With Faith & a Promise

Who am I?

2011-08-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

"Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?"

2 Samuel 7: 18

I feel so blessed. I often find myself speaking those same words uttered from the mouth of King David so many years ago. I stand in amazement of all the joy and miracles God has allowed me to experience in this life. Three of which are my children. All three have been gifts, miracles, but even more than that I can see His hand move with precision like a great chess play as He placed each one in our family. I am so excited that each of my children can proudly proclaim "I am a miracle!" and each will have a great story of truth to share.

I started the blog at the beginning of the first miracle. The night the Holy Spirit intervened in my life in a way I had yet to experience. Over four years ago as I sat at the computer, on the verge of 10 years of marriage, desperately wanting children but trying to accept the fact that I had none, I searched online for a spectacular vacation Joey and I could take to celebrate our marriage milestone. Within minutes, I discovered God not only had different plans for my evening but for my life.

Having never researched or considered an international adoption.......I found my fingers typing it in, and then specifically Russia. Now Joey and I had considered maybe someday adopting after we had children of our own. "Someday" and from the good old US of A. But RUSSIA? And NOW? NEVER. In fact I had always been kind of scared of Russia if I am going to honest and never had a desire to travel there. (I think it might have to do with some of the wars and armies and threats I had learned about in school.)

This story would not be complete without me also mentioning that Joey and I were actually pursuing the VERY beginning of fertility treatments & testing at the time. Because of my trouble switching blood thinners (I will take for life) that I need to prevent clotting (a disorder I have had since the age of 14) we decided to take a little break. This is the time God chose to bring the dream.

Back to the story (the short version actually) ... so I typed in "Russian adoption" and all of a sudden began sobbing as my body began to shake and shiver. I felt the Holy Spirit fall upon me and all through me in the most powerful way and immediately I felt "pregnant." I knew I wasn't physically but I experienced every emotion and thought my physically pregnant friends had ever described. And I knew "beyond a shadow of a doubt" that this WAS HAPPENING. I knew that all was already being orchestrated before I even made a move. All I knew was at this time and this way......my heart said yes. God's ways are perfect by the way. When I could compose myself, I called Joey upstairs to talk, and without a second of hesitation he was on board!

Long story made extremely short........9 months exactly to that evening.......our adoption was final. Amazing. As time moved on I just had a hunch it would land on that day....God is so good and clever like that. What took place during that nine months you can read about WAY back in this blog....lots of paperwork, money we didn't have, time, frustration, roller coaster of emotions, the kindness of friends and family, LOTS of travel and long lengths of stays in Russia. The conclusion.....we came home to America as a relieved family of four on 7/7/07 a day I will never forget.

I love reminding Jones and Mollie of their story. Of how much God loves them. Of how He watched over them and how his plan was for them to be in THIS very specific family. Of how without Him, we would have never found them. We would have never even known of their existence. And now that they are here in our arms.......how could we have ever lived without them?

This leads us to the present time. Although I continued to pray and cry out to God asking him to expand our family and to experience pregnancy and childbirth I began to wonder. After three more years of "trying" but "not trying" and feeling as though maybe God saw our family complete and maybe having a biological child wasn't a part of His plan.....we became pregnant for the first time in thirteen years. We were almost in disbelief, so amazed but couldn't believe it was happening. But just surprising as that little life came, it was gone. My heart did not know how to feel. What? Was? That? About? In the end I chose to accept that sweet little life as two things....number one: hope, it is possible that our two bodies can create life, number two: I asked for a child, I now have a child, safe in heaven being raised by the best Father of all. And with that..........came PEACE.

One more year passed and now two 33rd birthdays and a 13th year anniversary and then just before Christmas (the same time as the year before....) PREGNANT! Again! I can't say that there wasn't fear in the beginning especially having experienced the previous year and loss of our sweet child we decided to name "Zayin Raye." At the same time however there was excitement, confidence, and peace! There have been MANY odds to fight in this pregnancy (you can read the previous blog posts) but through it all, faith and healing have prevailed! And now two 34th birthdays, a 14th year anniversary, 9 healthy pregnant months, with a 5 1/2-year-old and "almost" 9-year-old in tow, we are just days from bringing our third little miracle with a story into our family! Nola Grace will also have a foundation of faith and a story of truth not only of how her siblings came to be in this family but how she herself was placed here as an answer to her Mommy's prayers in God's perfect timing.

We are so blessed which is why I will forever say "Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and who is my family that you have brought me this far?"

Sorry I skipped the fun!

2011-05-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I realize I totally skipped all the fun stuff on this blog! I found out on April 4th we are having a little girl!!! A dream come true! We were down to the names Emme & Ruby and then on a quick trip to the beach Joey and I decided on Nola Grace! She will share a middle name with my niece Livi. :)

Today I had another ultrasound and Nola is looking good healthy and is weighing in at the 50th percentile at 1lb 11 ounces. :) Unfortunately we couldn't see her face. She is a bashful girl. Last time she covered her little profile up with her arm and today it was her arm and then completely turning around. She had no problem showing us her beautiful spine & cute little bootie though!

May 31st is my next and I just hope I see her little nose. :) Here's to hopin' and prayin'

Nope.

2011-03-07T16:42:00.001-08:00

Had another ultrasound today. It was another really long one. Things went well. However.....baby did not cooperate to let us peek to see boy or girl. Oh well, we'll just have to wait. And thankfully only 4 weeks.

The great news is though that the clot is gone and all looks well! :) Got to see all the parts again and even count tiny fingers!

An appt with my regular OB is later on this week. I don't expect any different news. Just gonna hold on for new news in 4 weeks! :) Pray for the lil' one not too be too shy.

A Baby a Real Live Baby!

2011-02-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

I had a couple different doctor appointments this week. The first appointment was Monday with the high risk specialist. I was there for an ultrasound and blood test to test for different birth defects and risks. It was a LONG appointment! I took my Mom with me which was kind of fun!
So I saw our little "poptart!" A REAL LIVE moving, kicking, waving baby! That was very exciting to see more than a dot on the screen! Everything looked good- spine, head, abdomen, 2 arms, 2 legs, etc. Measurements came in at right where we should be 11weeks 4 days!

Dr. S was doing her best to get a perfect profile shot for the testing. This proved to be tougher than it seemed. She kept pressing on my body trying to "bounce" the baby. Ouch! She kept saying "C'mon lovey, bounce!" She is a very good doctor, that part was just a little uncomfortable.

Before I left she did inform me that I have a small organized bleed or clot on the left side of my uterus. This does cause more risk for miscarriage but in her words the plan is for it to "resorb" back into my tissue so we should be fine but it is definitely something to be praying about. In the meantime, I am on light duty (rest) and pelvic rest until March 7th at least.

A couple days later on Wednesday I finally met up with Dr. M, my ACTUAL OB doctor! It was so good to see her as I feel like I have already been through so much in the pregnancy without seeing her! She gave me a hug and took lots of extra time with me going over our risks, plans, tests, etc. Exam went well and all looks great!

So to wrap up.......we are doing good and just a few days from scootin' along to trimester 2! We will be praying for this clot to go away and would ask you to pray along with us! :) Next exciting day is March 7th, my next ultra sound where we will hopefully see NO clot but are hoping to see the sex of this baby!

Another Little "Odd"

2011-01-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

I keep saying that God has promised us this beautiful child growing inside and "against all odds" this little him or her will be born! :)

Dr. called this morning and said all my tests came back normal except I am anemic. This was not a surprise to me as I have struggled in the past with iron deficient anemia. So... on to twice daily constipating iron supplements.....yeah! Anyway, no matter how unpleasant, hopefully this change will add to the health of my baby. I was reading about anemia in pregnancy and the risk in first trimester is basically low birth weight and pre-term labor which is pretty much the risk with almost every other issue I face so...nothing new. Plus we are gonna "nip this problem in the bud" NOW!

Good news is my first appointment was moved up to February 2nd (my Sis-in-law's bday by the way.:) I am really looking forward to "hearing" the heartbeat and talking over all these risks are with my Dr. as well as my unique delivery plan (because of the blood thinners.) I will also have an ultrasound to test for risk of Down Syndrome on January 31st. I am really excited to see my little "poptart!"

So lets add up the "odds":

*34-year-old Mom (as of this coming Saturday! Okay so I haven't hit that 35 mark but still they are giving me extra testing because of my age.)

*Overweight + some

*Clotting disorder (therefore blood thinners)

*Heart shaped Uterus (Septated)

*Previous YEARS of infertility

*Anemia

Wow! BUt isn't it great to say that we serve a God that is bigger and stronger than all these things!!!!!!!!!!

Miscommunication

2011-01-14T09:44:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. Not much too talk about. As far as I know our little baby is healthy and things are going well. My morning sickness has increased as is expected. I am 9 weeks pregnant as of yesterday! Baby is the size of a green olive now. :)

My food cravings and aversions have been ever changing. First it was bread and all I could get of it, then it moved on to potatoes. Cereal has been a staple as well as fruit, yogurt, and sour candy. However the rest of my diet varies day to day. I will crave something one day and the next cannot even look at it. I know this is challenging on my family but it is on me as well. Most days, NOTHING sounds good yet if I don't eat something small every few hours........well, then, things can get "pukelicious."

There was no stopping that on Wednesday, Joey and I caught the 24hour flu bug!!! Oh my! It was awful! Not a moment of relief and throwing up all day! Praise the Lord it was gone as soon as it came! We are now feeling much better but of course our muscles are recovering! Ouch!

So.........this leads me to the miscommunication........I have been praying for an UNeventful pregnancy, not eventful! UUgh! Hopefully from here on out it will be UNeventful. I am just teasing anyway, I know God listens to our hearts and there is no miscommunication in prayer. It can be hard to understand sometimes when we pray for one thing and end up with another. We must always trust that God's hand is upon us and he will carry us through whatever we face and whatever was meant to harm us, he will turn to good.

Today is my "Nurse Education" appointment so I am looking forward to that. My first OB appointment is February 4th. I am looking forward to that as well. It is weird to be just having my first appointments after all the drama, Dr. calls, and ultrasounds we've already experienced this pregnancy. Ready to get this ball rolling! :)

:)

2010-12-27T13:52:00.000-08:00

After the ER on Friday and Sunday, I saw the hematologist Monday (he was great and switched my medication to "baby safe" blood thinners, Tuesday had another ultrasound (saw a gestational sac! good improvement but still no baby), Wednesday met with a Surgeon (my gallbladder pain is gone. Gotta follow a lowfat diet and going to try to wait until after the pregnancy to operate.) All good news!

Then Christmas and all it's joy, craziness, and wonder! Thank you Lord for the birth of your son! Thank you for our Savior! And thank you for this precious gift you have placed inside of me!

Which brings us to today......12/27/10........another ultrasound. Well, today's ultrasound showed an embryo! My lil' baby WITH a heartbeat! The heartbeat is so important to me as we did not see that last year when I miscarried. Praise the Lord! A healthy baby on the way! I am 6 wk 4days and am due on 8/18! :) Baby's heart rate is 114. :)

I will continue to update as I have info but so far things are looking good! Keep on praying if you think of us! We are just praising God for his faithfulness and favor. :)

2010-12-27T13:51:00.000-08:00

Then my email from Sunday.............

Thank you so much for praying and supporting me through...well, EVERYTHING! So I went back to the ER today and waited FOREVER (5 hours!) but finally got some result!

So, bad news first. My lil' troublesome gallstone is still blocking the gallbladder "neck" and I am still in a decent amount of pain. Since it is not moving, I am most likely going to have to have it out. Good news is the surgery isn't bad just slightly risky with my blood thinners and of course pregnancy. I will be calling a surgeon in the morning (they have already contacted him) and we will figure this all out with my OB & my new hemotologist whom I will meet tomorrow. Praying that tomorrow I will also switch to "baby safe" blood thinners.

The GREAT news is........my HCG (baby hormone) has almost doubled so we are on track for a healthy pregnancy. I am assuming I will have a new ultrasound in the next week or so to find out how far along I am!!!

Thank you again for all your prayers! If my family crosses your mind, please continue to pray for the health of this sweet baby we've longed for and of course my upcoming surgery.

Love,
Erin

Gallbladder?

2010-12-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

This is a copy of my email to family and friends the Saturday before Christmas...........

Please join me in prayer. I don't normally do this and didn't want to facebook details but I would just like to ask you to join me in prayer. I am praying for and believing for a miracle. Would you pray with me over the next couple days???

First of all......I found out this week that....I'm pregnant! :) This is something we have desired for a VERY long time. Had my first pregnancy last year that ended in miscarriage. I am so thankful for this pregnancy. And now for the drama.....

The night before last when I got home from dinner with friends, I started having really bad pain in my upper right quad of my abdomen. I felt really full (which I haven't felt in a long time), very tight, and pain. It just got worse and worse. It went on through the night and I was writhing in pain and shouting and kept both Joey and I up the entire night. There was NO relief. And I was vomitting constantly. I did not want to go in for a few reasons....
1. the kids were sleeping, didn't want to wake them, call someone to watch them, etc...
2. I've heard gas pain can be excruciating and was hoping that was it and it would pass.
3. I am in between insurance although my "first steps" from State is approved I just need to get proof of preganancy in but it is retroactive.

Anyway at 8am we finally called my mom and she came down and watched the kids and advised us to go in, called my doctor and she too said to get right in. We went to the ER and they did lots of tests and ultrasounds. They gave me pain medications and I immediately felt better and the severe pain has not returned.

They think it was a gallbladder attack because I have a few small/average size stones and one is in the neck of the gallbladder blocking which would cause it to not work properly. They can be moved around so he tried but couldn't. It must have moved now though cause I am not in that kind of pain anymore.

Anyway while I was there they tested my pregnancy level (5500) and did an ultrasound. They couldn't see the baby, a sac, or anything so they are not ruling out an ectopic pregnancy.

Before I left, a partner of my doctor called and said normally in this case because the numbers are so high and there is no baby they would consider this an ectopic and prescribe a pill to get rid of it because ectopic can be life threatening. But...........because she knows this is a highly desired pregnancy she said she will wait and wants me to come back into the ER tomorrow (Sunday) to test levels and ultrasound again. Numbers should double and baby should be seen. If not, she wants me to take the pill.

I of course am really not comfortable taking it because I believe in the God of miracles. I want them to FIND the ectopic before I take the pill. I really don't feel like it is ectopic since they did an ultrasound of my upper abdomen, my uterous, and my ovaries. She thinks one of the cysts on my ovaries could be it, but I had her pull up my records from 2007 which showed I already had those cysts.

She said in RARE cases she has seen either a very small baby embedded very closely with high numbers or twins that are showing a higher number but that are still too tiny to see.

So.........I am asking for prayer specifically for today and tomorrow that my numbers would double and the baby/babies would be seen!

As for the gall bladder, I do not have to have it out right now especially since I am pregnant and take coumadin but will probably in the future. I need to be careful what I eat to avoid attacks. Who knew? I didn't even know I had a gall bladder issue except some stones that have never bothered me.

Oh, and just praying that the insurance things goes well even if I lost the baby (it is a pregnancy based insurance) and that my meeting with the hemotoligist getting my medicine transferred to something safe for the baby.

Pregnant!

2010-12-27T13:42:00.001-08:00

On the night of December 12th, I took a routine pregnancy test. I say routine because I currently take blood thinners which are not safe for a baby so I need to check quite often to make sure I am not pregnant. We have also been struggling with infertility for quite a few years. To read back on that, you can look all the way back to post #1 on this blog.

Back to Dec. 12th, the night before my daughter's birthday I found out......I'm pregnant! I was shocked! I immediately showed Joey and we both felt happy, blessed, scared, and stressed. The next day I began telling family and asking for prayer. I called my doctor in attempt to switch my medications. Last year at this exact same time, I found out I was pregnant (my first), sadly as quickly as it came, it was gone and that pregnancy ended in miscarriage. This was reason #2 for fear.

Well, the week was going fine and then Thursday night.........panic!

Finally.........Inspiration!

2010-12-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

Here I am FINALLY writing. I decided that I will use this blog to update on our long awaited miracle of a pregnancy! Lots of stuff happened over the last couple weeks so here we go........

I want to write!

2010-10-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

I want to write! I don’t know where to start. I don’t know what to write about. Lord, bring your organization and inspiration. I love writing. It is a new found gift and blessing to me. However, I hardly do unless I am “on assignment.” Why??? Because I feel so discombobulated! I am the kind of woman that is constantly thinking, taking in, forming my beliefs, looking into a deeper meaning for practically ALL things. My head is constantly full of thoughts. I often ask the Lord to please calm my mind and bring it to an idle point so I can focus on Him. I am not the ADD or ADHD type but sometimes my mind makes me feel like that, jumping from one subject to the next.

I write three blogs. THREE. Were you aware of that? Actually I should say, I “created” three blogs because currently I am not writing in any of them. I was really good at one, this one, my family one, until too much time passed. I am such an orderly person, or I strive to be, that I just could not get myself to write here until I was all caught up & in order. However I now realized I am a year behind and that no matter how hard I try (unless that means devoting my 24 hours per day for the next month which I am unwilling to do) I CANNOT catch up.

Therefore today…October 23, 2010 I give myself the grace to start here and now, not pretending that the past year did not happen but moving on because last year was just too fabulous to stop and take the time to write about. I was too busy living! Right? Right? I am going to need you to agree with me here. So herein begins my “clean slate.”

Are you excited? Hopefully you’re thrilled….I’m sure. I could use the motivation. Now what to write…hmmm….what God is doing in my life? Hmmm…well…I have a blog for that called “My Truth.” My current weight loss and goals…Hmmmmm….well I have a blog for that too “By Golly Girl.” How about some straight up current family stats and facts! Yeah! That’s it……..be on the lookout for my next post! “Facts & Stats” coming soon to www.withfaithandapromise.blogspot.com. And if the other topics interested you, then you can check them out soon too…….addresses to come as soon as I post. I commit to updating all three! Okay, got a plan. Now the follow through……………………

June '09 - NOV '09

2009-11-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

JUNE

Mr. Vern Waller had a birthday. Bran & Tiff's bridal shower.

THE WEDDING: Brandon & Tiffany June 27th, 2009

JULY

Of course we started by celebrating the 4th!

Then we traveled to Cannon Beach for our very first family of four vacation alone. It was only one night long but we experienced all we could. We played at the beach, played a game of Sequence while waiting for our pizza, picked out seashells and rocks, visited the candy store, had a picnic watching the sunset, snuggled in for the night, picked up some coffee, read my Bible in the courtyard, watched an artist blowing glass and picked up some fabric to create a memory! Whew! A wonderful whirlwind!

We had our own boat day on Lacamas Lake. Thanks Mom & Dad for loaning us the boat!

We had a swimming day with friends! SO MUCH FUN! THank you Erica!!!!

AUGUST

The other Lovelaces came for a visit. :)

We went to the fair of course!!! Thank you Mom and Dad!

Jones celebrated his 7th birthday with his favorite bugs, oops I mean buds! :)

Bran & Tiff brought back Moll a souvinier from their honeymoon travels. Isn't it cute?

Can we say "Project Runway" anyone?

We went camping to Lower Falls .....so beautiful....so fun.....

SEPTEMBER started by canning blackberry jam & YUMMY applesauce with Becky & Steph!

Joey made an AMAZING fort for the kiddos (...and me!) We spent HOURS in there!

Mollie "thought" she found a great hiding place. Hee!Hee!

The kiddos had a cousin movie night! Jones sold tickets and popcorn. :) We watched Tinkerbell. It was magical.

Jones made dinner all by himself! It was a delicious curry broccoli casserole! :)

Jones started 1st grade at River Home Link. He attends 2 days a week and the other days are spent schooling at home. Mollie began her pre-preschool homeschooling by baking chocolate chip cookies.

My beautiful Momma celebrated her birthday and guess what she wanted to do? BOWLING! We had a fun night but unfortunately MOM hurt her wrist (it looked scary!) on one of her first turns and couldn't bowl!!! Sorry Mom! I think she had a good time anyway.

And last but not least, Mollie started gymnastics and it turns out she's really really good! AND... the best part is that she LOVES it! In the few short weeks she has been enrolled at VEGA she has learned so much! All her positions- "Pike," "Straddle," and "Tuck" and she has been on the balance beam, trampoline, rings, etc... She is loving it!

And finally: OCTOBER

My Uncle Tom, Aunt Lisa, and cousins Jeremy and Jenn came into town on my Sis's birthday. Happy Birthday Britt! I was so excited for this weekend and had requested time off work and ended up missing everything because I was sick in bed for several days. Totally a bummer.

We enjoyed a FUN "Homeschool Harvest Party" at the Hosszu home. It was Great!

We went to Sauvie Island Pumpkin Patch with Grandpa & Grandma Waller and then decorated our pumpkins the next day. :)

And of course for "Wallerween" we took the family tour!

An Eventful May!

2009-07-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome opportunity (thanks to Dee Dee Anderson) to write the script and co-direct for Katelynne Cox and her first music video. It was an incredible experience. There are much better photos but these are just from my personal camera. This was my first PAID writing/directing job!!! I cannot wait to see the final product which is in the editing process right now. Until then, check out Katelynne on i-tunes or her website at KatelynneCox.com.

Jeremy's Birthday Party!

Memorial Day Camping 2009- Beverly Beach

Hubby made a VERY sweet late night snack for two. :)

Daddy & Daughter Hike

Fave Shots of April

2009-07-12T15:33:00.001-07:00

April Fool's Day! Anggi & I made Wafer Cookie, Peanut Butter "Chicken Nuggets", Jelly "Ketchup", and Airhead "Peas." The trick was a yummy success!

Great Grandma McFalls Road trip to visit Crazy Auntie Jenn & Uncle Jeremy L. (We missed Uncle Tom & Aunt Lisa!) Britt and I each drove a car with two kids each (we changed it up often) up North to Lynden, WA.

Mollie must have been bored at naptime. I found her "Cozy Bear" mutilated!

Easter Prep

Puzzle time! Puzzles are a gift to MOM!

Do not leave your salad spinner unattended!

3 Stops Easter

The kids and I took a hike in a new place. :)

Steph, Ang, and I took the monkeys to the zoo. :)

Here we go.......March!

2009-06-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

Well unfortunately March started out in "Time Out!" Uugh. :(

I found a beautiful princess in my house!

A certain little handsome nephew of mine turned 2!

Silly Little Doll Livi! Remind you of anything?

Trying my best to get a pic with the birthday boy. :)

Mollie & cousin Olivia started taking Hip Hop/Tap classes at Groove Nation.

We started taking care of our adorable friend Lillie on a regular basis. :)Jones & Mommy went on a "date" to see our friend Brynna perform in CYT's "The Music Man."

Cousins :)

We had our Women's Retreat- Dressed for Battle!

We ended March with a little visit to Mulnomah Falls. It was the kids first time there.

Overall? A great month!

February was a big month!

2009-05-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, February started off with a hike. It seems we took quite a bit of hikes & walks in February as I am looking through all of our pictures from that month. Hmm... we seem to always take hikes when it is extremely cold or extremely hot. I do remember this picture specifically though. It was a pleasant morning and Jones requested to ride on the "bumpy road" which is actually the old Evergreen Hwy. We decided to stop and hike on a trail near the fish hatchery. It was fun exploring a new place. :)
Jones' school Valentines: the school sent a memo stating not to send candy but hmmm.....Jones came home with tons!!! We sent these pencils "Valentine, you've got the WRITE stuff!" We took the idea from my fave- Family Fun Magazine.

Making cupcakes with cousins.

...and enjoying some too!

We did our annual Valentine Family Tour. We get dressed up ( a 2nd use for Christmas outfits!!!) and deliver Valentine treats to all our family that lives in town. :)

And we of course ended the evening with our annual family candlelit Valentine dinner. It was a wonderful day full of lots of love (a little exhausting too. )

Oh I can't forget to mention that Joey was chosen from MANY to be honored for his excellent service at Volkswagen with a paid trip to Vegas. So proud of him! Who did he take? MY BROTHER! Now that's messed up. No, really it was a decision we made together....kinda. :(

February 22, 2009 WHAT A DAY!
This was a wonderful day! Not only was it the "Golden" birthday of our newest Lovelace but it was also the day of Brandon & Tiffany's engagement. Boy did Brandon surprise her and sweep her off her feet. It is such a long story but here is the short version.

Brandon made an amazingly detailed photo book of their lives starting with their birth and how they came to meet and so on. It is the neatest, most romantic book ever. He titled it "22" and hid it in a bookstore where they were meeting. Since they live an hour commute a part, they commonly meet half way at Bridgeport Plaza. Little did she know as they were perusing the books at the bookstore, all family members from both sides were trying to hide in the tiny children's clothing store near the center of the plaza. Brandon talked her into going outside and reading the book in the freezing cold in the gazebo. She wasn't too happy about that but her unhappiness didn't last too long! As soon as Brandon gave us the hidden single we (all the family) arranged ourselves behind the lovebirds on the bench. Britt and I and Tiff's two sisters held color coded umbrellas that Brandon picked out with the signs (we painted the night before) that ready WILL- YOU- MARRY-ME? When they arrived on the last page it talked about "a gift of gold" for her "golden" birthday. At this point, he got on one knee and as she turned she saw the signs and awwwhhhhhhhh it was a gushing love fest! We were so thankful Brandon decided to include all of us and allow us to witness the moment. They will be exchanging vows June 24th!

Painting the signs the night before the big day. My cousin Jenn was able to be there for all the awesome festivities!
The moment.
The reaction.

Tiff & her sisters looking at "the book." Tiff's parents in the background.

That night the party continued! Tiff told Brandon all she wanted for her "Golden" birthday was a bowling party! Little did she know yet another surprise awaited her!!! Brandon wanted to make all her dreams come true! He's so good at that!
This is the cake we "tried" to make for her. :)
Mr. & Mrs. Hot Stuff themselves.
Brittany and the giant Big Al's hot dog I couldn't resist taking a picture of!
Lettuce wraps with my honey! Yum!
The four originals. Haven't had a pic together in awhile. Britt, Bran, Me, & Jam.

February wasn't only a month of "family improvements" but also home improvements! We painted some fun little areas of creativity. This canvas we painted and later added Wall Words "I'm not messy, I'm creative" went in our new playroom (will post finished pics later.) We also painted a block of color in our stairwell and added another quote regarding family and added a cool iron tree. We also added chalkboard paint and more of our playroom blue paint. You can clearly see Mollie is quite the artist (thanks to Daddy & his photoshop creations!)

Well February ended with a "bang" or a "pop." I am not sure which is more appropriate. We decided to do a little science at home making our own volcano! It was a lot of fun but when it went off you can clearly see "one of us" didn't enjoy it!

Various Scenes from January

2009-05-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

My Mom treated her girls: Britt, Tiff, and I to "The Color Purple"

Typical Saturday

"Guy Time" Joey & Jones on a hike in the cold.

My Lil' Bro Jameson's Birthday January 11th

Mollie gets a guitar!!! (Her dream!)

Brandon takes the sibs to dinner to fill us in on his plan to ask Tiff to marry him!

Joey's family delivers a very special birthday cake similar to one he had as a child.

Triple Birthday Celebration: Daddy & Hubby January 18th & Me January 22nd

Jones had his teeth fixed. This was extremely traumatic for...MOMMY! I was in tears in the waiting room because I did not know exactly what was happening and what to expect. The work was done well. The anesthesia was the scary part. Jones was writhing around when they put him down which scared me to death and then when he came out he was hysterical and I carried him out without his socks or shoes. I was not happy with our experience but his teeth look great and after 6 silver crowns & four white (because of damage to his teeth from his life in Russia, he was recovered in just an hour or so. It's done! Yeah!
BEFORE:

AFTER:

Our birthday dinner with friends.

My kiddos playing "store" before we changed the toy room.

I visited Jones class during his "Star" week and taught them how to create & direct a play. I had fun with his class! I think they enjoyed the visit too.

New Years Eve & Morning

2009-05-02T22:36:00.001-07:00

So New Years Eve was fun! We had no plans and had spent time with the Hosszus during the day who had no plans of their own so we decided to make an evening of it!!! We made up our own "family against family" charades, Wii bowling, and Wii Music. At 9pm we celebrated with the East Coast ringing in the New Year (the kiddos never knew the difference!) We had a toast, and party poppers, screaming, and hugging! It was a blast! Here are a few of my fave pics of the night...

New Years morning we had a family candlelit breakfast...

For BLOGS sake!!!

2009-05-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

AAHH!!! I am never going to catch up so I am just going to blog whatever!!! I miss blogging and we are almost five months into the year and I cannot catch up for the life of me! Here we go!

UPdate

2009-04-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

I promise I will update soon.......but it's gonna be......lllllllooooooonnnnnngggg. :)

Time with Auntie Kellie

2009-02-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

Kellie wasn't able to make it in town for Christmas because of the weather so she & her boyfriend Marcus came down on December 30th. We had a nice evening together.

Marcus & Kel helped Jones put together his Playmobile pirate ship.

"Wii" had a bowling championship. Here is the master at work.

She kicked all of our booties!

Bro & Sis

I almost forgot about Mysterious Ways

2009-02-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, what an amazing experience. I already blogged the story below about how this all came about so I won't bore you with a repeat story. Writing and directing this show was the greatest privilege and pleasure I could have ever asked for. I am so incredibly grateful that God allowed me to serve him in this way. It took so much time and hard work but as those things were sacrificed, I gained creative energy and passion like never before and it was sooooooooooo great to be involved in the arts again!

Our cast & crew involving almost 100 people were all equally fabulous! Everyone did their job and went beyond giving 110%. We had four shows each with it's own set of hiccups but EVERYONE handled each with professionalism & ease! All I can say is way to go!!! The best part was seeing everyone coming together and working so well together. It was great to really get to KNOW people that I didn't before. And the best part was that the Lord met us there and pulled it all together and hearts were moved. I am so thankful for those that came up to me with feedback and stories of how it touched them. I am so thankful that the Lord cast a message that touched hearts! All I can say to Grace, everyone involved, and my sweet Lord Jesus is THANK YOU. Thank you for trusting me with such a task. I look forward to more in the future! OH, and thank you to all who attended despite the weather!

Note:
These shots are just from my own camera. David M. took much better pictures that I hope to get a hold of soon.

Annie, Drew, & Talon backstage! Drew played Eli Ashby and Talon played Baby William Reed

Brynna performed in our wonderful children's chorus. Look at this gorgeous pic of her and her Daddy!

Abbey & Tony (AKA: Brad & Liz Reed)

Sierra & Chelsea (AKA: Sophie & Amanda Whitman)

Our AWESOME stage team headed up by Shelley Myers!!!

Backstage...waiting to go on stage....

Our incredible sound tech Alan & outstanding lighting techs- brothers Josh & Tim!

Alan & I in the booth during set change.

Our final curtain call rockin' number!

The amazing acting cast! I miss you guys!

Christmas: The Aftermath

2009-02-01T22:59:00.001-08:00

If you could have seen it....woah....big time clean-up was needed...after the snow...Christmas...on the go...presents...

We had to restock the pantry (ran into Gma! :)

Had to eat up the rest of the sweets (in the cleanest way possible)

Had to play with new toys...

...And CLEAN UP!!! My goodness!!! I have never seen such a mess!!!

We wish you a Merry Christmas....

2009-02-01T21:51:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and it was great to see everyone! We were spoiled to death and we feel very blessed.

Christmas Eve at Home.

Christmas morning with the Waller side.

Mom & Dad

Gramma Betty

Mr. Handsome

Hollywood here she comes...

Christmas with the Lovelace side.

Jennifer & Jeremy
Molls & Liv

The Beautiful & Kooky Auntie Britt

Mollie spooked us when she woke up from her nap. We didn't know she was up until we saw one of the "carolers" moving!

A "shocking" game (literally)- thanks a lot Uncles!!!

Game time with G-pa

Kidlins-Mol, Liv, Jones & Jack

Tiffy, Bernice, & Bran

Guys- Jer, Joey, & Jer

The Parentals- Uncle Tom, Aunt Lisa, Mom & Dad

Awwhhh...Grandma & Britt (missing a pic of Gramps!)

Jenn, Grandma Alderin, & Jam

Moi

Tiff got us each little personalized ornaments...so cute...here's Jammer's.

The always adorable Mollie Joy

The hubster & the sister- my BFF's.

Jeremy D., Mommala, & DaddyO

The Lovesters

(S)NO(W) WAY!!!!

2009-02-01T21:03:00.000-08:00

WOWZERS! We had quite the snowfall this Christmas season! Surely a December we will never forget. The season was going by as busy as ever and all of a sudden God blessed us with a several day slow down! It was WINTER WONDERFUL! We baked breads, played games, worked on Christmas gifts, played several times in the snow every day, napped by the fire! I will remember it forever! By the fourth day, Joey was beginning to go stir crazy so he took an hour, dug out the car, invited ourselves over to Drew & Annie's, and took a journey there. More winter fun! And who could forget our BEAUTIFUL UNBELIEVABLE WHITE CHRISTMAS. The best Christmas gift ever after the BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS! All of our out of town family made it in and it was just more perfect than any of us could have dreamed. Here's a sampling of our SNOW pics!

Day 1 - Am I mistaken or did Dippin' Dots fall from the sky?

Creepy Picture huh? This was one of our indoor days.

Baking bread! We made raspberry chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry, coconut pineapple.

Snow Cones!!! Cheap!

Restless...

How we found Drew when we arrived...priceless!

Best Buds "Chillin'...."

The "coolest" little girls around.

3rd Annual Elf Party 2008

2009-02-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Every year we invite our friends over for our ELF Party! It is bring the kids, bring pillows & blankets, wear your pajamas and come watch the movie ELF! It is so much fun! Usually crazy & crowded, & lots of fun. This year we added games!

Late Night Snow Angels. Annie & I were the only brave ones! Although Brandon, Joey, Jesse, Jordyn, & Mollie get props for atleast coming out.

The Doughnut game returns. Jones & Logan had a blast!

The big kids compete! Ben & Mel took home the prize!

Moll's Family Birthday Party

2009-01-31T14:56:00.000-08:00

Mollie was absolutely spoiled at our family version of her "Bubble Party." Thanks you guys! :)

HELP!

2009-01-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

Wow, my job search is still ongoing and entirely unsuccessful!!! If you know of ANY part-time job, PLEASE let me know. Thank you!

Back to the Present...Happy Birthday Joey & Daddy!

2009-01-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

I have to admit. I think I have married the best man EVER. He is always loving. He is an AMAZING father & always MY BEST FRIEND. He leads our household with his quiet loving ways. He encourages me to pursue my dreams and allows me to serve our church in many different way while he takes care of the kiddos. He cooks for our family almost every night, he lets me get out for girl nights as often as I need! Okay, it's starting to sound like I do nothing around here. Let's just say we strike a great balance he & I. He is the absolute love of my life! He is super hardworking, handsome as ever, and all mine ladies! Well, not all mine, he's God's guy too!

For my honey, I pray that God would grant him the deep desires of his heart, all the dreams he holds and that God would bless him ten-fold for the love and care he has given to me, our kids, our families, co-workers, and our friends. I love you Joey!

Happy Birthday also to my incredible Dad who has always been my hero! He is loyal, protective, and always worked hard to provide for the family. He is a spiritual leader and generous Man of God. He is always ready to step in to rescue or defend. It is amazing to have his love as a Dad but it is equally great to see his love as a Grandpa. I love you Daddy!

Mollie's Bubble Party

2009-01-08T21:42:00.000-08:00

My Sweet sweet little girl is 3-years-old! We celebrated her birthday early to stay further away from Christmas plus Mommy sort of committed to directing the Christmas play at church on Moll's birthday. Her real birthday is December 13th.

We had so much fun! Unfortunately 2 out of the 5 invited couldn't make it. We started by playing games. We popped bubble wrap, made bubble beards, and went outside on a rare sunny December day to blow bubbles! After all that fun we moved inside for presents and bubble cake pops which included candy rubber ducks. Mollie was so blessed by being able to share her birthday party with her friend Brody and cousins Livi & Jack, oh and of course her big brother! We sure missed you Brooklyn & Jordy!!! We'll catch up soon though!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

2009-01-08T21:01:00.000-08:00

Oops! Tree Lighting

2009-01-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

Did I mention I got my kiddos all bundled up and prepared cocoa and popcorn at home to be frugal and packed it all up to go to Downtown Camas on the WRONG day!!! I felt so bad! I was a week early! I guess once Thanksgiving was over, I just assumed. And we weren't able to go on the real date because we had a party to attend which I posted some pics from also. I felt so bad! :) Oh, well. We had a nice walk!

Okay...let's take a trip back... to November.

2008-12-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in so long because of being so busy with the Christmas play and then Christmas itself so I want to catch up in a number of blogs (as usual) and let's just say my New Year's resolution will be to keep up my blogs without "clumping" (my word for posting more than three posts at a time.) Ha!

So we had a really nice Thanksgiving at both my Mom & Dad's and also Joey's Aunt & Uncle's houses. It was a little weird because my sis and her family went to California to visit Jeremy's family. And Kellie wasn't able to make it to the Waller's Thanksgiving so I can say we were definitely missing our sisters (and Jer, Livi, & Jack.) Besides that though, we had a pretty good time.

We started at my parents, continued at Matt & Laura Waller's, and ended back at my parents where the boys went to see the new Bond movie and the kids and I had a relaxing evening hanging out with my Momma. :)

My Bros

Lunch

Me & Him.

My Momma & My Moll

Women in the Kitchen: Gramma Betty & Mom Waller

The Waller Brothers

Dinner

Us

Merry Christmas to all & to all a good night.......

2008-12-25T23:47:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Forgive me for taking so long to blog! I just have so much to catch up on, I just don't have time! I am sure you are all busy too!

Just wanted to say I hope that God blesses each of you greatly this Christmas and upcoming year! He has already blessed us so much with the gorgeous white Christmas!

For some of you I gave you Christmas cards and for most of you I still have them sitting here. Uugh. Give me time. At least they are blue and say "holidays." Let's see if we can get them out before New Years!

Anyway, love you all! I will be blogging soon!!!

Mark Your Calendars!!!

2008-12-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody!
Just wanted to invite you to our Christmas play at Grace Foursquare. Check out the details! It is a hip & modern twist on an old lesson we've all learned - "God's ways are not our own." Come watch this family as they laugh, love, & struggle through their Christmas. It's a great story of love, redemption including dancing, singing actors, and snow!
Erin

Just keep swimming....just keep swimming.......

2008-12-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

That is what I am chanting to myself this morning. Keep at it, keep trying... breakthrough is coming.... don't give up.....He that is in me is stronger than (he that is in the world) ANYTHING......not in my own strength. Yep, things are kind of hard right now in SO many different areas. I am feeling a bit like I'm sinking, trying super hard to keep my head above water. I am not going to waste this blog post on a list of gripes & whines so i will leave it at that but....in all areas of my life... I will...just keep swimming....just keep swimming. Thanks for the reminder Nemo.

Extra Thankful Day

2008-11-27T23:14:00.000-08:00

Today on Thanksgiving 2008, I am EXTRA thankful for:

*My Sweet Savior who stays by my side every second of every day loving me, guiding me, teaching me, & forgiving me. He is my all in all.

*My husband who is my best friend and a man I love and admire, always have & always will.

*My kiddos who are our greatest blessings received this far, loveable in all ways.

*My family who I am forever attached at the hip to. Love more than my life.

*My friends, both new & old so treasured to me each in their very own way.

*My church family that joins me in this journey.

*My fellow Mom bloggers who keep me inspired & help me realize I am not alone.

*All other things good in my life (yet nothing compares with those above)

Resisting the Urge....

2008-11-27T00:40:00.000-08:00

I am trying so hard to resist the urge to put away all of our harvest decorations and pull out the Christmas ones. Resisting the urge to put on my Christmas music. REsisting changing my blog, myspace, facebook, etc. Resisting the urge to do anything Christmas... just yet. Tomorrow is a whole different story though!!! I just love Christmas time and I am so ready for it. I am ready to celebrate the birth of my SAvior! I am ready for red & green but.....I am gonna wait one more day. I'm so close. I might as well. Anyone with me? Tomorrow, actually today (it's 12:45am) I will focus on Thanksgiving. I will take some time to post my "Extra Thankful Day" post tomorrow and then........Christmas here I come!!! However, I am plugging my ears and closing my eyes to anything Black Friday cause it's KILLING ME! I love shopping and I love a bargain but there will be none of that for me this year! I am actually totally okay and happy with that.......as long as I don't hear about any of those awesome deals & money savers!!! I am such a sucker for good prices!!!

Note: This is my 7th and last post this evening. Had to catch up again. Take a moment to check 'em out!

Turkey Cupcakes

2008-11-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

THe kids and I made these cute cupcakes for the Thanksgiving dinners we are attending tomorrow. I think they turned out pretty cute. We made the cupcakes with two ingredients!!! I remember Brittany talking about Courtney True making these pumpkin cupcakes and they were good and healthier because the pumpkin replaces the oil & eggs! We added walnuts to the one can of pumpkin & yellow cake mix. For the frosting we used store bought cream cheese frosting and added cinnamon & sugar. To top it all off we created these cute turkeys out of ginger cookies, oreos, chocolate chips, m'n'm's, peanut halves, & green gel icing. Hope they taste good!

Pre-Thanksgiving Activities

2008-11-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

Kellie (Joey's sis) came into town last Sunday for an early Thanksgiving & introduction of her boyfriend Marcus to the extended family. It was good to see her and of course Joey's parents put on quite the event. Aunt Terri led the kiddos in a fire dance, Cousins Holly & Marze made everyone pilgrim outfits. Check out the crazy games we played, everyone had a fun time. I may steal some ideas for our upcoming Christmas events!!!

Grandma Waller's Birthday

2008-11-26T23:28:00.001-08:00

Baking Grandma's Birthday Cake (We made the chocolate sheet cake from ThePioneerWomanCooks.com) It was pretty good but since the frosting had a texture, the sugar sprinkles on top did not work well together in your mouth. Oh, well. You live you learn.

We had fun with Wii! (Grandpa bought one on the way over!)

Happy Birthday to you......

All "tatted" up (as Daddy would say)

2008-11-26T23:23:00.000-08:00

Yep that's Sleeping Beauty!

Happy Birthday Livi Boo!

2008-11-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Last week we celebrated my Olivia Grace's 3rd birthday. It is such a joy to be her Auntie. She is loveable, talented, strong, & beautiful with a smile that could melt you in a second & curls that you would kill for! I love watching her change & grow into the little girl that she is becoming. She is just precious to me! I am also so thankful that God blessed Joey and I with our own nearly 3-year-old who with Olivia, have built-in best friends!

Such cute ones of Mommy & the Birthday girl!

Check out Jack's new smile!!! (So Cute!!!)

The princess herself...

A scooter ride...

And a little dance...

(tear) They grow up so fast.........

2008-11-26T22:40:00.000-08:00

Jones and Mollie are changing and maturing so fast! They are so strong at riding their bikes now and it is great watching the joy they experience with their new found independence. Last week they each had their first sleepover! Can you believe it? It was a little tough for me to let go but I am glad I did. This was the first time they have ever been away from Joey or I overnight. Jones had a sleepover party at his best friend Logan's. He had soooooo much fun! And Mollie stayed the night with her best friend & cousin Livi! Thank you Drew, Annie, Jer, & Britt for taking good care of our kiddos. I hope it was fun!

Do you ever wanna take a bath with your laptop?

2008-11-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

Oh, I just love reading other Mom blogs. It has got to be one of my favorite things to do. You can find triumph, irritations, commonalities (is that a word?), and most of all INSPIRATION!!! I am telling you ladies- I really believe we can change the world!

Anyway so here I am super sick with one heck of a bad cold including congestion and sore throat. For those that know me well, you know this is one of the WORST times in my life to be sick! I have so much going on which is probably half the reason I am sick! Doggone it! Why do I always do this to myself. Anyway, at the same time I am having the time of my life- raising my two little ones, loving my friends, family, & God, and directing a play I had the priviledge of writing. Come on now, this is the stuff dreams are made of. Let's just ignore the severe financial crisis that so defines us right now and the part-time job I just can't seem to find.

Stephanie came over today and had me try her Neti Pot. I must admit I was nervous and there were a couple times I gagged on the solution as it went down my throat by accident, along with an episode of sinus rush headache like when water goes up your nose in a pool. However I ended up feeling like it did atleast clear some of the congestion so I went and purchased my own today so....we'll see.

Back to the point. Right now I am cold, tired, sick, & goosebumpy and all I want to do is take my laptop to the tub for a good soak & read. But I won't chance it. I will stick with Cookie magazine.

Busy, busy, busy!

2008-11-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

So I have been a busy busy bee lately but still taking it alright. Kind of in stride. God is blessing me with balance although there have been some pretty tough and overwhelming days. Last week my whole family was sick and that made things really hard. But......the play is going great! It is a lot of fun seeing it all come together. Amazing and surreal really. We were able to practice on the stage this week and it was so great!

Hmmm.....what else is going on. Well, Bible study ended yesterday and I bawled like a baby. It was a good message plus I am going to miss it plus I am going to miss Debi Sweeney!!! I just love her! I can still see her at church but still, it's not the same.

I hosted a meeting last night for Women's Events and we started Retreat Planning! It's exciting and we got the new building! I can't believe it's almost that time again!

My kiddos are growing and changing everyday. We are dealing with quite a few issues right now with Jones and his behavior at school which is pretty difficult. Kind of "taking the wind out of my sails" so to speak. But we are not giving up and we will keep working on finding what works and helping him through. He is such a good boy most of the time, a great helper, loving, and so smart and I refuse to have him labeled as "trouble." He isn't yet, but pretty close. I have been reading RaisingGodlyTomatoes.blogspot.com which is giving me some great advice like "tomato staking" which is keeping your children close to you all the time (although I don't think all the techniques are for our family.)

So if you are reading this, feel free to pray for our family and if you have any prayer needs, leave me a comment. I would love to pray for you!

Well, that's what's up with me. Can you believe my little girl will be three in just a few short weeks?!

Well I beat my record.

2008-11-13T01:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I do this. Make sure to check out my posts when you have a chance. This is my 15th tonight! I need to go to bed. For those faithful readers. Sorry!!! Most of them are pictures though! I haven't had time in so long so I just had to get caught up! I think I want to do one of those Blurb books so I didn't want to forget anything!

My body, My Digestive System

2008-11-13T01:17:00.000-08:00

This is the title to a book in a series I am reading to Jones as he learns about the body inside & out. Well unfortunately it mentioned the (uugh I don't even want to say it)...anus...eeww and Jones says "What's that?" I explained that it was the hole in your bottom. He then laughed and said "Butt hole" hahahaha. I said "NO, hahaha, we don't need to be saying that or talking about that. Well what do you know? A couple hours later I got a call from Jones' PRINCIPAL!!! She had Jones with her who had to explain to me that he called another child that! UUGH. I explained everything to the teacher but HOW EMBARRASSING! Jones had to deal with us when he got home!

Curious... What keeps your kids busy?

2008-11-13T00:54:00.000-08:00

We were organizing our toy bins yesterday and picking toys that we can give away and it just hit me that I am very curious to what other families play with. Do you see anything similar? Do you have any ideas? I did not take a picture of our downstairs small toy basket or our craft closet. And excuse the book mess!!! We are without a proper book case right now.

Dress-up center & the baby box. These are probably the most played with items by Mollie except her little Fun 2 Learn laptop.

The table they play with when they play with the kitchen. (Picture is dim cause the lights were off.)

The kitchen is finally starting to be a big draw for Mollie. It took awhile for her imagination to catch up. They love this but they love it most when an adult plays with them. (Sorry it's dim, I took it with the lights off)

Another favorite toy. They love to jump on the bed before I catch them. (And yes, I took all these pics when my kids were sleeping!)

Help!

Jones' closet with guys, cars, Nerf guns, games, all the stuff he loves.

Well, you wouldn't know it, but this is THE most coveted toy in the house. It is the first place Mollie & Livi escape to. They can reach Jones music and fan so they turn it on and climb in his bed and pretend it's naptime. Weird I know but I think they like the independence of doing it all themselves. Plus it's JOnes room and he is soooo cool cause he's six!

Okay so normally in that corner instead of a chair is a little table and chair where Jones plays legos which is one of the greatest inventions ever! He can play for hours!

Jones enjoys caring for his animals. This is how I find them when I turn out his light at night.

The "ottoman" stuff is played with off & on. Mostly on Saturdays when their cousins are here to play with them. It's unfortunate that five minutes after this was cleaned it looked like a gigantic junk drawer!

In this pic, they play with the band stuff and the vet center but not much else. I just can't part with this adorable cube though.

They love their chairs they got from Gpa & Gma last year. They use them to watch movies, play games, build forts, and as a jungle gym!

Our "Texan" Cousins Came to Visit!

2008-11-13T00:45:00.000-08:00

Okay so they are not originally from Texas but they live there now and love it. We are so happy for them but we miss them. :( We are so glad they came to visit! When Alisha and I get together it is always as though no time has passed. We have always been "two peas in a pod." She is five days older than me born on my due date while I was born on hers!

Time with Dad

2008-11-13T00:34:00.000-08:00

Joey took Jones to the Indoor Kite Festival last weekend at Camas High School. Jones really enjoyed it. He has taken a great liking to kites. The first kite he ever saw was in a book we took to Russia. He flew his first kite this summer and now he made & flew his own indoor kite. :)

VULNERABLE

2008-11-13T00:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought I'd let you see me as I really look posting these blogs. This is how my kiddos view me many days. Oh, my poor kiddos!

Thrilled and Guilty!

2008-11-13T00:18:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit that a lot of attention has been paid to Jones to teach him as much as I could this last year to get him ready for school since arriving from Russia. I work with Mollie too but not NEARLY as often. The other day I was practicing words with Jones and Mollie started naming letters! I decided to pull out the awesome ABC flashcards we have and quiz her. She knew 17!!! I couldn't believe it! She also is recognizing lower case and phonics! I am so proud of her! I can't take the credit, that credit goes to her little purple "Fun 2 Learn" laptop! Let's just say I am increasing the time I take teacher her now! Oh and to celebrate, we pulled out ABC Bingo and we could ALL play!!! It was thrilling!

Jones & Gpa take a ride......zoom......zoom.....

2008-11-13T00:17:00.001-08:00

My Jam

2008-11-13T00:16:00.001-08:00

Here's my baby brother. :) Love you Jameson.

Brandon 27, Brittany 25

2008-11-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

Murder at the Soggy Biscotti

2008-11-12T23:43:00.000-08:00

For my Brother & Sister's birthday's they chose to have a murder mystery party. It was a lot of work but it was all worth it. Plus it's always good to work together with my sibs. It was set in the 1920's at a speakeasy owned by none other than me! I played "Erin Marie" the widow pretending to avenge her cheating husband's death all the while promoting her speakeasy. Joey was "Chief Ronnie" who ended up being the murderer!!! He killed Brandon! Everyone really got into it and dressed and acted the part. It was great. Joey and I were trying to do it for close to free so Joey got made fun of quite a bit for his "hot glued", "$$ store", "wife made" outfit. They kept calling him the "button police." And since I was a business owner I got away with wearing my suit ala Coco Chanel. When I look back at the pics though...uugh!!! I know you are thinking it! I look like Kathy Bates in The Family Who Preys. Oh well, it was fun and it's over. Thanks Ben & Mel for the use of your house and your hard work. Happy Birthday Bran & Britt. And Jam, we missed you! I love all of you.

Finally! "Wallerween" Pics!

2008-11-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

Well our goal was to do it for free this year so.............

................

.....................

..............................

Haha! Just kidding! Well not about the free part! And if this offends anyone I am sorry. Believe me, the towel option did cross my mind! It is completely resourceful! I am still not sure how I feel about the whole Halloween thing so I don't know exactly what we were celebrating (Halloween, Wallerween, Harvest time) but we dressed up. Britt and I were busy preparing for a party the next day so we ended up getting the kids out the door too late for the Grandparent tour & the Harvest Party so we took the tour. We started with PICTURES of course with the cousins and then off to Great Grandpa & Gigi (Great Grandma) Lovelace, then my parents, then Joey's parents. Luckily the kids are still young and they didn't complain too much about missing the party although I personally felt pretty bad because I know Jones loves it. Instead we let him stay up "early" which is actually late (he is still working on this concept) and watch Journey to the Center of the Earth and eat his two choice pieces of candy from the bowlful we were given from all the grandparents. He was happy! Oh, and thank you Caleb for letting us borrow Buzz!!!

Da Boots

2008-11-12T23:10:00.000-08:00

Okay silly title. I'm getting tired. Anyway, what is it with boots???!!! Mollie enjoys trying all the shoes on in our house (backwards) but she especially loves Jones' boots. As you can see Livi does too!

A big "boo boo" for Mollie

2008-11-12T22:53:00.000-08:00

Well, our little "Boo" (Have you seen Monster's Inc. ? Did you see Mollie in it? I did!) got her first big "Boo Boo" on Thursday. She was having too much fun with her friends at Bible Study and tripped into a table. You can't tell in this pic but it was a nice big "goose egg." When I got back to her classroom to check it out she was so sad and kept telling me "I am hurt Mommy." Poor little thing. I have to admit it did scare me a bit. She still has a green bruise but her cut is almost healed. She still tells everyone she knows about it with dramatic detail and sometime real tears!

A Little Fall Baking (not all in the same day!)

2008-11-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

Mmmm......"Pantry" Apple Pie (I am calling it "pantry" because we wanted a crunchy topping so we added everything we could think from the pantry- cereal, oats, nuts, brown sugar and on the inside we added nuts & raisins. It was alright, not the best I've had but it was our first time from scratch so we'll give it some grace. Oops, and I forgot to take a picture after it was done!)

Mmmm...Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars (from the Meal Makeover Moms website)

Mmmm......Great Grandma's Banana Bread Recipe (oops, forgot the final pic again!)

Dental Recommendations?

2008-11-07T10:28:00.001-08:00

We are getting ready to take Jones' to a new dentist for consultation for his proposed surgery and I just don't know where to take them. Because of our dental insurance, it seems we can't him to some children's dentist offices such as "Under the Sea", "Dr. Lubisich", and "Adventure Dental." I am hoping to find a safe loving environment for him so he can feel comfortable there during the possible many appointments or surgery that he will have. Do you have a good family dental you could recommend?

"I want my pack pack (backpack)!"

2008-10-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

Mollie wants to go to school soooooooo bad. She is finally over crying when Jones goes on the bus but as soon as he gets home, she puts his backpack on. So when I saw this at Walmart for $5 I couldn't resist. She LOVES it and LOVES pretending to go to school.

Pride & Joy

2008-10-28T14:51:00.001-07:00

Look at those faces!!! They are so happy!!! Jones learned to ride his bike without training wheels! It was such a long process with many falls but when he got it, he GOT it! Now he's doing circles! And Mollie is as fast as I have seen anyone on a tricycle! (Note the shoes: backwards of course, it's her fave way to put them on!) I love it! It makes our outdoor time so much more fun!

I want these...

2008-10-24T21:16:00.001-07:00

I Like:

Magii
by Steve Madden

Jones Cooks Dinner

2008-10-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

Really? REALLY?

2008-10-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

Wow, I just drove home from my Grandma's approx 10 minutes away and these are all the thoughts that went through my mind:

I feel tired. I am so hot. I was so cold and now I am so hot. My socks feel like they are suffocating my feet. These shoes don't feel comfortable either. Why is it that I can FEEL all my clothes right now. My underwear is riding and my jeans feel like they are going to squeeze me in half. My shirt feels heavy. Maybe I have that sensory problem. No, I never had it before. It's probably because I am on my period. That's probably why I am hot and my EARS are so sensitive. I think I have a headache. I can't wait to go home and have a bite of brownie and a Diet Dr. Pepper. I am ready for Mommy time. Nope, skip the bite of brownie, that is old way of thinking. I think I ate too much pizza for lunch anyway. Why do I even have brownies anyway? Oh yeah, I am on my period. Excuses I know. Why did I leave Grandma's so quickly. I was finished eating? Mollie needed a nap. She has been keeping me up for several nights now. I think I need to be consistent. THank goodness I got sleep last night. Why do I feel tired now theN? I love Joey. I hope he is having a good day. Lord, please bless him right now. And also I pray that the dream of his heart, owning his own business, comes true. I really want to have a child. I am so thankful for the two I have and I would NEVER ever want you to think I don't appreciate them Lord. They are my life and my little loves. I still would love to feel a baby growing inside of me. And yes, to experience child birth and raising a baby that you created with mine & Joey's DNA. And I want siblings for Jones and Mollie so badly. I surrendered all this to you this morning and I trust you. I am sorry for bringing it up again. It's still fresh. It hurts but I believe in miracles. Mollie & Jones are a miracle. Thank you Lord. Please take this other desire from me if it is not to be. I hope my Mom is not disappointed for me leaving so quickly. I hope she is not disappointed that I was so strict with MOllie while she was eating. Mollie needs her water, I can't reach her. Why did she wait until we were in the car. Here Mollie. Oh, she dropped it! Uugh. I thinkkkkkk I can reach it. I got it. I hope she doesn't drop it again. She is so precious. I need to be more gentle with her. I hope she takes her nap and gets back on schedule. I hope she knows how much I love her. I cannot wait to get home and put my feet up for a short time. Oh yeah! I borrowed that video camera from Steph and now I can watch our old home movies! I think I will preview them and get them ready for Brandon & Brittany's birthday celebration on Sunday. I wonder how my cousin Jenn is today. I wonder if Britt has left Grandma's yet. I wanted to tell her I got the camera. Was there too many emotions at Grandma's? Everything I looked at brought back memories from my childhood. I don't know where to file those ever since everything and now being estranged from Grandpa.I wonder how he is doing up the hill at the nursing home. I wonder when he will come home. I wonder how Grandpa and Grandma are going to take care of each other. I am glad Nancy is in their life to befriend them and take care of the house but what about daily life. I feel weird that Grandma took Jones' & Mollie's pictures up to Grandpa. Aah. I don't want to think of all this. I don't have time to go through all these thoughts and emotions. That was weird looking at pictures when Grandma was younger. Aunt Kathy looks like her. Shoot. Was that hard for Mom to see those pics of her brother? I wish I could have met him. I hope he's in heaven. I can't wait to get home. This music is too loud. I can't get the air right in this car. Hey buddy, my light is still green! I am not going anywhere else today. It's such a beautiful day though. All the leaves are changing on that hill. I like some of the colors and some I don't. Wait, let me take off my glasses. Yep, I like all the colors. Almost home. Hey they are changing that restaurant from an Asian place to a pub & grill. That will probably be more successful especially if they advertise. Come and Get It should open that drive through window. I bet they would get a lot more business. People just checking them out from the security of their cars. I would. I was going to anyway regardless of the window. Okay almost home, just a couple hours and Jones will be home. Okay, so I will take in all the stuff from the front seat. Mollie can take off her shoes and head to bed. I will go up and change. Hey, I could write a blog on this. I wonder if other women think like this. I can't be the only one. How do we even make it through the day with all these thoughts.

Harvest time is here!

2008-10-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

I love seeing the look on the kids faces every time we pull out decorations for a new season or holiday. They are always so excited like it is Christmas morning! I have to admit I think this is my favorite, no Christmas is, no Harvest is, oh, I don't know. I just love the warmth though!

Daddy's Girl

2008-10-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

A Great Little Dessert

2008-10-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

We froze little Activia yogurt cups and then mixed in some crushed animal cookies and pecans! Yum! Healthy too!

Build-a-Moose?

2008-10-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

On October 14th Jones celebrated his 1st "Spiritual Birthday." One year ago he asked Jesus in his heart so we wanted to celebrate in a special way. We had cupcakes and we took Jones to Build-a-Bear. Mollie had just gone for the first time and Jones was really wanting an experience of his own. He also had some money in his piggy bank that we told him he could use some of and he had earned all of his "Nice Beans" (you can refer back a few posts for the definition.) He had a wonderful time. He just had to have the Moose which ended up being a difficult wardrobe challenge so he ended up with a skateboard and ill fitting helment and elbow/knee pads. He named him "Fuzzy" so not only did we go to Build-a-Moose? But we now have "Fuzzy Wuzzy was a Moose?"

Build-a-Bear

2008-10-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Last week it was Jordyn's birthday and she invited Mollie and Olivia to go with her to Build-a-Bear! It was such a great idea! This was our first time and we really enjoyed it although Mollie had a bad attitude at times. Thank you Jordy for including us and we are sorry about Mollie's meltdowns! She LOVES her "Cozy" bear. She will always love her best friends "Girly Bear" and "Cupcake" the puppy!

RED

2008-10-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention my new hair color. I had Tiffany, my brother's girlfriend and my new friend play with the color. We tried a red all over but it didn't really take so next week tried highlights. I like it! It's perfect for fall! Thanks Tiff! It was such a hard decision because it has been three years since I colored my hair but I decided it was time to jump back on the fun wagon! Yep, that's what I'm calling it! OH, and yes that is my Wacky Wednesday reminder! I SHALL NOT forget again!!! And isn't my sweetie so hot?!

"Mommy, I'm too full!"

2008-10-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Mollie came to me last Thursday night lifting up her shirt saying, "Mommy, I'm too full.....my tummy's too full" and then she cried. Surprisingly enough this was not from the pancake/muffin breakfast dinner the night before. This was from bean nachos the next night. Joey fed her and then took off to have a night with the guys. I had her finish her dinner (which wasn't hard, no complaints that night) and I had no idea how much she had been served. Apparently it was too much.

I felt helpless, I did all I could think to do. I stripped her down to her undies & t-shirt, laid her on the couch, prayed for her, and tried to distract her with her favorite Blue's Clues. Thank you Lord for helping her. After "farping & tooting" (her words) she said her tummy felt better.

Yummy! But what was he thinking???

2008-10-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

One week ago tonight I ran to the store to get some for just a few minutes while Joey was making breakfast for dinner. He had asked me to get English Muffins. I grabbed some at Trader Joe's and ran home. In that short amount of time he made a MOUNTAIN of carbohydrates!!! I walked in the door and said "What were you thinking???!!!" And then I quickly remembered to say "Thank you Honey, it looks delicious." Oh my goodness! My two kiddos barely eat (although they did that night!) and I can't afford that many carbs! It lasted quite a few days and some are in the freezer for a quick reheat.

Oh and get this irony! I packed a plate for Bible study because there was so much. I didn't think it my snack day was until the end of the month but figured the ladies would still appreciate it. Then, I didn't bring it because I just could not carry one more thing! I had two meetings immediately after and had to bring all my stuff for that. Then I arrive and was promptly asked if I brought snacks because it is my week!!! Uugh! I could have kicked myself. Thank you Jenna for covering for me. And thank you honey for helping me out unintentionally. If I would have just grabbed it!!! Duh, duh, duh! Don't you just hate that?

Preparing for the troops...

2008-10-22T16:38:00.001-07:00

I literally have been asked 15 times in the last 10 minutes by 4 different children if they can have snack. It's driving me nuts!!! It is such a habit when they wake up from nap time. I told them that they have to wait until 4pm. So now I have a few minutes to prepare! Here is what it looks like around here today...

Side Note: Have you tried these 100 calorie snacks? They are really good! The kids love them and so do I. Check out the size of the bag too! I put a Roaring Waters next to it just so you can judge the size correctly. I split one bag between two kids. It comes with 6 bags. And the best part? They are only $1.50 at Walmart!!!

So......we are getting ORGANIZED around here!

2008-10-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ever since Jones started school he has been coming home and claiming that he is bored. I think the fact that are mornings our pretty scheduled with usual routines, devotions and such, then he goes to school where time is alotted to many different subjects and activities, by the time he gets home, he has no idea what to do with himself. I was thinking that he would enjoy the free time but he really doesn't. I have been encouraging him to play in his room and think creatively with his toys but lately I almost have to force him.

So what we have done is create responsibility charts for each child. They are filled with activities that we normally do each day anyway but the kids really feel accomplished as they check off each one in their mind. These activities include: morning routine (making bed, getting dressed, brushing teeth, etc.), devotions, best friend time (thank you Willow!) with sibling, quiet playtime in room, chores, study time (could be additional Bible study type, cooking, learning outside, science projects, etc.), and night routine (reverse of morning.) Jones receives a sticker if he completes six out of seven and Mollie if she completes three out of four. The kids are loving getting a sticker a day for a job well done. They are also rewarded at the end of the week depending on the number of stickers earned.

We have also created "Cool Down Town" where the kids go (mostly Mollie) when emotions are out of control and they can come out in their own time and rejoin the family. "Think City" is more like "Time Out" and Mommy & Daddy determine the time to think about it and when they come out they have to know what they are apologizing for or it's back to think more about it. It is working well along with other disciplines & training. One other that we do is "Nice Beans, Mean Beans" (soon to have a much better name) which Jones earns when he uses kind words toward others or memorizes a new memory verse. He also loses beans if words or attitudes of an unkind nature are used. He has equal beans in each jar to begin with and then can earn them either way. I highly suggested using something much larger than a Jelly Belly bean size to start to build hope & encouragement. When he fills up the nice jar, the reward is great like a special date with Mom or Dad. This last time we went to Build-a-Bear but we were also celebrating other things as well.

For Starters....

2008-10-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

I am really irritated that there seems to be nothing wrong with my internet connection but at 4:30am when my daughter woke me up and kept me up with her talking and non-sleeping, I wrote the LONGEST blog and it is all....gone...vanished! So here we go again...I have several to write...

The Sweetest Day

2008-10-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

Did you know that was today?

Excerpt from Wikipedia:
"occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed."[2] Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "concocted promotion"[3] created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of candy.

I choose to go with the first definition although it was created in 1921 by a group of 12 confectioners. Note: It doesn't always land on Oct. 17th, I guess it was supposed to be the third SATURDAY in Oct. but on our calendars it is today!

Well, anyway, in our family it is very fitting today as one of my "sweetest days" was 25 years ago when my baby sister arrived! She is an amazing gift from God. Britt was born with a sparkle in her baby blue eyes. She has always been so sweet, loving, talented, and adorable! And look at her now- not much has changed.

Brittany is my best friend and for anyone who has the opportunity of knowing her, you already know you are blessed. Her thoughtfulness, love, and generosity far outshines average folks. She is talented, hardworking, disciplined, fun, and a delight to be around. She also has an incredible testimony which has touched so many already in her young life! She is an awesome daughter, wife, mom, friend, and sister.
I can't wait to see what she does with the rest of her life!

I love you Sissi! I will always be thankful to God for the gift of you!

Health Room Again... Uuugh.

2008-10-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Soooo, I don't remember if I shared before but Jones was in the health room a couple weeks ago after giving himself a gigantic hickey on his arm. The note from the nurse said "washed with cold water and talked to him about "bruises." I figured if he had time to do that in class, there were probably some other behavioral issues that day as well. Luckily Jones was up front and honest about them and I was able to apologize to the teacher before she was able to talk to me. She actually emailed that she hadn't had time to call and that she was glad Jones had talked to us. She said the following day was much better.

All that to say, oh no, health room again. This time however it was legit. I first noticed him dodging my glances immediately as he got off the bus and spots of blood on his shirt and hand. I asked him if he was hurt and he told me that he accidentally crashed into someone playing ball. I explained to him that is a very a common injury and Daddy, Mollie, and I have all suffered from a swollen lip. I told him I was sorry that he was hurt. He looks like he has a permanent kissy face. I had to take a picture of course which he wasn't happy about but I informed him that he would appreciate it someday.

Wow, though, you should hear him slurping. He is acting like he can't move his mouth. Those of you that know me well are probably getting a kick out of my misery and are finding it quite humorous that I have to listen to this slurping because of my aversion to the sound! For those of you that haven't heard, I was traumatized in Elementary school by having to sit right next to a girl with a retainer whose constant sipping and slurping of saliva about drove me INSANE!

Whatever Wacky Wednesday! Whatever!

2008-10-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

So...this short day Wednesdays in the Camas School district is kicking my booty! I feel like a HORRIBLE Mom! I cannot get used to the Wednesdays! Today was the second time I forgot! The first time was the second week of school and I wasn't the only one. I ran him up to school so fast! This time was no excuse! Uugh. I actually kept him home this time because he has had a bad cold and cough.

Oh, and it just happens to fall on a "good mom" day. Do you ever have those? You know what I am talking about? This is about every other day or so for me. Good Mom, Bad Mom, Good Mom, Bad Mom, Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. I should say it was a "day without guilt," from losing my patience, being on the computer, running too many errands, etc. We had a wonderful morning despite our abrupt wake-up from Mollie. She went to bed super late last night because we were at my parents celebrating my brother coming home from Europe but it didn't matter, she was still up singing and talking by 7:30am. I was sooo tired cause I had coffee last night (big mistake) so I was up extra late. I ignored her. She grew quiet and I thought I heard our stairway gate but then I heard her in her room again. I decided to get up and go and lay down with her. Jones came in shortly after letting me know Mollie had already been in his room and woke him up! Aah!

So bad start but once I accepted the fact that we were GOING to get up things got better. We ate a good breakfast, colored, learned some new words, did our devotion, sang songs, and Jones learned to ride his bike without training wheels! Woo Hoo! I even was video taping and Jones said "Is it time for the bus?" and I said "Nope Bud, we have 10 more minutes and then lunch before bus stop time." Wow, how IRONIC! We were out playing the same time the bus came to pick up the other kids and we didn't even know!

After kicking myself several times, I have put this into perspective and have decided that in the grand scheme of life, missing a two hour day of Kindergarten and suffering humiliation for a short phone call reminder from school is just not THAT big of deal to be stressing about. So I am taking God's advice on this one and applying grace. I know he would give me grace, so I will follow his lead and give it to myself as well. Grace to be human, grace to be a "pretty good" Mom, & grace to be an imperfect representation of a perfect God.

Saturday Morning making Grape Pancakes

2008-10-08T15:13:00.001-07:00

Morning Wrestling with Dad.

Makin' Breakfast.

So I bet you are wondering, what is the deal with GRAPE pancakes? A few of you that are close to me may recall the script I wrote mostly in California which in the story the family makes grape, yes grape pancakes. I think I had a dream about it one time. So I wrote it in but I had yet to ever try them. So this past Saturday, I sat and peeled grapes and dropped them in the batter. I have to say it was pretty good!!!

The bacon seems a little underdone to me but Joey swears it is cooked. He's the chef around here therefore I trust him. :)

Boyfriend Jeans: Who Wore it Best?

2008-10-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, I can't take it! Aren't they so cute??? A Mom's gotta brag once in awhile!

2008-10-08T01:14:00.001-07:00

A Jones & Mollie Sandwich (great idea Grandma Waller!)

2008-10-08T01:14:00.000-07:00

Mollie Says the Darndest Things

2008-09-30T22:31:00.000-07:00

At the beach:

Mollie- (to a fellow shopper) How are you?

Shopper- I'm fine.

Mollie-Do you want to see my packpack (backpack)?

Shopper- You have a backpack?

Mollie- You wanna see it?

Shopper- Yes

Mollie turns around- See my pretty packpack? (she is not wearing one :)

Shopper- Yes, that is a pretty backpack.

Mollie- See you later.

On the way home from the bus stop:

Mollie- Mom, am I old enough now?

Me- For what Moll?

Mollie- Go on the Bus?

Me- No, not yet Mollie.

Mollie- After nap time?

Last Chance Vacation

2008-09-30T21:35:00.001-07:00

Last week we took Jones out of school and Joey off of work and went to the beach with Joey's parents. It was so much fun and a great way to end the summer/start the fall. We arrived Wednesday morning and just enjoyed the view of the beach and Kim & Vern said they would watch the kids while they napped so Joey and I could look around, shop, or whatever we wanted to do. That was great! Joey and I ran to Safeway to grab some groceries and then window shopped the home decorating stores.

When we returned we all took the kids to the Seaside Aquarium and fed the sea lions and explored the other sea life. Jones & Mollie colored and Jones held a hermit crab which was a big deal for my cautious little boy. Mollie on the other hand almost dove in with the Octopus!

Jones' teacher said that he could draw pictures throughout our trip to share with the class as his homework. We turned it in yesterday. His teacher said he did a wonderful job presenting! He worked on that and his first picture was of him and Grandpa playing Connect Four. He LOVES that game! He played all the time with any one who would play. We also played a couple mean rounds of Crazy 8's.

We went to Doogers for dinner which was YUMMY besides one little fit from Mollie and then we put the little ones to bed. I had to split them up because they were NOT going to sleep. The adults played a new game called Yahtzee Free For All which ended up being SOOOO fun! Then we went down for a rough first night's sleep.

The next morning Joey and his Dad made a huge breakfast of potatoes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and fruit. It was delicious as was the chicken sandwiches Dad Waller made for dinner!!! Always lot of good cooking with those Waller men!!! After breakfast the guys headed out for golf and the kids and I went with Grandma to the beach! Jones flew his very first kite which was excited. It was almost too windy to even be on the beach but it worked well for the kite until it broke! (Oh well, I bought it for a buck!) We wrote in the sand and tried to build a castle and then the other three (NOT ME) fed the sea gulls! For those of you who don't know, I get a little scared being that close to so many birds.

During naptime, Mom Waller and I worked on the set designs for the Christmas play (she is an AMAZING artist!) and just enjoyed the quiet hours. When the guys came back Joey and I took our kids on a walk to the arcade (which they LOVE) and the carousel and the BESt new little candy store in Seaside called The Buzz (they even sell chocolate covered twinkies which weren't so bad!) The kids had a blast picking out special candy. Mollie wanted chocolate and Jones chose gum band aids. This store had some old favorites like Zots (remember those? They fizz in the middle?) We walked back and had dinner and put the kids to bed. They slept much better and did not have to be separated. The adults played games and headed to a more restful nights sleep.

Overall it was a wonderful relaxing trip. They are a part of World Mark Timeshares so we were able to stay there. It is the BEST place! Lots of bedrooms, clean, right on the beach, right on the main street. It was GREAT! Thanks Mom & Dad Waller! Joey, the kids and I stopped and had some pizza at Fultano's on the way back and played at the arcade there one last time and then we were homeward bound for a busy weekend. Joey took off to Men's retreat as soon as we got back and Britt and the kids came over and stayed the weekend with us. It was a lot of fun. We are just now getting back on schedule. :)

Here are a (okay so more than a few) of my fave pics from the trip:

To the Beach!

2008-09-23T17:32:00.001-07:00

Alright I was going to try to post a few blogs before we leave but I am outta time! I have been a busy girl with lots going on so I am sorry for the long break. I will be back on Friday and should have plenty of time to blog. My hubby will turn around and head right back out to Men's retreat! Talk to you soon!

A Day Without Dad

2008-09-16T21:50:00.000-07:00

Joey is out of town with his job and so I thought I would take this opportunity to have a fun day with the kids at home (no errands!) since they always miss him when he is gone and we needed a day like this anyway. We sang, and read, measured things, Jones cooked dinner, and enjoyed the Rescuers Down Under. It is quiet and night now so I miss Joey lots. He is such a wonderful Dad to my kids and my BEST friend. <3

Note: Oh, I should mention, Britt sold our table for me. Thank You so much Britt!!! And I have not finished the finish on my new table so we are using our kid table and card table. I also just mopped the floors so I had my kids eat over our picnic blanket. :)

Oh, and I forgot to mention. Jones had our red chenille throw over his head and ran into the tile counter. He did not cry or say anything. I turned around and looked at him and was shocked by the mark on his head (it looks WAY worse in person.) He said it hurt but he was fine. I couldn't believe the mark it left on him! I am almost nervous to send him to school with a mark like that! He was playing in the utensil drawer later and pulled out the garlic press and I thought to myself "Oh my goodness that is the same print as your forehead!!!" Who knew a blanket could leave such an impression!

On the Job

2008-09-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

While my brother Brandon is away until October backpacking his way through Europe, I am covering his job. It is such a blessing as it definitely is helping in our financial needs. One day, I had to pop in the office for just about an hour and I had to bring Mollie with me. I was a little worried about her being entertained but as you will see, she did just fine. She was very excited to visit Grandpa and his office staff as well as sit at Uncle Bean's (the way she pronounces Brandon) desk and play dolls with his Blazer bobble heads. I thought these pics and videos were too cute to not post.

P.S. Sorry Brandon! Mollie adjusted one of the bobble's off his base (She broke it.) Oops!!! And we miss you!!!

Muah..hahahaha...muah..hahahaha......

2008-09-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Do You Choose to Obey or Be in Trouble?

2008-09-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

That is the question I have been asking my children CONSTANTLY! I like bringing this to their attention so they can see that the choice is theirs; to show them that I will discipline them when THEY choose to disobey. It was not Mommy or Daddy's choice but theirs alone. I think this is very important that they understand this concept.

It has been a couple really tough weeks. Mollie has reverted back to tantrums and they are bigger and badder (is that a word?) than ever before. For example, last week my sister was watching her and she was sent to her room for disobeying and told to sit on her bed. She told her Auntie "NO!" but did go to her room. Her Auntie told her to leave the door open and go sit on her bed (otherwise Mollie will just escape by trying to go to sleep.) Mollie tried to shut the door. Auntie repeated the command again to which Mollie slammed the door open, yes open and gave her Auntie a look like "So there!" Britt said she can't believe how much attitude comes out of such a little body. I agree and this has been a trying time. Neither Jones or Mollie seem to care to obey whatsoever. FRUSTRATING!

I find that when we go through a stage like this I tend to want to withdraw because I can feel overwhelmed, disrespected, unloved, etc. but I am finding more and more that I need to do the opposite. So today, my new plan of action has begun! Joey is out of town for three days and I am just going to take this time to pour into my kids. I do have a busy day tomorrow and the next day but all today and every second I am with them in the next couple days will be about showing them how much I love them and teaching them as calmly as I can to walk in the way of righteousness.

I am all about training the heart. So I do what I feel in my spirit is the right thing to do and I seek out books and information that go along with that idea. My Jones is a "Why Guy" and he just has to know why about anything. I normally do explain things to him but right now we are working on obeying first and talking later. I know this is hard for him if he feels he doesn't understand why he is told to do something. I tell him that he is welcome to ask me questions any time of the day but when it comes to a time when he is told or asked to do something, I need to see immediate action and the only words I want to hear if any are "Yes Mom." I have yet to hear & see it come naturally from him but we are working on it. We are working on Mollie too.

Last week I had a call from Jones teacher and that was pretty hard. He was just goofing around blowing on people, pulling hair, and not responding to his teachers warnings and instructions. She said Jones ended up being separated from the group for the entire day. This made me very sad but also very upset as Jones CHOSE to not obey his teacher and to not use self control. We had a LONG talk reminding him of lessons he has already learned about not giving in to temptation and using self control. We talked about his awesome qualities like how incredibly smart and friendly he is. We explained he can either be the boy that his teacher says "Oh, here comes trouble" or that she says "Oh, here comes my awesome student Jones!" We also discussed that his actions are a distraction to the other students and he does not want to be responsible for other people not learning! Overall I think it was very good that it all happened. It showed Jones that we have communication with his teacher and it is all tied together and also to remind him that we can not go with him everywhere and he will have to decide for himself what kind of person he wants to be and in turn what kinds of things will take place in his life, opportunity & blessing? Or trouble? He reminded himself that God is always with him. He is never alone which is a great thing especially when you are lonely or scared but also He is watching and our goal is to please him and not disappoint him even though His love does not change.

What is great is that when I seek advice from my Bible or Christian authors regarding parenting, I always become more clear on my relationship with God as well since I am the child in that circumstance. I read and then talked to Jones yesterday about God's rules and our rules. They aren't there to limit you and be mean, they are there as a protection and to help lead a life of more blessing vs. hardships. I asked him what would happen if I put my hand on the hot stove? Jones said "You would get burned." I explained that in the way he knows that consequence, that Daddy and I know the consequences to his disobedience especially if it continues into adulthood which is why we are trying to nip it in the bud. In turn I of course understand even more so God's rules and how they are there out of love and protection (which I knew but sometimes you just understand in an even deeper way you know?)

So that is a much longer story than I was planning to tell but I am hoping we are coming to a peak (as my friend Molly said yesterday) and hopefully it will get a little easier soon.

"Only Hope"

2008-09-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been stretched so thin and you need a moment alone with God so bad that you just feel like you are going to burst? I sure do. I often do it to myself. I volunteer for way too much and then try to get by. Each time I get to this place it is a little easier to bear so I do feel like I am learning and growing. The thing is that I can MORE than get by, but not in my own strength.

I often allow myself to get so overwhelmed and half the time it is simply the anticipation. How will I get through this week? I am going to be so tired. How am I going to have time to relax? Time with my family? The fact is usually there is time and I just need to take advantage of it and stop worrying! And I can get through it, I may get tired but oh well. Like I said, I get through it!

Today He met with me. Today he spoke to me and it amazes me how it all came about. For a couple weeks I have been wanting to watch a sad movie because I haven't had a good cry in a long time and honestly sometimes a girl just needs that. I decided I wanted to watch "A Walk to Remember." I only watched it one time before and I had not known the story or what was to come and ended up bawling for 3 straight hours! Looking back I know that probably tied into REALLY needing a good cry? Who knows? It was crazy. Anyway, so I am watching it today by myself and when it got to the part where she sings "Only Hope," I start praising the Lord singing it to him. And then the tears come. Then I am reminded in my spirit of a book about the Lord's love that I have so I grab it and read and it speaks directly into my life about being used as a vessel and how I (we) are vital to His purpose. "You are not unworthy, You are not unprepared. The only thing that could possible hinder you is if your love for me is too small and if so, draw near and I will pour my love out on you." Those are JUST the words I needed to hear which then led to more worship from myself to my "Only Hope", my God & my King. His love is amazing. There is nothing I desire more.

Me? A writer?

2008-09-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Another thing keeping me on my toes is something that happened by complete chance... or was it? For the last few years I have sort of set aside my love of music and drama to serve in other areas. I have to say I miss it very much but could not find a place to fit it back in. I have been praying for months for the Lord to show me direction in the area of ministry that he wants me in, if any at all. So... how do I do this as a short story. Let's see...

Kim & Vern are my Mother-in-law & Father-in-law. They have just started to attend Grace and have a TON of drama experience so they were asked to step in and help put together the Christmas production. Josh Son (our music minister) is in charge. So anyway they invited me to a brainstorming meeting where they had the skeleton of a script they were working with. We were told to all go home and write a synopsis and outline of a full script. After we presented, they ended up asking me to write the entire script to which I of course agreed! This is something I have never really done before (besides an old screen play that I do not even have on paper yet.) I was soooooooooooo nervous sharing the script when it was finished. It was such a vulnerable moment to share but... they like it! So with a few tweaks we are ready to go and I actually now have the opportunity to get my feet wet in directing as well! This is amazing how this has all happened and awakened this dormant passion of mine. I feel truly honored to serve God, our church, and hopefully community in this way!

The next few months will be consumed with putting this whole play/musical together with the many talented people that will be taking care of all the other portions. I am very excited but also know that this will be a huge challenge fitting such a time consuming project into our Waller household life. If you think of it, please pray for my family and that they would know that they are my priority and for my husband who has so willingly said yes to being a single Dad many nights as mine will for sure be filled with meetings and rehearsals. Please also pray for guidance from the Holy Spirit that we will steer the story and the cast in the direction that He has for us and also for those that will attend, pray that their hearts will be touched and stirred. My prayer is that we will create an atmosphere in the room and in hearts that the Holy Spirit can work.

So, yeah, in a nut shell, that's it. Crazy huh?

So much to blog, so little time.

2008-09-08T17:33:00.001-07:00

Wow, I am behind again. Big surprise I know. That is what a busy lifestyle will do to you. I just thought I would update what has been going on with our family. I think I will do it with bullets to make it easier for me to write and you to read! :)

*Jones started Kindergarten and is really enjoying it. It is great to see him excited to go and riding the bus like a big boy. He LOVES his homework and song book they send home. I am so glad and relieved. I have met his teacher on three separate occasions and she seems very nice. Prune Hill's technology is really awesome. They had some things I have never even heard of, a far step from school of "my day" which really doesn't feel like THAT long ago. His teacher actually wears a high tech microphone around her neck which distributes the sound evenly throughout the room. They also have the really neat overhead projectors (not old school) that can display a book or anything you place under them.

*Jones and Mollie have both begun memorizing verses. Each of our morning devotions include a verse and repeat it for about four days which helps lock it in. Jones has memorized four & Mollie has memorized one. It touches my heart so deeply when they recite them. I will post a video soon cause it is sooo adorable.

*I am working at my Dad's office covering a portion of my brother Brandon's job while he is off traveling Europe for five weeks. He is the Human Resources Manager. This is a huge blessing as it will give us some additional income for a time but it is also stressful trying to fit into our life and find someone to watch the kids. Mom & Britt are really helping.

*Joey is very excited that Football Season along with Fantasy Football has started and this is now the common background noise for me in the evenings.

* Mollie's tantrums are back with a vengeance. She had quite a few "terrible twos" tantrums around 24 months but they nicely faded away. Now we are back with a tougher rougher version. Whew! We are working on that! Time Out Cool Down city for her!!!

*Some of you may know that I am in charge of the Womens Events at Grace and that is about to start up here again. Last year it was only retreat and one summer event. This year there will be several events but the plan is to delegate, delegate, delegate! There is just no way I can head all of it up so I am hoping to have some leaders step up and take on the individual events. Our first meeting is on Thursday. And for any of you that attend Grace, PLEASE feel free to come!!!

* We have a Waller family vacation coming up and we are very excited! We do have to take Jones out of school for three days so hopefully that will work out okay. :)

First Day of Kindergarten!

2008-09-03T15:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Jones' first day of Kindergarten. After much thought and discussion, we decided to let him ride the bus both ways. He was delighted! He had a great time in "Mr. Amundson's class." It is actually "Mrs." Amundson which I am trying soooo hard to get him to correct before she catches on!

Yesterday he was pretty nervous even though he said he wasn't. He wasn't really smiling or talking in the morning which is NOTHING like "normal" Jones but as soon as he got off the bus after school he was back to himself. Mollie and I both had a pretty hard time with him going. Mollie was bawling the moment he got on the bus. She said she missed him and then that she wanted to go on the bus too. If I can figure out how to post the video of her I will. I was pretty strong until I got home to my quiet house. Then I lost it. It was weird to put my child who I have tried so hard to watch over and protect on to a bus with someone I don't know and send him somewhere. I am okay now. Just so odd to not have any children and then within one year be sending one off to kindergarten. Talk about fast forward!!!

Anyway, check out the pics! Don't miss the GIGANTIC backpack! I think he looks soooooooooooo undeniably handsome!

Girls Night Celebrating Annie's Birthday and almost BIRTH day of Baby Talon!

2008-08-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

For Annie's Birthday Emily had called and asked her what she wanted to do. Annie said "Outback & Bingo" so Outback & Bingo it was! We thought it would be fun if Baby Talon decided to come on this exciting night (he is due Aug 29th.) However.......Nope! No baby & NO WINS! Can you believe it? Out of six girls, some of us playing 12 individual cards at a time... none of us won even once!!! Crazy! We did win by enjoying the evening with each other though. :)

My Own Little Goldilocks

2008-08-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

The night before last we had quite a scare. I was just getting home from a night out celebrating a friend's birthday and I went upstairs and was shocked to find Mollie's door open and her fan still on. I called down to Joey to let him know as my heart begins to pound. Okay so I really do try to work on the worry thing but all I could think in that moment was about the children that have actually been taken from their bedrooms. But... the door was open. I went to Jones room thinking for sure I would find her there. When Olivia and Jack are over, Mollie always sleeps in Jones room and often now I find her in his bed and normally she has turned on both his music and fan but NEVER at night! I was surprised Joey hadn't heard anything. Actually he did say he heard our baby gate but he thought it was Jones.

So.... I opened the door....no sign of Mollie. This is when I really began to panic. The only other room up there besides the loft (which I could clearly see)was our room. I opened our bedroom door and the lights were off and our turbo fan was on high (we NEVER have it on high because it sounds like a jet engine on high!) And....there she was completely sound a sleep on my side of the bed. I was so relieved to find her and at the same time decided to make a new rule.

From now on Mollie is not allowed to leave her bed until I come get her ( I still have a monitor in her room.) I know it sounds a little strict but she's ONLY 2 1/2 and lately she has been getting up even before me and getting up from naps and such. So... I told her to just say "Moooommmyyy" and I would hear her and come get her. Then when she is a little bit older and I can trust her to come straight to where I am or engage in a safe activity when she gets up, then it will be allowed.

I have to admit though... it was pretty cute!:). And Joey did get a little bit of an earful from me about checking on the kids if he is hearing strange noises at bedtime!

Summer Nostalgia?

2008-08-24T00:39:00.000-07:00

I have pretty much been blogging my life in pictures lately as I have been taking pictures and videos constantly! I don't know if it is because summer is wrapping up rapidly, or my children seem to be changing so much each day, or because it is has been only a year since Jones & Molly joined us and now I am sending my oldest baby off to Kindergarten. I can't believe he just turned six and now he is going to be a big Kindergarten boy. I am very excited for him and HE himself is very excited. It will be different around here without him, although we did find out that he is afternoon Kindergarten so our schedule really won't change all that much (that is his normal quiet time.)

Anyway, I don't know the purpose of this post. Check out my zillions of latest blogs and lastly check out this candid picture of this delightfully laughing twosome.