worth the Wait

2011-10-14T21:47:00.000-07:00

I am terribly sorry for the delay in this post, but I suppose it is fitting considering all the waiting we did. Last Friday, October 7, at 12:25 pm, Gabriel Joshua Wiens entered the world at a whopping 9 lbs., 11 oz., and 20 inches long. He is doing fabulously, and we are so enjoying him. There will be more details and plenty more pictures coming, but for now, here are just a few of his first day.

Looks a lot like his siblings!

iPhone Friday and update

2011-10-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

With a shout out to Steve Jobs this week...

A little cuddle time with my boy one morning this week. Hard to find room on Mommy's lap.

Baby sitter

Once upon a time there were ankles here.

Good friends show up at your door with cleaning supplies when you are enormous and leave when your house is sparkling :) Thank you!!

And this will be the last week that my phone is not filled with pictures of Wiens #6! I am setting this to post automatically because I will be in the hospital this Friday. My induction is scheduled for 6:30 am Friday morning, October 7, 14 days after this baby was expected. Hooray! We are so excited to meet him or her, and to introduce our newest member to you. So check back soon!

Carrying It

2011-10-06T11:23:00.000-07:00

I am absurdly pregnant. 41 weeks and 6 days pregnant. 13 days overdue. I am exhausted much of the time, my hips hurt, and my ankles have been swallowed up entirely by my calves. I tried to stay somewhat active for as long as I could, but I confess I have given up on that goal. I am no longer doing water aerobics twice a week, largely because putting on a swimsuit is too much effort. I was walking Charlotte to and from school every day. It slowly changed to only walking her one way, and asking Aaron or a friend to pick her up. Now there is driving involved. I change position constantly, day and night, because nothing is comfortable for too long. Amazingly, I can still get up off the floor, can manage to get out of bed 4 times a night to pee, can squat pretty well, and manage to carry my three-year old now and then.

Six years ago, when Caleb died, a good friend went walking with me once a week after school. She had no agenda, no expectations of me, and was such a blessing in my life at that time, as so many were. On one of those walks, she related grief to pregnancy in that “it changes over time, but you learn how to carry it.” Those words have stuck with me, and have been the best analogy of my own experience.

The first few months of pregnancy you don’t feel like yourself. You are sick, exhausted, and figuring out how it is that something so small can have such a large effect on you, physically. Six and a half years ago, getting up in the morning was a challenge. I didn’t feel like eating. I was exhausted physically, mentally, spiritually, and often thought I must be crazy. But slowly, very slowly, the morning sickness wears off and you are able to eat again, to get out of bed in the morning. You can face the day pretty well, at first still mostly hiding how you feel, though you may have to sneak off for a minute until you feel better. After time those breaks space out, too.

As this pregnancy has progressed, I have learned to do the everyday things, despite the enormous weight in front of me. I have to do it a little differently, of course. For example I can’t bend over and tie my shoes, but I am still quite flexible if I’m sitting. I can’t reach things that are above the counter, because my belly gets in the way, but I can use a chair, or just ask Aaron to get it for me. Parenting after a loss is a unique experience. I know that it affects our family, but I admit I don’t always know in which ways. Just like pregnancy, the grief grows and changes over time. You learn to go about daily living in a seemingly normal way, and sometimes you don’t even realize the changes you have had to make in order to accomplish those tasks. Yes, I worry more than a lot of other moms. I am paranoid about car seats and baby bumpers in cribs and outlet covers, but would I have been even if Caleb were still here? I have real issues of guilt when something doesn’t go right at bedtime, when a kids’ door has to be closed because they threw a fit, or when my last interactions are tinged with frustration and fatigue. I always think, “What if they don’t wake up, and that’s the last thing we said?” My kids know about death, Heaven, our beliefs about angels, and the reality of loss at an age most other kids don’t. They didn’t get the luxury of learning about it from goldfish in toilets. I imagine there are plenty of other effects that I am not even remotely aware of. As each day passes, I learn to shift the weight, find my center of gravity for today, and continue on.

Even 6 years and 3 babies later, being pregnant after a loss has its issues, too. Strangers always ask, “How far along are you?” and “How many kids do you have?” I know other moms, dads, and family members handle this in many different ways. I always say, “This is my fourth,” but this often leads to the awkward discussion later. And so I shift the weight around a little differently.

As we prepare to welcome this little one into the world tomorrow, I am aware that some of these things never end. We will always be one person short. Tomorrow I will have four children, yet people will only see three of them. Tomorrow I will take a picture of a picture, and it will be the only photo I will ever have of all my children together. Very soon, this pregnancy will come to an end, but our grief will not. There is still expectation, hope, eagerness to see the face of the little boy we love without seeing, and we know that day will come. Grief just has a longer incubation period.

iPhone Friday

2011-09-30T19:03:00.000-07:00

We might as well begin with what you all want to know -

Here I am at 41 weeks pregnant. Yes, I realize the expression on my face has become less jovial as time has gone on.

So what's the word? Well, I had a doctor appointment today. Everything is good, my blood pressure, baby's heartbeat, and my amniotic fluid levels. So no reason to hurry things. I am dilated to 3 cm, which really doesn't mean much of anything. I am having lots of contractions. I have been for nearly 6 weeks now, actually, and because of that, I can hardly believe this baby is the latest arrival yet. But despite the number of contractions, they are either not strong enough, or not close enough together, and so we wait.

How am I? Kind of depends moment to moment. Right now, rather miserable. I am tired and ache, my right hand is asleep, and I have to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes. I am having contractions as I type this, and they are uncomfortable. But I am also watching a movie with my kids, which has made for a nice and relatively relaxing evening. Charlotte gave me a back rub (a 5-year old's version, but nonetheless adorable), and Levi cuddled with me for a bit. My friends have been so good to me this week, taking care of the kids so I could rest, taking me out to dessert instead of letting me sit around crying (yes, I've had those nights, too), and checking in on me without being obnoxious ("When are you gonna' have that baby?" and "No baby yet?" are examples of obnoxious, in case you were wondering.).

As for the waiting, it's not fun, but it is what I want. I really want this baby to come when it is ready. I know I am uncomfortable, but I also believe God knows best. If I have to be induced next week, that will be OK, but I am hoping I can get there on my own instead. I know it will make it much easier to have another natural childbirth, and will increase the odds of a healthy baby, which is the ultimate goal. Your prayers for comfort, patience, health for both Baby and me, and for freedom from fear are much appreciated.

Now onto the more mundane activities of the week!

We are reading this fabulous classic with the kids at night. One night this week I decided it would be super fun to eat chocolate pudding while reading a book about chocolate. It was :)

This was the same night. Levi said he was all full. I said, "If you are full, then you don't have room for dessert." A minute or so passed before he pointed to his plate and said, "I have room for dessert right here."

Just hangin' out...

The boys

My project this week- I needed a distraction and this was a good one. I used my Instagram photos and made building blocks! It's been fun to see the kids playing with them, instead of just letting them sit on my computer and phone. Wanna' try it yourself? Here's the tutorial from Photojojo.

iPhone Friday

2011-09-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, it's time to revisit the week via the pictures on my phone. I confess, I hoped I wouldn't be making this post this week, because I had hoped I'd be posting pictures of our new baby. But, true to form, the due date will once again come and go. Good news is baby and mom are both healthy, and that's what matters. Soon enough it will all be ancient history, and I'll be losing sleep for completely different reasons.

The Bergens have let us use their pool all summer, and it has been fabulous! James snapped this picture of us all last week and sent it to me. Cute!

I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled milk, but I'm pretty sure I cried over this spilled cereal. Saturday was a rough day. That's an understatement. I hadn't slept the night before, I was hurting in the morning, things around the house didn't start out so well, and I was a little beside myself (I am downplaying this all, by the way. Truth is, it was an ugly morning for me). One side effect of pregnancy for me is that my hands swell in the last month or so, and it becomes very hard to hold on to things. Dropping half of a brand new box of cereal on the proved to be a bit more than I could handle that particular morning. I snapped this picture to send to Aaron for a little sympathy. He had witnessed most of the morning's festivities (note the sarcasm), and I felt it only fair he should get to participate in the whole grand fiesta. I'm pretty sure he was glad he was working that day.

Monday was our girl's actual birthday. She woke to this birthday message, which she loved :)

Later Levi and I took cupcakes to her classroom. Her teacher gave her the crown and let her choose something from the birthday box (a purple Disney eraser). She felt like a princess.

I have said it before, but my girl is like me, she remembers events by what food she ate, and all things are made special with special food. A good 2 weeks ago she asked if she could choose dinner for her birthday. Of course, I was happy to oblige. Her pick? Chocolate chip banana pancakes! The funny thing we learned about candles in pancakes is that the hot pancakes actually melt the bottom of the candles. See the one falling over? So after she blew out her candles, we had to dig out some wax chunks.

My babies

Tuesday night my dear friend, Jenny, got married. I was so glad I was able to be there. We have been friends for over 20 years and have walked life together, good and bad. It is so good to celebrate the joys, especially when we have grieved the sorrows. I am so happy for Jenny, her husband Matt, and the kids. Funny fact: her new husband's name is Matt Ford. Also the name of my high school boyfriend. They are not the same person.

Levi and I went to farmer's market on Wednesday. After a friend posted her picture of the Dusty Buns truck on Instagram, I couldn't resist getting some lunch there while we there. The food is delicious, though I hesitate to tell you all this. The line is long enough as it is. So while we waited, Levi and I shared an apple we had purchased. Mmmmm...

Today I am 40 weeks. This baby will officially be overdue, like most of its siblings before it. I had such hope...
I wanted to take a picture, but didn't think of it until Aaron left. I decided to ask Levi to take the picture today. Here's his first attempt:

And here's his second. I think I know why I haven't asked him before. But you can see clearly how my clothes no longer fit. That's lovely.

After taking my pictures, he wanted me to take his. "Take a picture of my socks," he said, "because they're cute."

So this is the picture I took in the waiting room this morning. I had to go in for a non-stress test and ultrasound. Everything is fine. And this baby looks like its brothers and sister :) No, we still don't know what it is. The ultrasound tech was very careful.

Balloon Festival

2011-09-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

This morning Aaron got the kids up early and took them to see the hot air balloons in Clovis. What a dad! And what a husband! Because what did I do? I slept in, and woke up to a pumpkin latte.

Kind of loud for little ears

iPhone Friday part 2 - the Stacie Edition

2011-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

I posted all the normal photos which were added to my phone in the past week, but there are many more that deserved their own category.

This is Stacie.

And this is Stacie.

And so is this.

Stacie was in my third grade class in Portland. I like to believe this was only a couple of years ago, but then she shows up being 16 and really ruins my delusions.

I remember Stacie very well as a 7 and 8 year old kid. I remember when she was missing teeth. I remember when her hair was braided. I remember how she loved read-aloud time, and often said the things about Jesus to her peers that I wished I could have said as their teacher. I remember that she brought her Bible to school for silent reading time. I even remember talking to her mom about what an impact I felt her little girl had for Christ in our public school. I think of that often, and am grateful that Charlotte is in public school, and pray her impact will be great.

Stacie's parents are fantastic people. They are generous, kind, godly people who truly care for others. When Stacie left my classroom, her mom made it so easy to stay in touch with their family. I continued to go to Stacie's basketball games, softball games. It was her mom who started the idea of Tweener Day, the day between Stacie's birthday and mine. We began celebrating it when she was in 4th grade. The first year we went to Krispy Kreme together. Mmmm, Krispy Kreme.

Sorry. Pregnant distraction. Pregnant pause?

When Caleb died, Stacie's parents allowed her to be part of things, like his service, and that Tweener Day we made book ends for Caleb's library. When we returned from Miami and were flat broke, Tom and Susan hosted a garage sale to help us out. When Charlotte came along, Susan and Stacie were the only people in Portland to watch her. Even if they tattooed her with Beavers tattoos. But that's another story. Bottom line, we've been in each other's lives for a while. I feel extremely blessed to still be part of Stacie's life, that she would still want me around (even if I still nag her about her grammar, finishing her homework, and other teacher things).

This summer we wanted to go to Portland. We are really, really missing it. There was a good deal on flights for a brief window, but even still, 4 tickets is just plain expensive. And driving wasn't in the cards this summer. So we decided that we could afford one plane ticket, and that we really wanted to see Stacie, so we flew her out this past weekend, partly to have a little help with Charlotte's birthday party, but mostly because we wanted to hang out with her.

This is me picking her up in Sacramento. I look tired. I was. And am, actually. Have I mentioned that I'm really pregnant? But Stacie is beautiful as always, and taller every time. Aaron's comment when I texted him this picture was, "She's about 2 feet taller than you." Maybe not two feet, but she's tall. And I'm short.

We all love Stacie. Aaron has seen her grow up, too, and he genuinely loves her as well. And now she's watching my kids grow. Isn't it weird how that happens? Stacie has a natural way with kids. She's like the pied piper. Thanks to her mom, Stacie has always been around little kids, and she is great with them. My kids adore her. When Aaron tucked Charlotte in on Monday night, the first night Stacie was gone, the first thing she said was, "I miss Stacie."

Stacie was a big help at the party. I didn't have to ask her to do a thing, she just jumped in and helped with the kids. And with setting up everything.

There was no way I would have been doing this!

After the party I forced Stacie to go get a pedicure with me. Well, I didn't really have to force her, but she's not the super-girly-girl type, so she probably would have picked something else. But look how cute her blue toes are in her blue flip-flops. Please ignore the pink piggies next to her.

We did a lot of the everyday stuff, like cooking, entertaining kids, going swimming, running errands, getting everyone ready for bed. Nothing too exciting. But Sunday night Stacie said, "How do you do this every day?" Seriously, best compliment ever.

We also did lots of silly things, which is why my phone is now full of pictures like these:

And this one is for her mom - see, I did make her do her homework and she wasn't thrilled about it.

It's good to have a teenager around every once in a while. I suppose at some point they stay longer, but that'll be a while for us.

On Monday we had to give her back :( God has such big plans for this young woman. I am excited to see them develop. I hope I will still have the privilege of a front-row seat.

iPhone Friday

2011-09-16T16:35:00.001-07:00

Charlotte's cupcakes

Fresno's version of a dogsled?

A toddler shirt I found in a little boutique shirt. I thought it was great. Not $26 great, though. But if it had been a Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me shirt, maybe.

Levi and Carly reading princess stories together. Notice the ring on Levi's finger.

Aaron passed on this very tragic article. It seems we will never be able to recreate our fabulous first date. The "fabulous" part was very sarcastic, by the way.

I bought milk this week that expires after I do. Somehow this is always a marker for me. I must be almost to the end.

And here I am - 39 weeks today

Fancy Five

2011-09-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Charlotte turns 5 years old this Monday! Such a big year for our little girl. With the expected arrival of our newest blessing any day, I was concerned about Big Sister not getting a proper party, so I planned hers well in advance and we celebrated last Saturday. Months ago, groupon had a party deal at Storyland in town, which I scooped up, knowing I would not be in the condition to clean my own house for a party, nor to clean up the mess after. Best move ever. It made things so much easier! Also, this was the first party we've done where we didn't invite the families of all of her friends. I love inviting everyone, but I must admit it was much cheaper to just have the kids and the moms. I tried to keep most of the party details simple, so I wouldn't overwhelm myself, but I had to do some fun things.

The theme of the party was Fancy Nancy. If you are not familiar, these are a series of books about a little girl who likes everything fancy. We had talked about a dress-up party, but once we decided it was at Storyland, tying in a story seemed like much more fun. These were the invites I created:

The girls arrived via red carpet (wrapping paper) - Ooh la la!

I love the expression here, and the one already in a sprint!

Levi and Daddy were the only boys at the party. Levi wanted to dress up, too, so he wore his fleece fireman uniform in the nasty heat! He kept saying he wasn't hot.

The party table - each girl had a water bottle with her name on it, a tiara, a necklace, a ring, and a set of paper dolls with all sorts of fancy accessories (thank you Cricut and Jess and Cindy who let me borrow!).

Hard at work on those paper dolls! We also had some Fancy Nancy coloring pages available, and fancy star-shaped crayons, leftovers from last year's rainbow party.

These characters guarded the party

Can't have a book-themed party without story time!

We had a brief etiquette lesson, so we could learn how to be fancy. You can't put a book on your head when you are wearing a tiara, but a banana will work!

You must learn to wave like the Queen.

And the fancy way to enjoy your beverage is with your pinky up!

Look at all those lovely pinkies!

Lunch was simple, caravan sandwiches from Costco, grapes, and veggie straws. I actually didn't prepare anything but the cupcakes!

Simply decorated with some toppers I created.

Look at that sweaty head!

Mommy and the princess

After lunch and cupcakes, we went through the rest of Storyland. Here are the girls pumping water from Jack and Jill's well.

Down the slide, escaping from the three little bears' house

Stacie leading the girls up to the castle. There will be another post about her coming soon :)

The witch who lured Hansel and Gretel would have cool toys in her yard.

And after all that play in the hot, hot sun, it was time to cool off in the splash park at Playland.

Overall, the party was great. Charlotte said, "That way my best party ever. You did a good job, Mommy." Who doesn't want to plan a party for a kid who responds like that?

iPhone Friday

2011-09-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am grateful for this little weekly routine. It seems to be the only thing motivating me to update regularly. I imagine that will change soon, when there is a new face to show off, but for now the fatigue is winning over the intention.

Yes, it's a toilet. Two weeks ago, while my parents were babysitting (good timing), our toilet started to leak. Thankfully my dad is they guy to have around! He determined we needed a new toilet, and since he was going to replace that, he also did our flooring. What a guy.

Finished product - it looks better in real life than on my cell phone.

The fam in front of my brother and sis-in-law's house. We happened to be in the neighborhood which never happens, and they happened to be gone, much to our disappointment. So much for spontaneity.

Levi loves when I wear these bracelets. Loves to borrow them, that is, and pretend to be a pirate. Arrrr!

I started washing the baby clothes this week. Levi wanted to pretend to be a baby. He is doing that more and more. I have a feeling it will increase before it decreases.

37 weeks, the artistic version

And the less artistic one. Do I look like I've dropped? Because I feel like I have.

iPhone Friday

2011-08-26T16:16:00.001-07:00

Two years ago or so, I mentioned to Cindy, who mentioned to her friend, Sue, that I wanted to learn to make my own pasta. Sue generously and promptly gave me her pasta machine to use. I was a big chicken about it, and procrastinated, and missed my opportunity to have Sue help me, which is a huge regret. But when Charlotte asked if I would make spaghetti and meatballs for the night before school, I knew it was time to go all out.

Homemade noodles! They tasted very good, but were a little on the mushy side. Any experts out there to offer help?

The finished product. Noodles, sauce, and meatballs all from scratch. Cooking for people is one way I try to show my love for them. I hope my daughter will look back on special dinners like this one and know how much Mommy cares. She helped with the meatballs, too!

First day of school dress, hung and ready the night before. Hard to believe that was less than a week ago.

Walking home after the first day of kindergarten. Two school girls and one happy little brother - happy to have his sister home, that is.

Fun in the bath with Levi Claus :)

What do you suppose this is? Go on, make a guess.

It's a tomato! Isn't it the craziest tomato you've ever seen? Levi and I spotted it at the farmer's market on Wednesday morning and it was irresistible. I heart this tomato. It tasted good, too!

With some other farmer's market finds, I made these sandwiches a few times this week for lunch. Goat cheese, basil, heirloom tomato, fig, and balsamic vinegar. Yum!

This morning Marcy and I took the kids to get a treat and to play on the playground, and then to a little shopping. I have so enjoyed having time with just my little guy this week. I have been able to see him without the shadow of his sister, and I am just amazed by this little guy. He is so smart, has a great sense of humor, and is very loving. He has talked more this week, told me he loves me dozens of times (I'm soaking it up), played with me and by himself very well, and been just plain silly. He makes me laugh a lot, and it's all very intentional. Every night except last night he asked if Charlotte was going to school the next morning and then cried at the answer. He has cried on the walk home from school every day, too. But once we get home he is so happy and such an easy kid. He pretends to make me breakfast in the play kitchen each morning when we get home. He never asks for a snack, doesn't ask to watch TV, is happy to stay home with me or to go run errands, gives the baby kisses. I am a little sad that it's taken me this long to see him so independently from Charlotte, but I am so grateful for the opportunity. I know that in a few short weeks, he will not be the only one at home anymore. And I know that, try as I might, he will not be the center of attention when this new baby joins us, but I am excited to see how this baby will change him, and what a good big brother he will be. And I am determined to make these few weeks count.

And speaking of the new baby...

36 weeks today

For comparison, here I am at 35 weeks with Levi.

And 36 weeks with Charlotte

Boy, are these unflattering. But they should help you with the polls on the side. Go share your opinion. And if you'd like to make a more specific prediction on the date or size, please do so in a comment. Some stats you might find helpful:
Caleb - 8lbs., 5 oz., and 5 days late
Charlotte - 9 lbs., 2 oz., induced one day early
Levi - 9 lbs., 2 oz., 3 days late

Best of luck!
Oh, you thought I meant to you. No, that was a personal pep talk.

First Day

2011-08-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

This little girl was positively giddy about starting kindergarten. She has been counting down how many "sleeps" were left for the past 2 weeks. When I went in to wake her up at 6:45 this morning, she was sitting up in her bed, cross-legged, looking at the door with the biggest grin, just waiting for Mommy to come say it was OK to get up!

And then the photo shoot began...

Walking to school with the Bergens

Her friend Kinnedy is in her class.

Violet is not, but they will see plenty of each other.

This is Brother on the way to school...

and this is Brother once Charlotte when into her class. "I want Sissy." He had the hardest time of all of us this morning. Only because Mommy got the tears out last night.

No looking back

60th Birthday Party - MInnesota Style

2011-08-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

This week Mark, Aaron's dad, turns 60. He thought we were going to have a small family dinner to celebrate on Saturday night. Instead, we planned a surprise party for him on Friday night! Mark is from Minnesota, and talks often of home. Although we don't claim to always understand his particular affections, ketchup on everything, a love of Spam and Velveeta, and jello salad with fruit cocktail, to name a few, we love him and wanted to show it. We invited some friends and threw a Minnesota State Fair themed party.

If you don't know anything about the Minnesota State Fair (and why would you?), everything is served on a stick. Each year, the vendors apparently try to outdo each other by skewering the next strangest thing and deep-fat frying it. The latest I heard was fried kool aid. Don't ask, I don't get it either. Well, we couldn't quite go that far, but we did serve as many of Mark's favorites as we could manage. Here are some pictures from the evening.

Kettle corn centerpieces

What's a fair without a corn dog?

Two kinds of jello salad

The spread: corndogs, chicken-on-a-stick (AKA kebabs), Minnesota hot dish (basically a casserole with ground beef, cream of something soup, and then a variety of options - 1 had tater tots and the other had noodles), apples on a stick with slices of cheddar cheese, jello salads, red vines, saltwater taffy, and desserts.

The ribbons were Jill's genius. I think they added so much to the display. We had lemon bundt cake, chocolate kahlua bundt cake, peanut butter bars, and cherry bars. To drink, lemonade, water, Sundrop (Minnesota's version of Mountain Dew), and Coors Light, which Mark used to smuggle across the border to his Mennonite college in Kansas and sell. Who needs scholarships?

The birthday boy enjoyed the spread

Out on the lawn we set up fair-style games. We had an accuracy throw, ring toss, horse shoes, bean bag toss, and the game where you try to knock the cans down.

There were also table-sized versions of fair games, skee ball, finger football, and others, on each table.

Aaron put together a quiz with 20 questions about both Mark and Minnesota. The proud winner walked away with his very own can of Spam. Mmmm...

Grandpa, Grandma, and the kids, who got to stay for dinner before going home to bed

When all was said and done, I think the party was a success. Mark was definitely surprised, and was very appreciative of all the little details, and also of all the friends he got to see. Happy Birthday, Mark!

iPhone Friday

2011-08-21T17:02:00.000-07:00

I am now 35 weeks pregnant. It is not a comfortable stage. This is a picture of the side of my bed in the morning, where all the pillows I use in one night (6) have landed after outliving their usefulness. There's an ice pack in there somewhere, too.

Jamie's birthday was Monday. Marcy and I surprised her and took her out for lunch and frozen yogurt, just the moms, no kids. Hooray! Don't we kind of look like we could be related?

Charlotte and Grace (rainbow girls, as they call each other), lounging at a backyard party.

Wednesday night Aaron took Charlotte on a Daddy-Daughter Date, and I got to hang out with my little man. We enjoyed snow cones at the playground. He sat and ate the whole time, having no desire to actually play on the equipment. Go figure. Then he asked if we could go to Target before going home. Not what I was expecting. I'm looking forward to more Mommy-Son time in the mornings as Charlotte starts school.

How cute!

A chocolate kahlua bundt cake I made for Mark's party on Friday.

This was the theme of the party.

iPhone Friday

2011-08-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

Shhh...I'm making a quilt for a friend in these fabrics. I'm really liking the way it's turning out!

The kids wanted to play games this week. This one is always a favorite.

The car was in desperate need of tires, and when you need 4 new tires, Costco is the place to go. Unfortunately, I was not the only person who held that opinion, so our wait was 3 hours! Might as well do what I can to keep the kiddos (who were fabulous, BTW!) happy. Don't judge me.

With new tires firmly in place, we went to Huntington with some good friends. Sadly, I forgot my camera, so this is the only picture I have. I'll have to get the rest from Kristen. But if you're only going to have one, this is a pretty cute one!

Charlotte started piano lessons this week! This warms my heart for so many reasons. Obviously, because of my own piano background, and my deep love for this instrument, I am excited that my eldest may be starting her own musical journey. But another hugely exciting thing is that Nana (Aaron's grandma) is her teacher! I love that Charlotte gets 30-45 min of uninterrupted time with her great-grandma every week. How many kids can say that?

Don't tell Aaron I posted this picture. He had knee surgery this week (and is recovering nicely), and I couldn't resist the urge to snap a photo before they wheeled him out. After all, there will be plenty of unflattering hospital pictures of me to come in a matter of weeks. We joked that we should trade places before the doctor came in and put me in the bed, doing some lamaze breathing or something. We didn't go through with it.

Yesterday I got to enjoy a grown-up lunch with these lovely ladies at Max's Bistro (sweet potato fries!). Jenny, Cory, and I have been friends since we were little girls. I am so blessed to have these godly women in my life, women who have known me long enough to know all my flaws and to love me anyway. Happy birthday, girls!

Two Weeks of iPhone Fridays - 1 Day Late

2011-07-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a complete whirlwind. We had planned to go camping last weekend and celebrate Aaron's birthday. Unfortunately, on Friday morning my grandmother passed away at the age of 93. She lived in Kansas, and the funeral service was set for Monday. So we went ahead and camped one night, returned home Saturday just long enough to unload the car, wash the laundry, and repack. Then, with four hours of sleep, we boarded a plane Sunday morning for Kansas. We returned home Wednesday night, and are still working on catching up. There will be posts coming about all these things, but for now, here is what my phone has seen in the past two weeks.

Look at that pretty boy! Priest had a vacation for about 6 weeks (thank you, Mom and Dad!!!), while we installed new grass. We missed him. It has been so good to have him home.

Todd Beamer Park sells the best shaved ice. Isn't it pretty?

The kids got to share one.

When we went camping last week, the neighbors woke up super early and were not quiet about it. I put in an earplug and went back to sleep. Apparently, while I was sleeping soundly, other things were happening in my tent.

Aaron thought I must be faking. Nope. Out cold.

In the middle of the night I had felt like there was something in my ear. I tried to get it out for a while, then thought maybe it was just a hair that was brushing against my ear or something. Finally it quit and I went back to sleep. But remember that earplug I told you I put in? Well, when I finally did wake up and took it out...

there was an ant stuck to the end! Totally gross!

A picture of my ankle before getting on a plane. I was sure my legs would swell like balloons, but thanks to my hideous compression socks, they fared pretty well.

My handsome seatmate on our first flight. The kids were such troopers.

The BEST BBQ I have ever had. And I have been to Kansas City a lot! And yes, I am pregnant. Why do you ask?

Thank you, Oklahoma Joe's! And happy birthday, Aaron. This was his birthday lunch.

Tuesday morning we hung around the hotel and Aaron and the kids went swimming. I really like this random pool shot. The hotel actually had pool toys.

Toto, we're not in California anymore.

Gas station shelves in KC.

We came back home to heat. Triple digit heat. I would still take it over Kansas heat any day! To cool off, we have been in the pool every day. Here is a video of Charlotte and Violet "diving."

Oh, and the reason this posted Saturday instead of Friday - our internet went out last night. Ugh.

Photography Education Continues

2011-07-18T19:55:00.001-07:00

Sadly, my photography class ended last week. I have really missed it this week. So much that I signed up for another class, a photoshop class. Might as well learn how to make my newly improved pictures look even more fantastic, right?

So here is a sample of what I have been doing. I got this picture from a friend after camping last week. It is a sweet snapshot of my boy cuddling with his Mama, but the tie-died shirt colors were not helping the blue cast on the photo. I played a little, and here's what I got:

Before

After

I have more to go, of course, but so far it's been fun!

iPhone Friday, techinical difficulties

2011-07-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I could not get my pictures from my phone to upload to my iPhoto on my computer this week. I must not have been the only one, because last night I saw a new update, downloaded it, and suddenly uploaded without any problems. So, although delayed, here is our past week in random snapshots.

Walking to the Macks last week. I think this is a result of the dads and their sock selection while camping, but Levi insisted they be pulled up.

On Thursday some youth group kids (and Pastor Matt) came and worked their tails off for a few hours in our yard. Since weeding is sort of out of the question for me these days (or at least it should be), this was such a tremendous blessing. One of the things they did was cut this massive tree back, back, waaayyy back. The branches were hanging so low you had to duck to walk beneath them, which was not helping the grass we installed, the grass which requires heat and sun.

More pictures of less tree. I was happy.

Playdate with a friend on his cool backyard tire swing! Levi - not a swing man.

I know this is cheating, because technically this was taken Saturday, but I'm using it anyway. Our good friends Derek and Julie were in town for a bit this weekend and we got to see them. We love these people, and miss living in Oregon with them. We are always glad when we get to hang out with them. We had dinner together and then some frozen yogurt in Riverpark. Charlotte took this picture, which is cute, although slightly blurry.

Camping, Take 2

2011-07-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

The weekend before last, we tried to go camping. It did not go as planned. This weekend, we had planned to go to Sacramento to watch a good friend race. Unfortunately, he got injured and didn't get to run the 100m, so our plans for the weekend changed. (Obviously, this is more disappointing for him than for us, just to clarify.) Since we had planned to be out of town, and since we didn't get to go camping, and since we had a group of friends who were planning to go camping for the weekend, we decided camping was a good plan B.

The dads started a little game of wiffle ball, ad kids came out of the woodwork, including plenty of kids we didn't know. The pied pipers of the mountains.

Lots of hiking...

Lots of game-playing...

Lots of food...

And lots of kids!

This was Saturday night. All the little kids are in bed, and these girls are staying up to plan children's church for Sunday morning.

They planned music. I'm not sure their plan was really followed (or communicated), but we had music and we worshiped.

There was Bible time: Ephesians 6:1-3, Mark 10:13-16, and the story of Jonah.

There was craft time, and they even had mini-doughnuts for snacks. I don't know if it all went according to their plans, but that's how it goes for us adults, too. It was truly a blessing to me as a mom to see other children investing in the spiritual lives of my kids. I feel so fortunate that my kids have such good role models.

On Sunday night, before we left, we drove a little further and got hamburgers and milkshakes in Hume Lake. Clearly, no fun at all.

We had a great weekend, and are looking forward to doing it again in just a couple of weeks!

iPhoto Friday

2011-07-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

We tried to go camping last week. We had planned it for a long time. Unfortunately, the national park system did not have a copy of our calendar, and by the time we got up there after VBS (only 2:45, not late), all campsites in Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and the National Forest were completely gone. We were very disappointed. But we went to the big trees and to the ranger station, trying to make the best of it.

Charlotte saw this book this week, picked it up, and said, "Mommy, you would love this book." No one knows you like your kids do.

I don't normally do this, but I couldn't help it. This woman was in front of me at Starbucks this week. What kind of a friend comes along to get coffee and doesn't tell you that the dress is not worth it if the bra doesn't work?

After yesterday's post, when Jill said she was getting a pedicure today, I said, "I wanna' come!" And so I hired a babysitter, got my toes painted, shopped in Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn without having to tell kids to walk like a penguin (you know, arms to your sides), and enjoyed a lovely lunch with my friend :)

Now, off to camping, take 2...

Cat Heaven

2011-07-07T18:26:00.001-07:00

Today we went with the moms' group to the Sierra Endangered Cat Haven. Not "heaven," but that is what Violet called it, and it made for a good blog title. I'm not entirely sure why we always seem to pick the hottest days to visit this outdoor big cat zoo, but it seems to be our pattern. I'm sure it's lovely in November.

While we were there, I decided to shoot my pictures in RAW, a very intimidating new step which I have not ever come close to taking before. But this is my last week of class (sob, sob), and why not try it now? I am really pleased with how the photos turned out.

Tanga, the cheetah, who is apparently quite well trained.

Lined up and viewing from a safe distance

A gorgeous lion, up close and personal

A less-safe distance...Yes, that is a hand, petting a lion. It is the keeper's hand, of course, but still! The amazing thing about this place is the relationship the keepers have to the cats.

And yes, I then told my kids to stand with their backs toward this lion so Mommy could take a picture. She didn't seem to mind a bit.

This is my daughter's favorite accessory, the pink plaid headband. She wears it every day. Even under hats. And I have tried to tell her that people don't really wear headbands that way, but it's clearly not affecting her. And so I am accepting it and allowing my girl to express herself in her own style. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's kind of a big step for me.

The snow leopard, with such pretty eyes

Goliath, going for a swim

And then coming to say hello. This might be my entry for my class this week, a lesson on composition. This picture utilizes leading lines and asymmetrical balance, weighting it to the right.

Goliath's brother, Kong. Yes, we really were this close, which is why, when he did this...

I didn't get a sharp picture. I was too busy peeing my pants.

He jumped up and roared, and even though you know there is a fence between you, it is impossible to not jump. Or, in Levi's case, cry. Poor guy.

And cuter than any of those cats is this little cutie!

We did not get a group picture of the kids this year, and I have to take responsibility. I am 29 weeks pregnant, and my patience is decreasing as my size is increasing. I wish I could say I am just a joy to be around, that nothing bothers me and my energy is never-ending. It's just not true. The heat these past couple of weeks has completely sapped me. Today I admitted to Aaron that I need to slow down. I like to go, go , go, and I have kids who like that, too. Today, for example, we left at 9:00 for the Cat Haven, got home around 2:30 for naps, I went to the grocery store when Aaron got home from work, and then we went to the Grizzlies game at 6:30. We got home at 9:15, and put the kids to bed, and by that time my feet and legs were so swollen that my skin felt tight. It's hard for me to admit that I can't do it all. I compare myself to other moms who have more kids, moms who work, do crafty projects with their kids, run a successful ebay business, or volunteer countless hours at church and other places. I know I shouldn't compare, but I am confessing to you that I do, and I so often feel like I don't measure up. But I think God may be teaching me something in this time, and the only way I'll hear what He has to say is to slow down and make space.

And that whole tangent was sparked by the fact that I didn't get a picture of all the kids, which I would have loved, but by the time we were done eating lunch, I was so hot and tired that I just didn't have the patience to try to get all 10 kids to stand still and look in one direction. Ah, regret. And oh, grace. How grateful I am for it.

VBS

2011-07-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

In case you wondered, I did not forget iPhone Friday last week, I just didn't take any pictures with my phone! Rare, but it was a pretty busy week, with vacation Bible school at church all week. I did take a few pictures of that, however, since they went right along with my photography class assignment for the week - low lighting situations. The lighting in the church gym definitely fit that category.

The picture of the three girls was the one I submitted. Once again, if you are interested, the class can be found here: Oh Shoot! Beginning Digital SLR Photography.

Dodger Game

2011-06-27T16:48:00.001-07:00

This Saturday we joined a group from our church and headed south to a Dodger game. The game ended with a Dodger loss, which is always a bummer, but the day was lots of fun!

Sweet, sweet boy

Artsy photo

The part of the crew that went to dinner after.

It's so appropriate to post this on the day the Dodgers filed for bankruptcy. Better luck next year.

iPhone Friday and Berry Picking

2011-06-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

These first pictures are the week, according to my phone:

Shrinky Dinks! Did you do these as a kid? We were looking for something to do, the kids and I, and we decided these were really fun. We made necklaces out of them with glow-in-the-dark lanyard. The kids love to go in the closet to see them glow.

We went to the Grizzlies game on Tuesday night for a belated Father's Day celebration with Mark. It was crazy hot when the game started, but it cooled off pretty nicely.

This is how I helped myself cool off at the game. Please ignore my freakish calf.

Since you are not ignoring it and are, instead, staring directly at it, I may as well tell you that I am swelling up like a balloon these days. Heat and pregnancy do not mix.
He looked much cuter.

Levi and his buddy, Micah, relaxing after berry picking.

Thursday (this originally said, "yesterday," but it took me three days to finish this post), despite the crazy heat, the kids and I joined 4 other moms and their kids for some berry picking in Hanford.

Look at the size of this one!

Off to a good start. I'm certain she had eaten at least as many as this by this point. They told the kids they could eat as much as they wanted while they picked. They got that message loud and clear. Let's just say, my kids were very regular that day :)

Micah, looking cool in his shades and sporting a little berry-eating evidence.

And a little more evidence...
He looks like he ate something that was still living.

My little boy looks so big here, hanging out under the nectarine trees with the other boys.

Hard work, big reward. Berry picking in Oregon is so much easier.

All done!

And if you're already in Hanford, then you might as well visit Superior Dairy, right?

This picture is way over-exposed, but the last time these two were in this spot, Levi was so little. I just had to take a picture of them together.

Swimming

2011-06-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Today was hot. Really hot. Thankfully we have generous neighbors who let us use their pool to keep cool! Here are just a few pictures from our time.

This is also my picture for this week's photo lesson, a lesson on focus. Our challenge was to focus on something not in the center of the frame. So much easier than the manual lesson! But I did still shoot on manual because, well, I need loads of practice.

Playland

2011-06-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

The past week's lesson in my photo class was the most intimidating, all manual. There are so many decisions to make, the exposure has to be right, and I am a long way from being where I want to be, but I am so glad for the practice that our recent trip to Playland gave me. Here are some of the shots. An awful lot got deleted. I thought about pretending that these were just a few of the multitudes of really good shots, but my conscious got the best of me.

This is the picture I submitted for my lesson. I liked the exposure on it. So in case anyone cares, the aperture was 2.5, the shutter speed 1/4000, ISO 400, and I shot it on my Canon Rebel XT.

And since I've been sharing some of what I've learned, I really ought to credit Candice Stringham, the teacher of this class. If you are interested in taking the class yourself, this is the link.

iPhone Friday

2011-06-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

It seems I missed a week. Oops! Well, let's stop wasting time then and start catching up.

The kids waving goodbye to Daddy in the morning. Charlotte calls this the Hello Goodbye Window, after the book of the same name.

This is Audrey. Last week was the last week of school. For the past 3 years I, the honorary Auntie, have been privileged to take the Mack kids out for ice cream to celebrate the end of school. It's a fun and rare opportunity to spend one-on-one time with each of them. Audrey and I have good conversation, linger over our ice cream, and sometimes I'm even privy to secrets, which is extra special as this little girl becomes not so little.

This is Isaac. Isaac's parents limit his sugar intake. Isaac's auntie buys him two scoops in a sugar cone. Isaac lingers over nothing. Every year I ask some of the same questions, because it's fun to compare year to year. Every year Isaac's answer to the question, "What was your favorite thing about __ grade?" is whatever happened that day. He also is getting bigger and cooler, but he still lets me give him a kiss on the head and tell him I love him without balking.

Last Friday we went to the Clovis Farmer's Market. It was mine and Aaron's 11th anniversary. Nana and Papa gave us $11, so we celebrated our anniversary with dessert at the Farmer's Market. Thanks Nana and Papa!

Snow cones for kids

Fresh churros for Mom

Last Sunday, Levi was all dressed for church. After breakfast, he disappeared in his room for a while and then came out with athletic pants instead of his cargo shorts. Aaron said, "Why did you change your pants?" Levi's response: "The other ones hurt my penis when I put my sword in them." Duh.
Also, it should be noted that his "sword" is a fly swatter. This is currently his favorite toy.

This is my friend, Melody. Isn't she beautiful?

This little boy has been waking up early lately. These books are the way to keep him from getting up. It's working like a charm. Of course sleeping in would be even better.

Look at my girl with the big girls :) I remember all of these girls when they were her size.

Yesterday we went to Playland. Fun!

And there are the last two weeks, according to the phone. There really was more, including new kitchen flooring, which I'll have to post separately.

SF Weekend

2011-06-05T15:28:00.001-07:00

I have accomplished my goal for this weekend of eating plenty, relaxing lots, taking some photos, and doing pretty much whatever my little heart felt like. It has been lovely.

First, the food. And no judging.

Some fantastic pizza enjoyed before the baseball game Friday night

The pizzeria had these cool breadsticks on the table. Aren't they fun?
We did not take a picture of our desserts that night, which is a shame because they were really unique, served in mason jars.

Our anniversary dinner (a little early). 11 years! This dinner was appropriate for such a celebration. I'm not the only one who thought so.

Anniversary dessert. We love the progressive meals!

Breakfast the last morning.

The artistic version

And a Vietnamese sub to round it all out. Yum!

And now the photos. This week's photography lesson has been aperture. I have been playing with the depth of field in my pictures, and SF offers lots more fun photo ops for this than Fresburg.

Example 1:
Open aperture

Closed aperture

See the difference? The background in the second one is crisp and clear, and the first is blurry.

Open

Closed

Fun, huh?

Our technique challenge this week was really fun, too. It involves fogging up your lens to make these sort of dreamy looking images. Here is one I took at farmer's market on Saturday.

One of the highlights of my weekend was seeing this girl.

This is Shana. We go way back. Junior high way back. She is now living in the big city, and it was such a treat to get to spend a nice leisurely (and delicious) breakfast with her and her fabulous beau. One lovely thing about Shana, certainly something that bonds us together, is she appreciates good food, too. And so, two more food pictures of our breakfast that morning. It wouldn't all fit in one.

Oh, I love good friends.

And of course, I love this guy

And I loved sitting and watching a baseball game with him, even if it was the Giants, and even if it rained.

Aaron took this one of me. Yes, I have eaten a lot this weekend, but let me remind you that is a 6-month pregnant belly.

Fun pictures from farmer's market on Saturday.

It was a very fun, relaxing, rare weekend. Many thanks to the grandparents for watching the kids. And now, back to the real world...

iPhone Friday

2011-06-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

I am posting this week's installment from my hotel room, which has a very fun view of San Francisco, while I eat some delicious Thai food. I love SF. I mostly love to eat in SF. I walk down the street and I see a place like Subway and I think, really? Someone would eat this when there are all these great restaurants right here? It baffles me. Well not me. I started with homemade doughnuts, am now eating delicious Thai food, and am basically planning my weekend around where I would like to eat. I would love to say this is pregnancy talking, well, come to think of it, maybe I will say that. And those of you who know otherwise had better just keep it to yourself.

Ordinary, everyday stuff. Levi got out the trains and asked me to help make a track. Then he and Charlotte drove trains around it for probably 45 minutes.

Levi had his first dentist appointment this week. With the help of his big sister, he did great. He was really nervous when they laid that chair back. Who isn't? But Charlotte packed his blanket, his stuffed dog, and books to read to him. She then dutifully stood by his side the whole time while my teeth were cleaned in the next room, encouraging him with stories of the treasure box he'd get to choose from. With big sister there, Levi didn't even notice that I wasn't there. They have such a wonderful relationship. I hope they always will. I only wish I'd taken a picture of Charlotte being the little mom.

Thanks, Dr. Arndt!

Our yard has been anxiously awaiting new grass. I think the whole neighborhood has been awaiting it. Our house has looked really terrible since we killed off our old grass a month ago. But the grass arrived this week.

Our loyal and true, and easily bribed, friends Jason and Jill came and helped us Wednesday and we got the front yard done. We'll have to do the back when we get home. Anyone free Monday?

My poor, outnumbered boy. It seems like he has many more girls around than boys, but he seems to manage to make peace with it on his own terms. Here he is wearing the jewelry, earrings, necklace, bracelet, and ring, from the game Pretty Pretty Princess, which he played enthusiastically with Charlotte and Violet, and clearly still being a boy. Soon after this he wet his pants and had no choice but to wear Violet's princess panties, but what can you do?

These are my kiddos without Mommy. Don't they just look so upset? They are getting spoiled by the grandparents this weekend while we are away. Charlotte had planned out her meals at both grandparents' houses for the weekend and could not wait for the feasting to ensue. Just like her... father. I hear you chuckling.
Here they are at the coffee shop enjoying bagels with Grandma this morning and looking at books.

This is a horrible picture of me, but I am shamelessly posting it nonetheless. This is the photo I sent back to the kids to show that I was in a coffee shop, too!

My food was better.

Lunch. We actually have a corner room, so two walls are windows. Fun!

iPhone Friday

2011-05-27T23:07:00.001-07:00

Yes, I am taking my camera with me more places, but the camera that is always with me is my iPhone. So I thought I'd upload some pictures from the past week.

My new project, an alphabet book. I have had the fabric in my closet for 6 years. The kids helped pick out fabric for each letter, so A has apples, an apron, alligators, and airplanes. It has been fun. Who knows when I'll finish it.

We are getting new flooring in our kitchen next month! Hooray!

At the Grizzlies game with Grammy and Granddad

Aaron keeping score

Charlotte learning to be like Daddy. This is clearly a strikeout, the third out of the inning. She probably did this for the first 3 1/2 innings. It was her father's dream.

Sweet potato fries and prickly pear lemonade at Max's Bistro with Val before she leaves (boo hoo).

Bread pudding (and other desserts, also fabulous) at Cracked Pepper Bistro. Guess it was a bistro kind of week. If you live in Fresno and have not yet had this bread pudding, what are you waiting for?

Happy 83rd birthday, Nana!

Playin' around

2011-05-26T16:48:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day and my birthday, Aaron bought me a photography class. By now he may be regretting this decision, as it already cost us one lens, but he is so supportive. So I may not have a lot of exciting posts about all we've been doing lately, but I have taken some pictures I wouldn't have taken otherwise.

Using a slow shutter speed to capture movement, and crazy hair.

And with a fast shutter speed you get a better look at the hair.

Using a technique called panning to show Charlotte's movement on the swing. Guess what we do a lot of?

A beautiful little girl we love :)

Our goofy dog, who definitely doesn't get enough press time on our blog.

Our creative challenge this week was to look at things we see on a daily basis and try to see them differently. What follows are some pictures from around my house.

The clock in my kitchen, a gift from my in-laws one Christmas, which I really love.

Pretty little succulents

This is our front door. We live in Fresno, where these security doors are pretty common, but I think it's a Fresno thing. It's not the most pretty door, but this part is kind of interesting.

This one is my favorite. I like the lines in this hanging produce basket. Fortunately, we live in the Central Valley, so this thing is usually overflowing with fruit and vegetables. Unfortunately, the one thing showing in this picture is the apple from out of state. Please don't hold it against me.

The picture at the top of this post is the big W at our entrance. It was a gift from my mom and dad. Don't I get such great stuff?

So if you don't hear much from me, just pictures, now you'll know why. For those of you who are far more experienced than I am at this photography thing, feel free to pass along your wisdom.

Disneyland (yes, again)

2011-05-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

I am sort of working backwards through pictures that I haven't posted because, well, I went through another little blogging drought. One of the big events that happened in the past month was a trip to Disneyland! I know, my kids are completely and utterly spoiled. At 3 and 4 years old, this is their 4th trip to Disneyland. It's almost embarrassing. But really, we love the place, and 3 of our trips have been free, so we would be silly to say no. And each time we go it is different, the kids are different, and we have so much fun!

This time Mark and Cindy treated us to a trip. I have never been to Disneyland for three whole days, but it was wonderful. There was no rushing, we had time to ride our favorite rides more than once (Small World, anyone?), we saw the characters, listened to princess story time, and still left without doing everything. How do you do it, Disney?

As always, I took about 400 pictures while we there. I will post just a couple of favorites, and then I'll put a link on the side to view more, should you so desire.

Spring Dance Recital

2011-05-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was Charlotte's first big dance recital. She did a tap dance to the song, "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows," in the cutest little yellow outfit. The recital was in a very nice, fancy new auditorium, full of parents, friends, and family members, and Charlotte didn't have even the slightest twinge of nervousness. Not even when I dropped her little 4-year-old self off backstage with all the other dancers and no mommy, where she had to wait about an hour and a half before going on stage. Not even when she stepped out on stage and saw all those faces looking back at her. Not even when the other little girls weren't sure of their choreography and looked to see what everyone else was doing. Friends, I think we may have ourselves a performer.

Angel Babies Walk

2011-05-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

May 7 was the annual Angel Babies Walk, benefiting a wonderful organization which was extremely helpful to Aaron and I and our families when Caleb passed away. For the second year in a row, we put together a team. Several friends and family members walked with us that day, and many others supported our team financially. Thank you to all of you who participated. It is a really special event for us, a unique way to remember Caleb and other families who have walked through similar grief. The walk is the day before Mother's Day, a day that is often difficult for moms who have lost a child. Admittedly, it was much harder before we had other kids, but each year there is still something hugely missing for me on that day, a day when all moms want is to have all their kids nearby, and I am reminded that, on this side of heaven, that will not be the case for me. This walk is a special way to acknowledge our loss and also to celebrate the community that has helped so much these past 6 years and still helps to keep Caleb's memory alive. My words of thanks are always so inadequate.

Our Family

Proud Little Sister

Up-close on our shirts

After the big run and walk, they also have a kids' race. They kids run about 1/4 mile, and it's adorable. When they finish they get a little medal, and my kids are so proud of theirs.

"Hey, do you know what we're supposed to do?" "No, I was hoping you did."

Levi looks so excited and happy about this running thing. It was a facade.

Daddy spurred him on by making him chase a lollipop. We are above nothing.

Birthday pictures - finally!

2011-04-05T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I finished the party, worked one day, and then spent the rest of the week sick! Yuck! So I am just now getting to the pictures from Levi's birthday party.

This was probably the easiest party we have done, and it was fantastic! I have this little problem, you see, that I always want to feed people. I really like to cook, and I love to feed guests. However, when you are including families of kids, it doesn't take long at all for the cost to skyrocket. This time, I decided we would just stick to cupcakes and plan the party at a time when a meal would not be expected. Let me just say, I don't think I'm going back!

This was our snack table. I know, I said cupcakes only. That was the original plan. But then my inner Amy Atlas got the better of me, and I was helpless to resist. I decided that a little popcorn and some red vines (red and yellow, in keeping with the theme, of course), wouldn't be adding too much.

Dessert was made super easy, thanks to Cookie Covers! I ordered these fabulous firetrucks for less than I could have bought the fondant for, and all I had to do was stick them on cupcakes. Fabulous!

When the kids arrived, they were each given their own fire hat.

Then they made their own fireman badges, with help from parents. Both the hats and the badges came from Oriental Trading Company.

By the time the badges were finished, the real highlight of the party was ready. And Levi and Daddy were ready for it!

That's right, the fire station brought a truck right to our house! How cool is that?

This little guy thought it was pretty awesome. No, I didn't have any special connections. I simply walked to the fire house close to us to ask if we could maybe bring some kids for a tour, and the fireman said, "Why don't we come to you?" I had no idea they would do that! It was so fabulous, and exciting to all the kids no matter what age (including dads).

They let the kids climb up in the truck and sit, and didn't even bat an eye at the fact that they all had bags of popcorn. They posed for pictures, showed the kids all the dials and buttons and hoses and everything. It was great!

After the truck left, after turning on the lights and sirens for the kids, of course, we came back inside for two quick games. First we told kids it was their turn to be a firefighter and stomp out the "fire." Then Aaron dumped out a bunch of red and yellow balloons and the kids tried to pop them all. This ended up being kind of hilarious, since the little kids weren't quite big enough to step on it. Some sat on it until it popped, some just batted the balloon around, and others were stomping champs!

After the "fire" was out, we played Pin the Fire Hat on the Dalmation. Easy and fun.

By the time the game was finished, it was time for cupcakes and gifts. Each kid got a little fire scene sticker set as they left. It was a great party and the right amount of time. Levi had a great time, which is the most important.

I hope he will remember this party for a long time, or at least until the next one!

Levi at 3 Years Old

2011-03-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

This Sunday was Levi's third birthday. We had a great birthday party (pictures to come) on Saturday. Spoiler alert: a real fire truck was involved!

On Sunday I put together a little video to remind us of what he was like at this age. Thought you might enjoy it, too.

September 23, 2011

2011-03-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

6 Years Old

2011-03-16T20:45:00.001-07:00

Those of you who have followed our blog for a while (and hopefully haven't left during my posting drought of 2011) know that we have established a family tradition of celebrating Caleb's birthday every year by going to the zoo. We started this back in 2006, Caleb's 1st birthday, when we were living in Miami and pregnant with Charlotte. I remember that Aaron and I talked about what we would do. We didn't want to wallow, well, maybe part of us did, but we wanted to begin a tradition that would help us remember. We wanted more children - even though we were pregnant I wouldn't say we knew we would have more; there's a lot of doubt that comes with losing a child - and we decided that we wanted their brother's birthday to be something our kids looked forward to and got excited about, not something they grew to dread. We decided the zoo would be a fun place to spend a difficult day. Since we were living in Miami, FL, naturally, we went to the Miami Zoo. For Caleb's 2nd birthday, we were back in Portland, so we went to the Oregon Zoo (a great zoo, which I miss, by the way). By his 3rd birthday we were back in Fresno, so Chaffee Zoo it was, and by the time his 4th birthday came we thought, Well we can't just go to the same zoo again, and all of a sudden part of our tradition became visiting a new zoo each year. I don't know how long that will last, but we've made it 6 years now, and it's been something we look forward to, just like we had hoped in those early and oh-so-painful days.

Since Caleb's birthday fell on a Sunday this year, we decided to make a weekend of it and head to San Francisco. We originally thought we'd visit the SF Zoo, but in the last two weeks we heard several people say the Oakland Zoo was good, so we decided we would head there instead. It was, indeed, a great zoo for little kids. It wasn't so spread out that they couldn't walk, they had a great children's area, and they had a train and rides just outside the zoo, which would have been well worth the $20 we spent on tickets had it not started raining and they closed the rides with a very clear "all sales are final." But that's my only frustration. Otherwise we had a very nice day, and the rain held off until we were just about done for the day anyway.

And now, enough pictures to make up for the past three months:

Who doesn't love staying in a hotel? They were so excited to spread out everything they brought.

On Saturday we hung out at Pier 39 a little, watching the sea lions and riding the carousel. Here are the kids in front of Alcatraz.

The kids loved the double-decker carousel.

On to the real animals-

When we entered the zoo (which was free with our Chaffee Zoo membership) they gave each of the kids a trading card of one of the animals, one they were supposed to look for in the zoo. The sun bear was Charlotte's and we found it second. Levi's was the hyena, which we didn't find until the end.

I have no idea what this thing really was. All I could think was that he looked just like a gremlin. Please don't give him water!

One cute monkey

This little animal has gotten so silly in these past few months!

We usually try to get a family picture at the zoo, but the rain prevented us from getting one, which was very disappointing to me. We did get that night, though, as we celebrated with giant ice cream sundaes at Ghirardelli.

We asked for candles in one of the sundaes and we all sang happy birthday. Both of these were Charlotte's idea.

By the end of the day (which also involved a lot of walking around SF and a lot of eating, because, let's be honest, that is how I define a celebration), these kids were tuckered out. How cute are they cuddling together?

I have so many questions to ask God, and I look so forward to the day when He walks with me and we have all of time to help me understand. In the meantime, I know without questions that these little ones are a gift from Him, a blessing to Aaron and I. They have lessened our pain in so many ways, and I am so grateful each year that I have them to spend this week with.

Children of God

2011-02-14T11:26:00.001-08:00

This Sunday our worship was led by Jamie, who did a fantastic job! One of the things she did was invite several kids to join her and the team in singing "Children of God," as sung by Third Day. The kids came to practice Thursday night and Sunday morning, and they did such a great job. I hope it's something we'll do again sometime soon. I hope you find it as encouraging and uplifting as I do.

Snow Day

2011-01-01T19:17:00.000-08:00

Last camera upload

2010-12-01T23:56:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, I updated this blog of ours. I faithfully recorded the comings and goings of our family, whether anyone wanted to know or not. And then facebook came along, and everyone knew what everyone was doing all the time anyway. And then I started this etsy shop and blog, which took quite a lot of time. And then I started spending too much time on the computer looking at all the blogs linked to my blog. And then I got a job, which I'll have to tell you about sometime. And somewhere in there the blog sort of fell to the side. And I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, it's kind of a nice way to let people know what we're doing. And unlike facebook, it's mostly people we know well, not people who knew us once in 6th grade, who are checking this (no offense to those who knew me in 6th grade). Also, Aaron and I have been blessed with many friends in many different places, and we don't get to see them all the time, so the blog is kind of a fun way to keep them up to speed. And, really, this blog has been my journal for the last 5 years, and I do miss documenting the things I want to remember, because I don't do it anywhere else. But there's always another hand.

On that aforementioned hand, we are getting to be so narcissistic as a society. We twitter and facebook about every mundane aspect of our lives and anxiously await feedback. There is so much of us "out there" that probably shouldn't be. And as much fun as it is to share about my family, I worry sometimes that I am telling too many too much. And I don't want to be so self-centered when there are so many more important things to put my energy toward.

But at this point, I think the good outweighs the bad, and I will continue to try to find the balance. So for starters, here are the pictures from my last camera upload. It had been a while.

Once again, our friends allowed us to come pick pomegranates from their trees. Great fun, and great fruit! Oh, how I love the pomegranate. They are so worth the work.

Look at the size of that thing! I bet I got a full 2 1/2 cups of seeds out of that puppy.

Getting to be such a big boy. Especially compared to this time last year. Isn't it funny that I put him in blue stripes both years?

Did I mention they were work? Especially for little hands.

Nice...uh...fruit?

Of course, there's much more work to be done once you get them home. Luckily, I have two great little helpers!

Look how focused these two are!

If you are considering doing this with your own kids, know two things: 1) It is so much better to break pomegranates apart in a bowl of water. It's easier to rake the seeds out, and since they are under the water, they don't splatter as much; 2) They will still splatter. There will still be a mess. Pomegranate juice will be on the wall and the table and maybe some clothes. Contrary to popular belief, it does wash out. Just don't let it sit to long.

See what I mean?

Two weeks ago we went to Aaron's football game. He refs high school football, and loves it. And because we love him, we wanted to go see him ref, in the rain, when the game started at almost bedtime. I am so glad we did! The kids and I had such a good time. And seeing him out there, I was so proud of him. He works so hard. I know he loves it, and I also know he's good at it. Those teams are lucky to have him. And he's pretty cute in his stripes.

And we had a lovely Thanksgiving!

This year it was the Wiens/ Gunther clan, and three international students. Mellow and relaxing. And delicious.

Advent Calendars for 2010

2010-11-09T14:37:00.000-08:00

You may remember this post from last year:

"When I was a kid, my mom made these advent calendars that my little bro and I opened each day in December. Inside was a small token of some kind, sometimes food, sometimes a little trinket, and a verse from the Bible which that item represented. The one that always stuck with me, for example, was a tiny little mustard seed, wrapped in clear contact paper so it wouldn't get lost, and the verse Matthew 17:20 (look it up, I dare you). I took this little calendar for granted until I had kids of my own. Suddenly it was really important that during the Christmas season we make sure that each day we were focusing on what mattered, and not the stuff they are inundated with elsewhere. I called my mom, who swore she had the kit somewhere to make it. She didn't. Well, she had a few pieces of the kit, but not nearly enough to make an entire 25-day calendar. We thought maybe those pieces would turn up, but almost two years later I've given up hope. Instead, I finally decided to make my own. I used some of what I remembered, some of what Mom remembered, and then spent a lot of time choosing new verses and items to go along. Now, November 30, I am thrilled to say I have completed an advent calendar, and it is fantastic! I am really so excited to start it with the kids tomorrow! "

This year I really wanted to be more on top of things than I was last year. I wanted to get advent calendars ready before November 30! I wanted to list them on my etsy page, too. But what I lacked was a really cute calendar to go along with the kit I had created. If you remember, I included in last year's post a few clever ideas for calendars, including one that a friend made to house her kit, which you could do yourself. But I have a very talented, Martha Stewart sort of friend, and I just knew that if I could manage to talk her into it, she would create something completely fabulous.

Lucky for all of you that I am such a smooth talker! Check out this wonderful advent calendar that Katie made:

Isn't it adorable? I just love the mix of prints and her color choices. It feels fun and Christmas-y. And let me tell you, it is well made. The backing is sturdy, she included corner pockets on the back to hang it from a dowel, and the pockets are all sewn beautifully.

Katie is letting me sell these to you through my etsy page. And also on my etsy page you will find the kits that I created last year, done in plenty of time for the start of Advent. Hooray!

You can buy just the kit to put in your own calendar, the calendar by itself, or you can combine them for a discount. Click here to purchase.

If you already have a calendar in your home, do you know someone that this would make a great gift for?

Halloween in Disneyland

2010-11-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went with the Bryan family to Disneyland for the Halloween weekend. We had a fantastic time! The pictures say it all.

Wackoween 2010

2010-10-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? It's Wackoween again!

What's Wackoween? A completely made-up holiday celebrated by the Wiens and Mack families just before Halloween which consists of pumpkin carving, pumpkin-chocolate cake, and, most importantly, lots of laughter and fun.

We started this tradition officially in 2007, when Charlotte was more interested in gnawing on the jack-o-lantern lid. Last year we retreated to a friend's cabin in Shaver and had such a great time that we decided to repeat it this year.

Outside the cabin is a rocky area that the kids love to play in. They climb the rocks, make teeter-totters out of rocks and wood, throw balls from the top of the rock, and make up games to play. When I say kids, I include Aaron and Randy.

It rained most of the weekend this year, so we weren't able to do any long hikes, or go fishing like we'd hoped, but we did take a nice long walk around the neighborhood when the sun came out, which was lots of fun. Along one of the roads there is this silly rock painted like a shark. When Charlotte wasn't terrified of it, all the kids thought it was pretty funny. Again, I include Aaron and Randy.

Of course, we spent lots of time carving pumpkins.

The dads did the prep work, getting the pumpkin guts out.

Then we got to work.

Oh my. This picture is so cute, I can hardly stand it. I know he won't look like this next year. Allow me just a moment to soak him in.

Thank you for your patience.

It wouldn't be Wackoween without our pumpkin-chocolate cake, either. This was technically what started this holiday, back when Charlotte was 6 weeks old. Let's be honest, no one appreciates this aspect of the holiday like Jamie and I do, but we are happy to share. Maybe one day our kids will want their own pumpkin shaped bunt pan to make mom's famous cake.

The kids are enjoying their pieces.

Sisters, right?

There were some new activities this year, too.

On Sunday morning I made jack-o-lantern pancakes. It was so fun, and the syrup, though it looked a little goopy, tasted delicious. The kids loved it.

We in the Wiens and Mack clan love to play games. As adults, we have played games together for years, everything from video games to cribbage. Now that our kids are old enough, we had a great time playing games all together this year. There were several rounds of golf (the card kind) played, a few hands of Perpetual Commotion, and a new game called Go Nuts,

but my personal favorite was our game of cherades. Everyone played, even Levi, who paired up with Aaron. It was so much fun to all play and laugh together, especially at Levi being a jack-o-lantern.

Ready to guess Isaac's word.

Audrey was a turtle.

Another favorite memory, and perhaps a new tradition, was our group story time over dinner on Sunday. One person would begin a story, "Once upon a time, in the woods outside Shaver Lake, there lived a..." and the next person would take over, telling a new piece of the story, until they passed it to the next. In the end we had some very unpredictable stories:

Fluffy, the unicorn who loved rain but was afraid of storms, found refuge in the comfort of her Honda Odyssey, and lost her horn in a tragic Texas rodeo accident.

Vladimir the lion, who loved scaring his friends in the woods, went to the zoo to scare animals, but had a change of heart and instead dressed as a mouse so as not to frighten animals, but ended up in the elephants' cage where he, of course, scared them.

Lily, the mouse with a ribbon in her hair who found Jesus with the help of Daisy the dove and then, along with Daisy, proselytized (yes, we used the word proselytized in the story) the other zoo animals, including the polar bears who were very slow to convert, but eventually joined Daisy and Lily for Wednesday night Bible study.

We also did lots of cooking (and eating), had craft time where we both painted and made shrinky-dinks, and had plenty of lounging around time.

We had such a great weekend with our friends who are like family. We are so fortunate to have friends like the Macks. Randy has known Aaron since he was a toddler, and now our kids are growing up together. There were so many moments during this weekend where I thought, "these are the things our kids will remember." I hope I'm right. I hope our kids will look forward to this weekend of the year as much as we do. And most of all, I hope that, as iron sharpens iron, our two families will sharpen each other, helping each other reflect the image of Christ.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-20T14:30:00.001-07:00

Tap-a-tap-a-tap-a

2010-10-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

I love the way my little girl looks in tights and a leotard. I think it's just about the cutest thing. Her little tummy sticks out and she still looks like my baby. And at the same time she looks so grown up, like I am getting a glimpse of some years down the road.

I tend to romanticize when it comes to my kids.

For Charlotte's birthday, her Daddy and I got her dance lessons. She went the first day and loved it. She was so grateful. And then a week later she found out she got to go back! It hadn't dawned on me that I would need to explain that her gift was more than just a one day class. The gift that keeps on giving, as they say.

The class has been such a fun experience for her. Her teacher does a great job of setting expectations and holding them to it and also letting them be little girls and be silly. And she loves the two other girls in her class. They are just so cute.

Pay no attention to the too-small tights. The other ones were dirty. That's the way it goes some mornings.

Even though it's a little blurry, I love this picture! She almost looks graceful. And she has her concentrating face on. You'll see it again.

Beautiful point, but we see you sneaking in a nose scratch.

As promised, the concentration face again.

This is the lack-of-concentration face.

They do ballet and tap in this class. I'm not sure she has a preference yet, except for the fact that they get to dress up in tap.

The choices can be overwhelming.

Good choice!