Emma's First Christmas Pageant

Emma participated in her very first Christmas pageant. She sang her little heart out and we enjoyed seeing her perform. What a big girl!

Timothy's First Birthday

Timothy enjoyed his first birthday very much. He loved devouring his very own cupcake, but wanted to play with the fire (lit candle) first. Oh no! The day after his birthday, Hunter treated Timothy to a first class meal (yes, Hunter cooked the meal with grandma). Unfortunately, Tim was NOT in the mood and slept through most of dinner time. Oh well. It was tasty and a quiet time for the rest of us :) Walking, talking, teething, and getting into mischief, Timothy has become our daily entertainment. With such a sweet, snuggly disposition, it's so hard to let this baby of mine grow into toddlerhood! Time is fleeting and moments like these are precious... I live to savor every moment.

9 months ago...

Nine months seems such a long time ago in some respects, but in reality, has only been but a brief moment in time. Today, Timothy is three-quarters of a year old. So much much has happened in his teenie world since then; so much change. Will he remember these days? Probably not. He will only "remember" what we tell him. So... We'll tell him how amazing this time with him was. We'll tell him what a blessing he was to our family. We'll tell him how sweet and snuggly he was, how he sucked his left thumb, how he had a happy button on his bum (pick him up and he was happy)... how very much he was loved. The first smile, the first coo, the first day he sat up on his own, his funny little scoot (pre-crawling), crawling, standing, cruising, his first tooth...these are the things I will remember and share with him one day.

Our New Home

It's been a busy two weeks, but the kids and I are finally settling in to our new home. The apartment complex is located walking distance to the boys' school, their dad's house, and grandma and grandpa's house too. It is a nearly 1100 sq. ft., 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit that was just built. Construction on several other buildings in the complex is still underway. The three boys are sharing the master suite and Emma and I have taken control of the second bedroom and larger hall bathroom. Here are some photos of our new abode. It's good to have a place for us to rebuild and call home...

Berry Bliss

Spokane has a very, VERY short strawberry season and this year, it is especially short as spring was cold and summer was hesitant to arrive. The strawberries here are NOT like what we were accustomed to in CA (very small), but they are good nonetheless. Today, the kids and I spent an hour picking nearly 14 pounds of the delicious red berries. Hunter was especially enthusiastic about the picking as he had plans for his berries! Hayden was his normal, happy-go-lucky self, flitting here and there, picking one berry from this plant and one from that. Timothy, of course, was just along for the ride and Emma was determined to pick the unripe berries. Nice! The weather was hot, ugh, but we had a great time anyway.

Upon bringing our harvest home, we proceeded to wash and hull the berries. Then came the best part... half-pints of fresh freezer jam to enjoy and to share, lightly sweetened topping for cheesecake that Hunter made (the BEST ever no-bake recipe we found), plenty of berries to enjoy after dinner, and just as many put in the freezer for future baking projects and smoothies. Yummo!

The best part of this activity, of course, is spending the day out in the fields enjoying the sunshine and time with the kids. Their innocence is a blessing, their playfulness is refreshing, and the experiences we have together like these are...priceless.