Tami and Tommy Visit

One of my closest friends, Tami, and her husband and daughter drove out from Portland for a visit this week. Their beautiful daughter, Laura (2 1/2), was just a delight! We enjoyed catching up, though this is never hard, as it seems that no matter how much time has past, we just seem to pick up where we left of. The three days were filled with fun at the the local aquatic center, late night chats, and Matt and Tommy enjoying a little golf together. It was great. I am so thankful for your friendship, Tami, and it meant so much to me to have you come and visit our home. The last 16 years of friendship have been a blessing to me, and I look forward to many more!

Operation Challenge

We started taking Caleb to Horse Therapy every Friday afternoon about 6 weeks ago. It has been awesome! We have been thrilled at some of the progress he is making, and also for the chance to give him his own "big boy" time, and special time with Mommy or Daddy. We take turns taking him, and we always go to lunch at McDonalds afterwards. The program he is in also participates in a yearly event called Operation Challenge. They invite people with special needs and their entire families up to the rodeo grounds and give them horse rides, free hot dogs, a cute petting zoo, and the chance to see what the people in horse therapy do each week. We had such a great time!!! All three boys rode horses, and enjoyed the warm afternoon. As you'll see below, there are no pictures of Noah and Jonah riding, since Matt was on the back of Noah's horse with him, and I was riding with Jonah. Made it a little hard to get pictures. Caleb got on before each of us, and even got to ride a second time, so there are more of him. We have Polaroids of each of the boys taken by a volunteer at the event, so once I get my scanner fixed, I can post those. I wouldn't hold my breath, though. You may have a better chance of coming over to see them. ;o) Anyway, it was a great afternoon, and wonderful experience for all of us.

Favorite Color

Caleb, (4): "My favorite color is my red froggy shirt."

Yep. If you scroll down just a bit, you'll see him wearing his "favorite color" shirt while showing off his Potato Head creation. He loves this shirt. He'd wear it every day if I let him. The other day I said that it was dirty, and he said "Mama! Wash it please!" This is my apology to his future wife. By the time he gets to you, my Dear, he'll know how to wash his own froggy shirt. ;o)

Run, Mommy! Run!

So, I did it! I ran my first 10 k.(6.2 miles) I have been enjoying my running a lot again, now that the boys are a little bigger. Having a treadmill helped throughout the winter, but now that the sun is coming up at a decent hour, I have been getting out most mornings before Matt leaves for work. I have found that it really gets my day off to a good start. Most of you know that running has been a passion of mine for about 10 years, but with the addition of two babies at one time, well, you get the idea. I get that jogging strollers are cool for a lot of people, but I gotta tell you... it was fun with Caleb... One baby. But shoving 2 big babies around in what may as well be a camping trailer for 4.5 miles at just the right time of day, between Caleb's pre-school and afternoon naps just wasn't gonna happen on this home front. Anyway, that doesn't have anything to do with anything... But I finally ventured out and entered a "run". And got the t-shirt. At 6.2 miles, I finished at right at one hour. It was tons of fun, and I look forward to entering more runs for the fun of it. Here are some pictures that Matt took of me running and crossing the finish line... When I met the boys there after the run, Caleb ran up to me and shouted "I'm proud of you!!!"
Entry Fee for Race: $15 dollars
Massage for sore muscles: $50 (in my dreams)
Son telling Mom he's "proud" of her: Priceless. ;o)

Tato Head

So, Caleb made this wonderful "Tato Head", and when he was done, asked if I could get the camera to take a picture of him with his "Tato Head". He said "Mama's proud of me." I, of course, ran for the camera and assured him that I was very proud. Caleb... You are precious.

Life is Good

The boys love homemade frosting. Although Jonah decided he wasn't very interested, hence no chocolate face picture of him. But Noah and Caleb had no trouble licking their utensils clean!

Women of Faith

My wonderful mother-in-law, Vonnie, treated me to the Women of Faith conference this last weekend up in Spokane. I had never been to the conference, but had heard amazing things about it. I really am not sure what I expected, but it certainly would have exceeded anything that I could have expected! It was amazing. The music, the speakers, everything was top notch. I was so blessed. And anyone who knows me well, knows that normally I would shy away from an event that would attract 10,000 women. But really, it was phenomenal. I am looking forward to going back next year, and taking a lot of friends with me!!! I had a delightful time with Vonnie, and was so excited to share the experience with her. She is a true gem, and one that I am blessed to have as a Mom! What a joy! As we walked out of the arena for our lunch break, the sun was shining, and snow was falling. I don't think you can see it in the picture, but it was hilarious. ;o)

Baby Words

Jonah and Noah are really starting to jabber! Way more than these clips even show, but at least you get to hear their little voices! Again, the video is not that exciting, but it's nice to be able to document things with our amazing technology. Enjoy....

Mealtime Musings

So, in these "clips" You'll see Noah singing, while Jonah is singing, maybe more... Hmm.. scatting... the "eat, eat" as background vocals. It's Jonah's rendition of a "Doo-Whop" guy. And, yes, that's Noah throwing food. I grounded him from Senior Prom for that once we finished taping. ;o)

There really isn't anything too exciting here, just me experimenting with putting a clip on blog, although Jonah's kisses at the end of one are worth the viewing.

Manners

Caleb is sitting on the potty ~ Okay, so I get that I am telling a "potty" story. But this is my life. And though being the professional family documentor I am, I must keep it real~

Caleb: I'm all done.

Mommy: Are you sure? 'Cause sometimes we need to wait just a bit, to make sure everything came out.

Caleb, sighs heavily: May I please be excused?

A Lesson in What You Can and Can't Buy From a Store

Caleb (4) is clutching his stomach...

Mommy: You feeling okay, Caleb?

Caleb: My tummy feeld yucky.

Mommy: Oh, I'm sorry Buddy, what should we do?

Caleb: Mama... go buy Caleb a new tummy at the store, please.

What Do Warm Weather and Christine Have in Common???

They have both been missing... For MONTHS!!!! But as the next post shows... We are both back in full force. Well, at least for the weekend. I could make tons of excuses as to why I have neglected those of you who are our boys' fan club... But really, it came down to laziness. So there. I said it. Confession is good for the soul. But really, it has been a joyous few months. Matt took a two week journey to Israel, which was amazing. It was sponsored by a donor in the area who wanted to send 5 young pastors to Israel who had never been before, and through the blessings of God, Matt was one of those pastors. He went with a group of about 40 people, and had an amazing time. We are both so thankful for being gifted with that experience. I am proud of myself for surviving two weeks of his absence! But, honestly, I am such a sissy. I was blessed to have my best friend from Multnomah, Sheri come out for an entire week, and my mom came out for several days after that. I had a great time with both of them, and found myself being ever so thankful, once again, that we are closer to friends and family here on the mainland. I also completed my kitchen project of tearing down the old wallpaper, and painting. My kitchen now feels like a Tuscan Culinary Getaway. Okay, that might be a stretch, but I LOVE it. ;o) Below you will find pictures of what you really care about: The Boys! They are all doing so well. We are so blessed to have such beautiful, healthy boys. Caleb is growing leaps and bounds with his speech, and really, Noah and Jonah are, too! They are each so unique and wonderful. Thanks for waiting for me to get my act together and update you all! Hopefully it won't be so long between postings! Aloha...