Friday, November 30, 2007

Thanksgiving in DFW

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Nana and Papa R flew from Seattle and we drove 9 hours from our neck of the woods to meet up in DFW with Uncle Jeff. Our dear friends Trey and Sheila graciously invited us to stay in their home while they were out of town visiting their family. It felt so nice to be back in DFW. I felt more "at home" there than I do in my current residence! We enjoyed spending time with the family, eating out at some of our favorite restaraunts, and getting lots of Christmas shopping done with free babysitting!
The boys loved driving our friend's car. Drew pushed the pedal and Bryce steered...quite a team! Notice the snow falling?

Papa trying to control them!

Silly Nana and Papa!

Bryce loves his Uncle Jeff!

Horsey ride with Papa

Shopping at Southlake Town Center and dinner at Cheesecake Factory...oh how I miss DFW!


Monday, November 19, 2007

Look-Alike Meter

THIS IS SO COOL! You can upload pics of your children and you & your spouse to see who they look most like. It only takes a few minutes...HAVE FUN!




Sunday, November 18, 2007

A Heavy Heart

Several friends are experiencing painful losses right now and my heart is grieving with them and for them. Thankfully, they are strong in their faith and know deep-down that God is in control of their lives, but it still doesn't make the pain and grieving process go away. It is so natural to question God, "Why me?", "What did I do to deserve this?", "Why is that person blessed with what I'm grieving for?", etc. I have not personally experienced a loss like this but I have experienced loss. From 2001-2005 Jimmy lost 4 jobs and we struggled to get pregnant for 4 1/2 years. During our grieving process, we asked a lot of the same questions of God. Thankfully, during this difficult time, we grew closer together and most importantly to God. This song,You are God Alone, by my favorite Christian group Phillips, Craig and Dean was and is such an encouragement to me. It reminds me that God is mighty, sovereign and bigger than any loss we are experiencing. Is is a comfort to know that even when things are changing in my world, Hebrews 13:8 says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Opposite Directions

Before J had to depart this morning, he commented that Bryce had been much less "needy" of him lately. For quite some time he has been a "Daddy's boy" but since returning from our trip to CA he has been spending more time with me and playing quietly by himself...it's been so sweet! I thought it would be a good idea to go outside to wave bye-bye and blow kisses as J drove off to work, but instead, it caused Bryce to have the worst "fit" ever! He DID NOT want his Daddy to leave. He ran after J's truck down the road, screaming and crying. I thought he might make it past 1 or 2 of our neighbor's houses before he got tired, but no, he ran all they way down to the end of the street, which is a pretty good distance!


When I caught up to him I tried to hold him and comfort him and explain that Daddy had to go to work, but it didn't help. He just threw himself onto the road face down and screamed! Meanwhile, Drew is all the way down at the opposite end of the street, stuck in a ditch on his trike! I was trying to scoop Bryce up so I could run back to Drew, but each time I would pick him up he would throw himself out of my arms and head back the other direction. I guess he thought he could catch up to his Daddy??? FINALLY, after about 15 minutes of wrestling with him and picking him up off the street, I got the boys home TOGETHER, SAFELY, and calmed down. After a drink and a snack, they settled onto the couch together and read books! This is a good example of why I don't spend much time outside with the boys by myself... They inevitably go in opposite directions!

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Nana and Papa M's Visit

A good friend of ours from high school got married last weekend in Sonoma, CA. We debated for quite awhile about what to do with the boys - take them with us, fly them to WA and have grandparents take care of them, not go, etc. We really needed time together and we really wanted to see our friend get married so in order to make it easiest on the boys we flew Mom and Mike out to babysit. We had such a hard time leaving the boys. I have never been away from them for more than a few hours so it was very hard for me! We both cried like babies when we said goodbye! Once we got to CA safely and heard that the boys were doing great, we relaxed and enjoyed our time together. The boys were angels, says Nana and Papa! They did lots of fun things to keep them busy. Bryce and Drew had lots of fun and so did Nana and Papa - especially without us around!

Playing the keyboard with Papa.
Driving the cars at Home Depot with Nana
Feeding the ducks at the park with Papa
Making banana bread with Nana - I'm so glad my boys show an interest in cooking and baking!
Watching a movie with Papa

Riding their new trikes from Nana and Papa

J and I had a wonderful 5 days in Napa and Sonoma, "wine country." We enjoyed wonderful California cuisine, gorgeous scenery, time together without babies, sleeping in and wine tastings and tours. The best part was spending time with some friends from high school and their spouses that we had not met before. The wedding festivities were spectacular. They consisted of 3 days of events...each one felt like we were at a Hollywood party! Thank you Jarett and Fernanda!
The wineries were so beautiful with the grape leaves turning fall colors. Our friends Aaron and Wendy at a winery.
The groom Jarett and bride Fernanda.
Our friends Darby & Rob, and Aaron & Wendy