Vanoli Bambinos

Growing

2012-02-29T21:58:00.001-08:00

A little update on Baby #2. I'm 29 weeks now and a little freaked out by the idea that I'm only 11 weeks away from delivery! Everything has been going well so far with this pregnancy. Just like its sister, this little one is a mover and shaker in the womb. Chris and I are a little nervous about having another high energy kid, but God knows exactly what we need and is going to bring us the perfect child for our family. Like Chris said, this one and Hannah will be able to wear each other out! We are so excited for this baby and continue to thank and praise God for this new life.

Here are some photos from our most recent ultrasound on Friday.

In this one the black spot in the middle is the baby's open mouth and the nose right above

Profile shot

Those calf muscles look toned already, must be from all the kicks I've been feeling

2D profile shot

Happy New Year

2012-02-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know it's extremely late for a "Happy New Year" post, but I'm pregnant and that excuse seems to work for a lot. So here's how we wrapped up 2011. I got to take Hannah to her first Nutcracker ballet. I think it may have been more exciting for me than her, and it made me miss dancing. Am I starting to live vicariously through my daughter?

Hannah and Ali waiting for the show to start. Ali was ready for the loud music

Hannah and I took a trip to the Bay Area to visit family and friends in early December. We got to spend some time with Hannah's cousin Kolton. He was born May 13 of 2011, exactly one year before my due date with baby #2.

Grandpa Bud treated us to a train ride at Tilden Park. Dad used to take me and my brother David on this train when we were little. It had probably been 20+ years since either of us had been on it. Fun little train ride with a great view of the bay.

Here's Hannah with Aunt Kristl after the train ride.

Hannah got to help Grandma Carol decorate the tree.

And when we got home she helped Daddy decorate our tree.

This one was just cute, I had to throw it in. Hannah was modeling her new dress.

The preschool had their annual Christmas program. Hannah is on the far left. It's awfully cute, but you usually can't understand what the kids are singing unless it's a familiar song.

My sweet grandpa came to watch Hannah's Christmas program. Love him.

Christmas was spent with lots of family. Chris' parents came down, as well as Aaron (his brother) and Desiree with their kids, Jenna, Kinley and Clayton. I guess I didn't take any pictures at Christmas, not sure what happened there. It was loud but very fun to have everyone here. And trying to put three little girls (ages 4, 3 and almost 2) to bed in one room does not work, just in case you ever want to try it.

Happy New Year and hope your year so far has been blessed!

Hannah is 4!

2011-11-22T15:58:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Hannah's birthday at the beginning of the month. It was sort of a drawn out birthday celebration with a party over the weekend and her actual birthday on a Tuesday. She had a hard time with the concept of the party being on a different day.

We also had lots of family visiting, including my mom, aunt, and mother-in-law. Needless to say Hannah got all the love and attention she could handle!

For almost a year she had been asking for a princess cake. I searched around and found inspiration for a castle cake. It was really pretty simple, only one color of frosting and lots of candy. And since it was for Hannah, it was a chocolate cake.

Here's Cora, Hannah and Ali running around outside.

I wasn't very on top of things with my camera, but I managed to catch Landen cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and 3 of the 4 Schulz girls.

Family Update

2011-11-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

"Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"

Psalm 27:14

This verse was given to me in January by a sweet friend in the midst of one of my biggest trials; trying for another baby and having to wait on the Lord for His timing. It all started back in January of 2010 when we decided to start trying. Since I had no trouble conceiving with Hannah (we were sort of shocked at how fast it happened), we assumed that would be the case with baby #2...not so much. I was so anxious to get pregnant, because I was entering my 30's and I wanted our kids close in age.
With every month that went by I felt my dreams slipping out of my hands. Yes, we were praying, but I wasn't really trusting God. I was clinging so tight to my dreams and plans and wanting God to bless those, instead of surrendering to His plans. I began having blood work done to check hormone levels, and after getting the results my midwife suggested going on clomid, a fertility drug. I told her I was willing to do anything. Once again, me trying to do it in my power and not seeking God for what He wanted for us.
In the midst of all this, several good friends got pregnant and had their babies earlier this year. While I was happy for them, I was constantly reminded of my struggle and inability to get pregnant. And isn't that how the enemy likes to work? As God is doing a work in us and refining us through a trial, the enemy works overtime to point out our weaknesses and distract us from staying focused on God. I had to constantly remind myself that I can't compare our family to another. God has unique plans for each of us. And so Hebrews 13:5 became a verse to cling to: "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
By May of this year, after 6 months on the clomid (with lots of hot flashes) and no baby, I was an emotional mess. I really felt God telling me it was time to stop. It was affecting our family and we all needed a break. I needed to finally surrender to God and be willing to accept whatever His plans for us, even if that meant not having another baby. It was difficult for me, but I felt a peace about it. The very next day, my mother in law called and said as she had been reading through a passage in Isaiah that morning she just kept thinking of me and needed to share that scripture. She knew we had been trying for a baby, but didn't know that the day before we had made the decision to take a break. The verses are Isaiah 54:1-10, it's long so I won't write out the whole thing, but it was God's word specifically for me that day.
"Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child!...Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you shall expand to the right and to the left...Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame...For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name...'For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you...with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,' says the Lord, your Redeemer."
I can't tell you what a comfort that scripture was and is to me, it reminded me that God knows and cares about my situation and has not forgotten about me.
So finally in August, Chris suggested that we try again, and the Lord has faithfully answered our prayer! I am about 12 weeks pregnant now and due in mid May. I am overwhelmed by God's faithfulness, and through this whole trial have learned how much more I need to trust God with my dreams and be surrendered to His plan. Once I let go of my agenda, He was able to do His work. Please continue to pray with us for this baby as it grows. The first trimester was rough but now that I'm feeling better I'll try to update along the way. Praise God!
Here's the peanut at 8 weeks, the head is on the left and body on the right with nubs for arms and legs.

Dance Party

2011-10-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

We had family down for Chris' birthday in September, and Hannah was especially excited to have her cousin Stellan stay for a sleepover. Here are the girls performing for us.

Back to School

2011-10-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hannah is now in her second year at Eastminster Sonshine Preschool. This year started off slightly better than last year in that last year she had an assignment to bring on the first day and we finished it that morning. No first day assignment this year, however I did manage to forget to send her with apples one day, and the next week forgot to dress her in the color of the day (I think it was blue, and she was in all pink, typical Hannah). But we're (I'm) doing better and did remember to send snack on the right day and keep up with all other "dress in a certain color" days.

Summer Wrap Up

2011-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

In July we daytripped to San Juan Capistrano to celebrate Grandma Jean's 90th birthday. It was great to spend a day with all the Mayes family, even Uncle Bruce from Spain and Aunt Sharon and Uncle Dean from Arizona. Here's Grandma with her 4 kids.

Hannah was all ready to celebrate her great grandma's birthday. And below is how she looked on the way home, all partied out.

We took part in the Ventura Pushem Pullem Parade on the 4th of July. It's really just a mass of people walking down Main Street. There are more people in the parade than watching it.

Hannah and I also took a quick trip up to the Bay Area for the annual Switzer Family Cream Can Dinner. Hannah got to see all her cousins in one short weekend. On the way up we stopped at Nono and Nona's house. Here they are with all their grandkids.

At the cream can dinner, Hannah got to play with her other cousins, Emily (visiting from Indiana) and Kolton, along with a whole lot of other family.

On the drive home from that adventure, we stopped at one of our favorite places, the Avila Valley Barn, to feed the animals, eat some ice cream, and pick up some fresh produce.

And to wrap up summer, Hannah took her first swim lessons. She's not swimming on her own yet, but getting the concept of kicking her feet and moving her arms at the same time.

The Start of Summer

2011-08-09T19:32:00.001-07:00

June started with a trip to the Bay Area to visit lots of family. Hannah was very excited to fly on a plan again, she even pulled my luggage for me.

We got to meet our new nephew Kolton, David and Kristl's little man. He did what babies do best and slept almost the entire time we were there.

Hannah's Mimi treated her to a day at Pixie Playland. All the rides are sized just for her age, and there were maybe 3 other kids around. So Hannah had her pick of rides, and for a while had an employee following her around to whichever ride she chose and would start it up for her. Daddy got her dizzy in the tea cups, and Aunt Megan and Mimi took her for a drive.

Another highlight of the trip was going to a Giant's game! It's been years since we went, and this was Hannah's first game. A BIG thank you to my parents for getting the tickets. The game was the day before my birthday, and I got my name up in lights thanks to my dad and Carol. Unfortunately, I didn't see my birthday message before the screen changed. At least I could order a print of my message, so it's now up on the fridge. And this is what Hannah did for about 5 innings, down the slide in the left field coke bottle. Her Papa was very gracious to take her so Chris and I could enjoy the game. And after I took this picture, my camera battery died. Bummer.
About the 8th inning Hannah finally figured out where we were ("Daddy, we're on TV!") and was then yelling, "Go Giants!"
After the game Hannah got to run the bases, which was just as fun for me and Chris since we got to walk down on the field with her.

We also got to spend some time and Grandpa Bud and Grandma Carol's house. Grandpa and Hannah raced down the stairs.

After dinner they treated us to some soft serve ice cream in downtown Pleasanton, and we got to enjoy a rainbow.
Also in June Chris got the sod laid in the backyard. We now have a finished, wonderful yard to enjoy. Hannah took the picture below.
And this one is just a random everyday picture from a day at home, but I think it's pretty darn cute.

Pray for Levi

2011-08-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today I put a link in the Friends and Family section of the blog to a site called Pray for Levi. He is the two year old son of some friends from college, Dan and Kara Ryska. Levi has a brain tumor and is going in to surgery on Friday. Please check out their blog for updates, and please join me in praying for Levi.

May Days

2011-08-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

I promise that someday I will be better at staying current with this blog. We've had some fun times this spring and summer, here's what we were up to back in May.

Hannah's preschool had a spring art show. The walls were covered with creations from the kids. We now have a large storage box under Hannah's bed with artwork. In case you can't find her in the sea of kids, she's the one in the middle with her arm straight out.

We also took a field trip to the beach with Hannah's school. The kids played in the water and explored the tide pools...and got very wet. I learned a wonderful new beach tip. Before you hop in the car with sandy kids, put baby powder on their hands, feet, etc. and rub. The sand comes right off! Amazing.

Another quick trip to Cayucos. Hannah got a day of play with her cousins Stellan and Preston.

Mimi and Papa came down for a visit for Mimi's birthday, Aunt Megan's birthday and Mother's day. Chris and Mike (Papa) made dinner for us on Mother's day, including this yummy angel food cake with strawberries.

Of course we've been excited about baseball season

And we got our new patio poured (thank you, tax return!). This is Hannah and Tucker enjoying the new patio one morning. Since this photo, the rest of the yard was completed with plants and sod. I have an album of house pictures on fb.

April Review

2011-06-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

My sister Megan and I made a quick trip up to Mom's house to help host a baby shower for our sister in law Kristl. It was a lot of fun but a little tiring only going for one night. David and Kristl are now the proud parents of Kolton David Mayes, born May 13. This was the first time I took a trip without Hannah. She did pretty well, but had a few melt down moments. I think Daddy appeased her with donuts and cheeseburgers.

See any family resemblance? Any at all?

My mom and Mike worked hard to get the backyard ready and ensure that 99% of the patio was shaded. Success!

I took my architecture licensing exam the day before Easter, but we managed to fit in some cookie decorating that evening.

So there's the April update. In the midst of all this, my company was again participating in the Ventura Corporate Games. I played darts (we got 3rd) and horseshoes, and ran the 5k again.

What's Happening? Or maybe, What Happened?

2011-06-22T10:00:00.001-07:00

I apologize for the 2 month lapse in posting. I'm not sure what happened. Oh wait, I know. I took another grueling architecture test (and passed!). Those things suck up all my free time. So I'm happy to get this post in before I start studying for my last test.

Let's back up all the way to March. Hannah finished her ballet class, which she loved. Next we are going to try gymnastics, the kid loves doing summersaults.

We need to work on our plie form a little

So proud of her certificate, it's now hanging on her bedroom wall.

At the end of March, Chris finished recording the worship CD that our church just put out (you can check it out here). So we celebrated by taking a family trip to one of our favorite places, Cayucos. Spring is such a beautiful time on the Central Coast, the hills were bright green.

We spend lots of time at the swings on the beach

My mom-in-law met us there and Chris and I got a date night. After dinner we went to Montana de Oro, a spot we went to frequently while in college to watch the sunset. I have a picture similar to this from 2004 when we were dating.

Pancakes

2011-04-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by my friend Kacy to go on the search for a healthier pancake recipe. I wanted to try her recipe, but I didn't have almond meal so I started poking around (Kacy, I will try your recipe sometime, if I can remember to pick up almond meal next time I'm at TJ's). I found this recipe below in my Taste of Home Cookbook. I doesn't sound too healthy when you read through it, but with a few modifications it gets better. They turned out really great, especially with blueberries added.

1/2 C. plus 2 T. quick cooking oats (I had rolled oats, and ground them up in my mini food processor first)

1/2 C. whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat from TJ's)

1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/3 C. packed brown sugar (I used 1/4 C.)

1 egg

2 T vegetable oil (I used unsweetened applesauce instead)

1 C. buttermilk (I've used non-fat plain yogurt, or 1 T lemon juice plus milk to make 1 C; let sit for 10 min before adding)

Combine the oats, flours, baking soda, salt and sugar; set aside. In a small bowl, beat the egg, oil and buttermilk. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

*At this point, I had to add some milk to get the right consistency, maybe 1/2 C? I didn't measure it.

Pour batter by 1/3 cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown.

Let me know if you try this, if you like it, and any modifications you made. Enjoy!

Snow Day!

2011-03-13T21:03:00.001-07:00

We took advantage of the President's holiday and finally made it up to the snow. It was sort of a spontaneous trip...weeks before we had been talking about going to the snow that weekend, but didn't actually make plans until that Monday morning. I am not the most spontaneous person, so as a result of not making a packing list or preparing ahead of time, I forgot my ski jacket, beanie, and a nighttime diaper for Hannah (yes, she still wears 1 at night, don't judge me! One battle at a time...)

Anyway, we didn't want to drive up and back in one day, so we did some research and stumbled upon the Pine Mountain Inn, our new favorite getaway! It's about 15 miles past Fraizer Park, off Hwy 5. We drove up Monday afternoon and got there in time to check in and have dinner. We even got to bring the dog! It was a fun night of just hanging as a family watching movies. The next morning we got all bundled up and headed down the road about 5 miles to a snow play area. Hannah LOVED sledding, and Tucker loved all the freedom to run. Maybe next winter we can get her on skis. :)

Movie time!

Getting ready for the snow

First run of the day

Love these two

This is what Tucker did for most of the time, just run

Yum!

To Be Honest...

2011-02-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

I recently heard a pastor on the radio speaking about having a right perspective versus having a right picture. A right perspective is fixing our eyes on eternity, seeing things as God sees them and not getting hung up on the temporary. A right picture is like a photograph, a snapshot. It may look great, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Just because we can put on a smile and take a beautiful picture, doesn't mean we have the perfect life. None of us have that. I've been confronted with this lately as I look at so many wonderful pictures friends have posted on blogs or fb. Of course we want to put our best foot forward and share the happy moments of our lives, I'm no different. You'd probably rather see a picture of my smiling, happy daughter instead of how she looks when she's super cranky and it's way past bed time. Or (gasp!) me when I first wake up. So in light of all this, here are my pictures for this post.

The first ones are of our living room before we moved in.

And here is a picture of what it looks like now, the snapshot. (I had to wait until naptime so I could straighten up before taking the picture.)

However this is the reality. Frumpy pillows, a coffee table covered with preschooler accessories and things strewn on the couch. Although it's not as picture perfect as above, I still feel so blessed to call this my home.

"O Lord, you are the portion of my inheritance and my cup; you maintain my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes I have a good inheritance."
Psalm 16:5,6

Bonding

2011-01-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

Chris had to go in to work last night so Hannah and I got some girl time. So what did we do? Paint her toes for the first time. She had seen her friend Hope's painted toes and had been asking to paint hers for a while. So we snuggled up on the couch, put on Lady and the Tramp, and painted toes.

It's fun to get to do these girly things with Hannah, and to watch her personality come out. She's not one to always ask to wear dresses, and hasn't shown any interest in playing with makeup (probably because I don't wear that much). But every now and then she gets those urges and I'm happy to indulge.

December 2010

2011-01-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

I think this is my last post to be caught up on our family happenings. December, as usual, was a busy month. It was a really fun time though. Hannah was very excited about Christmas, and watching her excitement over every little thing (like Christmas lights in a store window) made me smile. We made an effort to impress upon her the significance of Christmas as a time to celebrate Jesus' birthday. She got the idea (I think), and along with it the idea of Santa as well. We didn't give her any gifts from Santa, or even teach her about him at home, but through school, store displays and TV she got her fill of info on him. So I'm not sure how to approach the issue for next Christmas. I'm sure Chris and I will discuss it again come December.

After Thanksgiving, Chris went duck hunting with his dad and grandpa. He brought home several ducks and tested out some recipes. Tucker was very anxious to try some.

Here is Hannah with a duck dinner. My picky eater wouldn't try any of it.

With all the rain in December we had to move our Saturday coffee date from Starbucks to our house. It's always fun to watch these girls play together and dress up.

The finished Christmas Tree. Both Hannah and Tucker wanted the ornaments this year.

Showing off her face painting.

This is Hannah in her preschool Christmas Program. The kids sang a bunch of songs, most of which we couldn't understand the lyrics, but it was still cute!

In all the December rain Hannah got to try out her new umbrella and raincoat that she got for her birthday.

On one of those rainy weekends we made a gingerbread house together.

Showing off one of her Christmas presents.

After Christmas, we had a lot of family come to visit. It was lots of fun, especially meeting Hannah's cousin Emily for the first time. Hannah followed my sister-in-law everywhere so she could keep tabs on the baby.

Hannah also got some quality time with Aunt Megan, playing the Wii dance game.

As I was going through all these pictures, I realized I didn't take any of our family together. Something I'll have to make a point of doing next Christmas.

Thanksgiving 2010

2011-01-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know I'm rather late with this one, but better late than never, right? We traveled to Soledad for Thanksgiving with the Vanoli family. As usual, the food was amazing and the time with family was too short. On the way up, these two were our backseat drivers.This was the Tucker's first trip with us and he did great. He was great in the car, and loved running around the property at my in-laws house, chasing birds and barking at the cows.

Hannah loves to see her cousins. It's a sweet time to watch them play, especially since our visits are few and far between. While we were up there, we gave the kids their Christmas presents, which were matching pj's (except for Preston, he got his own set). This is as good of a picture you can get of 5 kids under 4 years old.

The day after Thanksgiving the moms and Nona took the kids to the Dennis the Menace park in Monterey. I had never been there and they all had a lot of fun. Of course, Hannah had to copy the big kids and go down the giant slide head first.

At the park is a full size steam engine car to climb on. Hannah and Stellan climbed up to look for Nona. This is how they looked when they finally spotted her. Priceless.

Just for Fun

2011-01-04T00:43:00.001-08:00

These are just a few random photos I came across recently. And if you don't mind, I could use a little reader feedback, if indeed there are readers. Since I don't get many comments, I'm curious if anyone actually reads this. So, if you don't mind, please post just a little note so I know if I should keep this up. I'm happy to keep blogging, as long as I'm not the only one reading it. Ok, enough of the fine print, on to the pictures.

In her spare time, Hannah likes to ride around in the backyard...in just her skivvies.

One day when Ali was over, I heard Hannah run into the kitchen and open the fridge. I came out to the living room to find this...
At least they're sharing

November Recap

2010-12-31T08:28:00.001-08:00

Since it is the last day of the year, I guess it's time to finally get my act together and post some of our happenings for the last two months.

Back up to the end of October... Hannah was a ballerina for halloween. We went to Cora and Marie's house to carve pumpkins, play games and pass out candy. As you can see, Hannah loved scooping out the seeds.

Ali, Hannah, Annabella, Cora and Marie

We celebrated Hannah's 3rd birthday on November 8th. Nono and Nona came down for a visit, Daddy got donuts for breakfast (Hannah's favorite), and we took her to the Santa Barbara Zoo.

Nona helping Hannah try on her new princess dress-up clothes.

Hannah had so much fun at the zoo, can't you tell?

The Nemo birthday cake. My first time playing with fondant. I'm not so sure I like it yet.

Hannah's preschool has chapel once a month where they get all the kids together to sing songs, hear a Bible story, and celebrate the birthdays of the month. Here is Hannah up on stage for her birthday, and each kid gets a cross necklace.

So now you're updated on November, hopefully I'll post some December pics this afternoon.

Hummmm Baby!

2010-11-06T19:08:00.000-07:00

Translation:

"When the Giants come to town,

It's bye, bye baby!"

Welcome Fall

2010-10-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Lots of fun things happening this fall. We started it off with Daddy's birthday last month (yes, I'm still playing catch up). Chris got a kayaking trip and reciprocating saw from me, and he used his birthday money to buy a battery powered nail gun. Oh the excitement of new tools.

Hannah was very eager to help Daddy open his present...

And she was also very eager to eat his cake...

Pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting...yum!

With our CSA box we've been getting more interesting veggies. Can you name this one?

A Kabocha squash. It's basically a green pumpkin. With the inspiration of my friend Holly, I made a pie with it using my pumpkin pie recipe. The inside is orange like a regular pumpkin, although the puree seemed a little more sticky and less watery than a sugar pumpkin. It tasted really good, and I had so much puree left I made Rachel Ray's Sausage and Pumpkin Lasagna for dinner tonight. Another excellent dish.

We also got an acorn squash the other week. I know, that's not so unusual but I had never cooked one. So, once again I pulled out my trusty Taste of Home cookbook and found this recipe for Honey-Spice Acorn Squash. It was good, but a little bitter because I didn't cook it long enough. And in case you're wondering, I served it with chicken with an apple cream sauce.

Catch Up

2010-10-13T14:21:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted our happenings. Here's what we did in September. Chris took a whole week off and we escaped to Cayucos. We also spent some time with his family and attending his 10 year high school reunion. It was a much needed vacation and we were able to come home very refreshed.

Beach Baby

"Just resting with Daddy"

We ate breakfast at our favorite place in Cayucos, The Sea Shanty. They even made Hannah a Mickey Mouse pancake, without us asking for it.

We spent some time in SLO visiting with friends and going to Farmer's Market.

First, we rode the trolley. Hannah waited very patiently for it.

Then we had dinner at Firestone

Hannah got to meet the bear at Farmer's

While we were up in Soledad, we took a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Hannah's cousins, aunts and uncles and Nona

Hannah loved being a Nemo fish

Preston and Jenna. Kinley was with us too, but unfortunately I don't have a pic of her, or the adults for that matter. I need to get better at that.

On the way back home we stopped in SLO again to eat lunch at Franks Famous Hot Dogs. During all our years living in SLO we had never eaten there but always heard good things. All around a good lunch.

Another favorite on the Central Coast is the Avila Valley Barn. They have yummy baked goods and fresh fruits and vegetables. Hannah enjoyed feeding the animals and even made a new friend while running around on the lawn.

This is the face Hannah makes when you tell her to smile and say cheese. Does it look a little forced?

Why?

2010-09-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

This is the question I hear most often from Hannah now. "Why?" "Ok, why?" "Mommy why?" At first, I was excited about this stage. I knew we would enter it at some point, and it's important for her to learn and understand the why behind (most) things. And it's been challenging me to figure out how to describe things so a 2-year-old will understand it, and not ask why again. But I will be honest, sometimes it wears me down. Sometimes she asks why to something I have no explanation for. And I have actually said the line I was trying so hard not to say, "Because I said so."

But how many times do we ask God, "Why?" and then demand an answer. Or think it's not fair if He doesn't give us one. "But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, 'Why have you made me like this?'" (Romans 9:20) Thank God He is infinitely more patient with me than I am with Hannah! Sometimes all we need to hear from him is, "Because I said so." And sometimes we do get the answer to our questions, right then or maybe months or years later.

I want Hannah to trust me that I am giving her truthful answers to her questions, and to know that she can always come to me with her questions. In the same way, I need to trust God and His Word, and know that if He doesn't tell me the why behind a situation, it's for my best and maybe I couldn't wrap my head around it anyways. And unlike me, he does have all the answers, even if He chooses not to tell me all of them. But no matter what, He is good.

So with that, I leave you with some fun pictures of Miss Curiosity.

Preschool

2010-09-07T08:43:00.001-07:00

My little girl is growing up! She started preschool last week, and absolutely loves it. I didn't have as hard of a time as I thought I might. It's still hard to believe we've officially entered the school phase. Even though it's only preschool two days a week, we have new activities in our schedule. I'm signed up to bring snacks for her class next week. Hannah had a coloring project to do before her first day (which, to my shame, we completed in 5 minutes in the morning before going to school). We had to think about how much school she would be missing while planning our vacation. And...fundraisers, which we haven't taken part in yet but I know they're coming. Anyone want some See's Candy?

As I mentioned, Hannah loves her school and asks to go back. She has a great teacher and we feel blessed to have the opportunity to give our social butterfly this experience.

Hannah with her coloring project. It's hard to tell in this picture but she really did color it.

This is the best picture I could get with my wiggle worm, blurry but at least there's a smile.

Hannah ran right in to her class and made a bee line for the play-dough.

Summer Fun

2010-08-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

In college, Summer Fun meant getting super cheap soft serve ice cream at AM/PM. Now, Summer Fun has turned in to this...

New Recipe #3

2010-08-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

So what do you do when you have a bunch of radishes? I wasn't sure, and then I found this Radish Dip recipe on allrecipes.com. So yummy! I followed the suggestions of some reviewers and added some more radishes. It's good with crackers and carrots.

Now if only I could figure out what to do with a bunch of beets...

David + Kristl

2010-07-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

My brother married a wonderful girl earlier this month, we are happy to welcome Kristl into the family. Their wedding was absolutely beautiful! Hannah did a superb job as the flower girl, until her ball of flowers fell apart about three rows from the front. So sad! But then she got some M & M's and all was forgotten. She spent the whole night dancing away with some cousins. You can see some more wedding pics at the photographer's website here.

Hannah practicing for her big role

With the bride before the ceremony

sweet bride and groom

And this is what Hannah did all evening...

And this is how she looked at the end of the night

Expanding My Horizons

2010-07-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

We are participating in a CSA program with our friends Holly and Aaron. So every other week we pick up a big box of fruits and veggies from Underwood Farms. Some of the items we get are things I've never tried before, but since they are now in my house I must figure out a way to cook them. The list of new things so far includes pickling cucumbers, bok choy, kohlrabi, wax beans and french radish.

As I try out these new veggies and recipes, I'm going to share them on here in hopes of broadening the horizons of others as well. Of course, some of you (if anyone reads this) may have eaten/cooked all these things before. Maybe you'll get a new way of preparing them. So here goes, recipe #1

Roasted Wax Beans

(Adapted from the Taste of Home Cookbook)

3/4 pound fresh wax beans (or green beans)

1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons olive oil

Place beans in a saucepan & cover with water; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.

Place beans in a greased medium sized baking dish. Top with onion and garlic. Drizzle with vinegar and oil; toss to coat.

Bake, uncovered at 425 deg. F for 10 minutes. Stir; bake 5 minutes longer. 4 servings

Chris and I both liked this one, and of course Hannah wouldn't touch it.

Recipe #2

Kohlrabi with Honey Butter

(Also from the Taste of Home Cookbook)

1 pound kohlrabi (4-5 small), peeled and cut into 1/4" strips

1 medium carrot, cut into 1/8" strips

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 teaspoons honey

1/8 teaspoon pepper

In large skillet, bring 1" of water, kohlrabi and carrot to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, butter, honey and pepper; mix well. Drain vegetables and transfer to a serving bowl. Add honey butter and toss to coat. 4 servings

This one was ok. The kohlrabi tasted kind of like cauliflower and I am not a huge fan of cauliflower. The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of minced chives and 1/4 teaspoon of grated lemon peel, and I didn't have either. The recipe above is the version I made. The kohlrabi was very difficult to cut into strips. If anyone knows a trick for preparing it, let me know. Although, I probably won't cook it again unless we get it in another box.

A day in the Life of a Mom

2010-06-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

Today, Hannah:

Stepped on my toes twice (with her shoes on)

Told me I'm big

Drew on my leg with a pen

Poked me in the eye

Tossed rice all over the kitchen floor

Said, "Mommy, I so love you."

Gave me hugs

Yes, I guess it's worth it.

Getting Through

2010-05-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

I want to share something that Chris sent to the worship team, and shared with our congregation a few weeks ago. I hope it's refreshing and encouraging, it's a reminder for me to slow down and not be consumed by my circumstances. Hope you're blessed by it.

I just wanted to write and encourage each one of you in your ministry and your personal walk with Christ. Michelle and I were talking last night about this time of year…May through July that is…and how it seems like such a busy time for everyone. With school ending, finals, graduations and graduation party’s, vacations, friends and family visiting us, or us visiting them, Mothers/Fathers Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, weddings, etc. it’s sometimes hard to not get overwhelmed. Last night Michelle said something that really made a lot of sense to me, she said: “It seems like people just try to GET THROUGH this time of year!” I can’t tell you how many time’s I’ve asked people how they’re doing and, after a sigh, they say: “good…….but busy,” or “good…….but tired.”

So why am writing this? It’s not to remind you of everything you need to do in the next 3 months, it’s to remind you to enjoy the next three months. Everything I mentioned above is/can be a good thing (except maybe finals). Every one of those things is an opportunity to be a light and a witness. So I encourage you to enjoy every day that God has given us and don’t try to GET THOUGH these next few months, but Delight in the Lord and in what He is doing and is going to do in these next few months. Don’t get overwhelmed by what’s ahead, but enjoy each day.

Matt 6:34 (NKJV)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

I also want to encourage you to look at your activities and events that are coming up and ask what busyness can be cut out. Ask yourself what things are necessary and what things are not and cut out what is not. Use this extra time to spend with the Lord, in the word, in prayer, with family, maybe even napping :).

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

The World Through Hannah's Eyes

2010-05-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hannah has learned how to use my camera, here are the results. She even learned how to turn on some of the effects.

Friends

2010-04-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

If you want to see some adorable pics of Hannah and her b.f.f. Ali, click here for my friend Amy's website. They are too cute!

Accomplishment

2010-04-22T16:18:00.001-07:00

Last week I ran a 5k. To some of you, that probably doesn't seem like that big of a deal. So here's a little background, I am not a runner. I've never liked running, in fact it used to give me bad shin splints. And as new mother I learned very quickly that there's not a lot of exercising options with a baby in tow. I would much rather swim or take a dance or pilates class, all which cost money and require baby-free time. So I resorted to running, knowing that I needed exercise, but always loathing it. Then the Corporate Games came around again. So I got new shoes (no more shin splints!) and decided to run the 5k. The other inspiration for doing the run is my up and coming 30th birthday. I felt like I needed to get in one more accomplishment before that milestone.

I had no other goal than running the entire thing, I knew I wouldn't place for a medal, and ended up finishing 12th in my division. But I did it, I ran the whole thing with a time of 33:10 minutes.

Team LMA

Almost Done!

Easter

2010-04-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Once again Easter was a busy holiday for us. After 4 services at church, we headed out of town to see lots of family. It was a lot of fun and a little tiring.

First, Ali and Hannah got to decorate sugar cookies with sprinkles the week before.

Cheers!

Hannah in her Easter dress. She didn't get to do an egg hunt this year, I just made her stand in the backyard and hold her basket.
Hannah got to see all her cousins on this trip, including new baby Kinley who was born on April 2. I don't have pics of her with Stellan or Preston because I forgot my camera when we went to their house, but the girls had a good time playing dress-up.

Hannah with Jenna, the new big sister.

Photo Shoot with Daddy

2010-03-11T20:30:00.000-08:00

The other day Hannah kept asking me to take a picture of her so she could see it on the camera screen. Here's the result.

Life with Hannah

2010-03-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

She's got fashion sense...

And a love for baking...

She is a cupcake connoisseur and likes to smell them to be sure they're just right.

She also likes to help with baking cookies

Then the camel has to inspect the cookies before they go in the oven.

Meet our Newest Family Member

2010-03-06T08:29:00.000-08:00

A week and a half ago we got a cat. His name is Lucky and we adopted him from the Humane Society . He's nine months old and still very much a kitten sometimes, batting toys all over the house or running up and down the stairs. It's kind of like having a second child in the house. Hannah is head over heels for this cat. She asks where he is about every...3-5 minutes. He's getting used to her too and napping with her in the afternoons and sleeping on her bed at night.

Yes, I am that Parent...

2010-02-27T08:23:00.001-08:00

Who runs to get the camera when their child says, "I stuck!"

(I know I'm not the only one who's done this)

San Diego

2010-02-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

We took a little time off to visit family, friends and animals in San Diego. My wonderful Aunt Vicki and Uncle Rich welcomed us into their home for a few days and spoiled us rotten, especially Hannah. She had so much fun playing with and/or entertaining them. Aunt Vicki even picked out Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street and Thomas the Tank Engine videos for Hannah. They even watched Hannah for an evening so Chris and I could go out for dinner.
In between our time with Aunt Vicki and Uncle Rich, we went to the Wild Animal Park and the Zoo. Both were great! Before going to WAP we got to have breakfast with our good friends from college, Melissa, Alex, and their 2 boys. For days after our visit Hannah kept asking to play at AJ's house and "Where's baby Miles?" Here are some highlights

Hannah and AJ eagerly anticipating the safari tram ride at the WAP

The one day old baby elephant

Hannah loved feeding the deer in the petting zoo

A highlight for Chris was seeing this red deer (not in the petting zoo)

Her favorite thing at the zoo...climbing on the life size elephant statues

Chowder Time!

2010-02-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

At the end of January we made the annual trek to Soledad for the clam chowder feed. I explained the whole thing in my post last year, you can read about it here.

On the way up we saw a beautiful sunset from the 154 highway

Hannah got to cruise in Stellan's sweet ride.

Hannah loved playing with Stellan and Jenna

Preston is a little outnumbered

Fun with Nono

Isn't Preston a cutie?

Five

2010-01-27T20:32:00.000-08:00

On January 15th Chris and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. Five years flew by, and I can only imagine that next five will do the same. Chris and I got a date night to celebrate, thanks to my wonderful grandmother and cousin Andrea. They came over to entertain Hannah while we got a night out. Then we spent a few days up in Cayucos as a mini vacation. My mother-in-law drove down for a day with Hannah's cousin Stellan. The girls got to play while Chris and I got some more date time. We went to San Luis Obispo and had lunch at the Apple Farm, where we had our first date. I am so thankful for my amazing husband and we praise and thank God for our marriage. We are truly blessed.

A little replica I made of our wedding cake for an anniversary dessert

The Big Girl Bed

2010-01-12T21:53:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we moved the crib out of Hannah's room and moved in the twin bed. Hannah was so excited to have the big girl bed. We hyped it up and put on the new butterfly sheets. The first night she was up 5 times within a half hour of putting her to bed. Then she walked in to our room at 1 am and again at 6 am. Night #2 was great! I even had to put her to bed early because she was so tired and we didn't hear a peep out of her until 7 the next morning. What a trooper!

Daddy taking apart the crib

I love my bed!

(Yes, her walls are still unfinished, we'll get to it eventually)

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care

2009-12-29T20:14:00.001-08:00

My amazing husband has been working so hard on finishing off the interior of our house. He finished the fireplace wall and mounted the mantle before Christmas so we could hang our stockings. What a guy. Here are before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

We had an extended Christmas celebration. Chris' parents drove down Christmas morning to spend the day with us. Hannah was so excited to see them, as were we. We had dinner with them and my grandmother Mimi and her husband Tommy. The next day my dad, stepmom, and sister Colleen drove down with their dog Kodi and spent the day with us. Again, lots more attention and present opening for Hannah. She very much enjoyed opening presents. She would rip off the paper and toss the box aside to go to the next gift without seeing what's inside. Kodi helped too.

The fun will continue tomorrow when my mom, stepdad, brother and sister-in-law all come to town for a visit.

House Update

2009-12-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

So here is the long awaited post of the "move-in" condition of our house. Chris has been working so hard, and we are blessed to have many handy friends who have helped us with projects. We have had our share of surprises after moving in, like the downstairs toilet overflowing because of tree roots in the pipes, the pilot on the water heater not staying lit, and the kitchen sink backing up with water. Praise God for our home warranty! Two out of the three issues have been taken care of and hopefully the sink will be fixed today or tomorrow. But my dishwasher works! It's quite the luxury after almost 5 years without one. All the floors have been replaced, except for the tile in front of the fireplace. The kitchen cabinets have their first coat of paint and just need a stain finish. Hannah's room still needs a door. Hannah has adjusted well and is enjoying her new house and all the space to play in. Her favorite spot is to be on the step stool in front of the pantry. Since the door is off she has easy access to snacks. Enjoy the slideshow. Below it is an updated picture of the fireplace. Chris plastered the wall last night and it looks great! The dark spots are where it is still drying. We plan to have a mantle up by Christmas for our stockings.

Give Thanks

2009-11-26T21:24:00.000-08:00

Psalm 100

A psalm of thanksgiving.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with THANKSGIVING;
go into his courts with praise.
Give THANKS to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

A Leopard and her Pumpkins

2009-11-25T21:19:00.000-08:00

Ok, here's the very late, standard kid post of the halloween costume and pumpkins. Hannah was VERY in to pumpkins this year. She would point them out all the time, and even called and orange sandbag a pumpkin. A highlight was painting pumpkins with Ali. She also loved trick-or-treating on our street. The whole concept of knocking on a strangers door, having them tell you how cute you are and then drop candy in your bag was absolutely thrilling for her. After each house, she would look in her bag at her goodies and say, "Oh boy Hannah!" The only candy she got to eat was half a fun size 3 musketeers.

A Toddler's Mind

2009-11-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

I've learned that toddlers make associations for everything. Like riding the train, twice Hannah has been on a train with Ali, once on Amtrak and once at the Underwood Farm. And now when she hears one blow it's whistle or (even better) sees one go by, she says "Ali, choo choo." It's very cute to hear, and you know it must have been a highlight of her life to this point. You can read about it here too.

The other association Hannah has made is in the bath. Whenever she is taking a bath, she asks for a cheeseburger. I'm really not sure how that one came about. It's not like she eats a lot of cheeseburgers, and she's definitely never had one while taking a bath. We still can't figure out the connection.

We Bought a House!

2009-10-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's not a single family home, it's a condo. Well, it's not a condo either, it's a PUD (Planned Unit Development). That was a very important distinction during escrow. Had it been a condo instead of a PUD, we wouldn't have been able to get a loan because of new restrictions. But by the grace and abundant provision of God, we bought our first home. Let me tell you, if you ever want your faith stretched or want to learn how to trust God more, buy a foreclosed house and go through escrow in this market. It was a huge learning experience!

When we started looking seriously with a realtor back in June, we prayed for a fixer on the east end of Ventura, and that's exactly what we got! It has 3 bedrooms, two baths, a yard, a laundry room and a two car garage. The catch is...it's a disaster on the inside. The slideshow below is how the house looked when we made an offer. After closing escrow on Friday, Chris and a bunch of our wonderful friends had "Demo Day" on Saturday. A lot of the inside is torn apart now, on it's way to being fixed up. This house is going to be a labor of love, and we're so excited to have a place to call our own. God has provided so much for us already to make that happen. I'm trying to document the whole remodel process, so stay tuned for more updated photos.

Summer Wrap Up

2009-10-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Nothing says "Summer" like a toddler running through the sprinklers in a diaper. Somehow I didn't end up with a lot of pics from summer. It flew by too fast. We did manage to spend some time at the beach, play with the neighbor boys, have coffee with Ali and friends at the "Dolphin Starbucks," go to the Santa Barbara zoo with the Hawkins via Amtrak (Hannah still talks about riding the choo-choo with Ali), take a teeny weeny wigglers class and a swim class. Fall has already proven to be just as busy a time for us. More to come on that later.

So how do you stay cool on a hot day when you don't have A/C? You stand in the refrigerator, of course!

I just had to throw these pictures in of my diva daughter.

Fair-ly Fun

2009-09-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

We made two trips to the Ventura County Fair this year, one as a family and once on dollar day to meet up with Amy, Ali and her grandparents. My entries into the fair this year were chocolate chip cookies and dinner rolls. Neither placed but both got honorable mention. Hannah had a good time at the fair, especially the slide with Daddy and seeing all the animals. The very best part for her was the bus ride to and from, which she talked about for days after.

This is Hannah at the fair last year.

Hannah and Ali this year

Conversations

2009-09-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the new things heard in our house since the addition of Hannah:

"Can you please pick up the spinach off the couch?"

"No dancing in the basket."

"Let's not play with smelly markers and knives."

"Please don't eat the _____ (couch, shoe, pen, box, etc.)"

"Oh Hannah! That's what the potty's for."

Big Mimi

2009-08-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hannah is blessed to have many great grandparents. A few live here in Ventura with us, including her Big Mimi (for an explanation on that name, you can ask my brother David). We had Big Mimi and Papa Tommy over for dinner the other week, and Hannah got all the attention she could handle. Big Mimi earned the award for Great-Grandmother-of-the-Year, playing chase with Hannah by crawling around in circles under the dinner table. There were lots of giggles involved, and they finished off the evening with some cuddle time and a book. Thank you, Mimi, for all the love you give to Hannah. She adores you, and we love you too!

Princess

2009-08-02T13:46:00.000-07:00

The dress up days have begun...

Friends Part II

2009-07-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

So here are some more wonderful friends we have met here in Ventura (well, Oxnard), Paul and Renata. We first met Paul and Renata when they started coming to our young married couples Bible study in 2006 (right???). We love them dearly and have made so many fun memories with them, like camping at Dinkey Creek, playing Ticket to Ride, golf games for Chris and Paul and the guys, and coffee for me and Renata with the girls. To our sadness, God has called them to move back to Orange County, closer to their families. We miss them tons already, but know we'll be seeing more of them in the future. After all, we still have to make it to Jocko's. Praise God for great friends!

(Yes, Renata, I stole this pic from your facebook!)

Friends Part I

2009-07-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

We have some wonderful friends here in Ventura County. We especially love Bonnie, John, Colin and Hope. We have lots of fun hanging out with them and playing Wii. Colin is a very good Wii instructor. Hannah loves to jump on their trampoline, chase Sasha, or "cook" in the play kitchen at their house. I am so grateful to them for all the times they have watched Hannah when I've needed to run to work or get some errands done. I love it when Bonnie comes up to me at church and says, "We miss Hannah!" They are also a wonderful example of a loving family that is dedicated to serving and honoring God.

So here's some pictures of a recent visit to their house where Hope and Hannah had a mini slumber party.

Gotta love the matching pj's and pigtails

Happy 4th!

2009-07-08T20:38:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th of July in Cayucos again with the Vanoli/Cagle family. Lots of fun for the cousins! I just noticed that as I was making the slideshow, all my pictures are of the kids and none of the adults. Oops!

Little Mama

2009-07-01T15:59:00.001-07:00

Mothering is definitely built in to little girls. I didn't teach her to do this.

Chatterbox

2009-06-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

We have recently discovered that Hannah talks in her sleep. The first thing we heard about a month ago was "Hi!" about an hour after she had been in bed. Our guess is she was dreaming about being at the grocery store, where she says hi to everyone. A couple weeks ago, when we checked on her before we went to bed, she rolled over and said, "oh, wow!" And the other night, she said, "Dada." Sweet.

A Random Sampling

2009-06-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Elmo!

This is Hannah attempting to take off her diaper while wearing pj's. Fortunately she only tried this one night and it has not become a habit.

Nothin' but love for Dinkey

Stellan, Jenna and Hannah playing Nona's piano

Slumber party with Ali

Daddy save me from the waves!

A new favorite pastime...watching the garbage trucks go by on Wednesday mornings

The Wiggle Worm

2009-06-04T11:27:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to show how difficult it is to take a picture with Hannah. The child never sits still. Chris and I make a point to tell each other if we got a few minutes of cuddle time with Hannah during the day. I'm sure we're not the only parents with a wiggly child, it just seems excessive with her. But I wouldn't change her for the world. I love her enthusiasm for life.

See how she's trying to get away from me so she can play with the water

Now trying to wiggle away from Mimi

Finally a quick snapshot sitting...but her eyes are closed

Horseback Riding and a Happy Birthday

2009-05-28T20:34:00.001-07:00

Rewind to the beginning of May...Mother's Day weekend is always an eventful weekend for my family. My mom and sister have back to back birthdays that usually overlap with mother's day. So the great part is we were able to be together for all three events. For a birthday present this year, my sister chose horseback riding in Ojai and I got to tag along. Way fun! I don't think I had been on a horse in at least 15 years. Happy birthday sis!

This is the ice cream cake I made for Megan.

Big Mimi and Mimi shared some cake with Hannah.

Travels with Hannah

2009-05-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay in posting. Here's what we've been up to.

The first weekend of May we traveled to Cayucos and San Luis Obispo for a Campus Crusade for Christ reunion (the college club we were involved in during our time at Cal Poly). Chris even got to lead worship with the same band members he played with in college, a real treat for him.

On the way up, we stopped at the park between Pismo and Shell Beach for a little play time. I mostly sat around and look what hatched!

Then it was off to Cayucos for some family time at the beach house. And you can't go to Cayucos without going to the Candy Counter for some gelato.

The next day was spent in San Luis Obispo catching up with old friends. My good friend Jill and her husband Jim drove down from San Jose and spent a night with us at the beach house. Jill was the maid of honor in our wedding and had not even met Hannah before this. That's what you get for moving across country! Hannah and Jill had some good bonding time, we'll definitely have to get together again soon.

So what to do you do when it's too cold to play on the beach? You play with beach toys in the gravel driveway. From a mom point of view, it's much easier to clean up a toddler who's been playing in gravel than one who has been playing in sand.

After play time, it was time to help Nono clean up the yard. Hannah is quite the helper these days.

So what do you do after yard work? You play some more, of course!

Welcome Preston Grant!

2009-04-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Our nephew Preston Grant Cagle was born yesterday to Steve and Holly Cagle (Holly is Chris' sister). He is 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 21" long. From what we've heard, everyone is doing well and we can't wait to meet him.

Congratulations Steve and Holly!

The Inspiration

2009-04-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

I found this photo while I was cleaning out our file drawer yesterday. This is the cake my roommates and I made for Chris' 21st birthday. Unfortunately it's missing the whoppers at the back end of the deer, and the one for the bullet. Sorry if these images disturb any animal lovers.

A Few More Pics...Oh Deer

2009-04-19T10:43:00.001-07:00

I forgot to put these in with the last post, they are more pictures from our trip to my in-laws. Last Monday was my father-in-law's birthday so Chris and I made the cake. He is a hunter, hence the design for the cake. It was inspired by a creation by the Price Street Family in college. I had the greatest roommates.

This is Hannah on the drive home from our trip. She slept most of the way hugging her bunny and holding on to bear-bear. Precious. (FYI, this is the same bunny that got dumped in the pool a few weeks ago, apparently there are no hard feelings.)

He is Risen!

2009-04-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

I like to take some time around Easter to read through the gospels again and appreciate all that Jesus did for us, because without the resurrection, our faith is futile. Praise God that because of the resurrection, death has been conquered and we are offered eternal life, if we choose to receive it.

What is your choice?

I didn't get much time to do that reading I so much enjoy. Somehow the time flew by and Sunday afternoon we were on the road to my in-laws to catch a candy hunt before dark. Hannah sort of caught on to the concept, I think her cousin Stellan had the most fun. It's great to watch the three girls playing together, and Hannah gets so excited to be with them, and her Nona and Nono.

Stellan and Hannah checking out the goods

Jenna getting some help from her Daddy

B.F.F.

2009-04-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ali is definitely Hannah's B.F.F. She gets so excited whenever I tell her we're going to see Ali and squeals in delight once they're face to face. I am so grateful to have a friend with a toddler, especially when it's a good friend like Amy. I hope there are many more play dates to come!

Hannah's sweet ride

The Backyard, a Slide, Water & a Bunny

2009-03-29T09:29:00.001-07:00

Hannah loves to play in the backyard.

Hannah loves to play in the backyard on her slide.
Hannah loves to play in the backyard with water.

Hannah loves to play in the backyard with her slide AND water.Hannah loves to play in the backyard with her slide, water and her bunny.The bunny didn't enjoy this so much.

Zoo Trip #2

2009-03-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago when my mom and sister were in town we took Hannah to the Santa Barbara Zoo. Hannah was much more interested in the animals than the last time we went. Her favorites were the penguins and the giraffes. We had a great time and hope to go again sometime soon!

Bathtime in the Sink

2009-03-07T09:34:00.001-08:00

If You Need a Smile...

2009-03-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

Look at the pigtails

Clam Chowder

2009-02-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

The first Friday of every February we go to King City for a clam chowder dinner. What? Let me explain. There is too much. Let me sum up. The Monterey County Ag Museum has an all-you-can-eat clam chowder dinner every year as a fund raiser. Chris' grandfather inherited the clam chowder recipe that they make every year and passed it on to Chris, his dad and brother. So up we go to King City, the men make 350 to 400 gallons of clam chowder, and I cut pies with my sister-in-laws and mother-in-law for dessert. Now that we have kids running around, the pie cutting has been put on hold and our new duty is baby chasing. I know this is an incredibly random event, but it's a lot of fun and we get to see a lot of family and friends. Hannah's Mimi and Papa even made the trip down from Concord to spend the day with us and enjoy some chowder. So if you're ever around King City the first Friday of February, come join us!

Jenna's ready for some chowder!

Hannah and Stellan playing in Nono's chair, post chowder.

Some Year-to-Date Favorites

2009-02-11T19:34:00.000-08:00

Just a random sampling of the happenings of Hannah so far this year.

Hannah loves to sit in the office chair and be spun around.

Just Cruising

I don't really know how to explain this one, but my daughter loves to climb on the couch, look through her legs, wave and say "hi."

This is Hannah learning to feed herself yogurt. If you ever need a toddler to be occupied for an extended amount of time in their high chair, that is the way to go. I was able to get dinner ready and keep her happy the entire time.

Play time with Ali:
Ali didn't look too excited to be at our house at first, but I think she warmed up. Hannah loves to look at her picture and always gets excited to see her.

A Day in the Life of Motherhood

2009-01-29T11:43:00.000-08:00

I have learned that the problem of missing one sock of a pair multiplies by 5 when you have a toddler. These are the socks I collected around the house and not one of them has a mate. And it's not the dryer's fault either. Hannah loves to be barefoot so she is always pulling her socks off. Oh how my life has changed...

Beach Baby

2009-01-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's 80 degrees in the middle of January. What happened to winter? We took advantage of the warm weather yesterday and spent a little time at the beach. Hannah loved all the birds and was fearless of the ocean.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

Here are a few recent favorites.

So Big!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

We had a quiet Christmas at home this year, which may sound impossible when you have a one year old running around the house. We spent the day relaxing at home, watching movies, and the had my grandma and her husband over for dinner. I wasn't sure how Hannah would react to all the presents, would she dive right in and start tearing paper? We had to get her going and then she would tear the paper off the package and try to eat it. After a few gifts she just wanted to play with her new toys, or eat more paper, and lost interest in opening more gifts. We also hopped on the web cam with my family so Hannah got to open her gifts from Mimi and Papa while they watched. Not quite as good as being there with them, but a good alternative.
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well and were able to take time to remember the greatest gift we have all received, that Christ came into the world to pay our debt and give us the gift of eternal life with him!

Hannah helped me wrap some gifts before Christmas

Opening her stocking made by Mimi

I did LOTS of baking this year

Hannah met Santa this year, on the neighbor's porch

Thanksgiving

2008-12-19T15:12:00.000-08:00

I am desperately trying to catch up on my posting, at least I'll get this one up before Christmas. We had a good time on Thanksgiving at Anne and Bruno's house with a bunch of family. LOTS of food and lots of fun for Hannah and her cousins. We are thankful for our wonderful families, great friends, and beautiful daughter.

Hannah and her cousin Jenna, and Zio AA below

Stellan and Hannah playing outside She's not eating a giant cookie, she's eating a coaster

Hannah and Stellan wrapped up the evening with a diaper dance party on the table

Happy First Birthday Hannah!

2008-12-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

I know this is extremely late, my apologies. Hannah's birthday was a lot of fun, we had lots of family and friends come to celebrate. She even got to dig into her own cake. It was almost hard to believe that Hannah was already having her first birthday. I spent a lot of time around that day thinking back to a year ago, thinking I was starting labor, timing contractions, false alarm trip to the hospital. Then being in labor, seeing her for the first time, and realizing how much she's changed in a year. In some ways it's hard to believe she is the same child as that tiny 7 lb. 7 oz. baby we were given a year ago. She is a treasure and a gift.

And I must mention that Dinkey was returned to us at Hannah's party. He mysteriously showed up in a small gift bag with her presents...

Hunting Trip

2008-11-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, Chris is a hunter. Now don't be shocked, he doesn't do it just for sport. Anything he shoots (or harvests, as some like to say) becomes food. We traveled Oregon at the end of October for an elk hunting trip at Grandpa Dow's ranch. Let me tell you, it is a LONG drive to Prineville, Oregon with a baby in the car. Hannah actually traveled very well, we just took two days to travel each way and did a lot of singing in the car.
The ranch is beautiful. We had lots of fun up there with Chris' parents, Doc, Auntie Rita and Chris' cousin Ryan. The extra blessing was getting to see my grandparents on my dad's side. They live in the same town as Chris' grandpa, and had never met Chris or Hannah. We spent an afternoon visiting at their house and catching up.
It was a successful hunting trip, we now have a freezer full of meat in the garage. Be warned that there is one dead animal picture in the slideshow.

Our Crazy Family

2008-11-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

Pumpkins!

2008-11-13T20:51:00.001-08:00

Sorry for the delay in posting, we have been VERY busy the last couple weeks, including a trip to Oregon (post soon to come). We took Hannah to Big Wave Dave's Pumpkin Patch in mid October. She wasn't really sure what to do with pumpkins, but now that we have two at home she tries to chew on the stems. We also stopped at the Avila Valley Barn to enjoy the pumpkins, food and animals, but we picked the wrong day for it. I don't recommend visiting the Sunday before Halloween, it was a mad house! And my camera stopped working so we don't have any pictures from there. Maybe next year. I still got to enjoy pumpkin filled pastry.

Dinkey is a Hostage

2008-10-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

These photos were left on our porch, do you recognize the background? Poor Dinkey, at least he's trying to smile and stay positive through this ordeal. Hang in there Dinkey! We'll find you!

Have you seen Dinkey?

2008-10-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Our beloved Dinkey was kidnapped from our home the evening of Saturday, October 18, 2008. Not only have we grown fond of Dinkey but Hannah has taken a liking to him also. He was adopted into our family last year when we went camping at Dinkey Creek with the Kiners, Pecks and Hawkins. He was hitch hiking outside of a Sonic restaurant so we decided to take him along with us. We found the following ransom note today and are hoping he will come home to us soon. We can't find a picture of Dinkey, but we had the detective do a sketch for us. Have you seen him?

Stay strong Dinkey!

Hannah is 11 Months

2008-10-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

So here's what Hannah is up to these days:
Walking everywhere! She especially loves to walk outside and go to the park (see swing picture below). If we're home she will follow me all around the house.
She waves to anyone and everyone, any place we go, a total extrovert.
Her favorite snacks are Cheerios and Gerber fruit puffs, and she can tell the difference between them. If we give her both she will eat the puffs first and then the Cheerios.
She says "mama" and sometimes "uh-oh," which usually comes out only as "uh." When we say "uh-oh" she will put her hands on her cheeks.
We play "How big is Hannah?" and she raises her arms straight up and we say "so big!"
Hannah gives kisses, which is a big open mouth on your cheek.She initiates games of peek-a-boo when she's on the changing table with her bear blanket by pulling it over her face.
She is teething like mad and has 4 top teeth making their debut.

Walking with Mimi

Feeding herself avocado (it gets everywhere!)

Hannah love swings!

Cake #3

2008-10-05T09:57:00.001-07:00

This is the third (and final, thankfully!) cake I decorated in my class. This one went to my office to share. I call the class my therapy, it was so nice to get away for 2 hours a week and do something for myself that I enjoy. I love that I am able to spend so much time at home with Hannah, but I desperately need my "mommy time." My next cake decorating venture will be Hannah's birthday cake.

Cake #2

2008-10-05T09:49:00.001-07:00

Here is the second cake I made in my cake decorating class, not the greatest creation but I'm learning still. CCO is for Calvary Chapel Oxnard, I made Chris take the cake to work so we wouldn't eat the whole thing at home.

2008-09-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Are we teaching our daughter bad habits? I think she has her mommy's taste buds for whipped cream.

Zoo Fun

2008-09-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the Santa Barbara Zoo a couple weeks ago with Amy and Ali. We had a lot of fun, Hannah was most entertained by the flamingos and the playground. The attention span of a 10 month old at a zoo is 2 hours max. By the time we got to the elephants she was more interested in the plants surrounding the enclosure than the elephants.

Happy Birthday to Daddy

2008-09-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Chris' birthday Friday the 19th. My mom was in town so Chris and I got a WHOLE night away. I mean out to dinner, spending the night at the Bella Maggiore Inn, breakfast in the morning, and then going back home. Thank you Mom! And since I am in the middle of a cake decorating class, I was able to decorate a birthday cake as well.

Football Frenzy

2008-09-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

Hannah attended her first college football game on Labor Day. We went to the Rose Bowl for the UCLA-Tennessee game. Chris' parents, Bruno and Anne, came down to celebrate their anniversary, visit with Hannah and go to the game with us. It was a fun experience, after Hannah took a nap during the second quarter, and overall a very exciting game. UCLA won 27-24 in overtime. Hannah was a champ and even clapped enthusiastically during most of the game.

2008-09-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

So August was another busy month for us. I can't believe it's already September! Here are a few favorite pictures from the last month. And by the way, Hannah is walking! Stay tuned for video of our speed racer.

Hannah and Auntie Megan

After playing with the stereo, she somehow programed it turn on at midnight. What a surprise to us!

Noni

2008-08-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

Anna Dow, better known as Noni, passed away on August 11 from pancreatic cancer. She is Chris' grandmother on his father's side. Noni was born and raised in Gera Lario, a tiny town on Lago di Como in northern Italy. We had the privilege of visiting her home town on our trip to Italy with her and the rest of the family in 2006. One of my favorite memories from that trip was Noni saying, in her thick Italian accent, "I don't understand this country."
She was a very loving woman, proud of her family, and an excellent cook. One of her most famous creations was her pasta frolla, a staple at any family gathering. She welcomed me right into the family and made me feel just like any of her other grandchildren. She was wonderful with Hannah, and one particularly fussy day (Thanksgiving last year), she was the only one who could calm Hannah down. Noni and her husband Neal (Doc), have a ranch in Oregon where they raise cattle and hunt. We miss Noni greatly, but have confidence she is in Heaven because of her faith in God and Jesus Christ. Like Jesus said,"Most Assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life." -John 6:47 and "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6

We will miss you Noni! We love you!

The Ventura County Fair

2008-08-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we took a trip to the fair. We were hoping to watch the demolition derby but there was a wait to get into the stands. So instead we enjoyed the animals and displays. The cookies I entered didn't win an award this year. :( I've gone downhill with my entries ever since the pumpkin pie that took 2nd place a couple years ago. Hannah had her first fair ride on the carousel. She also really liked all the lights of the midway. We tried for another goldfish this year but no luck.

My First Fruits

2008-08-18T21:23:00.001-07:00

I have successfully grown a tomato plant in our backyard! This is a huge feat for me, seeing as I couldn't keep an ivy plant alive in the house. My $1 plant from the local farmer's market is thriving and we have already picked two delicious tomatoes.

More Summer Travels

2008-08-12T19:08:00.000-07:00

We were traveling again at the beginning of the month to a family wedding in Lockwood. Congratulations to Lacey and Bob! If you want to go somewhere hot in the summer, that is the place. But it was a nice wedding and a good visit with family. We also got to spend a little time in Cayucos and Hannah got to crawl on the beach. Sand was a new texture for her and she didn't seem to mind the face plant she took in it.

Can you see Morro Rock?

Life is Rough

2008-07-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

So this is what Hannah looked like on Tuesday afternoon when she woke up from her nap. She was extremely grumpy. I set her on the floor of the kitchen to play while I washed dishes and she would have none of it. She just crawled over to me, pulled up on the back of my legs and cried, "ma ma ma ma" until I picked her up. I thought it was kind of funny. I'm sure the grandmothers will probably scold me for posting such a sad picture.

Summer Fun

2008-07-28T20:31:00.000-07:00

July has been a busy month for us and full of milestones for Hannah. At the end of June she figured our crawling (see video in previous post) and the world has opened up to her. She crawls fast now and will follow me all over the house. She loves to pull herself up on the coffee table and bang on it with her hands or a toy. Her other favorite in the house is the screen doors in the kitchen and the front door. Today she saw the neighbor boys playing outside and got all excited and noisy until Daddy took her out to say hi. It's amazing how much she has learned in the past few weeks. Not that long ago I was amazed to find her standing in her crib and now it's a regular occurrence.
So besides Hannah's new skills, here's what we've been up to:
A trip to Cayucos for the 4th of July with Chris' family. Hannah was fascinated by the fireworks.
A trip to San Juan Capistrano for a worship conference Chris attended. Hannah and I got to tag along and visit a petting zoo, our friends the Turners and some of my family that she had not met yet.
Uncle David stopped by for an evening in Ventura, much too short of a visit.
Hannah and Mommy took a swim class together, a highlight for Hannah. She LOVES the water.

Below in the slideshow are pictures from this months activities.

Dedicated to the Lord

2008-07-17T17:17:00.000-07:00

On June 29 we dedicated Hannah at church. What that means is we as parents are declaring before God and the congregation that we intend to raise her in the nurture and admonition of Jesus Christ. As described by our pastor, "It is a sober dedication of the parents to the ways of the Lord in raising their child. It is an act that initiates a life-long relationship governed by scripture."
As you can see in the photo, Hannah was intrigued by Pastor Lance's chin.

"Then they brought the little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.' And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them."
Mark 10:13-16