A week in Klamath

I suppose if I wanted to, I could come up with much to blog about from the last month...but I dont' want to. :) We've been on adventure after adventure this summer, and so far, it hasn't been too much. Instead of taking hours to play catch-up on everything we've been up to, I just wanted to post about our most recent adventure - a week at my parents' in Klamath Falls, OR!

It was a wonderful week! Klamath is so different from Tacoma, and in most ways we don't think we could ever move back. But not necessarily because it's a bad place - just because we've become so used to Tacoma/Seattle and all this area has to offer.

Originally, Steve was supposed to spend the whole week with us, but it turned out that he had to work (it was July 4th weekend, which is when pretty much EVERY officer in Tacoma is required to work). This meant that the drive down was not so much fun. Evan fussed almost the whole time, which is enough to drive anyone insane. Then Steve rode the train down a few days later and still spent 4 days there with us.

I have to pause here, because I know there are some who don't know this....my parents still live in the house we grew up in (for me, from mid-elementary on), which is also directly next door to the house where Steve lived from the day he was born until the day he graduated. His mom no longer lives there and the new neighbors have made many changes to the place, but it was still fun to be able to tell Travis that this house was where mommy grew up and that house was where daddy grew up. Travis and Steve even rode bikes together - Travis learning on the same street where Steve learned to ride a bike.

Anyway, once we made it, we had a great time. We arrived July 3rd, and the next morning we got to go to church, at the church I grew up attending. I love that place so much. It's funny because the church we attend now (RVCC) and the church we grew up in (BBC) are so different, yet they're both places I love very much. I guess they're alike in a lot of ways, too. This is the church (BBC) where my faith (and Steve's) was really solidified, where we were baptized, where we got married, where I had the BEST youth group experience one could ask for, and where I was known and loved by so many really great people. I always time my visits to KF around a Sunday so that I get to see these people! Later, my parents had some friends over and we had a really nice 4th of July with good food and fireworks around the firepit.

The rest of the week was lazy and great! My parents have a huge yard, so we had toys and the pool and the slip-n-slide out and went through a whole lot of sunscreen! It was nice and hot, but my parents have AC, which was nice to escape to. The kids loved playing with grandma and grandpa! And the best part was that my brother and his family were able to join us for the last few days! (they are currently spending time here in the NW between just leaving AZ and moving to VA next month...so we don't see them often. Jayna is STILL asking when "cousin Ada" is coming over.

And toward the end of the week, Steve and I had fun driving around town, visiting a few favorite places and reminiscing. Thanks, mom and dad, for your hospitality and help! We all loved our visit!

Fun with sparklers! One time when I was young, I accidentally put a sparkler up to my neck and burnt off several layers of skin. I still remember my dad and uncles holding me over my grandparents' sink, doing what they could to treat the area. So, I'm not a big sparkler fan, and it makes me VERY nervous to see my kids holding them. But Travis did a great job holding it FAR from his body :) At the park/lake...throwing rocks, of course.

LOVE this picture!!
Fun on the slip-n-slide! I just want pinch Jayna's little tushie when she's in a swimsuit! Travis and Daddy riding bikes. Travis is still pretty timid on his bike - which is perfectly fine with me!
Jayna and Ada - the only girl cousins. So far, anyway. WHERE is that turtle?!

There it is! Evan loved the turtle (it's hard to tell how big this thing is...but it's huge!) By "loved", I mean that Evan put his head on it, stood on it, poked her legs...the turtle was quite tolerant :)

The kids, jumping from couch to air mattress, air mattress to couch... you should have heard the giggles!

Travis' thoughts on Daddy

For Father's Day this year, I came up with the idea of interviewing the kids regarding their thoughts on "Daddy". Jayna wasn't quite up to the task, but I had a lot of fun asking Travis the questions and hearing his answers! He got quite a kick out of it, too. This may just be a new Father's Day tradition...

Everything here is exactly as Travis said it :)

Why did God make daddies?
T: To help us. To take care of us. And when you (as in me) are making food, someone has to watch us.

What are some of your names for Daddy?
T: Daddy, Daddy-o (giggle)

What does daddy look like?
T: Tall, has a huge nose, hair is like “this”(fingers a half-inch apart) short, has big feet, has big legs.

How old is daddy?
T: 31 (which is correct!)

My favorite thing to do with daddy…
T: Play baseball, all the time. Kick balls back and forth.

I don’t like when daddy…
T: Pushes me down, throws pillows at me. (he's referring to when they "wrestle" - and he actually loves it when Steve does these things :)

What does daddy do at work?
T: Makes sure everybody’s nice. Drives a police car. Eats. (lol!)

Why does daddy work?
T: So we can live in our house. To make sure no one wrecks. To make sure people go on the green light and not the red light. (shaking his finger and emphasizing "not the red light")

Something funny that daddy does…
T: Makes jokes.

What are some things daddy loves to do in his spare time?
T: Read the newspaper. Eat. Eat.

Daddy taught me…
T: How to throw a baseball the right way. How to play Taboo (?????). To look two times before I cross the street. To be nice to Jayna.

Mommy loves daddy because…
Because he loves you (me). He makes sure we don’t say bad things when you make food.


Pretty observant kid, I'd say!

Our summer...

Summer - aka my favorite time of year - is here!! Yahoo!! And this summer is going to be a great one, as we have lots of fun trips/activities planned. Though I admit that we may have overbooked ourselves a tad. I'm praying now that I won't get stressed out over the preparations for any of it, and that we'll be able to really enjoy our time together and make lots of good memories. Here's our summer at a glance:

This week: Jayna's birthday on Thursday!, bridal shower in Portland on Saturday, and Father's Day on Sunday.

My mom (and sister, right Becky?) coming for a visit next week.

Joint Travis/Jayna birthday party with extended family.

Travis' and nephew's birthday.

Trip to visit the family in Klamath Falls (Steve gets to go, too!). This is in early July.

Trip to Portland zoo with some of Steve's family.

Camping trip in central OR with others of Steve's family.

Trip to Boise, ID for Steve's sister's wedding - Travis is the ring bearer!

Camping trip with my family at Ike Kinswa State Park - can't wait!

Our anniversary. (though we probably won't do much, since we're saving a bigger trip for our tenth next year)

Church camping trip.

And on top of all of that, I'll be leading a weekly Bible study for moms at church (there are 28 signed up!, more on that later...); I'll also be training for a 1/2 marathon (more on that later, too)!! Which I'll run on Sept. 26th.

Phew! I'm a little bit exhausted just reading that list! And as much as I'm looking forward to all of those things, I'm also really excited for the days we'll just be home, going to parks, farmers markets, playing in the backyard, etc.

What does your summer look like?!

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!