One Incredible Day

(Warning: whenever I enjoy something, I respond by over-posting about it. This will be a long one!)

So a while back in our Vancouver days, some good friends of ours (hi Cheryl!) gave us the inspiring idea of taking turns planning our anniversary from year to year. It's genius, really. I don't spend the month before our anniversary dreaming up all the romantic things Rob might do for me, only to have him come up with no plans, or worse yet, forget the day entirely. No, with each passing year I think we get more and more excited about how we're going to surprise each other. One year Rob took me in a rental car to the Vancouver Zoo. Another year to a hotel. (These are both big deals for us tight-budget sort of people).

This year was my year to plan, and I decided on...

...a 3 hour hike and a bonfire! I asked Rob for a good chunk of money, partly to throw him off, partly to cover gas, and partly so I could load up on whatever food I wanted to make the day special. We started off the day around 11am by dropping off the kids at my parents' house...the world's best babysitters! Then we stopped off at Fairway Ford (which REALLY confused Rob) to pick up a great worship CD from a friend - for ambiance on the 1.5 hour drive. Then we stopped at Subway for a take-along lunch. Rob still had no idea where we were going, though he had some good guesses! When we arrived at our destination, he was even more excited than I expected (I really love this guy). We're not really outdoorsy-type people...but there must be a little bit of wanna-bes lurking within, because we couldn't have been more pumped to be out in the woods! A total adventure for us small-town, full-time parenting folks.

We used to hike this trail when I was a kid, but I was way too young then to appreciate how beautiful it is! We couldn't believe the huge variety of landscapes we saw in a 3 hour time frame.

The hike started off with the falls, which were kind of piddly, seeing as it's almost the end of summer.

We climbed up for a while and then came to this marshy pond with several beaver dams.

We were truly sweating by the time we climbed up to this elevation (we're only used to climbing stairs and lifting kids) but felt pretty great...

...especially considering the view! (Note the lake in the distance)

I got to see a lot of sides of Rob that I don't normally get to see. The tour-guide side, for instance. :)

As well as the rock-throwing side. He enjoyed picking up large rocks and smashing them on even larger rocks. I played the part of thoroughly impressed female. (This is the lake that we saw 2 pictures back.)

This was one of the strangest ponds I've ever seen!

It was actually a bit creepy. It seemed like the kind of pond where a dead body would suddenly come floating to the surface. Don't ask me why. All we saw were some really great frogs.
We took a snack break at the halfway mark. And watched the lake and a bumblebee. And enjoyed the total silence .

The last half of the hike was WAY easier than the first...down rocks like this the entire time.

The next part of our day was a bit of a challenge...it took us at least an hour to find a place to have our fire! The picnic area I was planning to go to...wasn't there anymore! After a little prayer and asking for help, we landed this sweet spot in between an old church and a playground. No one else was there. It was perfect.

Rob got to show off his man-skills yet again by making a blazing fire to cook our dinner on.

Honking big steaks!! DELICIOUS!

We were so full and bloated after that we decided to walk through the field close by. Rob couldn't resist a little leap across these tires, and was having a great old time when suddenly the heavens opened up and shone down upon him!!

The perfect end to an absolutely wonderful day.

And he's 7 months already!

7 words I'd use to describe our 7 month old:

Sweet.

Intense.
Mischievous.Hungry.Curious.
Oh-so-cuddly!Exuberant!

Chest botherings and mouth gates.

(This is Ellie pretending to be "Ming Ming" from her movie "Wonder Pets". But the necklace with the change purse and swiping card at the bottom is what Ellie wears whenever she's pretending to be Daddy going to work to make pills. She puts her hard-earned money in the change purse...you get the picture. This is all totally off-topic.)

So the other night when Rob and I were trying to watch a movie, Ellie was having difficulty falling asleep. Every 15 minutes or so for about an hour she would suddenly start crying. Rob went in to her the first three times, and every time she said something different was bothering her. The fourth time I went in, equipped with some Motrin. Our conversation went a little like this:
Mom: "Ellie, what's bothering you?"
Ellie: "Um....um....my chest is bothering."
Mom: "Your chest? What does it feel like?"
Ellie:" It feels....owie."
Mom:"Well, I brought you some medicine to make all your owies feel better."
Ellie (shooting STRAIGHT up): "MEDICINE!!?!?"
(she drinks it all up)
Mom: "Okay, now there'll be now more crying. Just sleeping."
Ellie, giving me her best puppy-dog eyes: "You kiss me? On my cheek and on my eyes?"
Mom (snickering): "I love you Ellie." (gives the requested kisses)
Ellie: "I lub you too, Mommy. Kiss me on my eyebrow?"
Mom (smiling): "Good night, Ellie."

And all was silent.

Well, the next morning, Ellie was asking for medicine again. I figured she was just trying to con me out of more of the good-tasting purple juice. So I quizzed her further.
Mom: "Where does it hurt?"
Ellie (pointing in her mouth): "In 'ere'" (in there)
Mom: "In your mouth?"
Ellie: "Yes, in my mouth."
Mom: "Where in your mouth?"
Ellie: "In 'ere. In the gate of my mouth."

Now, I don't know exactly what the 'gate' of one's mouth is, but Rob decided to examine Ellie and lo and behold - she's got one and a half of her 2 year molars! I'd long since given up checking for those things, never mind giving her anything for the discomfort. I guess those teeth aren't just a myth, after all.

Pioneer Days

Every year our town hosts its annual Pioneer Day festivities on August long weekend. Some consider our attempts at a parade to be pathetic (a good third of the parade is antique tractors driving by), but I still enjoy it as much as I did as a kid! I'm one of those super nostalgic, family-oriented people...so there's just something about my whole town gathering on one street that makes me feel...happy. :)

We managed to find our friends Ruth, Simeon, Chloe and Ezra in the crowds. Good times are always better when shared with friends!

My mom and dad got back from their vacation the day before and came to hang out. My dad, of course, immediately stole Josh and they went to relax in the shade. (I realized after this picture that I had my camera on the wrong setting. Hence the lightness of the photo.)

The highlights for Ellie were definitely the horses...

...and the princesses!

But when the big trucks began honking their horns, she began to bawl!

Good thing Nana was there to save the day. I find it super amusing that already, Ellie gawks at princesses and cries at trucks, and Josh ignores the princesses entirely, and BEAMS from ear to ear when the trucks blast their horns. We are most definitely raising two different genders. I love it.

Regan and Uncle Nathan had also joined up with us, and left early due to scary trucks.

Mom and Dad pushed Ellie and Josh on the swings while we waited for traffic to clear. The perfect ending to a wonderful morning!

The rest of the weekend was typical for August long -RAINY. But we did get to the mall for a horse-drawn wagon ride and a chance to see the animals at the petting zoo. It felt downright silly taking pictures in our dinky mall, so there aren't many. :)

Ellie and a peacock.

Josh was pretty fascinated with the chicks. He would have ripped all the hair out had we let him.

Ellie and her long-awaited sucker. The one she caught at the parade was all cracked and broken, so we decided to buy her one at the dollar store. Like all candy, she got really excited about it, had a few licks and then was finished. This mom ain't complaining!

Thankful

These last few weeks have been pretty tough in the circumstances department. First I got strep throat. Then I went to the dentist and found out that I needed not one, not two, but FOUR fillings! The first fillings of my life! So I've been getting those done and am definitely becoming a tougher patient on the dentist chair. But one of the fillings is giving me a lot of grief, and there's a chance they'll have to redo it or (please no!) do a root canal!! I live on Tylenol and can only chew on one side. Joshua is heavily teething and prefers to be within one foot of his mother (that's me) at all times. This has caused my tendonitis to flare up. Ellie is very sweet and wonderful but she's also 2. And very energetic. I don't ever feel like I've accomplished much in a day. And those things, though not nearly as bad as they could be, make a person like me feel like a little...self-pity...is in order. But I've been down that road way too many times and it does very little, if any, good at all.

So I've been fighting my blues with thankfulness and prayer and when I look back on these last few weeks, yeah, they've been a battle, but boy, they've also been really good. I know I've had posts like this before, but I'll risk doing it again. Here's some of the things that make my heart overflow with thankfulness:

1. My husband, Rob. By God's grace we're experiencing some sort of revival in our marriage and we are having way too much fun! Yesterday I came home to 5 page love note! How amazing is that!?!
2. Tylenol.
3. Children's Tylenol. :)
4. Ellie's new passion for 'squish' hugs and jumping high in the air, which always make me smile. She has a soft and obedient heart.
5. Good nights.
6. All our debt is almost paid off.
7. Anticipation for what God might have up his sleeve next!
8. God hears my prayers, every one! Folks, He is LISTENING! (This simple fact is so encouraging to me lately.)
9. He enables me to do so much more in a day than I could on my own. I often give him my 'hope' list for the day - three or four things I'm hoping to be able to get done. And He amazes me over and over with his faithfulness!
10. Joshua. Just knowing he exists.
11. Picnics. Loads of them.
12. Great friends. Awesome family!
13. All hard times are accomplishing something. Every time I go through a season such as this, I am learning to trust God more and myself less. Thank you Jesus!

Sibling Lovin'

I will be sure to inform you if and/or when things take a turn for the worse (the whole sharing thing could become an issue once Joshua is mobile), but until those days come I am still sucking the marrow out of my kids' adoration for one another. It warms my heart! Ellie has turned into quite a nurturing little thing, singing Josh into a peaceful calm when he's upset, stroking his hair lovingly during our walks in the double stroller or shopping cart, and continuously scooting up beside him to play or snuggle or read together. Joshua milks it for all it's worth. His gigantic smile is reward enough for anyone to keep pouring on the love!

(They sit like this on their own initiative. It's not my doing.)

Girls Night!

Yesterday was my good friend Allison's 25th birthday. Another friend, Elleah and myself decided to surprise her with a night out. So we showed up at her door crossing our fingers that she'd 1. be in the mood to go out (some days just ain't goin' out sort of days at this stage in the motherhood game!) and 2. that she'd have had time to shower that day so she'd feel...you know...going out-able. And both these things she was! So we headed off to a great little place out of town called Cherry Hill Estate for DESSERT, laughter and of course, self-portraits. :)

Happy Birthday, Allison! Here's to many more fattening dessert nights to come - yeehaw!

A little heaven on earth...

Today I experienced one of those rare moments as a young mom when life is just absolutely peaceful...and the kids weren't even asleep! No, they decided to play together happily on the couch for a loooong time, and I just ate up every moment of it. And then took a picture or two. Because that's just what I do. (p.s. silicone basting brushes make a great baby toy :)