Another New Year!

Like everyone else, I am spending my day sweetly remembering this past year, and hopefully anticipating what is to come!  We have had such an amazing year.  Nothing too monumental happened, but sometimes, that's a good thing :)  We celebrated three years of marriage, Calvin turned one, we camped for the first time as a family of three, we tagged along through many "firsts" for Calvin...walking, running, climbing, Mama, Dada, and figuring out how to get in to just about everything!  And we made and shared memories with many friends and family!

God continues to bless us with good health.  And we are so grateful Jake has steady work.  It isn't his dream job, but in today's economy, we are beyond grateful.  It's easy to hope and dream about what the next year may hold, but one of my "goals" is to leave more in the hands of the Lord and do less planning on my own.  Now, don't get me wrong, there will still be plenty of planning going on.  But there will hopefully be more leaning on the Lord's wisdom rather than my own and seeking His will above ours. 

Here are a few other "resolutions"...

• Always have a dining table ready to be eaten at.  That may sound silly, but I hate it when we can't sit down to eat because the table is covered with junk.  I guess I'm hoping to be more organized :) 
• Be more aware of what we are eating.  Specifically the ingredients in the food we are eating.  I really like to cook, and I do make a lot of things homemade (spagetti sauce, tortillas, refried beans, croutons, etc.) but I want to do more!  I want to start baking my own bread and rolls, and pizza dough.  Not only to be healthier, but to try and save money!
• Of course exercise more!  I have been somewhat of a lazy slug since Calvin was born.  Oh, I've gone through phases of being really motivated, but I need to get my rear in gear!

And of course there are the intangible resolutions...the ones you can't really measure, like being more patient with Calvin, and making my husband , family, and household more of a priority over my own desires.  But those will probably be on my "list" every year. 

Happy New Year from the Eschbachs!

A Favorite Recipe...

For our wedding, a family friend gave Jake and I a recipe book of their "family" recipes.  In it was this jewel!  So, so easy, and SOOOO delicious, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  In fact it's so good, I had three helpings of it last night...and Calvin had two helpings tonight for dinner! 

Paprika Chicken

2 T Butter
1 1/2 T Oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 T paprika
1/2 t salt
6 cups chicken stock
Frozen chicken (as many as you need for your family)
2 cups sour cream
1 T flour

Melt butter and oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven.  Add paprika and onion and simmer until glossy and red.  Add salt and chicken stock.  Once ingredients come to a boil, add frozen chicken (how awesome that you can put the chicken in frozen!  I love it!)
Simmer, covered, until chicken is tender and cooked through (about 45 minutes)
Stir flour and sour cream together in a small bowl.  Stir mixture slowly into the pot and simmer about 5 minutes until thickened and smooth.  Do not boil. 

Serve at once over rice or noodles. 

So good!!  Enjoy!!

"Just Wing It" Dinners

So, as I mentioned before, the end of the month seems be the time to scrounge in the freezer and cupboards and just hope there are enough decent ingredients to put together a few meals.  And I'm happy to say, we made it to the start of a new month rather successfully.  I hate reading recipe books and getting discouraged by not having the ingredients, but I'm not usually creative enough to adjust it for what I have.  And I really like to cook, but I often lack inspiration.  We have our favorite meals and I tend to make them, or a version of them, on a regular basis. 

Here are a couple of "just wing it" meals that I'm pretty proud of this month :) 


Dinner 1: Apple Cider Pork Roast
(I didn't take exact measurements of the ingredients...so hopefully this is close)

Pork Roast
2 cups of apple cider (ours was homemade and I'd already added some cinnamon and mulling spices)
Garlic (as much as you can handle...we like alot)
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped

Throw everything in the crockpot and cook on low about 6-7 hours.  I threw my roast in straight from the freezer, so if it's thawed (which in my house it rarely is), it would probably cook less. 

This came out AMAZING!!  The subtle sweetness from the apple cider was so good, but it still left enough pork flavor.  I did end up dipping mine in bbq sauce because I'm a total dipper and I'm falling madly in love with bbq lately :) 


Dinner 2: Taco Casserole. 
I've had a few different versions of this, but I'm pretty sure this was a unique creation :) 

Tortilla Chips
1 can chili beans (I randomly had this in the cupboard, next time I'll just use pinto beans)
1/2 pound of ground beef, cooked and seasoned with Taco seasoning
1/2 an onion, diced
1-12 oz can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 t. cumin
Grated cheese

Crush tortilla chips to line the bottom of pan (I used something like a 10x8 casserole dish).  Mix remaining ingredients and spread 1/2 over the crushed chips.  Top with grated cheese, then repeat with another layer of chips, filling, and cheese.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

This turned out really yummy too!  I was afraid that the leftovers were going to be mushy and disgusting, but they were actually pretty good!  The chips just tasted like a corn tortilla.  I am blessed to have a husband who will eat just about anything, including leftovers, so I usually only have to eat it once or twice :) 

Meals

For some reason, I thought that Thanksgiving would feed us for the whole week, so I neglected planning meals last week.  Well, Thanksgiving wasn't until Thursdsay, so we were a little under-prepared for the beggining of the week.  I'm doing better this week :) 

Monday - Apple Cider Pork Roast...just took a bite of this and it's DELICIOUS and Calvin is gobbling it down!!!  With roasted potatoes and green beans
Tuesday - Taco Casserole...I'm going to try and wing it with crushed tortilla chips and a meat/bean concoction. 
Wednesday - Leftovers or salads
Thursday - French Toast...I read a suggestion of having breakfast for dinner once a week as it can tend to be pretty inexpensive. 
Friday - Roast Chicken with caesar salad
Saturday - I think we'll be over at someone's house??
Sunday - Homemade Pizza...but don't let me fool you, I buy my crust at Trader Joe's.  You can't beat $1.29 and no hassle. 

I feel like I'm struggling a little bit sticking to our budget for the entire month and still having hearty, yummy meals.  We're usually scraping the cupboards to figure out meals for the last few days of the month.  And we are total meat eaters, but I am trying to plan a meal or two each week that is vegetarian, yet still hearty.  So, I would love any and all ideas for budget friendly but delicious, family favorite meals!! 

So Very Blessed

I was struck today with an abundance of gratitude to the Lord for how richly He has blessed me.  Of course, it is the week of Thanksgiving, I've read a number of "I'm Thankful for..." blogs and statuses.  But what really made me realize how truly blessed I am?  Today, I was out running errands and I noticed a long line down the sidewalk.  I'm in that part of town pretty frequently and I'd never seen that many people before.  I peeked down the street and realized it was a line for the Food Bank.  I didn't even know that's where the food bank was.  And it struck me...I have no doubts that I will be eating a delicious Thanksgiving meal surrounded by people I love, and who love me back.  We will be warm and cozy, stuffed to the brim, and totally happy.  It will be a day free of stress (for me at least, since I'm not doing much cooking) and full of joy.  And I know that isn't true for everyone. 

Honestly, I've been spending a lot more time lately being stressed out about what we don't have, or the fact that we need to "save up" to buy a new dust buster after ours broke.  I've been overlooking the fact that God has blessed us ABUNDANTLY...well beyond what we need, and even beyond what we ask for. 

So I am going to try a little harder, not just this week, but every week, to focus on the things I am grateful for, and thank God for them. 

Two of my favorite blessings : ) 

Two weeks of Meals!!

So I failed at meal planning last week, and I'm trying to make it up by planning two weeks worth of meals.  I'm also hoping this will mean I can just do one large shopping trip and then just run out for fresh produce as needed.  I don't know Jake's schedule for next week, so there will probably be some shuffling around, but here's the plan:

11/7-11/12

Monday - Pulled pork sandwiches...our FAVORITE!!  And pretty much the all time easiest meal :) 
Tuesday - Tacos...which means i need to make homemade tortillas and refried beans first!
Wednesday - Hoppin' John Stoup (from a Rachel Ray cook book...basically a sausage and veggie stew)
Thursday - Chicken Divan with rice
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Tuna Casserole
Sunday - Seahawks game...so probably pizza??


11/13-11/19

Monday - Chicken and veggie stir fry with rice
Tuesday - Pork chops (cooked somehow...I don't know yet)
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Chicken Curry
Friday - Double date night!!
Saturday - Spaghetti
Sunday - Pumpkin Soup

Meals This Week...

So I am LOVING planning my meals ahead!  It has saved me so much thought, effort, and time throughout my week.  I'm not going to pretend it works 100% every week...but probably a good 95% :)  There are days we end up grabbing a pizza or something like that, but the last few weeks, we have eaten really well, with very little mid-week thought on my part. 

This week...

Sunday - Lentil Soup...I've decided Sundays are going to be soup days and try out new recipes
Monday - Grilled cheese with leftover soup...and whole wheat pumpkin bread!
Tuesday - Garlic pesto chicken and pasta
Wednesday - Roast and potatoes
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Orange Chicken (from Trader Joe's) and rice
Saturday - My mom and dad's for trick or treating with Calvin!! 

Calvin is BEYOND active these days, so it has helped to have my meal preparation time be cut down a bit.  He is literally climbing on EVERYTHING!  There is very little "safe" space to put things where they can't be climbed to and obtained by Calvin.  He is definitely keeping us on our toes these days. 

2nd Annual

It's a real tradition now!  This weekend, we had our 2nd annual trip to StoneyRidge Farms.  Last year, Calvin was the only baby (out of the womb), and this year, we were a much larger group :)  I can't believe another year has gone by...another year of being blessed by the gals in my small group, and their families.  We had a great time taking photos (thanks Julie!) treating ourselves to carmel apple pie (YUM!!), then heading to the Riley's to carve our pumpkins.  The kids were great...much to our surprise and delight :) 

Our happy family of three!

Or course, my baby is the only one not looking :) 

The moms were obviously better at getting the babies attention than the dads were :)

The whole gang!  What a difference a year makes! 

My Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

I have been LOVING baking with pumpkin these days!  It is one of my favorite things about Fall.  I could eat everything pumpkin flavored...pumpkin lattes, bread, scones, pancakes...you name it, I'll probably like it! 

So I thought I would share some of my favorite pumpking recipes I've been enjoying thus far this Fall.  I have bought the large cans of pumpkin at Costco, and sometimes, it is hard to use the whole thing without making double or triple batches of a recipe.  But this week was a breeze!  Here is what I made with one can of pumpkin: 

Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies
http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2010/10/pumpkin-oatmeal-cranberry-cookies.html
These had cranberries AND chocolate chips in them...oh so delicious! 


Pumpkin Scones
http://www.tammysrecipes.com/whole_wheat_pumpkin_scones_cinnamon_icing
These will be a fall staple in our house.  They were SOOO yummy!  The cinnamon icing was AMAZING!!


Pumpkin Sour Cream Cake with cinnamon Icing
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/sour-cream-pumpkin-bundt-cake/detail.aspx
Anything with struesel in the middle has to be delicious, right?  And I used the icing recipe from the scones...so good!!

Pumpkin Butter
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/10/pumpkin-butter.html
I had seen a similar recipe on a friend's blog and HAD to try it!  We had it on homemade beer bread (which is pretty much the easiest thing to make ever) and it is amazing!  I only had one cup of pumpkin left, but the recipe made a full jar of pumpkin butter.  We'll have it in the fridge for a good week or two. 

Enjoy your fall baking!!  Have any good recipes I can try??  I would LOVE them!!

This week's meals...

Well, I did pretty good sticking to my plan last week!  There was one day that was really rough behavior-wise with Calvin, so we grabbed something quick, but we just made our planned dinner the next day for lunch. 

Here's what I'm planning for this week:

Sunday- Spinach and Kale soup...never tried it before, but I think I have all the ingredients...with homemade beer bread. 
Monday- Tacos with homemade tortillas (or maybe a taco casserole??)
Tuesday- Chicken Divan with rice
Wednesday- Leftovers
Thursday- Split Pea Soup (out of the freezer)
Friday- Orange Chicken (from Trader Joes) with rice and green beans
Saturday- Pumpkin Patch!!

Weekly Meal Plans

Inspired by some fellow mom bloggers, I am going to attempt to create a weekly meal plan for our house.  Mostly just dinners because the rest of our days are typically pretty random, we never know where we're going to be, if we'll be home, etc.  And if it turns out Jake won't be home for dinner, sometimes I'll make the dinner idea for lunch.  Who knows :)  But I thought this would at least keep me somewhat accountable and get me a little better prepared for the week.  And some day I might get ambitious and go for two weeks at a time!!  Now, I am blessed with a husband who likes to eat leftovers, so I am able to make extra at dinners and spread them through the week.  I know not everyone is that lucky :) 

This week: 

Monday -  Beef roast (already in the crockpot!), steamed broccoli, focacia bread
Tuesday - Meatloaf, roasted potatoes, green beans
Wedneaday - leftovers...Jake works and I have a Partylite show
Thursday - Mustard Oregano Porkchops (from Fix, Freeze, and Feast...a must have cookbook!), steamed broccoli (I bought the big bag at Costco!)
Friday - Leftovers...another Partylite show!
Saturday - Cider Pressing with family!
Sunday - Taco soup in the crockpot

There's my week!  I hope this helps me be a little more organized, and maybe get a little more creative.  If I'm planning ahead to be creative, it might help me actually accomplish it.  Creativity doesn't work very well at 4:00 in the afternoon...it must be planned ahead in our house :)

Happy eating!!

Perpetual Motion

I know it sounds cliche, but my oh my, how time flies!!  I literally can't believe how fast our boy is growing up.  It feels like the last few weeks have brought major changes, physically and mentally, and it is such a blessing to get to watch him grow and change.  He is keeping us all on our toes from morning until he lays his perfect little head down to sleep at night.  I am loving every minute of it, but every stage has it's chalenges.  I currently have three parenting books on hold at the library...the true sign one is parenting a toddler :)

Some of the things that have changed in just the last few weeks:

• Walking is his primary mode of travel.  He still crawls if he thinks he needs to go super fast, but picks himself right back up and walks. 
• He has started a bit of sign language while eating, specifically "all done"...although he doesn't quite get when to use it.  I'd all but given up on the sign language thing. 
• He can drink out of a sippy cup!  I thought my child would be the only one who couldn't use one!  But he totally has it figured out and looks like such a big boy throwing his head back getting those last few drops of apple juice :) 
• He mimics my hand motions when I show him something is a "no touch".  I have to hide my face so he doesn't see me laughing...it's so cute!
• When we ask him what a doggy says, he responds with "oof, oof"...so cute!! 
• It's really hard to get him to eat veggies, even though he had loved them ever since starting solid foods.  I have to sneak bites in, or hide veggie purees in his pasta sauce, quesadilla, or even his PBJ sandwhich :) 
• He is definitely starting to get a bit naughty and we've had to start spanking and giving time outs when he is clearly defying us...trust me, it is quite obvious. 
• There have been several times when I can hear him just chatting in his crib.  Up until a few weeks ago, the first sound we would hear upon him waking was bloody murder screaming.  A very nice change :) 
• He is still the cutest, sweetest, loving, friendly little boy and I don't think that will change.  I took him to the play place at the mall on a rainy day this week and his biggest problem was that he would hug other children until he knocked them over.  We need to work on the friendliness factor. 
• Oh, he also loves to be bounced! If you are sitting with your legs crossed, he takes that as a sign you're willing to bounce him and comes and sits on your foot.  Literally anyone...even strangers at the mall. 

I know the changes will continue and I am just trying to cherish all the moments I have with him.  The other day, I turned on some music and he wanted to be held so we could dance...his grandma Karstetter has given him a great love for dancing :).  I stood there dancing with him, he was smiling, and I seriously started to cry because it was the most absolutely perfect moment.  Those don't happen all that often and I was just soaking it up!  I love how smart and independent Calvin is becoming, but I miss my little baby, and I cherish the moments I have that remind me of those days. 

Crazy Candle Lady

That's right...I'm a crazy candle lady now!!  Tonight I had my starter show to begin my business as a consultant with Partylite Candles.  I started with Partylite about six years ago because I was totally obsessed with the product...but ended up not being so great at the consulant part.  It was just the wrong time.  A friend signed up recently though, and it got me really excited.  So, a few forms filled out and I'm a consultant!  I am SO excited this time around.  It is a much better fit, super flexible schedule (because I'm my own boss!!), and I think it's really fun. 

Now, I am NOT a sales person.  I do not try to sell someone something they don't want.  I want to be low pressure and just let it all fall in to place.  I feel so blessed to recieve the reassurance I need that  this was the right decision over the past few days, though.  People actually showed up to the party tonight!  And I've had several people call me out of the blue to book shows.  Total blessing!! 

So, I'm just really excited and I wanted to share!  Call me if you want to book a show!!  haha :) 

Go burn a candle! 

Calvin's Birthday and Crescent Bar

Goodness, it has been a whirlwind couple of weeks!  I thought this summer was going to be pretty mellow, since we didn't have much on the calendar.  But the days have filled up and time has flown by!!  Before we knew it, we celebrated our little boy's first birthday!!  What a crazy day!  It is so wierd to think that a year ago on that day, we were meeting Calvin for the first time ever!  All day long, I was thinking about what we were doing at that same time one year ago.  When we introduced Calvin to our friends and family for the first time...the first time he fell asleep on our chests...the first time we went to sleep with a little baby in the room.  So many emotions filled that day and it was such a fun day to look back at our wonderful first year as a family of three. 

Calvin's party was so much fun!  We celebrated with some friends and family and gave lots of attention to the birthday boy!  He wasn't crazy about the cake, but he ate some.  And he was just a bundle of smiles and laughs! 

How grown up does this boy look??

My feeble attempt at a cake...everyone said it was cute, but I wasn't convinced :(

Starting to dig in!

Our one year old little family :) 

After celebrating Calvin's birthday, we got to spend some fun family time over in Crescent Bar, WA.  My dad and brother had tickets to the Dave Matthews show at the Gorge, so we tagged along.  It was toasty warm, mid-nineties, with nothing to worry about but what time we were headed to the pool, and what flavor of shaved ice we'd get.  We went with my folks, so grandma and grandpa were more than happy to sit with Calvin in the kiddy pool while I worked on my tan.  It was blissful!! 

The Gang

(My brother's girlfriend, Erica, Nick, me, Calvin, and Jake, and my folks)

Such a little pool dude!



It has been a crazy busy and crazy fun summer, and I am ready for things to settle down.  I can't wait for Fall to arrive!!  My scarves and mittens are calling my name and I am ready to pull out my fall decorations!!

Reuinited...

This week, some friends of ours, Sarah and Soren, came to visit from Salem, OR.  Sarah and I were roommates in college, and even though it was only for a semester, it felt like much longer (in a good way!).  We were "Sarah Squared" and had SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER!!  We were even trying to remember if we'd ever argued or been mad at each other, and we couldn't remember any!  Now, I'm sure there were a few disagreements, but the fun we had obviously outweighed the challenges :)  It is so refreshing and fun to reunite with friends from a different part of your life.  We had so much fun catching up, and it was a joy for them to get to know Jake better (they approved!) and meet Calvin.  We enjoyed a fun trip out to Deception Pass (our family favorite) and Sarah took some great pictures.  We had so much fun with them and we're going to try and not let it go so long between visits!

"Sarah Squared"...together again!!

Sarah captured so many great smiles..Calvin LOVED her!!

This boy loves the beach!

A Little Trip...

We don't have the chance too often to go away as a little family.  Most of our time away is with either my, or Jake's, side of the family, which we LOVE, but sometimes it is nice to get away as just us.  It makes us feel like more of a little family...more like grown ups :)  This weekend, my dear friend Kristy got married in Spokane, so we decided to make a little road trip of it and spend a few days over there. 

I wisely thought leaving Thursday evening just before Calvins bed time would make for the easiest six-hour drive, and he would sleep most of the way.  WRONG!!  He started crying in Bothell, wouldn't take a bottle, and cried off and on, HARD, for hours!  It was awful!  He finally fell asleep and we rolled into Spokane around 1:30 am, exhausted.  Luckily, Calvin slept in a little bit, which he rarely does. 

We didn't have a ton of exploring time, but we were able to enjoy time at Riverfront Park, swam in the hotel pool several times, and were blessed to be a part of a dear friend's wedding.  It was HOT over there!!  Like mid-nineties, which is basically my melting temperature.  But we endured :) 

The drive back went much smoother, despite choosing to take Highway 2 and being stuck in the traffic of every small town festival along the way...which translated into stop and go driving for miles and miles and miles.  But overall a fantastic trip!  Calvin was such a trooper!  I was getting cranky after our long drive, too, so I can't blame him too much :) 

Calvin's first hotel stay!  He did great and we had the perfect room for our little family!

At Riverfront Park.  I decided if we ever had to move to Spokane, this is where I would spend all of my time.

Doesn't this just look like summer bliss?  Calvin had so much fun splashing around! He was SOAKED!

How cute is this?  These two are becoming quite the little buddies...I LOVE IT!!

Such a lovely wedding!

A great dose of some much needed family time!

Healthy Snacks...

Lately, I have been looking for ideas for yummy, healthy snacks.  We usually eat pretty well for meals, but when it comes to snacks, we tend to just eat whatever we can find.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know there are carrot sticks, apples, and other fruits and veggies to snack on, but that doesn't always cut it.  I want something with a little more substance, but that is still good for me. 

I found a recipe for homemade granola bars on A Hint of Honey (check out Chewy Granola Bars in her recipe index for the original recipe).  I LOVE this blog!  She sometimes uses a little more fancy ingredients that I don't tend to buy, but its great for inspiration.  This recipe is so yummy and super versatile, so you can make it different every time if you want different flavors. 

Here is how I did it today:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I like a little spice, but you can definitely leave this out)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 banana, mashed
1/2 cup applesauce (instead of oil)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Generously grease a 9x13 baking pan.  In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients.  Make a well in center and pour in remaining ingredients.  Mix together with hands or spatula (it's a little sticky, so maybe oil the spatula).  Press the mixture evenly into the pan.  Bake 18-25 minutes, until tops are golden.  Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes in pan, then cut into bars while still warm.  Store in an airtight container or freeze. 

They have never lasted long enough for me to freeze any, so I can't tell you that they thaw well or not.  You can add so many different things to this recipe...pumpkin, coconut, almonds, raisins, flax seed, craisins...anything you have in the cupboard.  I used whole wheat flour, which requires a little extra liquid (so I added the 1/2 mashed banana).  If you use regular flour, you could go without the banana. 

Ok, now it's your turn!  Do you have any great healthy snack recipes??  I'd love to try them out!!

Be Joyful Always...

"Be joyful always; pray continuously; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ". 
                    1 Thessalonians 5:16

I am really trying to make this my life verse, especially in this season of life.  I am finding, as a mom, there are so many things that can easily turn my day for the worst.  A grumpy kid, having nothing ready for dinner, forgetting my coupons at home when I go grocery shopping, running out of 1/2 and 1/2 for my coffee...the list could go on.  There are so many days where I could use extra encouragement, especially on the days when my only human contact is with my sweet boy who looks at me and says "dada"...yeah, makes me feel really special :)  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being a mom.  It is the ONLY thing I have ever wanted to do and I am beyond grateful that God has blessed us with Calvin, and blessed me with a husband who wants me to stay home with our kids as badly as I want to.  There is just no denying that there are hard days. 

So I am challenging myself to look to the Lord for encouragement, not to those around me.  It hasn't always been easy for me to stay consistent with my quiet times with the Lord, but I know I need them, and I see the obvious difference in my attitude when I have those quiet times.  I know it will help me feel more encouraged...I know it will help me be more patient with Calvin...I know it will help me have more productive days.  I love this verse because it tells me exactly what God wants me to do...and if I'm doing exactly what God wants me to do, how can I feel discouraged??  I love that the sacrifice Jesus made makes it possible for me to have a personal, joyful relationship with the Lord, and I am going to try and make that the focus of my day...not the things that are going wrong. 

Will you pray for me?  That I will seek the Lord for encouragement?  I will be praying for you, too! 

And just to put a smile on your (and my) face...

Fabulous Fourth!

Well, it was a little bittersweet celebrating the last of Calvin's "first" holidays...but it was so much fun!  He did great all day!  We celebrate our fourth of July up in Blaine every year with my extended family.  If you've never been up there for the fourth, they put on a great show...parade, street fair, bands, and wonderful fireworks!  Honestly, some of the best fireworks I've seen, not just because they're big, but because you can pretty much be right underneath them...awesome! Calvin "mostly" enjoyed the fireworks.  We were hoping he'd take a "nap" at his normal bed time, but didn't so he was exhausted.  He watched the first few minutes of fireworks, fell asleep, then woke up a bit later and was not so happy.  But it was a great first attempt :) 
It was a great, relaxing day celebrating with family, and enjoying the sunshine!!

WAY too cool!

Parade Fun!

So happy my cake turned out!  It isn't near as pretty as the one on Glorious Treats, but at least it looked like it was supposed to!!  I was really nervous cutting into it :) 

Hurry up and start, fireworks, this boy won't sit still!!

Fake Weekend

With Jake's schedule at Costco, he typically doesn't have weekends off.  But every once in a while, he gets two days off together in the middle of the week and we have a fake weekend!  We knew we needed to do something, so we headed back out to Lummi! 
It rained on the way out there, and then was sunny for two days!  I'm pretty sure the clouds part over Lummi Island because it is ALWAYS sunny out there!!  We had a fabulous, restful time, walking up and down the beach, finding sea glass and starfish, playing games, and spending time as a family.  We also visited the beach where Jake proposed almost four years ago.  We hadn't been back since that special day and it was so fun to relive those memories.  Can't wait for our next fake weekend!!

We love the beach!!

Church Beach--where Jake and I got engaged almost 4 years ago!!

Oh, Lummi...

I LOVE Lummi Island!  Jake loves Lummi because it holds his boyhood memories of running through the woods, and spending the majority of daylight hours turning over rocks looking for crabs on the beach.  For me, Lummi is only a part of my recent past, but it still holds a special place in my heart.  It is like a magical retreat.  It feels like you're on vacation, even though you are only minutes from town.  I love hunting for sea glass...I could spend all day beach combing.  It is where Jake and I got engaged, so it will always remain the most romantic place in the world!  :) 

If it didn't cost an arm and a leg to get over (seriously, $21 for us to drive over on the tiny ferry...sheesh!) I would spend most sunny afternoons over there.  Fortunately, Jake's grandparents own a home right on the beach, and a few times each summer, Jake's dad pulls out the boat and ferry's us across to the magical land.  Yesterday, we went out to celebrate grandma and grandpa's 60th wedding anniversary!  It as Calvin's first boat trip and first time on the island, and he really enjoyed it...I think he thinks it's as magical as I do :)  It was such a fabulous summer day!

Bad Mom Day

So I was reading a blog yesterday about how mom's are afraid to admit to having bad days.  We always want to say we adore being a mom, and everything that comes along with it.  We never yell at our children, we never let a load of laundry go unfolded, and we always have dinner on the table at a reasonable hour.  There is so much pressure (most of it put on by ourselves) and we are just afraid to admit sometimes it isn't always perfect. 

Well, it came at the perfect time for me, and I admit that today was a BAD MOM DAY!!  I brought it on myself, staying up too late last night.  But Calvin woke up early and was crabby, which made me crabby.  I found myself getting super irritable and yelling at him for things I wouldn't normally.  And he was being in super discovery/destruction mode.  He was able to somehow unscrew the bolt that held together a stool I have had since I was little.  And where did I find the screw?  In his mouth!!  BAD MOM!!  I try (and am usually able) to be really patient with him, remembering that he is learning and discovering, and not always intentionally trying to push my buttons...yet :)  Anyway, I almost decided not to go walking with some of my gal friends, but last minute changed my mind, and determined to change my attitude. 

I came home feeling much better and Calvin took a great nap!  After his nap though, I changed his diaper and found the first of what I can safely assume will be many, many "discoveries" in his poo.  A rubber band!!  That couldn't have felt good being digested...hmmm...maybe why he was so fussy yesterday and slept poorly??  BAD MOM!!  (Sorry if that's too much information for anyone). 

I know I am still new to this mom thing, and there are many of you out there with oodles of kids who always seem to have it all together.  I am still learning so much but even as I learn and grow, I am still going to have rough days.  I praise God for blessing us with sweet Calvin and I love him more than imaginable.  I really, really love being a mom...even on the bad days!! 

I know, seriously, who could be crabby with this sweet face to smile at!!

The Gang's All Here!!

Today was our first accountability group meeting with all four babies!!  It is amazing that we started meeting together when I was still pregnant, and since then, all three of the other girls have had their babies!!  These girls (and their babies) hold such a special place in my heart.  They are such an encouragement to me and we just have a blast together.  It has been so amazing to have a great group of other first time mommies to walk and pray through this experience together.  I love them!!

The Gang

Calvin (9 months), Katelynn (7 months), Analynne (6 months), William (1 month)

Typically, Calvin is the one making the girls cry, either by yelling too loud or flailing his arms in the general direction of their face :)  But today he was on his best behavior.  We can't wait to watch these kiddos grow up, and hopefully, become good friends!!



And I couldn't resist throwing in some photos of Calvin in his new jammies.  Good grief he's adorable!!  And doesn't he look like a little boy??  Where'd my baby go??