a first for Emma

Today was an important first for Emma: her first babysitting assignment.  We had a young friend come over for a little while this afternoon while his parents were in a meeting.  It was the perfect opportunity for Emma to get her first crack at babysitting, since I was around to help and guide and coach if necessary.  Emma is a natural at this, and a willing learner.  She got to experience playtime, mealtime, and even diaper time.  Today might have been the first, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Could you resist taking in this little guy if he was left at your doorstep? Just kidding! Mommy didn’t just leave him at the door!

Buddies!

Is it possible to feed a baby without opening your own mouth at the same time? I don’t think so.

fun in the falling leaves

 

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks our 17th anniversary! We’re just getting started! Love you Brent!

roadtrip #3

Last weekend marked a milestone in my sister, Tessa’s life.  She graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor’s degree in astronautical engineering.  If it sounds a lot like rocket science, it’s because that’s exactly what it is.  We enjoyed beautiful Seattle weather (it does exist, it’s not just a myth), and had a great time being proud of our girl.  She’s continuing her graduate work there at UW in the fall, so this is just one more step on her quest for Mars.  No joke.

We didn’t attend the general graduation ceremony, just the ceremony where graduates get individual recognition.  So that meant we attended the ceremony for the graduating class of 2013 from the Boeing Department of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.  Let’s just state plainly that there were a lot of IQ points in the room with all of those engineering students and their professors.  I mean lots and lots of IQ points.  When they started to announce the topics of study for the doctoral candidates, I must admit that my eyes started to glaze over as if they were speaking a different language.  Even though I don’t understand it all, I am still grateful for all the work engineers do.

The University of Washington campus was big and beautiful.  I know it gets a lot of rain, but it pays off in wonderful green ways all around the university.  And I’m grateful that Tessa was guiding us around the buildings, otherwise I’m sure we would have been lost a few times.

Congratulations, my beloved sister.  This is a big accomplishment, but I know there is even more you want to do.  And we’re cheering for you every step of the way.  Love you.

The three kids: me, Tessa, and Will

the big moment

Gorgeous library building. This made me laugh because it was about 8 times bigger than my college library.

Guggenheim Hall: her home away from home. Believe it or not, there’s a wind tunnel in there!

A beautiful campus view with Mt. Ranier in the background.

12 things about our 12-year-old

As promised, here are the finished pages of Emma’s birthday card:

We love that you:

1. are our firstborn

2. are a girl

3. love to read

4. are so willing to play games with your brother and sister

5. love music

6. worship God with all your heart

7. enjoy God’s creation

8. make a checklist for yourself every day

9. make lunch for the family every Wednesday

10. are compassionate

11. are a student of God’s Word

12. are super-duper ticklish!

birthday brunch at McKay Cottage

blowing out candles during a Bible quizzing road trip

playing piano for a worship song a the quiz meet’s morning devotions

getting ready for a quizzing match, check out those hot pink shoes!

It was a busy birthday weekend, just the way Emma likes it.  It wasn’t hard to come up with items for her card.  In fact we had to pare it down since we were limited to only 12 things.  She is a blessing to everyone who knows her.  Happy Birthday, Emma!

 

 

March craft projects

If you look around the crafting universe, you’ll see a lot of books called Smash Books or Junque Journals.  I think they are basically an informal way of scrapbooking.  Some scrapbookers use this method for projects called December Dailies.  These are daily scrappy journals that you can keep during the month of  December to document your advent season.  This idea really appeals to me, but I didn’t want to have to wait until Christmas to try it.  Fortunately, Easter is March 31 this year, so I made up a little daily journal for the month of March.  Some of it will be about getting ready for Easter.  But I have a feeling some of it will end up being about every day little things, too.  (I predict a few entries about March Madness.)  I made the journal with extra scrap paper, envelopes, and greeting cards.  The pages are blank now, but starting tomorrow, it will get filled in little by little.

 

 

The next journal is actually not a journal at all.  It’s a birthday card for Emma.  She is turning twelve!  I know, I know.  You can’t believe it!  Me neither!  Even though we’re not ready for her to be twelve, she definitely is.  Oh well.  I guess I can’t keep her a little girl forever.  For this project, I added a lot more detail and glitz and glam.  The idea is to fill it with twelve things that we love about Emma and give it to her as a keepsake.  Another post will come soon with what we write inside of it.

 

I had a lot of fun making these journals and I think I’ll have just as much fun filling them.  Can you imagine one all about summer vacation?  Or a trip to the beach?  Or an anniversary?  The possibilities are almost endless!

What to do for your 40th birthday

 

 

 

1.  Wake up to breakfast in bed.  Can you tell that Daddy was in charge of this meal?  McDonald’s and Jamba Juice to the rescue!

 

2.  Meet your family at 900 Wall Restaurant in downtown Bend.  Order some delicious food from the happy hour menu.  I had a burger with gorgonzola cheese and crispy potatoes on the side.  While you’re waiting for the food to come to the table, open forty presents.  (This is not a typo.  There really were forty of them!)  But you have to open them in order.  Your mom has spearheaded this project and involved your other family members, too.  Feel very loved by some awesome people, because you are.  Also, enjoy the moment when your husband tells the entire restaurant how old you are and then gets everybody to sing “Happy Birthday” to you.

 

3.  Drive around town enjoying the Christmas lights.  This house even has lights on their roof and lawn!  Bravo!

 

4. Go Cosmic Bowling at Lava Lanes.  Meet your bowling score goal, which is to break 100, keep track of the basketball and football games on the big screens, and have a great time.

 

5.  Realize that you are the most blessed person you know and thank God for the journey so far.  The first forty years have been great.  Now on to the next forty!

 

 

How to spend your 9th birthday

What is the best way to spend your 9th birthday?  The answer is: do a Christmas rap performance for your church family.  Blake was definitely one of the stars of the show today.  But really, we pray that he will be a star in life.  Daddy and I don’t say that in a cheezy way, but in an eternal way, for it says in Philippians 2:15-16, “. . . you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.”  Happy birthday, Blaker boy!  We love you more than words can say.

Getting ready to get the groove on!

Sweet Sixteen

It was sixteen years ago today that I married my Superman.  I have to say that I love being married to a superhero.  There is always an adventure to be had, or a problem to solve, or a task to perform.  Along with all of these adventures, we have learned many lessons.  And they usually have to do with prayer, forgiveness, and following God’s call.

Being a superhero means that you have to be willing to let the whole world watch what you do, because there a lot of people paying attention to your life.  On the other hand, the truly heroic things that you do will probably never be seen and and never be known.  But that’s one of the privileges of being married to Superman: I get to know.  I get to see.  I get to encourage.  After sixteen “sweet” years, I know that it’s just the beginning.  Happy Anniversary, Brent!

a flashback moment

Last night Brent had a meeting in our home with a couple from church.  Their older children quickly paired up with our kids to play.  But their little one-year-old toddler needed a little more supervision, so he and I got to hang out together for awhile.  He wanted in on the meeting and was becoming a bit of a distraction, so I decided to take him outside for a walk.  And that’s when the flashback moment hit me.  There I was, hand in hand with a little toddler, walking on the sidewalk, and enjoying the summer breeze.  As we started down the street, my memory immediately went back 10 years when I was doing this exact same thing.  It was such a vivid memory of where our lives were a decade ago.  I got a little teary from the nostalgia of it all.  Ten years ago, we had just moved from Texas to Minnesota for Brent’s new job.  (At that point, we still thought he was going to be a church choir director for the rest of his life.  Ha!)  That summer, we lived in a little one-bedroom apartment, just Brent, me, and our little one-year-old Emma.  We moved with only one car, so there were many days when Emma and I were home without access to a car.  That meant we took walks, a lot of walks!  We walked to the playground.  We walked to the the laundry room.  We walked to the garbage dumpster.  We walked around the parking lot.  We walked around the block.  I realize it was an inconvenience to be without a car, but I really did enjoy all of those walks with Emma toddling beside me, just a I enjoyed my walk with my little friend yesterday.  Those slow-down moments are precious.  And my flashback reminds how much they stick with us through the years.

It’s amazing the think about all that has happened in our lives since that summer a decade ago.  There have been a lot of changes:  different houses, different cars, more children, and a different job in a different state.  I’m thankful to be married to a man that sees all of these changes as part of the adventure of following the Lord’s leading in our lives.  And I must admit that I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for us and our children over the next ten years.  Hopefully, we’ll some more slow-down moments along the way.

Happy Birthday Brent!

It’s that time of year again, when we celebrate our Superman!  Brent is definitely a superhero to me.  I am fully aware of how cheezy that sounds, but it’s still true.  If you ever wanted to see a man of purpose and vision, look no further.  Here he is.  If you wanted to see a servant leader, he’s your man.  If you want to see a man who makes sure that his family knows they are his priority, just look at Brent.

Have a blessed birthday, Superman.  Love you.

Here we are in McMinnville last week. I’m squinting into the sunset, but the birthday boy looks great.