Another cute story taking place right now :-)

Jp and Gabby are having breakfast. With the rising price of groceries (and everything else, for that matter), we have been cracking down on wasting food. Jp is having pancakes and Gabby has eggs and strawberries. Of course, when she saw Jp's pancakes, she "changed her mind" and wanted pancakes. I told her that she could have some pancakes when her eggs and strawberries were all gone. She, of course, was not too happy with that. A couple minutes later, I hear Jp whisper to her: "Here Gabby. Take some of my pancakes." Gabby asks back: "Is this a secret?" Jp whispers back: "Ya. Don't tell Mommy!" :-).

My boy is growing up *sniff*

For those of you who have been there, done that, do you remember how your 4 year old can drive you absolutely bonkers one moment and then the next, you want to throw your arms around him and beg him to stay little? Jp is growing up sooo fast! This morning, Jp and Gabby woke up around 6:45 or so, the norm. They got up, closed the door to our bedroom (which we leave open so we can here them if they need us in the middle of the night), and Jp proceeded to get breakfast for both of them. When Jason got up a little later, they were both sitting at the dining room table. Jp had gotten two dishes out of the tupperware cupboard (at their level) and poured fruity cherrios for both of them. So they sat there "talking" while they ate their breakfast.

Two nights ago after dinner, Jp asks to be excused and clears his plate, which is one of his chores. He then proceeds to clear the entire table and asks that clearing the table be put on his chore chart as one of his regular chores!

Speaking of chores, Gabby discovered something last night. Every night, the kids are required to pick up their rooms before bed if they want their quarter for that day's chores. Gabby realized that if she gave brother a dime and a penny, he would clean her room for her and she would still get her quarter. I have a feeling Jp is going to be a hard worker and Gabby is going to be, well, a princess :-).

Gabby has a book that has become a favorite lately. It's called "Elmo's Hokey-Pokey". We've put some movements to it and the kids LOVE it! Well, yesterday I was busy cleaning the kitchen and couldn't do it with them when they wanted to, so they decided to do it by themselves. One of the pages reads: "Swing your partner in. Swing your partner out. Swing your partner in. Do-si-do about." When we hit that page, I usually pick the kids up one at a time and swing them around. Since I wasn't available, Jp proceeded to pick Gabby up, literally, and swing around the room with her. He is actually quite strong and while he did stumble a couple times, they were both having the time of their lives. My big *sniff* boy *sniff, sniff*!

Tomorrow, the kids and I are going to visit a preschool. It comes highly recommended by the moms in our Moms Club and I'm pretty sure that's where Jp is going to go next year. We're going to visit it tomorrow morning and make sure that it's what we are looking for. Now, I can wrap my mind around preschool. Jp was in preschool in Oregon and I was ok with that. But I found out on Friday that Salida kindergarten, which Jp will most likely attend fall '09, is going to ALL DAY kindergarten, 8:30 to 2, 5 days a week. Waaaa! My baby!!!! THAT I am not ready for. What are they thinking?!? I know. I know. Most kids are in daycare all day anyway, but all day? Oh, dear. What am I going to do? :(  I know we'll survive, but you may want to take out some stock in Kleenex, because I will be buying them out!

Oh, one last "big boy" story before I hit the sack. On our way to church this morning, Jp informs us that when he gets older, he's going to move back to Oregon. We asked him why he wants to go back. He said: "Not now, Mommy. When I get bigger!" "Ok. Well, who are you going to live with?" "Me and Reagan and our kids are going to live there." "Well, Jp" I asked, "what if Reagan doesn't want to move to Oregon?" Jp's response: "Hmm. I'll ask her when I get to church today."

Cake finale and some pictures

Tonight was the last class in Course One, so here's my finale! I cheated and made it mocha, instead of the white cake it was "supposed" to be :-). Creative license in action (as well as a PMSing woman, lol!). I had to take the pictures tonight because as soon as the kids are in bed, I'm digging in!

Course 2 doesn't have a cake every week, just at the end of the course. So no weekly photos next month, unless I'm feeling creative and start a project of my own :-).

I thought I'd attach some pictures of the kids too, since I'm here and I know you grandparents especially like seeing the little ones.

Finger food night, a great dinner when Daddy is gone :-).

Out of the blue a few days ago, Jp picked up his guitar and asked me to take a picture, so I did. Enjoy!

Oh, btw, Grandpas (that would be Papa and Grandpa Randy), when I asked the kids the other day who their best friend is, Jp instantly said: "Benji!" and Gabby replied: "My grandpas!"

Jp and Reagan's Playdate

Jp and Reagan had their first play date this morning. Overall, it went really well. The kids and I showed up at Reagan's house around 10 and stayed for almost 2.5 hrs. Jp had a really good time, but he did ask if we could have a shorter play date next time. He was pretty tired by the end :-). Gabby and Reagan didn't really get along, but honestly, what can you expect? There really isn't room for two divas/princesses in one bedroom and they both fought for dominion over the kingdom. I don't really think there was a clear winner though.

Heather, Reagan's mom, is really sweet. She was a high-school freshman English teacher in her pre-baby years and plans to go back when her boys are in first grade, but for now, she's home with the kids. We talked about the challenges of motherhood and the struggle to work or not work, to tighten the budget or spend precious hours away from home. It was nice to have another mom to talk to who could relate. She has 3 kids. Reagan is 4, like Jp, and her twin boys just turned 2. Man, those boys keep her hopping! I was really nervous going over there because she seemed like one of those moms who has it all together (do those exist?), but she's actually a normal human being. Who knew?

Jason is sick today, but at work of course. Poor guy! He just feels "off". Shivering, then hot, but no fever, and incredibly tired. He came home from work last night and fell asleep right after dinner. Honestly, I think life has finally caught up with him and he's exhausted :-(.

I'm really tired too, but not in the "oh, my gosh, I'm gonna die!" kind of way yet :-). I've just been really busy. Tomorrow is my Wilton Course 1 grand finale so I have to work on my cake today. I made one last night (just the cake, not the whole decorated deal), but the kids helped, and well, it's in the garbage :-). It was so tough I couldn't get my leveler through it, and the strangest shape too. High on one side, almost flat on the other. Who knew you can mess up a cake mix? But at least Jp got to practice cracking the eggs ;-).

Tomorrow is Bible Study and cake decorating class. Friday is Mudfest with Mom's Club. Saturday is family picture time for the church directory. It will be really nice when they get the directory done because then I'll have a cheat sheet for all the names I forget. I'm just awful with names :(.

Ok. I really must go now. My roses are calling me to practice them. Well, the laundry's calling too, but not quite as loudly.

My latest creation

I need to help Jp put together his model plane ($1 purchase at Michael's today), but I wanted to jump on really quickly and show you all my latest Wilton cake. Two of the clowns have since been eaten by eager children. The cake was in honor of Kalea Vanderzanden (Beth's little girl) who turned 1 yesterday. Happy Birthday Kalea! I wish we could be there to party with you!

From the mouths of babes

I'm a little concerned about the theology of our children's program at church. I asked Gabby last Sunday what her story was about. She told me it was about "Golion and the giant". I asked her if she meant David and Goliath. "No." she said "Golion and the giant. The two big mean giants killed the little boy!" Uh, oh :-).

The kids and I met Jason for lunch at his office today. We were supposed to go to McDonalds, but he had a huge last minute project he had to work on, so we brought McDonalds to him. On the way home, Gabby pipes up from the back seat: "BE QUIET!!! I'm on my bluetooth!"

Jp has made a new friend at church. A cute little blonde girl named Reagan. Her mom and I set up a play date for next week. I told Jp on the way home that I was so glad he had made a new friend. Then I said: "Well, actually you have two now, huh. Erin (the neighbor girl) and Reagan." To which he replies: "Actually, Erin's my cousin." I tried to explain to him that Erin can't be his cousin because her parents are not related to either Jason or me, but he wasn't convinced. When I asked him why he thought Erin was his cousin, he said: "Because I love her." Apparently, Reagan is his friend because he likes being with her and Erin is his cousin because he loves her :+).

Not much news

I figured I should get on and post today, since I hadn't done so in a few days. Nothing super exciting to share. Just a run of the mill week for us. The neighbor kids are coming over this evening, so Jp and Gabby should have a good time. Elizabeth (the neighbor) suggested that we do a babysitting swap a couple times a month where they watch our kids so we can go on a date then we watch their kids the next week. I like the idea, but I'm a little nervous because Gabby still gets apprehensive when Mommy leaves. I think she'll be fine though. Last time I left her over there for all of 15 minutes, I forgot her blankey and she wasn't too happy about that. I think we'll probably do this one Friday a month. It will be really nice to have a regular date night.

I'm soooo tired this week. It amazes me how much having a break on the weekend makes a difference in my week. Jason was busy with a couple things last weekend, so I never got the weekend break and I'm dragging. Jason is heading out of town Friday through Sunday this weekend to take pictures of Katie's wedding and I've gone into survival mode. You know, when you shut down and start witnessing your life as an outsider. It's kind of funky really, hearing yourself speak as if someone else is doing the talking. Ok. I'll stop before you have me committed :-). Honestly, you single parents truly amaze me. The stamina and patience you have to have is incredible!

Speaking of dragging, I think I'll go watch a movie while the kids are in bed (not napping yet, but a woman can hope).

My Trip to Yosemite... Version 2

The mighty Merced river is fed by snowpack in Yosemite and runs into the San Juaquin Valley... It and other snow fed rivers start in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada Mountains and run into the Valley....  it's what waters the produce that is grown around here....
Here are two pictures of "The Little Chapel" at Yosemite... it is one of the few original buildings left from the 1920-1930's era when Yosemite Valley became a town and tourist attraction.  The park service moved it away from the flood plain and it was carefully restored....

Here is Yosemite Falls... snow fed and quite impressive....
Here is Tunnel View.... Ansel Adams made this view famous... from the left... El Capitan towering over Yosemite Valley... the middle is "Half Dome", aptly named for it's shape... to the right... Bridal Viel Falls....

This was my first time at Yosemite and just a scouting trip... artistic photography to come later... but I saw the three things I set out to see... Trust me... I'll be back and see much more...

And the car didn't break down this time... Yeah!

jason

87 degrees!

I would just like to say that it is currently 87 degrees here. I just got back from a walk to the library by myself and it was NICE! I've realized, however, that I need to make a trip to Target, since I don't own a single pair of shorts or capris, or casual dresses. I don't think my jeans are going to be very enjoyable next month when it's supposed to hit 100. Jason turned on the AC this morning :(. I'm not looking forward to the electric bill next month, but hopefully, if we open up the house in the mornings and keep the blinds closed during the rest of the day, we can keep the house relatively cool.

Another quick note. Some of you have asked about the deleted comments on our blog. To clarify, we aren't censoring any of you. We opened the blog up to comments from anyone and therefore get spammed sometimes.  Just wanted to clarify :-).

Love you all!

Becca 

Cake decorating!

Thursday evening, I had my second cake decorating class. I was a little worried before I left because I was sooooo tired that night. It had been a very long week and I could just picture myself in class spacing out and getting nothing done. You know, when you are so tired you just want to cry? That's where I was. But Jason and the kids took off on a walk to the park and I headed to my class. It turned out to be the most rejuvenating thing I could have done that night. I was the only student there at first, then two more showed up. The instructor is wonderful. I usually get really tense around people I don't know, but I am as relaxed as I am around my sisters when I'm with Michelle. It's kind of weird. I wouldn't say I feel like I've known her forever because I don't know much about her, but I feel as comfortable around her as I would around someone I've known forever.

The next day, I decided to let the kids play with the leftover icing and they had a blast! Even Gabby sat there for an hour! I also realized that teaching kids doesn't have to be boring. I used the icing to teach them about colors (ie red and blue make purple. Blue and yellow make green, etc.) and we also worked on letters a bit and had a great time. I did discover, however, that teaching a two year old to squeeze from the top down is pretty close to impossible, resulting in a large, sticky mess :-). Oh, the other thing that surprised me is that the kids didn't eat much of it. They knew they were going to have cake when Erin (the neighbor kid) came over after lunch, so amazingly they left the frosting alone.

Here's Jp's work of art:

And here's Gabby's:

Stay tuned for next week's project: a clown cake! I can't wait!

Sobering

Mom sent me this email today. I know several of you have probably already read it, but it hit me at the core, so I thought I would post it here for those of you who haven't read it yet.

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery.

Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously. This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going on to seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. 'How many push-ups can you do?'

Steve said, 'I do about 200 every night. '

' 200? That's pretty good, Steve, 'Dr. Christianson said. 'Do you think you could do 300?'

Steve replied, 'I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time.'

'Do you think you could?' again asked Dr. Christianson.

'Well, I can try,' said Steve.

'Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about
300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,' said the professor.

Steve said, ' Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it.'

Dr. Christianson said, 'Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.'

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, 'Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?'

Cynthia said, 'Yes.'

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?'

'Sure!' Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, 'Joe, do you want a donut?'

Joe said, 'Yes.'

Dr. Christianson asked, 'Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?'

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut. Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, 'Scott do you want a donut?'

Scott's reply was, 'Well, can I do my own push-ups?'

Dr. Christianson said, 'No, Steve has to do them.'

Then Scott said, 'Well, I don't want one then.'

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?'

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Scott said, 'HEY! I said I didn't want one!'

Dr. Christianson said, 'Look!, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it.' And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, 'Jenny, do you want a donut?'

Sternly, Jenny said, 'No.'

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, 'Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?'

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, 'No!' and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.
Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the sets and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, 'Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?'

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, 'Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.' And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, 'NO! Don't come in! Stay out!'

Jason didn't know what was going on.

Steve picked up his head and said, 'No, let him come.'

Professor Christianson said, 'You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?'

Steve said, 'Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut.'

Dr. Christianson said, 'Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?'

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. 'Yes,' he said, 'give me a donut.'

'Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?'

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular.

Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, 'Linda, do you want a donut?'

Linda said, very sadly, 'No, thank you.'

Professor Christianson quietly asked, 'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?'

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. 'Susan, do you want a donut?'

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. 'Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?'

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, 'No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes.'

'Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?'

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had
accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, 'And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.'
Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

'Well done, good and faithful servant,' said the professor, adding, 'Not all sermons are
preached in words.'

Turning to his class, the professor said, 'My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid.'

'Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?'

Clinique Bonus Time!

The kids and I decided to venture to the mall today. Jp needed another pair of shoes, since it cooled off a bit and the one pair of sandals he owns weren't cutting it. We started with Stride Rite where Jp got a new pair of flashing shoes in extra wide. Yay! Until now, we haven't been able to find any flashing shoes in his size because his feet are so wide. Our new Stride Rite saves the day again!

We then moved on to Macy's because I'm almost out of foundation and concealer and since it's bonus time at Clinique, I thought I would get them now. For those of you who don't know, at bonus time, Clinique gives you several free items (lipsticks, lotions, soaps, etc) with purchase. Gabby was excited because I told her that she would get some makeup too, since I knew there would be at least one thing in the free stuff that wasn't the right color for me. When we got to Clinique, Jp wanted something "for men". Luckily, there was a "Clinique for Men" tester there, so I sprayed a little on Jp, who then wanted to buy some and he was devastated when the employee told him it was $30!!! So I looked through my free stuff and lo and behold, mascara! I can't wear it because I'm allergic, so Jp got it. Here's the result:

I gave Gabby one of the free lipsticks that was way to bright for me and apparently, it's just the right shade for her :-).

Well, I better go get these two in the bath!

A few changes

Since my last post, a few of my plans have changed. Nothing major. Just life stuff. I didn't end up going job hunting because I was so tired and worn out from everything on Thursday that Jason and I both knew I wouldn't interview well. You know, when you're so tired that the idea of doing anything in the evening makes you want to vomit? Probably not a good time to go get an evening job ;-). I feel much better now, having rested a bit, but I can't job hunt on the weekends and next week Jason is negotiating all week, so he won't be available to watch the kids during the day. I'm going to have to wait one more week. Frustrating, but oh, well. Luckily for us, me working is a way for us to speed up our debt reduction process and not a means of survival, so waiting another couple weeks is not the end of the world.

I noticed today that Michaels is still hiring, or maybe they are hiring again, not sure which. Man, I would love to work there, but it would be really hard not to leave my entire paycheck there, especially now that I've started cake decorating classes. I'm also pretty sure my availability doesn't match what they are looking for, but I think I'll still look into it. Can't hurt, right?

I had my first cake decorating class today! After years of wanting to do this, I finally bit the bullet and signed up. April classes are 1/2 off and May classes are 40% off, so I'm getting quite a deal. I am a little bummed because I'm going to have to forgo my pedicure to buy cake decorating supplies, but since I don't own any sandals, what's the point of a pedicure, right? :-). I am soooo excited to finally be doing this. The teacher is wonderful (a little scatterbrained, but really sweet). She owns her own cake decorating business and teaches for Wilton at the Michaels near our house 6 nights a week. She's able to buy Wilton supplies in bulk and she puts together little kits for her students that we can get at a reduced price. Also, because we are in the class, we get 10% off anything at Michaels. Sweet, huh! I'm kind of kicking myself for picking an expensive hobby though. Why couldn't I decided to pursue, I don't know, writing? or bird watching? The nice thing is, though, that with cake decorating, you really can do it pretty inexpensively if you have to. My prayer is to be content no matter what I have and I'm trying hard to do that. We have really been blessed in so many ways and I'm trying to focus on what we have rather than what we don't. Did I mention we have sunshine here? And that's FREE!!

Oh, one more exciting thing about today. I went to Lowes and got all the supplies for my herb garden. I have a mini greenhouse above the kitchen sink (I'm not sure what the real term is for it. It's a couple shelves that are open toward the kitchen surrounded by glass on all other sides.). I'll take a picture and post it here when I'm all done putting it together. Gabby helped me pick out the plants. We got Rosemary, Basil, Sage, Peppermint, Cilantro, Parsley, Dill and I don't remember what else. Speaking of, I better get off the computer and get to work. Life is calling!

So excited!!!

I just got my Moms' Club activities calendar for the month of April and I'm so excited! They have great activities planned for this month. We are going to make Fruit Kabobs at Cooking Club, Mudfest 2008 is April 25th (not really sure what it involves, but we're supposed to bring a change of clothes and ice cream is provided, so it can't be all bad, right?). Mom's night out is pedicures (can't wait! I had decided I was going to use some of my "allowance" for one anyway, because this is California after all, so getting one with other moms is going to be heavenly!). Our field trip on the 24th is to the zoo. Yay! Gabby will be sooo excited. That child is born to be a vet :-).

Tomorrow the kids and I are going to our first women's Bible Study at the church and I can't wait! We're going to be studying Esther, one of my favorite books of the Bible. I'm looking forward to that, and to meeting other women.

I'm really enjoying our life here in California. I was worried I wouldn't like it here, but the combination of the sun, a good church and more family time has been turning it into a great place to live. I also think that forcing myself to be more active and involved has helped. I miss all of you guys a lot, but it's starting to feel like home here, which I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be able to say after only 2.5 months. Have I mentioned how much I love the sunshine? And being 15 mns or less from practically everything (church, Jason's work, Target, Costco, Winco, Walmart, the Mall and of course, Michaels :-) ) is sooo nice. I never thought I would like the suburbs, but I learn something new about myself every day. I even learned that there are pros to renting!

Yesterday, both toilets stopped up and overflowed (ya. nice!). No matter what I tried, I couldn't get them unclogged and since we had been having issues with them for several days, Jason called our landlady and she called a plumber for us. I have to say, after the $500 car repair and the new tires we are going to have to buy this week (we found a bubble in one of Jason's tires), it was very refreshing to pass along the plumber costs to someone else. Renting isn't so bad after all :-).

Well, I need to clean up and then go through the phone book and decide how many restaurants and which ones I am going to apply at tomorrow. Jason said he will come home for a long lunch so I can get my applications out. I'm really dreading it and would love some prayers from all of you for peace and guidance through this whole job seeking affair.

Love you all! Oh, btw, each and everyone is welcome here any time. Please don't wait for a personal invitation from us because we don't want any of you to feel like you HAVE to come. Just know that you are welcome in our home any time and consider this your invitation :-).

I'm not ready for him to grow up....

Here are pictures from Brewer visit part deux...  

It occurred to me how much my son has grown up... the pictures don't show it well but he drove his car all on his own.  The last one is cute because he didn't want to crash into anyone else.. and he didn't...  and while these weren't the quickest little racecars in the world, they weren't slow either... he used the gas pedal and steering wheel like a pro!

He's growing up....  I'm not ready....