Perennial Wonder

Starting fresh

2011-05-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

Ever since I moved my blog to wordpress a few years ago I found I blogged less and less. Though there are some who greatly prefer wordpress, I finally realized that I can't easily maneuver through my blogging experience with it as my host. So, I'm back with blogger and I couldn't be more pleased. I'm going to have to go through old posts and edit errors and/or add pictures that were removed for some strange reason, but that's OK. I've so missed this creative outlet! Posting status updates on Facebook is just not the same. It feels good to be back.

Another blessing

2009-03-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago I found out we're having another baby! Matt was gone at work, so I thought of making this announcement a little more exciting than the last time around. Amber and I made a sign that said, "It's baby time!" We also picked up pink and blue balloons, on which I wrote question marks implying curiosity about whether we're having a boy or a girl. When Matt came home that day Caleb, Amber, and I were all waiting for him. It was a fun moment for our family, and I was so glad to see that Matt was happy about the news!

Benefits of having a little brother

2009-03-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

I found James and Amber in the hallway one day and James was sporting a new hairstyle, thanks to his big sister. She sprayed his hair with water, brushed it, and put one of her sparkly headbands on him. When James is a much older teenager I thought he'd get a kick out of this, so I took this as a photo opportunity.

Snow day

2008-12-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

"All In Just One Cookie"

2008-12-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I read Amber a children's book we had checked out from the library called All In Just One Cookie. This book tracks the progress of one grandma making chocolate chip cookies before her grandchildren come to visit. It was such an interesting book because each ingredient gets explained in detail - where it comes from, how it's grown, how it's harvested or farmed, etc. By the end of the book we really wanted to make chocolate chip cookies but it wasn't able to happen that day. But I made sure that today we had time to make chocolate chip cookies together and we had a lot of fun baking them.

There's a recipe at the end of the book that we could have used, but I chose to follow the recipe for chocolate chip cookies found in my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. The results were absolutely delicious!

Here's the recipe:

Big and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
16 tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups backed light brown sugar
1/2 granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

2. Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Mix in the chocolate chips until incorporated.

4. working with 1/4 cup of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay on two parchment-lines baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 17 to 20 minutes, rotating and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking.

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

[caption id="attachment_323" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Amber's going for it"][/caption]

The tender, early postpartum days

2008-11-28T07:16:00.000-08:00

Amanda Soule from Soule Mama just gave birth at home to her fourth child. I read her post just now and so related to what she describes here:

"And now...we're all thick in the fog of babyland over here - those post-baby moments that vascilate between: ouchy engorgement to milky bliss; the sibling meltdowns and squabbles that come with change to sibling love and adoration that melts a heart; sore, um, everything to endorphines and strength unlike any other; but mostly and most importantly, a whole lot of falling in love. It's just where I want to be."

What a wonderful description of something I've experienced now three times over. It's one of the most precious times in a family's life and Amanda beautifully captured it in words (and photographs...her baby's little foot in that picture is so new!).

A visit to Oak Glen

2008-09-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures from our visit to Oak Glen last weekend:

[caption id="attachment_253" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Amber on a pony ride"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_254" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="U-pick Raspberries"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_255" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Me and my children standing in the shade"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_256" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The raspberries we picked. That was harder work than I had anticipated!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_260" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Then we picked a bag full of crisp apples"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_261" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Matt and Caleb walking to the apple orchard"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_262" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I was having a moment of awe at how beautiful the view was from where I stood."][/caption]

To end our day we went to a little shop to enjoy fresh apple cider and warm apple cider mini-donuts. Delicious!

Poetry for children

2008-08-04T02:24:00.000-07:00

The kids and I just finished watching a DVD called Classical Baby: The Poetry Show. This DVD is such a gem

[caption id="attachment_230" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Classical Baby"][/caption]

for children because features the poems of some of the greats read by actors and others with tremendous voices. While the poems are read we see beautiful artwork in story form unfold before our eyes. They saved the best for last by having Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a captivating voice and reads with such depth, recite "How do I love thee?" In this little cartoon, Gwyneth plays the mama rabbit who is gently rocking her baby rabbit on the porch while watching the rain fall outside. The baby rabbit asks how his mama loves him and she goes on to think about it and relates this poem to him. While she is saying these soothing words to him, we are taken into a world of bursting color and design - flowers, sun, shapes, and more vibrant symbols that convey the emotion within the poem. After she finishes we see them once again on the porch, rocking ever so slowly, but now the baby rabbit is fast asleep secure within his mother's loving arms.

While watching this I was overcome with emotion and the tears kept pouring down my face. I ended up having to explain to my Amber and Caleb that sometimes people cry when they are happy, or emotionally moved in some way. It was that special to me. I highly recommend it!

How Do I Love Thee?

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

~ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Utterly blessed

2008-08-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'm blessed. I'm so completely and utterly blessed that lately I have to pinch myself to see if it's all true. I'm head over heels for my handsome husband of ten fabulous years. We've made three beautiful children together. I live in this sturdy, newly built house that I am still amazed we were able to buy. I could go on, but suffice it to say I am feeling really good these days. Not everything is perfect, and I know it never will be, but I am aware of how much I have been given by my generous, loving heavenly Father and it has made "my cup runneth over."

[caption id="attachment_218" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Caleb and Amber exploring the ocean at Newport beach last week"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_219" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Brother and sister sharing a moment together"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_220" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A picture of serenity - my sweet baby James sleeping peacefully at the beach, with the sound of the swelling ocean in the background"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_221" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="And for good measure, I had to throw in a shot of James' happy, smiling face"][/caption]

He's here!

2008-05-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce the birth of

~ James William ~

Born at home on May 9th at 10:33am

Height: 23 inches

Weight: 10 pounds 1 ounce

With love,

Matt, Sarah, Caleb, & Amber

It's almost time!

2008-04-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

At 37 and a half weeks along I am finally in the home stretch of this pregnancy! I feel like I've been pregnant forever. In fact, I hardly remember what it's like to not be pregnant. I'm so used to sharing my body with this other growing life inside me. Not much longer though. I find myself filled with anticipation, longing to hold my sweet baby boy.

As far as preparation goes, my to-do list is long and I have so much I want to get done before the birth , but I'm realizing the importance of letting certain things go as well. There are some "to do's" on my list that don't truly need to get done *right now.* Our rented birth pool is now set up in our bedroom, new baby clothes have been purchased and also given to us, we've had our home visit with my midwife and the assistant last week, our birth kit was delivered, I got a much desired haircut and a pedicure the other day (I can't reach my toes to paint my toenails!), books about pregnancy and childbirth have been read to my children, etc. It's so fun to prepare for a new baby! Caleb and Amber think it's taking too long for their brother to be born. They are so cute about the whole thing.

Before I go to bed I want to mention Laine's Letters, a website containing letters written by a Christian woman named Laine with the purpose of encouraging other women in our day to day living experiences. About a year ago, after realizing how helpful and inspiring these letters were to me, I printed all of her letters and "In My Home Recently" entries on my computer, hold punched them, and put them inside two large three ring binders. Whenever I need encouragement, ideas, or inspiration I cart at least one of these binders around with me to different rooms in my house when I have a chance to read. I always come away blessed and filled with practical ways to shine as a daughter of God, wife, mother, and homemaker. So, if you need some encouragement in any of these areas go to her website and read some of her letters. God has transformed her life and it shows.

Below is one of my favorite entries from Laine's Letters that made me smile this evening as I sat and read it after I tucked my children into bed. (Please note: the images below are not from her website. I added them myself)

My List of Loves

Dear Sisters,
~What do you love about being a homemaker? What does it look like practically speaking and heart wise at your house? I need to see it fresh again through your eyes!

I love all the precious time that I have to lavish on my family. That is probably the best thing I love about being a homemaker and the reason for this list of "my loves" to answer your question. It seems like so long ago that I didn't like my job and wished I could be anything else. The LORD has definitely "made this barren woman to keep house and to be the joyful mother of children" as His Word so aptly states in the Psalms. It is all His doing - I am living proof. With that in mind, here is my list of loves about homemaking:

I love getting up early in the morning and praying over everyone. It's just the best sitting with the LORD and leaning against Him in His Word.

"I rise before dawn.

I cry for help.

I hope in Your Word."

I love being available to my husband at all hours of the day. I am here for him and pray so much to be his crown and his help.

I love having lots of time with my kids all day. We are a very close family, and that is also just precious to me.

I love taking this simple house and making it a loving home. It's a gift of love that I give to my family daily with a prayer of peace and praise. Gabe told me the other day that he hopes we will never sell this house because of all the great memories that live here.

I love the title "homemaker". Being the keeper of our home and its guard is a constant learning and growing experience - especially as my family continues to grow - with a fervent prayer of "a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious in His sight."

I love smelling wonderful things cooking in my kitchen. It may be the simplest of ingredients cooking, but it makes for the most wonderful aroma wafting all through the house. Last night it was Mushroom Barley soup, crescent rolls with crab filling, and cinnamon rolls for dessert.

I love going outside to hang up my clothes, and then coming inside to make our bed and freshen up our room. Yesterday I took the bed apart and vacuumed underneath and all around. I love having time to do those extra things in my home. Time is surely underestimated and undervalued.

I love putting on praise music or classical music in the early morning and then working around the kitchen setting up the kids' school work and chore list for the day. I just got that done. It's great to pick out their cooking recipes for the day and try all kinds of new things. Today we will be trying for the first time a pesto pizza with a white sauce - Abbie will be making it. Gabe will make granola. It's so much fun to teach my children to cook each day.

I love doing something in my home that needs attention every day. I feel so good about attending to something new for the day rather than just all my usual chores. Yesterday it was vacuuming under my bed, today it will be washing all the small teapots in the living room above the fireplace.

I love having time to converse with friends and to encourage them in any way or to be encouraged by them. Sometimes I will drop an e-mail to a dear friend as I did yesterday. It's wonderful to have time for friends and family.

I love going food shopping. I keep a running list all week, including things I want to try for next week and the specials for that week, and then I get to finally shop for everything. It's just the best picking out quality, healthy ingredients at the best possible price I can find.

I love putting flowers in my house from outside in our yard. Yesterday Abbie did the honors and brought in a small bouquet of red roses for our kitchen table.

I love seeing my kids read a good book and tell me all about it.

Books in winter by Jessie Wilcox Smith

I love seeing Abbie knit every day and have the time to leisurely do so. She just finished a hat and is making a matching scarf right now.

I love hearing my kids practice their musical instruments every day and having the time to go back and play again if they feel like it.

I love having the car only one day in the work week, because everyone looks forward to our one outing, plus we save so much on gas; and I get a lot done at home because I am there four other work days during a week.

I love writing a handwritten letter to a friend or to someone who is in need of a kind and encouraging word.

I love calling a friend from out of state and catching up with her on a leisurely Sunday afternoon.

I love talking with my husband over a cup of coffee early in the morning before anyone is up, and it's still dark outside.

I love talking with my kids over a hot breakfast before we start school.

I love a daily bath. It's such a time of prayer and thanksgiving.

I love teaching my kids - especially from the Word of God. We often have such stimulating, spiritual conversations from something we read together in the Bible, even after they're older and call home or write to me over e-mail.

I love Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I love birthdays. I love my wedding anniversary. They're times to celebrate in my house, and we always have such a good time together as a family, whether it's just us or with family and friends.

I love a tight budget, because without it, I don't think we would have learned how to cook all these delicious recipes from such simple ingredients over the years if we didn't have to learn. I can appreciate a tight budget these many years later, especially now with Brady writing to me from Spain about a great recipe he made and how he is stretching his money by cooking from scratch.

I love being completely debt free (even our mortgage) and seeing my husband released from this bondage after seventeen years of working hard and sacrificing to get free. It was worth all the work to see him so blessed and free. And it's so good to see my children as hard workers, givers, and good savers as they practice with us.

I love starting a fire each day when it's cold in the winter and keeping it burning for when my husband comes home so that we can eat together by the fire as a family.

I love putting candles on in the winter with soft music playing when my kids get up.

I love making a new recipe or two each week and seeing how it will turn out.

I love reading the Sunday paper leisurely with my whole family. Each one of us has his or her favorite section.

I love watching an old black and white movie with my family and lots of popcorn and hot, spicy tea or apple cider.

I love Mondays because that is the day I wash all the towels and bless my house with a good cleaning.

I love Tuesdays because that is the day we have the car to go help clean the church before dawn, and after we go food shopping early in the morning before the stores are crowded and when the meat is marked down, and later to the library and post office. It's a blast.

I love Wednesdays because my kids go to their youth groups (and they clean their rooms on Wednesdays before going out), and I teach a women's Bible study with three friends while my husband and children are at church. It's also linens day! The day I wash our sheets and tablecloths.

I love Thursdays because my husband gets paid, so I pay any bills on that day and put away any savings, and I also divide into cash the rest of our budget.

I love Fridays because it is the last day of school for the week, and we usually have something fun planned that evening.

I really love my work week.

I love all the seasons, too.

I love the summer for peach picking, swimming, barbecuing, fresh veggies from the garden, the first fresh tomato, being off school all summer, the beach, July 4th, and a leisurely vacation with my husband and kids.

I love the fall and seeing all the gorgeous leaves, the start up of school again and all the great books ahead of us, apple picking, a chill in the air, a cup of cocoa,Thanksgiving, and the first fire in the fireplace.

I love the winter and all the baking that warms up our house with soups and stews on the stove and a bread in the oven, candles glowing, lime and orange picking, Christmas, and tea time with a game of Racko or Scrabble and a warm cookie in front of a fire in the fireplace.

I love the spring with the flowers coming up, my kids planting the garden with my husband, my house getting warmer and the windows opening with the fragrance of orange blossoms in the air, Easter, baby vegetable picking, and school coming to an end for the year.

I love having people over and helping them to feel loved and "at home" with us. This morning at 4:15 a.m. one of those special people God has brought to our table many times called from Hungary and told us that we were his family away from home. I am so very glad.

I love learning new things. I love reading books that help me learn new things. I am always taking notes on all the new things which I am learning. Lately, it has been more herbology and frugality with a touch of ancient Italian cooking thrown in. I have three books that I'm reading presently. I just love to read. Especially before I fall asleep at night.

I love walking at His Pace, in His Peace, by His Power, for His Praise totally in His Presence doing His Priorities. I just love it and pray and pray that this might be so each day. It's a wonderful way to walk through a day. A bit of Heaven on earth.

I love being a help for His Honor.

I love the weekends. There is nothing like a good weekend, is there! It just makes for a great upcoming week after a really good weekend.

I love going to church. I always pray that I will be such a help there and to learn what He has for me that week. I love seeing my children and my husband connect with the family of God there.

I love running water, electricity, and even hot water in my home. I have lived without, and I am so thankful for all three! And for my wonderful tub and indoor bathroom. Wonderful!

I love hearing my kids' exclamations and memories as they pour over our photo albums.

I love taking a praise break and just praising God and thanking Him for His many blessings.

I love writing out our budget each quarter so that we might use our money wisely for His glory.

I love going on a date with my husband - even if it's just for a bagel and coffee- we always have a good time.

I love tiding the house before my husband comes home so that he will walk in and feel at rest, especially with something special for him on the stove.

I love deciding what kind of bread I will cook each morning. I never tire of the smell of bread wafting in the air in my kitchen.

I love praying. I pray all day.

I love worshiping the LORD. Especially while I work.

I love encouraging others. So when a friend called about her daughter in a very difficult situation, I wrote to her daughter to encourage her. I wrote her again this week.

I love it when my kids bring in the mail. We usually read it over tea as it comes in the afternoon.

I love homeschooling my children. I can't believe it is our 16th year. It's gone by too fast.

I love sitting around with my children's friends and chatting with them when they come over. They're so fun to talk to and to listen to as well.

I love going shopping with my kids, then out for a treat afterwards when we are off school. Abbie took me for a croissant and a cup of coffee this past Tuesday morning. It was so very nice.

I love to wear the scent of lavender and have my husband hug me and call me "his lavender Laine."

I love to hear my husband say how much he loves to come home.

I love tea time, and Abbie just called me to it with a lovely, chocolate angel food cake in her hands to our table by the fireplace. I better go!

Love,
Laine

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

When I went downstairs this morning I was pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful bunch of pink hydrangeas sitting on my dining room table. Matt surprised me with these flowers, which happens to be one of my favorite kinds. He needed to work overtime again today, so my missing him is tempered with the thoughtfulness of his gift to me on this special Easter holiday. I love him so much!

And here's a photo taken today after we got home from church (what awesome worship and preaching today!) of my two children who wowed me with how cute they looked dressed in light colors for Resurrection Sunday. My little angels. :)

Mark 16 (NIV)
The Resurrection

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

More and more snow...

2008-02-14T04:18:00.000-08:00

The backyard, once again.

Amber's standing at the door. I'm so glad we're able to share in the awe and wonder of this snowy day together.

Looking down the street.

Snow!

2008-02-14T03:40:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up, opened the curtains in my bedroom, and to my surprise saw snow flying through the sky in front of my sliding glass door. I could hardly believe my eyes. It isn't the amount of snow you'd find in Colorado, but for me, as a native southern California girl, this is a big deal! I keep finding myself staring outside as all the snow floats by in a whirl of the gusty wind.

I went outside for a few minutes ago and took a some pictures. Matt's at work right now but I can't wait to tell him about our snowy Valentines Day here at home.

This is the side of our backyard.

Standing by our front door, looking out at the street. A much thicker layer of snow has already developed on the ground since I took these photos ten minutes ago. I am truly in shock at this weather!

Oak Glen

2007-11-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

We spent the day at Oak Glen a few weeks ago and had such a good time. I love that place, and it's only 15 minutes away from our new home! The kids played on a moon-bounce, listened and danced to live music, and fed (and chased) animals in the petting zoo. We ate lunch at a restaurant called Apple Annie' where I had a mug of the best hot apple cider I've ever had. Here's some pictures from that day...

This candid of Amber cracked me up.

Amber and Caleb were watching some live music performers here and dancing together. They were adorable, holding hands and laughing.

Halloween

2007-11-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

Halloween has come and gone, but here's a few pictures of Amber dressed as a ballerina at her Kindercare Halloween party:

And here's a picture of my two favorite smiling faces that evening.

Pumpkin patch

2007-10-25T04:26:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we all headed to our nearby pumpkin patch. I thought it was going to have mainly just pumpkins laying in the field, but when I walked all around the property I was amazed at how much this place had to offer. Amber and Caleb explored a petting zoo, went down huge inflatable slides (well, Caleb did - Amber wasn't into actually climbing up that high), and ate the best kettle popcorn ever. We went on a "hayride", which was just a tractor pulling a small crowd sitting in a wagon type thing. We also rode on motorbikes attached together, led by the main motorbike driver. Amber and I sat together, and Caleb and Matt sat together. That was so fun! Amber held onto the handlebars like she was a little motorcycle expert or something, sitting there so calm and cool like she'd been doing this forever.

Caleb curiously looking into a chicken coop.

Unfortunately I hardly got any shots of Matt's handsome face that day, but I thought this one of him was worthy of adding here.

Funny little Amber ducking down in the pumpkin patch.

I love seeing their smiling, happy faces!

Our many pumpkins. Three to decorate with special glitter, one to carve, and two tiny ones (one is hidden from view in this photo) for both the kids.

We're moving!

2007-08-31T11:28:00.000-07:00

In addition to the other wonderful news we found out this week, the loan for the house we've been in escrow for has been fully approved. We got the house!! What a momentous week this has been, finding out I'm pregnant and also that we'll be moving into this spacious house within a couple of weeks. God has surely rained on us with tremendously generous blessings. My heart is filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. I can hardly wait until moving day!

Brimming with elation

2007-08-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

We're going to have another baby!

Being drawn to beauty

2007-08-11T02:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while out doing errands, I decided to stop by Cost Plus World Market to see if they had anything interesting for the new house we're in escrow for. I was awestruck at the beautiful, unique items they carry (it's been years since I've been there). As I looked through the paintings and wall art they have lined up against the wall, one painting on canvas way up high on a shelf captured my attention. I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. I thought this painting would look amazing in our new house, with the generous amount of wall space available. After weighing whether or not I should buy it, I decided I had to have it. Have you ever experienced this kind of attraction to a painting, where you don't want to stop taking it in?

Though this large painting looks better in person, with bright, bold colors, I also want to include it here:

El Summer Meadow by Kim Parker

Thinking about boats

2007-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Just a few minutes ago, as Amber snuggled next to me on the couch, with a serious expression on her face she matter-of-factly said,

"Mommy, you need to buy a boat. For the ocean. Mommy, Daddy, Caleb, me...we go in the water and swim."

Wow. That came out of nowhere. One never truly knows what's going on in a toddler's mind until they're able to express it. I'm so grateful Amber has the ability to communicate well at a young age. She never fails to put a smile on my face with her interesting thoughts.

Finally!

2007-08-02T02:24:00.000-07:00

We're buying a house! We just signed the contract and began escrow yesterday. Matt and I are so excited. A fellow rookie firefighter that Matt works with recommended we check out the city he and his wife bought a house four years ago. We had been researching house prices and cities to move to for months and months, so we added this city to our options list. When we went to this city and saw the houses and the prices they were going for, we were absolutely amazed. Pardee homes is a developer with a really good reputation, and we found a couple of developments they have begun building. As we walked through their model homes and explored every nook and crannie, Matt and I kept looking at each other in awe. These are seriously nice, big, new homes for such affordable prices.

If everything goes as planned and escrow closes without a hitch, the house we will be moving into has four bedrooms, three bathrooms, plus a room that will be used as a dining room. The house is 2505 square feet with a big backyard (our lot is over 8,000 square feet), granite kitchen countertops, stainless steel appliances, a balcony off the master bedroom, and much more.

Matt will have to commute to work and we'll be farther away from family, friends, and other connections we've made here (which is something we thought long and hard about), but we felt we couldn't pass up this pleasant-surprise-opportunity. Plus, his schedule as a firefighter is so different than others who work Monday through Friday, 9:00-5:00. Commuting during the hours he'll be on the road won't be a major issue. It's all worth it for this gem of a house, as well as the family oriented community that surrounds it.

Here it is!

Such a girl

2007-07-18T02:38:00.000-07:00

Amber was just playing with her dolls and playsilks in the living room. She took the silks out of her toy drawer one by one and put them over her head, playing a game of peekaboo. When she pulled the pink one out she said to herself, "I love pink." I heard her say it a couple more times after that. I am continually amazed at how she's growing up to be so feminine and interested in girly things. Since Caleb, being a boy, was my first child, I don't think I expected Amber to actually show interest or preference in jewelry, clothes, dolls, rainbows, hearts, and all the rest of the things she's been drawn to. What fun this is!

The Jumper

2007-06-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Here's some fun pictures from this afternoon. Caleb can get so high on his jumper. It's so fun to watch. We laughed and laughed while he jumped. Then Amber got in on the fun.

Recent pictures of my children

2007-06-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

What a cutie! I think this is one of my favorite pictures of Caleb *ever.* He tie-dyed that shirt in class with his friends last week. He looks vibrant in it, just like his happy-go-lucky personality. I'm trying to protect it from staining because it's become his favorite shirt now.

Carol, my mother-in-law, styled Amber's hair that afternoon. I thought Amber looked so grown up when I saw her.

Such big, glassy, bright blue eyes! She had just stopped crying when I took this photo, so she still had tears in her eyes.

These two pictures were taken last week at Caleb's Spring Dance performance at his school. He's toward the middle, standing behind the girl with the brown, long, straight hair. We video taped his dance performance - it was adorable! He was so in his element out there. He just loved it.

Being a firefighter's wife

2007-06-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

I just read this list from Carrie at Third Times a Charm? and thought, "Oh, so this is some of what I have to look forward to?" Some of it I've already experienced...especially the "luckiest girl, heart-a-flutter" comment at the end.

You Know You're a Firefighter's Wife If:

1. You know what IFSTA, IAFF, SCBA, WSFTA, and ARFF stand for.

2. Your Husband's wardrobe looks like this: non-descript bottoms paired with any navy blue shirt/sweatshirt with a fire department logo on it.

3. Your Husband's haircut is "nice and tight". So are his buns.

4. You've eaten more gas-producing foods in a 24 hour period than any sane woman should (unless she's a firefighter).

5. You know the difference between a police siren and a fire siren.

6. Your kids think the fire station is "Daddy's house".

7. You've received more dalmation-themed collectibles than you thought humanly possible.

8. You know that all of your smoke detectors work.

9. Your Husband will not let you near the BBQ.

10. You can make 4 dozen cookies without a recipe in 1.5 hours flat and have them delivered asap.

11. You know that you always have a team of highly-trained ems professionals at the ready (you know, in case a baby falls down the stairs or something).

12. You know that it is faster and waaaay better to take the ambulance to the hospital (NEVER go it solo, and actually WAIT in the waiting room!).

13. Your single friends are always aksing "are there any single firemen at Hubby's work?".

14. Your children can make good use of vaccuum hoses and rubber gloves.

15. Everybody knows a Firefighter, and will asume that you know them too.

16. You find it hard to sleep when your Hubby is at work.

17. You get severly angry when people don't pull over for firetrucks and ambulances.

18. You've held more birthdays at the fire station than should be allowed.

19. You get to listen to stories about fires, mva's and in my case, sprinkler systems.

20. You've seen Backdraft 40 million times and Ladder 49 10 million (but who can get sick of staring at Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta?).

21. You've had some of the best holiday meals at the fire station.

22. You've lost all sense of what a "weekend" really is due to your husband's crazy schedule.

23. Your husband gets to go on field trips & preschool once in a while.

24. All of the teachers want your husband to "demonstrate" his skills for the class (yeah, right she just wants to see him in his bunker gear).

25. You feel like the luckiest girl alive when he comes home off shift and sends your heart a-flutter.

More adjustments

2007-06-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

Matt and I are in the midst of getting used to his new work schedule, not to mention his new career as a firefighter. He works 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, and then FOUR whole days off! He spends a lot of time studying for the drills he has to perform in front of the other firefighters at every shift, but I'm thankful we are able to spend some quality time together at different points throughout the week (though there was one week where we barely saw each other). Last Friday night we went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner to celebrate his 30th birthday (a belated celebration - Happy birthday Matt!). We had a wonderful time together and then came home and watched a movie.  As far as dates go, I'm easy to please - dinner and a movie...that's always an enjoyable night for me.

I'm having an interesting time, though, adjusting to all the changes.  I've gone to church without him the past three Sundays because he's been at the fire station, which always feels strange (he'll be able to come with us this Sunday though).   He's home on some weekday mornings, which is a pleasent change for me and Amber (she loves her daddy!). Instead of coming home at 5:00 pm or later each weeknight, he comes home from a shift around 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning.  I spend more of my nights alone now, which hasn't really been a problem since I enjoy spending time alone doing my own thing. Nonetheless, it is a far cry from what I'm accustomed to and I do find myself missing him at times.

Remember when I wrote about the nature of stress and how any change, whether positive or negative, creates in us a need to find equilibrium? (If not, click here to read more). I believe we're going through a search for equilibrium right now.   It's nice to know that's what's going on while in the midst of it, rather than feeling caught off guard by any feelings of stress or discomfort. All in all, I'm still overcome by how blessed we are for Matt to have this career opportunity. He comes home telling me the most captivating, sometimes hilarious, sometimes grievous, stories. We're going to have a whole lifetime of these experiences, and I couldn't be more thrilled. :)

A day at the beach

2007-05-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

After church yesterday, I drove Amber and Caleb to my parent's house to spend the day together. When I got there we had lunch, and then headed towards the beach to see two sites: 1. The current fire station where Matt is working and 2. The apartment building my dad lived in during the time he met my mom and the precise location where they first met. I've been to Venice beach hundreds of times in my life, and I've heard the story of how my parent's met dozens of times, but for some reason I've never asked my dad to show me where all this took place. It was pretty cool to finally know exactly where they met.

When we drove past Matt's fire station I didn't expect to see anything but the building. The chances of them being out and about, within site, were very slim. Instead, we saw two fire trucks heading out of the station, turning left onto the street. I looked hard for Matt in one of the trucks. I thought I may have seen him sitting behind the driver in the fire engine, but I wasn't sure. We thought our excitement was over after they drove away, but we were wrong! As I was driving on the street about 10 minutes later I saw another fire engine driving towards us...and when I looked inside I saw Matt! I shouted to my children, "Daddy's in there! He's right there!" We were all laughing and getting over the shock of actually seeing him, and right next to our van, no less (he didn't see us, by the way).

The timing of that was almost too much to believe. After I told Matt about this today, he explained that he wasn't on either of the first two fire trucks we saw at the station. He was getting lunch with the others in the fire engine. Then they headed to the beach to eat lunch on the boardwalk. He's got it made at this first station assignment! What an area to be working his first calls as a firefighter. Picture perfect weather, beautiful scenery, nice houses all around, etc. The other firefighters are telling him he's going to miss this station after he moves on to the next fire house (during his first probationary year he rotates stations every four months).

After all the excitement, we set out on our journey to Manhattan beach. When we got there we marveled at what a gorgeous day it was. I love spending time at the beach! Here's some of my favorite pictures from our afternoon.

Finally tired out after an active afternoon in the sun.

A long journey

2007-05-16T03:06:00.000-07:00

As I sit here writing this post, my mind is full of thoughts of my husband who is at his first day of work as a firefighter. He spent a massive amount of time preparing for his first drill which he has to perform in front of the fellow firefighters at his assigned fire station. He went over it with me last night, and I was absolutely floored by the amount of detailed technical information he's required to learn. His probationary year will be full of these drills, so he will most likely be continually studying when at home (of course he'll take breaks, but there's so much to learn!).   All this hard work is completely worth it because of the privalege serving the community. He has a true servant's heart, which is one of the most important traits a firefighter should have.  It's been a long journey to this point and I want to share a few highlights along the way.

After Matt graduated from college, he embarked on a career as a fitness trainer. He worked for 7 1/2 years at a job that he enjoyed, but he couldn't see himself there for most of his life. Beginning in 2004, we talked for many months about what he could possibly do instead of fitness training. He was unclear about the direction he should go, which is something so many people experience these days (This is true especially during and immediately after college. My senior synthesis project and presentation in college covered this subject in depth). I wanted Matt to do something that would bring him fulfillment while using his talents and abilities at the highest level possible. After several conversations where he'd ocassionally bring up the thoughts he'd had over the years about how amazing it would be to work as a firefighter, I began noticing his eyes light up whenever this was discussed. After much prayer and discussion, we both enthusiastically agreed this was the direction he was to go.

Matt enrolled in a local community college to take fire technology courses, while working his regular job. He loved everything he was learning in these classes and looked forward to the next step. In September, 2004 he joined a year long private fire academy where he'd attend on the weekend (Saturday and Sunday from very early until around 5:00 p.m.). This was a long and difficult year because of the amount of time he spent away from home and/or studying, along with the stresses we faced with Caleb's health problems (increased seizure activity and an incident with a severe allergic reaction), moving in with his parent's due to financial difficulties, and my second pregnancy leading to the beautiful birth of our daughter. He persevered and graduated in September, 2005. We were so thrilled he accomplished this part of his training.

Throughout this time, Matt aggressively searched for job openings in our state of California. He took a lot of written exams, went through physical agility tests, and also several oral interviews. I went with him to northern CA together for a couple of these tests, just because I love it up there and that's where we lived right after we got married (you can read more about our experience of northern CA in a previous post I wrote by clicking here). He always did well, but the competition was so high for these positions (at least several hundred people applying for a job that only had two or three spots open) that he never made it through to the next step in the hiring process - the background investigation. Because Matt was just not getting hired and our income needed to change, we decided he would try to get a job with the county sheriff's department because they were hiring too. Matt easily got hired and was set to start the academy on August 2nd.

Matt quit his job as a fitness trainer on July 31, 2006, knowing that in a few days he would begin this new academy. In a shocking turn of events, he received a phone call from a certain fire department (which he had tested with and already had an oral interview a long time before) during which he found out he was moving on the background investigation! We could hardly believe the timing of all this. It was actually happening! Should he continue with the sheriff academy, even though he could very well become hired as a firefighter in the midst of it? We didn't know what to do, but after much prayer and seeking counsel we decided he would continue as planned with the sheriff academy. He was honest with them through it all, so the instructors and others involved with the sheriff academy always knew it was a possibility he'd be hired as a firefighter sooner than later.

We received the good news in November - Matt had in fact been hired by the fire department! He was ecstatic, yet felt the weight of this responsibility too. Joy mixed with a realization that this new career will require more from him than anything ever has in his life (and during the academy he's found that to be true). He had to keep focused on finishing the sheriff academy though, which was trying at times. He graduated and worked for a whopping two weeks as a sheriff's deputy before beginning the fire academy.

Now he's finished the academy and he's working his first shift. Wow, what a journey the Lord has taken us through. I believe in the sovereignty of God and therefore it was His hand orchestrating all of this to occur in His timing. How exciting it's been to see what God would do next!

Congratulations Matt! Everyone's right - you are a prime example of what a firefighter should be. Honest, loyal, hard working, skilled in technical/hands on information, courageous, and compassionate. I look forward to moving through our life together as the wife of a fireman.  I'm so proud of you for following your dream and never backing down. I hope and pray I'll be a support and encouragement to you through it all.

During the fire academy graduation demonstration. Matt is on the far left.

Also during the demonstration, Matt's at the top of the stairs carrying a chain saw. There's a real fire blazing below.

Here we are standing with Matt's parents soon after he received his badge from the fire chief.

Matt, at his graduation party the next day, where we celebrated with friends and family.

Thank you to everyone who came to either the graduation and/or the party and showed him your support!  It blessed him to have each and every one of you there.

He did it!

2007-05-11T12:29:00.000-07:00

After a long, grueling three and a half year journey, my husband is officially a firefighter! He graduated from the fire academy this morning. I'll write more on his journey and also the academy graduation within the week. In the meantime, here's a couple photos from this morning...

My mom's so funny. At the graduation she excitedly said, "Sarah, you're married to a real live hero!"

We're both so excited he's finished the academy! Now on to his dream career. His first shift as a firefighter (as opposed to a "recruit", as they've referred to him the past 17 weeks) is this Wednesday.

Early wonderings

2007-05-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of me at about age six I just found that communicates my early contemplating, wondering temperament. I added it to my "About" page. I remember that park so vividly. Running water has always mesmerized and soothed me. My dream is to have a little creek right by our big house in the country. That's a far cry from our current situation - a tiny apartment in one of the largest cities in the United States. But hey, I can always dream...and pray.

THE picture

2007-05-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

Remember when I wrote this post, Music and Memories? In the comments section I wrote to my mom about a certain picture I had in my mind when writing about her and my dad.

My mom wrote,

One of the memories this brought up (in case I never told you) is: While your Dad & I were dating and through our early years, we’d be walking down the street anywhere and he’d all of a sudden pick me up and spin me around until we were both dizzy. I’d always be shy & embarrassed, saying, “stop, stop”, he always thought it was funny, and we’d both end up laughing. Now, I don’t think he could pick me up if he tried! Sweet memories….. :)

I wrote back,

It’s funny you mention that, because the picture I have in mind is similar to that story (and yes, I remember hearing about, and I ocassionally wittnessed, Dad picking you up and twirling you around…much to your protest, ha). It’s from a little picture I remember of you and dad standing outside. You’re wearing a flowing flowery blouse and he’s got his big afro hair. He’s either trying to pick you up or something because you’re laughing a lot. It’s a very candid photo (one of the reasons I like it so much). I think it captures at least a little of what I felt about you’re early relationship.

Well, today I found the picture. Here it is:

I also found this one of my mom and dad that also takes me back to their early years. My mom is so camera shy. And look at my dad's hair! 8-O

Natural mothering

2007-05-08T01:57:00.000-07:00

In the current issue of Above Rubies, a magazine which I usually devour in one sitting when it arrives in my mailbox becuase it's so encouraging for Christian mothers, there's an article called "Motherhood Bliss" written by Amy Gray which I enjoyed reading. It's a rare occurance for me to see any part of the Christian community actively encouraging what is sometimes referred to as "natural mothering" (you can find out more about natural mothering at Gentle Christian Mothers), which is why this article is so refreshing for me to read. Amie shares the impact that La Leche League had on her early mothering years, which I can relate to myself. Here's some excerpts:

Before I was married, I didn't know much about parenting (my own family was abusive), and I knew even less about God. When our son was born, I fell in love with him instantly! Thankfully, I had read The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and decided to try nursing, even though I had never seen it done before. The only real 'mothering' experience I had was from babysitting a baby years ago. He had been formula-fed and was on a strict schedule, spending most of his time alone. What I remembered most about him was the awful way he would cry alone in the crib as I waited for him to fall asleep.

Later she writes,

When he was six weeks old I attended my first La Leche League meeting. I learned so much. I read studies that proved doing things naturally, such as breastfeeding on cue, was beneficial to both mom and baby. I learned that carrying my baby provided him with better social development. I even learned that crib death is less common when babies sleep with their moms, and how doctors believe that the mom's body acts as a pace-maker for her baby's immature system. I was fascinated! I also met a wonderful Christian mom at LLL, who began planting seeds about God in my heart.

She goes on to explain how she dedicated her life to Christ and became a Christian, and then shares some of her findings since that time:

Now that I knew God, the more I thought about mothering, the more excited I became. I realized the reason natural mothering works so well is because God designed it! In the same way God designed our bodies to give birth naturally, he designed us to mother naturally. I felt like I had stumbled upon some ancient mystery, and I knew the reason behind all those happy babies and children at the LLL meetings. Whether their parents knew God or not, they were raising their babies according to His design and received the blessings for following His plan!

...God gave Eve everything she needed to do her job perfectly - breasts to nourish and comfort, arms to hold, a soft body to keep her little one warm at night, a voice to sing and teach, motherly instincts, and a loving heart. She lacked nothing. I can envision her carrying her baby throughout the day, and the new family sleeping all curled up together at night, just as God intended. A beautiful picture of simplicity and love.

...We live in a modern world, but this neither changes God's design nor alters God's best. God never changes. By mothering this way, I teach my children about God. I show them every moment how God is always available for us, how He does not abandon us when we need Him. Just as we are dependant on God, God made babies dependant on us. We should seek to live out 1 Thessalonians 2:7, "But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children."

Natural mothering is filled with all kinds of joy! I love the peace of falling asleep at night with my tiny nursing baby on one side and my husband's strong arm wrapped around both of us. What better alarm clock in the morning, than a cooing baby who pats your cheek and squeals with delight when you open your eyes and look at him? There is nothing like having your baby in your arms (or your sling) all day, always in your world, always learning and enjoying your closeness - and you don't miss a smile or a laugh!

She writes much more in the article, but those are some of my favorite quotes. The fact that she includes her involvement with La Leche League in this article is one of the highlights for me. You see, with Caleb, my first child, I followed the line of thought that said a baby needs a schedule or "structured routine", including times predetermined times (or time ranges) for breastfeeding. This ended up causing a lot of problems for both of us. Now, after years of research and following my instincts with my daughter, I do believe children benefit from routines, but I do not believe this includes times for breastfeeding set by the mother! Nursing on cue, also sometimes called "demand feeding", is the way God designed breastfeeding to work.

But back to La Leche League. The reason why I was glad she showed appreciation for La Leche League, is because those monthly meetings can become the most effective way for a mother to support herself and her baby as they begin their nursing relationship. Nursing on cue, and all that entails, is not embraced by our culture. I live in California, which does have a more natural, alternative health mindset than some areas of the country (which is a major blessing to me) but even here I have encountered some resistance to natural mothering. Others of you may live in areas of the country where no one nurses their baby on cue, wears their baby in a sling, or co-sleeps (by the way, we co-slept with Amber for the first nine months of her life. Amber's been sleeping in a crib since that time). It can be extremely difficult to stay true to one's convictions if there isn't some level of support. That's why La Leche League meetings have been vitally important to me for over two years (I started attending them when I was pregnant with Amber). Another source of support and guidance I've found irreplaceable is the Gentle Christian Mother's message board.

Above Rubies deserves a special thank you for publishing this enlightening article. I love to see Christians support God's magnificent design for mother and child.

These pictures of Amber, Caleb, and I were taken on Christmas morning, 2005. I'm wearing Amber in my favorite sling, the adjustable fleece pouch from Kangaroo Korner. That sling was so handy for me to use, at home and out and about. I highly recommend going to Kangaroo Korner and browing through their sling options, if you're interested in ever using one. They also have a new DVD called Tummy to Tummy which would be helpful for all mothers while learning to wear a sling. I had lots of hands on help from my LLL leaders in learning to wear my sling properly (first I had an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder, then the adjustable fleece pouch), but this DVD would have also been a wonderful aid. There's a learning curve to using these, but once you master it, the sling will serve you and your baby well for a long time.

Amber's birthday party

2007-05-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I referred to Amber's birthday celebrations. Here's some pictures from her special day:

Amber opening one of her many gifts. She made out big time this year! Thank you to everyone who lavished your amazing gifts on her. She's been playing with her new toys a lot, which is a real treat for me to see.

My dad and sister-in-law eating near my grand cupcake display. ;)

A sweet father-daughter moment caught on camera.

My mom and Caleb.

Getting ready to blow out her two heart shaped candles.

That was a dairy free cake I made for Caleb (everyone else could eat the cupcakes), and unfortunately the frosting started melting and oozed down the sides. Oh well. Caleb enjoyed eating it, which is all that matters.

The birthday girl

Amber and I with my good friend Tunde.

And, here's Amber a couple days after her birthday party, enjoying her new purse (filled with adorable jewlery), sunglasses, and sandals that squeak when she walks. She insisted on wearing these on our outing. She's such a girl!

Making books for your child

2007-05-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

Two years ago I attended a weekend long La Leche League Conference, with my then five week old daughter in tow. One of the many excellent speakers was Ruth Beaglehold, M.A. of the Center for Nonviolent Parenting. She's a dynamic speaker who believes passionately in being empathetic with your child (by the way, there's an excellent chapter about "sympathizing" with your children in the classic book Hints on Child Training which explains similar views). I receive Ruth's newsletter, and this month there's an article that I found enlightening; maybe you will too. I think the idea of making books with our children is one that all parents should have in our tool-chest.

Making Books For & With Your Children

by Ruth Beaglehold, M.A. (the bold emphasis below is hers)

A wonderful tool to help children understand what is happening in their lives is to make special books for them. Books help children know their experiences and they are another way to support their feelings.

Home-made, hand-made books let the child know that we take very seriously what happens to her or him. These books can be compared to the journal-writing that many adults do to give themselves support. It's a healing experience for the child to have her/his experience validated on paper.

Writing books with children is also an important literacy tool. We are communicating to the child that writing and reading are valuable ways to access the world. We let the child know that we value the printed word and that there is a lot to discover by reading.

Home-made books give parents way to communicate with their child in a clear and simple way. They're a tool for teaching children the "life lessons" we consider most important. They're also a tool for resolving conflict and transforming negative anger into supportive teaching. And they can prepare children for an anticipated change in their lives, and/or help them understand a scary event.

Books are easy to make. Take two or three pieces of paper, fold them in half to make four to eight pages, and staple them. (For young toddlers, books can be one piece of paper left unfolded.)

Write words that explain the feeling or experience you are writing about, and draw simple pictures. Print the words in lower case letters, the way children will learn when they start school. Write in an adult voice, but use simple words.

First, describe the situation, then describe the child's feelings about the situation. Each page can have a picture to go with a part of the story. This is not about drawing an artist's sketch! Simple stick figures work just fine.

(Older children can also contribute their words and may want to draw on the last page.) Remember that for younger toddlers, the words need to be very simple: "Alex sad! Crying! Fall down!"

Title the book with the child's name and the subject. For example, Andrew's book about going to the doctor, Mary's book about her angry feelings.

There is nothing that can't be made into a book. It may feel awkward at first, but with practice parents and teachers will find it a wonderful activity to help children understand their world.

Another insightful post from Amy

2007-05-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

After twelve plus weeks of pregnancy with her sixth child, and continuing to deal with Hyperemesis, Amy (from Amy's Humble Musings) writes Life with three under three #7: God's Providence. This is a must read.

And yes, the Sarah she mentions in her post is me. :)

Amber's birthday celebrations

2007-04-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

All day today we've been celebrating Amber's 2nd birthday. It's been such a joy to spend time with family and friends, and to see my little girl enjoy everything about her special day. Last Friday I brought cupcakes to share with the kids in her nursery class and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Today we spent the morning at church (yes, our new home church which I'll write more about soon!) and then packed everything up to head over to my parent's house for her birthday party. A fun time was had by all. Lots of good food, presents, and fellowship with family and friends. I'll write more about her birthday party in an upcoming post, but I just had to get this on my blog today, the day she turns two.

Happy Birthday Amber Rose! I love you, my sweet girl!

Here's Amber at her preschool the morning I brought in a birthday treat. Her teacher made this green crown and wrote her name and the number 2 on it. Unfortunately, you can't see the little heart on top of the crown in this picture. She's always pointing out hearts and seems to enjoy that shape the most right now, so I thought that was a cute addition to her birthday crown.

Our Saturday together

2007-04-18T16:42:00.000-07:00

Last week proved to be an incredibly taxing week for Matt in the fire academy. He left each morning in the 5:00 hour, work extremely hard physically throughout the day, got home twelve hours later, spend a little time with me and the kids, and then go to bed much earlier than I would. He was exhausted. We're so thankful he has Wednesdays off of the academy. I can't imagine how difficult it would be if he had to be there every day during the week.

On Friday he went to his second actual fire station shift, going on real calls and spending time with some of the fireman he'll be working with after he graduates from the academy. It was a long day, and he didn't get home until 10:30pm. By this point, after having spent little quality time with him the whole week, I began to ache at how much I missed him. We are each other's best friends and I love being with him. That Friday night, after Amber and Caleb were asleep in bed, I palpably felt Matt's absence. I thought of dozens of good times we've shared throughout the years, beginning at the young age of sixteen. This only made me miss him more!

I watched a movie that night, which happened to be an exceedingly moving love story, and got all weepy. Fantasizing about us taking a little two day trip somewhere, just the two of us, I became all the more determined to figure out how we could make up for the time we hadn't been able to spend with each other that week. I knew we couldn't get away together that particular weekend, but I put it in the back of my mind for the near future.

Matt has to go to the academy on Saturday mornings too, to practice everything they're learning throughout the week. He left very early, as usual. Later in the morning, as I prepared to drop Caleb off with Matt's parent's for the day, I thought how amazing it would be if I could also leave Amber with them too. That's never happened before - me leaving them both for the day with either of the grandparent's. It's been over two years since Matt and I have had any kind of extended time alone at home during the day together. I knew it was a long shot, due to short notice, but I thought I'd ask my mother-in-law anyway. I would have understood and been fine if she said it wasn't possible this week (she watches her other grandson part of the day too, so she'd have three children for part of the day), but after we talked a while she made clear to me that she did want to help us out. She asked my father-in-law what he thought, and he said, "Hey, let's give it a shot." So, off we went!

Turns out that after Amber's initial crying when I left their house without her, she had a fantastic time with everyone. They went to the park together, shared meals, and took a bath after dinner. Caleb had some adjusting to do, having not only Jaylen but Amber their too (he used to be the center of attention...I think it's a good thing that he's learning to share his grandparents!), but they all had a blast together. Matt and I were thrilled to hear all went well.

As far as Matt and I, our day was blissful. We had such a refreshing time together! After he came home from the academy around 11:00am, I told him both our kids were at his parent's house. He was in shock. We immediatley began planning a leisurely, peaceful day together. We went to breakfast at Marmalade cafe, a local restaurant I've enjoyed for years. I ordered blueberry pancakes (my favorite!), eggs, and fresh squeezed orange juice. He had a scrambled egg/country potato/tomato/avocado mixture, with all kinds of other goodies in it. After some much needed conversation, leaving the restaurant stuffed to the brim, we set out to go home and watch something I had taped that week on our DVR. We curled up on the couch and enjoyed the show together and then took a nap upstairs. Oh, how sweet sleep is when one needs to catch up from being overtired! Feeling refreshed and relaxed, we then did a few things around the house that needed to be done. Matt's mom dropped Caleb and Amber off around 6:00pm, both of them very tired from a long day, so we put them to bed shortly after. They fell right to sleep and we settled in to watch a movie called The Prestige.

At the end of the night we gazed at each other, satisfied with our day, but aware that we could spend a hundred more days like this, happy and content just to be together.

Computer issues and last Sunday

2007-04-10T09:06:00.000-07:00

For the past month I've been experiencing computer problems that have only gotten worse with time. Turns out I have a computer virus. So, with the help of a Dell technician, I'm going to be reinstalling the whole operating system. I've been trying to save anything that's important to me (lots of pictures, emails, and documents) so I won't lose everything. It's frustrating, but at least my computer didn't crash before I had a chance to do this. Anything I'm doing on my computer is on hold right now, but I'll write more here after things are back up and running.

Oh, I do want to share that we had a very memorable Easter celebration. First we visited a wonderful small church and heard a powerful message from the pastor. Then we went to lunch at Matt's parent's house and spent time with family. All afternoon long Caleb sang, "He is risen! He is risen! Praise the Lord. He is risen! He is risen! Praise the King." When we picked him up from Sunday school he was singing and dancing to that song with the other children and teachers. Matt and I couldn't get enough of his sweet little voice proclaiming Jesus' Resurrection. I imagined Jesus smiling, filled with love toward Caleb as he sang to Him.

A trip to the zoo

2007-04-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

A morning at the park

2007-04-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

She's playing a little game of peek-a-boo with me.

Caleb and Amber join in on some group play.

Thoughts on heaven

2007-04-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

Caleb is on spring break this week, so between that and some annoying computer problems we've been dealing with I haven't had much time to write. It's late at night and we've had a full day (a trip to the zoo, a Dr. appointment, and visit to the mechanic, etc.), but I really want to share these thoughts with you.

Several days ago, as I was sitting on my bed reading my Bible (something I wish I could say happened more often) I became fascinated with reading about heaven in the last chapters of Revelation. This is probably because I just finished reading Stepping Heavenward, and thoughts of heaven have been close to my heart lately. I perused through parts of Revelation and focused in on chapter 21 and 22. I read each verse and then read the commentary portion of my study bible which explained further. I haven't thought about heaven, what it is actually going to be like according to the Bible, in a long time. The extent of the beauty and majesty of this wondrous future home is too much for my mind to grasp. Here are some excerpts:

Revelation 21:14-22:5

"14 Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15 And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. 17 Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. 18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever."

Amazing! Beautiful! How encouraging for the believer, to know what awaits us in the not too distant future!

I have the MacArthur Study Bible, which has some extensive commentary on these verses. Here's some excerpts from the commentary:

"21:16 twelve thousand furlongs. This would be nearly 1,400 mi. cubed or almost two million square miles of ground space, offering plenty of room for all the glorified saints to live. length, breadth, and height. The city has the symmetrical dimensions of a perfect cube, which parallels its closest earthly counterpart, the inner sanctuary in the tabernacle and temple (cf.1 Kin. 6:20)

21:17 one hundred and forty-four cubits. 72 yards or 216 feet. This is likely the width of the wall.

21:18 jasper. This is the material of the thick wall - diamond! pure gold, like clear glass. Unlike earth's gold, this gold will be transparent so the overpowering radiance of God's glory can refract and glisten through the entire city.

21:19, 20 Because some of the names of these gems have changed through the centuries, it is difficult to identify each one with certainty. Eight of the 12 stones are found in the breastplate of the High-Priest (Ex. 28,39), and the other 4 may also be related to the breastplate. The gems picture a brilliant, indescribable panoply of beautiful colors that send forth the light of God's glory."

John MacArthur goes on to explain each of the possible identifications for these gems, which helps us visualize the vibrant colors that await us. Later he writes:

"21:21 one pearl. Each of the gates of the city is a single, 1,400-mile-high pearl. Even as earthly pearls are formed in response to the wounding of oyster flesh, so these gigantic, supernatural pearls will remind saints throughout eternity of the magnitude of Christ's suffering and its eternal benefit.

21:22 no temple. Several passages affirm that there is a temple in heaven (3:12; 7:15; 11:19; 15:5). Here, it is clear there is none in eternity. How can this be? The temple is not a building; it is the Lord God Himself...There is no need for a temple in the eternal state since God Himself will be the temple in which everything exists. The presence of God lit. fills the entire new heaven and new earth (cf. v.3). Going to heaven will be entering the limitless presence of the Lord (cf. John 14:3; 1Thess. 4:17)."

I could go on, but I'll stop there.

The thick diamond wall, in 21:18. The massive gates of the city - each one being a 1,400 mile high pearl! The river of water of life flowing from the throne of God in 22:1. The tree of life, that bears 12 fruits, one for each month in 22:2. Can you picture this? Truly awe-inspiring.

But, what heaven looks like is nothing compared to the fact that we'll be with God for all eternity. That's the best part.

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with me, to give to every one according to his word. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."

Revelation 22:12,13

"And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirst come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."

Revelation 22:17

Lessons from "Stepping Heavenward"

2007-04-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot about the book I recently finished, Stepping Heavenward. This book is resonating with me as I ponder and evaluate my own walk with God and growth process, which I've often been frustrated with. First, I'll give you a background to the story.

Stepping Heavenward is a book written by Elizabeth Prentiss (1818-1878) who was the daughter of a revival preacher of the early 1800's, Rev. Edward Payson of Portland, Maine. It was originally published in 1869 and had a wide circulation within the United States and several other countries. The current publisher wrote in the preface,

"The aim of her writing, whether designed for young or old, was to incite to patience, fidelity, hope and all goodness by showing how trust in God and loving obedience to His blessed will, brighten the darkest paths and make a heaven upon earth."

That's just what she's accomplished with me, as I've voraciously eaten up this book. The description on the back cover reads,

"A nineteenth century Christian woman speaks through centuries in this timeless classic written in journal style. Follow her as she takes you on a journey to spiritual maturity from the age of sixteen - until just before her death."

I should mention that this book is based on some of Elizabeth Prentiss' life, but it is actually fiction.

I have sticky tabs on the pages I want to refer to again, and markings all throughout. This book is of such quality writing and subject matter that I consider it one of my favorite and most important books. What has amazed me as I've read this book, is how much I relate to Katy (the main character) and her passionate, yet tumultuous and sometimes painstakingly slow journey through life while growing in the Lord. She asks many of the same questions I've asked. She's experienced many of the ups and downs I have (at least the feelings and questions that go along with them). I was encouraged as I read what others, or the Lord himself through his word, revealed to Katy which helped her move forward in her blossoming as a steadfast, faithful Christian woman. The wisdom that others in her life shared was truly remarkable - so many great pearls of biblical wisdom in this book to gather and learn from.

Part of the reason why this book has ministered to me so greatly is because of the resounding message of hope and peace in God's sovereignty, which is explained throughout her life. It has only been in recent years that I have gained an understanding of God's sovereignty (at least a beginning understanding) and how vitally important that knowledge is for a believer. It has been the most healing and restorative Christian doctrine I've come to understand, since I've previously walked through trials and tribulations of my own while being heartbroken or beaten down. The solid teaching on the subject has given me a sorely needed new perspective on trials - how to view them and learn from them. Katy experiences much pain and turmoil in her life, but she learns some of her greatest lessons about Jesus, and what it means to live on this earth, as she endures till the end.

Here are some quotes, among many, which I treasure:

1) About God's love, which is available and endlessly reaches down to us when we feel our sin and wickedness:

Katy, speaking to her pastor, Dr. Cabot:

"You would not speak so kindly if you knew what a dreadful creature I am. I am angry with myself, and angry with everybody, and angry with God. I can't be good two minutes at a time. I do everything I do not want to do, and do nothing I try and pray to do. Everybody plagues me and tempts me. And God does not answer any of my prayers, and I am just desperate."

[Sarah here: Oh, how I relate to these cries of anguish!]

"Poor child!" he said, in a low voice, as if to himself. "Poor, heartsick, tired child, that cannot see what I can see, that its Father's loving arms are all about it?"

I stopped crying, to strain my ears and listen. He went on.

"Katy, all that you say may be true. I dare say it is. But God loves you. He loves you."

"He loves me," I repeated to myself. "He loves me! Oh, Dr. Cabot, if I could only believe that! If I could believe that, after all the promises I have broken, all the foolish, wrong things I have done, and shall always be doing, God perhaps still loves me!"

"You may be sure of it," he said solemnly. "I, His minister, bring the gospel to you today. Go home and say over and over to yourself, 'I am a wayward foolish child. But he loves me! I have disobeyed and grieved Him ten thousand times over. But He loves me! I have lost faith in some of my dearest friends and am very desolate. But He loves me!'"

I came away, and all the way home I fought this battle with myself, saying, "He loves me!" I knelt down to pray, and all my wasted, childish, wicked life came and stared me in the face. I looked at it and said with tears of joy, "But He loves me!" Never in my life did I feel so rested, so quieted, so sorrowful, and yet so satisfied." (page 38, 39)

2) About doing everything for Him:

Katy, talking to Dr. Cabot:

"I want to do something for God. And I can't think of anything unless it is to go on a mission. And Mother would never let me do that. She thinks girls with delicate health aren't fit for such work."

"At all events I would not go today," he replied. "Meanwhile do everything you do for Him who has loved you and given Himself for you." (page 40)

3) About seeking pleasure and ease in this life and how that clashes with God's purposes for us:

Katy, again speaking to Dr. Cabot:

"I would like next best to be learned and accomplished. Then I would want to be perfectly healthy and perfectly happy. And a pleasant home, of course, I must have, with friends to love me, and like me, too. And I can't get along without some pretty, tasteful things around me. But you are laughing at me! Have I said anything foolish?"

Dr. Cabot replies,

"If I laughed it was not at you, but at poor human nature that would yearn to grasp everything at once. Allowing that you would possess all you have just described, where is the heroism you so much admire to find room for exercise?"

"That's just what I was saying. That is just what troubles me."
"To be sure, while perfectly healthy and happy, in a pleasant home, with friends to love and admire you -"
"Oh, I did not say admire," I interrupted.
"That was just what you meant, my dear."
I am afraid it was, now that I come to think it over.
"Well, with plenty of friends, good in an uncommon way, accomplished, learned, and surrounded with pretty and tasteful objects, your life will certainly be in danger of not proving sublime."
"It is a great pity," I said, musingly.
"Suppose then you content yourself for the present with doing in a faithful, quiet, persistent way all the little, homely tasks that return with each returning day, each one as unto God, and perhaps by and by you will thus have gained strength for a more heroic life...[and later] You may depend upon it that a life of real heroism and self-sacrifice must begin and lay its foundation in this little world, wherein it learns its first lesson and takes its first steps." (page 46, 47)

4) About living for others, rather than oneself:

Katy's mother:

"Dear Katy, I feel very sorry for you. But I see one path which you have not yet tried, which can lead you out of these sore straits. You have tried living for your self a good many years, and the result is a great weariness and heaviness of soul. Try now to live for others. Take a class in the Sunday School. Go with me to visit my poor people. You will be astonished to find how much suffering and sickness there is in this world, and how delightful it is to sympathize with and try to relieve it."

This advice was very repugnant to me. My time is pretty fully occupied with my books, my music and my drawing. And of all places in the world I hate a sickroom. But, on the whole, I will take a class in the Sunday School."

[Sarah here: I love the honesty here. Katy ended up "taking a class", which meant becoming a Sunday School teacher to small children in her church, and she absolutely loved it. Then later she did visit sick people with her mother. God used her mightily there and she learned a lot through the experience]. (page 48)

5) About marriage, the arrival of a new child to the family, and how that tends to accelerate a mother's spiritual growth:

"The coming of each new child strengthens and deepens my desire to be what I would have it become; makes my faults more loathsome in my eyes, and elevates my whole character. What a blessed discipline of joy and of pain my married life has been and how thankful I am to reap its fruits even while pricked by its thorns!" (page 180)

6) About how only God, in his supreme wisdom and sovereignty, knows the best time to bring a new life to a married couple for His purposes:

"And now I am waiting for my Father's next gift, and the new cares and labors it will bring with it. I am glad it is not left for me to decide my own lot. Welcoming a new bird into the nest, dearly as I love the rustle of their wings and the sound of their voices when they do come. And surely He knows the right moments who knows all my struggles with a certain sort of poverty, poor health and domestic care. If I could feel that all the time, as I do at this moment, how happy I would always be!" (page 215)

7) About the need to understand God's providence:

"Mother says we ought to study God's providence more than we do, since He has a meaning and a purpose in everything He does. Sometimes I can do this and find it a source of great happiness. Then worldly cares seem mere worldly cares, and I forget that His wise, kind hand is in every one of them."(page 216)

8. About the importance of not comparing one's spiritual growth or giftings with other Christians. I appreciate the way she worded this - the understanding clicked for me, since this has been a long time pattern of mine. She realized that God is the one who sanctifies. It can't happen in her timing or in her power:

"But there is no use in trying to engraft an opposite nature on one's own. What I am, that I must be, except as God changes me into His own image. And everything brings me back to that, as my supreme desire. I see more and more that I must be myself what I want my children to be, and that I cannot make myself over even for their sakes. This must be His work, and I wonder that it goes on so slowly; that all the disappointments, sorrows, sicknesses I have passed through, have left me still selfish, still full of imperfections!" (page 226)

9) A metaphor for how God, the Great Physician, works in our lives through our trials:

A friend of Katy's, Miss Clifford, explains:

"...but I have had some delightful thoughts of late from just hearing the title of a book, 'God's method with the maladies of the soul.' It gives one such a conception of the seeming ills of life; to think of Him as our Physician, the ills all remedies the deprivations only a wholesome course for our good, the losses all gains. Why, as I study this individual case, and that, see how patiently and persistently He tries now this remedy, now that, and how infallibly He cures the souls that submit to His remedies, I love Him so! I love more so! And I am so astonished that we are restless under His unerring hand! Think how He has dealt with me. My soul was sick unto death, sick with worldliness, and self-pleasing and folly. There was only one way of making me listen to reason, and that was just the way He took. He snatched me right out of the world and shut me up in one room, crippled, helpless, and alone, and set me to thinking, thinking, thinking till I saw the emptiness and shallowness of all in which I had hitherto been involved. And then He sent you and your mother to show me the reality of life, and to reveal to me my invisible, unknown questions as to how much I am to pay towards the debt I owe Him?" (page 244, 245)

After hearing her friend say this, Katy writes in her journal:

"I was glad to be alone, to walk my room singing praises to him for every instance in which, as my Physician, He had "disappointed my hope and defeated my joy," and given me to drink of the cup of sorrow and bereavement." (page 245)

10) In the midst of a conversation with a woman who shared her concerns and fears of having a child with her husband, Katy, passionate about this subject, said:

"Yes, I am in earnest. I want to see little children adorning every home, as flowers adorn every meadow and every wayside. I want to see them welcomed to the homes they enter, to see their parents grow less and less selfish, and more and more loving, because they have come. I want to see God's precious gifts accepted, not frowned up on and refused." (page 256)

[this woman and her husband ended up deciding to allow God to bless them with a child, if it was his will. Katy met her again after the baby was born, and this new mother was grateful for Katy's encouragement, bursting with joy for the child God gave her.

11) Katy's mother, on her death bed:

"But before I go I want once more to tell you how good He is, how blessed it is to suffer with him, how infinitely happy He has made me in the very hottest heat of the furnace. It will strengthen you in your trials to recall this my dying testimony. There is no wilderness so dreary but that His love can illuminate it; no desolation so desolate but that He can sweeten it. I know what I am saying. It is no delusion. I believe that the highest, purest happiness is known only to those who have learned Christ in sickrooms, in poverty, in painful suspense and anxiety, amid hardships, and at the open grave.

Yes, the radiant face, worn by sickness and suffering, but radiant still, said in language yet more unspeakably impressive, "To learn Christ, this is life!" (page 247, 248).

Oh, I'm so thankful this book was recommended to me (by Amy and Jess). Reading this fictional account, though based on the author's life, fills me with emotion and passion for to know Him and live for Him. I don't want to seek ease and pleasure the way I have. I see how all of the inconveniences, pains (great and small) are to be used by God to shape me into the likeness of his Son. But, as Katy realized, the process of my becoming more like Christ is in God's hands. I can't rush it. This has been a great comfort to my impatient self, since I wish I was already a mature, wise Christian. It's in his hands. That's the best news I've heard in a long time.

My little Amber

2007-03-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

Amber loves this new shirt with the cupcake on the front (a gift from her "Mimi"). She wants to wear it all the time, even to bed. She'll say, "Pretty" while touching her shirt. And I can't get enough of her wearing that pink beanie (a gift from her Grandma) - adorable!

It's interesting to see her enjoy clothes and jewelry - something her all-boy brother never cared about. What's amazing to me is that I haven't done anything to encourage this in her; it came on it's own. She's definitely a girly-girl.

When I look at these pictures I think, "Is she really mine?" Wow. What an awesome privilege to be her mother!

Student of the month

2007-03-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I attended Caleb's elementary school assembly, where he was presented with a student of the month award for good behavior. A different student, chosen by the teacher, from each grade receives this reward each month. Caleb was so proud of himself. It was absolutely adorable.

Each day the students in his special ed. Kindergarten class start out with three points. They get a point removed when they don't follow directions or do something else that's not allowed. If all three points are taken away, that student isn't allowed to play at the very end of the school day.

Caleb's been doing much better this month, getting mainly two's and three's. His teacher has taken notice of this and told me she would like to give Caleb the award at the assembly, and that "Caleb's been wanting this very much." He'd start out the day saying, "I'm going to get three points!" I think he was really working hard, harder than usual, to pay attention and follow directions. What makes me so proud is the way he took initiative and worked on his behavior with determination and focus.

So at the assembly, the whole school got to see Caleb presented with this award, announced on microphone by his teacher. He was given a badge and ribbon. Then, his picture was taken and will be put on a big board that shows everyone who received the award for that month. We pass that board every morning while walking to Caleb's class and he enjoys showing me the pictures. It'll be fun to see his picture posted next week, and I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see it.

This picture was taken as Caleb's teacher is announcing his award. Amber decided to move right in front of my camera while I was taking the picture, so I cropped her out, for the most part.

Caleb is clapping for himself here, along with everyone else, as his teacher passes the microphone to the next teacher.

Sparkling clean for Spring

2007-03-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

I love the changing of the seasons. I always have, even I'm in one of the most mild climates in the country. We've had good amount of cold weather this past winter, but not much rain. So it was with great pleasure that I looked out the window on Wednesday, the first day of Spring, and saw dark grey clouds. Rain seemed to be on the horizon.

Rain has always seemed like a great, big bath for the city (and this major metropolitan city needs it!). Everything gets washed clean and seems more sparkly. Afterward, the dirt becomes soft and happy, the grass shines with a brighter hue of green, the sky is clear and filled with white, billowy clouds.

Later in the day, when I opened my front door and saw puddles of water on the ground, I contentedly smiled. It continued to rain off and on for the next day and a half and I relished the great, big bath my city was getting.

Here's some pictures of my neighborhood I took that day:

Sick last week

2007-03-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday night Caleb came down with a fever and cough. That began a long week of sickness that spread to Amber on Tuesday, and me on Wednesday. I haven't been sick with a fever in years - it's the pits! Matt has Wednesday's off, so he was able to take care of me (more like take care of the children while I spent more time laying in my bed, not reading or listening to music, but just laying there sick and miserable. I am extremely thankful he was able to be home with us when we needed him.

On Thursday my mother-in-law came over in the morning to help out. She got Caleb ready, took him to school, and did a few things at home for me that I wasn't able to do. My parents came over for their shift (ha!) at 11:00 and stayed until Matt got home around 5:00. I was so happy to have both my parents here with me when I was sick. It felt so comforting to be taken care of by them. Amber, even though she was ill, was able to spend some quality time with Matt's mom (though brief) and my parents that day. Usually Caleb's the one who spends time with the grandparents...but this time Amber had them to herself. When Amber took her nap, I took one too. By the end of the night I ended up feeling much better.

I do not enjoy being sick, but I did relish being taken care of by my family members. Their show of love and care for the three of us is something I'll cherish forever.

A little story: Saturday morning I wasn't feeling well (up too early with tired and sick Amber) so I asked Caleb to go get Amber some food to eat, instead of doing it myself. He didn't want to at first, but then he got into the idea. First he brought up a bowl of baby carrots from the fridge and gave it to her with a big smile. Later he brought a piece of toast with maple syrup all over it (he said it was honey). It was very messy so I had him take it back downstairs (plus, we don't eat toast with maple syrup on it...unless it's french toast). So he brought a mixture of two of their favorite cereals to her. He gave it to her with such excitement and joy. My eyes lit up with his. But, unfortunately she was exhausted and cranky, so she didn't receive it well. I tried to make sure he knew he did a kind thing for her and explained that she just doesn't feel well. She ended up falling asleep on my bed laying next to me a short time later...and I ate the carrots.

Music and memories

2007-03-12T22:37:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Moonlight Mile, a movie about a family dealing with the loss of their daughter and the impact it has on their lives. It's a complex story line that ended with a fantastically hopeful, inspiring ending.

The reason I'm writing this is that the movie soundtrack sent me back in time to my childhood and all the amazing music I listened to. Moonlight Mile is set in 1973, which is right around the time my parents got married. As I grew up my mom and dad introduced me to much of the music from the 60's and 70's, and I'm still blown away by how good it was. These musicians and singers were extremely talented. I'm thinking of the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, and so many others.

The movie ends with one of my favorite songs from Van Morrison, called Sweet Thing. I just smiled and soaked in the music while I watched. I couldn't help think of my mom and dad. It's amazing how music has the capacity to take me back in time. When I heard this song I thought of my young, hippie parents, newly married with no idea what's in store for them in the years to come. My dad has always been sort of amazed and in awe of my mom, so the lyrics to this song remind me of some of the things he'd think or say about her.

Sweet Thing by Van Morrison

And I will stroll the merry way

And jump the hedges first

And I will drink the clear

Clean water for to quench my thirst

And I shall watch the ferry-boats

And they'll get high

On a bluer ocean

Against tomorrow's sky

And I will never grow so old again

And I will walk and talk

In gardens all wet with rain

Oh sweet thing, sweet thing

My, my, my, my, my sweet thing

And I shall drive my chariot

Down your streets and cry'

Hey, it's me, I'm dynamite

And I don't know why'

And you shall take me strongly

In your arms again

And I will not remember

That I even felt the pain

We shall walk and talk

In gardens all misty and wet with rain

And I will never, never, never

Grow so old again

Oh sweet thing, sweet thing

My, my, my, my, my sweet thing

And I will raise my hand up

Into the night time sky

And count the stars

That's shining in your eye

Just to dig it all an' not to wonder

That's just fine

And I'll be satisfied

Not to read in between the lines

And I will walk and talk

In gardens all wet with rain

And I will never, ever, ever, ever

Grow so old again

Oh sweet thing, sweet thing

Sugar baby with your champagne eyes

And your saint like smile...

My sleep research

2007-03-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

I've always been fascinated by what goes on in our bodies during sleep. When I was in junior high I read an article called "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream" which spurred me on to write a research paper about sleep and dreams. What I've recently been interested in is how to develop the best sleeping habits possible to experience a calm alertness throughout the day, rather than a nagging feeling of tiredness and lack of motivation (I only deal with this when my sleep becomes fragmented or I don't get enough of it).

In earlier times, people used to go to bed shortly after sundown. Since the utilization of electricity, we don't feel the need to go to sleep as early because we have lots of light to keep us busy and active well into the night (read "U.S. Racking Up Huge "Sleep Debt"", from National Geographic Magazine . Nine hours of sleep was the norm, but now we're getting an average of seven hours (and I know some people who rarely get five hours of sleep a night). Numerous studies have shown that eight hours of sleep is what most people need every night. If we get less sleep than needed we develop a sleep debt, which greatly lowers our mental acuity, creativity, motivation, etc.

Below are some of the most interesting things I've learned about our need for sleep, how to best obtain it, and what happens when we don't. I definitely need these reminders since I tend to shortchange myself on the sleep I need by staying up too late at night.

From the National Sleep Foundation:

"Two studies suggest that healthy adults have a basal sleep need of seven to eight hours every night, but where things get complicated is the interaction between the basal need and sleep debt. For instance, you might meet your basal sleep need on any single night or a few nights in a row, but still have an unresolved sleep debt that may make you feel more sleepy and less alert at times, particularly in conjunction with circadian dips, those times in the 24-hour cycle when we are biologically programmed to be more sleepy and less alert, such as overnight hours and mid-afternoon. You may feel overwhelmingly sleepy quite suddenly at these times, shortly before bedtime or feel sleepy upon awakening. The good news is that some research suggests that the accumulated sleep debt can be worked down or "paid off."

The photo above, The Sleeping Flower Girl, is a perfect example of someone who has accumulated sleep debt. She was in the middle of a project and fell asleep while sitting in a seemingly uncomfortable, small wood chair. That's a tell tale sign that she needs to catch up on some quality sleep.

From The Promise of Sleep, my favorite book about this subject:

When a person feels drowsy after lunch, when driving (or being a passenger), or anytime they sit down for a minute's break this reveals the presence of a sleep debt that needs to be dealt with.

If someone is driving and feels heavy eyelids and a temptation to shut them, they need to pull over and either take a 5 minute snooze or get out and run around the car. Basically, droopy eyelids are the number one signal that a person has to stop driving or they very well may fall asleep without even realizing it and loose control of their vehicle. There have been many unnecessary injuries and fatalities caused by falling asleep at the wheel.

"Along with diet and exercise, healthy sleep provides the essential foundation for the mental and physical health we need to do our best." (pg. 314)

"In both school and work environments, well-slept people are much more engaged, can keep more ideas in their head simultaneously, and can think through new ideas more clearly. The experience of the tired, bored student who, when rested, found her professor's lectures engaging and stimulating is common to many people who finally catch up on sleep. Old interests and hobbies that had long been ignored reassert themselves as involving diversions; new, engaging ideas seem to leap out of newspapers and books. Most important of all, people report again and again that learning doesn't seem so hard when they're minds are no longer weighed down by sleep debt." (page 314)

"...REM sleep is a time when the brain actively discards useless memories, thereby freeing up space for new learning and new information storage." (page 315)

"...the process of sleep itself helps the brain form long-term memories and that interfering with sleep hinders this process." (page 315)

"...motivation is on of the first things to go when sleep is shortchanged...With a large sleep debt, the only thing we are really motivated to do is sleep. The effort of staying awake often seems monumental, and there is little energy left for anything but basic survival needs, such as what to have for dinner and how to get it." (page 319)

"Openness to pleasure is an extremely important part of the creative process, and as you recall from my discussion of mood and sleep, our ability to feel pleasure is smothered by a heavy sleep debt." (page 320)

"The creative act takes us beyond the limitations dictated to us by normative reality; we transcend the dross of daily living and discover a source of exhilaration and wonder. Sleep is a potent tonic for the creative process because it helps put us in a receptive state of mind where we feel motivated, are open to new ideas, are able to grasp complex and subtle relationships, and are capable of reaping pleasure from the creative process." (page 320)

Those who are "night-owl's", staying up late into the night at different points throughout the week, can train their bodies and reset their internal clock to be ready and willing to fall asleep at an earlier hour. How to do that is outlined in The Promise of Sleep. The author also lays out a detailed plan at the end of the book, referred to as a "three week sleep boot camp" to help one minimize their sleep debt and develop healthy sleep habits. I highly recommend it (for myself as well ;)

From 29 Secrets to A Good Night's Sleep:

"Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible. If there is even the tiniest bit of light in the room it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and your pineal gland's production of melatonin and serotonin. There also should be as little light in the bathroom as possible if you get up in the middle of the night. Please whatever you do, keep the light off when you go to the bathroom at night. As soon as you turn on that light you will for that night immediately cease all production of the important sleep aid melatonin."

"Get to bed as early as possible. Our systems, particularly the adrenals (which regulate our stress response), do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11PM and 1AM. In addition, your gallbladder dumps toxins during this same period. If you are awake, the toxins back up into the liver which then secondarily back up into your entire system and cause further disruption of your health. Prior to the widespread use of electricity, people would go to bed shortly after sundown, as most animals do, and which nature intended for humans as well."

"Don't Change Your Bedtime. You should go to bed, and wake up, at the same times each day, even on the weekends. This will help your body to get into a sleep rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep and get up in the morning." (Sarah here: waking up at the same time every morning, I've found after reading a lot about this, is probably the single most important thing to do to help establish good sleeping patterns.)

From How To Get Great Sleep, in Psychology Today magazine:

"What we do at night affects everything we do during the day—our ability to learn, our skills, our memory, stamina, health and safety. Most of all, it affects our mood: Chronic sleep disruption appears to be the single biggest trigger for depression."

"Most depressed people have trouble sleeping. But insomnia is not just a symptom: It's the single best predictor of depression, says Perlis. He has found that two or more weeks of sleeplessness increase the risk of a first episode of depression by 400 percent—even for someone who has never before been depressed. For those who have struggled with depression before, insomnia often heralds a recurrence."

"It seems that at least one purpose of REM sleep is to promote the consolidation of memory, to reinforce what we learn during the day and integrate it into long-term memory—and to strip new memories of whatever emotional charge they initially carried. "You especially need REM sleep when you're depressed to process negative affect," explains Michael Thase, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. But in the depressed, "there's so much water in the dam, it can't be contained," says Perlis. The central nervous system stays aroused. Mental hyperactivity, particularly intense in the amygdala and limbic cortex of the "emotional brain," leads to an increase in negative thoughts. The depressed become overly biased to remember bad things. And instead of helping to regulate mood, REM sleep in the depressed actually worsens it. The memory is "always as bad as it was the first time," says Perlis. One common problem in depression is awakening in the early morning. This may be the body's attempt to reduce negative affect by interrupting the last (and normally the longest) cycle of REM sleep."

Hmm...the understanding scientists now have that sleep (REM sleep to be precise) helps "strip new memories of whatever emotional charge they initially carried", gives scientific back up to the following Bible verse. Very interesting!

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."
Psalm 30:5b

This art piece called Watchers in the night is more about angelic protection than about sleep. Still, this picture reminds me that even while I, or my children, sleep we are under the watchful eye of our guardian angel...and ultimately, the Lord himself.

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8

"When you lie down, you will not be afraid; yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet."
Proverbs 3:24

Books, books, books

2007-03-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

The past couple of weeks has proven to be quite interesting as I observe Amber's love of books grow by leaps and bounds. She'll sit down to look at books she's carefully chosen, going through them one by one with anticipation. The focus and enjoyment she has while "reading" these books is too adorable for words.

This morning after she woke up, I noticed she was motioning me to come over to the glider rocking chair to read to her. Normally I take her to my bed to nurse her; then she goes into her room to play with her brother for a little while. Well, this morning she was so interested in looking at books it seemed she was willing to forgo nursing! That's never happened before!

She decided she did want to nurse, but she carried two small books with her to my bed. She held onto these books almost the entire time I nursed her! I could hardly keep from laughing out loud. As soon as she finished she excitedly walked to the rocking chair in her room to read. So cute!

Here she is looking through a clothing catalogue. This happens to be the pages with the baby clothes. :)

A helper to my husband

2007-03-05T13:20:00.000-08:00

I just listened to today's broadcast from Revive Our Hearts. Nancy continued her teachings on the Proverbs 31 woman where today she narrowed in on being a support and helpmeet to our husbands. During this season of our life, when Matt is in the beginning of his fire career and needs a great deal of support from me, I have found myself thinking, "What about me? What about my dreams and my aspirations?" Well, I have been reminded that God has given me a high calling to be a helper to my husband when he needs me most. Here's some quotes from today's message that convicted and then inspired me to accept this calling:

"One of the great women in Christian history is Sarah Edwards, who was the wife, as many of you know, of Jonathan Edwards, one of the greatest theological minds this nation has ever had. He was a pastor that God used in a significant way as an instrument in the First Great Awakening in the 1700s.

But here was a man who was able to be successful at his calling as a man of God in large measure because of the kind of wife he had in Sarah Edwards. Sarah and Jonathan Edwards had 11 children. She was married at 18, and for 31 years she and Jonathan had a complex and challenging but very successful marriage...

One of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards’ contemporaries wrote a preface to the collected works of Jonathan Edwards. In the preface he gives a lengthy description of what Jonathan Edwards’ wife, Sarah, was like. I think it’s a perfect picture of this kind of woman who is supporting her husband from her role at home. He wrote:
"In the midst of these complicated labors [and he’s talking about the time when the revival was going on, and life was very, very busy for Jonathan Edwards], as well as at all times, he found at home one who was in every sense a helpmeet for him. One who made their dwelling an abode of order and neatness, of peace and comfort, of harmony and love to all who lived there, and of kindness and hospitality to the friend, the visitor, and the stranger." While she paid a becoming deference [or respect] to her husband and treated him with entire respect, she spared no pains in conforming to his inclinations.She rendered everything in the family agreeable and pleasant, considering it her greatest glory, and that wherein she could best serve God and her generation, to be the means in this way of promoting her husband’s usefulness and happiness."

Did you catch that? She considered it her best means of bringing glory to God and fulfilling God’s purpose for her life in her generation by promoting her husband’s spiritual usefulness and happiness! She knew if she could create a climate in the home where her husband was encouraged to become spiritually mature and fruitful and to be used by God, then she would have been the helper suitable to him.

God has given you exactly the husband that He knows He wants you to help, and God fashioned you to be the helper suitable to that man."

Dear God, thank you for this opportunity to serve my husband and become the helper he needs to sustain him, with joy, throughout the long, grueling hours he spends working and studying. My viewpoint has shifted. I am not to be focused on myself, but instead I am to be focused on serving my family. Thank you for this timely reminder. I know Matt will appreciate it too!

Crayons and books

2007-03-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

In the first picture below you'll see Amber gazing at her crayons. She's been really interested in having us tell her what all the colors are. She'll grab crayon after crayon and hold it up for us to say the color. Then she says, "Yeah" with a smile, and grabs more.

Matt and Amber reading a book together.

Sunday morning play

2007-02-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures of Amber and Caleb playing last Sunday morning. They had a blast playing with floam, cutting shapes, coloring, playing with water from the sink. I love to capture their faces in a photo when they're concentrated on the task at hand.

Perfect

2007-02-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been in the kind of weather that is absolutely perfect - not too warm, not too cool? Since I was born and raised in sunny California I've experienced my share of these days. But, I grew weary of them, longing for some kind of drastic change in temperature...something, anything dramatic. Give me thunder, hail, heck, I'll even take some snow! Well, this winter I've been able to experience lots of weather changes: record breaking wind, hail, rain, very cold temps (for California anyway), and one day it even snowed here, which is extremely rare. But yesterday, oh my - yesterday was one of a kind. I think I appreciated it more because of the cold winter we've had.

Last night, at dusk, I took a walk with Amber wearing just a tank top and jeans. My arms didn't get the least bit cold, and I never became too warm. The sky gleamed bright blue and pink, clear and beautiful. A few neighbors wandered outside to say hi to us as we passed maybe an excuse to breathe in the tranquility of this night. Amber ran down the sidewalk, giggling all the way, while I jogged beside her. At other points we s-l-o-w-l-y dawdled, down the street, looking at every plant, tree, and rock. When Amber stopped and patted a concrete ledge with her hand, I lifted her up to sit down for a moment. She gazed upward and followed an airplane flying across the sky, and then looked at the stars, like a little scientist exploring everything for the first time. I sat there, next to my daughter, and realized what a truly spectacular evening this was. As we walked home I thought to myself, "This couldn't have been any more perfect."

A relaxed evening at home

2007-02-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting for a good time to write about a big milestone in Amber's life that happened yesterday, but haven't had a chance yet. I'm hoping to get to it tomorrow. In the meantime, I've been super productive the past couple of days cleaning, decluttering, and organizing our home. I'm so thankful we have a three day weekend (Matt has Monday off too!) to spend together. Right now we're going to eat dinner - amazingly delicious beef stew prepared at Whole Foods market - and then we'll watch "The Guardian." We've got some chocolate brownies for dessert too. It's a fun date night at home...a belated Valentines Day celebration. I love nights like this! :)

Love is in the air

2007-02-14T19:56:00.000-08:00

"Dear, dear friend and lover,

you're as beautiful as Tirzah, city of delights,

Lovely as Jerusalem, city of dreams,

the ravishing visions of my ecstasy.

Your beauty is too much for me—I'm in over my head.

I'm not used to this! I can't take it in.

Your hair flows and shimmers

like a flock of goats in the distance

streaming down a hillside in the sunshine.

Your smile is generous and full—

expressive and strong and clean.

Your veiled cheeks are soft and radiant.

There's no one like her on earth,

never has been, never will be.

She's a woman beyond compare.

My dove is perfection,

Pure and innocent as the day she was born,

and cradled in joy by her mother.

Everyone who came by to see her

exclaimed and admired her—

All the fathers and mothers,

the neighbors and friends,

blessed and praised her:

"Has anyone ever seen anything like this—

dawn-fresh, moon-lovely, sun-radiant,

ravishing as the night sky with its galaxies of stars?"

One day I went strolling through the orchard,

looking for signs of spring,

Looking for buds about to burst into flower,

anticipating readiness, ripeness.

Before I knew it my heart was raptured,

carried away by lofty thoughts!

Dance, dance, dear Shulammite, Angel-Princess!

Dance, and we'll feast our eyes on your grace!

Everyone wants to see the Shulammite dance

her victory dances of love and peace."

Song of Songs 6:4-13 The Message Bible

Happy Valentines Day!

What home is meant to be

2007-02-12T14:57:00.000-08:00

"Home - it's such a beautiful word! It's the center of our lives, the place that holds us with invisible strings of love within its walls. Home is the place where the delectable smells and tastes of "my favorite food" linger, where the comfort and beauty of "my room" and "my bed" can be enjoyed; where "my dreams" are inspired and begin to grow; where bedtime routines, prayers, and blessings give comfort; where the intimacy of deep relationships - unconditional love, grace, forgiveness, encouragement, unselfishness, laughter, and memories - is shared with people who have made us a priority in their lives. It's where appetites for favorite music, movies, books, games, art, and traditions are shaped from infancy on up.Home is a haven from a world that is swimming with challenges and difficulty. It is a school where one learns how precious life is intended to be. It provides the context of learning to know and love my Creator, the beauty of the world he made, and his Word, which guides me. And it is the environment where direction and purpose and values are passed from generation to generation, protecting and preserving all that is precious in life."

From The Mission of Motherhood (my favorite book about mothering) by Sally Clarkson, page 160-161.

Um, does anyone else feel like going over to her house this afternoon?? I know I do!

What a relief

2007-02-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Caleb has severe food allergies, one of the worst of them being dairy products. He can't eat cheese, yogurt or anything containing the milk protein casein. I've held off on giving Amber any dairy products until recently because I wanted to make sure early exposure didn't predispose her to develop an allergy, which can sometimes happen to children with family members that suffer from allergies. I'm so relieved to report that Amber shows no signs of food allergies! Matt gave her some string cheese last week (the pictures are below) and she didn't have any negative reactions. We laughed with each other and agreed how strange it was to be allowed to give one of our children cheese (since we've been guarding Caleb from dairy products for so long).

A visit to Kindergarten

2007-02-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

I spent a couple of hours with Caleb at his school yesterday. He was finishing lunch right when I arrived. He was so happy to see me - I was surprised at how glad he was that I was there, visiting his domain. He kept giving me hugs and leaning on me. The smiles - he smiled at me so many times with a look that seemed to say, "Yeah, that's right. My mommy is here. I'm special." It was too cute.

We went over to the school nurse together and she gave him his daily medicine. She raved about what a happy, sweet boy he is and how well he takes his medicine. :) That's one thing about Caleb - he willingly takes all his medicines.

Then he had recess on the playground where these boys ride their tricycles on a little track...and fast!

When we went to the class his teacher turned out the lights and put on soft music while the kids laid their heads down on their desks. I laid my head down next to Caleb's and we closed our eyes, peeking at each other every once in a while.

Then we played a game of bingo with sight words. Caleb knows so many words now. It's encouraging to me to see how well he's learning in the class.

After the bingo game they all got in groups of three with a teacher or one of the aides to take a math test. While one took the test with the help of the adult, the other two drew or wrote words on a small white board. Caleb and Amber received a big white board and dry erase markers from Matt's parents at Christmastime, and he loves writing on it, so it was fun to see that he has a chance to use one at school too. His teacher gave us flash cards with pictures and matching words - Caleb would focus and copy the word on the board. After the tests were finished they had free play in the classroom.

I've been wondering what Caleb's day at school is like for a long time now, so it was very cool to be able to focus on him (Matt was at home - he has Wednesdays off of the academy - with Amber while she napped). I'm going there again next week, earlier in the day, to experience the morning schedule. The class is run very smoothly. Caleb has a calm, capable teacher. I'm so glad Caleb was able to get into this special education Kindergarten class. He just barely made it in.

A treasured gift

2007-02-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago I received a Christmas card from a friend of the family I knew as a young girl (we referred to her as "Aunt" because she was such a close family member). Enclosed in the card was a short letter I wrote for a class assignment about some special gifts she gave me. She had found this old, yellowed paper and thought I might like to have it for myself. Here's what I wrote:

My Christmas January 4, 1985

My best Christmas gift was in 1984. My Aunt Joy made me, my brother, and cousin a blanket. It took so much of her time to make them.

Then, the Christmas after that one, she painted people from different countries on another blanket. She was so happy that we liked the blankets. She made them out of pure love.

This is the blanket painted for me. I so enjoyed looking at these women from different countries all over the world. Knowing that she painted every detail just for me...wow! I felt special. :)

A couple closeups.

Our own bedroom

2007-02-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

For the past year my husband and I have slept down stairs in the living room at night. He's been on the couch, and I've slept on a fold out bed on the floor. It hasn't been the most romantic or comfortable arrangement, to say the least, but we got the sleep we craved. That's all that mattered to us at that point. It was a year ago, after having shared our bed with Amber for the first 9 months of her life (which I didn't have a problem with until she consistently woke and become playful in the middle of the night and did not want to go back to sleep), that we decided to move her to her own crib. Caleb had too many health issues at that point for us to feel comfortable moving her in the bedroom with him. It seemed like it would be a recipe for disaster - two children energized by each other's presence, distracted by each other's noises who'd never get to sleep (and therefore we wouldn't get to sleep).

So, they have each had their own room for the past year...until today. After months of wanting to do this but dealing with some pretty hefty obstacles (including the untimely occurrence of Matt running straight into a fire hydrant and gouging his knee this morning during training for a certain test he'll take at the Fire Academy) we moved Caleb into Amber's room. It's done! We have our cozy California King bed back (it was kept in a storage shed). We have our room back (actually, we moved into Caleb's room and they have the bigger room, but they need it because they have a lot more stuff that needs to fit in there). I laid on our bed tonight for a little while and realized how much being "room less" has affected me. I felt displaced all this time. I know sometimes these things are necessary when dealing with a growing family and career changes, etc. but I finally feel like we've got our own space again - a place to call our own. It feels wonderful!

Now we just need to get through this night and see how Amber and Caleb take to sleeping together. How early are we going to see their little energetic faces in the morning?? All I know is that I'm going to be able to actually sleep in my own bed tonight, so it's all worth it. Whatever we have to deal with is worth it.

Update 2/5: Caleb and Amber have handled the newness of sharing a room just fine. They have slept well, and so have we (though Amber wakes up now when Caleb wakes up, which is somewhat early; she used to sleep longer in the morning). It's going very well, to my pleasant surprise.

Spreading the love

2007-02-01T21:44:00.000-08:00

What a lovely smiling face...wait, what is that? Is there a stain on his shirt? Oh well. Life with a five year old, I guess. Come to think of it, I still spill on myself and I'm much older than he is!

Amber wasn't too interested in getting cozy for a picture -not yet anyway...

Now that's some serious puckering!

Aaaw. How sweet :)

Starting my day with intention

2007-02-01T10:59:00.000-08:00

It's amazing what can happen when each new day is started off with focus and intention, looking ahead at what will take place as the hours pass. I've usually approached my days without this kind of intention, leaving me doing things on somewhat of a whim, usually out of an attitude of being overwhelmed and feeling like I don't have the capability to plan the day for me and my family (pathetic and defeatist...I know). I have mountains of papers to go through and organize, long to-do lists, projects galore I want to attend to - it all seems endless. I know I've been going about my days all wrong. Yesterday, after reading an article from my friend's website, I was reminded that the time I devote to planning my day and week will help me much more in the long run than if I just let my day "happen." Yes, this is common sense, but at least I'm catching on once again.

Since Amber was born and I all of a sudden had two children to guide through life, I've often felt like my day is happening to me (not the most peaceful, comforting feeling). But, when I prepare for the next day the night before (by getting our clothes laid out, lunches packed or at least planned, short to-do list ready, going to bed early enough, etc.) and then in the morning (getting up before the kids, spending some time thinking, reading or writing, and/or reviewing the day's routine), I can go through my day with much greater ease. This is a powerful way to minimize stress, which I would be wise to remember.

So, this morning I got up at 5:30am - about an hour earlier than normal. I drank my usual glass of water with 1/2 a lemon squeezed into it, turned on some soft classical music, got out a poster board and some nice markers and wrote out what I think will be our daily routine. I spent a few minutes checking email and looked at a couple websites. Then, I helped Caleb get ready for school. We ate breakfast and had such a nice time together while working on some make-up homework/classwork from when he missed school due to illness. I was calm, rather than worried about what time it was, because I wasn't running late. Caleb was so smiley and happy this morning - he definitely prefers my being up and ready for the day before him since I'm not struggling to wake up while getting him ready. I was alert and ready to do what needed to be done.

I have known the benefits of planning the day and getting up before the kids for years, but it usually seemed like a chore. I would end up dreading waking up in the morning because I would have to "get to work" right away. But, my perspective changed after I read Anne's article about managing days at home with children. She writes,

"First, wake up about half an hour before everyone else. Don't think of it as punishment, LOL! Think of it as a reward -- time to yourself that you won't get any other way. Read your Bible, play online, do something fun. :-) It will get your mental attitude on the right page for the day."

Those four simple sentences helped me see this time in the morning as somewhat of an indulgence, a time to savor before the day's activities begin. That's exactly how it felt this morning for me. I enjoyed myself for a bit after I woke up. Then, I was completely ready to greet my son and start the day.

"Let all things be done decently and in order."

1 Corinthians 14:40

Amber, this week

2007-01-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Here's two pictures I took of Amber a couple days ago. I'm going to try to get some good one's of Caleb within the next few days to post as well.

She's just eating a snack, looking at her little board book, but I thought she looked so focused and grown up here. I love it when my kids enjoy their books.

My poor, ill family

2007-01-22T21:01:00.000-08:00

It amazes me how many times the past couple of years I've watched everyone in my immediate family come down with a cold or flu, but I end up getting through it without becoming sick myself. Either God is continually trying to teach me to serve others selflessly or I have an excellent immune system (maybe it's a combination of both?). Caleb was sick last week, then Matt, and now Amber. The sequence of their symptoms coming on is almost predictable: stuffed up nose, coughing, then fever hits about a day later. It happened with all of them.

Amber wanted to nurse or be held for most of the day today. As I held her, she snuggled so close to me and I could feel all the heat from her fever radiating from her body to mine. She was my own personal heater for the day. I'm so glad I'm able to comfort her in such a profound way. What a unique and special (though tiring) position I'm in, being able to help her feel better and be there for her when she needs me most.

My little Rainbow Brite

2007-01-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

These pictures of Amber were taken last October, but I thought they were too cute to pass up putting on my blog. When Amber wears this rainbow striped outfit she reminds me of Rainbow Brite, one of my favorite cartoons as a little girl. Too cute!

Dealing with a picky eater

2007-01-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

I just read a very informative, helpful article from the Weston A. Price foundation's website about how to deal with having a child who is a picky eater. There was so much good advice given I decided to post the article link. My children aren't too extremely picky, but there's still a lot of great information here for me to consider. If you are a parent (or a future parent doing some research on this subject) not sure what to do to encourage your child to eat a wider variety of foods, read this article: Taking the Icky Out of Picky Eaters.

If you don't want to read the whole article, here's some of the author's best tips:

Involve the kids. Make food personal! Involve them with planning, shopping, and mealtime preparations. Just like earning the money to pay for that first car, experiencing the activity of preparing nourishing meals gives a different perspective to children about what they are putting into their mouths. They can tear lettuce, wash veggies, grate cheese, shake a bag of muffin ingredients, and measure out ingredients. Don't forget cleanup participation!

Visit the source. Researchers at Texas A&M University discovered that children who spend around 30 minutes per week tending to a garden are more likely to eat vegetables. We can all benefit from spending time thinking about the different pieces of the food-growing process-- sunshine, rich soil, water, time, care, planting, and harvesting. When children witness this process in action, they are more motivated to consume the end product. Start a garden, grow sprouts on the kitchen counter, visit an orchard, berry farm, or organic raw milk dairy, or take them fishing.

Be creative, but don't go overboard. Make fun meals and snacks. Arrange carrot stick and cheese hair, olive-slice eyes, cherry tomato ears, bell pepper mustaches, and mushroom noses to look like a face.

Cut pancakes in the shape of little Sammy's initials or stamp out a piece of heart shaped toast. Try finding a personalized place setting that he can call his own. Give funny names to foods, such as "green French fries" for asparagus or "cheese in the trees" for cheese covered steamed broccoli florets. Occasionally have "fun utensil night." Instead of the typical fork and spoon, let everyone pick one or two of something different--spatulas, ice cream scoops or tongs. Another dinner table idea is to skip the everyday serving ware and offer dinner in fun containers, such as coffee mugs, glass sundae bowls, jello goblets, or that silver nut dish that you bring out only at the holidays.

Keep meals simple and loaded with nourishing, properly prepared whole foods. Avoid fancy, 5-star restaurant-type meals with strange ingredients and exotic or outlandish tastes; your kids will probably not partake.

Play with different textures. The mouth feel of food can influence your child's acceptance. If a food is rejected in a certain form, try it another way! Instead of scrambling an egg, put it in a smoothie. Instead of chunky soup, blend it up. Be inventive!

Keep kids informed of what to expect. Post the meals for the week. This may take the surprise out of options that would have otherwise been rejected.

Some kids get overwhelmed. For younger aged children, offering too many choices or too much quantity can discourage eating. Try placing just a few bites of one food on their tray at a time. Once those are gone, try a few more.

Go beyond "Because it's good for you!" Use "kidese" language to explain why your family is eating certain foods. For example, "white bread zaps vitamins from our bodies" or "fish makes us smart." For those aspiring superheroes, tell them "grass-fed beef meatloaf will help you see better in the dark, jump higher, run faster, and think with lighting speed!"
Dip and spread. Kids love to be active with their food. Try yogurt for fruit slices, nut butter for carrots, or avocado dip for homemade corn chips. An easy dip idea is to blend together some crème fraiche or sour cream, a little steamed spinach with the moisture removed, and a dash of Annie's Naturals Worcestershire sauce. It is fabulous with any veggie or homemade cracker.

Add broth wherever possible. Broth is one of the most nourishing foods to feed your family. I love what my friend Blair has to say about her experience with broth. "Bone broths seem to really help people migrate toward nutrient-dense foods. They are so satisfying; they help people understand the connection between the gut and the palate." Make sure to always have broth on hand--chicken is usually well-liked, but any homemade variety will do. Use it as the base for soups, make gravy regularly, serve it as a hot beverage with salt and seasonings, and use it in place of water to cook grains.

Make food a group thing. Just as kids will be more likely to try what they see other family members munching, watching other playmates may also spark a renewed sense of adventure, or at least a competitive edge, when it comes to braving new tastes.

Find a compromise and stick with it. For example, take a six-section plastic container and fill each section with something different, such as crispy nuts, fresh or dried fruit, and veggies. Fill one section with a sweet treat, like carob covered almonds or homemade candies. Allow the kids to snack out of this container during the day and refill the sweet section only once the entire thing is empty.

Be prepared, both in the kitchen and mentally. Not only is it a good idea to have your meals planned out and your ingredients well stocked, but being prepared for the mid-day munchies and the unexpected is paramount when it comes to kids and our hectic lives. Remember, preparedness is half the battle. Head off food scavenging or ravenous hunger by knowing what you are going to serve for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner each day. Once you get a routine going with meal planning and preparation, it becomes second nature and will eventually take less time and energy.
Mentally, find courage in your convictions. Show strong confidence in your decisions about food. When you are at peace about what you are cooking and know why it is going to support the health of your family, others will observe your confidence and be inspired to go along!

The end of winter break

2007-01-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

Well brother, it's been great having you home these past three weeks during your winter break. Now that it's come to an end, I just want to say I had a fun time with you. You're so much fun to play with! I'm going to miss you when you're at school (though it's fun having mommy all to myself too). Learn a lot and have fun with your friends at school, ok?!

Your little sister,

Amber

Vaulting toddler

2007-01-06T13:43:00.000-08:00

I put Amber down for a nap about 10 minutes ago and it didn't go very well. She managed to climb out of the crib! Well, it was more like she vaulted out of the crib - there was a big THUD on the floor when she landed. Matt and I looked at each other in shock when we realized she was knocking on the bedroom door, from the inside, calling us to come get her out! What a dilemma. Caleb always stayed in his crib when he was a toddler. I have no precedent for this.

Amber hasn't been taking her naps since Caleb's been on winter break from school - that's three weeks of almost no naps...a big deal for a toddler who isn't even two years old yet. Caleb goes back to school on Monday which I was hoping would help calm her down enough to go to sleep once again, but now she's shown herself this new capability of flinging herself out of her crib. I'm reading about what to do at Berkeley Parents Network and hopefully we'll come up with some ideas of what to do.

If anyone reading this has experience with this, please consider posting a comment describing what worked (or didn't work) to help your child stay in bed. Thank you!

Snapshots in time

2006-12-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

I've written notes the past couple of weeks of times when Amber or Caleb did something that brought a smile to my face, a tear to my eye, or joy to my heart. As a mother, there are certain moments that seem to freeze and become snapshots in my mind of something special. These are the glorious moments that make me proud to be a mother. In contrast, there are other times when things are incredibly trying and I feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities of parenthood, such as during a time when one of my children is sick with the stomach flu and we're up all hours of the night. These "snapshots in time" I've written down balance out the whole parenting experience. It helps me to remember these moments when the stresses of parenting abound. So, without further ado, here they are:

One night, I told Amber and Caleb that it was time to get ready for bed. Amber, remembering part of the bedtime routine we go through most nights, proceeded to get a new diaper for herself from the cupboard and two books for either Matt or I to read to them before bed. Then she laid down to have her diaper changed. It was all done so matter of factly- very cute!

At the doctor's office Caleb sat on the couch next to two boys who looked to be a couple years older than him. He grabbed a book and read it to himself (by looking at the pictures he comes up with his own story). Half-way through he calmly asked one of the boys, "What's your name?" The boy told him. Caleb said, "Oh. My name is Caleb." Then he asked, "How old are you?" The boy answered again. Caleb said, "Wow. I'm five." He asked the other boy the same questions. Then he happily went back to reading his book. He was so cool. As his mom, it's always a joy to see Caleb take initiative in connecting with people in an effective, calm manner.

Last week when I took Amber to the park, just us two, I sat on a bench and watched her play in the sand. She spent almost an hour playing in the same spot, loading the sand in a pile on a swing. She was content as could be.

When Matt got home from work we talked in the kitchen alone for a little bit. Amber and Caleb were sitting at the table eating a snack. We realized they were being very quiet so we looked over to see what they were doing - they were both straining their necks staring at us in silence and curiosity. We laughed and laughed. They were desperate to see what their parents were doing!

After we left a couple of different Christmas gatherings, one at each grandparent's house, Caleb, with a big smile, declared "That was fun." He was definitely pleased with all the time he spent with family.

Seeing Amber hug and kiss her new baby doll. She walks around saying, "Baby." She's got a motherly instinct already - fascinating!

While driving in the van Amber somehow managed to hit Caleb, I think playfully. Caleb did not like it and said, "Amber hit me." I said, "Well, tell her not to do that to you." He did and ended up explaining why she shouldn't hit him. At the end of his little five year old lecture he said, "Do you understand me. Don't ever do that again." He was making himself clear, that's for sure. I was so proud of him for communicating clearly with her rather than just pouting or yelling at her.

At the park yesterday Caleb sat in the sand with another younger little boy and his mom. Referring to his filled bucket of sand, he said, "This is pinto beans." Later, he said, "And this is guacamole." This woman said to a friend of hers, "Wow. First he said it was pinto beans and then guacamole. He's got a really well developed palate." I've tried to develop his palate, but with his allergies it's been more challenging than it otherwise would have been. So, it was rewarding to hear another mother comment on this "well developed palate" of his. :)

When Caleb had his blood drawn at a lab earlier this week, he did so well that I was thoroughly impressed. Two lab technicians helped with the process while Caleb sat on my lap. One of the technicians suggested he slowly count to 30, which he did, but kept on going to 60. While he counted, with such bravery (they took a lot of blood!) I just held him close and pressed my face into his soft, pillowy hair. I closed my eyes and thanked God for my son and for taking care of him. I'm so blessed.

Caleb asked to cut paper with his scissors. I drew some shapes really quickly onto a sheet of paper for him to cut out. He watched me and said, somewhat in shock,"Wow. Your good at making shapes." I chuckled and agreed with him.

Whenever Amber just melts in my arms out of gladness to be held. Her body conforms to mine and she relaxes into complete stillness and contentment. I can feel her love for me in those moments.

We all ate dinner together at Sharky's one night recently. The next day, Caleb told Matt, "I really had fun at Sharky's. I liked my chicken. I really liked my rice. And my water was really good...and chips. And did you like your burrito?" Such a sweetie. We know he also liked the family time of us all sitting together eating dinner together. I need to work on getting us all together for dinner at the same time. Caleb has let us know he really enjoys that family time.

At Sharky's, when Matt brought our food to the table, Caleb helped get Amber set up with her meal. He helped get her water, her spoon, and arranged her food in front of her. Such a gentleman!

WINDY day!

2006-12-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago we experienced record breaking winds. I could hardly believe the intensity of these winds...and it was COLD! The next day I saw broken tree limbs all over the streets due to the powerful winds. I took the pictures of Caleb and Amber below on this windy day and they laughed through it all. Amber had to work at not falling over because the wind was so strong - I think Caleb was trying to help her stay up by holding her shoulders.

Doctors, doctors...

2006-12-29T22:57:00.000-08:00

We have relatively new health insurance and along with it, new doctors for everyone in my family. Caleb receives the most medical attention because he has a lot of allergies, some of which are severe, and also a seizure disorder (he's dealt with this since infancy). I took him to an appointment with his new pediatric neurologist last week. This week we went to his new allergist. Both of these doctors requested a bunch of tests and blood work be done so it's been a busy week. At the allergist appointment Caleb endured a very uncomfortable scratch test on his back to help determine his allergies. Later that day we went to the lab to get some blood work done. Caleb handles all these things so well. I really felt for him - it's a lot for a five year old to go through.

Then, we had to deprive him of sleep for an E.E.G. that was scheduled the next day. He only slept from 12-4a.m. He was so tired! He normally gets more than double that every night.

I had to take him back to the lab today for more blood work, and again on Tuesday, because the doctors wanted to test for so many different things that it ended up being too much blood to be taken from a five year old at once. We have to break it up into three lab visits. He did just fine today and the lab technician was amazed at his demeanor. It hurt, and he let us know that, but he didn't cry or move around a lot (he was on my lap).

The night he had to stay up late, after a tremendously long day, he cozied up on the couch to watch Blues Clues. He laid the blanket over him himself, which Matt and I thought was adorable. I think he was comforting himself after a tough day.

Our Christmas

2006-12-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year with many memorable family gatherings. A week before Christmas Matt and Amber went to his parent's house to celebrate Christmas with the extended family. Unfortunately, Caleb came down with a cold that day so I stayed home with him. We had a special time together though, just the two of us. Matt came home with our presents and a plate of food for me to eat (and dessert) - I wasn't going to pass up on a delicious Christmas dinner!

On Christmas Eve we all went to Matt's parent's house to open presents. It was us four, along with his parents, sister and her baby boy. I couldn't believe how many presents were waiting to be opened under the tree just for us! I got an ipod!! I'm still in shock about that one. Matt read the Christmas story to all of us from a Children's bible his mom has. Then, everyone happily opened the gifts. We took a break midway through to eat homemade chili and bread. Good times shared with all.

Caleb enjoyed his chili - you can see the evidence on his face :)

That same night, believe it or not, we rushed back home to meet my parents, brother and his girlfriend for another Christmas gathering. Matt had to work on Christmas Day, all day and night, so we had to have our get togethers on Christmas Eve in order for him to spend time with the whole family. Earlier that morning I made Crunchy Spiced Rum Balls and New Orleans Bourbon Bread Pudding (both recipes were featured in Cook's Country magazine - the January issue). We also had eggnog and homemade hot apple cider. I included a cheese ball and crackers in case anyone wanted another option besides dessert. We ate our food, opened presents (my brother gave my parents an Apple computer!!), and took lots of pictures.

Caleb got a new guitar - one of his many adored new Christmas gifts. He also received a digital camera for kids. When he opened both the camera (from his Mimi and Papa) and the guitar ( from his Grandma and Grandpa) he was so excited that they were all his own. He was so sweet and thankful to all his grandparents for these gifts.

Matt was so tired by this point because he had worked the night shift the day before...and he had to leave for work soon. He has a strong work ethic though - he took it all in stride and made the best of the situation, with a smile.

Me and my brother, on Christmas Eve.

What a day! We had so much fun with everyone.

Since Amber and Caleb didn't have the traditional Christmas morning of opening presents with mommy and daddy (because Matt was at work), I decided to take them to my parent's house where we lazily spent the day together, eating, drinking, playing with new toys. My brother and his girlfriend came over to help set up the new computer and spend some time with all of us.

Amber and Caleb, playing with some of their favorite new toys on Christmas morning.

I don't have a picture of this yet, but Amber received two adorable baby dolls that she absolutely loves (one from both sets of grandparents - they had the same idea!). She's been walking around hugging them, carrying them, and kissing them. It's amazing to see her like this because Caleb was never that loving with any doll - she's such a girl!

Amber and Caleb, cuddling up in the rocking chair with Grandma.

A little Santa's elf.

The day after Christmas, when Matt got home, Caleb and Amber opened their gifts with us and then we drove around a nearby acclaimed neighborhood to look at all the pretty Christmas lights and decorations. Amber and Caleb "oooh'd", "aaah'd", and squealed with delight at everything they saw. Matt and I couldn't help but chuckle at their excitement. Their childlike enthusiasm is infectious, though I've always loved looking at Christmas lights so I didn't have to work to hard to get excited myself!

Cornstarch mess

2006-12-29T19:31:00.000-08:00

One recent morning I realized I didn't know where Amber was within our home. I thought she was being too quiet, wherever she was. Then I heard a giggle. I walked into the living room and found her, hiding, with a pile of cornstarch all over the floor (and herself!). I felt this moment had to be captured by my camera.

Amber actually looks guilty here. She knew she was caught! My thought is she was just searching for some sensory play, so I figured out something else for her to play with. I'd probably find the texture of cornstarch fascinating too, if I was her age. I think it's sometimes hard for little ones to navigate in this world dominated by us big people.

Since she saw me laughing at her and taking pictures, she understood she's not "in trouble"...so she let loose! I realized I needed to stop taking pictures and redirect her to something else so I could clean up. It was halarious to me how she sat down in her own private little hiding space so she could explore. Adorable little girl.

Baked apple & pancake recipes

2006-12-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a couple of my favorite recipes for a satisfying, flavorful breakfast. I've made each of these meals many times and I'm always amazed at how delicious each bite is.

From The Heart of the Home, by Susan Branch

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Makes 8 pancakes

"These pancakes are healthier, have more texture, and taste better than normal pancakes. Serve them with hot applesauce...for a warming winter breakfast feast."

1 cup cottage cheese, drained
3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Squeeze the cottage cheese dry in a piece of cheesecloth. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl; add the cottage cheese & all other ingredients - mix just to blend. Drop by large spoonfuls into buttered & oiled moderately hot skillet. Cook fairly slowly until brown on both sides. Keep them warm in a 200 degree oven till all are done. Serve with heated Vermont maple syrup.

From Favorite Comfort Foods, by Martha Stewart:

Baked Apples With Spiced Ricotta and Maple Syrup
"The best baking apples have full flavor, firm flesh, and moderate juiciness. Aside from Rome apples, other good varieities include Cortland Baldwin, Empire, and Northern Spy. Baking times will vary with size and variety; check apples in the oven frequently for softness by squeezing or piercing with a sharp knife."

serves 4

4 medium Rome apples (8 ounces each), cored to within 1/2 inch of base
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
4 three-inch-long cinnamon sticks
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Peel about 1 inch of skin from tops of apples; cut a sliver off the bottom so apples will stand. Place them in a 9-inch glass pie plate. Cut 1 tablespoon of butter into 4 pieces; fill each apple core with a piece of butter, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1/8 teaspoon ginger, and 1 cinnamon stick. Place remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons syrup in bottom of pie plate.

2. Bake the apples, basting them several times with the juices at the bottom of the pie plate, until they are golden and tender, about 35 minutes (the skin may split). Transfer apples to a serving dish; let juices stand to thicken, about 15 minutes.

3. Puree' the ricotta, confectioners' sugar, remaining ginger, ground cinnamon, and cream in the bowl of a food processor. Serve 2 heaping tablespoons of ricotta cream with each apple. Drizzle with warm syrup from the bottom of the pie plate.

The Christmas tree tradition

2006-12-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

As a little girl I always enjoyed the Christmas season, especially the Christmas tree we would get each year. Seeing it decorated with colored lights and all the ornaments, some of which were made by me and my brother, filled me with awe and wonder. At night I'd often curl up and stare at the tree while listening to Christmas music on the tape player (no cd's back then).

I was thinking of this recently since it's time for us to get a Christmas tree ourselves. We haven't had a christmas tree in a few years because we didn't think we had room for it in our apartment. But now that Amber and Caleb are older I decided we'd get one anyway, even if it gets in the way of things - decorated christmas trees are too beautiful for me to pass up anymore.

Our home smells like the tree now. I think a Christmas tree is one of my favorite scents. It floods my mind with memories and always makes me think of one of my favorite times of the year! Umm, we do still have to decorate the tree though. We've been a bit sidetracked the past few days. It's still sitting, bare, in our living room, but at least we have it! That's one step forward, right? :)

Here's a few pictures from the tree lot, including a mock christmas scene with fake snow, a chair for Santa Claus (he's currently away on business), and huge wrapped presents and candy canes:

In the photo above Caleb is listening to music by a speaker disguised as a rock. Amber couldn't figure it out and kept looking around to see where in the world the music was coming from!

The Bolognese Experiment

2006-12-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

In a previous post I listed a recipe for Bolognese and mentioned that I would be making it soon for Amber and Caleb. Well, I made it alright, but it didn't quite turn out as expected. I had copied the recipe in the bookstore from a book, Diary of an Honest Mum by Jools Oliver, but I must have copied it down wrong, or something. I ended up throwing everything I cooked down my kitchen sink to be mangled by the garbage disposal. Let me explain...

I bought all the ingredients, chopped up all the veggies - everything was going just fine. Things started looking down when I added the raw ground beef to the pot, with the tomatoes and all other liquids. I thought it was very strange to be adding all this raw meat to a pot filled with liquid. I had a fleeting thought questioning how the beef would brown in there, but I let it go when I rationalized that this recipe was from a published book (and the author is married to a world famous chef, no less!). I figured Jools knew what she was talking about.

The mixture was to cook for about one hour. Whenever I went to the pot to stir it or check on it I thought, "The meat is still pink! It'll brown (I desperately hoped)." The timer kept counting down, down, down and still no browned meat. It stayed pink until the very end of the cooking time! I tried cooking it a little longer, to see if that would make a difference...well, not a chance. Still pink. Ugh! Ok. Lesson learned. ALWAYS brown the beef before adding to a soup or stew. Down the drain it went.

I was determined to make a suitable bolognese meal for Amber and Caleb, so I quickly looked at my other children's cookbook for a bolognese recipe. Aha! Alas, I found one...and it's much quicker to make! Chop, chop, chopping the vegetables I went. By this time Amber and Caleb wondered what was going on with their crazy mommy. I tried to explain to Caleb why the other batch was trashed, but I don't think he understood. Amber and Caleb both had their spoons in hand and were more than ready to chow down.

Finally, the meal was finished (no pink in the meat anywhere!) and I served it up to my waiting little ones. It was a hit! They loved it. Caleb said, "It's not ruined Mom! This is my favorite. Can I have this for breakfast tomorrow?" You know it's a hit when they ask to have it for breakfast :)

By the way, I've changed the original recipe from that "Feeding Children Well" post of mine. It now says to brown the meat before adding the liquids.

When I told Matt about all this he said, "Well, maybe the author thought it was a given, something obvious to everyone, to add meat that had already been browned (rather than raw meat) to the pot. I chuckled and said, "It was definitely not obvious to me. That's recipe snobbery! All the steps are supposed to be listed. I'm not supposed to "just know" how to do it right." Again, I may have copied the recipe down wrong myself. I'll have to check next time I'm browsing through Barnes and Noble. It all turned out well in the end, which is all that matters really.

Here's the recipe for the second Bolognese batch I made (I tripled the recipe when I made it though. The amounts listed below are what's in the cookbook):

Baby's Bolognese from First Meals, by Annabel Karmel

Makes six portions

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp celery, finely chopped

1/4 cup carrots, peeled and grated

1/4 lb lean ground beef

1/2 tsp tomato paste

2 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded, and chopped

1 tbs sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (I omitted this)

1/3 cup unsalted chicken stock

2 oz. spaghetti (I added tiny vegetable alphabet shaped pasta instead. They loved this pasta)

Warm the oil in a pan, add the onion, garlic, and celery, and saute' for 3-4 minutes. Add the grated carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and stir until browned. Stir in the tomato paste, fresh and sun-dried tomatoes, and stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes.

Add your desired amount of the pasta and serve :)

Pretty Amber Rose

2006-12-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

I took a couple of pictures of Amber last week with my new digital camera I got for my birthday and I liked how they turned out. I'm reading the camera manual and I plan on learning as much as I can so I can take advantage of all the cool features.

So beautiful...sometimes I'm surprised she's only one and a half years old!

After my Mom saw this photo from an email I sent, she said, "What a cutie-pie! My little wild Irish Amber Rose." Knowing how funny and playful Amber can be at times, I thought that was a fitting response. :)

Caleb's birthday party

2006-12-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

Despite forecast of cloudy weather, we enjoyed a beautiful fall day at the park for Caleb's birthday party. Three of Caleb's friends from school showed up, along with his grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousin, sister - I think he felt a lot of love knowing everyone was there just for him. On a side note, his turning five is such a milestone, I've realized, because it's as if his baby/toddler hood is definitely a phase that has passed for good. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Caleb is growing up so fast! I'm so looking forward to all that the coming years of his childhood will bring us.As each of Caleb's friends arrived he ran to greet them and was so happy to see them. He's always been the sweetest host! Each child received decorated name tags and then I set them up with a craft activity at the big table. There was also a table set up with play dough and lots of play dough tools that they had fun with for a while. After a short time a couple of the kids wandered to the playground, and then all of us decided to join them. We came back and sang the birthday song to Caleb and blew out the candles on the cake.

After the first attempt at making Caleb's birthday cake went sour (it was falling completely apart - a hilarious sight), I made a second cake that came out much better. I also made cupcakes which I liked most of all...and so did Caleb. While I was making the cake in our kitchen he said, "Are you making a cake for me??? Wow! It doesn't have any cheese or milk in it? (I answered no - remember, he has a severe dairy allergy) Thank you Mommy!" He was so grateful to have his own special dairy free birthday cake and cupcakes. His "Papa" (Matt's Dad) said, "Your going to have to make those cupcakes a lot. He's licking the top like it's ice cream!"

I made a berry pie too, but the cake and cupcakes were more popular. I wish I had gotten a picture of the cupcake stand filled with the cupcakes sprinkled with candy.

Dairy free chocolate frosting - who'd of thought? The candles and sprinkles were my cake decoration...fast, easy, and colorful!

It does look like he's eating ice cream. That frosting turned out so good, to my pleasant surprise and relief.

Back to the table for more, this time as "Firefighter Caleb."

Then we opened his presents, though he wanted to play with each one so much that we saved the rest of them for opening at home. My brother, Anthony started using the bubble blower Caleb received as a gift and all the kids had a blast watching the huge bubbles float by.

As the party wound down and the children began to leave, I passed out their fireman hats, goodie bags, and a balloon or two. Caleb thanked people for his gifts, all on his own. I was again touched by his kind and grateful heart.

So, I think the party was a success! Now, I'll have to start thinking of what to do for Amber's birthday...

Childhood birthday parties

2006-11-22T10:09:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of preparing for Caleb's upcoming birthday party, which was postponed last week because he was sick - poor little guy, sick on his birthday :(. I came across some pictures of my own birthday parties from my early years. It's surreal to me to see and remember my own birthdays from my childhood at the same ages that my son is now. I feel like Caleb is growing up so fast...and so am I! It's an old saying, but time does fly by, and as I look at these pictures of me at my four, five, and six year old birthday parties I get sense of what it was like to be that age and have my birthday celebrated while also knowing that I am now in charge of creating the same special birthday memories for my son.

It's a bit more complicated though, to plan his party, because of his food allergies and being mindful of the needs of some of the children that will be coming from his special ed. kindergarten class. I wish I could just make a regular birthday cake and decorate it with all kinds of frosting designs, but I haven't found out how to do that yet, though I do have a recipe for an allergy-free cake that can be made for birthday parties. I'm going to bakd this cake before the party to see if it ends up being edible or not ;) I might need to find another recipe if this one doesn't work. I also have some games and activities planned that were recommended by Caleb's teacher for children to play at the party. I'm hoping it all works out well - I don't know what all the children's specific special needs are because of confidentiality within the school, but I'll do the best I can I'm hoping most of the kids can come, which may be difficult since it's Thanksgiving weekend. Whatever happens, whoever shows up or doesn't, I know it's a time to celebrate Caleb - that's what matters :)

As I looked at the pictures below from my early childhood birthday parties I became so thankful to my family (my mom in particular - the moms usually end up doing the most, I think) for all the love, work, and planning that went into making these parties happen. And look at the adorable birthday cakes! What special birthday parties I had!

My 4th birthday

My mom and I are cutting the cake. This was a professionally decorated cake - a strawberry basket made of frosting - so cute!

My 5th birthday party.

This pretty yellow cake is homemade. Yellow has always been one of my favorite colors.

The girl standing on my left in the t-shirt, Tunde, is still my good friend today. We've known each other a long time.

My 6th birthday party.

The girl just to my left with the short brown hair, Darcie, was my maid of honor at my wedding.

My mom made this cake. I loved rainbows, so she put that on my cake. How thoughtful.

Thank you Mom!

Amber watering plants...sort of

2006-11-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

(These photos were originally taken at my parent's house

on October 27th)

"Isn't the water supposed to be going in the pot and not on the ground?

What am I doing wrong here?"

"Oops...I didn't mean to do that."

"Oh boy. Mommy, look at me now."

"Ah, why not - I'll just dump the rest out. I'm all wet anyway."

"More water please! I want to try again."

"There we go. That's right, I know what I'm doing."

Doesn't Amber look like a mini-"gangsta wrapper" (minus Winnie the Pooh on the front of the sweatshirt). I thought she looked too adorable in this crazily eclectic outfit (it's all my parents had at their house for her to wear after her dress got all wet) - what a switch from the previous little prairie girl dress!

Good news!

2006-11-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

My husband recently found out he's been hired by the fire department! He's been trying to get a job as a firefighter for three years (it's *very* competitive out there), so this is FANTASTIC news!! He'll start the 18 week long fire academy on January 8th. He can hardly wait.

We are continually giving thanks to God that this amazing opportunity has come into our lives. God truly has given Matt the desires of his heart :)

Feeding children well

2006-11-13T23:20:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I came across a book by Jools Oliver, The Diary of an Honest Mum, that confirmed and strengthened my resolve about the need for quality, wholesome food for families, especially children. Jools is the wife of the famous British chef, Jamie Oliver (also called “the Naked Chef”, he’s written many cookbooks, had his own television show, his own restaurant…he’s a very successful chef!). Jools (her nickname) includes her personal experiences of feeding her two daughters good food from the beginning (though I do not agree with her breastfeeding advice). She’s someone I admire for her commitment to providing the best food for her children (lots of veggies!) and not following the culture’s low standards (fast food, packaged food, sweets, junk food). She also includes some yummy recipes for toddlers in the book which I copied on paper (yes, I sat on the floor at the bookstore with my pen in one hand and my pad of paper in the other...feverishly writing down several of her recipes) to feed my own children.

Jamie Oliver and his family

I’ve always been what is sometimes called a “foodie”, which is someone who basically loves learning everything they can about different foods and food preparation. I remember sitting on the floor in my bedroom on Saturday mornings when I was a teenager, watching PBS cooking shows (including the legendary Julia Child). I was mesmerized by everything I saw these cooks prepare and all the explanations they gave for what they were doing. When eating a meal, I've often gone into detail about what I like about the particular food I'm eating, sometimes with great enthusiasm. My college roommates have mentioned to me that I should become a food critic. That does sound appealing - I'd get to taste so many amazing dishes! Well, this interest continued on and to this day my absolute favorite channel on television is the Food Network. I consider myself so blessed to be able to learn so many things about cooking from all of these celebrity chefs. Some of my favorites are:Barefoot Contessa – Ina Garten
Everyday Italian – Giada De Laurentiis
Tyler’s Ultimate and Food 911 – Tyler Florence
Good Eats – Alton Brown
30 Minute Meals – Rachael Ray

The amazing thing is I can print any recipe I like from one of these shows from the food network website and slip it into my recipe binder! I have made so many meals from the recipes I’ve seen on TV. But, I also have a lot of cookbooks to learn even more. Here’s my collection, so far:

1. The Way To Cook – Julia Child
2. The Naked Chef Takes Off – Jamie Oliver
3. Favorite Comfort Food – Martha Stewart
4. Nourishing Traditions – Sally Fallon
5. Eating Better Cookbooks – Sue Gregg
6. The Heart of the Home and Vineyard Seasons – Susan Branch
7. All About Soups & Stews – Joy of Cooking authors
8. Grill It In! – Barbara Grunes
9. The Maximum Energy Cookbook – Sharon and Ted Broer
10. Mommy Made – Martha and David Kimmel
11. Pretend Soup – Mollie Katzen and Anne Henderson
12. Mom Knows Best – La Leche League of San Fernando Valley
13. Feed Me, I’m Yours – Vicki Lansky
14. First Meals – Annabel Karmel

I’m in the process of organizing my recipe binder right now, with all the loose recipes I’ve collected from magazines or printed online over the years. I have a lot of amazing recipes at my fingertips, that’s for sure!

The past few weeks, as I’ve thought about my interest in food and cooking, I realized what a long adventure I've been on. I want to take a large step back and explain the process I’ve gone through with food and nutrition, since having my firstborn son, Caleb. When I was pregnant with him, I tried, with what knowledge I had at the time, to eat well and nourish the baby growing within me. I prayed for, and expected, a healthy baby. I followed the Brewer diet, to a large degree, as recommended by my two fantastic midwives, but there was so much I didn’t know about nutrition then that I do know now (which I’ll summarize later on).

Caleb was breastfed exclusively for 6 months, at which point I eagerly began to introduce “solids” to him. He wasn’t very interested, and I don’t blame him – why would he be interested in that bland, runny stuff called “rice cereal?” What I didn’t realize, until later, was that he had serious allergies to a variety of foods and needed to continue with *only* having my breast milk until his digestive system was much more mature. From infancy to early toddlerhood, he had a moderate case of anemia, eczema on several parts of his body, and he spit up a lot throughout the day. These are all tell-tale signs that I was dealing with allergies and needed to take the food introduction extremely S L O W, but at the time, I didn’t realize just how slow I should have gone.

I hit the jackpot when I found the Weston A. Price Foundation’s website. There is also a cookbook/nutrition manual called Nourishing Traditions that to this day absolutely fascinates me. I learned more from SallyFallon, the author, and others who are also educated about traditional diets of the past than from almost anyone. There is a ton of information on this website for anyone to read and learn from. I do not subscribe to all of the teachings within the Weston A. Price foundation, but enough of it has radically changed my outlook on health, nutrition, food, and feeding the family that I am so thankful I stumbled upon their website.

Two more helpful resources I found: a movie called Super Size Me, and a powerful book everyone would benefit from reading entitled Fast Food Nation. Fast Food Nation should be required reading for everyone – it’s such an important book that goes into detail about what you are actually getting when you go to Taco Bell, Burger King, or any such fast food restaurant. It shocked me to no end (which is a *good* thing).

Healthy, wholesome food! This photo was taken at a Farmer's Market, one of my favorite places to visit.

So, before I had my second child I learned there were some things I needed to do to prepare my body. Here’s some of what I did (and still practice, though not as often as I should):

1. soak my grains before I eat them
2. take cod liver oil daily (this is key!)
3. I take much better prenatal vitamins than before
4. eat organic as often as I can
5. limit refined sugar and white flour products
6. eliminate any hydrogenated oils (which are pervasive, by the way)
7. use coconut oil
8. make homemade almond butter
9. drink yogurt and organic frozen (or fresh) fruit shakes
10. eat free range, fertile eggs (lots of them)
11. visit the local farmer’s market as often as I can to pick fresh, organic fruits and vegetables
12. make homemade chicken broth regularly
13. use sea salt (celtic sea salt or another brand called “real salt”) in place of table salt
14. make my own vegetable soup (with the chicken broth and the veggies from the farmers market – so yummy!)
15. I do not eat modern, unfermented soy products (when Caleb was a baby I drank soymilk)
16. use lots of butter grass-fed cows (I love using Kerry Gold Pure Irish butter, sold at Trader Joes and other stores)
17. purified water, for drinking and showers (and I’m not talking Brita filtration here)
18. I’m really into eating millet as a hot cereal. There are vast health benefits. It’s excellent with Kerry Gold butter and organic maple syrup mixed into it.
19. Aside from a few instances of introducing some simple foods to Amber when she was around 9 months old, she was exclusively breastfed for at least one year. At 18 months, she’s still nursing regularly and receiving many health benefits from my milk.

I just covered the nutritional changes I made in my pregnancy and postpartum period with Amber, but there is another equally important component to proper growth and development: emotional health. I learned about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for at least one year, and then extended breastfeeding while I was pregnant with Amber. I read books, interviewed moms and other health practitioners, asked a ton of questions on message boards, and attended La Leche League meetings, all to find out how to establish a healthy, plentiful milk supply for my baby. There is so much incorrect information out there, which I fell prey to when pregnant with Caleb (this had numerous negative ramifications on my mothering experience); I wanted to make sure I was properly educated on the subject this time, since it was possibly crucial to my daughter’s health. What I learned caused me to become interested in one thing after another, which led to my desire to practice what is often called “attachment parenting” with Amber. After I learned about the physiology of breastfeeding led to my learning about mother/baby bonding, bed sharing, wearing baby in a sling, and gentle discipline. Each one of these factors contribute to the bond between mother and child, which in turn help create a plentiful milk supply. Realizing that God created me to nurture my baby this way was (and is!) a huge blessing. I saw, once again, the beauty and awesomeness of His creation.

I’m not saying it is entirely due to my personal health intervention, though I’d like to believe my actions helped at least somewhat, but Amber is just the picture of health! She’s never had a major or minor health issue. Through much prayer and many practical steps that needed to be taken, Amber is well on her way to a robust and healthy childhood free from chronic illness.

I’m on the committee for one of my local LLL groups, and I was asked to speak at the next meeting about food introduction for babies and allergies. I shared my experience with all these moms, what my mistakes were with Caleb (there were *many*, as is often the case with first time mothering experiences), what I know now that I did differently with Amber, what the signs of readiness are for a baby to start solids (1. can sit up on their own, without being propped 2. no longer have the reflex that causes them to push everything out of their mouth 3. at least one tooth has emerged (this has to do with appearance of digestive enzymes needed in order to properly digest food) 4. has the pincer grasp 5. baby is eager to participate and may grab food from a plate), and what the best first food choices are (avocado, banana, sweet potato, etc.). It felt good to be able to share from my heart and help others to learn from my experiences. I hope my writing this may have helped some of you as well.Coming back to what I wrote at the beginning of this post, I want to encourage all mothers and fathers reading this to do the best you can in providing fresh, healthy food for your children. Their bodies are so small and developing so quickly – it is imperative they be given nutritiously dense foods rather than food that is void of nutrients (which includes so much of this society's diet, unfortunately). Jamie Oliver, who I mentioned earlier, has taken on the schools in Great Britain, urging them to provide health foods for school lunches. He developed a TV special about this called “Jamie’s School Lunch Project.” It was not an easy task to change the children’s diets, in fact it was very disappointing and hard work for a quite a while, but Jamie did everything he could to help these children become interested in fresh, healthy food. In the end, these children did just that. It was beautiful to wittness.

I was at the dry cleaners a few weeks ago and the woman who works there offered me a lollipop to give to Caleb (he didn’t notice this dialogue I had with her). I said that he has allergies and I don’t usually give him anything with food coloring or sugar. She said, “What are you going to do about Halloween?” I said, well, my children don’t eat candy…they actually don’t really even know what it is, so they won’t miss it. She was shocked and asked, “How did you do that?” I told her it’s never been an issue. As I drove away, I realized how easy it’s been, actually to keep Caleb from eating candy (even if he didn’t have allergies it would have been easy, I think) because I don’t keep candy or junk food in the house, I don’t offer it to him, and he doesn’t watch much TV at all (when he does, it’s just the show - no commercials). Children don’t miss what they don’t know about. Please note, though, that I do not claim to have it all together all the time in regards to preparing healthy food. Sometimes I and my children end up eating food that is way below my standards...I just try my best to make those times happen as little as possible.

All that said, if I want to give myself or my children sweets at any time, it’s much better if I prepare these cakes or cookies myself. This way, I can choose the best ingredients and not have to worry about hydrogenated fats, food colorings, etc. I realize the importance of balance in health eating – I don’t want to prohibit all sweets from my children’s lives because that has the potential to result in an unhealthy relationship with food, where they end up secretly binging on junk food. That’s obviously not my goal. One idea for desserts (that I got from Jools Oliver) is a bowl of fruit (blueberries, peaches, etc.) with or without yogurt. Fruit is healthy, full of flavor, and interesting - if introduced early enough in a child’s diet they will find this a delectable treat.

Juicey, ripe plums.

Here’s a recipe from The Diary of an Honest Mum that I’m going to be making for Amber this week. It’s a great way to get vegetables into a child’s diet.

Bolognese 10-15 servings

You can divide into small freezer bags, defrost and reheat when ready to serve.

Olive oil
4 slices streaky bacon or pancetta
½ leek, trimmed and diced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 stick of celery, trimmed and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
½ a red pepper, seeded and diced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1 handful mushrooms, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 sprig fresh rosemary or thyme
1 bay leaf
1 28 ounce can of plum tomatoes
(Optional) ½ 15.5 ounce can of chickpeasPut a deep saucepan on a medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil, the pancetta, the leek and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring, and then add the rest of the vegetables and cook for five minutes more. Now add your meat and cook until no longer pink. Add the herbs (the bay leaf and herb sprigs can be put in whole and removed at the end), tomatoes, chickpeas, and a chickpea can full of water. Allow to simmer slowly for 1 hour. Remember to remove the herbs before serving.It can be served on its own or with some finely grated parmesan cheese over the top or mixed with some cooked and drained little pasta shapes (such as fusilinni, conchiglette).

Happy cooking!

(5/21/07 - Edited to add: If you want to read a funny story I wrote that goes along with this bolognese recipe, click here.)

The story behind Thanksgiving

2006-11-11T21:04:00.000-08:00

Last year, I found a great synopsis of the story of Thanksgiving described in one of my favorite books for Moms, The Mommy Manual, by Barbara Curtis. (Incidentally, she just wrote a post on her blog about Thanksgiving too; if you want to read it, click here.) As I read her summary of the events of the first Thanksgiving, I was once again moved by how powerful the real story is. I don't think it gets enough focus during all of our Thanksgiving celebrations, and in fact, I know some people have forgotten the story altogether. When most of us ponder Thanksgiving, we probably think of family get-togethers, turkey, stuffing, and all the other good food...and we might realize all they have to be thankful for...but there's so much more to realize about this Christian holiday celebration.

Just the other day, someone I know (and to protect their dignity, they shall remain nameless, said, "Didn't the Pilgrims kill the Indians?" They were truly stumped. When I reminded this person of the facts behind Thanksgiving, we had a big laugh. This person had totally forgotten. Then, a few days later, as I began talking about the story of Thanksgiving again, someone else (they too shall remain nameless) said, "Wasn't Sasquatch somehow involved." Oh boy! I told them it was actually Squanto. We had an even bigger laugh! Isn't Sasquatch the real name for "Big Foot" or something like that? This was just too hilarious!

Anyway, I knew then that the story of Thanksgiving needs to be shared year after year, so I thought I'd include it here, in my little corner of the Internet (the quote begins on page 227 in The Mommy Manual). Read on and be blessed...

"In the early 1600s the Wampanoag (Wam-pa-NO-ag) Indians covered the coast of what we now call New England. They raised crops, living close to the ocean in summer for seafood, moving inland in winter to set up hunting camps. Their encounters with Europeans over the years were mostly friendly.

One exception: in 1614 Captain Thomas Hunt captured several Wampanoag, along with a Patuxet named Squanto, to be sold into slavery in Spain. A Spanish monk purchased Squanto's freedom, taught him English, and introduced him to Jesus Christ. In 1619 Squanto returned to his native land, only to find his tribe wiped out by an epidemic. Thereafter he made his home with the Wampanoag.

Meanwhile, in 1608, A British group called the Separatists fled to Leyden, Holland. There they found religious freedom but also poverty, grueling work hours, and a secular culture that threatened to undo the values they had carefully instilled into their children. In 1620, they sold everything and indentured themselves for seven years to finance their journey to America.

On the Mayflower, the Separatists were joined by those seeking the new land for other reasons; these they called the Strangers. The two groups, 102 altogether, were called the Pilgrims.

Their journey lasted nine weeks. In one of those "accidents" that change the course of history, the ship lost its course and landed far north of its destination, at what we now call Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Once outside the territory covered by the King's Charter, the Pilgrims became responsible for their own government, and so they wrote a set of laws called the Mayflower Compact.

On December 21, 1620, they began their new life at the place they named Plymouth. It was a devastating winter - whipped with wind and sleet and snow. Half the Pilgrims died. Still, the Separatists clung to their faith, not one chose to return to England with the Mayflower that spring.

But spring brought unexpected relief - the help of a noble and generous Christian brother, Squanto. He taught them now to grow corn, use fertilizer, stalk deer, and catch fish. William Bradford, the Governor of Plymouth, wrote of Squanto that he was "a special instrument sent of God for good beyond our expectations."

And so their first harvest was good. Governor Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to God, and the Pilgrims invited their Indian friends. Chief Massasoit and ninety members of his tribe came, along with Squanto, bearing venison and wild turkeys for all to share. Together, in harmony, the Pilgrims and the Indians feasted, played games, ran races, and showed their prowess with bow and arrow and musket.

How thankful were the Pilgrims? The first Thanksgiving took three whole days!"

Barbara Curtis then lists several books about Thanksgiving for children of all ages, including Three Young Pilgrims and Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving. I'll definitely be obtaining some of her recommendations for my family in the coming years.

Here's another great book on my Thanksgiving tradition wish list: Thanksgiving: A time to remember, by Barbara Rainey. I heard a whole series of conversations about this book on Family Life Today, with Dennis Rainey. This book is an important and beautiful book many families would enjoy.

Caleb's "Award of Excellence"

2006-11-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

Caleb was so pleased with himself yesterday :) He received an certificate for good behavior, which is a big deal because I've been communicating frequently with his teachers about any and all behavioral issues they face with him in the classroom. I won't go into the details of what specific things he has done because I want to highlight his wonderful achievement. His award reads,

Award of Excellence

Presented to

Caleb Bergeson

for

Cutting out his "I" and coloring all the "I" pictures by himself!

Good following directions!

Signed by his teacher, 11/8/06

Matt and I are encouraged because this is a big achievement for him. He usually encounters a lot of difficulty with this activity, but not this time. Way to go Caleb!

Thanksgiving is coming

2006-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have always enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving. The autumn decorations, the time with family, the comforting food, pondering all I'm thankful for, and hearing about the first Thanksgiving celebration between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans - all of these traditions bring me great joy.

Since Caleb and Amber are old enough to begin participating in Thanksgiving festivities, I've done a few small things to get started. First, I checked out The Very First Thanksgiving Day and Thanks for Thanksgiving from the library to read to Caleb and Amber at night. These two books, which display beautiful artwork (especially Thanks for Thanksgiving), will spark conversations about the upcoming holiday.

Secondly, to give us a visual reminder of Thanksgiving, I bought these adorable window decorations, called "Glass Grabbers." I placed them at Amber and Caleb's eye level, so these little Pilgrims and Native Americans are great fun for them to look at.

It's a blessing to me to finally be developing some family holiday traditions. I haven't been very proactive with that in the past, but now that Caleb is almost *five* years old I often think "My children are growing up so fast!"; this has fueled my desire to instill some holiday traditions within our family. I'm looking forward to an unforgettable Thanksgiving and Christmas season!

Amber's new jacket

2006-11-04T19:08:00.000-08:00

We bought Amber the jacket below tonight at Costco. It's one of the cutest little jackets I've ever seen and it was only $19.99! After we tried it on her she didn't want to take it off, so she walked all over the store wearing it (and it wasn't cold today...lots of Santa Ana winds). At one point, her hood fell off her head and she kept leaning her head back so the hood would get back on. I finally realized what she was doing and put her hood over her head and she was once again a happy little model.

Adorable!

Halloween party

2006-10-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday the four of us went to a family Halloween party, put on through La Leche League friends of mine. Caleb went to the party dressed up like Tigger, from Winnie the Pooh, though in these pictures he's not wearing his little "tigger-head" hat. Amber went as a little pumpkin...she even had a pumpkin top on her head. I brought hot apple cider (love that stuff) and we all munched on the amazing spread of delectable food on the party table.

In the backyard, there were little areas set up for the children to play: a creative play area, several game areas, arts and crafts table, pumpkin decorating table, a slide/play yard, and more. To it all off, Amber and Caleb got to take home cute little goodie bags, jampacked with fun toys and trinkets (all with a Halloween theme).

Getting involved in Halloween festivities (or Harvest celebrations, depending on how you view Halloween) is so much more fun when children are involved. Amber and Caleb were just adorable.

Here's some snapshots from the event:

My birthday

2006-10-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

This past week has been full of activity and celebration in honor of my birthday. I realized, once again, how blessed I am with the friends and family I have; I received such an outpouring of "Happy Birthday" wishes, gifts, cards, and phone calls. Thank you to everyone who thought of me on my birthday!On Wednesday morning, I drove with Amber to pick up my mom at home and go to breakfast. We went to Rae's and ordered breakfast to-go and had a little picnic at Ashland Park, a cute little grassy, tree-filled spot in Santa Monica I've gone to throughout my life. We all enjoyed our breakfast, but Amber had a little mishap - she tipped over into a bush somehow and got dirt all over her nose...and underneath that, a scrape. What's amazing is that she didn't even cry. I waited to see what her reaction would be, but she just looked real serious and touched the top of her head (like, "Ow. That hurt"), but no tears. "What a brave little girl she is", my mom said. We had a lovely time at the park though, despite Amber's fall; it was so quiet and sunny there...a truly beautiful day.

Amber, set up with her little chair and breakfast.

Me and Amber

That night, Matt and I went to Ruth's Chris steakhouse for dinner. A previous client of Matt's gave him a gift card to this restaurant when he left his job as a fitness trainer; this was quite a generous gift, I now realize, after having eaten there. The food was amazing (and I had lots of leftovers for the next day's lunch)! We shared a BBQ shrimp appetizer, with a buttery/garlic sauce. Then, we had our salads - mine was amazing...so many good ingredients. For dinner I had a Rib eye steak, cooked to *perfection* (so much flavor - my mouth was having a little party with every bite), creamed spinach (I love creamed spinach), and mashed potatoes. Then, to top it all off, I had their Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. Can I just say, this dessert was absolutely unbelievable. I don't normally eat bread pudding, but for some reason I was drawn to this dessert - I was blown away.

So, as I mentioned, this week I was reminded of how loved and blessed I am through the kindness of my friends and family. My mother-in-law, Carol, even helped Caleb write me a special birthday card, which he proudly, affectionately presented to me that day.

Thank you all for your love and generosity towards me, which I will never forget.

Sibling love

2006-10-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last night, after I came home from my Applied Behavioral Analysis class, Matt told me something that touched my heart. This is what he shared:

"Caleb and Amber definitely have a connection going on, Sarah. They hugged and kissed each other so many times to night; especially Amber...she was full of kisses to Caleb tonight. At one point, I was in the bathroom getting Caleb's bath ready andCaleb yelled, "Daddy, come look. We're laying down together." I thought, "It's not going to last...I'm going to finish in here and then see if they're still laying together." So, I took a while getting to the point where I looked in on them, and in the meantime, I heard some thumping sound. When I finished and did go into the bedroom, they were still laying together! Amber and Caleb were on their backs, heads touching, and Caleb's arm was under her neck. Amber was bopping her legs up and down on the bed. They both had expressions of, "Aah, this is so nice." It was pretty cute."

This picture was taken 5 months ago, in early June. They love sitting together at their little table, coloring, reading, or whatever.

Also in early June, this was a fun morning of running around wearing capes.

After Caleb's first day at school, Amber's ready to play with her brother. Sometimes she acts like a little bear cub, rolling all around, rough-housing with him, making the funniest sounds with a big smile. It's soo cute - they truly are like little bear cubs wrestling around, at times.

Amber, ready to attack...

Pictures from the park

2006-10-16T12:23:00.000-07:00

Matt, Caleb, Amber, and I went to a nearby park yesterday afternoon. Here's some of my favorite pictures:

Amber, on her way up the slide.

Matt and Caleb

What a handsome little guy!

I'm amazed at how Amber handles herself on the playground. She climbs up difficult metal ladders and whizzes up and down the slide - she just knows how to move her body to get where she wants. This tall slide, for instance, was no issue for her; she just walked right up to it and slid down without hesitating.

(The three pictures Matt took with me in them didn't turn out well. I'll try to get better ones next time).

First sentence

2006-10-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

Last night Amber put two words together in a sentence for the first time! I was in the bedroom hanging clothes in the closet and she climbed all the way up the stairs, walked in the bedroom, and with a big smile said, "Hi Mommy." I just about melted - her sweet voice saying that to me was music to my ears. She's said "Hi Mommy" quite a few times since then too, so I think this warm little greeting of hers is here to stay :)

Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

Matt and I took Amber and Caleb to Underwood Family Farm's Fall Harvest Festival this afternoon. When we arrived and I saw the field, I was amazed at how many pumpkins covered the ground. What a sight!

We ate lunch (roasted corn and burgers) and then Caleb and I headed over to listen to the live music. Then we all roamed the pumpkin patch together and I did my best to take advantage of this beautiful photo opportunity (with many other families there doing the same).

Here's a a rundown of some other things we did at the farm:

played on wooden trains with seats and a steering wheel

Looked at all the animals: chickens, pigs, goats, a turkey, a donkey (After Matt and Caleb fed the donkey Matt made made sure I didn't miss out ;) I was reluctant to take part in this, and when I did...Whoa, having a donkey's mouth in my hand licking food out of it was a strange experience! Matt loved watching this, of course, because I kept gasping in shock as the donkey moved it's mouth around my hand.)

Caleb and Amber played in the sandbox, slides and play equipment

Caleb rolled down a grassy hill

I browsed through the country store - lots of interesting fall craft and decorative pieces to look at, but I ended up buying a small country Thanksgiving recipe booklet

Amber and I ate some warm, yummy plain mini-donuts that were cooked for us right when I ordered them

Caleb rode a tricycle on a dirt track with hay as an obstacle

Amber enjoyed walking through a small tunnel

We all walked through a corn maze

With Matt's help, Caleb launched corn on the cob onto a field using a high pressure air launcher

Listened to more live music (some bluegrass musicians)

I went out to the pumpkin patch and chose two pumpkins to take home and put outside our doorway: one is white and round, the other is a bit more squished looking, but bright reddish-orange. The contrast between the two is very pretty.

This is definitely going to be a yearly tradition for the Bergesons :) What a special place!

Enjoying nature

2006-10-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Matt and I went on a walk with Amber. Shortly after we began our walk she found sprinklers and wanted to play in the water. Our initial thought was, "That's too messy for right now. We need to keep walking", but I didn't allow us to act on that first impulse. We let her play and get wet. She started playing with the dirt too, and stayed there for a good, long while having a blast. Yes, she got soaked, but it wasn't cold outside so it wasn't an issue. A man warming up his car across the street watched Amber play in the water and, liking what he saw, said, "Children need to be allowed to play in the elements and get dirty - too many parents walk around with tissue, ready to clean their child up at the slightest mess. When I was growing up right over there (he pointed to a house close to where we stood) I had a big dirt lot to play in with my buddies." We agreed and talked for a while. It was nice to see someone else understand the importance of children playing outside and enjoying nature.

Then, on Monday, I took Amber and Caleb over to my mom's house and the park for the afternoon. Caleb didn't have any school that day (it was some sort of work day for the staff, but no school for the kids). We went to the Culver City park and had a wonderful time, enjoying the beautiful day together.

Caleb made "soup" with grandma with water and leaves and flowers in a little bowl I brought after gathering all the different "ingredients." My mom put a pinch of "salt" (sand) in the soup and Caleb said, "Oh! Pepper too", and added a pinch of "pepper" (more sand). Amber played "soup" a little bit' too, but she was more interested in dumping the water out of the bowl.

Amber loved being slowly pushed around and around in this spinning park toy by some nice older boys we met. She slid down slides and crawled through a metal tunnel, wandered all around, and swung on a swing. When she spotted other little toddlers or babies she'd point her finger and say, "Baby" and then laugh.

With his mom and grandma encouraging him to do so, Caleb rolled over and over again down the big, grass hill at the park. He closed his eyes tight and tried to keep his legs straight and his arms bent under himself to gain speed. Sometimes he'd bend his legs because he was laughing so much which made him kind of travel haphazardly down the hill, as opposed to straight down. He giggled and giggled all the way down and then come back up to do it again - it was too cute to see! The sunlight glistening through the trees onto him, his golden hair and the sweet smile he kept on his face, and the grass...such a fresh, vibrant shade of green - it was a beautiful time with Caleb that my mom and I will always remember.

Later at the park, I had somewhat of a "Zen" moment. I laid down on the grass, on my back, and looked through the bottom of the small tree above me with the bright blue sky behind it. That was an interesting perspective to me since I normally look at trees while standing next to them. I noticed the shape and color of the leaves. I noticed the leaves rustling in the slight breeze, and I listened closely to the sound it made. It was a restorative, peaceful moment.

A while later I began talking with my mom about my concerns of not having a backyard, since we live in an apartment complex, for Caleb and Amber to play in, get messy and dirty in, explore, and enjoy nature. Regular visits to the park are essential when in a situation where there is no yard to play in, but playing at a park isn't the same as kicking back in your own yard and making mudpies or whatever else a child thinks of doing in the moment.

In the midst of this conversation, I became aware of a misconception I had of my growing up years. I remembered living in apartments most of my life and didn't think it was that big a deal that we didn't have a house. But, I forgot that we lived in a triplex for eight years that had a front yard and an area in the back to play too. I ran races with my brother, Anthony, on the curvy side walk out front. I'd explore the rocks and dirt with my neighbor friend, Roselle, and lift the rocks up to find all kind of different bugs in the dirt. Anthony and I would play handball against the garage doors out back. Dad, Anthony, and I would play catch with tennis balls in the front yard. We lived in this triplex from the time I was ages three to eleven. So, even though I didn't live in my own house growing up, I did have the ability to go outside and play to a certain degree.

My mom also explained to me that she, my dad, and my brother lived in a little house that had a yard for four years. I lived there for a while too, but I never realized how long, nor do I have many memories of that house. Here's what my mom told me:

A few more facts about the "little house" we lived in from the time Anthony was 2 1/2 all through my pregnancy with you until you were about 2 1/2 then we moved up to grandma & grandpa's house for about nine months (still having a yard to play in). You were around three when we moved into the triplex. When we all lived in the little house on Dewey st., the three of us spent many hours everyday out in the backyard. It was just like a daily extention of the house. Tons of toys, a real looking playhouse made of wood, cottage style! A cat (named beauty girl), kids from the neighborhood over all the time (Johnny and Randy) , mud, costumes, shovels, bees, butterflies, a pool, sprinklers, hot wheels, bikes, lounge chairs (for my habit of tanning) your first birthday party was out back... lots of good food both your grandmothers made & me) lots of our friends, lots of presents. I remember later after everyone was gone I layed out all the outfits you had received, and they covered our entire big bed! I remember one day I came into the kitchen and saw you through the sliding glass door, standing in the backyard in the pouring rain! You were drenched! I asked, " What are you doing, Sarah?" and you said, " I'm washing my hair in the rain", like it was the most natural thing to do!

My mom also told me that some of her favorite, peaceful memories are of her looking out the kitchen window, while washing the dishes, to see Anthony playing happily outside after my dad had just mowed the lawn, with the scent of fresh cut grass drifting into the house. That's the kind of experiences a family can have when they have a house...and that's the kind of memories we are looking forward to making ourselves whenever we buy a house in the future.

So, as I thought more about my past, I realized that I had many opportunities to play outside regularly in my own living space. Parks weren't needed as much (though I did still go to the park) because I was able to play outside a lot at home. When I was eleven years old we moved into an apartment that had no yard or outside play area, but I was older (not in that exploratory toddler/young childhood stage of development) and I was so busy with school and youth group that I don't think I needed to be out in a yard as much as I did when I was younger.

When I was pregnant with Caleb I knew that, at least for a while, Matt and I would not have a house of our own for our children to enjoy, so we'd have to make due with apartment living. But, I never, ever realized just how *much* children really do crave being outdoors, in nature, making messes, etc. I thought park visits a few times a week would be plenty to satisfy them but I have learned that children thrive...need...crave significant time outdoors every day. Here's a quote I love about children needing to experience nature, from Donna Simmons of Christopherus homeschooling:

"Marveling... ah, there's the key. The Waldorf approach to science as well as to learning in general is to cultivate an attitude in young children of awe, an attitude which will allow them to see the marvels of science around them, instead of developing a cynical "so what" nonchalance. Cultivating awe is, of course, easiest in very young children. By nature, young children are explorers, bringing their in-born sense of wonder to discovering the world around them. By encouraging our children to explore and to develop their senses, a heightened experience of the world will occur. By having plenty of time in nature, by being raised in a peaceful and nurturing environment in which there are many opportunities to explore mud, water, sand and sound, children will begin to form meaningful experiences upon which later scientific experiments and learning will be based. In contrast, an early childhood experience which is over-stimulating, full of noise, hustle and bustle, and the barrage of TV, videos and computers, dulls the senses and is antithetical to a development of qualities of awe and reverence. And, as children under seven learn mainly through imitation, our own reverential attitudes (or lack thereof) toward life toward nature, our families and home life, our spiritual lives are a crucial matrix from which the child learns to behold his surrounding."

Yesterday I took Amber and Caleb to the park after Caleb got home from school. After Caleb wandered off to play with some boys he met, Amber found a puddle of mud she wanted to play in. This was so interesting to me because I had just explained to my mom on Monday that at home, in one's own yard, it's easier to get a bucket of water for a child to play with in the dirt than it would be to do so at a park. I felt like it would be awkward to try to create that situation for Amber or Caleb while at the park. But, since I have no yard, we agreed that it would still be a good idea to create opportunities like that for my children. With that thought in mind, I let Amber do whatever she wanted in that big puddle of water and dirt. She ended up sitting in it for a long time, having a fantastic experience in nature. I thought this was so great, considering I had just talked about this with my mom the day prior.

It was interesting to see the other parents react to Amber sitting in a puddle of water at the park. Some people thought it was the greatest thing they had seen in a long time, laughing and looking at me like, "Way to go!" One man said, "They are only young once, you know? I think it's great you are letting her do this. Can I take a picture of her to show my wife?" I said sure - so he had his daughter take a picture of my messy little girl.

When I arrived home with Amber, who was by now more than ready for a warm bath after having all the dirt dry up on her skin, I washed her thoroughly, put lotion all over her, and put her in clean nighties - she was clean as can be, ready to fall fast asleep in her own bed, after having an adventure at the park.

These are the kind of moments that make me thankful for the opportunity to be a mother. It fills me with deep satisfaction to know that I am able to provide any of these kinds of nurturing, sweet experiences for my children. Their childhood is such a precious, short time period and I want to savor it with them as much as possible.

Funny Caleb stories

2006-09-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Caleb spent last Saturday at my parent's house and when I was on the phone the next day with them, they shared a few little conversations they had with Caleb. I thought these stories were too cute, so here they are:
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Story #1:

As Caleb was eating his lunch, grandma said to him, "You are getting so tall Caleb, taller every time I see you it seems."

"Yeah?", Caleb said, a little surprised.

"Yeah, I think you might grow up to be as tall as your daddy when you grow up to be a man. I think your daddy is 6 feet 6. That's very very tall!"

He said, "Noooo, two" (like, I'm sorry but you are mistaken).

Grandma said, "Really, he's 6 feet 6, I'm pretty sure."

With firmness of conviction, Caleb said, "NO. TWO." Then he lifted his feet above the dining table he was sitting at and said "See? Two feet!"

Grandma suddenly realized what he meant and what he was so sure about and said, "Oh, you're right! Daddy does have only two feet, NOT 6 feet!!"
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Story #2:

In order to fully appreciate this conversation, you need to know that my Dad's name is Santos.

Later that day, as grandpa and Caleb casually talked with each other, grandpa said, "Yep, I bet you're going to be as tall as your Daddy when you grow up.

Caleb said, "Yeah?"

Grandpa said, "Yeah, and one day you'll probably have a family of your own and a son as tall as you are."

"Yeah?", Caleb said again, taking it all in.

"What will you name him, I wonder? Caleb Matthew Bergeson Junior?", grandpa asked.

Caleb said, "Noooo!"

Grandpa asked, "Well then, what will you name him?"

With a sly smile, Caleb said, "SANTOS!!!"

They both had a good laugh together.
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Story #3:

Grandma and Caleb were outside walking around on a big pile over purple flowers that had fallen out of a tree. Caleb asked where they come from.

Grandma said, "Look up at that tree, they always fall off that tree in springtime."

He looked up and then down at the fallen flowers and then up again, thinking, and then asked, "Are they gonna go back up in the summertime?"
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Children sure are original, aren't they? Matt and I are continually amazed at the interesting thoughts and point of view that Caleb and Amber bring to our adult minds. They know how to make their parents and grandparents smile.

Amber at 17 months

2006-09-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

In order to keep track of what Amber and Caleb are interested in and what they're capable of at different ages, as time passes I'll be writing some lists with this information on my blog. They're growing up fast and this is one way for us to remember their childhood.

Here's a developmental snapshot of Amber at 17 months...

Words she uses:

Daddy

Mommy

Baby

"Joe's O's" (Trader Joes version of Cheerios)

Yeah (she says this *a lot*...it sounds more like "Yah")

Dog, doggy

Bird

Things she likes to do:

Climb on chairs, couches, play equipment, stairs (you get the idea)

Wear playsilks as a cape, a bonnet, and other interesting things

Play with water (ocean, shower, bath, fountains, sprinklers)

Put things on to act as necklaces or purses

Look through my purse and wallet

Try our shoes on and walk around in them

Eat oatmeal and other foods

Throw away anything she thinks is trash (she's usually pretty accurate, actually)

Read her little board books to herself (in her baby talk)

Nurse, nurse, nurse!

Pass food from our shopping cart to the grocery checker

Drink water from an cup without a lid

Take walks

Go to the park and the beach

Pet animals

Give kisses (she's really into this right now)

Dance and/or bop her head to music (she's definitely got rhythm)

Put items into a container, dump them out, put them back in (pictured below)

Other things she can do:

Stack small wooden blocks on top of each other (3-4 of them)

Color with crayons on paper

Throw a ball

Blow her nose

Point her finger at something she sees, like an airplane or bird

Says "Ughk", when she sees anything "icky"

"Give five" to someone

Clap her hands

Let us know if she's made any sort of mess in her diaper (she touches her bottom and gives us a look like "Um, I need help here")

Use a fork

Here's to the first day of Fall

2006-09-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

(Vermont)

"The first time I came to New England, it was Fall and I fell completely in love. There was a delicious nip in the air as we drove along country roads, the leaves whipping in the wind, through woodland valleys that smelled of the earth, near lakes, brooks, and streams all reflecting the flaming colors of the changing season, past the festive roadside stands filled with apples, pumpkins, and cider. We stopped at wonderful tiny restaurants in old houses with slanted floors and ate delicious soups, hot puddings bathed in cream and bowls of fresh raspberries. We saw the geese flying in formation and smoke curling out of 200-yearold chymneys. New England Holds the key to American History; it can also hold the key to your heart, especially in the fall."

Susan Branch

Pick your own

2006-09-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

This website, Pick-Your-Own, allows you to search anywhere in the U.S. for farms that you can visit and pick your own fruits and vegetables. I thought I'd share it with you.

Autumn's arrival

2006-09-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

The past couple of days I've noticed the first hints of autumn's arrival - the cool , crisp early mornings and late nights, the sun setting earlier in the evening, the trees looking a bit more golden. I eagerly await this time of year so feeling the change of the seasons made me a little giddy.

I sat in the living room with Amber (her name evokes the golden hue of fall to me, which is one reason I love it so much) and began to go back in time thinking about my favorite autumn memories when Matt and I lived in Sonoma County. As a transfer student from Santa Monica College, I moved into the dorms at Sonoma State University in August of 1997, got married in June of 1998, lived my first years as a wife while working and attending college courses, then graduated with my B.A. in December 1999. Needless to say, I have a lot of special memories of this time in my life. As these remembrances flooded my mind I felt such gratitude for the time we spent living there together.

If you're interested, click here for an article about Sonoma's coast that I enjoyed reading. We lived in Rohnert Park, which is in a valley, but we did experience the fog and cooling effects of the coast which were a refreshing reminder to us that the ocean was not too far away to enjoy.

The current issue of Sunset magazine has an article about El Dorado County, called Gold Country Autumn. El Dorado County, which is also magnificently beautiful, is a close neighbor to Sonoma County. I went out and bought this issue because I always want to have the pictures within my reach to remind me of the beautiful golden, rolling hills of northern California. Here is a quote from the article:

"You can't depend on Autumn. Of all seasons, it's the chanciest. What you get is one perfect October day followed by other days that are too hot, too cold, too gray, too weary. And autumn is gone.

Not so in California's Gold Country. In the folded foothills of the Sierra Nevada, autumn lingers as if it knows a good thing when it sees one. Here are the blue skies, the tawny hills, the grapevines tinged fierce red...The Gold Country is an autumn quilt of greens and golds and ambers under a blue, blue sky. It is perfect."

That's just how I feel about my experience living in Sonoma County! The photos in this magazine spread are gorgeous - I'm so glad I saw this issue in the bookstore.

I've been told that Apple Hill, which is described in this article, and its neighboring cities, such as Placerville, are beautiful places to either live or visit. If it wasn't so darn expensive to buy a home in California, I think I'd prefer Sonoma or El Dorado county to anywhere else. I'll have to settle on just visiting these areas when I can, for now at least.

Here's a description of Apple Hill festivities:

APPLE HILL, FARMS AND CHRISTMAS TREES Open year round but in full swing in late September and October you'll want to set aside some time for a tour of Apple Hill. The farmers and ranchers of this area offer a wide variety of baked goods made fresh daily along with a bounty of fruits and vegetables grown in their fields. Apples, apples, apples, from juice to apple spice cake to the best apple pies in the west can be found here. Hand made candies, crafts of all kinds, and souvenirs are plentiful. Have the kids pick their favorite pumpkin from the patch for Halloween. And then you will want to return in late November and early December to select the perfect tree to build your holiday around. The El Dorado County Christmas Tree Growers Association members are waiting to help you find the tree you are looking for. The largest variety and the finest selection of trees will be found on these ranches. Bring the family for a day of fun in the country.

The picture below is the official Apple Hill guide for 2006, and I thought the little girl holding the apple looked adorable. Hey, I'm going to have to look into visiting an apple orchard with my family...apple season is quickly passing me by and all this talk of Apple Hill and the autumn season has made me in the mood for some apple pie and cider.

The value of children

2006-09-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

"If there were no other reasons (though we know there are as many as stars), this alone would be the value of children: the way they remind you of the comfort of simplicity. Their compelling common sense. Their accessibility and their honesty. Their lack of pretense."

Elizabeth Berg