Our Adventure

Comfort

2012-01-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today Pastor Brian shared from Psalm 119. He gave several reasons why we should read the Bible. Although there were many great points shared, I want to highlight two. First, "the point of reading the Bible is to know it and obey it." Brian pointed out that some times as he has read he'll realize he has sinned unknowingly and will then repent. But, most of the time as he reads, the Bible convicts him of sin he already knew was sin. So why read if you know there will be conviction? Brian pointed out that there is great comfort and joy in repentance. I can share personally that the time between me realizing I am sinning and the time I repent is ugly, dark, and filled with pain. But, repentance is cleansing. It isn't always a "I'm now fresh, clean, and ready to take on the world", but there is a deep comfort in repentance.

The second point I want to highlight is we should read the Bible, "because it can encourage us." He quoted Psalm 119:25-28, which you can read by clicking on the underlined words. Brian talked about many verses from Psalm 119, but the one I want to focus on is verse 18,

"Open my eyes, that I may see
Wondrous things from Your law."

At the end of this week we got word that our friends' 22 year old daughter passed away from a blood clot that when through her heart and into her lungs. They had no idea that Grace had this blood clot. The time between realizing there was a problem, and Grace going unconscious was very brief. As I sat in church today, I wondered how they were handling hearing that the Bible can bring them comfort. I wondered if it brought comfort or if those words stung. Please pray that as this family grieves, God will open their eyes as they read the word. Pray that He will bring them comfort as only He can.

I talked with Ruth, Grace's mom, after church and she was amazed at how the body of Christ had brought them comfort. As a need has arisen, someone has quickly filled it. She is seeing God move through this heart breaking time.

You can listen to Brian's sermon here. The link isn't up yet today, but it should be up later this week. Look for the title Reading and Obeying God's Word and today's date 1-29-12.

Oh, Now I See

2012-01-28T20:07:00.000-08:00

I couldn't figure out this week why Eliana has been crabby, had unusual diapers, and her eating habits have been a bit ... irritating. Tonight Kyle and I worked together with a flash light to check on Eliana's teeth. Low and behold, her top two canine teeth have poked through. OH! Now I understand all of her recent behavior including waking up before my alarm nearly all week.

Anita, I don't know if you remember, but this is the Bible you got Eliana. We read one to three stories, depending upon if Eliana is crabby or quiet, every night. She loves it! She finds her Bible, which she calls her "Bi bi", and enjoys "reading" it to herself.

Kyle starts his two seminary classes on Monday. I'm praying (and I could use all the prayers I can get) to be a supportive and encouraging wife while Kyle is taking online classes through Golden Gate Seminary. His two classes are Christian Theology and Foundations of Ministry.

Adventures with Rachel

2012-01-26T20:36:00.000-08:00

Rachel and I went around town last Saturday just to take pictures. We had a blast! Enjoy!

These numbers remind me of New York. Maybe it is because I could picture them in Disney's version of Rhapsody in Blue, an all time favorite piece of mine.

Rachel and I were both wishing we could go inside and take pictures of the stained glass, but since a funeral was going on we decided against it.

Eliana is 19 Months Old!!!

2012-01-26T20:13:00.000-08:00

Earlier this month my parents stopped by on their way back from the mountains. Eliana thought is was so funny when Nanny was teaching her how to kick a ball. I don't know if she was more thrilled with Nanny moving her leg or that the ball would go flying.

GramE came to visit for a few days! We enjoyed spending time with her. Plus, it gave Rachel and Ruli a reason to come over three nights in a row! Yeah for family fun!!! We played games, watched Courageous (which I highly recommend with a box of tissues), and even introduced Sherry to Lynda, Drew, and Dawson who turn out to be 4th cousins to Sherry. We found that out when Kyle joked with Rachel saying that her behavior was because of their grandpa's side. In using the last name, Lynda said she had a Grandma with the same last name. A bit of research on Aunt Marcie, Aunt Dacra, and Rachel's part found that we're related. Who knew that we've been hanging out with our cousins for four years and didn't even know it.

Eliana was practicing the location of head, nose, and eyes with GramE.

Eliana is continuing to learn to share. She enjoyed taking this seed pod apart and giving GramE all of the parts until she was left with just the stick.

Things Eliana is up to:
*She is trying out more and more words. Here are a few that come to mind: Ray Ray (Rachel), Ru (Ruli), Pop Pop, Nan (Nanny) which can also be mistaken for nana (banana), bir (bird), cat, do (dog), whoa whoa (thank you Ruli), no (which she says while shaking her head no), peas (please), pie pie (pine cone), fsh (fish) oes (shoes), ocks (socks), we practiced saying Grandpa Brad when my dad visited and she has some way of identifying him, but I don't remember it off the top of my head, Tay Tay (Aunt Taylor), k (okay) which she started saying today after she falls (Her GramE thought this was because she'd ask, "Are you okay?" and Eliana responded, "K."), bye bye, hi, car (often done while signing car), ot si (outside), poo (poop... maybe potty training is around the corner), Nate Nate (Nathan)...

*You can ask her a lot of things, and she understands and says, "No." So far, she doesn't yell it. She says it softly several times in a row while shaking her head no. She can nod yes too, but that doesn't happen as often.

*Eliana enjoys going to Bible Study Fellowship. She initially was nervous at the beginning of the year, but two weeks ago she leaned from me into her teacher's arms. This week she let go of my hand and walked over to her teacher and grabbed her hand.

*Eliana continues to love books. We read 1-3 Bible stories from her Bible at night, pray, and then her dad tucks her in.

*She continues to love helping. Today she took a piece of silverware at a time and handed it to me so that I could put it in the drawer. When she is done eating (even if we think she still needs to eat a little more), she takes off her bib and puts it on the table. Then she hands us her plate. After we take it, she signs "all done".

*We love our little girl. We pray that she will grow to love and serve God.

What is a yoke? a Bible and Art Club story

2012-01-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

This year I am going through the book of Matthew with my Bible and Art Club students. You may remember that I started the club up last March at the school I used to teach at before Eliana came. I really, really, REALLY missed teaching, and this provided for that outlet. I'd teach art, my favorite subject as a child. Plus, I'd be able to share with them what I wasn't able to openly do for the five years I taught.
I initially thought we'd cover a chapter a week, but I realized a chapter was too much. So, I choose part of a chapter, print it, have the kids take turns reading parts of it, and we discuss it as we go along. This past week we read Matthew 11:25-30.

Jesus Gives True Rest

²⁵ At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. ²⁶ Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ²⁷ All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. ²⁸ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

The week before I'd tried to cover about 31 verses, and since I didn't feel we got to deeply understand what we were talking about I went for fewer verses with deeper understanding. I also realized that I was 99.9% sure the kids would have no reference to oxen and yoke. So, I brought in an object to help get the point across. Now, when you think of an old school teacher, what object comes to mind? Yard stick anyone? Well, since I'm not in the classroom currently, I borrowed one from a good friend. We read verse 28 and 29 and then I asked if anyone knew what a yoke was. "It's part of an egg" said one student. Yes, she was right, and then I explained that it was a multiple meaning word. I asked if they'd ever since a picture of two cows or oxen or even horses stuck together and pulling a wagon or farm equipment. A few nodded their heads. I then asked for two volunteers. I had the two girls stand facing the same direction with the yard stick spanning the distance between their shoulders. I then asked them to try and walk together. The yard stick fell immediately. I asked the kids what they thought was the problem, and they explained that one girl was much taller than the other. I gave them a few more tries, and they were able to get a few feet before the yardstick fell. I asked what the difference was. They told me that the girls were looking at each other and talking to each other so that they would step with the same foot at the same time. I had two boys come up who were close in height, but after several tries they didn't make it a step. Then I had two girls of similar height come, and I had them wrap their arms around the yard stick as they walked. I explained that this like the relationship between us and Jesus. The more we pray and talk to Him, the easier it is to walk with Him. Although the initial reaction to the kids (particularly the two boy volunteers) was that it wasn't fair that these girls got to use their arms, the point was clearly made. I then had the kids write in their journals at least one way that they can make their communication with God better.

It has been four days since our last meeting, and I got around to responding to the kids journals. Part way through, I got quite teary eyed as I read, "You can ask God to come into your heart." You have to understand, most of these kids don't go to church on a regular basis. I'm not sure that all of them have ever been to church. Some times I walk away from our meeting wondering if they kids learned anything about Jesus. Two Wednesdays ago, I left so discouraged that Kyle asked me over and over again if I was okay that night. There are many weeks that I question if I am even getting through to these kids. Reading this journal today reminds me, that I am just the messenger, and the Holy Spirit is the one who draws people to Himself. It is God who does the work with in these students, and I am privledged to be vessel of it.

Bath Time

2012-01-22T14:05:00.000-08:00

Eliana is so excited to see me after I’ve been gone at the office all day. Tasha is also glad to see me because that means that she can get a rest while Eliana and I catch up. Our evening routine involves eating dinner together as a family, then Eliana and I have some play time together, Tasha joins us, and after a while it is time for me to give Eliana a bath.

I have Eliana round up some bath toys while I am filling up the tub with water. She cannot put them all in at once. She must drop each of them into the water individually. She loves to play with the water as it comes out of the faucet. She can hold up a plastic container that holds maybe 5-6 cups of water and let the rushing water fill it up completely before she pours it out and does it again. I am pretty impressed with her strength.

The squirting animals are especially fun to play with. Eliana hands them to me and I put fill them with water. She likes to squeeze the water out of them. She doesn’t quite understand how to point them so that she can squirt something specific. She often will squirt herself by accident and thinks it is funny or gets upset at the toy and pass it back to me. We discovered this week that if we leave a certain amount of air in the sea animals, that we can push them beneath the water and it looks like they are swimming between the bottom of the tub and the surface of the water.

I have learned that there is little argument from her that bath time is over if the water has been drained. I have Eliana pass me the toys while the water is draining. I have been telling her the names of the toys while we play for a couple weeks so that I can now ask for them by name. “Eliana, can you hand me the fish?” She loves the fish because she knows the sign for it (with a flat hand move it left and right like it is a fish swimming through water). She is so smart. She is able to pass me each of these toys when I ask her for them: fish, manta ray, walrus, giraffe, block, ball, sea horse, and pig.

Hide and Go Seek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

Have you ever played Hide and Go Seek with an 18 month old before? It can be quite exciting! Our version looks different than the traditional game. The adult is always the one hiding, because Eliana doesn't quite know how to yet. Eliana comes and finds the adult who then shouts with joy, hugs Eliana, and then runs to a new hiding place. We can play this game with both Kyle and I or just by myself. When we all played last week, Kyle was the hiding person. When he would be found, I'd quickly grab Eliana's hand and we'd run to the living room, run in a circle, and then run back to find Kyle. Today, I was on my own, so that meant I had to run and hide in a new spot Q-U-I-C-K. It didn't take long for my heart rate to go up. We had so much fun, and it helped Eliana to take a good nap. She has a tendancy lately to sing, play, whine, and cry rather than nap. After our game, she was tuckered out and went down for a nap much easier.

Things Nanny Didn't Know About Breastfeeding

2012-01-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

When I was a new mom, I remember asking Nanny, my mom's mom, if she breastfed. She explained that at that time formula was thought to be better for the baby. A lot of research has been done over the last 100 years on breast milk, and here are a few of the highlights that I've learned and been impressed by.

*If someone with a cold comes near a baby or say kisses the baby, when the mom kisses that baby her body begins to make antibodies for the baby to fight off the cold.

*Breast milk is specially made just for the baby's need at that time including volume and what is in it.

*What a new mom eats goes into the baby's milk, so the baby is gets a flavor for how your family eats. Because the milk changes based on what you eat, he or she is less likely to be a picky eater.

*I saved a chart from our birthing class that compares breast milk and formula. Formula had 7 ingredients, and breast milk had 48 more ingredients like enzymes that help digest the food, growth factors which stimulate growth, hormones that regulate metabolism, tons of antibacterial factors that protect against infection, antiviral factors to protect against viruses, and things to help protect against parasites and allergies.

*Breastfeeding moms who breastfeed for at least 6 months are less likely to have breast and cervical cancer.

*Breastfeeding is WAY cheaper than formula.

*Breastfeeding helps the mom and baby to bond.

*Breastfeeding helps to take off the pregnancy weight.

Is it easy to breastfeed, well yes and no. For me there were initial struggles, but once Eliana and I got the hang of things, life was much easier. A friend gave me great advice before Eliana came. She said that you have to decide before hand to breastfeed, because there will come a time when it is hard, can be painful, and/or the baby isn't breastfeeding well. You don't want to decide then if breastfeeding is best. The first few days I thought I was doing okay and things would be fine. Somewhere before 2 weeks, I hit that wall of, "Oh man, this is way harder than I thought!" I was glad Kyle supported me in breastfeeding, and that I had others around me to encourage me.

I understand that there are times when formula is helpful. I have a friend whose premature son needed the breast milk, because his mom wasn't making enough. Another friend's son wasn't growing up to par, and so he is supplemented with formula. I understand that there are reasons for formula. My purpose in writing is to shed some light on the benefits of breast feeding with the hope that it will encourage new moms to consider breast feeding.

Trisha and Zak

2012-01-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

Dad, Trisha, Zak, and Mom

Trisha and Zak got married on New Year's Eve. I only used my camera for a short time before the wedding. I then got my mom's (which is a super nice camera) and took more pictures. Rachel was the photographer for the wedding. She used her camera for awhile, and then grabbed my mom's too. You just can't beat a Cannon camera if you are dealing with night photos.

I guess there is a reason why people thought we were twins growing up. This week Eliana was looking at an ornament (yes, we just got to putting the tree away for the year) and said, "Mama" while looking at a picture of Trisha and Thomas.

Mom and me

Tanya and me

Tara and me

Kelly and Taylor

Collin, Torie, and Madison

Rachel, Trisha, and I spent probably close to 36 hours making of Trisha's and the bridesmaids' bouquets. The broche at the bottom of the bouque was the something borrowed and something old. It comes from Zak's mom's side of the family.

Awe yes, and this is what Kyle was dealing with while I was at the wedding. She was eating yogurt, and that was about it. She got a fever the Thursday before the wedding. It lasted through the wedding day. She was crabby for another 3 days or so. She is better now, and I praise the Lord for that!!!

Looking Back at 2011

2012-01-04T21:27:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me these questions to ponder over 2011.

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year? Spending time as a family of three exploring outside.

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened? I often found myself fearing what others thought of me rather than focusing on what God thought of me.

3. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually? I've learned more about trusting God. It was hard to trust God while Kyle was in El Salvador last January. I'm a scardy cat, and being home at night with a 6 month old was hard on the nerves. I also had to trust God a lot while we were in El Salvador as a family in June. There were many out of my comfort zone experiences there. I had to hand over my fears as division between close friends and me caused deep sadness in my life.

4. In what way(s) did you grow physically and/or emotionally? In the summer I finally got a full night's rest as Eliana learned to sleep through the night. That continues to be amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year? Spending time on the computer can be such a time zapper for me. I know that is kind of ironic since I'm currently typing on the computer.
6. With whom were your most valuable relationships? This questions is good food for thought, but I don't want to list too many or too few and then get people upset with me. So, I guess you'll just have to ponder this question for yourself.

7. Pick three words to describe 2011.

journaling, exploring, growing

Feel free to answer all or any of these questions in the comment section.

Thankful

2012-01-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

When having a rough day (ie the day Kyle and I had with Eliana feeling like screaming was her new favorite hobbie), it is wise, healthy, and simply a good idea to thank God for the things He has done. So, here is a list of as many things I can think of in about 5 minutes. They are in no particular order.

1. hot showers- such a comfort, and the majority of the world probably doesn't get one daily
2. raspberry muffins- Michele showed me a recipe recently, and I made some for my dad for his birthday
3. hot chocolate- Rachel brought some over recently, awe, I am SO THANKFUL for hot chocolate
4. God's Word- I'm reading through Judges. Yesterday Samson died along with thousands of Philistine leaders. His death is a good reminder to be careful of fleshly desires. It got him in trouble over and over again.
5. car rides with Rachel- Rachel and I went down for Trisha and Zak's wedding, it was nice to have someone to talk to rather than hearing Eliana scream at us while we drive.
6. weddings- Trisha and Zak are married! Wahoo!
7. cards- I like writing them and receiving them. Not everyone has access to paper, pens, stamps, or a reliable mail service.
8. Kyle- He was such a trooper taking care of Eliana this weekend.
9. internet access- not everyone has it
10. Pop Pop- he let me stay at his home on a spur of the moment/everything is suddenly different for my travels for the wedding due to Eliana being sick
11. unexpected blessings- God has given us unexpected blessings in many forms as we journey through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University in an effort to be better stewards of His blessings
12. visits- recently my mom visited. It is so nice when family comes to see us.

My 5 minutes are up. Enjoy the day, and thank God for the many blessings both big and small around you.

Fevers

2011-12-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm curious what Eliana has against weddings. In May, Kyle's brother got married and Eliana thought it would be a good time to get a fever. Kyle went to the wedding, and she and I stayed home. A week later two teeth came from her fever. I known that not all kids get fevers before they get teeth, but it is her habit. Althought earlier this month she had a fever and I'm still looking for the teeth. Then again, trying to check to see if teeth are coming in is now much more of a challenge. Eliana doesn't want us sticking our fingers in her mouth to check, and I don't blame her.

My sister is getting married later tonight. Eliana got a fever on Thursday night. Although it was gone Friday morning, it came back yesterday afternoon. Sigh. So Kyle is home with Eliana, and I'm two hours away soon to be the matron of honor. I miss my honey and my baby. This is the first time Eliana and I have been apart for 24+ hours. It was so hard to leave our home. She cried when I took the suitcase out to the car. She cried when I came back for a few things. She cried when I had to get something to help with the frost on Kyle's car. I thought it was cute and sentimental when she'd cry when Kyle went to work. She cries when anyone leaves. Eliana takes a little bit to warm up to visitors, but she hates to see them go. I found it so very hard to leave knowing I wasn't just going to the store, but I'd be two hours away while she didn't feel good. I told Kyle I am so grateful that I get to be a stay at home mom. I'd much rather be the one comforting Eliana telling her Daddy will be home that night than dropping her off for someone else to comfort her. Don't get me wrong though, she goes to the nursery during church and we love when Rachel and Ruli care for her so we can have a date night. I guess I'm just mushy because she is sick and I'm far away.

I was trying to see a bright side to Eliana having a fever. The only thing that came to mind was that she got it on Thursday night and not when we were already out of town. It would have been much harder to deal with if we were guests at someone's home.

I am looking forward to the wedding!!! Yeah for Trish and Zak! I've been praying for them as they have dated, and it will a blessing for them to be married.

Hunting for a Christmas Picture

2011-12-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of December Eliana got sick with a fever, then congestion, and a wahoo lets turn up the screaming with a double ear infection. You can read about how Kyle was my hero that week here. So, it was already a few days into December, and we hadn't taken a photo worthy of a sending out for Christmas cards. So, after she was feeling a little better we took the above picture along with several others that didn't make the cut. Can't you just hear her saying,"We're taking another picture? Please may I get down and play. We already took 20 pictures."

I thought this was a great picture of Kyle and Eliana, but it would be kind of weird to send out a Christmas card with just Kyle and Eliana. So, back to the drawing board I went.

Last year I did a blog post for Shutterfly and got 25 free cards. That deal was offered again, but I looked into it too late. I did some hunting around online for photocards, but they just seemed a but expensive to us when you add the cost of the stamps.

It was cold for a few days. Finally, I just bundled Eliana up and hoped for a good photo shoot. When I got back home, I thought that her hat and gloves kind of clashed. So although they were cute pictures, I didn't want to send them out either. Sigh. At that point I was really debating if it was worth it. I was wondering if people really cared about Christmas cards. I know I love getting them, but I wondered if others cared about getting them.

I looked again at this picture and the one above on the right and thought I could crop the gloves out of the shot and then the clashing wouldn't be seen. Plus, my friend Michele's words came to mind about why she shares Christmas cards, "We just have too much to celebrate not to share."

It was a little warmer the next day, so out we went again minus the clashing warmer clothes. As you can see, Eliana wasn't initially interested in exploring that day. She'd rather frown and hold on to my legs for dear life.

I decided to embrace the moment and try to make her laugh. I'm thankful that I did! Shortly after she was ready to play in the leaves and look for pine cones (one of her all time favorite past times).

I wanted to send out more cards this year, so although it wasn't the norm, I just printed pictures and attached a shorter that usual update on us. I like getting the letters from friends, but I know that not everyone really cares about how our year went. Plus, I didn't want to just hit the highlights and seem like I was bragging. My goal was to point people to Jesus while sharing things we are grateful for this year.

This almost was the photo we used this year. She can be such a ham at times.

A little bit of cropping and wa-la, you can't see my shoes anymore.

A blessing came from Rachel as I had her help me pick the picture to use. She said she had some free photos from Costco. Super!

18 Months Old on Christmas!!!

2011-12-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

My mom came up a few days before Christmas. The photos from this post are from my mom. Our camera was accidentally left at her house on Christmas, so we'll be getting it this weekend when Trisha gets married. It feels very weird to me to not have a camera for a few days.

It is so nice when family comes to visit us. We love visits! Plus this past visit included some cute clothes for Eliana, a few books (which we've now read several times), and two toothbrushes. I'd been telling Kyle for a few weeks that I thought it was time to get a toothbrush for our wee one. My mom didn't know that, and it was such a blessing to get them. We're still working on Eliana actually brushing her teeth. Initially she wouldn't even let us put it in her mouth. For now, I'm working on her brushing her teeth while I brush mine. It works better if she sees me brushing my teeth. We get a little better each day. Today I actually got to scrub the bottom teeth for at least 3 seconds. Baby steps, baby steps.

My mom and Trisha had fun picking out Eliana's Christmas outfit. Pretty cute eh? While at a moms' group the spring break before Eliana was born, I made the bow. I remember thinking afterwards, "Now why did I pick red? I don't know when we'll even get to use this bow."

I'm so glad that Eliana loves bath time. She knows the sign for bath and makes a "b" sound when we sign and say bath. She loves to play in the water. We have apartment sized sinks, and soon she will be getting to big to bathe in them.

Eliana is going through a picky eating phase. Or at least I hope it is a phase!!! Things she normally likes doesn't mean she'll like them this month. She likes berries, but she wouldn't even touch them when we ate at Troy and Aimee's on Monday. I don't want to cater to her eating habits too much, so that means some meals are quite noisy around here as she is trying to help me understand that the "good food" is in the refrigerator. Eliana loves crackers, but I don't give them to her too often. I'd rather her have some fruit. She loves cheese, and it is a saving grace as a sprinkle of cheese on top of food she has refused to eat suddenly becomes edible. Her fine motor skills have really improved. She is able to pick foods apart and eat just what she likes. A few months ago she loved veggies, and now it is a real effort to get her to eat them. I did have success with tomato earlier last week. I hid it in her sandwich, and she ate them with no problems.

A few weeks back I posted about "Reasons I Love my Husband". It turned out that Eliana had a double ear infection. I thought she was teething, but new teeth haven't come through. I hope when the teeth do come in, they'll count that week of torture as a credit for any pain she'll go through.

Our Explorer

2011-12-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

Eliana loves to go on nature walks and she likes to look at creatures of all kinds. Here are some recent pictures.

Did it just wink at me?

I love pine cones!!!

What is this that I found?

Eliana liked taking sand and rocks and moving them from one spot to another.

Reasons I Love my Husband

2011-12-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

These are in order from Sunday, not in order of most value.
Sunday:
Kyle and I were able to share a special meal on a $25 gift card to Cheesecake Factory in honor of our 7th anniversary. He was willing to forgo his first menu choice in order for us to not spend extra money. That is a huge blessing since we are still working on budgeting better. We were able to share a yummy pizza and dessert. We walked and talked reflecting on our past year of marriage. When talking about our hopes for the next year, we shared the same dream.

Kyle doesn't mind when I get so excited about seeing red trees and talking about them regularly.

Monday
I woke up Kyle at 6:30 am to ask him to grab a few groceries before heading to work. I think some husbands would have refused, or argued, or told me to go get them myself. Kyle was willing. Eliana being up from 4ish that morning may have had something to do with it. I had so much more peace through the day since I didn't have to worry about taking a fevered baby to go grab some more milk.

He makes me laugh at the silly things he does at work. After seven years of marriage, I am still surprised at the things he says and does. I am such a cautious person by nature, and well... he isn't. Sometimes, I find that quite humorous.

Tuesday
Kyle got out of bed at 1:40am when I needed help since Eliana's tummy had just ... showered me. He helped me to bathe Eliana. He wasn't grumpy or crabby or angry. He helped until I was settled and then he was able to get some zzzs while I continued to care for Eliana in the living room.

I love my husband, and I am grateful God gave him to me.

Thankful

2011-12-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for Eliana. She currently isn't feeling well. She got a fever on our anniversary (Wahoo for 7 years) and hasn't been well for 6 hours straight yet. Fevers tend to come for her when teeth are trying to poke through. I'm guessing there are some really large teeth trying to break through since this is the third day like this. I've enjoyed the cuddle time immensely, but I miss having Eliana well. Eliana isn't a cuddler, so having her fall asleep while I'll held here lately is a real treat.

I am thankful that some time over the summer Eliana learned to sleep through the night. She hasn't since Sunday, and so it reminds me what a blessing a whole night of sleep is.

I am thankful that God has given us the pleasure of raising our wee one. On Thanksgiving, friends of ours had a precious stillborn son. I simply can't imagine. This week an acquaintance gave birth six weeks early, and her wee one is preparing for heart surgery this week. I know what it was like for my brother to have open heart surgery, but I can't imagine what it was like for my parents or for these friends of friends.

Today my heart is heavy for these two families. Please pray for them.

Transitions

2011-11-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months I slowly began weening Eliana. This month we went all the way down to one feeding. Tonight, at 17 months old and one day, we made the leap into going to bed without that last feeding. I began writing the previous post just to take my mind off of Eliana screaming. The thing is, she is already now asleep, and I'm the one sad and near tears. When she was a few months old, I dreamed of the day when I would no longer nurse Eliana. The word "FREEDOM" was what I thought I would feel. Now that it has come, I am blurry eyed as I type.

On a happier note, let me share Eliana's face this morning.

She had this face because she was looking at this.

Which she followed up by doing this, aka, "Dad, hold me there is a giant tree where the keyboard normally goes, and I don't know if I am okay with that."

What she didn't realize was that after "helping" me practice the piano last night, she "helped" her dad open the Christmas tree box. Then she "helped" him put the Christmas tree stand together. While she slept, we put the tree together.

We decided not to decorate the tree yet. I wanted to see if it was going to be a nightmare teaching her not to touch the tree. So far, she hasn't touched it at all. That surprises me since she normally is so curious about anything new in our home. We'll see how long it lasts.

Enjoy the giggle fest while we "practiced" the piano.

Entering the World of the Drugstore Game

2011-11-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

I am slowly taking baby steps in saving our family money. Here is how it worked for tonight. I carefully scanned the Rite Aid ad and found that the Softsoap was on sale for $2.97, plus $2 UP rewards, the VO5 Shampoo and Conditioner was on sale 3 for $2, plus a $1 UP rewards, and I had a $2 off coupon for Crest Complete Toothpaste. I read online to double make sure I could use the UP reward immediately and in combination with coupons, and I could! That meant I made three purchases. The soap stayed at $2.97 for my first purchase, the shampoo was free (although I did have to pay tax on it) with the $2 UP rewards for my second purchase, and the toothpaste went from $3.99 to $.99 with the coupon and $1 UP rewards for my third purchase!

Is $2.97 good for 8.5 ounces of soap? Not really, but it was good for the premium soap, and it gave me the $2 UP rewards which made my shampoo and conditioner free. I hope I like the aroma, but normally the basic scent is the one I like best and other scents tend to drive my nose bananas. Do I normally buy VO5 shampoo? No. But one of the suggestions from Crystal at http://moneysavingmom.com/ was to try the cheaper brand. If you can't stand it, then switch to a different one. The concept was to try something cheaper to see if you really needed the higher priced brand. So, we'll see. If not, Kyle can smell like strawberries for awhile. HA!

In the end, instead of paying $11.85 before tax, I paid $3.87 before tax. I figure that isn't too bad as I enter the world of drugstore game. You can learn more about the drugstore game at http://moneysavingmom.com/. Scroll down to the "Best of..." title on the right and then watch some of the "31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget".

Eliana is 17 months old!!!

2011-11-25T15:04:00.000-08:00

We celebrated by going on a nice long walk which included a stop at the mail box (thus the Babies R Us ad...).

I love our little girl. She is growing up so fast! Instead of taking a walk with her in the stroller, we all walked. That amazes me. A year ago, I had to carry her everywhere, because she was totally immobile. Now she walks with us and enjoyed the sunshine while picking up red leaves and pine cones.

I know that the monkey sweater kind of clashes with the red leaves, but I didn't think about that until after we were already on our walk. Oh well. She is still a cutie!

I love these trees! They remind me of lollipops, because they are so vibrant and multicolored.

These trees amaze me, because they turn yellow AND red. That is a pretty special tree in my book. I love the way leaves are translucent.

We took a short detour on our walk to capture this beautiful tree. The sound of the wind blowing through these kinds of trees is so gentle and comforting. There is a mini orchard of them back at the college I went to. On those stressful term paper writing days, I'd slowly walk through the trees remembering that God is bigger than textbook reading and term papers.

Eliana's fascination with pine cones cracks me up. Of all of the hobbies to have, I'm glad this one is free:) Eliana finds it funny to sport her dad's beanie he got on a mission trip to Jamaica. Kyle was looking for a souvenir. The funny thing about the hat is that it was made in China. Go figure.

Remember back on the Fall Fun post how I said fall was coming? This is the same tree, but now it is all dressed in yellow instead of just the small cluster I captured back in October.

Things Eliana has been up to this month:
*Eliana has learned how to hug. Awe, I love it! They are normally quite brief hugs, but I'll take them! Sometimes she runs to give me them, because she realizes that I've used "that tone" when calling her name because she is in trouble.
*She nods her head yes and no. So even if she doesn't have many words, she will nod no when she doesn't want certain things.
*Despite a beautiful display of Thanksgiving food, Eliana wasn't interested. She ended up eating mainly banana, a few bites of ham, and some bread for dinner. I got to thinking about it today, and I remembered that I couldn't handle ANYTHING related to Thanksgiving foods when I was pregnant with her. I was barely pregnant when Thanksgiving came. We had three Thanksgivings to celebrate over three days, and I could barely handle eating any of the food. Even after she came, it took many, many, many months to enjoy mashed potatoes or stuffing.
*Eliana has become clingy at times this month. She'll grab a hold of my jeans and try and climb up when we go places, even if she has been there many times before. Normally it takes a few minutes for her to relax and then she is off exploring the world.
*Although taking Eliana grocery shopping had of late been rather difficult, this past Monday's trip was nice. Lately I've been waiting until Kyle is home for us to go so that if she makes a big fuss, they can go get an item while I shop. But, on Monday she and I went right after a morning snack and with some of her favorite books. I think the combination of those two things, some nice people at Winco, and God's graciously answering my plea of help made the trip so much more delightful.
*I am so very grateful that God gave us her.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T13:49:00.000-08:00

This year we stayed in town for Thanksgiving. Eliana blessed me by waking up after 8. Awe, lovely! I was able to read my Bible and journal before she or Kyle woke up. It was such a delightful way to start my day. We headed over to Michele's to join them in the festivities. Thanks Michele for having us! Rachel and Ruli were able to come too!

Eliana had a blast playing with Theresa and the other kids. It was nice for her to be happily content while we played Loot. She slept for most of the time while we played Phase 10. Kyle and Theresa kept an eye on her while we played Nertz after dinner. I love gathering together, enjoying good food, and playing games! Hooray!

Just in case you forgot, I love red leaves!!! When dinner was just about ready, I quietly ventured out to capture some fall photos.

You could hear Jeremy, Tim, Ruli, and Kyle saying, "OHHHHHHHH!!!" as they played down the street where I went and got those red leaf pictures. Yeah for good times!

I found trying to get a smiling picture of Nathan while he tried to continue eating a cracker to be a rather hilarious moment.

I Love Fall!!!!

2011-11-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

All year long I look forward to when the leaves turn red.

Eliana and I have gone on several walks to enjoy God's sunset colors splashed all over town. You'd be surprised at what we find. Does anyone know what king of plant this is?

Does anyone know what kind of tree this is? It is my favorite because it can turn so many different colors. I love that sometimes it is scarlet red, sometimes lemon and lime, and other times splashes of yellow, green, red, and even a hint of purple.

Does anyone know what this tree is? I don't know if I've ever seen it before, but it sure is pretty. Does anyone know anything about the fruit?

The fruit tree pictured above is in the background. It was a nice backdrop to show off the brilliant yellow leaves.

Did I mention that I love fall? I love how the light plays with the leaves.

Awe yes, here is my favorite tree again.

After going to the library today, we went for a stroll just to enjoy the leaves. Since I had Eliana's sandwich handy, we were able to enjoy a long stroll without her wanting to get out. We stopped by my good friend Judy's house for a pit stop and a short visit, and then were off again with a banana to make the walk back pleasant.

I know these aren't leaves, but we spotted them on the way to Judy's. They were too pretty to not take a moment and enjoy. They remind me of tiny bouquets of color.

This picture doesn't even capture how breath taking the leaves were with the sunlight streaming through them. Awe, I love, love, love the fall.

Did I mention that I like red leaves best? I think they are such a surprise. I find myself stopping to admire them. Maybe it is because they are the complementary color of green. In general green is my favorite color, and I'd pick green over red any day. But oh, red leaves.... I'd probably pick red leaves over green leaves. Or maybe I love them so much because they are so startling after month of green leaves.

This tree is right by Judy's mailbox. What a delight it would be to be greeted each day by such a pretty tree.

Kallie turned 2!!!

2011-11-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

Eliana's cousin Kallie turns two tomorrow, but we were able to celebrate her birthday over the weekend!

Eliana was initally not so sure about this saucer swing, but Kyle and Rachel got her to giggling!

Eliana LOVES slides. Even though the steps are far apart, she climbed up the steps and was ready to slide. Before, Kallie always wanted help up. But she figured if her cousin is a climber, she could try it too! Hopefully Eliana's lack of fear when it comes to heights won't totally rub off on Kallie.

The paparatzzi, aka Kallie's Grandma Jan and Rachel :)

I'm so glad that Kallie liked her cake this year! She wasn't too fond of it last year. The chocolate chips in the cake were very yummy!!!

Kallie has learned to pose and say, "Cheese!" It was quite cute!

Aimee has such a way with cupcakes! You can check out her blog here.

Kallie has become a pro at opening gifts. It is amazing how much little ones grow in a year. Last year she wasn't too excited to open all of her gifts. This year she did it at lighting speed!

It is hard living two hours away from a lot of our family. Troy and Kyle ran some errands a couple hours after the party. It was such a treat for me to see Kallie and Aimee and for Kyle to have some brother time.

Kallie is holding a toy dog that Eliana thought was hysterical. Both girls laughed and laughed as the dog rolled around on the table and fell off the table. Awe, such sweet memories!

Thankful for Pumpkins

2011-11-08T15:03:00.000-08:00

Growing up I hated pumpkin pie. Why have pumpkin when you can have berry pie? Some time in the last few years I've tried pumpkin again and found I like it! Although, truth be told. I'll take a berry pie over pumpkin any day:)

My friend Michele shared with me two great tips. One, pick up pumpkins at the 99 Cent Store! Second, cooking them doesn't have to be a big deal. Cut the pumpkin in half. You can scoop out the seeds then or after the cooking. Place them face down on a pan and cook at 350 degrees for 1.5 hours. It is okay for the skin to bubble and brown. Let the pumpkin cool. Scoop out the flesh and let is sit in a strainer. Push the water out with hand or spoon. Let it set for several hours to get the water out.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins were delicious!!! You can check out the recipe here. I recently bought wheat flour. I used half white flour and half wheat flour for this recipe. I didn't have cloves, so I used more cinnamon. I shared them with my family over the weekend, and they enjoyed them!

Pumpkin Pancakes

Again, I didn't have any white flour. Since I haven't made them with the white flour I can't compare, but I LOVED these. Kyle's early morning response to the first bite was, "These rock!" That means they are really good since he normally doesn't talk in the morning. You can find the recipe here. As with the muffin recipe, I replaced the cloves with cinnamon. I don't care for ginger, so I didn't add that. These are really filling pancakes. Next time I might make them a little smaller.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T12:43:00.000-07:00

Any guesses as to who got Eliana her Halloween costume???

Fall Fun

2011-10-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

My favorite part of fall is coming soon! I LOVE when the leaves change colors, especially when they turn red!!!

Eliana watched this butterfly flutter by. She's been having me read Flutter Fly! a lot lately. Thanks GramE for the book!!!

Some weeds just look cool to me. I wouldn't want to rub up against it, but Eliana and I inspected this one for a little while.

I have know idea why this fungus turned yellow and orange, but isn't it pretty! It gives me hope that soon more leaves will be turning colors.

It is hard to tell it is late October when we still dress like this. I don't really mind though since it is currently in the 70s. That is nice outdoor weather!!!

Yikes! I'm grateful for zoom! This spider is bigger than a half dollar. I spotted him on the way to get the mail a few days ago. I double checked today, and he is still there! Eliana's favorite part of walking to get the mail is checking a few windows for cats. She knows which ones to wait by and call out, "Cat, cat, cat!"

Remember all of that noise I was mentioning a few posts ago? I wasn't kidding! This is Eliana before dinner. She is rather loud from about 4:30 to dinner near 5. She hasn't matured in any form of quietly, patiently waiting for food.

I tried a new homemade pizza crust recipe. I liked it better than the boxed one I used a few weeks back. Most kids wouldn't refuse to eat pizza, but Eliana wasn't thrilled. Thankfully, Kyle told me that he loved it! That helped since we'd endured quite the scream fest from Eliana during dinner. I have to remind myself that this is a phase. I've been getting pretty creative this week about helping Eliana to eat. I put strawberries in her oatmeal, and that worked out pretty well. She wanted some of my sandwich rather than finishing her food (including peas), so I put a pea in my sandwich and gave her that bite. I wouldn't like peas in my sandwich, but it worked time and time again for her. Tonight we had a yummy black bean and sausage soup. Eliana wasn't interested until I cut up bananas and put it on top of hers. Then amazingly both banana and beans went into her belly. Eliana just had the soup ingredients minus the broth. She hasn't mastered how to use a spoon. Would I like bananas in my soup? No way, but it is working to get Eliana to eat.

Eliana loves to play outside. We got some good outside time in yesterday. I brought her ball with me. I stood on a little hill and let the ball roll down the hill to her. She thought that was fabulous. She'd then go get the ball and bring it part way up the hill to me. Eventually, she got brave and climbed up the hill. The first time was okay because she took tiny steps to get back down. The second time wasn't so good because she tried to take regular steps which made her go fast and scared her. So, she stopped, cried, and tried to get to me. I'm so thankful that she is learning so many new things. I'm so grateful that a ball rolling down a hill brings her such pleasure.

Eliana knows where her nose, head, ears, and belly are. She's also figured out where her toes and mouth are, but that isn't part of the video.

Eliana is 16 Months Old!!!

2011-10-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I want to share that Eliana's lunch time with me was delightful! Awe, what a difference compared to last night's dinner!!! She gladly ate her apple slices, bread, and lunch meat. She willingly drank her milk. She then went down for her nap without a problem.

We've been busy this month, so let me catch you up on Eliana's 15th month.

Eliana loves spotting cats! She thinks they are hilarious!

One of the blessings of living in an apartment is that when the refrigerator breaks, someone else pays to get it replaced. We needed a container quickly to move the food into while the new one was being plugged in. Kyle dumped Eliana's book box so that we could use the tub. She didn't mind a bit and planted herself among her treasures. I realized yesterday that Eliana knows how to hold books right side up. There was a season where she just chewed on them. Then she'd look at the pictures, but it didn't matter if they were upside down. Now for the most part, if she opens a book upside down, she'll fix it! I'm amazed at what my wee one knows how to do. We spend a lot of time reading together. It is really one of the few times she sits still any more. She loves to be read to, and I LOVE that about her. She has her favorite books. There are a couple that I don't even have to read the words anymore, but simply looking at the pictures lets me know what I need to say.

Eliana loves to do as we do, so putting on her dad's splint made perfect sense to her. Kyle and Eliana wore beanies for one of the few cool days in October. It is pleasantly in the 70s this week.

Thanks Katherine for the jean jacket!

I love this picture. It encompasses so much of Eliana's personality. One, she is off exploring about on her own. Two, I'm close behind making sure she is okay. Three, she doesn't always walk with her hands up, but it cracks me up when she does! Four, it reminds me of the Peanuts Gang.

Eliana loves to go down the slide. She also enjoys trying to climb up the slide too!

Faith, Zoe, Eliana, and I enjoyed going to the zoo together! They were looking at the elephant exhibit in the above pictures.

Check out the camel's eye lashes! Awe, and a flamingo for GramE!

I wish I could say that Eliana was delightful for our pumpkin patch excursion, but that would be a lie. She cried most of the 40 minute drive there. Eliana was difficult with Kyle during part of the story time. She cried for most of the time I carried her through Timothy the rabbit's neighborhood. She screamed like her life depended on it for most of the 40 minutes we drove home. On the flip side, she learned to draw in the dirt with a stick, and she has been practicing since then when we go on walks. I'll be making pumpkin something soon with the pumpkin we got. Also, our friend captured some of the few happy moments Eliana had on his camera. You can compare how big she has gotten by looking at the post from last time we were at the Hillcrest Pumpkin Patch. I remember that she cried the way there last time too. I think the difference was that she was okay while there for the most part.

Don't you just love the bows on her socks? Eliana loves to walk, explore, and discover new things.

She loved to show me the pine cone leftovers from a squirrel she found. Pine cones are some of her favorite things to find as we walk.

Eliana is learning where things go. We can tell her to put her shoes away, and she will take them and put them in her desk drawer with her other shoes. She can do it all by herself without us having to follow and make sure. She figured out that leaves are connected to trees. So notice the yellow leaf? In her mind, it isn't where it is supposed to go.

So she took it to a near by bush to put it back! HA! I love our little girl!!!

Below are pictures from last October.

She has grown so much in a year. My how time flies. Last year at this time she woke up multiple times in the night to be fed. She loved to be rocked to sleep. She didn't know how to roll, crawl, or walk. She was so little. She took multiple naps. She didn't have teeth yet, nor had she had anything other than mommy milk. Each phase has it's blessings, and I'm trying to focus on them before the change. And when things are rough, I remember that they too are a phase.

Torture aka Dinner Time

2011-10-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

This isn't what we had for dinner tonight, but this is what we had last Wednesday night. The story I'm going to share though is from tonight. I thought I'd find a picture of Eliana's dinner from last week just to get your senses moving in the right direction. Eliana had beans, super tasty pork chops that Kyle made, carrots, peas, olives, and won ton noodles. The olives, beans, and won ton noodles were from our salad toppings. Eliana hasn't figured out yet that salads are good. It took Kyle 25 years to figure that out.

I thought that Eliana getting her new tooth was the cause of the her eating habits being so picky. I'd read months ago to have your little one eat lots of different types of foods between 12 and 18 months, because after that she can become quite picky. Well, I think Eliana is simply being picky to put it kindly.

Kyle wasn't feeling well. How he slept through the noise of dinner is beyond me. I tried a new recipe for a meatball soup with homemade meatballs, garbanzo beans, bow tie noodles, stewed tomatoes, and spinach. I have some Texas toast for French toast later some time in the next two weeks, but I splurged early. Here is where the dilemma began. Eliana was already up in her chair. She'd been "starving", or so I'm sure she would have said if she had those words. She'd been signing that she was hungry, but when I offered water while the soup cooked, she pushed it away. The house smelled good, and I was excited to try something new. The food was on the table, and I went back to get the butter for toast. In the mean time, Eliana grabbed her whole slice and began trying to eat the giant slice of bread. So, when I went to trade her the bread for her soup (the ingredients minus the hot broth), she clearly was upset. I gave her a little piece of the toast, put it out of sight and proceeded to encourage her to eat. She ate a little, seemed to like it, and then she refused to eat. The noise, volume, tears, and anger that continued for quite some time would have made you think she was already two. After a while, I had her get down. She went straight for the fridge and signed eat. I told her that her food was on the table. The noise, volume, tears, and anger that continued were out of frustration as she was trying to get me to understand that the "good" food was within grasp within the fridge. Sigh. I held my ground since this display of disliking the food set before her in hopes of getting bread or something else has been around for more days than I have wanted. She climbed up my chair and sat in my lap. I offered her my soup. Nope. That was not what she wanted. I was frustrated. She was beyond frustrated. But, I held my ground. There was food for her, and she had tried some of it and enjoyed some of it before all of the noise. So, after I was done, I started clearing the table. I left her food there for her to eat when she got hungry enough. She read books while I did the dishes. All that was left was her plate and cup. Although I wasn't sure what was to come of our evening, I went to put her plate in the fridge for when she decided she was hungry. She saw me and came over, ready (praise the LORD on high) to eat. I let her pick what she'd like. I was stunned to see the first thing to go in was the spinach since she had previously picked it off her plate and put it on the table aka I'm not eating that. I sat on the floor exhausted from the display of her tantrum and leaned against the fridge. Eliana came and sat in my lap, and to my great relief she continued to eat. I told her about how I love her, and I want her to grow strong. I told her that she needs to eat veggies and a variety of food to be healthy. She listened, and got a book for me to read for her. So there we sat reading, pausing for me to pass her more food, and enjoying each other's company.

I sadly know this won't be the last torture meal, but at least now I know more clearly where the battle lines are drawn. I know there are parents who give into this battle, but I'll hold my ground in hope that one day we can share a quiet healthy meal together as a family. I'm not sure how all of this will work out in public, but I'll cross that road when we get there.

Through the screaming, the following verse came to mind.
"Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
Yes, this was about eating healthy, but more importantly it was about obeying. Did I want to hear Eliana scream like she was losing an appendage, no. But, she does need to continue to learn to obey. Just in case you're wondering about that bread that went out of sight. After she had eaten quite a bit, she got some of the bread. A little more soup, and then a little more bread.

On a happier note, I made these apple scones yesterday. They were a hit at our small group! Thanks Kari for the recipe!

Things I Learned Making my First Roast Chicken

2011-10-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

In an effort to save money, I bought a whole chicken to cook and then I'll use the left overs for a couple of chicken dishes.

Things I learned:
*I need to give the chicken more time to thaw to avoid needing to cook it an extra hour and a half.
*It is a wonderful thing to have a friend like Michele to answer some of my defrost chicken questions yesterday morning.
*Taking the giblets out is challenging if you have never done it before, and you're not quite sure where they are or how to get them out.
*Finding a video of someone taking out the giblets took longer than I expected.
*I should have found those videos the day prior, because the extra info I gathered would have helped in the defrosting dilemma.
*Prepping a whole chicken isn't nearly as challenging as I thought. Butter and herbs under the skin and 1/2 onion cut up for the inside worked out quite well.
*I should always move the oven rack to a lower setting. Although, even if I had lowered it, I still would have had the following problem. I don't know if this happens to all pans, but I was using my favorite Pampered Chef Bar Pan. It got so hot that the oils were popping up and hitting the top heating element. This then caused smoke. So, once I realized the problem, I moved the rack lower. However, the oil was popping up so high that I still had a problem. Well, I don't know if you have taken into consideration Eliana in the mix, but I figured out what to do with her. Praise the Lord for the exersaucer. She doesn't like it, but she gets to sit in it and read while I shower. So, she got to read and take breaks to watch her mom turn on fans, open windows, pray that the smoke detector wouldn't go on, oh and scream initially for not being able to "help" in the kitchen. I put foil over the chicken, and that took care of the popping oil.
*It is a good think Eliana didn't mind eating a sandwich while Kyle and I waited for the chicken to cook.
*The chicken was well worth the wait!
*Mashed potatoes keep their heat a long time. The steamed veggies held up well too with the extra long steaming.
*Having Kyle go back for seconds and thirds delighted my heart.
*Kyle carving out the rest of the chicken for later said, "I love my wife!"
*Cleaning the Pampered Chef Pan took about 2 minutes. Awe, I sure do love that pan.
*I used 1/2 of the left overs today in a chili verde chicken dish that was delicious!!!

October Photo

2011-10-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

It was cool for a few days in October. The rest of the time has been in the high 80-90s. That means we are still enjoying walking without sweaters yet!

I have tons of stories and pictures to share, but not the time to share them yet. I hope to update some more soon, but we'll just see.

Before I forget though, here are a few things Eliana is up to:

*climbing into her chair at the dinner table.

*signing dog, more, eat, milk, thank you, please, shoes, bread, hot, and we're working on banana, cat, car, fish, bear, doll, and a few others.

*LOVES to be outside, and is rather upset when we bring her back inside.

*has decided she hates her car seat (which made the 40 minute trip to a special pumpkin patch rather stressful).

*has her fourth molar coming through (thus she isn't eating too well).

*is learning to run (which is hysterical.... I can say that now since she hasn't run away from us in public... yet).

*loves when Rachel, Ruli, and Brice come over to play.

*loves talking to GramE on Skype.

*enjoys "reading" books and having us read them to her.

*has been calmed down from more than one tantrum while trying to have a diaper change by singing (some rather silly songs since I make them up as I go to get her to relax).

*loved the girls day out at the zoo with Faith and Zoe.

*can put things in the dirty clothes all by herself.

*sometimes would rather walk by herself than holding onto my hand or Kyle's.

*loved spinach quiche yesterday for lunch (which was a total shock since she hasn't been eating well while getting this molar and in general tries to hand me all green foods).

*still doesn't like tomatoes or bell pepper (takes after Kyle).

*loves olives, raisins, fruit, noodles, cheese, and chili verde enchiladas.

*doesn't like to be in grocery cart seat for more than about 10 minutes at a time (BIG sigh), but she does enjoy walking with Kyle to go get an item at a time while I fill the cart as quickly as possible.

*still makes strangers laugh, smile, and glow while we are out and about.
*knows where her belly, head, feet, nose, and ears are (which means she also found that there are finger sized holes in her nose... :) ).

Reasons September is Busy

2011-09-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

Kyle has carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel surgery on September 7th.

Eliana and I enjoy the nice scenery outside of Kyle's physical therapy office. He started out going three times as week and is down to twice a week. I'm glad I'm home to help him get around!

Kyle has learned to do all kinds of things one handed or with the help of his feet, head, or shoulders. I've been amazed at all of the things he can still do.

I've said so many times this summer that Eliana is growing up so fast! She is getting so big!!! Last year at this time she was still such a wee babe. During spring, she wore this top as a dress!!!

We've learned of some fun free places to go walk around near Kyle's physical therapy. There is a great park near by, but it cost a couple of bucks. This month we started Financial Peace University, and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone! We're learning so much about how to manage our money. This class is very timely as we continue to adjust to one income. Our goal for this month is to cut our grocery bill to $200. I'm hoping to just go shopping twice a month. I meal planned 14 dinners for the next two weeks, wrote up the ingredients needed, stuck to the list, and made it out under $84. Wahoo!

Eliana is learning so much every day. She has learned to point at things, and it is quite cute. She also figured out that food comes out of the refrigerator. Now when she is hungry, she tries to open it! She loves picking out books to read, and she'll even have a favorite for a couple of weeks at a time. The time of loving the stroller is starting to wane. Thankfully, she does like helping to push it and other type of carts around. Today we made it about 3/4 of the way through grocery shopping when it was clear she needed to wiggle. So, she helped me push the cart. She beamed about being able to help! She then walked with Kyle to find sage, a special ingredient that wasn't in the bulk section and at $5 wasn't in our budget. He was able to find some fresh for cheaper, yahoo for my man being on a mission to find a good deal!

I've been taking lots of pictures this month, but between Financial Peace University, the Bible and Art Club, Bible Study Fellowship, and Kyle's surgery all starting up this month I'm just a wee bit busy.

15 Months Old

2011-09-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

Life is sweet when you read together!

Eliana and I were enjoying a book called Boom Town. I loved using this story when I was teaching 4th grade, because it is silly, fun, and informative. In summary, a little girl helps to start a boom town during the gold rush by baking pies.

We celebrated Eliana turning fifteenth months old by going down to visit family and friends for the celebration of four birthdays: Tara's, Tanya's, Thomas's, and mine. (Side note: Did you know that everyone doesn't agree about whether or not to put an apostrophe after a single noun that ends with an s? Check out this link if you thought Thomas shouldn't have had an apostrophe s.)

Kyle and I worked together to make Thomas a didgeridoo. He loved it and didn't think a thing of me asking a few days before what his favorite colors were.

Yeah for a visit with Grandpa Hal and Grandma Sue!!! Eliana's curiosity meant a little extra cleaning. She lifted up a very large bowl of water for the dogs and then wahoooooosh, there went a whole bunch of water under the refrigerator. I'm glad is was water and not red soda. It wasn't hard to clean up.

The next four photos cracked me up. My family is full of funny faces.

Thomas and me Kelly and Taylor

Jeff and Ashlee Mom and Eliana

Now for some happy faces.

Kevin and Tara Donald and me

Tanya and me

Trisha and Zac

Mom and Dad

Abraham put Jesus in Mary's stomace

2011-09-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yep, that is what I read today. I had my sixteen Bible and Art Club students write down one thing they learned yesterday. I chuckled when I read this sentence. The good thing about the journals is that I read and respond. I was able to clarify that Abraham was an ancestor of Jesus's, and the Holy Spirit put Jesus in Mary's tummy. Apparently, my student was working closely with another student, because later I read, "Today I learned that Abraham put Jesus in Mary's stomach."

I realized during the lesson that talking about the genealogy of Jesus is hard with students who have never heard of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, or Solomon. It would be one thing if they already knew those key men and I could enlighten them about Josiah or other not as well known kings. I was able to capture their attention when I explained that God uses imperfect people like Abraham and Isaac. Both men lied to a king and said their wives were their sisters. The king thought these women were so pretty that he had them come live at his palace. You should have seen their faces as they imagined this happening.

I'm looking forward to next week when we talk about the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1. It will be easier to have discussion about what we read, because they won't need to have prior knowledge.

God Knows What I Need

2011-09-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

God knows what I need. I've known for a few weeks that I need to get up before Eliana in order to do my quiet time. She only takes one nap now. It ranges from 45 minutes to 3 hours. Most of the time, it is around an hour. That means I have a TON to do while she sleeps. Trying to do my quiet time while we eat breakfast just isn't the same as when it was just me, or when she was nursing, or when I could put her down and she's stay in one spot. The problem is that Eliana's wake up time ranges from 5:30 to 7. For now, my goal wake up time is 5:40 (which is 5 minutes earlier than I woke up when teaching). This morning I woke up and thought, "Should I really get up?" Bad idea. I should not have questions, I should have just got up. The answer is yes, but my groggy brain might say that sleep would be much better. I sat there and decided to think about it, and thus I promptly fell back asleep. Eliana started to stir a little before 6. I thought, "Rats, now I messed up my quiet time and I'll be off center all day." Then, Eliana did a glorious thing. She fell back asleep. I was totally up this time and got out of bed. I was able to spend until 7 reading my Numbers 23 and journaling. Just as I was finishing up writing down my prayer, Eliana woke up. God knew I needed Eliana as my second alarm clock. God knew I needed a great hour of quiet time.
God knows what I need. The Bible and Art Club starts up tomorrow! For various reasons, I hadn't gotten to writing up my first lesson. God has placed the book of Matthew on my heart to teach this year. We'll be studying Matthew 1:1-17 tomorrow. I knew that I'd have to make due with whatever time Eliana napped today as my study time. She went down around 12 and still isn't up! Glorious again!!! I was able to make a calendar for the year, do some research on why it is important that Jesus came from both Abraham (Gen. 12:13) and David (Psalm 89:4), and really get ready for tomorrow's lesson. God knew I needed some stretched time. I'd prayed about it this morning, and he has allowed Eliana to take one of those rare naps that is nice and long.

God knows what I need. I was checking email which is a rare thing now that Kyle is home recovering from surgery, and Eliana takes such short naps, when a friend encouraged me to go take 5 minutes with God. These 5 minutes were to be just me and God. No Bible, journal, electronic, notecard, or anything else. Just me and God. Awe, it was so good to sit on the floor and pray. I had to sit on the floor and initially close my eyes, because I would probably get distracted if I were other places. I'd notice the laundry, or dishes, or other to do things. Once I was really focused, I opened my eyes and prayed while looking outside. God knew I needed to be still and pray.

Is there a time you reflected and realized God knew what you needed?

As I am finishing up, Eliana is beginning to stir. He knew how long I'd need to write this post. He knows everything!

Friend Visit!

2011-09-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Katherine, Tristan, Eliana, and I got to hangout today! Yahoo for a friend visit!

Tristan was fascinated by the water behind his mom.

I felt like Eliana was saying, "Ta Da, here is my friend Tristan!"

Tristan will be seven months old tomorrow! He has learned to clap! Hooray!

It was close to his nap time, so he was giving me his handsome, serious face today.

These two are nearly the same length when we laid Eliana down to compare height! It always cracks me up how little ones can find each other's hands. We've been working on Eliana being gentle to friends smaller than her.

Awe, I love fountains. I'm glad Eliana didn't decide she needed to go swimming! When we were cruising through some stores, Eliana had had enough of being strapped in. I went out on a limb, and it worked. I got Eliana out, and she helped me push the stroller around. She got a kick out of helping me push the basket in the back, and people thought it was funny to see such a small helper. She didn't mind that she couldn't see where she was pushing the stroller. Eliana's laughs got louder and more enthusiastic as she realized she had a delighted audience.

Here are some updates on Eliana this week. Eliana continues to grow in her climbing abilities. The movie above shows her climbing into her stroller all by herself. I was fairly scared the first time she did it, but she hasn't fallen yet while trying. Yesterday, she learned how to climb into her booster seat. She also learned how to drink out of a straw this week. I was so impressed that I called Kyle in the middle of the day just to tell him! For many months she has wanted to drink out of my travel cup, but she would just end up chewing on the straw. I'm amazed, because you can't really explain to a small child how to suck up the water in a straw. The wee one just have to figure it out. Eliana has overgeneralized all animals as "cats", but she did learn the word bird this week. You have to be very attentive because the "bu" sound she makes for bird is very similar to the "boo" sound she makes for book. She is also signing all done, cheese (one of her favorite foods!!!), and shoes. It is a little confusing though since more and shoes are very similar signs. :)

Eliana Update

2011-08-29T15:06:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is just me, but this picture makes me smile. What is also funny to me is that it was taken just seconds after the one below.

I don't think Eliana will ever lack in expressions.

Notice the color of Eliana's onesie? She had a bit of fun with the water in her sippy cup on the way home. Eliana decided to cool herself off with most of the water before we realized what was happening. We didn't mind since we were on our way home, and it is still VERY hot here. I'm just glad it was water.

What can I say? She has good control of her facial muscles??? Kyle had taken her outside while I finished packing things up to head out for a walk. We've found that walking in the evening is pretty much the best way to enjoy our time together. Eliana isn't nearly as fussy despite the teething. (By the way, she decided to skip her canine tooth and break in a molar.) We get exercise. Eliana gets to see new things. Kyle and I get to catch up on our day. Awe, I do love summer walks. I am looking forward to the cooler weather, but I am NOT looking forward to it getting dark sooner.

Although it does appear that Eliana is practicing a disco move, she was probably just waving to someone. She waves to most people and cars. Kyle and I often catch people in other cars waving to Eliana as we walk or drive along. I'm so glad she brightens so many people's days.

I am continuing to try and capture geese flying. I realized that Trisha's camera simply doesn't have the same zoom capabilities as mine. I'm sure it would if we had another lens for her camera, but this was about as close as I could get last week. The sunset picture turned out well though as I waited for the hungry geese to find the turned over corn field.

I am so glad that we decided to let Eliana in the kitchen. Here she is helping me stir banana pancakes for breakfast. Kyle and I added butterscotch chips to ours. Delish!

Eliana knows many words although she can't say them back yet. Book is one of those words. I can ask Eliana to bring me a book to read. She gladly grabs a book, hands it to me, climbs up the couch, sits on my lap, and enjoys nursery rhymes, stories, or the above book which she just figured out how to move the parts inside.

This is such a rare shot. Well, she does often fall asleep after out park day on Wednesdays, but I haven't capture a sleeping picture of Eliana in many, many moons! Awe, she used to look like this for so much more of the day last year.

Spaghetti is one of Eliana's favorite foods. I can lay a foundation of veggies below the spaghetti, and wala, they all disappear!

Aren't these fun? Rachel taught me how painting on tissue paper is the technique Eric Carle used to make the Hungry Caterpillar. I need a new piece of glass, some new mats, and soon these will be up in Eliana's room!!!

14 Months Old!!!!!!!!!

2011-08-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

Eliana turned 14 months old yesterday! She was very fussy for most of the morning and we had a busy afternoon, so I wasn't able to post on her 14th month day. I think the fussiness is related to getting some more teeth. It started two nights ago and hasn't really stopped yet. I sure hope these teeth come soon so she can give our ears a rest. I'm guessing the top canine teeth will be joining the other eight teeth she already has.
This month she learned how to cradle things in her arms. She is also very steady on her feet now. She still needs help when it comes to steps, but she is working on it with my help!

Trisha loaned me her camera, otherwise I wouldn't have even attempted capturing Eliana in our poorly lit apartment. Our little girl is growing, growing, growing. Maybe you need a reminder of what she looked like 12 months ago.

Tiny, right?

Eliana has three stuffed rabbits. Now wonder she can say rabbit. Did you notice the frown? I've been seeing it a lot lately, especially if she eats something she doesn't like. One day this week, Kyle rubbed the bridge of her nose to try and help the frown go away. I laughed, and so she relaxed. Trisha thought her frown was quite over the weekend. I told her it wasn't. After all, I'm seeing it a whole lot more than she is.

Eliana is on the go! She has worn the tips of these shoes out quite well. It is a good thing summer is almost over, because these shoes won't fit much longer. Eliana has learned that putting on her shoes means she gets to go outside. She LOVES to be outside. She is quite disappointed (and is able to express so very clearly) with short trips outside to just water the plants. This week I've been taking her walking with me to pick up the mail. We take a grass route through the apartment complex. She is pretty worn out by the time we get back to the apartment, but that probably is in part due to the heat.

Eliana's hair is starting to grow ever so slowly. I'm still a-okay with her lack of hair. It makes bathing and getting out the door easy since I don't have to worry if her hair is okay.

I had my piano lesson on Wednesday. Like I said, Eliana has been fussy for awhile. To help distract her, Kyle took her shoe shopping. He did a fantastic job!!! The ones on the left are size 3T, and she fits in them okay with socks and laces we borrowed from some other shoes. There are still a little big, but they'll work for now. The shoes on the right are size 4T for later this year. Kyle even got a deal and saved $10!

A few words about the kitchen... I was talking to my friend Michele about how her kids help her in the kitchen. They love to help, and they are quite good at it. Her four year old has been helping to unload the dishwasher for quite some time. Her nearly six year old is the best egg cracker in the home. Her soon to be eight year old has been learning how to use the stove. I want Eliana to love the kitchen too! SO, Kyle and I have changed the rules a bit. Eliana can come in the kitchen. This has helped us in multiple ways. First, I think she simply likes that the linoleum is cooler on her legs than the thick carpet. Plus, now she has a place were she can practice her siren noises with her firetruck as she rolls in on the smooth floor. I didn't teach her to make those noises, and I don't remember if Kyle taught her. Either way though, she knows to make loud noises when pushing her firetruck around. Eliana is still learning not to go into certain cupboards, so there is still training going on. I've relaxed about the Tupperware drawers, but don't panic. My house isn't always covered in Tupperware like the picture above. This past week, I've been working with Eliana to help me pick up things. She thought it was pretty nifty to help me put the Tupperware back into the drawer. When Eliana was first crawling, I didn't want her getting hurt on the silverware in the dishwasher. Well, as some point I realized that I hand wash the sharp knives. Since she isn't putting everything she touches into her mouth, I'm not as worried about her touching the rinsed dishes that are waiting to be washed. Eliana got a kick out of holding the empty dishwasher silverware holder. She carried it around the kitchen while I quickly loaded the rest of the dishes. When we were all done, she helped me close the dishwasher. Awe. Things are much better now in the kitchen.

Sister Visit!!!

2011-08-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

Thanks Trisha for coming up this weekend! It was SOOOOOOOOOOO good to spend time with you!

Here is another attempt at getting a family photo. One day, we'll get Eliana smiling too!

My hair is starting to get long again! I've considered during the numerous 100+ degree summer days of chopping it all off, but it is actually getting close to the length needed to donate. Maybe one of these times I'll actually chop my hair off in spring rather than in the fall or winter.

Missing Teaching, but Blessed to be Home

2011-08-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

As many are gearing up for going back to school, I've been asked if I miss teaching. Without hesitating I honestly answer that I do miss teaching. Knowing that my former coworkers went back to school this week was a little hard on me at times. Although I love teaching, I don't miss the grading or the time it took me to lesson plan. It isn't that I didn't enjoy lesson planning; it is that I didn't like that it took up almost all of every Saturday during the school year. I'll be starting up the Bible and Art Club again in September, and that will fill the need to teach. I'll get to be around students for an hour teaching my two favorite things in the world. Plus, I'll only have students who want to be there. There is a definite advantage to having students who want to be there!

On the flip side, people ask if I love every moment I am a stay at home mom. My common response it that I enjoy most days. I am so gratefully that Kyle and I made choices when we were first married so that I can stay home. True, we don't have new cars, fancy things, or a big house, but I get to be with Eliana. I have the pleasure and responsibility of raising her. We play, wrestle, read, walk, and eat together. Her favorite chore has always been the laundry. When she first joined our family, she loved to see of the bright colors moving as I folded clothing in front of her. These days she is delighted to take her daddy's socks out of the basket. I'm working on teaching her to help me put clothes away. As I carry a stack of clothes, I give her an item to carry as she follows me down the hall. She normally makes it half way down the hall with the item before it gets dropped. So, I'd say we're making progress from just helping to take clothes out of the basket.

Not all days are bliss. I do have seasons of loneliness that our little one just doesn't fill the same as a classroom of kids. Thankfully, those seasons of loneliness aren't as frequent or severe as they were in Eliana's first year. Teaching once a week, being part of Bible Study Fellowship, having a daily quiet time with Jesus, starting a play group, and getting out of the house more often have helped me tremendously. Oh, and I try new things like the recipes recently posted about. I even decided to try my hand at a little gardening. You've got be to pretty creative when you live in an apartment to garden. I planted cilantro and some peppers recently. Yes, I know it is a bit late to do so, but I'm okay with that. I was SOOOOO excited to see some sprouts yesterday!!!

I know this photo and the one below don't have anything to do with this post, but I love sun sets and geese! Kyle capture the sunset as we walked a neighborhood near a delicious frozen yogurt shop.

As Elizabeth and I walked during our play date, we saw these beautiful geese. I used to hear them often in our former one story apartment. Now that we are in a downstairs apartment, it is a special treat to hear and see them.

August Updates

2011-08-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Eliana is down to one nap, which means I have very little down time all to myself. She isn't one of those babies who will then nap for four hours just because she is down to one nap. Yesterday she fell asleep nursing before nap time, so she decided she didn't need a nap for the day when I moved her to her crib. :( Currently though, it is nice and quiet in my home, and that is lovely:) So, in my limited time, I'll do my best to catch up our blog for the month of August.

We went to a splash park near us with a bunch of friends and family. Rachel loved taking Eliana into the water. I love watching them play together!

It was so nice to have many people come to the play group! Yeah for Laura and Mary joining us!

We often take walks, even though it is often around 100 degrees still at 7pm. In the shade it isn't too bad. This rabbit cruises a neighborhood with a sidewalk that is lined with trees. We drive over there just to walk in the shade and check out the well groomed homes. I wonder if the neighbors know who is trimming their grass! OH, OH, OH!!! Eliana can say rabbit which sounds like ab-bi or rab-bi. She can also say cat which sounds like gat sometimes. Eliana definetly knows what they are since we have many living on the grounds around us. She's working on book and block. She can sign milk, more (although she often chooses not to), and eat. We're working on signing water.

Eliana, small as she is, has figured out a way to get up into chairs. It is a rather tricky process. She stands on the post in between the legs of the chair, lays on the chair until she can grab the edge of the other side, and then pull her bottom half onto the chair. Ha!

A group of us ventured to the Cat Haven. We stopped at this farmer's stand. There is just something special about nicely displayed fruits and veggies that motivates me to grab the camera and snap a few shots. We had hoped that Eliana would sleep on the way, but she was way to interested in the conversation we were having with our friend Mary as we drove. She did finally fall asleep 10 minutes from our destination, so she and Kyle hung out in the car for a bit before our guided tour.

Our timing didn't quite work out as planned, so Eliana was hungry and fussy during the tour. Thank the Lord for extra hands like Rachel and Ruli to help us carry her around. I'd recommend going in September or March to beat the heat. Even though it is up in the hills a little ways, it was still very warm. Also, the path really isn't stroller friendly, so I think it would have been better had Eliana been four or so. I know she'll be steady on her feet before then, but there really isn't much in between you and the wild cats. They are used to people, so they often hang out where a quick runner with little hands could pet them. Thus, I figure a four year old might be a good age, or maybe even a little older. We got to see and learn about many wild cats like the cheetah below! Did you know lions like to follow cheetahs around and steal their kill? Did you know that panthers are really dark colored spotted cats like a cheetah, jaguars, or leopard? Did you know that cheetah's have sold spots, leopards have spots in a circle called a rosette, and jaguars have a rosette with a one to four spots in the center?

Eliana loves to be my helper in the kitchen, so I often make dinner while she is napping. We're still trying to train her not to be in the kitchen, but I often feel like it is a lost cause. She doesn't mind a swat on the hand or leg. She doesn't mind being told no. She isn't detered from returning to the kitchen after being shown a tub full of toys to play with while I do the dishes. One day she will get to be my helper in the kitchen, but not this month.

I've tried several new recipes this month! It has been quite exciting! Most of them have turned out pretty good, which is very encouraging to me. The Lattice-Topped Chicken Bake turned out yummy. The Peanutty Chocolate Banana Bread tasted much better than it looked since it didn't look anything like the picture (ahhhh!). My small group was gracious in their complements despite the looks of the bread. The Ham 'N Eggs Brunch Bread is pictured above. I swapped the ham for sausage since it was what I had in the kitchen. Eliana and Kyle loved it! I even made some Hawaiian meatballs with green onions, green bell peppers, and pineapples. I was pleased as punch when Kyle said he loved them and took the leftovers for lunch. Kyle, who distastes green onions and bell pepper, loved the meatballs!!!

On the spur of the moment, Taylor invited me to join her, Kelly, Tara, and Donald shopping at the outlets in between our cities. It is so good to spend time with family! Eliana got to show them how she is walking now!!! Just this past week she has really become more stable. She isn't running yet, but she is choosing to walk places rather than crawl to them.

Eliana was very serious before church last Sunday. Here is a half smile from her. Most of the other pictures we took were either with frowns or distant serious faces.

I love my hubby. My hubby loves me. We love our wee daughter!

I started weaning Eliana last week. She isn't too sure about getting milk in her sippy cup. To help with the transition, she is getting a snack when she wakes from her afternoon nap. She seems to be handling the change well, but I'm a bit sad. On one hand I'll have a lot more freedom and flexibility if someone needed to watch Eliana, but part of me is sad to see this phase starting to end. There were days when I couldn't wait for this phase, but that was many months ago. It will make things much easier when the Bible and Art Club starts up again in September.

Aren't you impressed with this photo? I got his wings open and everything!!! Oh, you say to look at his legs? Oh, you say you think he was dead? Um... you'd be right:) I found this guy near a different plant and moved him here for the photo. Still pretty stunning though, right?

Eliana has gone from being content on a blanket watching other play at the park to an explorer of the playground. Look out world, here she comes!

A Missing Shoe

2011-08-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

A Missing Shoe
(Inspired by Mr. William Carlos Williams)

So much depends upon a missing shoe
and a bare foot spotted while entering the car
which lead to a return trip to the store
for an exploration of the floor

The shoe, size two, belongs to
a tiny girl
who
couldn't tell me when she lost her shoe
or where to find it

The tiny shoe
trimmed in white
with a matching flower
and a yellow center
was rejoiced over
by a mom and two clerks
when found simply waiting for her tiny owner to miss her
as it sat patiently on the grocery cart

On the way home
just down the street a little ways
the blaring siren of a fire truck as it u-turned in front of us
and two police cars on either side of the street
plus an ambulance
cautioned us to slow down between an accident with
one car on smashed on one side of the street
and another car smashed on the other side of the street

It lead me to wonder
had the shoe not gone missing
would
our
day
have
been
different?

Family Visit

2011-08-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Troy, Aimee, and Kallie came to visit us! Rachel and Ruli joined us for a day of fun! I love Troy's smile in this picture. It was the second take, so he opted to be goofy. It makes me chuckle every time.

Aimee and I went shopping with our girls. Eliana was pretty funny when we had the shopping carts together. She kept pulling her cousin's cart closer to her!

Eliana had just woken up from a nap, so she was serious for the entire photo shoot.

Our girls can now both stand!!! Some day soon Eliana will be able to keep up with Kallie's steps.

Eliana is holding her walking coach's hand. Ruli has been working with her for months to scoot, crawl, and now walk! It is very entertaining to watch.

Thanks for visiting us Troy, Aimee, and Kallie!!!

My Didgeridoo

2011-07-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

CONSTRUCTION PHASE

Here is the DIY of my didgeridoo. LINK

2" PVC didgeridoo

I took a blow torch to the pvc, flexed it, held it, and poured cold water over it.

Slightly flared end

Twisted

My grandfather thought the pvc resembled more a tree branch once I was done, which was what I was aiming for. Here's a very cool site of some impressive free-trade artisan didgeridoos. LA Outback

FINISHED INSTRUMENT

I think I want to do some aboriginal style patterns on it.

Here's a great site that gives the background history of the didgeridoo. howtoplaydidgeridoo.com

El Salvador- Unexpected Visitors

2011-07-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

Part way through our trip to El Salvador, six people from our hometown church came and joined a team from Florida as we did evangelical outreaches. We didn't know that Chuck and Mike would be joining us. It was so good to see familiar faces. We knew we'd be joined by a team from Valley, but I was pleasantly surprised to see these two in particular.

Chuck, Eliana, and me in El Salvador

Kyle and Chuck serving together in Jamaica, 2002

Chuck was one of the "adults" on the mission trip that Kyle and I went on the summer after our freshman year of college. I use the term "adult" in quotes because we were all over 18, or at least I'm pretty sure we were, but Mr. Chuck was from the wise and mature mentoring part of our team. Our team of somewhere around 15 went down to Jamaica to hold Vacation Bible School in several small churches. Our team split up into smaller teams, and each mini team of 4 or 5 lead VBS at a church. Chuck was our team's driver. Kyle and I had been dating for over a year at that point. Chuck talked to us a lot about life, missions, dating, and marriage. He has encouraged us and prayed for us for many years.

Now you can tell the Mike is a grandpa because he was willing to try to eat and hold Eliana at the same time. He was pretty good about not letting her steal his food, and that takes the talent of a loving grandpa. Mike has a handful of grand kids that he loves dearly. He was thrilled to see Eliana and loved spending time with her while we were in El Salvador. Mike and Kyle served in Mexico together doing VBS in Mexico when Kyle was in high school. I thought it was pretty neat that we'd be able to serve with those we have served with before.

Mike went with us door to door sharing the gospel.

He has a heart for children to know Christ.

El Salvador- Pastel Story

2011-07-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

Do you remember back in March when I wrote a post called "A Gift" and shared how I was pursuing ways to share my love of art for the glory of God? While in El Salvador I was able to use my pastels to create three pastels. Have you ever tried to create an art piece in 15 minutes? Yikes! It is a challenge!!! On two different mornings we went to central market squares. I created the art work to draw a crowd that our team would then share the gospel with. After I was done, someone from the team would write a number on a gospel tract and put the number face down on the easel. Then that person would ask the crowd to guess what number was written on the tract. The person who correctly guessed the number got the art work.

Here I am with the winner of the art piece inspired by a photo I took in Wisconsin several summers ago.

13 Months Old!!!

2011-07-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, where has the time gone?

What is Eliana up to now that she is over a year old? She can climb in and out of her Little People block wagon.

She can see new challenges and is fearless when it comes to problem solving.

This includes using toys to try and climb on the couch! HA!!!

Thankfully, she didn't fall during the photo shoot. My mom tells me that I was a climber, so I wasn't too surprised to see Eliana climbing. She hasn't figured out how to climb out of her crib... yet?!?!?!

Other highlights:

*Eliana continues to take 2 steps here and there. We practice, but she is content to take two on her own and then crawl.

*I think she is faster crawling than Lighting McQueen is racing! HA!!!

*She cracks me up when she claps just to get others to clap with her.

* When Kyle and I are talking in the car, sometimes Eliana will sing or laugh just to get our attention.

*There are times when she will show the sign "more" to get more food, and then there are times when we are trying to help her remember the sign and she pulls her hands apart in an effort to not let them touch.

*She has gone swimming and loves it!!!

*I think today she was showing the sign "eat", but maybe I'm wrong. It was before lunch time... so maybe.

*She still loves to go on walks in her stroller.

*Grocery shopping isn't nearly as stressful as it was when she was younger.

*She loves to be my shadow, so I have to do many of my chores when she is sleeping. That includes on some days making dinner while she naps in the afternoon so that we won't have to "argue" about staying out of the kitchen when I have knives in my hands.

*She waves to people, and that brings such joy to friends, family, and strangers!

*She loves her tub of books. If I do need to make dinner when she is awake, I might get 10 minutes of uninterrupted cooking time if I open up her tub of books. It is amazing how much I can get done in 10 minutes.

*She can climb up on the couch by hiking her leg up past the middle of her chest and then pulling on the couch cover. She and Ruli practiced sliding off the couch onto pillows. She had an absolute blast, and I think Ruli loved it just as much:)

****OH, I almost forgot!!! We weaned her off of the pacifier last Monday. She initially cried half an hour during her nap time, and then an hour that first night. Since then, she doesn't cry much if at all. Wahoo!!!

****Praise the Lord, she is sleeping through the night. For awhile that meant she was waking up between 5-5:30 for the day, but for the last few days she has been waking up between 7:30 and 8:30. In fact, last Saturday I woke up at 8 totally refreshed and she slept for another 45 minutes. AMAZING!!! On days that she is up at 5ish, she takes a morning nap. When she sleeps until 7ish, she just has a nice long (some times as long as 3+ glorious hours) nap.

Kyle's new instrument

2011-07-23T20:41:00.001-07:00

DIY - PCV Didgeridoo for less than $20USD
By Kyle Guess

Resource:
Making Your Own PVC Didjeridu
By Johan Lundback and Matt Newby
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-26367/pvc.htm

Purchased:
1 - 2" PVC, 5'/60" length (see notes 1 and 2) = $4
2 - 2" End Cap PVC = $3
1 - J-B Weld, 2 oz., Kwik Plastic Epoxy Putty = $4
1 - 3M, Sanding Sponge, 60 grit = $4
1 - Rattle Can of spray paint = $4

Note:
1. LENGTH - If you plan on making more than one didgeridoo, then you can purchase the 10'/120" length. Realize that a 10'/120" length of PVC doesn't fit in a car, so plan ahead. :) I easily fit the 5'/60" piece in the front seat of my small car.
2. COLOR - PVC is sold in white and black. White PVC is cheaper. Black PVC, which is made for sewage, is more expensive. If you want the black PVC, then make sure that the piece you purchase hasn't been returned to the store. :P Idea: Using acetone to remove the lettering on a black length of pvc would give you a glossy black didgeridoo if you want.

Tools:
Drill
Bore/spade bits
Reciprocating Saw or Hacksaw
Box cutter
Leather gloves (they saved my fingers from being sliced off when using the box cutter) %|

Instructions:
1. Decide what note didgeridoo you want (see resource given above).
2. Using a saw, cut the 2" PVC to the length specified.
3. Johan and Matt suggest using acetone to remove the lettering on the PVC. If you wish to paint your didgeridoo, then you'll want to skip the acetone (fingernail polish remover) and just sand it. Sand the tube using the Sanding Sponge until the letters and glossiness of the tube are gone. Set the tube aside until you are ready to paint all the pieces.
4. Johan and Matt used PVC fittings to reduce down to a smaller diameter for their mouth piece. Since I am on a budget, I decided to use end caps instead. This is where the drill comes into play. Mark the center of the end cap with a sharpie marker. Choose the diameter bit you want to use, place the end cap down on its flat edge, and drill the hole through the top of the end cap. I chose to drill one end cap with a 3/4" bit and the other with a 1-1/2" bit.
5. The 1-1/2" bit jumped around a lot, which produced a pretty off centered, horrible looking hole. Instead of scrapping the end cap, I used epoxy putty to replace material and make a nice, smooth, and centered hole. Follow the directions on the product. I found that having damp hands helped it not stick to my fingers and made it very easy to mold on the end cap.
6. I also modified the end caps to make them look a little more polished. I took a box cutter and made the outer edge of the end cap tapered inward. After this is done, I used the Sanding Sponge to smooth the facets cut by the blade. I also put a tapper on the 3/4" hole, removing material with the box cutter and then sanding the facets smooth.
7. Rinse all the pieces with water, DO NOT USE SOAP, to remove all the partials and dust from the surface. Allow it to dry. I purchased a rattle can of Rustoleum Satin Finish Paprika, which I think will give it a nice wood-like, earthy color. Perhaps I'll go back and add some designs later.

Have fun!

Pictures will follow...

Little Friends

2011-07-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

We've been able to visit some small friends in the last two weeks. Seeing little ones younger than Eliana always amazes me as it reminds me of how much Eliana has grown. There are things I miss about Eliana being a few months old (like her falling asleep in my arms and smiling up at me with huge toothless grins just because she saw me) and things I don't miss ( like her spitting up all over me and herself for over six months and the major sleep deprivation).

Meet Naomi Rose!!!

She and Eliana share the same middle name. Isn't that cute?!?! She was seven weeks old when we visited.

Eliana loved playing with the Noah's Ark set at Naomi's. I was pleased as punch to hold sleeping Naomi. Thanks again Greg and Alyssa for an amazing, restful, humorous, and delightful visit!!!

Meet Timothy who is exactly 3 months younger than Eliana! His birth story is amazing because he came several months early. We've prayed for his growth and development for many months. I can't really put into words how blessed I am to see him getting so big since he was less than 2 pounds when he was born.

Timothy's siblings Theresa, Emily, and Nathan love having their baby brother home! Eliana was fascinated by other little people visiting us. She loved watching Theresa, Emily, and Nathan play, and she was especially curious about Timothy. It isn't every day that she sees someone near her size.

Tristan is getting so big!!! The first time I posted his picture he was on a Mexican blanket Kyle got on a mission trip. This time he is on fabric from our mission trip to India. We thought it was pretty funny that he was wearing a tiger outfit that happened to go well with the elephant fabric I once wore as a sari. Tristan is now 5 and half months old!

Ethan has gotten big too!!! He has changed so much in his three months. You can see a major change since this photo.

Hume Lake

2011-07-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Hume Lake early yesterday morning. The night before we debated whether to head up to Hume or another lake near by. We figured if Eliana woke up early and stayed up (thus needing a morning nap) we'd drive up to Hume. If she woke up early and then nursed and went back to bed (thus immediately taking the morning nap) we'd head over to the other lake closer to us. She was up at 5:15am and was ready to greet the world. So, we headed up the mountains during her morning nap. She slept until we had to pull off to pay our $20 for entering the National Park.

I haven't been to Hume during the summer in over ten years. The last time I was there, I was a Safe Cracker on the gray team for the Hume Lake Christian Camp theme of Solus Veritas (One Truth). I have many good memories from that summer. For example, one afternoon near the end of the week a group of us decided to walk around the lake. Someone thought it would take us about an hour. We stopped by some waterfalls on the way and in general had a great time. I remember some of us starting to get a little worried as it took us quite a bit longer to get back than we expected. That night was the special dinner where people dressed a little nicer. So, I had friends in line wearing summer dresses when we arrived back at camp with no time to head up to the cabins to clean up. We did a quick clean up of the mud on our tennis shoes and legs in the near by restroom and jumped in line with our friends. Awe, good times.

While I'm reminiscing, let me share another story. There is a small dock that a few of us girls headed out to late one night after the night service. I remember us lying on our backs staring up at the millions of stars that you miss in the city. I don't remember much of what we said that night, but I remember being stunned at God's handy work way up in the sky.

I'll share one more funny story from that summer oh so many years ago. The girls I was hanging out with thought it was funny when asked by the gals making smoothies for their names to make up a new name. Although it sounded strange to me, it also sounded fun. I don't remember what my name was, but I do remember that I forgot it when the gal called me over to get my peach smoothie. She kept calling over and over, and boy did I feel silly forgetting my new name.

Eliana practiced her "spider crawl" while at Hume Lake. She realized earlier this week that crawling on her knees on the grass or concrete isn't too much fun, so she adapted and gets around just as fast. She loved the freedom of being able to get around for awhile outside of the stroller.

One of the nice things about Hume is the trail around the lake. We didn't go as far as I did that summer when I was a Safe Cracker, but we got to enjoy a lot of the scenery.

Plus, we took in some humorous sights. What you can't tell from this picture is that this rock is actually a mini island. We debated about if the dog swam after his family, or if he was paddled there and then stuck until his family moved on. I imagined him saying to us, "Help me, help me!!!"

I don't know about you, but I just feel more relaxed simply looking at these pictures.

Even though it has been very hot in town, it was actually rather cool when we first got there. It was cool enough that I realized I should have pack pants and socks for Eliana. We kept a blanket on her for the first half hour as we walked around part of the lake. Then it got warm enough to just enjoy the weather with sweaters on. It was such a lovely 70 degree day.

One thing I loved about our time at Hume was that I naturally slowed down to enjoy the day. We saw lizards darting about, fish swimming, and a handful of butterflies that made me stop in my tracks in an effort to capture their beauty.

Below are possible thoughts Eliana had while exploring the water fountain.

The water is pretty, may I have a closer look? The water is cool to the touch, may I play in the water?

Look, I'm walking on water!!!! May I sit in the water? You said no, so may I splash in the water?

I love the water. When are we coming back?

Eliana in Review

2011-07-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

June 2010

tiny, precious, delightful, sleep thief

July 2010

rocked to sleep, swaddled, cooing, thief of many hearts

August 2010

smiling, growing, singing, giggler in training

September 2010

laughter, mountain traveler, adored, a blessing

October 2010

joyful, laundry maker, darling, warmer of many hearts

November 2010

night waker, tearful evenings, cousin visitor, prayed for A LOT

December 2010

rice cereal eater, tummy time enthusiast, rocking chair fan, expert in spitting up

January 2011

toe sucker, sitter upper, clever, expressionate

February 2011

first fever, first two teeth, park adventurer, stroller expert

March 2011

book chewer, second fever, two more teeth, flower gazer

April 2011

crawler, life changer, hat wearer, BSFer

May 2011

third fever, two more teeth, bubble watcher, mobile

June 2011

world traveler, preciousa, bathing suit wearer, birthday cake consumer

July 2011

food explorer, first steps, sleeping through the night on occasion (Praise the LORD!!!), loved

This post has taken me many hours on three different days!!! I had to look through thousands and thousands and thousands of pictures. I didn't want to repeat any pictures from previous blog posts, so it took a bit of creativity. I am still stunned that Eliana was born over a year ago. Since I see her everyday, it is sometimes hard to remember her being smaller. Yet this post shows that she indeed was a tiny 5 pound 14 ounces infant at one time and is now taking steps here and there and nearing twenty pounds. We love our daughter and are so glad that God has blessed us with her.

Adventures with Eliana

2011-07-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

We've been on a few adventures this week.

Protector Rachel enjoyed some swim time with Eliana on the 4th of July. I didn't know that Dawson was going to have a pool, so we borrowed a onesie. Eliana was fascinated by the very warm pool water. It was SO hot that day that the pool was almost toasty.

Ruli has been waiting for Eliana to walk for many months. Eliana loved to practice talking steps wirh Ruli after her water time.

Eliana and I enjoyed being outside during the middle of the day on an yesterday. I prefer in the 90s with overcast clouds rather than the 100+ degree days we've been having lately.

Eliana is regularly on the move!

I know that I posted pictures of the same type of flower, but they both turned out so well that I couldn't decide which one to post.

On our walk I explained pine cones to Eliana. She was fascinated. Eliana is one to show me things, but not to share. She likes to hold things up for me to see, but that doesn't mean she is offering for me to hold them. ;)

A few weeks back I collected my classroom library that I had been loaning to the fourth grade teacher. She is moving to a different grade, and it was time for me to collect my books since I am not returning next year. I'll be honest that the hundreds of books stayed in boxes for a couple of weeks in the corner of my dining room. It has been difficult for me to give away my books, especially since in this case it is in part of the continued process of handing over teaching in the classroom for this season. So, to make room for more books in Eliana's room, I got out all of her board books off of the shelves. She thought she was in heaven! I'm so glad that she loves books! I'm not for sure what I'm going to do with all of her board books. Currently I got another tub for them to be in the living room, but I'm starting to feel the need to put something, anything back in her room to regain my sanity levels. One blessing of having so many books to share is that I totally made Michele's kids' day yesterday when I brought over a large box of books! Theresa squealed over and over again with pure delight. It made my day very special.

Miracles in the Old Testament

2011-07-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't shared a SOAP in a very long time. I have a brief description of SOAP on the right side bar.

S: "See! For the LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.' So the people rested on the seventh day."
Exodus 16:29-30

O:Moses is sharing with the people about manana. They have recently left slavery in Egypt where they saw the devastating plagues, crossed the Red Sea which later swallowed up Pharaoh and his army, and are now in the desert. They don't have a regular food source, so God provides them with a manana six days of the week. That in and of itself is an AMAZING miracle. God made it clear that the people were to totally rely on Him. They could not gather extra and store it because when they did, the manana got worms and went sour. However, here is another miracle. On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much so that they'd be able to rest on the seventh day. The food didn't go bad on that night.

A: God knows the needs of His people. He knew the Hebrews needed food, but they also needed rest. He provided for both. Not all of the Hebrews trusted God for that first seventh day. They went out looking for manana, but there was none to be found.

God still knows the needs of His people. Do I trust that He can provide?

P: Dear God,
Thank you for your Word which continues to changes lives thousands of years after it has been written. Help me to trust you.
In Your Son's Name,
Amen

Happy Fourth of July!!!

2011-07-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks Trish for getting such a cute dress for Eliana! If you can tell, she wan't too big of a fan of the grass touching her legs. She had her right leg up for most of the shoot. The good thing is the grass helped her to stay in one spot.

She was 9 days old on July 4th, 2010.

I can't believe that she is over a year already. Last year at this time she still wasn't supposed to come for another two weeks. We celebrated with Chet, Terry, Michele, Jeremy, their kiddos, Sherry, Perry, Rachel, and Ruli. It was such a pleasant time then since I was still a brand new mommy, and I wasn't up to much.

Look at how small she used to be!!! She fit snuggly in just one of GramE's hands!!!

Oh the many faces of our little one. She cracks us up regularly!!!

I can't remember if my friend Brandy or Eliana's Aunt Aimee made this bow. We have two Fourth of July bows, so I'm not sure who made which one.

We helped Eliana to stand up. During this photo shoot, she squatted down and then stood back up TWO times!!! We were very impressed. She took her first two steps on Wednesday. It won't be long before she is walking everywhere!!!

We love our precious little girl!!!

In El Salvador, many people shared in her smiling moments and in her serious moments.

It made sense to me to compare one serious picture with another one.

Eliana wasn't up to smiling since she was highly curious about a man walking through the parking lot.

You can see last year's July 4th post here.

Eliana's First Birthday!!!

2011-06-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great time celebrating Eliana's first birthday!!! The weather cooled a little from the 100 degrees it had been while we were in El Salvador. Yeah for a great day at the park!!! Thanks again to everyone who made this day special for Eliana.

Aunt Dacra made this multi-layered jello cake with Korin's help.

She wanted to take the picture;)

Grandpa Franklin and Grams Taylor, GramE, and Eliana

Aunt Dacra, Rachel, Aunt Marcie, Korin Trisha and Zac

Jeff and Ashlee Dad and Mom

This is the first weekend that these four have been together in four years!!! Rachel and Ruli

Liz, Brett, and Jack Judy, my favorite carpooling buddy, and me

Harry and Judy Grandpa Hal and Grandma Sue
GramE's "cousin" Jennifer came too, but some how I missed snapping a shot of her. I said "cousin" because when the girls were young, they were told they were cousins. It wasn't until they were teenagers that they realized they weren't really related.

Eliana got several hats for her birthday. That makes sense since she is still fairly bald. She loves this Dora doll from her Nanny and Grandpa Brad!

Eliana enjoyed helping me read the cards and pull out the tissue paper. I look forward to reading these indestructible books with her from GramE and Grand Apa.

Zac, Trisha, and Donald enjoyed watching Eliana eat her cupcake.

A cupcake for dessert! Yum! She didn't make much of a mess because most of it went into her mouth! Thanks Terry for making the cupcakes!

These dogs were just too weird to not share. I've seen emails with dyed dogs, but I've never seen them in person. I have no idea how you'd get a dog to sit still long enough to dye his fur.

Happy 1st Birthday!!!

2011-06-25T20:42:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my precious little girl. We love you and were thrilled to celebrate your birth with family and friends.

El Salvador- Friday, June 17th

2011-06-18T10:31:00.001-07:00

This morning Kyle drove with Jeff to Nueva Concepcion to pick up some scaffolding. While he was gone, I made some banners for Marco and Evelyn’s upcoming event. It worked out well because they went to a meeting this morning while I was working. So, I put Eliana on their side of room which is divided by some cupboards. Eliana took a nap and I got the posters done. When I was done, I read Genesis 47 about Jacob blessing Joseph’s sons. Again and again as I’ve read Joseph’s story the amount of times that things don’t go as planned jumps out to me. I’m reminded of a passage in Isaiah that talks about God’s way being higher than man’s ways. His thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts.

Kyle was still gone, when Eliana woke up. Evelyn and Marco were still in their meeting, so Eliana and I headed up to the third floor to play. There is a big open room up there, so Eliana could crawl around without getting into the things that were in Marco’s room. Once again, Eliana opened the doors of communication by crawling, smiling, and babbling at the teachers. They love talking to her and calling her preciosa. Since Eliana doesn’t have earrings, people assume she is a boy. So, she is also called precioso and cholo (cute). Sometimes people get it right and say she is linda instead of lindo (cute).

Lunch was at a restaurant called Go Green. It is a salad and quesadilla place with lots of healthy foods. The food was good, but the best part was talking to Pam and Steve. Kyle asked what were good qualities to have in a missionary. Steve talked about being willing to be meek. He explained that people often think of meek as weak, but that it isn’t. He said a horse is meek; it is power under control. Steve loves to talk about Jesus. He loves the book of Hebrews because it is all about Jesus. Steve’s passion for the Lord is catching. When they came down to El Salvador, he didn’t know Spanish. He learned by going out in the mornings and witnessing to people. He hated to see blank faces on people as he tried to explain Jesus to them. His desire for people to be saved is what motivated him to learn Spanish.

The Friday night service got so full that they do the same sermon on Thursday nights. So, Kyle went in and heard the sermon while I hung out with Paula, Emily, and a few others in the nursery. It worked so much better to have Eliana in the nursery. She played and was quite happy for almost the whole time. I also was able to hear more about Paula and Jeff’s move here a few years ago. Plus, I learned another new word. Juntos = together. I think I’m picking up a few new words each day.

El Salvador- Thurdsay, June 16th

2011-06-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

We went back to the church to work on painting the ship. We went up to the third floor to do the work. Eliana was initially pretty fussy because she was ready for a nap. She was able to sleep about 20 minutes with all of the different noises while we painted the pirate ship blue.

We went to lunch at a mall that is very similar to what we have in the states. We had pizza from Bassaro. There were several restaurants that are found in the states at this mall. The more important thing was being able to talk with Evelyn and Marco. We found out that they have two children named Marco Jr. and Mariana. Mariana is adopted. She was adopted at the age of 9 months old. She is now seven and in first grade. She is learning English and Spanish at school. You can tell that they love their children very much.

When we came back, we asked the 3^rd grade teacher if we could use her room for Eliana’s nap time. I nursed Eliana, and she went right out. She then napped for an amazing 2.5 hours!!! We were able to finish the entire painting in that time. I love to paint! It was nice to be working alongside Kyle and communication and teamwork to run smoothly. When we try and cook at the same time, we tend to butt heads. But this project worked very well. People came by to see the giant painting. I didn’t think it was all that impressive, but the people were gracious in complements.

At one point, Kyle went to go do something else while I painted. The 3^rd grade teacher came and talked with me. Between her broken English and my broken Spanish, we were able to connect over teaching. She explained that her students were gone for the summer but that the teachers were still working on cleaning out the rooms and preparing the inventory for next year. Later that afternoon while Eliana was napping, she brought us each a piece of cake since they were celebrating the day of the teacher. I thought it was so thoughtful.

We had about an hour before church would start. We decided it would be best to go pick up papusas a few houses down. Pam sent Emily and Michelle with us. I like when children are around. I feel more comfortable with trying out my Spanish. We found out the girls’ ages (11 and 13), that they live next to the church, and that they are in the 5^th and 7^th grade.

I was impressed by Pam as we ate dinner outside of the church. She greeted everyone by name. Several people came by to talk with her. We have been welcomed warmly by the church.

Once again, Eliana opens the way for communication. One of the ladies that was a greeter wanted to hold Eliana. She said she hadn’t held a baby in a long time. I love seeing the joy on people’s faces as they interact with her. During the greeting time in between songs, Eliana visited the three ladies that were in front of us.

Eliana turned out not able to make it through much of the service. She made it okay through the singing, but then she was ready for bed. To try and ease her crankiness, I pushed her back and forth in the stroller. It had worked on Saturday to put her to sleep, but it wasn’t working to well on Thursday. I tried walking with her, but she was getting more vocal. Kyle went outside with her and walked her. He listened to parts of the sermon through the windows and talked with people outside. I listened to the sermon, catching about one out of every 20- 50 words. I learned a new word, sangre which means blood. Steve was preaching out of Hebrews. While talking to Steve before lunch on Friday, he explained his sermon. He taught about how a guilty conscience can only be cleaned by the blood of Jesus. All other things fail. Blood on a shirt stains, but blood on the inside cleans the body. The blood on shirts is like the sacrificial system before Jesus came, it was only a symbol pointing to Jesus. When Jesus came, his death and resurrection enabled his followers to be cleansed.

El Salvador- Wednesday, June 15

2011-06-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Kyle has been picking up Spanish pretty well while we've been here. He went in the morning to the nurses' desk and requested that the doctor be called since it had been over 12 hours since we'd come in. She called very shortly after that and was there within 45 minutes. The doctor filled the papers for releasing us to go home and briefed us on things to look for that may be signs of a problem. However, she expects that all is well but wanted us to be aware as a precaution.

The nurse came in and removed the IV. Then an attendant came that offered to bath Eliana. Eliana liked the water and the special attention. Everyone calls her "Preciosa/Precious Girl". El Salvadorians see foreigners but hardly see their babies. So we get lots of attention, which Eliana handles pretty well. Another attendant brought us breakfast: frijoles, bananas fritas, pan, queso, y juevos con tomatos.

Wednesday afternoon was very good for me because we were finally helping in the ministry!!! We helped created a backdrop that is hung on sheets for the children’s ministry. Marco knows little English, but we were able to communicate through his wife via cell phone. Marco Jr. created an invitation for an evangelistic event on June 25^th. We recreated most of the invitation on a sheet. Initially, we free handed the script which said La Tribulacion del Blanco Perla y escape de isla de Perdicion (The Tribulation of the White Pearl and the escape from the island of Perdition). Kyle free handed the dated of the event. As we looked at the ship we were to recreate, Kyle noticed an overhead projector. He asked if we could use it to show the ship on the sheet. Marco said he’d have to buy the paper the following day, but that he had a projector. HA! We had no idea that he had a projector. It made tracing the ship quick and easy. Marco loves to talk to Eliana. Eliana opens so many doors for communication here.

Both pictures are from the third floor of the church. It is VERY green here!

El Salvador- Tuesday, June 14th

2011-06-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

We went to the World Trade Center which is connected to the Crown Plaza. I felt like it was an illusion in that it isn’t what the vast majority of El Salvadorians’ deal with. The buildings are nice. The stores are nice. If we move here and I need an out of El Salvadorian experience, I could go there.

We were packing up to go to dinner, I was next to the bed and Kylewas near it, when Eliana fell off the bed and hit her back and the back of her head on the tile floor. We called Pam to ask what concerns to have and symptoms of bigger problems we should look for. Eliana was initially a little tired. She threw up and felt better, but that was the action that caused us to decide to go to the doctor. While Pam drove to meet us, we bathed Eliana, I washed her clothes and mine, and we let the hostel workers know what was going on. Eliana was acting pretty normal by the time Pam came, but she did throw up a second time before Pam arrived.

Pam took us to the nice hospital. There was no wait. Praise God that Pam came and translated for us. The ER doctor checked her and put in orders for blood work, x-rays, and 12 hour observation. Here, you have to have your regular doctor come to the hospital to check out the baby. Pam called a relative of someone that works with the church who is a doctor. Eliana had blood drawn and an iv put into her foot (not her favorite part of the evening). The doctor came and said that Eliana looked good. They called in the x-ray tech to come since this happened in the evening. He came in, and Pam helped to distract Eliana so that her head would stay still. The doctor was still here when the x-rays were done, so she checked them out. They looked good. Pam took Kyle to go pick up dinner, the car, and a few things. She showed him the way back to the hospital.

That night Eliana and I shared the hospital bed. Here it isn't the culture to have a baby sleep in a crib. It turned out to be fine since this way I was very attentive to her needs and was able to quickly nurse her back to sleep a couple of times.

Good news: The hospital is clean, and the staff was very helpful. Pam was able to change her plans for the evening to come and help us. I had peace during the whole process. It is in part because I remember my friend Michele's daughter hitting her head and then throwing up later. She was fine later. The other part is that you all and others have been praying regularly for us.

Visiting the hospital wasn't of my list of things to see while here, but I know that God is still on His throne.

El Salvador-Monday, June 13th

2011-06-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

Eliana is our happy traveling baby.

Monday: Monday was the last full day for the Oklahoma team, so we joined them as they ventured to Paso de Alaska. It is a resort over an hour away that is high in the mountains. The drive is stunning with the lush green mountains and clouds gently misting the hillsides. We stopped to see a gigantic lake that was breath taking. Green is my favorite color, and it is very green here. That is in part from all of the rain. We had thunder storms the first three nights we were here. I love the sound of the rain on the tin roof above us. With all of the beauty of God’s creation, you also see poverty everywhere. Barbwire is a common thing to have around here, not as common as it was in Afghanistan, but it is still here. The buildings often don’t look pretty or even painted on the outside. However, the outside is often decieving because on the inside can be nice things and decorations. Graffiti is everywhere. Electricity is expensive here, so you often see lines of clothes drying. However, I was surprised to see paved roads, traffic lights, nice grocery stores, and cell phones stores where you can get a cell phone for $15 and add money for minutes as you go.

Now, I’ll go back to talking Paso de Alaska. I find it a little funny that the missionaries here, some who have been here for 26 years, have never been there before. There is a high ropes course which Kyle and I successfully accomplished, a rock wall that Kyle made it to the top of and I nearly made it to the top of, and a zip line. The zip line was pretty intense since I had never done it before. I was in a harness connected to the zip line that was several stories above ground. For the first line, I had to use gloves to push down on the line to break myself before coming to the second platform. That turned out to be the hardest thing for people to do. Some people got so nervous that they used the gloves too much and got stuck in the middle. Then they had to pull themselves into to the platform. One guy got so stuck that to propel himself, he let go of the line and that shot him forward as his feet went above his head. Thankfully, he was able to get his balance a little so he didn’t land completely upside down. I enjoyed the second line the best because you didn’t need to use the gloves to break. I also remembered to look around. I had been so focused the first time that I only stared at the platform. Plus, using my hands to break caused my arms to jerk back and hit my face smashing my glasses into my face.

Lunch was expensive for here, but very tasty with steak, shrimp, chicken, potatoes, beans, fried bananas, steamed veggies, salsa, carrot slaw, bread, and soda. There are other activities people can do at Paso de Alaska, but we didn’t have time to go look at the animals. We’ve had to be creative with Eliana’s naps while here. Many of her naps have been taken while traveling places. While at Paso de Alaska, we brought the pack n’ play and set it up in the back of the bus. Kyle laid down for a nap in the bus too to make sure Eliana would be okay.

That night we had dinner with the team at Wendy’s. It was good to hear snippets of their trip as they worked in schools, did evangelism, and helped finish off the church building. Kyle’s Spanish came in handy as he helped others to order their food. Eliana continued to light up people’s lives as she babbled and enjoyed eating.

We only have cool water in the shower, so Kyle heats some water in the microwave and adds it to this tub. Wala, a bath for Eliana!

Our Adventure

Comfort

Oh, Now I See

Adventures with Rachel

Eliana is 19 Months Old!!!

What is a yoke? a Bible and Art Club story

Bath Time

Hide and Go Seek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Things Nanny Didn't Know About Breastfeeding

Trisha and Zak

Looking Back at 2011

Thankful

Fevers

Hunting for a Christmas Picture

18 Months Old on Christmas!!!

Our Explorer

Reasons I Love my Husband

Thankful

Transitions

Entering the World of the Drugstore Game

Eliana is 17 months old!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I Love Fall!!!!

Kallie turned 2!!!

Thankful for Pumpkins

Happy Halloween

Fall Fun

Eliana is 16 Months Old!!!

Torture aka Dinner Time

Things I Learned Making my First Roast Chicken

October Photo

Reasons September is Busy

15 Months Old

Abraham put Jesus in Mary's stomace

God Knows What I Need

Friend Visit!

Eliana Update

14 Months Old!!!!!!!!!

Sister Visit!!!

Missing Teaching, but Blessed to be Home

August Updates

A Missing Shoe

Family Visit

My Didgeridoo

El Salvador- Unexpected Visitors

El Salvador- Pastel Story

13 Months Old!!!

Kyle's new instrument

Little Friends

Hume Lake

Eliana in Review

Adventures with Eliana

Miracles in the Old Testament

Happy Fourth of July!!!

More Stories from El Salvador- June 13th

More Stories from El Salvador- June 19th

More Stories from El Salvador - June 11-13th

Eliana's First Birthday!!!

Happy 1st Birthday!!!

El Salvador- Friday, June 17th

El Salvador- Thurdsay, June 16th

El Salvador- Wednesday, June 15

El Salvador- Tuesday, June 14th

El Salvador-Monday, June 13th