Bi-Zi Farms

A couple Saturdays ago we went to our local pumpkin patch, Bi-Zi Farms.  We enjoyed playing in the sun before the fall rain hits.  Desmond's favorite part was the hay pyramid, and once he went in to the tunnels it took awhile to find him again.  The kids also both loved the corn bin and Desmond got to ride a pony.  We picked out our pumpkins: one big one to carve, one big one to make pies, and another little one for fun.

My New Favorite Picture

Not long ago we packed up our dinner and headed to the park for a picnic and some playing.  I brought along the camera, and I’m glad I did because I managed to snap my new favorite photo.  I love my beautiful family!  Each person is so unique, and God intentionally put us together to encourage and challenge each other to grow.

Davin is gone this week to Wisconsin for some work training.  We took him to the airport and saw him off this morning.  No point in counting down to 5:00 pm each day now.  Desmond also came down with a fever yesterday so instead of getting together with friends today, we’re laying low and counting down to Friday.

July and August so Far…

The past six weeks have been full of summer fun!  Every now and then I think about how far behind our blog is.  So, now it’s time for another big catch-up post.

July 4th we went on a family bike ride to a local park with our picnic lunch, had an outside dinner on the patio, shot off a few fireworks after Kaylynn was in bed, and watched the big neighborhood fireworks all around us.

A few weeks later it was Desmond’s fourth birthday.  We had it at Hockinson Meadows Community Park and enjoyed playing with friends and family (including Grandma Linda up from California) to celebrate our growing boy!  One special gift was his new red bike which was refurbished by Uncle Daniel.  This is the same bike built by my grandpa that my brother’s and I learned to ride on.  Afterwards we went to see Daniel, Dad, and Grandpa take off for their return flight to Albany. 

The following weekend was our eighth anniversary trip to Bend.  I don’t know why it took us eight years to finally make it out that way, but we had a blast rock climbing, zip lining, white water rafting and mountain biking.  Our GPS was trying desperately to get us lost or stuck on a side of a mountain somewhere, but we prevailed!  Also I learned that if you’re not sure what something is on your dinner plate, taste or at least smell it first before downing a huge bite of wasabi!  We stayed at Surgarloaf Mt. Motel which wasn’t fancy but a very decent place and saved lots of money to do our fun outings.  We’ve got to go back sometime.

Next was Davin’s birthday where he most notably got a Nexus 7 from his mom.  He’s very excited to play around with his new tablet. 

We then went day camping with my family at Green Peter Reservoir at a site only accessible by boat.  Next year we’ll have to spend the night, but this time we decided not to try it with Kaylynn at the stage she is.  I love the quiet of nature and the smell of the fire. My brothers and sister-in-law also really know how to set up a nice campsite.  We had a blast water skiing, inner tubing, and eating good food around the campfire.  I’m still paying for my water skiing attempts with sore back and leg muscles.  Next time I’m determined to get up!

My next event is the Muddy Buddy on Sunday.  I’ll have to let you know how it goes!

Our new Minivan!

We decided that sometime in the next year we would probably buy a new and bigger vehicle.  It’s a bit squishy getting two car seats and all our stuff for a trip into the Civic. 

Our plan was accelerated when we had to take the car in to the mechanic and found out a previous shop caused some damage to our engine so we might have a recurring problem with oil leaking into the cylinders.  The final straw was the back window getting stuck down.  It could cost as much as $400 to fix if the track needs replaced.  Davin managed to prop it up temporarily but we drove with plastic on it for awhile which got old fast.  Nine years and 140,000 miles later it is time.

We found a great Toyota Sienna on craigslist.  I did my research and it really comes out on top for minivans.  We had to take out a auto loan which I really didn’t want to do, but with interest at 2.44% we really won’t pay that much extra over time.

I love our new van!  It’s so spacious, comfortable, has working air conditioning and handles like a car.  It’s easy getting the kids in and out and I love modern touches like the automatic side door, volume controls on the steering wheels, and automatic locking/unlocking doors with just the touch of a button.  It even tells you how many miles left on the current tank of gas and if a tire loses pressure.

Davin and I agree that this vehicle screams “road trip!” to us.  We’ll at least need to take a day trip to the beach or something soon.

Weight Loss Journey so Far

I can’t believe I’m posting the first picture, but that’s where I was just after Kaylynn was born in May 2011.  When I saw this picture I felt so discouraged about how much weight I had gained - about sixty pounds.  I immediately started eating better and working out at home as soon as I had the doctor’s clearance.  At the end of September I joined a gym and was down to about 200 pounds, but I didn’t really lose any more weight until after I was done breastfeeding. 

In March I used my birthday money to buy new workout clothes to fit my slowly shrinking body, and it made me feel better at the gym.  Today I worked out in a tank top from my “small clothes” box.  I am feeling good about my progress so I thought I’d take a picture and compare it to the March photo for a little self-motivation.  I’m getting there!  I just crossed over into the 170’s and I have 15 pounds to go until I’m back to where I was before I got pregnant. 

The truth of weight loss is that it is a sloooow and hard process for me.  What I need to do is simple: count calories and exercise.  But the hard part is sticking with it every day even when the scale isn’t budging.  But it’s great having these days of inspiration and focusing on the progress rather than how long it’s taking.  We just picked up a monthly car payment so I’ll be quitting the gym in about six weeks to help pay for that.  We’ll see how far I can get before that deadline.

Krazy Kaylie Hair

Kaylynn has this amazing fine fluffy hair.  I love the tuft that stands straight up at her crown.  It is especially fluffy when it’s been freshly washed.  The other day I had to grab the camera as the morning sun gave her a cute backlit halo. 

 

 

 

 

Kaylie is constantly pulling my hair clips out and pretending to put them in her hair, so today I bought her her very own “hair pretties”.  It’s really hard getting anything to stay in her fine hair especially because she pulls them out, but here’s her first ponytail! 

Strawberry Season Begins!

Philbrook Farms opened this week with strawberries.  Today I feel so tired I decided to take the kids out to pick some so we had something fun to do until lunch and nap time.

 

Desmond was great at picking the best strawberries - no green ones and not too squishy ones.  Kaylynn was into it in a different way - shoving who knows what into her mouth.

At one point I put down the camera to finish filling our bucket with strawberries and when I turned around this is what Kaylynn looked like. 

The Russian ladies a couple rows over were laughing. The guy at the pay tent said her example is why he doesn’t put down slug bait like he wants to.  Yeah, she ate some dirt, but at least we’re enjoying fresh strawberries tonight!

Parenting is Hard

Parenting is by far the hardest thing I've ever done. It is draining in every possible way. I'm constantly facing new things I don't know how to deal with, and I question my decisions. Is this the best response in this situation for this child? Tears. We have lots of tears: the kids, me. It's hard not to judge the success or failure of my day by how many tears were shed. Will there ever be a day when no one cries? But tears aren't always a bad thing. Sometimes it's a sign that I've done the right thing. Right now I'm down in the trenches. I wait out tantrums, brainstorm effective discipline, clean up food, toys, laundry, and poop. On one hand I have a baby who is very much attached to my pant leg and cutting molars, too. It's not pleasant for anyone. This also means I'm back to getting no more than four hours of sleep at a time. I start each day weary so my defenses have already taken a major hit. And on the other hand I have a preschooler who is regressing in potty training and challenging each direction I give him. I clean up a stinky messes, discipline, and have the same talks with Desmond every day. Through it all I try not to let it "rock my boat" as Diane Moore put it. Sometimes it doesn't but sometimes it does. I get to the end of myself. My selfish nature says it deserves certain rights like obedience, gratitude, a clean floor and adequate rest. Or how about just going to the bathroom without someone either coming in or crying on the other side of the door? But small children come out with a nature to disobey, demand, make messes and interrupt. I am reminded that my battle is not against them (though at times it sure feels like it), but my battle is against Satan who tries to rob me of my joy and keep me from experiencing God's love and grace. God, thank you for these precious gifts. I love them more than words can express. May these trying days be reminders that my beautiful babies want and need me in every way. I choose to lay down my rights. Help me to draw on your strength and not my own depleted supply as I reflect your love and grace in their lives.

Kaylynn is One!

Last Saturday we had Kaylynn’s first birthday party.  I tried to not go too overboard with preparations, but still found myself making a first year movie, a party dress, and of course the cake.  I got the cake idea from my recent Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  I combined three different cake ideas and was very happy with how the cute ruffles turned out.  Kaylynn even had her own personal cake to dig into though she did it very neatly.

We had all the family over including Great-Grandma and Davin’s mom and brother.  It was so fun celebrating Kaylynn and looking back on the past year.  I can’t believe how fast it flew by!  Now we almost have a toddler on our hands.  I look forward to seeing how she grows and develops this year.  Happy birthday, Kaylie!  We love you!!!

Kaylynn's first step

Kaylynn took her first step yesterday! Walking is not far off and she will be very happy when she masters it.