On the Market

After much prayer, Peter and I listed our house on the market this week. We don't know what will happen, but we would like to find a place with more space for our little family, and hopefully my parents.

We found what we want. It's nearby, but we felt like we need to have an offer on our place before we make an offer on another.

So were "in the market," so to speak. In the 2 days so far, we've had one showing already, and 17 agents have come by to see the place. Yikes! It isn't easy to keep this place in tip-top-tidy shape with 3 little people!

Please be in prayer with us as we go through this process. We really and truly just want God's best, whatever that may be.

Check out Peter's Bankruptcy Blog

Peter set up a banrkuptcy blog to talk about bankruptcy issues that affect the central valley. fresnobklaw.blogspot.com.

How Peter's Coat Caught Fire...and Other Events at the Wedding

"You're on fire!" a woman shrieked, as she began batting at Peter's coat.

Peter and I went to his cousin Brent's wedding last weekend in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. It was a lovely wedding at a yacht club (no yachts) overlooking a river (I'm not sure why it was called a yacht club). The bride and groom were radiant and very stylish, and we were so happy to be there, joining Peter's family for the big event. As our big kids were sunning at home with Mimi and Papa, we were having a second honeymoon with just one baby, and some rain!

The rain began shortly before the wedding, and stopped just in time for the ceremony on the outdoor deck. As soon as the vows were exchanged, the showers resumed, and when we were dismissed, we all headed indoors for shelter. The yacht club was very cozy - for 30 people. But I understand there were more like 190 people there and we were like sardines inside a can.

There were softly lit candles all around the room, the ambience of which was in direct contrast to the amount of volume inside the club. Everyone was shouting to be heard. Caleb's crying wasn't even audible unless you were right next to him.

Then I hear a woman yelling about fire. My heart dropped into my stomach when I turned to see large flames shooting up Peter's back. Peter spun around to see where the fire is. He had been standing (apparently) a little too close to an ill-placed votive candle. Fortunately, a quick-thinking woman had the flames extinguished before Peter even realized she was referring to him. The fire caught his coat in the small of his back where his sport coat was furthest away from his body. His dress shirt was blackened, but his undershirt was completely undamaged. Peter was calm. It had been taken care of before he was made aware of it. I was completely unnerved. I couldn't stop hugging him. I just wanted to cry! There is nothing like seeing someone you love so entirely on fire!

The place was so packed that I'm not even sure how many people were aware of the commotion, so Peter and I slipped out and quietly put his coat in the car. No sense in wearing a coat with a softball sized burnt hole in it, right? Besides, it smelled awful from the smoke.

So we went to the reception - also outside but underneath a lovely pavillion. I was shaking still, so Peter was trying to calm me down. We sat down at our table and a waitress walked behind us carrying bottles of wine. She then tripped on a root or something in the grass and dropped a wine bottle, which promptly sprayed up a large portion of its contents - all over Peter's shirt. He was soaked and now with a new stinky. We looked at each other in amazement. Who would ever believe this? All we could do was sit back and laugh and blurt out at the same time - it will make a great story for the blog.

My Daniel

This is my Daniel. He turned two yesterday, although I would almost say that he turned two last Wednesday, the 23rd, when some new sort of energy started pumping through his happy veins.

My Daniel is such a great kid. He is 100% boy, and proud of it. He loves to climb and run, dig in the dirt, and tease his big sister, but he's still Mommy's boy when he gets hurt or wants to read a book. A few weeks ago he scared me to death when I woke up in the middle of the night to find him on top of me to give me a big kiss. Just wanted to check on you, Mom!

We went to great lengths to research what we could give Daniel for his birthday to best expend his unbounded energy, and finally settled on this great toy called the Woodland Climber, by Step2. Peter set it up last night, and I just had to video him climbing up, making Hannah move faster, and hurtling down the slide, just to run - with bouncing cheeks and tummy - around to the back again shouting "MORE!!!" Are you smiling yet?

It's hard to believe that two years ago yesterday I held my Buddy in my arms for the first time. He was my easiest birth, even though he was over 8 pounds. I remember crying one postpartum night as I rocked him, thinking of all the women whose sons are in battle in Iraq right now, and realizing that one day my own son may be in battle too. I remembered Mary, knowing some of what her Son would face at the hands of men. My son is not holy, but he is mine, and I treasure him.

But back to smiles...Daniel puts up with a lot. He's got an older sister who makes it clear that she is sharing her room with him. He's now the middle child, with a baby to take Mom's time away from him, but he is never demanding. He might test you a little bit - with a big smile on his face the whole time - but he's two, afterall.

Oh Daniel, if I could only make it clear to you just how much we love you. You are a gift from God. I promise, and I know Daddy does too, to do our best by God's grace to teach you and train you in the way you should go, that when you are old you will not depart from it. Our firstborn son. You make us smile. It's going to be a great journey.

Our Whirlwind Weekend

As an early celebration of Daniel's 2nd birthday, my parents took us all to go see THE Thomas the Tank Engine in Felton, CA (near Santa Cruz).

Thomas was everything we had hoped for. He's big, he's blue, and he's Really Useful too. There was a full-size train, a full-size inflatable train, a bounce house, face painting, the Thomas Store, a giant layout, a giant Lego Thomas, you name it. I would have to say Daniel's favorite was taking a ride through the Santa Cruz mountains on the train itself. He stood (way to excited to sit) on Peter's lap with huge eyes the whole time. Of course, the rest of us thought just watching Daniel's reactions were priceless!

It was good to get away and hang out with my parents. For those of you who have not yet heard, my dad was recently diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease. It is the result of a drop in the production of dopamine in the body, and is a muscular degenerative disease - frustrating, but thankfully not fatal. It has been a hard couple of months for he and my mom as they adjust to his condition, but God has been so faithful. Dad is getting good treatment, and they would covet your prayers as they seek the Lord for how to best approach life with this rather large twist. Daniel and my dad have a special relationship, so it was extra-special to take a trip with them, and especially as they are both train guys.

After staying overnight at Grandpa B's house in Hollister, we came home to spend time with my cousins visiting from San Diego! Lauren is turning 3, and Daniel turning 2, so we had a birthday party for them on Saturday night. I would post more photos, but I'm having trouble uploading them right now, so if you want to see photos, email me.

We all got a kick out of Lauren and her new dress-up outfit. I took Hannah to Toys'R'Us last week to choose something for Lauren. I figured, Hannah is 3, she would know what a 3 year old girl would want. She chose a very gaudy lavender "tap" dress-up outfit, with a tiara and earrings for Lauren. It was worth getting just for the feathers and sequins! Well, surprise, surprise, Lauren went gaga over it, and had to put it on and wear it the rest of the evening.

Daniel wasn't sure about his birthday cake. He ran away from it when I turned the lighter on to light the candles, shouting "Fire! Hot!!!" At least he understands to not get close to fire! What a sweet guy. Happy (early) Birthday Buddy!

Christmas Already?

This morning I got out my sewing machine to work on some repair jobs, and found the remnants of ideas for making Christmas stockings. I know it is a little off-season, but I've been thinking about how I can get ahead of the Christmas rush. Maybe this is it!

Seeing that we seem to add one person to our stocking mantle each year, I need to choose something that I can easily add to, which means I should probably make my own. I have plenty of ideas, but I don't want to just blow a lot of money on something that I'm likely to change again in a few years!

I wish I knew how to quilt. That would be great. I could make patchwork stockings, and personalize the cuff. Or I could go elegant, velvet with gold trim. I could wait and discover each person's personality, and make one to reflect them. Maybe I'll do that the next time.

Until then, I'm just going to have to find a way to get myself to a fabric store...

Oh, regarding a prayer update: Peter is walking again!

Ouch!

Peter sprained his ankle yesterday playing basketball. Sad! He can walk (limp) - just not far, and not fast. In the scope of things, the bathroom is considered far, and trying to get to a crying child is out of the question. Poor Peter! Somehow we managed to have friends over for dinner last night, despite Peter's "ouchie ouchie."

Daniel thinks it is great though, because now Daddy is a sitting duck and can read every book we own to him. Peter thinks the only good thing about it is that our plans next weekend preclude him being able to play basketball, so he won't be tempted to play on it so soon. It's like he can't keep himself off the court!

Ah, sacred basketball. My precious husband.

Occupational Aspirations

Hannah has recently been ruminating on her future occupation. She explained to me that she wanted to be a girl doctor - not a boy doctor. (Meaning that she would like to be a doctor and still be a female.)

Today it came up again. She still wants to be a "vetranerian - a doctor for animals," as she calls it, so that she can "eat - no I mean help them." (A little freudian slip there...)

Also, she plans to work at the zoo, but only with giraffes, and definitely no tigers or snakes.

Also, let it be known for the record that Hannah has passed Level 1 in swimming lessons!!! She is so proud of herself. It of course, necessitated an almost immediate call to Daddy, followed by more requests to call and remind him for the rest of the day. :-) My big girl.

Vacation!!!

We're home and finally unpacked from our wonderful family vacation! Colorado is a terrific vacation destination for families. All 5 of us had a great time.

Our first stop was Colorado Springs, were we attended the Rockwell Family Reunion (yes, we're related to Norman Rockwell - on my mother's side of the family). Staying in a hotel room was quite a challenge for two kids who need to run and play, but we had a wonderful time with our extended family, despite the fact that my parents were unable to attend at the last minute. :-( Hannah and Daniel had a great time getting to know more of their family, and Caleb found lots of warm shoulders to nap on. :-) Besides attending the regular family events, we went to see Glen Eyrie, The Garden of the Gods, and our favorite: Focus on the Family.

From Colorado Springs we traveled to Estes Park, CO, to meet up with Peter's parents and sister Lini. We had a beautiful 4 bedroom home right on the Thompson River, with lots of space for the kids to run and play. Outside was the river, a working well pump, lots of squirrels, bunnies, and birds, a deer, and a couple of times elk joined us as well! We spent a whole week enjoying the magnificence of God's creation at Rocky Mountain National Park.

I wish you all could have seen Hannah. She was such a trooper! We told her so, and after a mile and half of hiking, she announced that she liked being a trooper! Here's a photo of Hannah in front of Nymph Lake. She was having so much fun. I think her favorite part was seeing snow up close for the first time. She also demonstrated her climbing ability to climb up and down the ladder to play in the top bunk of the bunkbeds in the kids' room. (I wasn't brave enough to let her sleep there, but she thought it was a GREAT place to play where little brothers can't reach.)

Daniel rode on Daddy's back, seemingly all week. He had a good view! He was such a good little buddy, even when he got a cold. I think he'll be quite an outdoorsy kind of guy as he grows up. Daniel was fascinated by the elk in our backyard. I think his favorite part was just running in the grass by our house, chasing bunnies and squirrels. Daniel also demonstrated that he is becoming quite the "big boy," by sleeping in a sleeping bag the whole vacation. I am so proud of him. It is hard for him to hold still and stay put for very long, but he did a great job at self-control by staying on his sleeping bag each morning until someone came to get him.

Caleb was such a good baby. He slept on the plane the whole way there, and was such a good sport about sleeping wherever, whenever - as long as he got his milk! He is very much Mommy's boy (actually, they're all "Mommy's," come to think of it...), but he loved having lots of people around to have a nap on. He's such a cuddler! Aunt Lini was gracious enough to carry Caleb on more than one of our hikes.

Peter and I agree that the highlight of the trip for us was a special date we had at The Inn at Glen Haven, near Estes Park. Beside a beautiful dining setting, complete with REAL china and silver, and an incredible meal (I had duck and Peter had elk), we had such a special time talking and sharing our hearts, without being interrupted or rushed. When we came back to California, we learned that The Inn is a world famous restaurant/bed & breakfast. I wish I had a photo to give you a glimpse, but we were having so much fun that we forgot to pull out the camera!

Hanging out with Granny, Grandpa, and Aunt Lini was terrific. Hannah and Granny learned how to play chess. Daniel had lots of people to read to him. Peter and I enjoyed ourselves because we weren't just meeting the kids' needs all the time. Lini had lots of time bonding with Caleb. Grandpa gave Hannah rides on his shoulders during the hikes when she got tired. Peter and I decided that vacationing with family is THE way to go.


Now we're home, and glad to be back. Everyday life is back to normal, and we're all rested and happy. Going away is great, but I'm so glad that we all love it here too.

WWJT?

Today as I was sweeping Lake Pergo again, I was musing on the fact that there is constantly a tremendous amount of crumbs under Daniel's high chair. Thank goodness I can sweep it instead of hauling out the old vaccuum like I used to, I thought. After all, what would Jesus think of crumbs under my table if he came to visit, or the toys strewn throughout the floor of the house?

Then came a second thought: I don't think he'd care nearly so much for the crumbs or clutter as he would care to see if we are loving each other, helping one another, sharing, doing these in His name. I quickly began to grade our little family...OK, so Hannah pushes her brother down outside every now and then - but we've noticed that it is only on the grassy area - so that's not that bad...Let's see, Daniel tends to be too rough with Caleb. He kisses him too enthusiastically, almost launching him out of the bouncy seat(!) - but it's because he thinks Caleb is so cute - so it's not really that bad, he means well!

Then I looked at myself. What about my responses? How do I respond to the constant action around here? Am I impatient when things don't go as I want? Do I miss a moment to show love to my husband because of "all I need to do?" Do I miss the opportunity to teach one of my precious babies things that matter because I'm too focused on running a tidy and orderly home? Someone once said that "cleanliness is next to godliness." I take that to mean 'second to godliness,' but do I believe that and let things go for the sake of eternity? I hope so.

What would Jesus think? What does He want? That's what I want.

So if you come by, and the house is not looking perfect, this is why.

Full Circle

Yesterday was my day to work at the office.

It's interesting to say "my day," because I used to work there full time. (I work for my dad.) I have done every support staff job in the office throughout my 18 years there. For those of you who do the math - I just added it up. I started when I was 16 in 1988!

When Peter and I first got married, I remember telling my friend and neighbor, Karen, that I felt very unconfident and insecure about certain aspects of being a wife, like grocery shopping. I told her that I felt super-confident behind my desk at work, and I could figure out a lot on the computer, or be of assistance to my dad in a legal matter, but I felt really insecure at grocery shopping and cooking! I even begged Peter to go with me to the grocery store the first time I shopped after we got married. (Bless him, he went with me.) I still hadn't figured out what foods he liked to eat, and how he liked them prepared. (Now I know, he likes almost everything, prepared almost any way. He's just happy to have someone make it for him and VERY happy to have someone do his laundry!)

Yesterday I reached full circle.

Through the years, my work at the office has gone from full time to part time. Later part time went from 20 hours to 15 and became only bookkeeping and billing. Then after I had a baby it went to 10 hours a week. Two babies - 7.5. Then I added doing bookkeeping for Nana, and now for Peter too - all in the same 7.5 hours. Recently, circumstances have changed again and I have had to do the same amount of work in about 3 hours a week. I feel like I'm doing triage at the hospital while I'm in there. Who is bleeding the most?

After a very stressful morning, I accidently hit a wrong button when I was doing billing on the computer, sorting papers, and talking to a client on the phone at the same time. This one little button cost me WAY to much time to go back and fix, and I was already stressed from rushing. Peter came out and told me to change something that he'd already had me do, and noticed that I was "a little uptight." At that point I blurted out that I think I'm a lot better at making dinners than working at the office.

And then it hit me. How far I've come!

Maybe I am better at dinner than I am in the professional world?! I'm OK with that!

More Hannah Quotes

"After I came to earth, did I have an x-ray?" - She recently saw a picture of a girl getting an x-ray and has been asking questions ever since. She was further clarifying when she had an x-ray, because she doesn't remember it. (She had one when she broke her arm learning to walk.) I'm not sure where the idea came from about her 'coming to earth!'

"It's called a 'Toddler Train.' It's going to France." - Hannah's comment after I mentioned that I liked how she had organized all of Daniel's cars into a nice curvy line.

"It's farther to Bethlehem than to Africa." - What Hannah has learned after playing with the talking globe from Granny. Everyone should have a globe like this! It is a LeapFrog Explorer globe. Between that and Google Earth, we've got a leg up on geography!