a Day in the life

Snow Days

2012-01-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

How nice to have such an unexpected break at home with these kids. We sure didn't do much, but it's been amazing! I love this picture of the two of them. It shows what great friends they've been lately.

Maui

2012-01-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Maui. It's now nothing more than just a distant memory. Sad. How quickly routine and cold winter weather can snap us back into reality.

We arrived to our condo the first evening just in time for sunset.

Jack became a boogie boarding pro very quickly. I was too afraid to take his water wings off though...it is the ocean after all.

These sand toys were already in our condo when we got there, and they provided hours of entertainment.

Sand mer-man Jack. He wanted to be buried as a mer-man so bad...don't ask me why...

One of our pool days at the house my Dad, Beth, and Adam stayed at. Jack loves the pool. Jovie just likes to watch.

Jovie's best friend, Hula girl Sally.

Jovie's turn to be a mermaid.

Jovie turned 3 on the 3rd!

The princess in her throne. Rob created some cool things for the kids in the sand.

After the huge, steep, trek down to the blow hole, we thought we'd take a sign by the warning post saying we made it!

The next picture shows just exactly what happens. It's quite dangerous really...a gaping hole in the rock with violent waves pushing the water through like a "blowhole"...hence the name.

Woosh! The picture does NO justice. It's so powerful and breathtaking. The ground rumbles. And a rainbow is formed almost every time. I was happy to catch it on camera though because it lasts only a second.

Ken...thinking he could handle those waves out there. Yeah right Dad! They'd eat you up. These waves were massive.

Man-made or natural? We weren't sure, but it wasn't there 6 years ago, so I'm guessing man-made.

By this time my camera lens was covered with sea-spray, which is why this picture is so blurry, but from left to right, Ken, Adam, Almira, Beth, Jack, Rob, Jovie, Joelle

Our last night :( Everyone was pretty sad, despite the smiles.

What an amazing trip. One I will remember for a lifetime. We had such a nice time as a family on this trip. We did very little, which was exactly what I had in mind for us. Beach, pool, beach, pool, a scenic drive or two, and lots of yummy meals in and out. Pineapple pancakes at the most wonderful outdoor breakfast cafe overlooking whales and turtles swimming in the ocean...that's one of my favorite memories. The kids seemed to have so much fun. They were so good, and played so well together! They were troopers on the plane...even through horrible turbulence on the way home which kept us in our seats with our seat belts on the whole time. I know it will be some time before we can get back there again, but mark my words...it won't be too long.

Christmas Day

2012-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

Rob's family came to our house this Christmas, which I loved because it meant the kids got to just play and enjoy their new toys at home. We had our traditional morning of presents from Rob and I to the kids and stockings from Santa. It was perfect. The kids loved their surprises and were so grateful for new things to play with and put together. We had a nice dinner. I fixed up some cornish game hens, apple-cranberry-sausage stuffing, and sauteed green beans with bacon...wish I could have some more of it right now ;)

Puzzling with Grammy Day and Aunt Sara!

Archeologist Jack...looking for dinosaur bones. If you want a toy that will provide hours of entertainment (and your child will sit that long) you've got to try this!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

This year our Christmas break took on a totally new meaning. With Rob's last day at Semiahmoo, and my last day of school before break both being the 16th of December, we had lots of time to spend together during the holidays. It was so nice to have his help for the preparation of Christmas...wrapping, last minute shopping, preparing food, packing up for parties.

Christmas Eve is always spent with my side of the family. This year marked the 2nd Christmas we spent without my mom. She is greatly missed during our Christmas celebrations, but at the same time she is greatly missed every day. I constantly need to remind myself of where she is and what she got to celebrate this Christmas. What a glorious sight Christmas in Heaven must be!

I LOVE this picture! How sweet these two are together (most of the time) and this picture really shows it.

Later that night we set out cookies and milk for Santa...always a big to-do at our house.

Jovie couldn't take her eyes off the cookies for 5 seconds to take a picture!

All Dressed Up

2011-12-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

And somewhere to go! That hardly ever happens these days. Last week we got to go to the Larson Gross Christmas party. It was so nicely done. We have never experienced anything like that before. A company that actually cares about their employees and wants to celebrate the year...and Rob hasn't even started yet! My Dad so graciously watched the kids, and Rob and I had a great time mingling with people and just being out together.

I need to stop taking pictures with my iphone! They're so blurry, but it's just so easy...

Marathon Club, Rob's New Job

2011-11-19T14:19:00.000-08:00

Last night Jack ran the last 1.2 miles of his "marathon". It's a program the elementary school PE teachers in Lynden put together to encourage kids to choose exercise for life. It started in the end of September, and works like this...students can choose to run during their lunch recess two days a week. They have a track set up around the playground at school, and 5 laps=1 mile, 5 miles=1 card, 5 cards=25 miles. Students who complete the 25 miles are invited to the Lynden High School track to run under the lights and receive a medal for completing a whole marathon. When Jack first started, I was concerned he wasn't going to make it to the "final mile" at the high school. He started pretty weak...running only 4 laps at first. We gently reminded him that if he wanted to make it to the high school, he'd have to run at least 5 laps each time. Boy did he show us what he was made of! His average was 6 laps a time, but twice he did 7, and once he even did 9 laps (almost 2 miles). We thought that was pretty impressive for our laid back 6 year old. Fitness-type activities have never really been Jack's strong point, but in the last few months, we've really made this more of a family goal, and he's turned into quite the active boy. He's leaned out a bit, and it seems like on the days he runs, he's happier, which I can certainly relate to. We're very proud parents.

As for the latter part of this title, yes, starting in January after our Maui trip, Rob will have a new job! He was offered a job at LarsonGross, a local accounting firm. He was hired on as a staff accountant, and has said goodbye to Semiahmoo! They part ways on December 16! We are so excited, and feel so blessed for this opportunity. The hard work Rob has put forth to finish his accounting degree has paid off with this job offer. Rob is very excited...in fact he's been giddy with excitement since he got the news.

Spokane, Wenatchee, Friends

2011-11-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

I could post these all separate, but come on, let's be honest. That would take me over a month!

To continue on with my "October Trips" here is Part II...

A fun-filled family trip to Spokane. Rob had a Seminar there, so we all packed up one Friday afternoon and headed out. We got to the Davenport hotel at 1:00am Saturday morning, but it was well worth it! The kids and I just laid around the hotel room and swam while Rob had his seminar at the WSU Spokane extension. Then later when he got done we hit up River Park Square for some awesome shopping and PF Chang's for a yummy dinner. The only pictures I got the whole weekend...the kids outside of PF Chang's enamored with the huge horse statue. I love downtown Spokane. So laid back, people are friendly...nothing like Seattle! Rob and I miss it from our college years. We'll definitely be going back to the Davenport again soon.

On the way home from Spokane, Rob and the kids dropped me off in Wenatchee for my annual Washington Association of Family and Consumer Science Educators conference. In other words, I get to take two days off of work, stay in a hotel, and catch up with all my awesome teacher friends. It's always a great time. No pictures.

I got home from my conference Tuesday evening, and began preparations for our friends Jason, Sydney, and their baby Tate to come visit. To say we had the most wonderful time with our dear friends would be an understatement. Words cannot describe how happy my heart and soul is after a weekend visit with them. We packed in all sorts of fun and tradition. Sushi, games, a Halloween horror film, and lots of great conversation and playing with the kids.

What a month! It was so nice to reward ourselves for our hard work. Even though October seemed crazy at times between work, school, flag football, weekend trips, friends, pumpkins, halloween...and the list goes on...it was such a fun month for us!

October Trips Part 1

2011-10-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

October has been such a fun-filled month! With Rob's job finally slowing down enough for him to take some weekends off, we've taken full advantage of it. Towards the beginning of the month we took our long awaited trip to the Great Wolf Lodge. We had rescheduled this trip twice previously...so it was much anticipated. The kids had a great time! We left early one Saturday morning, and made a stop at Cabelas on the way down. I had no idea that would be an attraction in itself! The kids loved all the animals and ducking into all the tents that are set up all over, which apparently you're not supposed to enter. What's the point of that? Once Cabelas wore off, we headed on down to the Great Wolf! We took advantage of their early park check-in. In other words, you can't check into your room yet, but you can use the water park. When our room was ready, so were we! After the long drive down and then playing in the water, we were wiped! The kids were so excited to check out their "wolf den" bunk-beds. Rob and I were glad to be able to sit down and open a bottle of wine. The most priceless moment...Jovie fell asleep at the dinner table in the restaurant. She all but face-planted into her macaroni and cheese. Fortunately Rob intervened seconds before that would have happened. The second day we took full advantage of the park again, and then sadly had to turn around and come back home. What a short, but fun filled weekend!

They've been howlin' like a couple crazy wolves ever since this trip!

What a set-up! After a long day, they were so happy to have their own special space in our room! Every family hotel room needs a "wolf-den"! We put on Smurfs for the kids, and Rob and I got to watch The Hangover 2!

Welcome Fall...Translation Busy-ness

2011-10-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

I love fall so much and hope to capture some great pictures soon, but for now, this is all I have. Jovie is sporting our typical Sunday attire...outfitted in Cardinals gear from head to toe...literally. Thanks Aunt Syd for the adorable Cardinals hair clip. It goes great with the jersey and looks so cute. We're just hoping it brings the team some good luck soon. It's been a pretty rough start with only 1 win and 3 straight losses...close losses, but losses nonetheless.

Our weeks continue to be busy, and the weekends just aren't long enough! Jack is playing flag football and loving it, and between my new job and getting used to our new routine, I feel like the day is over before I even have a chance to get on top of anything. My new job has been very challenging. The schedule, the amount of preps I have (different classes), and feeling like I don't want to disappoint anyone leaves me absolutely exhausted at day's end. However, I'm able to get Jack from school most days and then after we get Jovie, we're home by 3:30 at the latest. This is a major improvement from my days at MV, and while it doesn't feel like anything has really calmed down (in fact my job feels busier) at least I don't waste 2 hours of my life in the car every day, and I have an extra hour of sleep every night.

1st Grader

2011-09-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

This past week was a huge week for all of us. First and foremost, Jack started 1st grade! He was very excited and took to the new routine like a champ. When I picked him up after the first day he said it was the "Best day ever!" On the second day when I asked him he said "It was great!" On the third day he said, "Why do you keep asking me that? Every day I go to school is going to be a great day!" We'll see how long that lasts...hopefully until the end of the year!

It was a big week for me too. Even though I've been working for weeks in my new classroom at NVHS, my first day with students was Wednesday. I was so nervous and anxious. I hardly slept...thinking about every detail and everything I wanted to say. Wednesday was a blur, Thursday was a little more memorable, and finally Friday I felt like I accomplished something. My students are great, and I'm so excited to be a part of the Nooksack community. The staff is so wonderful and supportive.

Jovie had to begin a new routine too. Prior to me getting the job at Nooksack, we had no idea what we were going to do about childcare for her. Our wonderful nanny from last year took a different job (one that she could have year-round), so we were back to square one. Little did I know that I wouldn't have to do any looking or figuring at all. God's hand were at work orchestrating a schedule that I couldn't have dreamed up. My friend Brooke (who also works at NVHS) was looking for someone to do a nanny share with, so there you have it. Problem solved. I was a little nervous about how Jovie would handle going somewhere she had never been, playing with kids she had never played with, but so far so good.

September and October will continue to really busy and fun-filled for us, and since fall is tied with spring as my favorite time of year, I'm so excited for lots of family fun and excitement! Stay tuned :-)

Family

2011-09-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

Nothing brings our family together like fresh caught and prepared food! Last weekend it was crab, and hopefully if all goes well, this weekend will be full of crabbing too. We all (except for one of us...I won't expose you) love crab!!! And what is better than catching your own and eating it fresh? I HEART these pictures, and my heart was filled to the brim with love and happiness last Saturday night.

Jack is 6!

2011-08-17T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here's a random list of pictures from the 4 little birthday gatherings we had for Jack. It was a week full of setting up, preparing food, cleaning, taking down, and cleaning again to cram in all these get-togethers, but it was totally worth it. We had such a nice time with all our family and Jack's friends.

The grand finale was the best salmon dinner I think I've ever had. My Dad and Adam caught a couple Kings on the Fraser River, and were kind enough to share them with all of us. They did a little pre-smoke on the fish before it went on the grill, which resulted in this amazing smoky-flavored crust. I made a wasabi-avocado-shrimp appetizer, some mango salsa, and a potato dish to go along with the meal. We finished our wonderful meal off with raspberry filled and topped chocolate cake. Truly a Northwest dinner. At the end of the night we discussed how lucky we are to be able to "live off the land" and have such wonderful, fresh food. There's nothing that says summer in the NW better than salmon and raspberries...we are truly lucky!

Round 1, with Mom, Dad, and Jovie

Getting ready for Round 2 with friends

Silly birthday party boys, plus Jovie. Clockwise from Jack...Crew, Eli, Logan, Kobe, Jovie

Trying to get four boys to sing happy birthday is impossible!

Round 3 with the Days...He's been waiting for a long time for this Lego set.
Thanks Grandpa & Grammy Day!

Tackling the 7 bags of Legos that contained the "Pirate's" ship.

Round 4 with the Van Diest clan...the present on the floor is Jack's very own crab pot
from Grampy Van Diest! Lucky guy!

Yummy chocolate raspberry cake with trick candles!!! :)

Congratulations, and Stay-cation

2011-07-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Rob! He just finished his coursework, and has obtained a bachelors degree in accounting. It's been over a year of rigorous coursework, met with long hours at work...especially in the last few months, but as of Friday, he is officially done with the coursework for his degree.

Because of Rob's school and work, and because we're going to Maui in five months (yahoo!) we have decided to stay very local this summer. In fact, we don't have one single vacation planned. I was really itching for a vacation earlier this summer, but now as the summer seems to be dwindling away very quickly, I have no desire to leave home. The kids and I have been enjoying a very simple life lately. We mostly just hang around the house, go for a walk here, head to a friend's or sister's house there...just wait for Rob to get home so we can enjoy the time we have with him. Even though there's a strong part of me that wants to pack up the car and head on another road trip, I have finally come to terms with the fact that it's not the summer to do so. Good thing we have a wonderful trip coming up in a few short months. I can't wait go to Maui with Rob and the kids!

I have been neglecting my camera lately, but here's a cute little photo of Jovie and her friend Emerson taking a movie break while us adults and older kids were outside having a 4-square tournament in the alley.

We Love Summer

2011-07-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

What a life! This kid knows how to relax, and is so happy we are less on the go these days.

Happy Independence Day!

Ta-Da! Whimsical and full of it lately!

Wine with friends! This is the evidence of a really, really fun night...even if we did both pay for it the next morning. Sydney, there is nothing like your company. Thank you so much for the impromptu visit! We love you and miss you guys so much!

You'd think that since it's summer break, life would be settling down a little...quite the contrary. Rob has recently been "blessed" with a promotion at work. I say "blessed" because while this is a great opportunity for him, and a blessing for our family, it's made for an interesting last couple months. Rob is trying to finish the last 3 courses of his accounting degree, in addition to his new demands at work. He often gets home between 7-8pm, and then has hours of accounting to do. I don't share this to make anyone feel sorry for him or us. This was a choice he made a year and half ago, and quite honestly, he never complains...I do! However, his course work will be done in less than three weeks, which means at the end of July he'll have finished a second bachelor's degree in accounting!

The most recent change in my life is that at the end of August I won't be going back to work at Mount Vernon High School. I left my teaching position there for a position at Nooksack Valley High School. I have had a lot of mixed feelings about this change in my life. I've been at MVHS for 4 1/2 years. I was just about to start my 5th successful year of teaching there. My coworkers have been amazing, my students have been so important to me, yet it was never supposed to be a long-term placement. I mean really, how much longer could I have handled that commute? Driving 2 hours a day with two young children at home and school has been challenging to say the least. When the position came open at Nooksack, (the school is 6 minutes away from my house) I had to apply. My interview went great, and obviously they liked me because they offered the job to me right away. Even though I was slightly hesitant, I knew it would be the best thing for me, my career, and my family. Now my "relaxed" summer has turned into a summer of cleaning out my office/rooms at MV, moving into NV, and preparing for all new classes, new students, new faculty & colleagues! I'm nervous, but very excited. I can't imagine what it's going to be like to be home when Jack gets off the bus, get an extra 45 minutes of sleep, and just be more invested in my community!

For now, I am soaking up every moment of time with the kids. We enjoy our lazy days around home. We don't have any family vacations planned until winter, so we will be very homebound...probably exactly what we need.

Countdown is on!

2011-06-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

To the end of the school year, that is. After tomorrow I'll only have 8 more days left of school before summer vacation. Mount Vernon had so many snow days that we are in session until the 22nd! Jack on the other hand only has 2 days left as a kindergartner (tomorrow and Tuesday)!

In less than 2 weeks I'll have more time to devote to blogging.

Is it May...Really?

2011-05-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling majorly behind on blogging as of late. It seems like we've had so much going on that I've wanted to blog about, but no time to do it.

All I can say about life (as complicated as it is sometimes) is that I am so happy and grateful to have my family...Rob, Jack, Jovie, Dad, Sisters (and some very close friends) to help every milestone, every hard moment still seem manageable. I "Keep Moving Forward" (Walt Disney's motto, and my new favorite saying) to accomplish, live, and record all the wonderful and important things that keep me sane and grounded.

To finish off my spring break, I chose to tackle the job of potty training Jovie. She was just a bit over two, but I knew it was either now or during the summer, and I really thought she was ready. My was she ever!!! Anyone who knows us understands that sometimes things don't come very easy with Jovie...however she proved me wrong with this one. It literally took a day to potty train her. I think she had MAYBE 3 accidents in her underwear, and we took the diapers away cold turkey. I'm so happy she was able to have such success. I love your little undies tush Joves!

Yay! No more diapers!!!

Easter was full of tradition and fun, yet empty of the one who put together the tradition. It was so hard to celebrate Easter without our Mom, not to mention Easter was only a few days past the one year anniversary of her death. It was hard not to think of what we were doing last year this time. We were coming off of funeral arrangements, going through flowers and cards, constant reminders of her scent as it was still everywhere in the house. I tried my very best to remind myself that my Mom got to spend her first Easter in Heaven with Jesus. The one who bled and died on the cross for her sins. The one who sacrificed himself so that she could make Heaven her home. What an amazing scene Easter in Heaven must be! Someday we'll see. Jack and I talked about that recently. He misses his Grammy so much, however as each month passes I can see his memory of her fading further and further into the past. What a lovely reunion they will have one day. Lord, I pray that Jack's heart remains yours and that you give me the strength to encourage his faith. Easter pics:

No sooner was Easter over that it was time to start preparing for opening weekend of fishing at Silver Lake. Another tradition that my parents started years ago. We had the best sights ever this year! A nice grouping of three large campsites with hookups that fit my Dad's trailer, Lisa & Corey's camper, and my Grandparent's trailer which they so lovingly brought up there for Jack and I to use. Since Silver Lake is just a short 30 minute drive from our house, it wasn't a big deal for them to bring it up there for us. Jack and I arrived at 5:30 on Friday evening and the trailer was all set up with the lights on and furnace running. What a welcome!!! I had to take a picture of the twin beds Jack and I got to sleep in all weekend and him all decked out and ready for fishing (they didn't catch any by the way). Despite the nice weather, it was still a little cold and the fish just didn't want to bite. We still had a wonderful time. Lots of sitting around the campfire. Lots of talking and laughing. Lots of eating!!! Seriously needed time away. Jovie and Rob went to visit Uncle Jason & Aunt Sydney for the boy's 6th or 7th annual NFL draft party, so we missed them a lot, however Jack and I got some much needed quality time together and Jack got to pretty much be free the entire weekend.

Spring Break

2011-04-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

We kicked off Spring Break with a little ferry boat ride to San Juan Island. We stayed at Roche Harbor with our dear friends Jason, Sydney, and new baby Tate. The kids were really excited about the ferry boat. It was a pretty lazy few days considering the weather didn't allow for much exploration around the Island, however it was a much needed mini-vacation. Lots of fun memories, laughs, games, and not much sleep for the adults...I wonder how many bottles of red wine were consumed in those three nights?!?

Upon returning mid-week, we decided to start potty training with Jovie. She was natural! I'm fairly certain I can say she's officially out of diapers, with the exceptional pull-up during naps and bed time.

Between our trip, potty training, and squeezing in some fun time with sisters and friends, the week flew by! I'm sad spring break is over, but so happy that summer vacation is right around the corner with lots of things to look forward to in the coming months.

March Happenings

2011-03-25T21:02:00.000-07:00

We've really been soaking up the sun that has been surprisingly given to us this past week. What a blessing and signal that Spring is officially here! Even though I know there are still lots of gray, rainy days ahead, this week was just what I needed to lift my spirits.

Last weekend we had such a nice evening out just us four. We took the kids out to dinner and went and saw Rango...hilarious!!! Everyone needs to see this movie. Such a funny, sweet message about finding oneself. Also it marked a milestone in our life since Jovie has joined our family...we went an entire evening (dinner at a restaurant and the movie theater) without a single meltdown from the sweet pea. LEGEN...wait for it...DARY!!!

Rob's birthday was on Tuesday, so on Sunday his parents came up for the day to visit and wish him a happy birthday. He got the coolest bonsai tree and kit/book to plant it, and what perfect weather to spend some time outdoors to put it all together. It was serious business. The kids and I pretty much just played while Rob and Cathy dissected the tree and replanted it in a pot, and finally the kids got to come around to put the finishing touches on the top (place the rocks that is). It's pretty cool. Rob even saved his Buddha from college and placed it in the pot.

Believe it or not, she's smiling. I know it looks like she's in pain...this is the new look she gives the camera.

Bright Sun!!

Zilla. Such a beautiful dog.

Just like any weekend, our fun came and went too quickly, but we still had a nice modest celebration for Rob on his actual birthday, March 22nd. I didn't get any pictures, but I got him a yard cart (glorified wheel barrow) and Jack got him a video game which they are diligently trying to beat as we speak. I'm so excited for longer days, sweeter smells (which often means manure in my town), and a countdown to summer vacation!

Happy Birthday Mom!

2011-03-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today would have been my Mom's 53rd birthday. It has been a day filled with joy and sorrow for several different reasons.

First of all, we got to celebrate my Aunt Chris' 50th birthday in such a fun way. Last night the Cline Family put on a fun cocktail party for friends and family. Today my Aunt Diane threw a 50th birthday "shower" in celebration of Chris...a tradition my Mom started a few years back so that the women in her family could be honored in a special way. It was quite a way to honor my Mom to have the birthday celebration for Chris on her would-be birthday. I think there's nothing more fitting to celebrate my Mom's life and birthday than to honor one of the many traditions in her legacy. Happy Birthday Aunt Chris! We love the woman you are and the example that you are to so many people.

Shadowing the blessings has been the sorrow that we all feel over the loss of our Mom. Today is our Mom's birthday, and it's the first time that we don't get to celebrate it with her. It is such an odd feeling not being able to call my Mom on her birthday and do something extra special for her. So, we're doing something extra special for her anyway! In honor of my Mom, my Aunt Diane gave my sisters and I beautiful flowers to plant in our yards. What a perfect gift. Mom loved her yard and loved planting flowers in March as a early indicator for spring. Anything she could do to say goodbye to winter, she was all over! Tonight we are going to Julie's for an extra special "birthday" party for her. Flowers have been brought to the grave, and an amazing dinner and dessert menu has been planned. I got some delicious looking filet mignon that I'm going to smother in bacon and seasonings. I'm also going to make some panko-breaded avacado fries (she loved avacado and I think would have loved these fries). Lisa's making yummy twice-baked potatoes. Beth bought Mom's favorite dessert...caramel chocolate cream pie from the Lynden Dutch Bakery and bread. Julie is hosting us in her beautiful home and will be supplying us with probably the freshest and yummiest green salad ever. She truly is a salad artist. My Dad and Jack have been all over flower detail (as I'm sure many others have been too) but I know Dad's been to the cemetery at least twice today and yesterday too.

We'll celebrate without her, but in honor of her. She deserves the best so we're giving our best to lift her up today. I'm right in the middle of reading "Heaven is for Real" and so I am trying to paint myself a mental picture about how her day has unfolded in Heaven. I just pray that she knows how much we love her and miss her, and that she can feel our earthly gifts in Heaven today. I miss my Mom so much. It hurts so bad. But...we have SOOOO much to celebrate today. Without her we wouldn't be the moms, wives, sisters, friends that we are. Happy Birthday Mom! I love you.

I Love My Village

2011-03-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

You know that saying..."It takes a village to raise a child" well, I have been thinking for the past few days about how lucky I am to be a part of the "village" I belong to. I love my village. My community, my family, my friends. I am so lucky. Today I had to stay home from work in order to prep for another x-ray this afternoon...I won't give details. So far today I've had about 6 people call or email just to say hi and check in. I have Lisa watching Jovie so I can go to my appointment. Julie P. brought me dinner so that I wouldn't have to worry about that tonight. I've got Lindsey watching the kids tomorrow while I'm at work. I've got my cousin Sarah watching them tomorrow night so Rob and I can have a fun time at my Aunt Chris' 50th birthday party. I've got Julie P. watching them Saturday so I can go to a brunch for my Aunt Chris. What would I do without all these wonderful people? The list I just gave doesn't even come close to covering the helpful arsenal of people who do so much for us. Aunt Joan, Stacy, Anya....the list goes on and on! I sit here with tears streaming down my face because I'm so sad that my Mom doesn't get to be in on this, but also because I'm SO THANKFUL for these wonderful people who mean so much to me. What did I do to deserve such blessings in my life? I feel so humble.

Even though there's nothing I'd rather do that be at home with my children and give them every ounce of my time, life happens and sometimes we've got 8 things going on at once. That's how this weekend is and again, without help I don't know what I'd do. I'd have to say no to all these wonderful things I want to be a part of. I love my village.

Finally Some Answers

2011-03-03T19:55:00.000-08:00

All it took was 6 months of in and out of my doctor's office, a trip to the emergency room, and finally a visit to the urologist today to get some semi-concrete answers about some recurring issues I've been having with my kidneys/urinary tract. I've known for some time that I have a couple pretty large kidney stones in my right kidney, and I've always been prone to UTIs. Last Thursday when Rob had to take me to the emergency room from what turned out to be a severe kidney infection, I'd had it! Today I talked with a knowledgeable, empathetic urologist (that's what I love about specialists) who took so much time exploring my case/symptoms and trying to figure all this out. It's not easy figuring out why someone gets UTIs frequently, but it was pretty easy for the doctor to see the large, jagged kidney stones in the right kidney and say, "We need to do something about these." In the past six months I've been told over and over again that if the kidney stone isn't actually obstructing the ureter, then there shouldn't be any pain. Well, that's been a load of BS because I have pain on my side/back on a daily basis. Today the wonderful urologist confirmed my pain and said that yes indeed the kidney stones are most like causing pain, and possibly harboring some harmful bacteria. Now it's finally time to do something about them. Next week I'll hopefully get them blasted with ultrasonic waves so that the deposits will move down the urinary tract (not looking forward to that part) and my kidney can hopefully return back to normal. While this has been such a thorn in my side (literally and figuratively) the last 6 months, I'm so thankful today for the treatment I received, and am really hoping that within a couple of weeks I may feel normal again.

Valentine's Day Festivities

2011-02-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

The kids loved waking up on Sunday to Valentine's surprises. I loved coming home from my friend's baby shower to a brand new Coach bag that Rob had picked out for me. We watched lots of movies...CareBears, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2, and Date Night (SO hilarious!) and ate lots of yummy food and treats to celebrate Valentine's Day, which spanned over the weekend at our house.

Jack INSISTED on making Valentine's for his classmates. He actually said to me, "Mom, why would we go to the store when we could just make them ourselves with everything we have?" That's my boy!!! By the way, he worked so diligently on them and they turned out great.

I Love Fridays!

2011-02-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

Several reasons I love Fridays...

1.) Beginning of the weekend...obviously
2.) Goodbye stress of work week
3.) I don't make dinner
4.) Slumber party in mom and dad's room...we've been letting Jack sleep on his extra mattress on our floor and Jovie in our bed on the weekends. I know...something I never thought I'd do!!!
5.) God willing, I won't have to see 5:00am on my clock tomorrow morning...8:00am would be GRAND!

There are many more reasons why I love Friday and the weekend, but they get sort of repetitive, so that's it for now.

Jovie is 2!

2011-01-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

Jovie turned two on January 3rd, so yes, I'm a little behind on my blogging. We had a modest little birthday party for her on the day of. Over the weekend our families came over to help celebrate, which is always wild and fun.

Jovie is full of personality and passion. Sometimes it is hard for her to control her intense feelings (putting it kindly). But Rob and I are learning how to manage her passion. With Jovie it's re-direct, re-direct, re-direct! Even though Jovie is strong willed, she is sweet, helpful, empathetic, and full of energy. When she sees someone sad, she immediately tries to help. She is convinced that we always "need" something. "You thirsty? You hungry?" "Don't cry, it's okay." Recently Jovie has started to show more interest in pretend play. She has a littlest petshop clubhouse where she can play with her little cats and dogs. She gets them things to eat, makes them take naps, and gives them lots of hugs and kisses. This has been translating into wanting to care for our 'real' dogs. She helps feed them and gives them treats...popcorn mainly. Jovie doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do, nor does she do anything 50%. It's all or nothing with this child, and as parents, we pray that this quality will serve her and others lots of good! Sometimes I feel like people look at me like, "Aren't you going to do something about that screaming child?" I just want to look at people and say, "If I felt like this was going to hurt you or her, I'd do something about it." I have a motherly instinct that we need to help Jovie channel all her energy and passion instead of trying to squash it.

Come And Gone Too Fast!

2010-12-30T23:25:00.000-08:00

I get tired even thinking about trying to narrate this post. It's been a wonderful Holiday, filled with emotion which I can't put words to. Ever since the day after Thanksgiving (actually the night it was over) Rob and I have been working so hard to make Christmas perfect for the kids. Every measure we took was so worth it to see how excited they were to not only receive their gifts from us, but give their gifts to others. Jack had even drawn and wrapped a self-portrait at school and placed it under the tree for Rob and I. He was so proud that he waited until Christmas to give it to us, and we so proudly placed it on the fridge. All in all, I could have never made it through this Christmas without Rob and the kids. We've watched Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon each about 20 times (with me crying each time), eaten so much junk food that I need to seriously go on a diet, and just have been having so much fun together. I am so completely depressed at the thought of going back to work on Monday. I know, I know...the "real" working world already went back to work this week, and I should be thankful for the job I have and that I get these wonderful breaks to spend these important times with my family, BUT...I just want nothing more right now than to stay home every day with these precious kids...

Christmas Eve (at my Dad's):

Merry Christmas Mom. I love you and miss you.

Thanks Grampy!

Christmas Day (at Home):

Christmas Continued (At Camano with the Day's):

Gray was the color of the day

Jovie was obsessed with our Chihuahua Lily the entire weekend. Poor Lily just couldn't catch a break. Unfortunately Jovie was pretty Christmased out by the time we made it down to Camano to visit the Day's.

Golf clubs & a BB Gun? Pretty lucky boy. Notice the dark circles? Yeah, he threw up that morning :-( but seemed to bounce back quickly without any other real signs of being sick.

Thanks Grandpa!

These Are The Days

2010-12-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

We have been enjoying every second of Christmas break so far. When I talked to my dad yesterday morning he guessed perfectly what I'd been up to. He said "Let me guess, you're drinkin coffee and sittin by the computer." He knows me too well. I am still managing to get a bit done, but I really gotta step it up today and tomorrow and get some more baking and cleaning done so we can relax on Christmas.

A few sweet pictures of the kids...

Jack was so excited to find the perfect tree, and of course got SO into it. Jovie on the other hand was lying on the ground screaming. Imagine that.

This girl is so much happier in her own home! It's no wonder we never get out. Here she is saying "I Love Christmas"

Getting Ready

2010-12-18T13:52:00.000-08:00

Christmas break is finally here. It was so nice waking up this morning knowing that I have two full weeks and three full weekends at home with my family to enjoy the holiday season.

A few things we've been doing to get ready...

Rob even got in on the action!

Lighted Christmas Parade, Decorations

2010-12-04T23:54:00.000-08:00

Beth and I met at my Dad's this afternoon to go through Christmas decorations and put some up for my Dad. This was very hard. Much harder than I anticipated, but so worth it. We looked at every decoration before we put it up, trying so hard to figure out what my Mom had done with it in the past, and what she would have done with it if she were putting it up now. We tried our best, and I must say I was very pleased with the finished product. We didn't do near the job she would have done...but we tried, and that in itself I know would make her happy.

The lighted Christmas parade is something I've NEVER done without my mom. We have the most amazing memory from a few years ago of all of us heading up to the parade in cold and snow, hot drinks in hand, braving the elements just to see the look on Jack's and Ryan's faces of the Christmas lights and Santa. In fact, we have the most amazing picture of my mom and dad that night...I really need to find it and post it because it's absolutely beautiful. Tonight we still gathered for the lighted parade. My Dad, myself, and Jack sat on the curb in the freezing weather and wind and enjoyed the parade just like we normally would. Fortunately we were able to immediately head inside to Andrea and Justin's house to warm up with Beth, Adam, and Almira, and the rest of the Hodgins' Clan. THANKS!!! It was a good night. I'm glad that we continue to do the things that my Mom would be doing if she were still here. Every tradition this Christmas will be so painful without her, but at the same time, I don't want to skip a beat. She wouldn't want us to be sitting at home pouting, so I refuse to do so.

Beth found the pictures.

Just Beautiful!

Gold Belt, Onesies

2010-11-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Jack tested for and was awarded his gold belt in karate! He missed the last rank test because we were on vacation, so it's been a long time coming. He had to prove he knows the basics... stance, blocks, kicks, punches, etc. He was very excited and it was so cute to see him perform under some pressure. I think he's going to be great little karate kid. By the way, did I mention he got that blue badge a couple months ago for being the best listener in the class?

I have to show these onesies I made for my friend Sydney's baby boy. This is the first time I've tried this project, although have learned from the best (Staci & Natasha). It was lots of work, but lots of fun. I can't wait to make some more for all of the women I know out there having babies!

Presence

2010-11-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

I have to share a feeling I had the other morning as I was pouring my coffee creamer. First of all, coffee creamer is a special treat that Rob and I will indulge in when we have company or on special occasions, so the fact that this was just a "regular" Saturday morning, it was extra special that I was drinking my coffee with creamer. The strangest thing happened while I was pouring my coffee. As I lifted the lid, poured the creamer into the cup and filled it with coffee, I felt the most overwhelming presence of my mom next to me. It was sort of like those mornings when I actually wake up thinking I can call her, but then it all comes crashing down on me when I realize I can't. It was like that, but nothing came crashing down. It was a feeling of peace and joy because I honestly felt like she was with me. I have never felt her presence since she died. I have found myself trying to feel her. I've even gone as far as standing in her closet and smelling her clothes, and it hasn't happened. It's a desperate feeling. I just want to feel her here. I don't want to forget what she feels like. I don't want to forget her smell, touch, and voice. On Saturday morning, I just tried to embrace her presence. It lasted all but 30 seconds, which is the really depressing part, but I'll take it. I pray for more moments like this in the future as I get used to living life without her.

Halloween Weekend

2010-11-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the 2nd annual Day-Jordan Halloween Extravaganza...complete with pumpkin carving, costumes, trick or treating, games, Jack-O-Lantern pizza, and lots of fun. The only drag was that I ended up at the after hours clinic with a fever and bronchitis it turns out. I couldn't host our great friends exactly how I'd imagined, but we still had a great time. Nothing like great company when you're sick!

Pumpkin carving with "Uncle Juice" (Jason)

Indiana Jones action shot.

Foofa (from Yo Gabba Gabba)

Not sure what Jack is doing here...

Trick or Treating in action!

The cast from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Short round, Mola Ram, Indy

The Hodgins Clan even paid a visit! Caveman Adam, Owl Almira, Witch Beth, Indian Ashlie. What great costumes everyone had!

Consumed

2010-10-21T20:13:00.000-07:00

I very much dislike the title of this post, but if I'm going to be honest, it's the perfect word to describe our life at the moment. Often times we are consumed by our schedule...work, school, karate lessons, Rob's school, etc. And yes, I know this is redundant. More often lately I've been consumed by my grief. Not really knowing how I should feel or act at any certain time. Am I mad, sad, depressed, happy? Honestly sometimes I really don't know. I miss my mom so much. I don't know what to do with my grief. Sometimes I walk in circles around the house, whereas other times I'm productive. It's a maze that only I can find my way out of...in time I'm sure. However, what I do know is that I have so many reasons to be rejoicing and happy. I have a wonderful husband, amazing children, supportive friends and family. I also can rejoice knowing that my mom is in Heaven watching us go about our daily lives. I know she is proud. She always worked so hard to support her family and so I know she is proud of me for working hard to support mine.

This post is totally random, but that's how my mind is functioning lately. It feels good to have this outlet for my feelings because so often I don't know how to discuss or talk about them.

In lighter news...my sisters and I went to the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago, and Beth got some really great pictures of the kids.

This train makes a killing! $3 per child per ride! It appears at all the major parades and festivals in Lynden, and is a crowd favorite. Last spring at the Heritage Festival, the conductor made me ride...then he made my friend Anya's mom Karen ride too...I think we were both nauseous by the time it was over.

Miss Jack, Mr. Jovie :)

Jack...5 years of standing in front of this sign. My mom always insisted on making sure we took his picture in front of this sign. I can always look back on these pictures and think of her.

New Routines

2010-09-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

I don't think we could have crammed anything else into the last couple of weeks. Between back to school, back to work, back to karate, new routines, and weekend commitments, I'm embracing this Sunday morning of nothin' but football, house chores, and relaxing. Our new routines are finally starting to feel normal. The kids are getting used to being woken up and carted off to various locations during the week. I'm starting to get used to waking up at 5:00 to be in MV by 7:00. Rob and I are mastering the hustle and bustle of getting home, making dinner, cleaning up, getting kids bathed and to bed all by 8:00 pm. By Friday night we were exhausted. In fact we were in bed by 9:00 this Friday after an outing to Milt's with the kids. Here are a few pictures from our busy September.

Jack's first day of Kindergarten!

I was able to take Jack and pick him up since his first day was only a half day, and school hadn't started for me yet.

2nd Annual Cardinal's season opener party. Autumn brownies make the tradition complete!

New jerseys for the kids!

A beautiful bouquet of sunflowers from Rob. I was having a difficult time with things the other day. Sometimes the trials of daily life just seem so much more magnified by the loss of my mom. She would have so loved to see Jack and Ryan on their first days of school. She would have taken them school shopping and made sure they had everything they needed. She was so big on traditions...as I write this post, I feel such an emptiness that I can't share all of these things with her. Rob brought these home to cheer me up. They really brightened my day.

Beans, Jam, Missing Mom

2010-08-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks have been consumed with house chores, getting ready for school and work, and having company. All things I actually really enjoy.

My G&G Van Diest have a great garden, and as long as I can remember they've had tasty corn, green beans, and beautiful dahlias. Also, as long as I can remember my mom has canned green beans for our family of six to eat throughout the coming year. They've always been my favorite. In the last few years my mom taught me how to do this...a skill that I believe to be so valuable. I'm amazed that we can take something so fresh and with just water, a little salt, and pressure make it last months. However, doing this task by myself in the past week though has left me heartbroken. I never thought at 28 I'd be already putting into practice what took years for my mom to teach me. She's always been there to instruct and take care of the really hard parts. Now I have had to learn to do that on my own. I'm not feeling sorry for myself...at least I don't intend for it to be that way. I just miss my mom so much, but I'm proud of myself for doing what she'd be doing right now.

I also had the pleasure of hosting two of my college friends for our annual Jam Fest. This Jam Fest 2010 was so much fun. Last year Sarah's little guy, Justus, was in the hospital about to undergo another surgery, so she obviously couldn't come. This year, Staci and Sarah both were able to make it, and so was little J-man. We had a full house and it was so much fun. Justus and Jovie got to play together, which mostly consisted of Jovie telling him "No" every five seconds. Which by the way all anyone has to do is look at her these days and that's her response. Anyway, we made some amazing jam, as always, and it was so much fun to catch up with these girls.

This week Jack starts Kindergarten and I'm back to work. Believe it or not it's my favorite time of year. Fall is just around the corner (my favorite season) and we're excited to get into our yearly routine.

Road Trip Pictures

2010-08-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Out of 350+ pictures of our little road trip taken on a brand new camera, you could say I've been having a hard time choosing which ones to share. These are so random, and I'm sorry I can't caption each one. It would take way too much time. We had an amazing road trip just the four of us. After the year we've been through it was much needed for the four of us to spend some time together. It was awesome to be able to hit the road and go wherever we wanted to go. We could stop whenever we wanted and more amazingly, the kids did wonderful in the car! As long as Jack had his DS and Jovie had her Care Bears and Finding Nemo movie, we were set. The whole trip was amazing, but highlights include our two outings to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., seeing the beautiful ocean and Golden Gate Bridge, swimming-Jack was fearless as long as his waterwings were on, Disneyland of course, a visit from Chris Marshall (Rob's great friend from high school who lives in San Diego), and just being together as a family. I hope you enjoy these random pictures. This trip truly was the best end to this summer that I could have asked for.

Lego Man, Sprinkler Girl

2010-07-18T18:09:00.000-07:00

Never before would I have thought I would know so much about Legos, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Speed Racer, and many other things that Jack has taken an interest in. I really wanted to post something about Legos because they have been Jack's top interest in the last year or so. He has gotten very good at building them, and I don't want to sound like I'm bragging or anything, but I'm really proud of his Lego building capability. Most of these Lego sets have recommended ages that are 7-9+ years old, and this 4 (almost 5) year old seems to have no problem putting them together. He's always shown an interest in organizing things, putting things together, and taking them apart, and what I really love about Jack is that while he still wants to play with them and blow them up, it's important to him to put them back together and keep them nice and organized. Gotta love that quality in a little boy!

Jovie just toots around as usual. This child has lots of energy and interest in trying everything...at least once. I'm a little scared for the 15 year old Jovie, but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get there. How did my parents do it with 4 girls? Rob has been watering at night, and Jovie loves to help him:)

June became July

2010-07-04T00:09:00.000-07:00

Without so much as a warning our crazy June is gone and we've welcomed July with what seems to be a very fickle NW summer...(geeze that sounded like a weather reporter). Anyway, June was full of commitments and plans, as you will notice, however July has brought me some refreshment and reprieve from life's demands. I can't hide from my emotions, nor can I explain them right now, and every day wish I could share my thoughts and feelings with the woman who I shared everything with, but at this moment I feel okay.

The following is a long journey of pictures and captions that are so random that I can't place or title them. It just is what it is...so enjoy.

These wonderful culinary masterpieces are from the annual Summer Institute for Educators at BTC (Bellingham Technical College). Translation: a class teachers take for clock hours or professional development. This was 3 days of "American Regional Cuisine" themed around Southwestern, Tex-Mex, Pacific Northwest, and a tour of Wood Stone Co. in Bellingham (manufacturer of the best wood fire ovens west of the Mississippi).

I went straight from my cooking class to Relay for Life. 18 hours of walking to cure cancer. An event I'm usually very inspired and passionate about, however I think it'll take some time to get my inspiration back. After Relay was my 10 year class reunion...it was a busy weekend, but the reunion was a blast and I think my friend Julie has some pictures on her blog if you're interested. Thanks Cathy for taking such great care of the kids, and thanks Rob for coming along to the reunion with me and working the next day on only 3 hours of sleep. You're a trooper.

Jack's new bedroom set arrived a few days ago. Solid pine bunk bed/desk with memory foam mattresses and dresser. The pictures of the bunk bed do not do it justice. It is awesome and full of storage. Jack loves it...he's told us over and over again how much he loves us and how lucky he is. So grateful and appreciative. We're happy he is enjoying it so much. He played Legos for hours at the pull-out desk yesterday and today. His patience and persistence is, in my humble opinion, beyond his age.

My new craft nook, handmade by Rob as a mother's day/birthday gift. He took my vision and made it so much more than I could have hoped for. Love it honey! Also, thanks Betty for the tins...I'm SO ORGANIZED!!!

Joves is 18 months old today! What a fun, energetic, loving, and passionate child. Her current obsessions (and believe me, this child defines the word obsessed) are Dora, Otter Pop popsicles, and her CareBear babies. I don't even want to report how many popsicles she had today.

So, if you're still with me, that pretty much sums up the latter half of June (phew!) and brings us into July. My hope is to turn my July into a "few commitments, spend as much time with the family as possible, get my life organized, cook good food, and relax" kind of month. I think it's possible and so far I'm doing okay.

It's Almost Here

2010-06-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation that is. Just a little over a week left of school, and I'm so excited. I am so fortunate to have a job with summers off. To say we've been busy lately would be such an understatement, and because of it my blogging has suffered. I guess when I look back at journaling, it will reflect this season of my life perfectly. A little blurry, a little washed out, and very busy.

The kids have been keeping us on our toes like no other. It took Jovie a good 16 1/2 months before she started walking, but now that she's on her feet, watch out. She walks like she always knew how, and is running to try to keep up with Jack (and between us, I don't think it'll be too much longer before she's quicker than him;) ). With her newfound skills, Jovie seems so much happier and more content. Hallelujah!!! Just in time for summer.

Jack just finished his 2nd year of preschool and is registered for kindergarten. We had a "kindergarten readiness" night at his new school, and we're very excited about where he'll be at. It was fun to see his future classmates and parents. Some of whom I graduated with or near. We're still a tiny bit apprehensive about sending him as a fresh 5 year old. He doesn't turn 5 until August 5th. However, we do think he is ready and are up for the challenge. Meanwhile, he has been enjoying his 2nd month of karate, which takes place once a week at the YMCA. We love his instructor and get a kick out of watching him act so serious. He is a very good listener and tries everything, even if he can't quite do it. We hope he wants to stick with it. We think it's a good fit for his personality, but we'll of course let him be the judge of that. Anyway, what's a blog posting without a picture? This is pretty much all I have. I know, I've been a horrible photographer as of late. We've got lots of video of Jovie walking, so maybe if I can figure out how to upload video, that will be my next post.

Thanksgiving 09

2010-05-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still looking back and reminiscing. It seems to be the only way I can get one more glimpse of my mom. I have the most amazing memories of her, but when it comes to wanting to see her face or hear her voice, there's just not much that can be done. I just came across this picture yesterday. I hadn't seen it before because it was on her computer. This is the last picture that was taken of just me and her. If I would have known at the time, I would have maybe set my beer down, but oh well. It was taken last Thanksgiving. This last Thanksgiving was full of thanks. We were all thankful for my mom's recovery to date, and hopeful for many more future Thanksgivings together. My dad said the most amazing prayer before we sat down to dinner. What I still can't believe is how quickly that all changed. She was actually feeling pretty good when this picture was taken, because she had just finished chemo and hadn't started radiation yet.

As I reflect even more, I can see now how much the cancer growing inside of her took a toll on her body. I went with her to either her last radiation appointment, or a follow-up appointment, and the doc said she'd be feeling 90% better within a couple of days. That never happened, and we just couldn't understand why. Now it is obvious that the cancer was growing when we thought it wasn't. She endured so much in the last year, and I don't understand why. She was the most amazing mom and grammy. So selfless, so willing to help you with whatever. Even during the last few days before she got really sick again, she was working on Jovie's 1-year scrapbook because she couldn't stand that Jovie had already turned 1, and it hadn't been finished. Our kids had the most amazing gift of a grammy who wanted to do whatever she could to make them happy. Her talk was always about "when I start feeling better..." and she'd say how she wanted to take them to the zoo, or to Chucky Cheese, or to see the tulips. Her ultimate desires were to take us all to Maui again and to go to Disneyland with us.

I can't put into words how sad thinking of all of this makes me. However, I am vowing to end every blog post, every conversation, every thought with the reassuring fact that I KNOW that I will see this amazing woman again. Before Jesus was crucified, he assured his disciples of this "Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" John 16:22. I am clinging onto this word, because I know and feel it to be true.

A Fond Memory

2010-04-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken on Easter 2006. The first annual "redneck" Easter consisting of a weenie roast and pinata smashing. My mom wanted to start a new Easter tradition. One that involved a little less time in the kitchen, and a little more time with the family. Boy did she get it right. I love this picture. What happy smiles they both have. True happiness. She was so amazing. I can't believe we don't get to have any more Easter celebrations with her, but rest assured every Easter will be like this in honor of her.

I feel an emptiness inside of me that actually takes my breath away. I literally have to remind myself to breathe. During the last few weeks, my aunt Laurie kept reminding me to breathe, and I didn't really know what she meant until now. I know that we will all get through this...even though our lives will never be the same. Thankfully she taught us how to trust and be faithful. Thankfully I have an amazing support system. Thankfully there will come a day when I see her again.

Thanks

2010-04-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

To everyone who helped celebrate my mom's wonderful life. The service was amazing. I can't believe all the people, all the flowers, all the support! I know I didn't even get a chance to talk to everyone. If you were there, thank you so much. It meant so much to our family.

Life

2010-04-14T14:59:00.000-07:00

It's been over a month since my last blog post, and I desperately wish that wasn't the case...for a multitude of reasons. First, for those who do not know, my mom has been battling and dealing with complications from cancer since last May when she was diagnosed. More recently her condition has taken a major turn for the worst and she has reached the end of her fight. Whatever happens now is 100% in God's hands. For the past three weeks she has been hospitalized at UW Medical Center in Seattle, but yesterday she was able to be taken home. With Hospice and Option Care services, the main goal is to keep her comfortable and happy until the Lord calls her home. We are SO happy that she's home and that we can be with her so much more now that we don't have the long trek to and from Seattle every day. She seems happy to be surrounded by all her family, and I just pray that her remaining days are full of comfort and peace. Only God knows what is in store for her and our family, and even though I can't understand why He is making my mom suffer, I can only trust and be faithful. We do feel confident that He has prepared us girls, my dad, our husbands, and our children for what's to come. A huge thank you from my family and I for all of the wonderful things and services you have offered us over the past few weeks and in the future. I haven't had to cook dinner (unwillingly at least) for a good three weeks, and there are no signs of that stopping either. I haven't had to worry about work, my kids, or my house either. A lot of that is due to my amazing husband, but also a large portion is because people are so giving and self-less. I so much love you all.

Even though it's hard for me to focus on anything more than my mom and her care, I have found joy and reprieve from the occasional day at home with the kids, or evening with Rob. These pictures are very random happenings from the last month, but they make me smile at a time when my smiles are few and far between. Life after all, continues to go on...even when we wish we could just press the pause button and hold things still for a few moments.

Lastly, I have been wanting to share something that Jack reminded me of the other day. Whenever I feel sad that I will lose my mom and not know how to go on without her, I need to remind myself of this. In reaction to some tears and an honest conversation about death with Jack, he reminded me that "Mom, it will only be a little while that you won't get to see Grammy, and then Jesus will say, 'Joelle, it's time to come to Heaven' and then guess what? You'll get to see your mom again!" I am so blessed to have a faith that no one or nothing can touch, but also so blessed that my child has that faith as well. That "makes my heart so happy"...another Jack-ism:)

Landscaping

2010-03-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

Rob and I (mostly Rob) have gotten an early jump on spring in the form of landscaping our yard. Our goal for this spring was to finally spend the time and money to make our yard a place that we can enjoy all summer long. We went from having a dirt yard in the summer of 08, to having grass and a fenced yard for summer 2009, and finally grass, fence, and landscaping for 2010. It's been a major work in progress, but here are a few pictures of our progress so far. ***Note...Rob dug out every single bed by hand, and these pictures only depict the work that's been put into the back yard, not what he's done all the way around the house. I did help him when I could by digging and planting our new plants/trees. It's been so much fun working outside together. We have a play set on the way for the kids, so more pictures to come!

And of course, a picture of the kids having a grand ol' time together.

Kids

2010-03-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

Our kids always compete for Rob's attention...I'm chopped liver when it comes to some real "daddy time". Today my neighbor, Julie Price called me to share an observation of hers. We share an alley between our houses, so our yards back up to one another's. She says that every time she looks out of her window over to our patio, she can see Rob carrying his baby girl around. Yes it's true, he rarely puts her down. I told Julie that it's no wonder she's not walking yet. Anyway, here are Rob and the kids in true form...they're both trying to get in on what he's doing.

A few weekends ago I had friends over for coffee. We managed to capture a handful of the kiddos chompin' on doughnuts all lined up underneath my bar. We have Jack, Eli, Emmy, Abbey, and Ella. We're missing Jovie, Ariana, Crew(He was behind me), Brody, Kyler, and Gracie....crazy to think that when we all get together for Saturday morning coffee that there are 11 kids running around!!! It gets pretty crazy, but is so much fun! Thanks girls!

The shortest long weekend ever!

2010-02-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

If there's one thing that's certain about a long weekend, it's that it will fly by way too fast! Rob and I just stared at each other in disbelief when our friends left on Monday, and we started getting ready for the "week". We had the best time this weekend with our dearest friends from college Jason and Sydney. It all started with a four-day weekend for me because of a scheduled snow make-up day on Friday, and President's Day on Monday. Initially when we saw this weekend on the calendar a few months ago, Rob decided he'd take the days off too so that we could all be together as a family. Then when we told this to Jason and Sydney, they decided to take the days off too and come up and visit. Our weekends with The Jordan's are always treasured and packed with fun-filled memories, but I seriously think this weekend was one for the books. We hardly left the house for three nights/four days, which in my opinion is why the weekend was so great. We watched the Olympics whenever they were on, played games, played with the kids and dogs, and just enjoyed each other's company. Tons of laughs were had by all, and the best part of the weekend for me was when Jason offered to put Jack to bed, and Jack gave him a questioning look and said, "Are you sure you know how to do this?" Very funny.

Jason and Jack

My roses from Rob

Sydney's flowers from Jason

Our hand-painted Valentine's picture frames, from left: Joelle's, Jack's, Sydney's

So looking forward to our next weekend together! See you guys in April:)

Same old, same old

2010-02-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

There haven't been many new happenings in the Day household as of late, but I figured I should update for the sake of updating. We are in the midst of work, school, and trying to stay healthy. It seems as though the drain of the "daily grind" starts to take its toll around mid-February, so I guess it's a good thing spring is right around the corner. Plus, with the weather we've been having it seems like we've been able to do some spring-time activities lately. Yesterday the kids and I went to the park, went for a walk, and cleaned the patio. The warmth of the sun was refreshing and energizing. I need those types of days to keep going. It seems to be getting harder and harder for me to leave the kids and go to work every day, and I know Rob shares the same lament.

Bowling, Piano, Friends

2010-01-21T10:24:00.000-08:00

What a week it's been. On Monday I didn't have to work because of the MLK holiday, so we took Jack and Jovie bowling, per Jack's request. We had such a great time, but unfortunately didn't remember to bring the camera. Here is a reenactment of the event. Jack bowled a 60, which I thought was pretty solid for his first time. Jovie just sat in her stroller and watched us, while eating snacks of course:)

One of Jovie's new interests this week is going anywhere she's not supposed to go. The stairs, the dog's water dish, etc. She is enjoying exploring via crawling, and is scaling walls and furniture on foot. A new favorite toy is the piano. We got this piano from my parents house a while back. It's the piano that my sisters and I grew up playing. Hopefully she'll learn how to play too some day.

Finally, here's a picture of my best childhood/high school friends and myself. Yesterday we attended a funeral/memorial service for Natasha's son Case. What an incredible service it was. After the service we were able to have some really nice fellowship with friends, and end the night visiting with Natasha and Reese's families. What a fun night of laughing and talking! Natasha, your family is hilarious, and hopefully we really do make a trip over to Moses Lake to visit Michele:)

Love and Prayers

2010-01-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

Just got back from church where our congregation prayed for many families dealing with the loss of a loved one. I emphasize many because it seems as though many people in our community are facing this sort of grief lately. One such family is dear friends of ours, the Heeringa's...Natasha, Reese, and Lane. They lost 5 month old Case this past week, who died from SIDs. They are experiencing a pain that is so deep, there are no words to describe it. Because of this I wanted to post something I took from our sermon today, something I don't normally do because I have grown up to be what I call a "quiet believer" in Jesus Christ. Today we were reminded that in the Christian race to victory, death is not the finish line, but the beginning of everlasting life. To those who are grieving for the Heeringa's because of the loss of Case, I pray that through this hard time you will share with others what God's intentions are, and that our life here on Earth isn't the home that God prepared for us, it is in Heaven.

I also wanted to share some pictures of sweet baby Case, and the friends that loved him during his short 5 months here. These pictures were taken over Christmas by my friend Tory. We had all gotten together to spend time with Tory, who was visiting from Montana, and Natasha, who was visiting from California. When Case was here on Earth, he was sure loved by LOTS of people!

Cardinals and Name Pancakes

2010-01-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

What a day! The Arizona Cardinals have officially advanced through the first week of the playoffs with an overtime victory against the Packers. We are relieved and celebrating at the Day household tonight. What a game it was...anyone who was watching knows. Here are the Cardinal's fans above.

Jack and Jovie received a "Kids in the Kitchen" cookbook from their Grandma Day, and we just tried out one of the recipes. Jack and I make pancakes on a regular basis, but this recipe was for name pancakes. To top it off, the name that is featured in the picture beside the recipe is "Jack" so Jack wanted to make it EXACTLY like the one in the book. He even went as far as saying that the syrup had to be placed exactly where it was in the picture! I wonder where he gets these obsessive compulsions from? :)
Anyway, we had a wonderful day!

Birthday Girl

2010-01-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

Jovie is 1! The VanDiest Clan gathered this evening to celebrate Jovie's first birthday. We had a low-key party with dinner, presents, and cupcakes. We had "snow on the mountain" for dinner (hard to explain, so if you're curious then you can email me) and cherry cupcakes topped with white chocolate snowflakes.

Below-the present opening crew.

Jovie inspects, and then dives in :)

Cookin up some trouble with cousin Finnley!

Earlier that day...Chef and Sous Chef

It is so hard for me to believe that the baby is 1! I know people say this all the time, but where does the time go?

New Do

2010-01-01T00:14:00.000-08:00

Finally! Jack let me cut that mop of a head of hair that he's been sporting since early fall. I just love that I can see his face again. No more mop or mullet!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T00:03:00.000-08:00

Round 1, Christmas Eve at the VanDiest's: Jack couldn't be more excited about his Indiana Jones lego sets with matching movies from his VanDiest grandparents. He's also pretty psyched about the new Transformer movie from Finnley. All of these things have already gotten plenty of use.

Jovie trying to get into Peter's present.

Relentless.

Later that night...For two years now Jack has made up a treat and carrot plate for Santa and his reindeer. Many of his Santa questions were answered this year in the form of a couple different movies...the old classic "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" which I had never seen before, and a new Disney special called "Prep and Landing". Both great resources ; )

Round 2, Christmas Day at home: Ahh...the wait is over! Remember when Jack lost his video games until Christmas a few week back? Well, we stuck true to the punishment, and on Christmas morning after all the presents were opened and everyone was fed, he got his video games back, plus a new one from Santa. Here are Rob and Jack trying out Lego Batman.

Jovie's 1st Christmas.

She was up for a total of 45 minutes before she went back down for a nap...crabby and exhausted from the night before I guess.

So, in the midst of all the Santa hoopla and everything else that has nothing to do with the real meaning of Christmas, we did take many breaks and have many discussion of why we (Rob, myself, and Jack) celebrate Christmas. Here is Jack putting together a nativity scene from stickers he got from his great aunt and uncle in South Carolina. Thanks Clyde and Wan for the thoughtful card and stickers:)

Finished product.

Round 3, Christmas at Camano: with Grampa and Grammy Day, Aunt Sara, and a brief visit with Granny, and Cousins Chris, Amy, and Aaron. The theme was food...in every sense of the word. We ate so well...in fact it seems that all Rob and I did was eat. The kids received lots of fun play and real food related things to go either with their new play kitchen or to help mom in the real kitchen. Rob and I received a gift certificate to a quaint little dining establishment in Bellingham called Ciao Thyme. Thanks for all of the neat and thoughtful presents! Also, thanks for putting up with us and the noisy children:) You'll be happy to know that the Jovie's sleeping patterns are back to normal.

6 Grandchildren & Santa

2009-12-18T21:38:00.000-08:00

Today Santa was kind enough to stop by my mom's house to take a picture with all the kids so that we didn't have to cart everyone to the mall. Julie coordinated the event since she loathes malls more than anything. Good job Julie, and good job Santa. Santa was as jolly as ever! Jack and Ryan took the whole thing very seriously, and seemed to be totally wowed that Santa was sitting in Grammy's living room. Finnley screamed the second Santa walked in the front door, and Jovie screamed the second I put her down. It was eventful, and the video that Rob took is priceless. My pictures on the other hand didn't turn out very well. I wasn't paying much attention to my settings, so my red eye is off, as well as my indoor flash. Oh well, it's a pretty cute sight anyway.

Grammy, Finnley (20 months), Almira (4 days), Ryan (4), Jovie (11 months), Peter (5 months), Jack (4)

A little more torture:)

Me and Almira. Beth and Adam welcomed baby girl Almira Kathryn on Monday night. She weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces, was 20 inches long, and is a sweet little girl. Beth and Adam are proud first parents, and are doing great! We are all proud aunties, but I think Adam's family wins the prize for most excited/enthusiastic. This is the first grandbaby for the Hodgins family, and the girls are just loving and spoiling Almira already.

Tis the season

2009-12-13T22:41:00.000-08:00

Here was Jovie being rewarded with a Christmas cookie and juice for being a perfect angel after a short (20 minute) trip to Target on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Jack was serving part of his punishment in his bedroom for being an absolute monster in Target, which is of course why our trip lasted 20 minutes. I have never had a problem with my eldest child in a store before. Nothing that could not be solved with a free children's size popcorn or a piece of gum. I think however that there was a sense of holiday madness in the air, and Jack just decided to run with it. Needless to say I will NOT be going back to any store in the near future with either of the children, and I am so thankful that Rob ordered all of our Christmas presents online 2 weeks ago, making it possible for me to avoid department stores altogether until after Christmas! Oh...the rest of Jack's punishment is that he lost all his video games until after Christmas. This is a big deal for this child. In his free time he lives for playing Lego StarWars or Lego Indiana Jones video games. The kid hums and sings the theme songs for these games every chance he gets. I think it will be good for him to have a break.

Here is Jack tromping through the tree farm last weekend. He was pretending he was Darth Vader, and with his pretend light saber he was slashing through the tall brush saying "Wait for me Darth Vader's mom!" Did I mention we were taking a break from his StarWars video game?

Yes, that is Rob, my dad, and my brother in law Adam tying our tree to the racks of our brand new (old) mini-van. We got this mini-van from Rob's parents a while back, and are loving it! We only had to make one stop on the way home to secure the tree back to the racks, but that was because of a harsh Northeasterly wind.

Annual Almond Stick Making

2009-11-29T14:06:00.000-08:00

Four generations of Van Diest Family members got together on Saturday for our annual almond stick making. It's a tradition from my Grandma Van Diest's family, and I don't know how long they've been doing it, but I've contributed for probably 5 or 6 years now. It has been a long time since there have been children at this event, but now that all of us grandchildren have children, my grandma's church gym was overrun with baby equipment, kids games, and toys. I just had to take a few pictures to document what an amazing task almond stick making is, and how much work and love goes into them. We all give them away as gifts during the holidays, and I've learned in the last few years that they sell at a few stores in Lynden for like 7 or 8 dollars a piece. They are a long standing Dutch tradition in our family. Beth and I were discussing how special it will be to carry on the tradition for years to come.

Thanksgiving Fun

2009-11-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful day. We had so much to be thankful for today. My dad summed it up best...today we are so grateful for our health, the beautiful kids that keep blessing our family, each other, the wonderful food we get to eat, and most importantly our mom. She has been through so much in the last 7 months from her surgery, to chemo, and now radiation, but today we are so thankful for the recovery that has taken place. Scans don't show any visible cancer, which is a complete miracle. That's just all there is to it. Yes, she's had amazing doctors from the surgeons to the oncologists, but the way everything has come together is nothing short of a blessing from above. For this, there just aren't enough words to describe our thankfulness.

After the Thanksgiving festivities wrapped up, my mom brought out these gingerbread kits for the kids. It was quite the task putting them together so that they would stay put, but very enjoyable. The kids loved all the candy. They decorated the houses with the candy and then took it all off to eat it. I didn't see the point in stopping him, however he did get a very thorough teeth brushing when we got home.

Jack, Finn, and Ryan

Jack

Finn and Ryan

Jack (Finn and 9 month pregnant Beth in the background)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you could think of plenty of things to be thankful for. Now onto Christmas!!!

Blog Question

2009-11-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

In talking with some of my friends last night, I learned that even though I update my blog almost weekly, it doesn't always show up on some of your blogs that I've updated. Like on Sarah's blog it says I updated 1 month ago, but really I've updated probably 3 times since then. Anyone know why, or what I can do to fix that? If not, check often because I try to update every week.

Jovie's Appointment

2009-11-23T22:13:00.001-08:00

We had a really good appointment with Jovie's new Pediatric Urologist, Dr. Grady, from Children's Hospital on Friday. He explained Jovie's condition to us in excellent detail, and is allowing her to continue a prophylaxis antibiotic (preventative daily antibiotic) for another year to year and a half while we wait to see if the problem corrects itself. In case you don't remember from my previous post, Jovie has vesicouretal reflux, which means that urine which should normally stay in the bladder until being emptied travels back up the ureter into the kidney (just on the right side) when the bladder gets full. This puts Jovie at a high risk for kidney and/or UTIs because of potential bacteria that could enter her urine and travel up to infect her kidney. The problem is a "weak" connection where the ureter meets the bladder. This problem can sometimes be outgrown with age, so the doctor wants to see us again in 12-18 months to retest to see if anything has improved on its own. The most likely scenario however is that she will remain infection-free for 12-18 months because of the antibiotics, but will still have the weak spot and reflux when she is retested, which will lead us to dealing with correction of the problem (ie: surgery). Overall it was exactly what we wanted to hear at this point in time (no rushed surgery for our 10 month old), and we feel reassured with this doctor and the attention we received during our appointment. Still no easy fix for this, and it's been brought to light that there is a 30% chance that Jack could have the same condition, and when they asked us if he's ever had any unexplained fevers, Rob and I just looked at each other and I replied, "Yeah, lots". This doesn't mean that he has it...there are lots of explanations for random fevers, but it does mean that he has to have an ultrasound to get everything checked out. So, antibiotic every night for Jovie, an ultrasound for Jack, and an appointment at Children's in another year at the earliest to get Jovie retested.

We spent the end of the week in Seattle with Rob's parents. Jack's grandma took him to the zoo and took care of him while we had Jovie's appointment. From there we went up to Mill Creek to Jason and Sydney's house for fun-filled weekend. We played games, went to So You Think You Can Dance (the tour) at the Everett Events Center, and lounged around the house for an overall relaxing weekend. A great time with family and friends! Now we're just getting geared up for Thanksgiving (thank the Lord it's only a three day work week for me) at my mom's, and hopefully a visit from Rob's family on the weekend.

Rainy Day Post

2009-11-16T20:25:00.000-08:00

No, Jack and Jovie could not look more alike, and yes, Jovie finally figured out how to get her feet underneath those chubby thighs to pull herself up. She's been pulling herself up to her knees for awhile now, but today she had lots of practice and finally mastered the skill of standing to reach the remote control.

I stayed home from work today for an extended weekend to let Rob recover from a head cold and to get new tires on the CRV. We had such a nice day all hanging out inside together while it was cold and rainy outside.

Halloween and Company

2009-11-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

For this past Halloween weekend Jason and Sydney, our dearest friends from college, came up from Mill Creek to visit.

Jack as a "Superhero". We're not really sure who he was, other than Superhero Jack. It was a makeshift costume. Jump suit courtesy Danielle (Jack's preschool teacher), mask courtesy Jason and Sydney as a gift, and the cape was an old pillow case. I wonder how many more years I'll be able to get away with a Halloween costume like this. Everything was free...that's my kind of costume.

At my aunt Robin's house, Jack ran into a little boy dressed as Optimus Prime (Jack's costume last year). He stopped and stared at him, then told him "I love your costume", then gave him a thumb's up. Jack was all about observing others and enjoying the night. Several times he would say, "I just love Halloween."

Jovie's costume was a little more involved. She had a fairy costume that at the last minute ended up being too small, so we tried the backup costume, a duck, which also ended up being too small (she's quite round these days). It's a good thing that we held onto this frog costume that Jack wore when he was 1 year old, because we pulled it out of the closet at the last minute. It worked out perfectly, because it was warm enough for her to come along trick or treating. This picture of Jovie and my mom is priceless. She was all smiles until my mom put that witch hat on. Then she wasn't so sure.

Jason and Rob in matching superhero shirts. They also had masks like Jack, and fashioned capes out of Hawaiian sarongs (an old college dorm room memory)...a four year old is a grown ups excuse to dress up for Halloween.

Sydney and I (and our new friend Nick Cannon aka man in the horror movie in the background). The four of us are just sitting down to what ended up being an all night Cranium tournament. Sydney and I won the first round, and the boys won the 2nd and 3rd rounds. We played until 3:00am, but with the "fall back" time change it was only 2:00am when we called it quits...not too shabby.
Overall a wonderful weekend with our dear friends. I just wish they lived closer:(

Jack and Jovie

2009-10-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post a comparison picture for a long time. I know this picture of Jovie is already on here, but it's the closest age and most similar pose I have of both of them. The similarities are obvious, and they really are exactly the same age here...9 months old. Both have 8 teeth and love to eat, however there are quite a few differences in each child too.

Notable differences: As chubby as Jovie is, Jack still takes the cake!

Jack had already undergone his first haircut, where Lisa VanderGriend cut at least two inches off! Jovie's is just starting to fill in a bit more. Rob just said it looks like Jack is wearing a hair piece!

Jovie is more vocal than Jack was, while Jack was already crawling and pulling himself up on things. (Boy versus girl I wonder?) Jovie crawls when she feels like it, but definitely likes to let the action come to her.

Jovie sure makes you work for a smile, whereas Jack was a little more liberal with his grins:).

Anyway, I thought it would be neat if one day when Jack and Jovie are older they would be able to see this...that is if I turn this blog to print like my friend Julie has done.

Jovie's UTI update: Rob took Jovie for her VCUG test on Monday and quickly found out why it's so important to be cautious and conservative when it comes to your children. We learned that she has Vesicoureteral Reflux on one side of her urinary tract. Translation-the kidney connects to the bladder via the ureter (small tube) and on Jovie's right side, there is a problem where the ureter attaches to the bladder, which causes urine to travel back up the ureter from the bladder to the kidney when the bladder is full. We can speculate all we want on what we think our treatment options will be, but we won't know until we meet with a Pediatric Urologist at Children's Hospital on November 20. What we think now is that surgery is a possibility, but again, don't feel comfortable jumping to any conclusions until we talk to an expert. Until treatment occurs, Jovie has a higher likelihood for kidney and bladder infections, which can be harmful over time. The silver lining, which I always try to look for, is that it's just on one side, effecting one kidney and not both. On a little side note, the antibiotics that Jovie took for her UTI wiped out her system so thoroughly that her bacterial balance in her intestines was thrown out of wack, causing a secondary infection in her intestines called c. difficile. We've been in and out of the doctor's office more times than I can count with her during the last 3-4 weeks, but finally we think we have some solid treatment and are getting her back to "normal". At least for now anyway. All in all, we're tired and pray for some relief from the schedule we've been maintaining. With all the doctor's appointments and days that Jovie has been sick, I have already used a few sick days, and Rob has totally been rearranging his schedule. Today Rob walked out the front door to go to work at 3:30pm while I was walking in the back door. Maybe next week we'll both be able to work a full week:)

Shots all around, and then some

2009-10-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

On Friday Rob and I took both of the kids into the doctor for checkups and shots. Jack got "pokes" and was not very happy about it, but it paid off because he got treats. He had his official 4 year well child exam, and is doing really great. He weighs almost 45 pounds, and is 41 and a quarter inches tall (still on the high end of the growth charts, although leveling off a little bit from previous years). Jovie weighs 21 pounds 15 ounces, but hers wasn't a well child exam. Her appointment was a follow up from her UTI, and the doctor ordered a VCUG ultrasound to check her kidneys. That means another little catheter procedure, and since her doctor really doesn't want to sedate her, she gets to be awake to feel the whole thing:( I'm not very happy about that part, but I guess doctor knows best. We of course pray that all is well inside her little body. The procedure is on October 12th.

I took this random picture tonight, and Jack thought it was really "nice" that Jovie was patting him on the back.

Random Happenings

2009-10-01T20:42:00.001-07:00

Wow, is it really the first day of October? As excited as I am about the arrival of Fall, I cannot believe that September came and went so quickly. September is probably our craziest month of the year. Rob is still fairly busy at work, and things come around full swing for the rest of us with school and work. Saying that it was a blur would be an understatement. However, now that Fall has officially arrived I feel like things really are calming down a little bit. We've finally gotten into the swing of our work/childcare/home-life routines, and are starting to really enjoy the wonderful things about fall. Baking, cooking, Cardinal's Football, and crisp, cold days. We've really gotten a taste of all those things in the last week or so.

Anyway, the first picture was taken back at the beginning of September from Jack's first day of preschool (his 2nd year) and the second picture is just from this past Sunday when Jack and I made special treats for our weekly "Cardinals football party". By the way, those would be Jack's words. He's always saying things like, "Hey mom, should we save this for our Cardinals football party?" Rob has him so trained it's criminal.

I know I don't have an updated picture of Jovie. I'm working on it. She was sick for a long time and ended up having a UTI (poor baby) and will see the doctor tomorrow to make sure everything inside her little urinary tract is functioning properly. She's pretty young to have a UTI, and it could be a sign of a problem, but we'll find out soon. She's just now starting to act like her jovial (get it...Jovie) old self again. She's still eating everything in sight (wonder where she gets that from) and now has 6 teeth! She's been enjoying all of the concoctions that I come up with for her to eat, and the ladies at nursery seem to really like what I make for her too. The gal today said, "What was that orange stuff that Jovie had today? It smelled so good that I wanted to eat it." It was sweet potatoes, chicken, and cheese. Thank you Staci and Sarah for inspiring me and reminding me that I am capable of making my own baby food! Anyway, back to Jovie. I keep thinking she's going to take off on all fours one of these days, but she's perfectly happy to get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth to her heart's content...which is fine by me. We really need to babyproof our home, so hopefully I have a little more time to do so.

Stats on both kids' doctor's appointments tomorrow coming soon.

Random Pictures

2009-09-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

It's too bad that the actual quality of these pictures that my friend Staci took with her amazing camera and photographic skills is not going to show through on my blog. However, I just love these pictures, and wanted to share them. They remind me how much fun we had this summer just lounging around and playing in the back yard, and how excited I already am for next summer! I'm having a hard time letting go of summer, can you tell? I am however very excited for the fall season and all that it entails...pumpkin patch, Halloween treats, and falling leaves.

By the way, I think the next pictures I post will be of Jovie crawling. Even though she is a little under the weather today (103 degree fever...1st virus of the season), she stills wants to keep practicing her new skills. She's almost there! She rocks back and forth on her hands and knees like she wants to take off, but just doesn't know how to yet. It's very cute.

Jam and Work

2009-08-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

So, a few years back when Rob and I were living with his parents in Brier, my friend Sarah came over to help me make jam. It started a tradition that I now do with the two girls that I graduated in Family and Consumer Sciences with at WSU. Last year Sarah and Staci made the trek up to Lynden to see our new house and make jam. We made lots of it and had tons of fun! This year we planned to do it again, but circumstances were a little different. Sarah couldn't make it because of Justus' recent surgeries, so just Staci came. I woke up with one of the worst migraines I've ever had on jam day (throwing up...the works), but that didn't stop Staci. She somehow managed to take care of both of my kids in the morning until Lisa could come and pick up Jovie. Then she occupied Jack while making 6 batches of jam. It wasn't a very easy task, and she did badly burn her thumb, but it definitely wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Thanks Staci for everything you did for us, and I'm sorry I wasn't a better hostess. Sarah, you were greatly missed, but we're confident you'll be here next year! I'm already looking forward to Jam Fest 2010. Love you girls!

On a different note, today was my first day back to work. Students don't actually start school until Thursday, but it's back into full swing for us. I'm quite sad about being away from the kids again, but they are in good hands and it sure makes me thankful for every second I have with them.

Disneyland

2009-08-24T10:32:00.001-07:00

Everyone had such a good time at Disneyland! Jack's highlights of the trip were Star Wars and Splash Mountain. I loved the Electrical Parade at California Adventure, and the character breakfast at Disneyland. Jovie loved It's a Small World, and the big waterfall at California Adventure. Rob loved the Soarin' Over California ride at California Adventure. Sara loved Space Mountain, although her highlight was probably spotting Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter outside of the Alice in Wonderland ride at Disneyland. I don't know if Joe had a favorite ride, but he sure pushed Jovie around in the stroller a lot (Thanks!), and I think Cathy just enjoyed being with her children and grandchildren. We loved this vacation. It was much needed for us, and of course, we can't wait to go back.

Clint Black

2009-08-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my sisters, my mom, and I went to our local fair to see Clint Black. It was an amazing show! More than a decade ago (actually more like 15 years?), my mom took us girls down to the Puyallup Fair to see Clint Black. We loved it then, and loved it even more now. He's a great entertainer, and still looks and sounds great! It was a special evening. My mom presented us with the tickets on Christmas. She wrapped a framed family picture for each of us from Beth's wedding, and placed the ticket right on top. Soon after we all unwrapped them and realized what it was, Julie's next words were "Well, I guess I'll have to get a babysitter"...her way of telling us that she was pregnant. Needless to say, it was more than just a fun evening out with my favorite girls in the world! Thanks Beth for the picture, and thanks mom for always making everything so special!

Jack is 4!

2009-08-08T22:27:00.001-07:00

Four years ago on August 5th, our first child, Jack, was born. He made his appearance 13 days late, forcing me through many hours of labor, and then ultimately a c-section. All of that unpleasantness was quickly forgotten when I held him for the first time. It was love at first sight. Now he's 4, is about to start his 2nd year of preschool, rarely lets me change his clothes or help in the bathroom anymore, and is becoming so independent and self-assured that he reminds me to calm down when I get too uptight. "Mom, just calm" he says.

A few months ago I asked Jack if I could read him my favorite book "I'll Love You Forever". It was my favorite book as a child, and is still my favorite book because my mom gifted it to me at the hospital on the day that Jack was born. When my mom used to read it to me, she would sing the words of the song with her own little made up tune (at least I think she made it up). I now do the same for Jack, and even though he's starting to get annoyed with me when I do it, he usually lets me. The last few months have been pretty difficult and emotional, and the last time I read the book to Jack I was a complete basket case. However, it just reminds me that there is no stronger love than a parent for their child, and even though Jack is growing and the years are flying by, my baby he'll always be.

Gotta love that enthusiasm! This present is a Star Wars light-saber by the way.

Yes, he is actually hugging his new Transformers pj's saying, "I love it!"

A Lego Star Wars Starship

Baseballs!

Happy Birthday to you Jack! I can't believe you are 4!

My Helper

2009-08-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Just a sweet thing that makes me smile!

Family Pictures

2009-08-01T23:22:00.001-07:00

Photos by Brea Bateman

Roosevelt

2009-07-17T09:43:00.001-07:00

Me and the kids went over to my aunt and uncles house at Lake Roosevelt with my family last weekend. I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures. Everyone had a lot of fun. The weather was great so we got to ride the wave runners and go on the pontoon boat (party barge). Jack liked going fast on the wave runners, fishing, and playing on the beach/water. Jovie was pretty good too considering she didn't get a good nap in the entire time we were there. She likes to be included in the party...doesn't want to miss anything.

Sun-bathing beauties! Jovie, Grammy, Ryan
Me and the kids
Jack and Grampy (in their jammies) feeding the deer. These deer come right up to the house. I'm actually standing on the deck taking this picture. What spoiled little buggers!
Priceless!

I Love Summer Vacation

2009-06-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, this week was my first official week of summer vacation. It has been much needed. The kids and I have slept in every day so far...well, all two of them that is. We've also been able to some much needed catching up with friends. My friends Anya, Kyrsten, Lindsey, and Natasha (visiting from San Diego) came over yesterday, and Jack had a great time playing with the boys. Today we visited my mom, who is doing really great by the way, and planted some flowers. I just love the freedom that this time of year allows me! I will eventually get my housework done...however I've learned in the last month that there are so many more important things in life. The house will always be here waiting to be cleaned!

These pictures of the kids depict another aspect of summer that I just love...eating:) Jack and I have been frequenting The Green Barn, where we have been loving the plums, apricots, and nectarines. He is on a "fruit-with-pits" kick. He ate two plums yesterday, and a nectarine and a plum today. Looking at this picture of him eating this plum just makes me smile, which is why I just had to post it. Jovie on the other hand is following in her big brother's foot steps and is devouring the baby food. She's only had sweet potatoes, squash (which she doesn't like), and pears, but we can already tell we have another good little eater on our hands.

Finally, even though summer vacation is my Heaven on Earth, it means extended hours and busy weekends for Rob out at the resort. I guess at least I am home to counteract his busy summer schedule. Tomorrow and the next day we will share our first days off together since March 16...the day I went back to work after having Jovie. Rob has been splitting his days off since then to accommodate to our busy full-time working schedules so that childcare was less of an issue. PTL that we can finally see each other two days in a row once again! I don't think we're doing that again next year. It means one extra day of daycare for Jovie, but in turn, one extra day together as a family, which I think is more important.

Okay, now that I've bored you all...peace!

Home

2009-06-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

After 6 days away from Rob and the kids, I am finally home. Most of you are following up on the CarePages website regarding my mom's surgery, but just in case I forgot to send you the link, you go to www.carepages.com and create a username for yourself. After you've set up an id and password, you can visit the page "wecareforkathy" There you can read all the updates that we've posted since Friday of last week...the day of surgery.

Thanks to all of you who are thinking of us and praying for us. We really feel your love. I hope to catch up with some of you who I've missed soon. I'm so sorry I've been SO out of touch.

Rollin' and Teeth

2009-06-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Jovie just turned five months old, and is unveiling all sorts of milestones to prove it! She just gave us her first roll from back to front, her first tooth just broke last night, and she's sitting at the dinner table with us eating rice cereal (more pictures of that to follow). In addition, I think it's safe to say she's sleeping through the night. It's been a pretty consistent couple of weeks that she wakes up to eat at around 6am. It's been such a blessing! Other than suffering from a little cold, she's just as happy as can be.

Now Jack's turn. Jack just finished his first year of preschool! He's learned so much and we've been so happy with where he was at, and we are very excited for him to go back next year. He learned so much about playing with others, sharing, manners, bible stories, letter and number recognition, and the list goes on! Thanks Danielle for your unyielding patience with Jack and all the rest of the kids! We're so looking forward to next year. Other things that Jack is into right now are...Legos, Lego video games, his truck, his bike, watering the lawn with his dad, and playing with his baby sister.

The school year is almost coming to an end for me. I have a week and 3 days left of school, although some of that time is going be spent in California for my mom's surgery and recovery next week/weekend. Surgery is on Friday, June 12th to remove some of the cancer before treatment. We pray that the surgery is a success and that she can go home and start recovering like a champ! We really feel like this opportunity to go down to USC is a ray of hope from God, so just join us in prayer for everything to go smoothly.

That's all for now. It's been ages since I posted anything, I know, and I know I still need to post more pictures. I'll try to get that done in the next couple days.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-05-08T21:29:00.001-07:00

This last Sunday, the 3rd, was my birthday. Rob surprised me with this cake and a trip to Disneyland planned for August! Yes, we just went last June, but had such a great time together as a family that we just couldn't wait until next year (2010 was the original plan) to go back. Rob's parents and sister are also coming along for the fun, which we are very excited about. Rob and his mom schemed together to make it possible. Needless to say it was the best birthday I can remember in a long time. The news came at a perfect time too. I've been back at work for almost two months, and it's really taken its toll on me, the house, and us as a family. We just don't see each other enough. Anyway, it's just another reminder that summer vacation is right around the corner, and that we've got a great week long trip to look forward to.

Rob has a long-standing tradition of baking and decorating really amazing birthday cakes for me. Even though this one is simple, it's been my favorite so far.

Skills

2009-04-26T21:04:00.001-07:00

Jovie's got skills. After much concentration Jovie can reach and grab for things. This play mat is her new favorite thing, as well as the jingly thing on her car seat that jingles with the slightest move of the car (which drives me crazy, but she loves it). Jovie is almost 4 months old and the time is going so fast. It's hard for me to believe that she's quickly developing and isn't such a newborn anymore. She acts older and older every day. She's also giving her vocal chords quite the workout. I think we're in trouble with that one!

Post-Easter Celebration

2009-04-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

Jovie finally got to wear her "Easter" outfit today. We had a post-Easter celebration with my mom's side of the family because the weather was so horrible last weekend. Jack had a blast hunting eggs a 2nd time in my aunt and uncle's huge back yard, and Jovie finally got to get dressed up and have a photo shoot. I'm pretty sure she's the cutest little girl there ever was, but I guess I'm supposed to say that right?

Eggs

2009-04-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

After an extremely long day and night at the silent auction fundraising event for the American Cancer Society that my family put on (raised $7,000 by the way), Rob and Jack were insistent that we still decorate Easter eggs. I think we were up until midnight, but oh well, it was fun. Also, I realized that I didn't take any pictures on Easter! My mom took pictures of the kids doing the hunt, so I'll have to get those from her, and there isn't a picture to be found of Jovie on her first Easter. She slept through the whole celebration, and I've learned my lesson multiple times about waking her up! Anyway, it was a good day, even though we couldn't go outside because of the rain. Oh well, the grass is nice and green so I guess we needed it.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

I'll post pictures and such later, but just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter! We are heading to Julie and Adam's house for our Easter celebration this year. I just hope it stops raining so that the kids can have their egg hunt outside instead of inside! Check in later for Easter pictures.

Spring Break...Looking Ahead

2009-04-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

To kick off my spring break last weekend, we went over to Lake Roosevelt with our dear friends Jason and Sydney. We had a great 3 nights there just catching up, feeding the deer, watching the turkeys, playing Mexican Train, and overall just relaxing!

We even got to take my Grandpa's four wheeler out for a spin after charging the battery, changing a spark plug, and filling the oil. Here is Jack and Jason ("Uncle Juice" as Jack so lovingly calls him). Jack had a blast on that thing, as did Rob and Jason. In fact, they are just dying to get dirt bikes now.

Jovie and I had to take a break in the house to get warmed up and refueled!

Doing chores for my Aunt Shirley and Uncle Bill...picking up sticks from when my Grandpa and Grandma Van Diest pruned the fruit trees. Syd and Jack were the ones to do this chore. It was a little difficult for me to bend down and pick up sticks with Jovie in the front pack, so I thought I'd take pictures of them hard at work.

Happy Jack...mom and dad on vacation, playing outside with Uncle Juice and Aunt Syd...life doesn't get much better than this!

Looking ahead...as most of you can guess by the absence of updates on the blog, I'm back at work after 2 1/2 short months of being home with Jovie and Jack. I went back to work, and then two weeks later it was spring break, so at least my transition into it has been slow. What's more is that between Rob, Rob's mom, and my mom, we didn't have to start Jovie at daycare until after spring break. She starts at a daycare in Mount Vernon on April 7th. I am hoping that this transition goes smoothly, so please be thinking of us this week. Being a full time working mom has definitely proved to be challenging for me, but overall we thrive on the routine and know that our children are in good hands while we are away at work. Plus, summer vacation is just right around the corner!

Relay for Life Carwash

2009-03-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I wanted to spread the word that our Relay for Life team (The Van Diest Family) is having a carwash this Saturday, March 14th from 10am-3pm at Hinton's in Lynden. In addition to washing cars by donation, we will be selling a hotdog, chip, and pop/water lunch for $2.50! What a deal! I hope to see some of you there with your super dirty cars! Get all that yucky salt and de-icer off from this winter that we've had!

Joelle

Cute Bunny Sweater

2009-03-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

I just love this little bunny sweater that my Grandma Day got for me!

Fun at Camano

2009-02-25T09:39:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we visited Grandpa and Grandma Day at their house in Camano Island. Jack was so excited to see his Grandparents. He got lots of attention and was able to play games and do crafts...things I don't always have time to do with him at home. He even got to play video games with Sara. Jovie seemed equally happy. Her first night in a different place was a bit rough, but she adjusted well. Here she is being held by her Grandma, and here is Jack in the bath showing off his faux-hawk.

Little Drummer Boy

2009-02-17T09:40:00.001-08:00

Jack's newest interest is playing drums, or anything musical for that matter. Rob surprised him with this drum the other day and sent him on a treasure hunt to look for it. We had quite the rock out session afterward. We'll see if he stays interested in this. If so, we'd love to get him lessons. He's actually pretty good. He can find the rhythm and drum along.

1 Month Old/Prayer Request

2009-02-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

I can't believe a month has already gone by since Jovie's arrival. To be quite honest, it's been a bit of blur. However, the days are starting to slow down a bit and become more routine. Our nights are getting more predictable and Jovie is becoming less fussy, which is making a huge difference. Here she is giving me her typical look of wonder, reminding me just how much like Jack she actually is.

Please continue to pray for my friends Sarah and Andy, and baby Justus as he faces another brain infection and shunt surgery ahead. Justus was born premature (at 30 weeks) in November and has already faced and overcome so many obstacles. The Lord continues to test Sarah and Andy's faith, but also continues to give Justus the strength to keep fighting. Visit their blog if you wish for more detailed information. The link is below and to the right and is labeled "The Road To Home".

Lazy Days

2009-01-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

Not too much is new around here, but I thought I'd better get something on here for the sake of updating. This picture pretty much sums up our days around here, but let me tell you, when the sun goes down it's a completely different story. In speaking to my friends and family members within the last week, I have come to understand that most babies have a fussy time and that it's usually early evening. Jack never had a fussy time so we were completely spoiled by that. Jovie has chosen her fussy time to start at about 10:00pm lasting until around 12:00-1:00am. I know I shouldn't complain, especially because she does so well during the day, but with Rob up at 5:00am for work, and Jovie and I up again at 3:00am and 6:00am to nurse, our nights have been quite stressful. I hope there is an end in sight to the sleepless nights.

In other news, Rob and I are so incredibly geared up for the big game on Sunday. In the 8 1/2 years I've known him, he's been the most devoted Arizona Cardinals fan out there. To see them in the Super Bowl this weekend and to see how happy it makes him is so awesome! Just hours after Jovie's birth, we got to witness the first playoff game. I wish someone else besides myself, the doctor, and the nurse could have seen his face. There he sat holding his new baby girl, watching his team win in the playoffs for the first time ever. We'll never forget that day as long as we live, and nothing will probably be able to top it for Rob as long as he lives. So, needless to say, even though we're both exhausted, stressed, and worn out, we have so much to be thankful for...each other, our beautiful, healthy kids, and of course, the good old Cardinals:)

First Bath

2009-01-18T09:28:00.001-08:00

No one has ever seen her eyes this open because she sleeps all the time! Finally, Jovie's cord came off and we were able to give her a real bath. She loved the warm water, but the enjoyment was short lived. Once we started washing her, it was all over. Her tummy looks huge here because she just ate, but in actuality it's very tiny.

Sitting Pretty

2009-01-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

We thought this was the cutest little pose ever!

First Sponge Bath

2009-01-11T14:43:00.000-08:00

Since Jovie's cord is taking awhile to come off, we've had to give her a few sponge baths. She absolutely hates them. She is heaven for the split second that the warm washcloth touches her skin, and the second it turns cold, she freaks. I hope she'll be happier with baths when she can actually soak in the warm water.

Our Hospital Stay

2009-01-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Jovie Noelle

2009-01-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

Meet our lovely new bundle of joy. Born January 3, 2009 at 10:16 am. Weight: 6 pounds 14 ounces. Length: 20 inches.

Christmas Day

2008-12-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful, relaxing Christmas Day we had. We opened presents, played in the snow, and just enjoyed each other's company. Jack loved his presents from Santa and was even more excited about Santa and his reindeer eating the cookies, carrots, and milk we left out for him. I don't remember the last white Christmas we had, and I'll bet we won't have another like this for years.

Go Cardinals

2008-12-21T19:20:00.000-08:00

Despite their horrible loss today against the Patriots, Rob remains hopeful in the Cardinals playoff success. Any time the Cardinals game is televised (once in a blue moon) we have a mini celebration.

Christmas Decorations

2008-12-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

Decorating our brand new house for Christmas has definitely been one of the highlights of the season. Don't you just love the red door? It's one of my favorite things about the new house.

Jack and Rowdy

2008-12-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

Grammy VanDiest brought Jack to build-a-bear yesterday, and he created Rowdy the Christmas Moose. Now him and Rowdy are inseparable. Half of the time he treats him like a best friend, and half the time he treats him like a baby and wraps him up and puts him down for naps. He's never taken so kindly to a stuffed animal before. Thanks Grammy!

First Post

2008-11-15T16:58:00.001-08:00

For my first post, I thought I would be very unoriginal and explain what I'm doing right now...nothing obviously or I wouldn't be creating this blog. Jack-man and I are laying on the couch napping. Could it get any better on a Saturday afternoon in November? I don't think so.