O Christmas Tree

I can't believe I haven't posted at all in December...here is a little group shot of us before we killed our tree...it's really beautiful in the house though. I think the smell of Christmas trees is amazing...one of my favorite smells, I think.

my first bow!

Miriam had her 4 month appointment last week - She is in the 25% for her weight and 50% for her height...perfect! She was 12 lbs. She is doing great! I finally put a bow in her pretty hair. She liked it - you can tell.

Some Random Halloween Pics

Drew loved his t00-small elephant suit

this costume was Lauren Shearer's a couple years ago - cute!

Olivia was Queen Esther - she loves her custume and wore it for three days in a row.

Olivia and Drew with their friend Paige -

We love little Miss Paigey Bittner...we went over the the Sherwood Bittner's house for a little play time at their park. Isn't Paige just the cutest thing ever? BTW...her Daddy - Dr. JJ Bittner is a FANTASTIC pediatric dentist. Our kids think going to the dentist is one big party, and they ask me to go frequently. i think our kids started going at age 3.

Who do I look like?

While Miriam is definitely her own person, most people tell me she looks more like Olivia or Drew... Here's a little trip down memory lane.

I know - I posted this one, but it's just for the comparison - I was so happy I had one of Drew that looked so simialar..plus, it's cute enough to post again.

Drew at 3 months...WOW!

And Miss Olivia at 20 months...what a sweetie.

TOY review

Every once in a while you run across a toy that stand out from the crowd, that really engages your children, that is both educational and bushels of fun. For us right now - that toy is WEDGITS!!! My (math and science teacher) Dad bought Drew this great toy for his birthday and I highly recommend it. The kids are getting to be expert builders and we also use it for simple math problems.

Stop the Clock - no seriously

My newborn is three months old today...choke, choke, sob! She is great - we all love her and can't remember life without her now. She is my best sleeper by far and has recently figured out how to laugh - if she is sufficiently entertained. This usually requires lots of jumping up and down and squeeling, but it's worth it to hear her little laugh.

Trying Texture

here is my feeble attempt at adding texture to a photo. I like a lot of things about this image...mostly the setting. This park is relatively new in lake oswego and it is in the middle of a bunch of farm land. the play equipment is all "progressive" and new. I love the barn in the background too. thanks for the tutorial mindy strauss. if anyone else has tried this tutorial it would be fun to see your pics...come on - be brave. we promise we won't be critical, right everyone?

More Tualatin Wildlife Refuge

i dragged livi and drew out on a hike as an educational experience during one of the last 80 degree days of the season. This park has a nice walking trail with plenty of benches to rest. The welcome center is very nice and definitely kid-friendly. We did see A LOT of coyote poo! I'm not kidding, it was everywhere. We also saw this fuzzy, wuzzy caterpillar...these are one of the only bugs i'm willing to pick up. they are pretty cute, for a critter.

making me smile

This picture of Drew was taken at the nature reserve in Tualatin....it makes me smile though cause his eyes turn "Asian" in the bright sun...they're so squinty.

this is miriam's almost smile...she does smile a lot, but i can never get the camera there in time. it's like she hasn't quite figured out how to do it every time.

baby drew turns 3

where, oh where did those three years go....today is drew's official birthday. my baby drew is now 3 years old...time moves at lightening speed once you have kids. let me just rave about my little boy for a few sentences since it is his special day. drew melts my heart. he has long eyelashes and big shiny brown eyes like marbles. he tells me every day, " i love you very much mommy" or "oh mommy, you're so pretty." not to say he doesn't have his moments...i have had to send him to his room on several occasions when i'm not sure what i'm going to do with him...like when he squeezed half a bottle of shampoo on the new carpet, or smeared toothpaste all over the mirror, or spread shaving cream all over the floor, in his hair and clothes. it is in those moments that his big brown gorgeous eyes come in handy, cause i just love him to pieces. i love the way he is fascinated with how things work, his little eyebrows when he's concentrating on something important. i love it when he bangs his head on something cause then he lets me cuddle him for about half a second, putting his head on my shoulder. i love how he admires his sister. i love his generous little heart - he never eats anything special without sharing it with me and olivia.

So...Happy Birthday sweet boy. may God bless you this year and give you fun adventures, fill your heart with wisdom and grow you up like Jesus.

Sweet Little Face

My lovely little angel baby turned two months old on the 12th!!! She started smiling at 5 weeks, but this is the only smile i've caught on camera so far...it's more of a half smile. So far, she is much like her big sister...sleeps a lot and only cries a little. i feel so blessed - get this: SHE SLEEPS THROUGH the night! I prayed about this sleep issue probably every day of my pregnancy, so it is truly a huge answer to prayer.

firsy day of pre-school

So last Tuesday September 9th was the first day of Preschool for 2008 - Olivia's second year and Drew's first. (I'm only a week behind on posting this) They were both absolutely ready to see their friends and Teacher Patty. Last year I remember having a little lump in my throat when I dropped Olivia off for the first time. This year, Phuong took them and I got to stay home with Baby Mai. As the car pulled out of the driveway, I just breathed a cleansing breath, went for a little run with the jogger, and had a calm, quiet cup of coffee. Here are a few pics of the first day...I have more, but it's 10pm and time for bed. Just for fun, here is a comparison of last year's Pic...


They were already in the car all buckled in by the time I got my camera out...Guess they were ready.

Teacher Patty - She's the Best!!!

Olivia's good buddy Karly Moos

One More Day

Phuong has been gone for the past 11 days and is coming home tomorrow night! Yeah, I'm excited to hear about his fun trip to Burkina Faso and it'll be great to have him home again. Olivia and Drew have been really wonderful kids though - they have helped me their Mommy take care of our new little baby. Although, i do wish someone would hold her after 10pm on occasion. That is usually Daddy's job. I can't excactly wake Oliva up to do that, though it has been tempting. (Miriam did sleep through the night last night - 9:30 pm to almost 7 am!!! so i'm not complaining)

I have tried to make the time go quicky by scheduling fun activities for all of us. We went to Lincoln City for 4 days with my parents, visited the Children's Museum, and celebrated a few friends' Birthdays. it has kept us busy and now there is only 1 day left. It's hard to believe.

warm fuzzy overload

So, this does happen at my house on occasion. I was busy with baby Miriam and look over to see this sweet little scene. Olivia knows the words to this book, so she was "reading" it to Drew.

Sisters

this one gives me the warm fuzzies...what lucky (blessed rather) girls

Yummy

You really can't get too much of this....so precious.

1 month today

big yawn

a BIG shout out of Congratulations to my parents who celebrated their 40th anniversary yesterday!!!! Also - some sweet little pics of Livi and Drew eating some summer popsicles, and a funny Blue Chair one that made me laugh.

i'm going to be behind for a while

This one I took yesterday when she finally had her eyes open...we had to try the famous
"Blue Chair"

proud siblings at the hospital...I'm a little behind on my postings

So, i'm just posting quickly because I have to get a few more sleeping pics of baby Miriam while Olivia and Drew are off with Gramma at gymnastics. I usually post in the evening, but I have to go to bed at 9 now that i am getting up at 2 am. Everything is going really well though...she is a champ. thanks everyone for your sweet comments.

Miriam + 1 week = more cuteness than ever

Just a quick post to say we are all so in love with our new little girl. She is adorable and cuddly and super sweet. Olivia and Drew are so good with their little sister. She's our little princess. I can already see her face getting a little more chubby though...sad that they have to grow up so quickly.

She's Here!!!!!

Miriam has finally arrived.
6 lbs. 11 oz.
5:33 pm on July 12th
We are all doing great!

Happy Birthday U.S.A.

my top 5 favorite things about my country:
1. freedom to worship God -
2. the right to a fair vote
3. the schools, highways, national parks, and health systems - they are not perfect, but visiting 3rd world countries makes me really appreciate these things.
4. the natural beauty in our country
5. the free democracy and choices...i can have starbucks or peets, Winco or Whole Foods, Nordstom's or Target...and all the fun choices in between. I love choices.

OK - well this is not an exhaustive list - and i'm probably missing some big ones, but i do really love this country and appreciate what God has given us here. I asked Phuong what his favorite thing was and he said "that I can eat any kind of food I want."

God Bless the USA!!!!
Here are a few pics of our celebration with the Shearers at my parents house. Sara's parents joined us too. the kids all look a little shell-shocked, but i think they enjoyed themselves anyway.

let's go swimming

Drew is my little fish - he LOVES water and always has. Phuong and I think this is a good thing however, he is fearless and reckless so we are determined to have him learn how to swim as soon as possible in order to preserve his life. He loves to jump in the pool especially if there is no one standing there to catch him. So, he is off to swimming lessons until he is basically a certified life guard.