I Heart Summer Veggies....

.....especially when they are the centerpiece of the dinner table!

Clearlake 2010

Last weekend we took a little getaway and spent some time at Clearlake with the family. Rich's cousin,wife and kids have a beautiful, comfortable home on the lake, and its always a time of relaxing for us and the kids.
Between the two families, there are 6 (soon to be 7) kids, so the place is lively, and there is never a complaint of "There is nothing to do here...." from any of them.

Who knew that red party cups, paintbrushes, spoons, mud and water would be so entertaining???

First the sidewalk and driveway were the canvas for some mud painting, but then it soon turned into Maeve....

Cannon is the only boy at this point, but he manages to fit right in, or just stay out of the way of all the girls when need be.

The kids all tubed, played in the sand, enjoyed the time in the boat, and loved just hanging out too.




The handsome and studly hubby showed off his skills on the wake board. I always love watching him. I have seen him surf countless times, but it is always fun to watch his skills behind a boat as well. Plus, I get a better seat to watch him smile and wave at me! (Cue the butterflies in my stomach every time that I watch him do this kind of thing....)


There happened to be a seaplane air show on the shore across the lake, so we boated over there on Saturday to check out the planes and watch them do their thing. They practiced water bombing (hitting a target from different heights in the air), and touchdown landings.

The planes held their attention for a bit, but this cool "aqua car" was definitely the hit of the show....

It was a great trip, and a great time spent with family. I love these times together, and having the added bonus of great extended family with us makes it all the more sweet.

Time is a 'tickin'

~First day of fall.

~7 more weeks (or so) until we meet this baby.

~Projects being finished, and new ones being started.

~Nesting, in an insane, overwhelming way. Just ask my sister in law.

~Not sleeping.

~Trying to figure out napping schedules now that pick-up time for Brynn is smack dab in the middle of Maeves' nap.

~Trying not to loose my sanity when I think about all I want to do during the day.

~Trying to get off the couch.... its physically getting harder and harder.

~Trying to nail down a name for this baby.

~Trying not to take out my emotional outbursts on my undeserving husband.

~Trying not to get overwhelmed with anxiety.

~Attempting to stay awake past 9:30.

~Thinking about how badly I want this baby out of me...and then remembering that its almost always harder when it is finally out.

~Staying committed to all my commitments.

~Crying more than I like, but laughing more too.

~Planning at home, late night dessert dates for hubby and myself, since I can wear PJ's for those...

~Thanking God for today, and trying not to worry about tomorrow.

*sigh*

Our "Getaway"

We usually try to take one last little getaway before each baby arrives, and we got it in just in time this last month. A good friend announced that she was getting married in Riverside, just east of L.A, and it gave us the perfect opportunity to go away for a few days.
My parents generously offered to take the kids for a few nights, and we took off early in the morning for the 8 hour drive down south.
About 1/2 an hour into the drive, and eerie silence settled over the car, and I looked at Rich and said, "We have 7 and a half more hours to go...is that really all we have to talk about?"
Needless to say, we talked, and talked, and talked for the entire drive. As much as I love, love, love my kids, it was A-MAZ-ING to have uninterrupted conversations for such a long amount of time!
I had booked us into an interesting looking hotel in Riverside, and was pleasantly (read - my jaw dropped, and we stood in awe) when the pictures and descriptions of the place didn't lie. It was BEAUTIFUL!!!! Totally picture worthy! We assumed -probably because of the name "The Mission Inn"- that it was an old mission, transformed into a hotel. After reading a bit, and talking to some other guests, we found out this wasn't true, but the place was still so interesting and unique that we let that one go....


It took up an entire city block, and we walked around one morning for more than an hour exploring the different floors, and patios and chapels, and low ceiling hallways. The place was filled with historical artifacts, random niches that led outside, little patios, and the plants were vibrant! Bougainvilleas, palm trees, AND, bells! They rang every 15 minutes, and played a song on the hour. To some, this would be horrid, but I loved it! I am telling you, this place was fun!

Is this funny or what? Rich and I have completely switched "getting ready" routines. For me, its wet hair, and walk out the door. He is the one using the hair dryer!


Gasp!!! Look what time we left our hotel room!!!! Since no one was clamoring for food at 7:30 am, we slept in, and took our time getting out and about!

Me in all my 31 weeks of pregnancy glory....

Yeah...he is a dork....so excited to find his initials in the railing of the spiral staircase.

We had a chance to hang out with my friend, and her soon-to-be hubby for a few hours on the day before the wedding, and then the day of the wedding came, and it was perfect! Backyard wedding, perfectly suited for Kate and Josh. We felt honored to be there, and share the day with them!

Their simple table decorations, and the wedding favors!


This is what I see when I look down...


We left for home after a yummy breakfast on Tuesday morning. I almost had a heart attack when I saw the signs "Business Open during Filming". Apparently they were filming a scene from a show (I am a little out of the loop here on the actual show, since we don't watch TV), but the excitement of it all was fun! We ate outside, and watched as they set up props, wheeled in flowers, and set up the scene. Unfortunately, before we actually got to see any "real-life" actors, we had to hit the road. (Am I a hopeless tourist or what?????!) On our drive home the ride was again filled with conversation, laughter, and lots of time spent with each other. We listened to pod casts, talked, had moments of near hysterical laughter when the drive was bordering on 7 hours, and then managed to regain our sanity again over a nice dinner before we arrived home.

It was a perfectly refreshing trip. Filled our "tanks" and all that Love Language jazz. What I do know, is that it's amazing to be married and be a parent. But it's even more amazing to be married and be a parent with my best friend!

Baptism Sunday

The church held a baptism a few weeks ago, and Brynn wanted to participate. She asked us last year, but we felt that as a 5 year old, she was not ready to fully understand what the significance was.
This year, after several conversations, and talking about it a great deal, Rich and I decided that she was ready. She was excited, and happy to talk about it with anyone that asked (or didn't).
We decided to give her a "big-kid" bible as a gift. I wasn't sure about the purple, but apparently she liked it!!
One of the greatest parts for Rich and I was that her Uncle Billy got to do the baptism, and he allowed Rich to be in the water with her as well. It was really special for us that she could do it this way. There is something so great about being supported by family in moments like these in our lives. We couldn't ask for more support, and a better family to share these seasons with.


Afterwards, we had a celebration at our home for both Brynn and her cousin Lola. It was a time for people to come and celebrate with them, and congratulate them, in a more personal and intimate way.

Family and friends were there to share a meal, a yummy cake courtesy of sis-in-law, and some time with the girls. The weather was perfect for people to be outside (thank goodness, since our house would have been tight with all the guests), and Rich and Billy had a chance to talk to everyone about how special of a day this was for them, and their girls.

Brynn is an amazing, insightful daughter, and we are very proud of her for the choices that she has made so far for Jesus. We know that she is young, and has a lot to learn, but we also know that God has entrusted her to us, for a short time to teach and instruct. Parenting is a form of stewardship, and although that is hard to wrap my muddled human mind around, I know that its true. It makes the journey of being a parent harder, and easier at the same time.

Give the kids a camera....

....and these are the surprise pictures that you will find later!

A Different Kind of Bouquet

This is what I call a silverware bouquet!

Just finished washing the dishes, and realized that that is a heck of a lot of silverware!

Sad thing is, the dishwasher is already full....and running. These babies will not be out of the sink until the morning. So much for a clean kitchen before bed...

An Obsession

I have an unnatural obsession with Orange right now.

The color - not the fruit.

Maybe because of the little pumpkin rapidly growing inside me????

I can dress a boy or a girl in Orange right? It's totally gender neutral?

Sigh....