I have been thinking about winter this week. It's been pouring here all week, which I love. I like to pretend that it's blizzarding. Seems like people here don't know what to do with the rain, they are used to sunshine. It's a hard life here in the winter :) Anyways, I enjoyed these winter-themed videos. Even though it's not what it looks like here now, I remember the snowy days fondly. The snow is so peaceful. and sometimes, it was a nice excuse to be trapped inside your house. It slowed life down. And when the snow subsided, it was an adventure digging you & your car out. Good times. Happy winter, world!
Enjoy the videos & also here's an epic rap song called "Snow Day."
They GROW So FAST!!!
Oh my!! Look at the difference between our pumpkin patch pictures from this year & last-- especially in Sophia.
The left one is '09 & the right is '10! Sophia is 6 months in the left picture and 18 months in the right. Zoe is 4 1/2 on the left & 5 1/2 on the right.
They GROW so fast!
Thankful & counting...
Found this list of thanksfuls from last year & thought they were still worth posting... Will make another thankful list soon!
Becky- For the main & deep (love, Faith, friendship) & the auxiliary (artistry, white mochas, laughter, growth, color & variety, bike rides, dark chocolate, story-telling, tacos, atmosphere, etc.).... mmm
Matt- Living in a house full of pretty girls. Knowing that while other people are shovelling, I'm picking lemons from the tree in our yard. A great job.
Zoe- Everything Mom, God (He's cool & awesome), Sophia (I get to take care of her), Grandma (when she comes to visit), Chart (she can kill bugs for me)
Sophia- dad, mom, zo-zo, baybes, chart
Becky- For the main & deep (love, Faith, friendship) & the auxiliary (artistry, white mochas, laughter, growth, color & variety, bike rides, dark chocolate, story-telling, tacos, atmosphere, etc.).... mmm
Matt- Living in a house full of pretty girls. Knowing that while other people are shovelling, I'm picking lemons from the tree in our yard. A great job.
Zoe- Everything Mom, God (He's cool & awesome), Sophia (I get to take care of her), Grandma (when she comes to visit), Chart (she can kill bugs for me)
Sophia- dad, mom, zo-zo, baybes, chart
Apple Picking!
Why did we wait so long to do this?! It was a very fun time to pick our own apples... an adventure in and of itself. It was a novelty since we don't grow our own apples (though we do grow lemons, mandarin oranges, peaches, lavendar & rosemary!). We found a farm that doesn't charge for picking, only charges by the pound. The 5 lbs of apples went for snacks & the rest turned into pies. Another great adventure!
Veterans Day Parade
We went to the sweetest Veterans Day Parade. I'm sure most of you know that Veterans Day is our day in America to celebrate all the men and women who have served in the military. We had a blast at this parade. It was our honor to cheer and clap for the vets as they came by. How sweet was it to see them tear up as people cheered! I'm so thankful for all the vets! How admirable to give your life to God & country. Some gave the greatest gift they could give- their life. For the first time in my life I also enjoyed seeing all the marching bands from all the area schools. Man, it brought back memories from my band days! So glad we went and so glad for this great time together!
Tea for One
MMM, I just love how this image turned out!
Sophia has started the fine art of make-believe!!
I know it's easy to miss these precious moments after having more than one child. I never want to do that! Yet staying on my toes as family archiver isn't an easy job. :) I'm working on it...
This photo is catching Sophia in the act of her first days of pretend... her very first tea party! Keep the imagination coming sweet pea!
Halloween
We've entered a new age in Pelishek Halloween costumes. An age where our kids care what they dress as for Halloween & the parents no longer can decide easily for the whole crew.
This year, Zoe had her heart set on being a ninja. Honestly, I think she wanted to be a ninja because daddy was a ninja a few years ago & she wanted to be like daddy. (Sweet, right?) We were gifted the tinkerbell costume. Sophia made for a gorgeous tink! Matt & I wore our Yip Yip costumes again this year & attempted a costume contest (we lost to K.I.S.S.!).
We went to the Safe Halloween event at the museum for our trick-or-treating. It didn't seem worth the charged $8 a pop. The give aways were things like toothbrushes, beef jerky, and lots of cheap toys with corporate logos (companies pay to have a booth to promote their business- not what we had in mind). BUT it was safe... and we were home in time to also go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood a bit.
It was a nice time for us Pelisheks! We won't do it the same next year, but we were glad we checked it out. Maybe next year, we will find some fabulous theme to our costumes. More shall be revealed!
This year, Zoe had her heart set on being a ninja. Honestly, I think she wanted to be a ninja because daddy was a ninja a few years ago & she wanted to be like daddy. (Sweet, right?) We were gifted the tinkerbell costume. Sophia made for a gorgeous tink! Matt & I wore our Yip Yip costumes again this year & attempted a costume contest (we lost to K.I.S.S.!).
We went to the Safe Halloween event at the museum for our trick-or-treating. It didn't seem worth the charged $8 a pop. The give aways were things like toothbrushes, beef jerky, and lots of cheap toys with corporate logos (companies pay to have a booth to promote their business- not what we had in mind). BUT it was safe... and we were home in time to also go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood a bit.
It was a nice time for us Pelisheks! We won't do it the same next year, but we were glad we checked it out. Maybe next year, we will find some fabulous theme to our costumes. More shall be revealed!
Pump-pumps?
Sophia's vocab has to be at least up to 30 at this point. Over the last few weeks, we spent time at the pumpkin patch & carving pumpkins, so Sophia added pumpkin to her vocab. Only it's a long word! So instead of pumpkin, she says pump-pump. You're good with that, right? I love our cute word master! :) I love the ability to understand what she wants or needs. Fun stuff.
Like our pumpkin we carved? It was Zoe's design! Yea for family memories!
Everyday Happy
Choosing to find happy in everyday is a choice, isn't it? It is for me at least. I've learned that of myself so I try to maintain a proactive attitude, always doing the things that keep me thinking and feeling positively.
I love to be outside. I love to laugh with my girls. I love to do stuff with my hands. I love to express and reflect. Days like this are perfect to remember we are living the best days of our life... among the things that really matter.
Life, love, faith & freedom
baby
song by J.J. Heller
(Double click to watch large... for some reason it gets cut off a bit when it's small)
She steals our camera
She loves to take photos with our camera. She has one of her own, but using ours is way more fun. The cat is a usual object of this torture and she's starting some new artistic ventures & perspectives. Love this girl, love sharing my life with her.
My Life is...... SO... beautiful
Motherhood is the hardest job I have ever had. And I... can be SUCH a lightweight. I try to take time intentionally to look at what God is doing in the season of life that we're in and I'm almost always blown away by it's beauty.
In this video Zoe was trying to help me capture how Sophia jumps (or thinks she's jumping). But what I think was captured was so much more.
Mustache Party
How did I not write about this?! While Matt had some things going on for work this summer, Rika & I threw a mustache party. For some silly reason, I'd always wanted a mustache party, where we all wear fake mustaches and watch burt reynolds movies (or another stached friend). Rika was up for it, so we went for it!! We had mustache food-- like croissants & coffee dunkers... and watched Moulan an with uncountable amount of mustaches. REAL fun. YAY for mustache parties.
Until next years!
Until next years!
Our List
Before Erika headed back to Wisconsin last week, we made a list of all the things we had experienced this summer. It ended up being a real long list. I don't expect much of it to make sense, but here it is:
That's about it!:)
- We camped at Pismo
- Made beanbags
- Peach chaos & Blonde Control
- Spit Watermelon Seeds
- Farmers Marketed
- Boba Tea
- Sewing Machine Lessons
- Made Ice Cream
- Hung Pictures (mine won)
- Found BD (a wild kitty in Home Depot garden dept.)
- Watched BD (SVU, lots of it)
- Celebrated BD (Matt's 30th)
- Destruction Party
- Mustache Party
- Greek Festival
- Venice Beach & L.A. Film School (& walked 2 miles with the girls)
- "Manned" the grill
- Pickled
- Grilled 2x in one day (burgers + kabobs)
- Tortured flies
- I said awkward things (on accident)
- We thai chai pie (& thought Chey should too)
- Hissing Beetle
- Fusion Friday (Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2)
- Scooted
- Ladies Night Out
- I Swept, She Sharked
- Tehachapi Days
- Awesome socks (we made some & were gifted some)
- Chased awesome clouds
- You know what summer means... (windows down, music up)
- I chunked it....
- Erika died (or at least acted like it)
- She Yakzired (bless her)
- Cave Cheese
- "Hi, hi, kitty"
- Dear facebook...
- Sam
- Sewed covers
- Moved Bunkbeds
- Flew
- F & M Fabrics, Mac & Cheeza
- People-watched at MMA Fight
- Switched kids
- Bought Cigar
- Yellow Picnic
- Textmexed
- Yoga-ed
- Beated Each Other Up
- Up & Down
That's about it!:)
Mamas
Since we've been in California, we've heard people refer to our little girls as mamas. For awhile we were confused so we started to ask around why on earth they were being called mamas when they were indeed very small and not mamas at all.
Well, it turns out they call little boys papas as well.
Any theories?
Well I've heard a few. The Hispanic people really value family and hold the parental relationships as very valuable. So they view the little girls as little mamas and the little boys as little papas. Isn't that sweet?
Seems like this idea is cool in a lot of ways. You are more likely to value someone if you know he or she will likely be someone's parent someday. Plus valuing the future parent in them gives them a deeper meaning to their existence from an earlier age. Knowing that side of me has been so cool... I didn't know how important being a mama was until I was one and if this culture prizes that, well, i think it's neat for young girls to know that being a mama is a wonderful role to have.
That's all... mamas & papas!
Well, it turns out they call little boys papas as well.
Any theories?
Well I've heard a few. The Hispanic people really value family and hold the parental relationships as very valuable. So they view the little girls as little mamas and the little boys as little papas. Isn't that sweet?
Seems like this idea is cool in a lot of ways. You are more likely to value someone if you know he or she will likely be someone's parent someday. Plus valuing the future parent in them gives them a deeper meaning to their existence from an earlier age. Knowing that side of me has been so cool... I didn't know how important being a mama was until I was one and if this culture prizes that, well, i think it's neat for young girls to know that being a mama is a wonderful role to have.
That's all... mamas & papas!
We Made Monster Feet
I'm setting new goals in my life as the seasons have been changing and swaying. One of them is that each afternoon that I have the girls (monday, Tuesday & Friday), we are having Magical Mom Afternoons where we set out on an adventure of fun-ness.
Today, we had 3 fabulous tasks to do together.
1) Make Nannerfins (Banana Muffins)
2) Have a Homework Tea Party (because having a party makes everything more fun)
3) Make Monster Feet -- pictured below
It was magical indeed. We were all engaged, laughing and loving. Good day!!
Now you need to make some monster feet!!
Today, we had 3 fabulous tasks to do together.
1) Make Nannerfins (Banana Muffins)
2) Have a Homework Tea Party (because having a party makes everything more fun)
3) Make Monster Feet -- pictured below
It was magical indeed. We were all engaged, laughing and loving. Good day!!
Now you need to make some monster feet!!
what i do best...
Hello.
I have happily taken the role of family archivist (better than family anarchist... am i right?). So I'm traditionally the one who writes on this blog, but sometimes you do hear from Matt as well. He writes maybe 2x a year to my maybe 2x a month, but hey... it's collaboration. :)
I was looking at pictures from this summer and man have we covered a lot of ground!! It seems like so much has gone on, it's been hard to keep up with all the sweet moments. In short: Pismo camping, pita chips, 4th of July, watermelon seed spitting, sewing, Matt's 30th birthday countdown, freezer cooking, sophia's therapy, trip to ND, 8 years celebrated, growing peaches, creative team, milk bubbles, sunburns, yakzir maka, freedom, Tehachapi days, film school, muscle beach, walks, mustache party, Fusion Fridays, fabric, riding a horse, Comic Con, costumes on the kitchen floor, cooking with my girls, Pokey Little Pupply, scrapbooking, Dan O' Day, chalk, swim lessons, backyard play... and so much more. Blessed summer!!
We've been on a bit of a journey with Sophia. I've written before how she has been a little behind on her physical milestones. It's interesting to me how as a mom I instantly take the pressure and guilt on that my child being behind is because of something I did wrong. So lame that I think that. I've been working on that. Sophia is so close to walking now. Today she totally walked as her soft prompt just hung from her. So basically she thought she had support, but she didn't... and she was totally walking. She just needs to get through the fear & she'll be walking like a pro. The end is near :) ... Then we'll open a new chapter for her.
Zoe loves Kindergarten....... she is so happy to go to school. It is so sweet to see her run to me after school. Today she colored an "Itsy Bitsy Spider" booklet and on the cover wrote "to mom from zoe." Oooh man that was so sweet! I love it... I'll keep it forever. I love us both having the structure from the school schedule and I love what they're working through in Kindergaren. So basically, it's been good.
It's been such a blessing to have Erika here since late June. It's been huge. We've been making tons of memories and having her help here has been beautimous. Dang it I am so grateful!! I really enjoy Erika's company, but I am excited as she works on her next steps.
Been thinking lately about how truly amazing moms are. So so so so so amazing. So selfless. So hardworking. Even the light working moms are hard working compared to any other profession. :) I can only now appreciate my mother... and probably only a fraction to what it's worth. Hug a mom today!!
I've been doing a lot of missing lately... Wish I could visit my family on a regular basis. Wish we could visit matt's family on a regular basis. And now with my parents selling their house and Erika heading back, I want to be where they are. I feel like we're jipped by not getting to make memories with them every year & they're jipped in the same way. I need to be patient and grateful... The Lord is my Shepherd. :)
This is a piece of patch... a little this, a little that... but a time to recognize the beauty of today.
I have happily taken the role of family archivist (better than family anarchist... am i right?). So I'm traditionally the one who writes on this blog, but sometimes you do hear from Matt as well. He writes maybe 2x a year to my maybe 2x a month, but hey... it's collaboration. :)
I was looking at pictures from this summer and man have we covered a lot of ground!! It seems like so much has gone on, it's been hard to keep up with all the sweet moments. In short: Pismo camping, pita chips, 4th of July, watermelon seed spitting, sewing, Matt's 30th birthday countdown, freezer cooking, sophia's therapy, trip to ND, 8 years celebrated, growing peaches, creative team, milk bubbles, sunburns, yakzir maka, freedom, Tehachapi days, film school, muscle beach, walks, mustache party, Fusion Fridays, fabric, riding a horse, Comic Con, costumes on the kitchen floor, cooking with my girls, Pokey Little Pupply, scrapbooking, Dan O' Day, chalk, swim lessons, backyard play... and so much more. Blessed summer!!
We've been on a bit of a journey with Sophia. I've written before how she has been a little behind on her physical milestones. It's interesting to me how as a mom I instantly take the pressure and guilt on that my child being behind is because of something I did wrong. So lame that I think that. I've been working on that. Sophia is so close to walking now. Today she totally walked as her soft prompt just hung from her. So basically she thought she had support, but she didn't... and she was totally walking. She just needs to get through the fear & she'll be walking like a pro. The end is near :) ... Then we'll open a new chapter for her.
Zoe loves Kindergarten....... she is so happy to go to school. It is so sweet to see her run to me after school. Today she colored an "Itsy Bitsy Spider" booklet and on the cover wrote "to mom from zoe." Oooh man that was so sweet! I love it... I'll keep it forever. I love us both having the structure from the school schedule and I love what they're working through in Kindergaren. So basically, it's been good.
It's been such a blessing to have Erika here since late June. It's been huge. We've been making tons of memories and having her help here has been beautimous. Dang it I am so grateful!! I really enjoy Erika's company, but I am excited as she works on her next steps.
Been thinking lately about how truly amazing moms are. So so so so so amazing. So selfless. So hardworking. Even the light working moms are hard working compared to any other profession. :) I can only now appreciate my mother... and probably only a fraction to what it's worth. Hug a mom today!!
I've been doing a lot of missing lately... Wish I could visit my family on a regular basis. Wish we could visit matt's family on a regular basis. And now with my parents selling their house and Erika heading back, I want to be where they are. I feel like we're jipped by not getting to make memories with them every year & they're jipped in the same way. I need to be patient and grateful... The Lord is my Shepherd. :)
This is a piece of patch... a little this, a little that... but a time to recognize the beauty of today.
I'm in love with you, Sheeky!!
Gee, I really like you. No... DANG IT I REALLY REALLY LIKE YOU!! I LOVE YOU!! Believe me!!
Matt & I have been reading a sweet book together called "Love & War" by John & Stasi Eldredge. IT's such a sweet book. If you are married, I would highly recommend you picking it up. It has really helped us remember how much love is worth fighting for.
All things get into funks. My face get into a funk when I repeatedly use the same soap. My body gets into a funk when I eat the same food. Our love gets in a funk when we get into the same routine. That's why I love a good book or conference or time together to look at our life and goals to figure out where we are going.
Celebrating our anniversary yesterday, we went down to the river, read our book, watched a horse be trained and prayed together. This so delighted me and I think it was my favorite anniversary celebration to date. We added to that some walking, talking, eating (at outback), exploring (some books at the bookstore) & some more walking. What a precious celebration.
I'm in love with Matt more every day. Despite my young in-love feeling, I worried that one day the high emotions would end and it would look very different. To my delight, it has not been too hard to love Matt. He is the favorite part of my day. And just being beside him makes a highlight!
Knowing him and being his friend has helped me to grow closer to God. We have demonstrated deep grace to each other... learned how to love each other despite our flaws or constant mistakes. And loving being together provides an example of how I can know my Father even more. (I love to spend time with you God!)
I think Matt is brilliant, a thoughtful husband, a creative employee, a funny storyteller... and an amazing dad. It's been a delight to grow deeper in love with you every day.
Happy 8th anniversary my love.
I LOVE us!
I am so excited to be celebrating 8 years of marriage with Matt this Tuesday. I can't believe how fast our years together has gone. I love our life, our marriage, our love... I love us.
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| Us. |
I love our secret smile that we share.
I love our "twinspeak."
I love being able to communicate with a simple glance.
I love our touch.
I love our humor.
I love waking up to you every day.
I love cheese bombs.
I love being next to you.
I love plotting ways to love you
I love talking through an issue or doing a creative project
I love learning with you
I love talking philosophy together
I love experiencing local flare
I love daydreaming with you, remembering snow & thunderstorms
I love exchanging audacity, and making each other laugh
I love how you always beat me in toothbrushing races
I love being willing to adventure and take risks
I love our sloppy morning routine and the noise level in our house
I love how we are always a work in progress
I love our family
I love how we are everything to our sweet daughters
I love how much we've grown... and how much we've yet to grow
GARSH, I LOVE YOU MATT.
I LOVE US.
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| The day we got engaged- Feb 14, 2002. |
Love Is
Adapted By Becky Pelishek from "Love's Not" by Mars Ill & 1 Corinthians 13
Love is time spent, love is personal. Love is sacrifice. Love is commitment. Love’s until death do us part. Love is respect for yourself. Love always hopes. Love is action. Love never fails. Love unites. Love builds up. Love seeks wisdom. Love is sacred. Love is touch. Love is powerful. Love is creative; it is authentic. Love is physical, spiritual, emotional. Love is measured by bi-product. Love is passion. Love never fails. Love’s just, love's fair. Love takes thoughts captive. Love is controlled & gentle. Love is sweet. Love is uncontainable. Love always trusts. Love listens. Love is not self-seeking. Love is ready and willing. Love is patient and kind, love is sight for the blind. Love is patient, love is kind. Love was born before the morning, love's transforming your mind. Love protects. Love is body and blood, bread and wine, remember the time. Love is God divine, crucified for mankind.
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Together, the best place to be! |
Zoe Prepares for Kindergarten
This is Zoe's thoughts on entering Kindergarten. She's a bit nervous, but excited. We got her teacher letter a few days ago. She'll be in the mornings AND has the same teacher as her closest friend. AWESOME!!
We're all excited to start our fall routine. I've been talking with Zoe about what she's going to do before and after school. Plus we've gotten some new clothes for her and she'll get a haircut soon.
I'm sure I'll get emotional when it gets closer. Who am I kidding? I'm already feeling that way. Can't believe she's in school!! YAY ZOE!!
Matt's Birthday Mix-tape
Happy birthday my love!! 30 years, wow!!
This is the mix-tape that I've been quiety calculating, collecting and attempting to edit for a few years now. First came the idea of of the custom song from Manchild of Mars Ill. He's one of our favorite artists. His words are potent poetry. take daily.
Then I thought, to go alongside the custom song should be birthday greetings to make a mixtape!! You might know or you might not, that with hip hop, mix-tapes are common... and I wanted him to have the feel that this was truly a work of art.
We've had so much fun counting down to his birthday and the culmination is tomorrow. He's had SO many fun things, I can't imagine topping this birthday.
Learning to make tea!
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| drying lavendar For a while now, I thought it would be awesome to learn how to make tea. Fortunately moving into our new place, we've had tons of edible plant life that I can turn into tea. I'm starting with lavendar & mint tea. And maybe I'll expand upon it once I've learned. MM. So in a few months if you get a present from me... and it's tea, don't be sad! Be happy, I worked hard on it. (And ooooh, my hands smell so good after picking that lavendar!!) |
Standing!
I just adore this photo of Sophia. For some reason, there are only a few conditions which she presently is willing to strand: 1) In the bathtub & 2) When we say UP, DOWN. She seems to think both are a lot of fun and deem some standing... so who are we to argue that?!
I am completely excited that she is now doing some standing. I try to walk that line between fear & being lax, being paranoid & knowing everything will be alright (like bob marley sings!). The doctor said that if she weren't walking at 15 months, to have her checked out again. Well at 15 months she wasn't walking, so we had her back in at the doc & also had her seen by Kern Start to see if the county had any tools to help Sophia's motor skills.
After both appointments, she is still checking out healthy, just behind. She has a physical therapy eval coming up soon, as well as an appointment to see a pediatric neurologist next month (just to cover all bases). She also qualifies for a class where they'll work on her motor skills. I was feeling pretty rotten as a mom about it, but realized looking inward was not helping! Plus, people pay tons of money for activities that stimulate their child's brain, heart and body, so I'm grateful she has that tool!!
Anyways, our sweet girl is making all kinds of progress. She's standing on her own without help this week, what will next week hold.
Progress in Professionalizing Motherhood
Some weeks are just miracles. I try hard to step outside of myself and my week to see the beauty in the mundane. This week has been SUCH a good, proactive, healing week... and I've been praising God for it. I've been on top of my work, got extra time soaking in the Living Water, took initiative & got in some exercise, lots of laughing with my fam, sophia making all kinds of progress, blessing matt with his countdown calendar, zoe already getting better with swim lessons, growing by heaps & getting organized as a mom... AND I finished reading another book.
I'm feeling good... like I could do anything. And yet, I think I've been realizing more than anything else this week how much work there is when it comes to making a home. I'm coming to realize to how when I became a parent, my life is forever changed... and I have to quite wishing and hoping for a different reality, but I need to embrace the reality that's right in front of me. I think Matt & I both are getting better at knowing our life right now is as a family (our time, energy, and resources all go towards this cause!). This quote really encouraged me this week in homemaking & helped me to see how important it is!! My heart is at home!
I'm feeling good... like I could do anything. And yet, I think I've been realizing more than anything else this week how much work there is when it comes to making a home. I'm coming to realize to how when I became a parent, my life is forever changed... and I have to quite wishing and hoping for a different reality, but I need to embrace the reality that's right in front of me. I think Matt & I both are getting better at knowing our life right now is as a family (our time, energy, and resources all go towards this cause!). This quote really encouraged me this week in homemaking & helped me to see how important it is!! My heart is at home!
Cultivate your skills, not only of housekeeping, but of making a home for your family. As you know already, they are not always exactly the same.
Housekeeping consists of the laundry, the dishes, the toilets, and floors that need to be scrubbed, but homemake is something else. The difference between housekeeping and homemakeing is the difference between a barren field and lovely, fragrant garden.I've been having a blast preparing for months, maybe even years for Matt's 30th birthday. I finally got to give him part of his gift last week, a countdown calendar that counts down to his 30th! For each day, he opens a window and it has a fun little surprise underneath. I'm posting each fun thing on facebook that he gets, so we're "friends" on there, check it out. For now, here's the front of the calendar:
Homemaking is the deliberate cultivation of beauty and productivity in family relationships. Homemaking is about helping your family feel loved and comforted. Homemaking is about celebrating each other, and about caring for each other, as well as for your friends and extended families and even the occasional stranger. Anyone can keep a house. Not everyone bothers to make a home.
I am hoping it will be truly fun for him & that he can enjoy it!!
Thankful
Just made myself a peppermint tea. So I should make it through this blog-- even on my mommy energy. Okay, maybe not, but I'll do my best, hehe.
Matt's sister, Erika ('Rika) has been staying with us. It's been about a month so far... and I've been so enjoying having her here!
She may be our part-time paid nanny, but she is a full-time auntie to the girls & friend to Matt & I. She is so fun to hang around. I love having lots of similar interests as her so I never run out of projects we intend to work on or things we have to talk about.
I continue to grow in my valuing the relationships of family- both those I've acquired by birth and by marriage. They are naturally invested in your life, and you're stuck with them for the long run, so might as well embrace the beautiful relationships family members bring.
Anyways, it's great to have family in town! We have her for sure until the end of the summer and then maybe longer, maybe not.
Blessings!
Fear
I realized last week that fear has totally seeped into my life!! This ephipany made me want to shake myself out of my comfort zone bad-- and mess myself up with taking more risks!! Too much fear, not enough faith. I had the opportunity to act on my decision right away. Matt challenged me to ride our new scooter. I resisted at first, but then sped off into the sunset and felt free and alive and good. I also threw in a run through sprinklers. I throw water in my comfort zone's FACE! ♥
I find the responsibility as parents to be HUGE. I never want to be caught in an unhealthy spot because I don't want our kids to follow that lead. They are always watching, always observing who we are and what we do. What a compliment and how freaking scary at the same time!!
Watching Zoe at her swim lessons the last few weeks made me realize even more how fear had become a factor in my heart. First off, i don't think I am equipped to know how to teach our daughter how to swim properly and it was so a reminder that it's such a blessing to have other honorable people teach our children from their expertise. But I think I have held her back in the water because I have not wanted her to get hurt in any way.
They are messing up this whole idea of fear and just getting her all over in the water. They are teaching her skills to dive down & paddle in the deep water. Sometimes, I still want to jump in and tell her to only stay where she can touch or to just doggie paddle, but then I realize that idea is insane and the reality is that she is getting better with each lesson. She is learning tools that will give her the ability to withstand deep water.
And doesn't God do that for us? Doesn't His Word give us that strength? You never read promises that we have it easy, but that He'll never leave us... that He's given us the things we need. And that's what I choose!
I find the responsibility as parents to be HUGE. I never want to be caught in an unhealthy spot because I don't want our kids to follow that lead. They are always watching, always observing who we are and what we do. What a compliment and how freaking scary at the same time!!
Watching Zoe at her swim lessons the last few weeks made me realize even more how fear had become a factor in my heart. First off, i don't think I am equipped to know how to teach our daughter how to swim properly and it was so a reminder that it's such a blessing to have other honorable people teach our children from their expertise. But I think I have held her back in the water because I have not wanted her to get hurt in any way.
They are messing up this whole idea of fear and just getting her all over in the water. They are teaching her skills to dive down & paddle in the deep water. Sometimes, I still want to jump in and tell her to only stay where she can touch or to just doggie paddle, but then I realize that idea is insane and the reality is that she is getting better with each lesson. She is learning tools that will give her the ability to withstand deep water.
And doesn't God do that for us? Doesn't His Word give us that strength? You never read promises that we have it easy, but that He'll never leave us... that He's given us the things we need. And that's what I choose!
Homemade playdough... FINALLY!!
Did it REALLY take me this long to make homemade playdough? Yes, it really did.
Zoe's been playing playdough since she was a toddler, but I never made my own. But oh well! I'm making it now :) The first batch-yellow!!
Zoe's been playing playdough since she was a toddler, but I never made my own. But oh well! I'm making it now :) The first batch-yellow!!
What new things are you trying today?
Our sweet Sophia has become such a CLIMBER! She may not be walking yet, but she's finding a way around to explore everything. It's hard to keep her off all these interesting spaces. She loves the fridge, dishwasher & stairs. :)
I love seeing our girls mind run. Sophia has lots of good ideas. She loves to manipulate things to see how they work. Pictured below she thought she'd give her coffee can shakers a ride! :)
Carrot Party... and other reasons to party
Lately, we've been making everything a party... from "Curb Parties" when you accidently hit the curb to "Carrot Party" where you eat carrots. Life's good when everything's a party. :)
My favorite moment...
We recently took a camping trip to Pismo Beach with my sister and nephew. We really had a fun adventure. The first night we were there, things weren't looking good at our camp ground. After getting completely smoked out from our neighbors at the camp site, we decided to head to the city to explore and see how things would look for the holiday weekend.
It ended up being the nicest evening while we were there. There was hardly anyone in Pismo that night, so we just had fun exploring and enjoying the nice night. One of the best parts of their public beach is the swings. We swang and swang and swang as the sun was setting, weather perfect.
TWAS a nice night!
It ended up being the nicest evening while we were there. There was hardly anyone in Pismo that night, so we just had fun exploring and enjoying the nice night. One of the best parts of their public beach is the swings. We swang and swang and swang as the sun was setting, weather perfect.
TWAS a nice night!
She Loves Bugs!
She loves catching bugs, looking at bugs, holding bugs... just love 'em!
We had heard about an awesome place near Bakersfield called The Insect Lore. One day when Matt was home early for work, we headed up there. We had so much fun! There were interesting bugs to look at and we got to learn about their various stages of life. We were even able to bring home 2 for the price of 1 lady bugs! Zoe had so much for with them until we released the remaining into our yard. Good times.
We had heard about an awesome place near Bakersfield called The Insect Lore. One day when Matt was home early for work, we headed up there. We had so much fun! There were interesting bugs to look at and we got to learn about their various stages of life. We were even able to bring home 2 for the price of 1 lady bugs! Zoe had so much for with them until we released the remaining into our yard. Good times.
Given the opportunity, she'll catch most any bug to hold or enjoy. Usually they don't make very good pets, though! Here she is pictured with a butterfly she caught while in ND. (I actually snuck when she was asleep & let it out, I felt bad for it!)
Grandparents- a blessing
Just wanted to say it's been sweet seeing my girls & their girls grand parents. I'm glad they get to experience them!!
It is wonderful to see each of them love each other.
It is wonderful to see each of them love each other.
Happy summer 2010!
This Used to be my Playground
One morning, Zoe & I took a trip to my old elementary school. She is starting Kindergarten in the fall, so I wanted to show her where I went to Kindergarten.
She didn't want to play by herself so for the first time in a long time I climbed in tunnels, went down slides, walked across death-defying bridges, it was good. We picnicked at the top of the playset.
When I saw certain pieces of playground equippment, I literally had flashbacks to my elementary school days. One of the things I vividly remembered was that bar in the picture above. I remember us girls would put one knee over and the other leg straight and twirl around and around. I remember envying the girls would could do it so well. SO random!!
It was such a sweet time to take Zoe to my old playground & I think she liked it too.
Water Jousting
Coming up in the 2012 Summer Olympics, Water Jousting. I bet you didn't know this fabulous sport existed.
First, you mount a water noodle.
First, you mount a water noodle.
Then, you swim towards your enemy.
Sound hard? It is. Watch for it in 2012.
She's not ready for water jousting.......................
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