Cooking Lessons

My wonderful niece, Jessie, is here for the week! We are so enjoying spending time with her! The boys are her biggest fans, I am sure! This week I am giving Jess some cooking lessons. She loves to cook, and it is so fun making yummy recipes with her to take home and wow her family! Of course, while she is here, she is having to put up with three little "helpers", but she is a great sport about it!

Noah and Jonah helping out.

Caleb helped crack an egg and peal bananas.

Jessie hard at work!

The finished product! HoneyWheat Banana Muffins! YUMMY! (This is one of my kids FAVORITES!)

The chef should be SO proud!

Snuggle Bug

When tucking Jonah (3) in last night:

Jonah (scooting over as far as he can): Mama, there is space here! Come snuggle me for 3 weeks.

Daddy's Big Helper

All of the boys love to help Daddy, but recently, Jonah has shown a big interest in helping Daddy do just about everything!

Helping Daddy fix the bench to the table.
Using the tools that Grammy gave to the boys. They just LOVE having their own tools!

Helping Daddy mow the lawn!

Before we know it, he'll be complaining about having to do this! We are enjoying this phase when it is novel and fun!

(Thanks to Grammy, they have a toy mower now, too... Jonah is also the one who likes to play with that more than the other boys... What a Big HELPER he is!)

A Few Of His Favorite Things...

Yesterday, Caleb (5) looked at me and said:

Mommy, I love the beach, Christmas, and Disneyland.

On Fairytales...

Jonah (3): Mommy, you are princess. Jonah is prince.


And my heart melts.

10 Years

Can you believe that Matt and I just celebrated our 10 year anniversary? It just amazes me... not that we made it, mind you, but that ten whole years of life has past, and we have shared it all together. We are young, and in a great phase of life. But when we married each other, we were really young. Idealistic, as all young newly married couples are. Full of hopes and dreams. Totally cliche'. Totally true.

The last ten years have been a journey of adventure, transition, exploration, great heart ache, and overwhelming joy. We have laughed so hard together, and cried together, just as hard. We have faced individual challenges, and marital challenges, and conquered them together. Each of us, coming through it a little stronger. Our hearts have the few scars that a mere 10 years of marriage has to offer, but they are badges of honor to those who are in it for the long haul.

But when I allow my memory to travel through the past decade, seeing the images as if flipping through an album, what is most evident to me is the hand of God. I see the Lord so clearly.

I see His protection.

I see His mercy.

I see His provision.

And mostly, like an unfiltered light shining on the images in my mind, I see His love. A love that has carried us through marital minefields, like infertility. A love that has wrapped around us as we have walked through the times when life has kicked our asses, and a love that has celebrated with us as we have faced joy so unexplainable, it has felt like a dream. He has been there. When we were married, our pastor, Reilly Gibby, gave a message about how when you are married, the two become one, yet the two become three, as well. The two of us are entwined in a relationship with the Most High God, and He is the One who gives us the strength to choose to love. And to be loved.

"Lovin' a person just the way they are, that's no small thing... But that's the whole thing" ~ Sara Groves

Matt, I look forward to the decades to come... I love you.

On Friday Night After Kids Were In Bed, Grammy Overheard:

Jonah (3):
I don't hit my brothers.
I don't hit my brothers.
I don't hit my brothers...

O-R-E-O

Since Grammy has been here, the boys have been enjoying all the treats and fun that Grammy brings with her. One of these treats is the gift of endless Oreo cookies. A HUGE hit in our house. While sitting at the table, dunking away:

Noah (3): Mommy! I see letters on my cookie!

Mommy: YA! Let's see.. there's O, R, E, O. What does that spell?

Noah: GRAMMY!

Ah ya.

The Outdoor Tubby

The day after the marathon, Matt and I took the boys to downtown Missoula to see what we could find to do. On the way into town, the Little Boys fell asleep in the car. They had been getting their "vacation sleep" which is never as good as at home sleep, so we decided to just drive around and let them sleep. We drove into Lolo, MT., a small town, and I remembered some friends telling us about some hot springs there. We drove until we found Lolo hot springs resort, and asked about it. They had a beautiful resort with indoor and outdoor tubs, but they were pricey, and we were on a budget... I also remembered these same friends telling us about natural hot springs that you can hike into... I asked about them at the resort... They gave me the easy directions, and after ordering some lunch for the road, we took off on our little adventure. Sure enough, about 30 min. away we found the turn out for Jerry Johnson hot springs. As the friendly folks at the resort told us, it was a VERY easy 1 mile hike into the springs. I just need to say that it was about the best thing my sore marathon muscles could have asked for... An easy hike to work them just enough, and a soak in a hot tub. Wow. The day was cooler, and misted a bit, which also made the dip in the hot water delightful. The boys LOVED the hike in the woods. I just felt like God blessed us with an incredible, unexpected, family adventure.

The BEAUTIFUL hike in...
Daddy and our boys, enjoying being in the great outdoors.

To get the boys to look even towards to camera, Matt said "WOW! Look at those clouds!" Which is why they are looking up at the sky. Too funny!

Once we got to the upper spring, we saw a MOOSE out in the landing. It was INCREDIBLE!

Here is a pic of our "outdoor tubby", as the boys called it.

Our relaxing hike back... I can't say enough how incredible this day was... What a gift.

Our boys. Gentlemen, every day is a gift with you. ;o)

My First Marathon!!!

After 8 years of talking about it, beginning to train for one in Honolulu in 2003 just before Caleb was born... I finally did it! 20 weeks of training, excitement, fear and a knee injury one week before the race, I crossed the finish line of my first marathon in Missoula Montana in 4 hours and 51 minutes! I trained the whole time with one of my best friends! Emily and I put in hours of training, and hundreds of miles, and crossed the finish line together! Really, it is hard for me to put into words the sense of accomplishment and pride. To achieve something that I never thought possible, is overwhelming. The Lord was with us in amazing ways as we journeyed 26.2 miles, from the blessing of the weather (it was horribly hot the day before, and a huge thunder/rain storm the morning after) to the people we met along the way, we felt incredibly blessed. About half way through the marathon, we met up with a man named Jim. Jim is 74 years old and has completed over 200 marathons, and 60 ultra marathons. Just 8 weeks earlier he had a medical procedure done on his prostate, and was not sure if he would be able to finish this race. He was such an inspiration to us! During the next several miles, we had the chance to talk about our journeys, difficult times, and joys. He was such a gift to Emily and I. It was quite humbling, as part of why I wanted to run the marathon was to celebrate my 30th birthday, and here was a man, old enough to be my Grandpa, schooling me on what it really is to be a marathoner! ;o) I will never forget the love the Jim shared for the Lord... He said at one point "You know, a lot of people are excited for heaven because there will 'be no tears' and they can 'pet the lions'... me, I just want to be with Jesus." I know I will be learning many lessons from Jim, as I reflect back on that time. The three of us crossed the finish line together, and I just wept. My boys were all there at several points along the race, cheering me on. It was overwhelming the impact they had on my resolve to finish! All in all, it was an experience that could not have been better. One that I will treasure for the rest of my life. I am abundantly blessed, and honored that I was able to celebrate the milestones of life in this way.

Here is the big expo tent that we went to the day before to pick up our numbers, shirts, and shoe chips.
Jonah and Noah were my helpers... getting me all set for the big day!
Emily came up and gave me a big hug... my first tears started here!

They had this big sign for all the racers to sign... cool idea!

Here is my proud signature!

And, we are off!

Running to meet my boys!

FINISH!

Jim, me, and Emily

I could not have done this without you, Emily. I treasure you, and I will forever remember this experience as one of the greatest ever!

Me with My Boys! They all had matching t-shirts... The Boys' said:

"On a scale of 1-10, my Mom's a 26.2"

Matt's said "On a scale of 1-10, my Wife's a 26.2"

I got SO many comments on what a beautiful family I have....Oh, my, how I know. I thank God for them, most. Matt, without your support, I know I could not have accomplished this. You are an incredible husband and father. You deserve a medal, too.

Special Request

After getting up from their nap today:

Mommy: Boys! You wanna go to Costco with Mama and Daddy to get some stuff?

Noah (3): YA!

Jonah (3): No. I wanna go to Disneyland.

Out and About

We had a couple days before the marathon to get acquainted with Missoula, and relax a bit. We spent some time at our cabin, as well as in town at the carousel, and park.

Jonah and Mommy chillaxin' in the swing. Notice that Jonah is wearing big boy underwear?! Oh, ya, and my hilarious running tan line... ya... that's great. ;o)
At the park, Noah doing the monkey bars with a little help from Daddy

Caleb loved the monkey bars, too.

This picture turned out a little dark, but if you click on it to see it larger, the look on Etta's face is priceless!!!

Mommy and Noah on the carousel. The little boys wanted to ride it over and over. Caleb did not. It is supposedly one of the fastest carousels in the country. Ya. I think it is. I nearly got sick a couple of times!

Jonah is the best about saying "CHEESE!" I just love it!