Mother's Day 2010

Mother's Day weekend was such a good one for me this year. Though it was certainly nice to feel noticed and appreciated, I was mostly just struck with how blessed I am to be "mommy" to Travis, Jayna, and Evan. I love these kids so much!

The weekend started with a lovely tea put on by Travis' class at Concordia. The kids were clearly so excited to pamper their moms, and it was fun to see other moms clearly as excited and blessed as I was. When we first came in the room, the moms lined up and one by one, the kids would come and escort - arm in arm - their mom to her table. After Travis took me to my seat, he brought me a very stylin' hat he made, a plate full of food, and a bottle of iced tea. After we all ate and talked for a while, the kids sang several songs for us, Mrs. Banta took pictures of each of us with our kids, read everyone a story, and then the kids presented all of us with a gift (marigolds in personally decorated pots). It was fun to spend the time with Travis, and also see him with all the friends he has made at preschool this year.

On Sunday, I played piano on worship team while Steve, who had just worked all night, had the kids all morning. (Thanks, babe!) He also had to work that night, which meant that as soon as we got home, he had to go to bed and sleep basically until it was time for him to leave again. Normally - I will be honest - I would be a tad bit irritated to be the sole parent on Mother's Day, when I should be out at a spa or something :) But thankfully, God gave me a good attitude and I decided to make my only goal for the day to enjoy my kids. We ate simply, played a lot, and cuddled on the couch and watched a movie. Like I said, I am blessed, and I don't take it for granted!

Oh, and Steve gave me an ipod nano!! (or as Jayna calls it, my "music box") We'd been talking about buying one for awhile, especially for my running, but were hesitant to spend the money. Normally, our budget for Mother's/father's day is like, um, $10, so this was a total splurge. But I'm loving it, and transferring some of my CD collection into itunes as I type this!From this angle, you can't see the many feathers plastered all over the hat. It's quite the piece of art. Travis told me when we got home - and he was being serious - that I should wear the hat to church on Sunday. I don't remember what I said to get out of that plan :) Travis took this one!

My first ever 100% handmade/drawn/designed by a child Mother's Day card. Yes, I will keep it forever! Oh, and that blob on the left? It's a maze, couldn't you tell? :)

Celebrating in Seattle

For Steve's birthday this year, we decided that instead of any major physical gift (since A: Steve is the most impossible person in the world to shop for, and B: when asked, there is never anything he wants), we would have a fun family day in Seattle. We decided to leave Evan with a friend since - let's face it - doing touristy-type things is just a whole lot easier without a baby in tow!

First, we headed to the Pacific Science Center. Travis has become very excited about dinosaurs lately, and he also recently did a unit at preschool on butterflies and new life. And at the PSC, they have both a dinosaur AND butterfly exhibit, so this was perfect! Jayna was especially into the water toys at the kids area. She would have stayed there all day if we had let her! But she actually did really well with the rest of the museum.

The dinosaur exhibit! Jayna was pretty freaked at first (I love the bottom picture of her hiding and clinging to Steve). Travis made us tell him the name of every dinosaur there. He loved it.
My favorite part of the museum was definitely the butterflies. The were so beautiful and varied, and they were everywhere!

A mirror at PSC that made us all laugh :) After four or so hours at the PSC, we decided to go up the Space Needle! None of us had ever been, so it was pretty cool for all of us. I only wish that it had been a clearer day for a view of Mt. Rainier. Still gorgeous, though. So after several hours at the PSC, walking to the Space Needle, and hour there, then walking back to our van, the kids were pooped. I'm actually amazed at how well Jayna in particular did, considering she had no nap. About two minutes after we got in the car, they were both out.

They didn't get to sleep long, because by this point, we were starving. We ended the day at Bucca di Beppa's, a great Italian restaurant where they serve you family-style and have great food. Can you tell Travis and Steve are tired of the camera at this point?

All in all, it was such a great day! With little kids and major outings, well, you win some and you lose some. But this day couldn't have been better - a definite win!

Walking!

Just realized I never posted this because videos weren't uploading at the time...

Anyway, at 12 1/2 months, Evan took off! He had been taking 1-3 steps at a time for a long time, but one day he just decided it was time. You could just see the excitement and thrill of discovery on his face! Now...he's pretty much running. The kid can move.

My gardens!

This year, I am embarking on a new hobby: vegetable gardening! I'm not really sure why I'm so excited about this, but I am! I've always wanted a garden, but figured that as long as we lived in our current home, I probably wouldn't get one. Last summer, however, our neighborhood started a community garden. It's made up of probably 20-25 4' X 8' raised beds, all available for residents to use for the growing season. They charge $10 for water usage, but otherwise, it's free, and this year I got my name on the list in time to claim one. Shortly after that, a guy by the name of Mike advertised in our community newsletter that he would be willing to come and look at your space, help you plan accordingly, and build a 4' X 12' raised bed, plant 2 fruit trees (we picked apple and plum), and also a raspberry patch. He was great. He and his wife came and did all the building/planting (and filled/covered it all with compost) in an afternoon. They were so friendly and had lots of tips for us, and on top of that they charged us not nearly enough considering all the plants/supplies/work they did. I love nice people :)

In the last week or so, I've spent a little time here and there planning my gardens...what to grow, when to plant what, etc. We've started some from seed, but we'll do most of it from starts, at least this first year. On the list: zucchini, tomatoes, peas, beans, pumpkins, carrots, lettuce, and possibly potatoes, broccoli, and/or cucumbers. Haven't decided for sure yet. We'll see how much I can fit in :) And we're way excited about the raspberries, although they may not produce much this first year. Everyone tells me that gardening is easier than it seems, but I still feel like this year will be somewhat experimental, and that's okay. I've got many years of gardening ahead of me, Lord willing!

Pictures of what it all looks like now...I'll follow up later with pictures of my bountiful harvest!

Future musicians

Evan, his party, and more...

We had a party with several family members here at the house, and it was great. Simple, fun, and beautiful weather that allowed us to be outside much of the time! I only wish I had taken a group picture.

Pretty professional looking cake, eh?

Okay, so I tried to plan the party time around when Evan is usually happy and awake. And he was...until it was cake time. He really started to melt at that point. And that is why A)he looks drunk (he seriously was nodding off as he was eating his cake) and B)the other kids got to open his presents while he sat happily eating cake.

Reflecting on Evan’s first year…Let’s just say that it’s a good thing I took lots of pictures and wrote a lot of things down. Otherwise, his first year would be largely a blur in my mind.

I remember when I was pregnant with Evan, countless people told me that going from two to three kids was WAY easier than going from one to two. Well, that may be the case for most people, but it was definitely NOT the case for me! The first few months were a big adjustment for me. And it didn’t really have anything to do with Evan himself; he was a great baby. It was just the fact that there were now THREE of them! All at different stages, all with different needs, and all with a mom who is way too much of a perfectionist and too hard on herself. In the end, Evan coming along grew me in many ways. It created a greater need AND desire to lean on God. I think I talked about this before…He is sufficient. And I am so lacking. This year has also grown me in the area of patience – something I struggle with. Yes, kids teach patience, better than anything else in the world! And lastly, it taught me that sometimes the best thing you can do for yourself (and/or your family) is lower your expectations and give yourself a break. The house doesn’t have to be perfectly clean, dinner can be super simple, it’s totally okay if other people witness your kids at their less-than-best, and needing a break every once in a while does not make you a bad mom. I’m guessing that this lowering of expectations is a hard thing for many, many moms out there, especially type-A’s like me. But it can be a really good thing. Nothing is more important than spending time with your kids and living an example of love.

Evan is truly such a joy. We have way too many videos of him giggling at the silliest things – I love how easy it is to make him laugh! Evan is also a go-getter, and when he sees something he wants, he goes for it. He’s our snuggler – many times a day when we pick him up, he’ll automatically lay his head down on our shoulder and wriggle his arms between himself and whoever’s holding him. If he wasn’t so heavy, I’d hold him all day! I love those moments. It is so much fun watching their personalities develop and see how each of our kids are so different, yet also the same in other ways.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for Evan’s life! We love you, buddy, more than we know how to say.

A year (and two days) old!!

More on Evan's birthday party and thoughts on this last year later; I just wanted to acknowledge Evan's birthday before we're TOO far past the date... I love this kid so very much. I remember his birth so fondly, and am so thankful God gave him to US!