Hunter-Tate's birthday party!!!

We have some close friends with kids named Hunter, Tate, and Callie. Only Nehemiah refers to the boys as Hunter-Tate. They don't seem to have separate names, and they are both named the same thing! So here are pictures of good ole' Hunter-Tate's (actually, just Tate's) 3rd birthday party earlier on in August!

The awesome Dino-cake! I didn't catch it until after the marshmallow eyes were gone...darn!


Callie and Tate chowin'

Happy birthday Goofy Guy!

The cake eatin' crew!

My muncher <3

What's a girl to due?!

Well, depending on who you listen to, my due date was yesterday or today. Seeing as it is highly unlikely that I will be giving birth in the next 3 hours or so, I am overdue--again! I guess my babies just like to snuggle in! ;)

Please pray that I would be patient and that I won't have to be induced--it hasn't even come up with my doctor yet, but I would really rather avoid that conversation altogether!

So, on my due-date, we had some friends over for soup, sandwiches, and Wii fun after church. A little rockin' out on Guitar Hero. I think I surprised everyone with my Pat Benatar kick while jammin' on Heartbreaker! ;) Yeah, that's right...I've still got some moves! The guys then played some Mario Kart while the ladies entertained the children. All in all, it was a fun experience, (and I guess I shouldn't be too shocked about this) that left me exhausted!

Hoping things are well with you all--I'll try to keep you posted! I love getting pictures out as fast as possible after the little one arrives, but there isn't WiFi at the hospital, so we'll see!

The Next Teen Pop Sensations?

The pizza sauce all over their faces is a nice touch, you think? And an adoring/adorable fan!

Happy Days

Today we went out on our friend's speed boat. I love this boat. It was very fancy back in it's day. And to me, it's day seems right around the time Fonzie jumped the shark on Happy Days.

I'll try to get the youtube footage of the momentous occasion, up for you soon. :)

Nehemiah fell asleep on the way to the restaurant we had lunch at,
but had a great time on the way back.

We were most of the way back when the boat died completely, so I had to wave down some kind fishermen to tow us back to shore, but that wasn't disastrous, because we got to take a dip in the lake while we were waiting.

It was a fun day--even if we are all a little tired and sunburned! :)

First Day at the Beach!

Yeah, we had a blast! We went with our friends the Normans. I got some great shots of the action!

All the boys hanging out.

Yep...I eat sand!

And play in it.

Chillin' in the sun and surf with my buddy Tate.

Winding down.

Ready for a nap.

Nature shots!

I really enjoy the natural aspect of living where I do. I saw this neat guy (a Great Blue Heron) less than a mile from my house, on our way home from the beach, and I had to stop and say hi!

My love for identifying and looking for natural wonders comes in large part from my good friend Lisa. When Ben and I lived in WA, Lisa was my near constant companion, and she is a wildlife biologist. I've never quite looked at things the same. I have so much wonder at God's Creation now--never pass those moments by if you can help it!

I think one of the most valuable things I learned was that Lisa didn't know everything (most of her training was in Colorado type plants and animals, and they are vastly different), but she knew how to find out almost anything--quickly too! I am empowered by watching her gather information--and now, I'm hooked! Love ya, L!

Jumpin' Jack

We went to a friend's house for dinner, and they have two things Nehemiah loves; a trampoline and a 9 year old daughter! :) Here are some pictures of our foray.

Good friends

Do you ever find that you take on mannerisms of your close friends?

Today Ben and I ventured out and there was a robin in the middle of the highway who would not move. Ben eventually honked at him to get him moving. At times like these I imagine what might be going through the bird's brain.

Immediately the Robin thought he was a chicken and had a distinct Mexican accent. He was playing chicken and was going to win no matter what. I had the voice down! When I finished my little imaginary charade, Ben and I were laughing (probably one of those had to be there moments). I sounded just like one of our great friends from our time in the military out in WA. John Tafoya has the best "fake Mexican with an attitude" accent. I ended up sounding similar and it was too funny.

There are those people in your life that you will never forget. The same type of people that you may not talk to or see often, but when you do, there are no hard feelings and you pick up right where you left off. The Tafoyas are that for us. Boy do I miss them! ;)

Peace Pipe

When I first met Ben in college, he used to smoke a pipe on occasion. He said it was part of his quest to enjoy the delights of being an old man throughout his life. I remember one day when I came out of my dorm room and knew he had a big test he was about to go to...I saw him leaned up against a wall puffing away like Sherlock Holmes on a case. I am not really into smoking, mostly because it makes me sick, but I thought it was really cute. It must be love, eh?

Well, we went out with some fun new friends tonight and Ben thinks that when the guy gets together for a fooseball night with some buddies that they may smoke cigars. He was a little excited, because I bet it has been well over a year since the last time he has done anything like that, and he prefers to do it socially.

It got us to talking, and I decided the pipe may make a comeback...especially if I'm not around. I mean it is reusable. The ultimate in green indulgences, right? Surely if you cloth diaper and smoke, it only makes sense to go with the pipe! Ha!

What random thoughts on the eve of another blizzard.

I could get used to that title!

We went to visit with Callie, Sarah and the rest of their fam this evening. I brought a little gift for the big brothers...it was the new Handy Manny DVD that I won on a blog I read daily called Sarah's Dandelions. I haven't watched it, but I bet it is good...Wilmar Valderrama, or Fez, from That 70's Show voices Manny.

I can't remember how I found Sarah (the one that writes the blog--not the one with the new baby), but her blog is a great read for me. She is honest, humorous and full of grace, and she lives in the same neck of the woods as I do--not close enough to get together, but close enough to have experiences that I relate to. :)

Anyway, it was a blessing to win the DVD to share, and as we were leaving, Hunter said, "Baby Miah's Mommy?" Yes. "We get to keep this over the whole night, right?" You see, we have lent our friend's our Wii game of Pixar's Cars before, and it is always a tough one for Hunter to give back. When I told him that it was his and Tate's to keep forever, he looked up at me with the biggest eyes and cutest grin and said, "Oh thank you Baby Miah's Mommy!" It warmed my heart and made me realize that Baby Miah's Mommy is a name to wear with pride! :)

It was so good to see Sarah--she really went through it to have that precious little one! The things mamas do for their babies! I am really happy that they are all safe and sound now, and I am looking forward to helping out when I can. Nehemiah really loves Hunter and Tate, and I can't resist Callie. I always enjoy hanging out with Sarah, so it will be more fun than work to be with them.

Sorry I have not been blogging as frequently as normal...all is well, I have just been sorting like a mad woman! I have found that I have a mother lode of office supplies, labels, and crafty things from my teaching days-woohoo! I am down to the last boxes that I can find, and have been slightly disappointed, because some of my favorite teaching books have not produced themselves yet. I have scoured the garage for a missed box and haven't found THE ONE. Hopefully when we do the big garage clean out in the Spring, it will magically appear.

There's an update on our life, what about yours?

I'm a sucker

For itty-bitty babies! I went to the Family Birthplace today to see my friends and their brand new baby girl--she is too adorable!!! Unfortunately my buddy had a really rough delivery and lost a lot of blood, so she was sleeping deeply to recover, and we didn't get to chat. I may make it back up there before she is discharged...we'll see.

We did, however, get to talk to the proud daddy, and he was, shall we say, in deep smit! Their daughter is beautiful, expressive, and attentive (at least through the nursery window). She seems like she is doing so well for being nearly a month early. What a blessing!

It was fun to be back where Nehemiah was born. One of our favorite nurses recognized us right away--pretty impressive 7 and 1/2 months later. I think I'll see if I can put in a request for her, Mary, next time. I'm not sure if that is possible, but if it is, then we're going to give it a shot. She is amazing!

Then we went out for a quick and cheap meal with our friends Dan and Megan.

It seemed like a good night for a Wal*Mart mullet hunt--since we both had our cameras along, but we were sadly mistaken. Apparently the mulleted were wiser than we who were at Wal*Mart in sub zero temperatures. We saw nary a one--save the green Irish Mullet wig for $4.96. Tempting? You bet! But not quite tempting enough-sad to say. :)

And with that lovely vision...I leave you.

Playdate

Grinning at the tiny little lady, Adelaide (with her Mum, Susan):