A Wild Week

Life has gotten busy lately, and so the blog has seemed to get pushed to the bottom of the list! I am so sorry!! The last two weeks went like this... To start things off, my grandmother passed away a week and a half ago. So with only a couple days notice, I boarded a plane this past Monday for a whirlwind two-day trip to Arizona for the funeral. My grandmother was a strong, encouraging woman of God! The testimonies shared throughout the funeral activities again brought her wonderful spirit alive for those who knew her. The days were spent visiting with family whom I haven't gotten to see much lately. And leaving the rain for 105 degrees was actually nice. It was really a refreshing trip overall.

Once I returned, Jason and I enjoyed an amazing weekend at the coast for a couple's retreat. The getaway was to celebrate our 6th anniversary. The speakers were really insightful and talked a lot about the importance of commication in marriage. What a great reminder! Jason and I had a great time walking along the shoreline, flying kites, eating at a local brewery, and staying up into the wee hours of the morning playing cards with friends. What a precious time to be together, away from the children, for the first time since Natalie was born.


Yesterday was such a gorgeous day, we decided to spend the evening eating a picnic dinner at the park with the kids. Jason's parents and grandma met up with us also. What a perfect end to a crazy and rewarding week!

I have MANY pictures, but haven't had the time to upload them from my camera...they will come soon...

Does Time Have Wings?

Because it sure seems to be flying away! Natalie is 7 months today. She has another beautiful tooth in the front and her smile is more adorable every day. She is moving around on her own, but not quite at a full crawl yet. It's more of a crawl/roll combo, but it generally gets her where she wants to go.

Caleb is talking in full sentences and loves to make up many stories. Yesterday we had some pancakes for breakfast and Jason got out some whip cream to put on Caleb's pancake. He made a smiley face and we asked Caleb what it was. He replied, "dada clause" (santa clause). I guess because the face was white, he associated it with Santa's beard. Oh the connections he makes! When we go to Costco, Caleb loves to hand the receipt to the guy on the way out. The worker always writes a smiley face on the back. Lately, Caleb has been calling the smiley, "papa" (grandpa). After the Santa, I am now thinking he is connecting the smile with my dad's beard. :) We have been having a rough time at night recently, and Caleb seems to make any excuse he can as to why he is not ready for bed (food, potty, the hook on the ceiling is scary, etc). The other night he came out after I had put him down for he third time and said to me, "tv too loud, night night time!" What a goof! I was watching one of the quietest cooking shows I know of!