out with the old...

i'm sitting here...alone in my big, dark house...
listening to the quiet reign.
my boys are outside, making bonfires in barrels.
it's cold out there...and until those fires get really roaring, i'm content to stay inside.

i've just been going through the piles of photos that litter my hard drive.
there's quite a few. heh.
it's interesting to view them as a whole...as an entire unit instead of monthly (i organize them by month).
i watched my photographic ability kind of wobble, take a bit of a nose dive in september and then start to climb back up to where it was at the beginning of the year.
i suppose i could blame that on complete and utter lack of creative energy around september/october (due to a little thing called pregnancy)...but regardless...it's a little dispiriting to see.

in addition to watching my photography skills wax and wane, i watched my boy grow from a baby into a little boy. what an amazing progression! (i hope to have his two year old update on here soon) looking back at where he was just a year ago to now is almost more than my mind can take in right now. utter amazement.





welcome 2009.
it's tough for me to say goodbye to 2008.
it almost seems like it would be easier to stay here...
in the comfortable, the familiar.
who knows what 2009 will bring?
it's dark and murky and a little bit intimidating to peer into its future.
but i suppose i best approach 2009 as i did 2008:
one step at a time...
one day at a time.

ps. i'll try to be a better blogger in 2009. :o)

until next time...

so...i've really been wanting to blog lately.
but naptime is still a struggle.
if i get twenty minutes...i consider myself lucky.
and on top of that...john hasn't been getting home until eight-ish every night
so by the time he gets home and we get the dude in bed...i fall into bed too.
maybe this weekend i'll have time to post some holiday goodness...
but for now...
this will have to do!

naptime, shmaptime.

i just exhausted my repertoire of christmas songs singing elijah to sleep.
and i have a rather large repertoire.
trust me.
*sigh*
i don't know what to do with that boy and naptime!
he's been doing so great going to bed at night on his own...i can't understand why naptime poses such a problem.
if i'm a hardnose and make him stay in his room by himself, he rarely falls asleep. he doesn't play with his toys or try to climb up the shelves...he just sits on his bed or hangs over the gate and cries. if he does happen to fall asleep on his own, i'm sure it's accidental and he wakes up less than 30 minutes later, just sobbing.
but, if i sit with him, rub his head or sing to him (like i did today), he's out in minutes.
what gives?

on a totally unrelated note, we're going to get our christmas tree tomorrow! hooray! i've been slowly pulling decorations out over the last few weeks, just bit by bit. elijah has his own tree in the corner, next to the fireplace. he loves to pull the ornaments down, play with them for a bit and then put them back. he did a great job decorating it! obviously, only the bottom half of the tree is covered (for the most part) but he didn't glob them all into a single section...there's even some on the back! he had me put a few up high...to balance it out i suppose?

little boys and their toys...

i didn't take many pictures during thanksgiving weekend. i've been taking it easy with my camera lately and last weekend was no exception. but i did want to share this one...we were hanging out in the orchard at john's parents' old house, waiting for the turkey to finish cooking. john brought a bunch of elijah's ride-on toys with us: two bikes, two four-wheelers and his battery operated car. (note: these toys were given to elijah...we only bought one of them! seriously...my son has a ridiculously overwhelming number of bike-eqse toys.) after trying to ride his big boy bike and failing miserably (the ground was just too soft), he decided on this one and had the best time ever. just a little plug here for this radio flyer bike: it was probably the best $30 we've ever spent on elijah. it was his only christmas present last year...and it has served us well. he's probably a bit too big to be riding it anymore since he now likes to do wheelies and other crazy stunts on it but seriously...the look on his face says it all. oh boys and their toys...

ho ho ho?

well...it's tiny...but it's proof that elijah did visit santa today. though he talked about santa all morning...he wasn't thrilled with the idea once we got up there...which is why i'm sitting with him too. but oh well...at least he didn't cry.

the long and short of it.

oops. i thought i posted this already. oh well...it's a day late.

i have a love/hate relationship with long weekends.

i love them. oh...how i love them.

but man! that monday morning afterward is brutal!

i'm already dreading it.

this weekend has been fun though. very relaxing...which was nice.

thanksgiving day we spend over at john's parents house. they did the turkey and so i just brought a few odds and ends. mashed potatoes, cranberries and these AMAZING sweet potato biscuits. we ate pretty late...around five or so...and after that...i just knitted while elijah and his cousins watched 'cars'.

during the day, we walked over to john's parents old house (which they still own) to check on the turkey. they cooked it in this giant hole in the ground. it's hard to explain and even harder to master but it was a good bird! elijah, miguel and john hung out in the orchard and played on various recreational equipment while john's parents and i did our best to find a decent orange from their plethora of citrus trees. we found a couple of okay ones...but they need a couple more weeks on the tree to be really good.

friday, i spent the whole day debating going to the grocery store but never actually made it. haven't made it yet, to be honest. tomorrow. for sure, i'll go tomorrow.

a little update on elijah and his sleep battles. he is doing so much better at nighttime. last night, he only got up once and the night before that, he didn't get up at all. naptime, however, is a whole different ball game. i might have to think up a different strategy for naptime because this one isn't working so well. he just cries and cries and cries for john, which is easy to remedy on the weekends when he's home. john just goes in there, elijah stops crying and goes to sleep. if john's not home (like yesterday), sleep really just doesn't happen. yesterday, he finally fell asleep, after an hour of crying, only to wake up fifteen minutes later crying for john again. so...naptime continues to be a battle but hopefully soon, he'll get the idea that mommy means business! :-D

i had to pull my maternity pants out this weekend when my "in between" sized pants wouldn't button. but of course, they're still huge. i think i'm going to be wearing a lot of sweatpants for the next couple weeks until my belly does a bit more popping. i really dislike this stage of the belly because, while i think i'm sticking out there, it isn't really obvious to most people. honestly, if you didn't know i was pregnant and just ran into me in the grocery store, you'd probably just think, "that chick needs to lay off the donuts". (not that people pay that close attention or even care...) i can definitely feel this one moving around a lot more...especially the past couple days. just little flutters and kicks but it feels like they're having a good time in there. i have an ultrasound scheduled for the tenth...am excited to see this little one moving and grooving around. john doesn't want to find out whether it's a boy or a girl...and i think he's actually talked me into it. while it would be nice to know, it's not as necessary with the second one...plus...what a fun surprise! we'll see...

sleep, baby, sleep.

the dude and his tongue. it's his latest thing.

had a rough night with elijah last night. actually, he slept all night long...it was just the getting to sleep part that posed the problem. basically, the poor booger wants us to lay with him while he falls asleep. it's a whim i've given in to for far too long...mainly because i've been too exhausted to deal with the alternative (crying, sleep deprived baby). but since i've been feeling much less out-of-it as of late, yesterday, i decided to do something about it. so, i went and bought a gate for his door, set up the music player in his room and just generally prepared myself for a civil war.
last night was hard, i won't lie. he stood behind the gate at his door (we put the gate up only after he'd already gotten up three times) screaming and crying like he hasn't in a long time. part of me wanted to laugh...but mostly i wanted to cry. poor baby. i felt like i was abandoning him. that is, until he figured out how to climb over the gate. then i was just mad. after about an hour of the battle of the wills, he did settle down and stay in his bed. he was asleep in minutes after only one loud thump (which i'm still not completely sure of the origin).
i debated what to do for naptime today...mostly i just really didn't want to deal with the hour-long saga we had last night but i figured, we might as well get it over with. he, of course, got up immediately after i left the room. and i warned him that if he continued to get up, i would have to put the gate up (i returned the one from last night and got a different one this morning). after the third time, i went to go tuck him back in so he'd be out of the way while i put the gate up. as i was doing this, his little voice informed me that he had "poo-poos". at first i thought it was a stall technique but nope, my nose confirmed the dirty diaper. so...i changed him...of course. but a funny thing happened when i took the diaper away. i dealt with the poop (flushing it) and took my time throwing the diaper away and washing my hands. when i started back down the hall, no sniffling boy greeted me. only silence. so...instead of going back to his room (which is where i thought i was headed), i hung a right into my computer room (the mess room) and checked my email. still no little boy poking his head out. i got on facebook. took my time on there. still no little boy. checked my blogs. by this time, i had to go check. i had to know what he was doing in there. i tiptoed up to his door, walking with wide legs so my pants wouldn't even swish together and peeked. he was asleep. seriously. sound asleep with his sweet little lips puckered up in a sigh. oh, i am a happy mama today. i didn't even have to put the gate up! not sure if this will be a trend or if it was just a fluke...but at this point, i don't really care. i'll take what i can get.

oh the joys of toddlerhood.

e has been learning how to dress himself lately. most of the time he does pretty good with his shirts...though sometimes they end up being backwards. but the pants are a bit more tricky. plus, most of the time, he really just doesn't want to do it himself (he's too busy playing) so i end up doing it myself. which is fine by me...no need to grow him up too fast!

living for the weekend.

just wanted to share some pictures from this weekend. nothing crazy...we just went to the park and enjoyed the sunshine. love afternoons like this one...

waiting.

i'm waiting for the most recent pictures of our little life to make their way upstairs and onto my computer. funny...they're not getting the hint.

got some fun ones that i want to share from this past weekend...
maybe tomorrow?
by friday...definitely.

oh christmas...

an apple a day.

i've been thinking a lot about christmas lately.
actually, i've been thinking about it for a while now, which is not unusual at all for christmas loving me. but this year, my thinking has been a bit different than other years. typically, my thoughts revolve around gifts to make and give, our family christmas card, where we should put the tree and how many twinkle lights are too many. and while those things have crossed my mind more than once, i've also found myself thinking about other things. i've been wondering about the necessity of giving gifts at all. i've decided to skip the holiday cards this year. i've even debated getting a christmas tree. (gasp!) i'm not turning into a scrooge...in fact, it always has been and always will be the complete opposite. i've just been thinking about the contrast between the sheer simplicity of Christ's birth and the utter chaos our culture has produced all in the name of CHRISTmas. i've struggled with finding a happy medium between wallowing in the excess this american society perpetuates and celebrating the wonder and majesty of an event that occurred thousands of years ago.
a lot of this pondering comes from a financial angle; we simply cannot afford an extravagant holiday this year. but stemming from that is the thought, "do we EVER need extravagant anything (materialistically speaking)?" i can pore over the glossy pages of my magazines that promote perfection, lavish decorations and piles of presents all i want. but in the back of my mind, i'm continually asking myself, "is this necessary?".
the answer, of course, is no.
and i know that. instinctively. without second thought, i know how unnecessary this excess is. but still, i battle with that knowledge. i WANT a beautifully bedecked tree in my living room. i WANT a pile of perfectly wrapped presents resting underneath its boughs. i WANT to serve my family a delectable christmas meal with ALL the trimmings. but just as i'm letting myself think these things, i hear a gratingly whiny voice above the din, screaming, "I WANT! I WANT! I WANT!". and that is, honestly, the last thing i want.
immediately, the words to that derek webb song jolt into my head:
"i repent. i repent of my pursuit of america's dream".
i am, in the very fiber of my being, fighting not only about christmas trees and presents, i am fighting my very sin nature. i'm fighting my selfish need to have every thing my way.
so i guess it's not simply a holiday struggle, though it feels very much that way. it's an every minute of every day of my entire life kind of struggle that seems to peak when costco pulls out its inflatable santa claus'. i'm reminded of my own human frailty...which, when you think about it, is kind of the whole point of christmas, isn't it? Jesus, coming to earth, wearing the skin of our humanity and conquering our shame. conquering death. living victorious. isn't that really what we should be celebrating?
it doesn't make my inner struggle to buy oodles of unnecessary holiday trappings any easier. i still want the picture perfect, martha stewart-esque month of december. but, i suppose if i continue to remind myself of the true reason to celebrate, the importance of certain things does begin to fade in the reality of Christ and His birth so long ago.

oh, my boy...

yesterday,
sitting at the kitchen table,
eating lunch,
elijah was being a bit goofy.

after a few minutes of antics,
he turned to me and said,
"mama, i funny!"

yes, my little man, you are.

tricks and treats.

they're off and running...

they knew what to do...

grr. someone (john's dad) helped him open up a sucker. he kept digging them out, asking, "more? candy? more?" *sigh* it was bound to happen i suppose.

getting treats from abolita.

the trick or treating gang.

buddies. (matching was not done on purpose)

the cape in action.

here's a brief synopsis of our halloween. sorry i'm so tardy posting it.
elijah awoke at two am friday morning burning up with fever. this did not bode well for my halloween plans. undeterred, i embarked on my very first sewing adventure using my sewing machine. (yes, i waited until the actual day to start it. that's just how i roll.) thankfully, i had no major mishaps and i ended up with a pretty cool cape for my boy. he was a SUPER dirt bike rider. see, our friends gave us riding pants and a jersey for elijah that their son had outgrown but seeing as elijah doesn't yet ride dirt bikes, he never really gets to wear them. knowing that the pants were starting to get a little tight in the waist, i thought this would probably be the last time he'd get to wear the outfit. and what a better excuse than halloween?!? so super dirt bike rider elijah man it was. he wasn't thrilled with the cape during the first fitting but i think he was still feeling a bit yucky. but a long nap later, he was ready to go. he and his little neighbor buddy kendall went trick or treating together...just around to the houses we know. it seemed like they enjoyed themselves. once john got home, he got his dirt biking uniform on too and took elijah around on the bike. elijah didn't go to bed until almost 10.30pm; he was having so much fun (that and he'd had one too many lollys...grrr.) anyways...it was a fun night.

why i'm NOT voting for obama.

i'm having a hard time with this election.
i'm not a political person to begin with...so elections and their antics always grate on me.
but this year...it's been especially annoying.
the main reason?

obama.

i don't know the man. but still, i'm frustrated by him.
i'm frustrated by how he's disillusioned so many people...
people i look up to...
people i respect.

i'm not an expert on the subject...
and i don't want to start a political debate here on my blog.
(believe me, that is the LAST thing i want)
but when an email landed in my inbox this morning...
something snapped.
and i realized i had to post it.

it's been checked out by snopes.com...and is the real deal.
i echo the sentiments of the author 100%.

(this was copied directly from snopes.com: you can read it on their site here.)

Huntley Brown

Claim: Editorial by pianist Huntley Brown explains why he won't vote for Barack Obama.

Status: True.

Example: [Collected via e-mail,October 2008]

I wanted to send this article from Huntley Brown - a fabulous concert pianist, a man of God and a black man. I appreciate so much his reasoning for not voting for Obama. I would like to see his article published or spread out via Email to as many as possible. It's good stuff!

Why I Can't Vote For Obama

By Huntley Brown

Dear Friends, A few months ago I was asked for my perspective on Obama, I sent out an email with a few points. With the election just around the corner I decided to complete my perspective. Those of you on my e-list have seen some of this before but it's worth repeating...

First I must say whoever wins the election will have my prayer support. Obama needs to be commended for his accomplishments but I need to explain why I will not be voting for him.

Many of my friends process their identity through their blackness. I process my identity through Christ. Being a Christian (a Christ follower) means He leads I follow.

I can't dictate the terms He does because He is the leader. I can't vote black because I am black; I have to vote Christian because that's who I am. Christian first, black second. Neither should anyone from the other ethnic groups vote because of ethnicity. 200 years from now I won't be asked if I was black or white. I will be asked if I knew Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

In an election there are many issues to consider but when a society gets abortion, same-sex marriage, embryonic stem-cell research, human cloning to name a few, wrong economic concerns will soon not matter.

We need to follow Martin Luther King's words, don't judge someone by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I don't know Obama so all I can go off is his voting record. His voting record earned him the title of the most liberal senator in the US Senate in 2007.

NATIONAL JOURNAL: Obama: Most Liberal Senator in 2007 (01/31/2008)

To beat Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton as the most liberal senator, takes some doing. Obama accomplished this feat in 2 short years. I wonder what would happen to America if he had four years to work with. There is a reason Planned Parenthood gives him a 100% rating. There is a reason the homosexual community supports him. There is a reason Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, Hamas etc. love him.

There is a reason he said he would nominate liberal judges to the Supreme Court. There is a reason he voted against the infanticide bill. There is a reason he voted No on the constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. There is a reason he voted No on banning partial birth abortion. There is a reason he voted No on confirming Justices Roberts and Alito. These two judges are conservatives and they have since overturned partial birth abortion. The same practice Obama wanted to continue.

Let's take a look at the practice he wanted to continue

The 5 Step Partial Birth Abortion procedures:

*steps removed due to their extremely graphic nature. if you'd like more detail, (it really is disturbing) go to the link above.*

A.

B.

C.

D.

E.

God help him.

There is a reason Obama opposed the parental notification law.

Think about this: You can't give a kid an aspirin without parental notification but that same kid can have an abortion without parental notification. This is insane.

There is a reason he went to Jeremiah Wright's church for 20 years.

Obama tells us he has good judgment but he sat under Jeremiah Wright teaching for 20 years. Now he is condemning Wright's sermons. I wonder why now?

Obama said Jeremiah Wright led him to the Lord and discipled him. A disciple is one in training. Jesus told us in Matthew 28:19 - 20 "Go and make disciples of all nations." This means reproduce yourself. Teach people to think like you, walk like you; talk like you believe what you believe etc. The question I have is what did Jeremiah Wright teach him?

Would you support a White President who went to a church which has tenets that said they have a ...

1. Commitment to the White Community

2. Commitment to the White Family

3. Adherence to the White Work Ethic

4. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community.

5. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions

6. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System

7. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

Would you support a President who went to a church like that?

Just change the word from white to black and you have the tenets of Obama's former church. If President Bush was a member of a church like this, he would be called a racist. Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would have been marching outside.

This kind of church is a racist church. Obama did not wake up after 20 years and just discovered he went to a racist church. The church can't be about race. Jesus did not come for any particular race. He came for the whole world.

A church can't have a value system based on race. The churches value system has to be based on biblical mandate. It does not matter if it’s a white church or a black church it's still wrong. Anyone from either race that attends a church like this would never get my vote.

Obama's former Pastor Jeremiah Wright is a disciple of liberal theologian James Cone, author of the 1970 book A Black Theology of Liberation. Cone once wrote: "Black theology refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him.

Cone is the man Obama's mentor looks up to. Does Obama believe this?

So what does all this mean for the nation?

In the past when the Lord brought someone with the beliefs of Obama to lead a nation it meant one thing - judgment.

Read 1 Samuel 8 when Israel asked for a king. First God says in 1 Samuel 1:9 "Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do."

Then God says

1 Samuel 1:18 "When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day." 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, "Listen to them and give them a king."

Here is what we know for sure.

God is not schizophrenic

He would not tell one person to vote for Obama and one to vote for McCain. As the scripture says, a city divided against itself cannot stand, so obviously many people are not hearing from God.

Maybe I am the one not hearing but I know God does not change and Obama contradicts many things I read in scripture so I doubt it.

For all my friends who are voting for Obama can you really look God in the face and say; Father based on your word, I am voting for Obama even though I know he will continue the genocidal practice of partial birth abortion. He might have to nominate three or four Supreme Court justices, and I am sure he will be nominating liberal judges who will be making laws that are against you. I also know he will continue to push for homosexual rights, even though you destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for this. I know I can look the other way because of the economy.

I could not see Jesus agreeing with many of Obama's positions. Finally I have two questions for all my liberal friends. Since we know someone's value system has to be placed on the nation,

1. Whose value system should be placed on the nation.

2. Who should determine that this is the right value system for the nation?

Blessings, Huntley Brown

Origins: Huntley Brown is, as described on his web site, a "a Christian concert pianist whose versatile repertoire includes classical, jazz, gospel, reggae and many other styles."

An e-mail to Mr. Brown about the item reproduced above, an explanation attributed to him about why he would not be voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, drew the following response:

Yes, I wrote this e-mail. I was responding to my friends who asked me to vote for Senator Obama because he is black.

It was not my intention to send it around the world.

I did not post this e-mail or send out any pictures attached. I wish they had not done that.

My friends did not ask me to vote for Senator Mccain which explains why my e-mail was geared towards Senator Obama.

My e-mail was not meant to influence public opinion in any way, but simply to share with my friends my views on why I could not vote for Senator Obama.

I have problems with both candidates, but the differences I have with Senator Mccain are pale in comparison with the ones I have with Senator Obama.

For the record, I am not a politician. I am not a Democrat or a Republican. I am a Christian independent who just loves the Lord.

If Senator Obama wins he can count on my prayer support every day.

I tell my friends it's like a family where you have different opinions, but you love each other just the same. I love and appreciate Senator Obama but our views are diametrically opposed.

If I knew my e-mail would have generated this much interest on a national level, I would have left out a few points. I don't want people to think I am against gay people or against people who have had abortions. (I am not) We are all sinners saved by grace but we need to have some absolute laws to govern society or else we will self destruct.

What has really bothered me is our beautiful black women constitute only 6% of the population, yet they comprise 36% of the abortion industry's clientele. Obama has done nothing to stop this. Most people don't know that the leading abortion providers have chosen to exploit us blacks by locating 94% of their abortuaries in urban neighborhoods with high black populations. Obama has done nothing to stop this?

To be honest I can't wait to vote for the first black President but it has to be a person who shares the values I read in the Bible.

Thanks for checking to make sure my e-mail is legit it is.

The sad part is I have been getting hate mail and my family is being harassed. As you can imagine not everyone is happy with my e-mail.

God bless you richly.

stuff.

just sent my very bundled up son out the door with his papa.
it's STILL snowing.
they're going sledding.
so fun.
i love it.
i love that my son finally gets to experience snow and all its wonder.
here it's like christmas in october.
it's snowed almost every day we've been here.
i'm glad i added some christmas music to my ipod mix. :-D




we saw two moose walk right by the house this morning.
most likely, they were the same moose we saw the other day...
but the were spitting distance from the window this time.
elijah was so excited.
we got him a little moose at the store to remember this momentous occasion...
he's hardly put the thing down since we bought it.



just read an article about a family who took a year off from normal life to travel around the world.
you can read the article for yourself here.
very cool.
ever since, i've been dreaming about doing it myself with my family.
obviously, something like that takes a lot of planning and saving...
but man.
what an experience.


i've had the travel bug for a while now...
i realize that i'm currently in a different state than my home
and that technically counts as travel...
but i've been itching for a different kind of travel.
to get out the country...
to experience life somewhere far from home...
somewhere foreign where maybe i don't speak the language.
like peru. or france. or india.
i've been thinking a lot about our trip to john's parents hometown in mexico back in 2006.
when i get home, i think i'll dig the pictures out and finally do something with them.
i'm thinking maybe a shutterfly photo book. a nice one.
or maybe i'll print the pictures up and do it myself.
we'll see.
all i know is, i need to do something with those thousands of pictures.
they contain memories too wonderful to just let them sit on my computer.


now for some fun.
the following mosaics are from today.
ahhh...they make me smile.


the first one is from this morning...
while e was sitting on the potty, he was also reading to me.
so sweet.

the second is from this afternoon.
he saw my camera and said, "mile?" (which obviously means, smile?)
i asked him if he wanted to take a picture with mama.
he said yes.
so i told him to smile...and this was the result.
four pictures...with no smiles.
ah well...
i suppose i should be thankful.
in a few years, i won't be able to get him to stop making silly smiles for the camera.


that's all for now.

more moments...

hello moosies. they posed so nicely, don't you think?

the second target in all of alaska. note the "hello wasilla" sign in the top right corner.

pretending to sleep at target

modeling his new elmo slippers, baba's tea cozy and thomas the train

feeding ducky some cereal.

eating baba's cereal like the little birdie that he is.

frosty, frosty

certainly soaking up the crispy, cold weather here in alaska. just checked the weather for hometown ripon and couldn't comprehend eighty degrees. seriously? no way is it eighty degrees somewhere in the world when it's a blissful 25 degrees here. today it's frosty, frosty, frosty. there's a thick layer of frost on everything...even the leftover spiderwebs clinging to the deck chairs. so, so pretty. just waiting for my camera batteries to finish charging so i can head outside for some shots.

elijah is loving his time here. he's become so much more animated in the past few weeks...in his expressions, mannerisms and verbalizations. i love to hear him talk; watching his little face pucker up in concentration while he tries to explain something to me is so amazing and precious to see.

elijah's first time in the snow pictures coming soon. my mom wants to use the computer now.

a few moments...

in the seattle airport...

just some moments and memories from our first days here in alaska. we're enjoying the early-in-the-season snow...the presence of baba and papa...and the general lack of anything to do (in a relaxing, rejuvinating kind of way). elijah is simply fascinated by the snow...it's so fun to watch him experience these kinds of "firsts". we finally picked up a pair of snow boots for him (at the brand-new target...quite the place. pictures to come...) and he had his first official snow experience in the fred meyer parking lot. good times. we still need to find some mittens...the only pair i brought are not snow resistant (in other words, they get wet very quickly as they're just fleece). maybe tomorrow we'll make the trek out to find those.

until then...i've got to go rescue my son from the pantry. *sigh*

singing songs of my hometown...

i'm getting ready to leave for alaska for two weeks and believe it or not, this is actually on my list of things to do! i told you i was trying to be a better blogger. but my list is ridiculously long, so i do plan to keep this short. while i'm gone, i am going to try to post daily or every-other-day pictures on here for hubby at home to see. not sure how well that'll go...i haven't had much success in the past...but the good intentions are there.

before i leave you for my list...here's a song i always sing when i'm heading up to alaska (my homeland)...or when i've just returned from there. it's called 'faith my eyes' and it's an oldie-but goodie from caedmon's call.

as i survey the ground for ants
looking for a place to sit and read
i'm reminded of the streets of my hometown
how they're much like this concrete that's warm beneath my feet

and how i'm all wrapped up in my mother's face
with a touch of my father just up around the eyes
and the sound of my brother's laugh
but more wrapped up in what binds our ever distant lives

but if i must go
things i trust will be better off without me
but i don't want to know
life is better off a mystery

so keep on coming...these lines on the road
keep me responsible be it a light or heavy load
keep me guessing at these blessings in disguise
i'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes

my hometown weather is on tv
and i imagine the lives of the people living there
and i'm curious if they imagine me
they just wanna leave...i wish that i could stay

but i get turned around
i mistake some happiness for blessing
but i'm blessed as the poor
still i judge success by how i'm dressing

so i'll sing a song of my hometown
breathe the air and walk the streets
maybe find a place to sit and read
and the ants are welcome company

the choices we make.

my kitchen counter is littered with the leftovers of this mornings cookie baking session.

my kitchen table, normally clear glass, is frosted with milk from breakfast (courtesy of elijah-man's attempt at eating cereal with milk like a "bii boy!"), "elmo soup" (earth's best's yummy vegetable/noodle soup with elmo on the can) from lunch mixed with cookie crumbs from a little taste test we had before naptime. (cookies before naptime? i know...probably a bad idea.)

my living room floor has toys scattered hither and yon...in every corner, another lego or car or ball peaks its head out at me.

my bedroom has a mountain of clean clothes growing there, just waiting to be folded and put away.

there are dishes in the sink.
the toilets need a good scrubbing.
i won't even get started on the state of my closet.

all these things...but today i choose to sit here instead. because honestly, i'd rather be doing this than any of that. oh choices...

ah...pregnancy.

so...i've been a bad blogger. a really bad blogger.
but that's not the only thing i've been bad at lately.
a bad photographer? yup.
a bad housecleaner? yup.
a bad "let's get creative and do something fun together" type mom? yup.
a bad wife? yup.

my poor family. they've had to deal with crabby, nauseated, headache-y, pregnant me for the past few weeks. and i can tell they're tired of it. heck, I'M tired of it. so...even though i don't feel like it, tonight, i'm going to cook dinner. even though i'd rather be lying down on the couch, watching elijah play, today, i'm going to get down on the floor and build lego houses with him. and maybe a blanket fort. and maybe let him use the "special markers". even though i really just want to sit down, today, i will do the dishes, clean up the kitchen after dinner and help elijah pick up his toys. i won't give elijah just fruit snacks and goldfish for snack. i won't let john fend for himself for dinner. i will pick up where i left off those few weeks ago when first trimester pregnancy hit me like a crazed linebacker.
and even if i don't get half those things done...at least it's a start.

one thing i did do with elijah during this past month was take him to the pumpkin patch. it's not a true pumpkin patch...more like a road side fruit stand turned pumpkin crazy. i actually took my camera along and didn't leave it in the car! we had a great time, exploring the mazes, picking out pumpkins to take home (just three), climbing all over the tractor...etc. etc. so glad i made myself summon the energy to take him. thinking about making it a friday ritual until it's gone.

dancing.

went and saw fireproof this past tuesday with some couples from our small group. really great film. if it's playing near you, i highly recommend checking it out. it was worth the $7 popcorn!

in keeping with my plan to be on top of things, i should go clean up the kitchen, make my grocery list and print out some recipes. while i can't guarantee that i'll be a fantastic blogger in the next few weeks (i'll be in alaska for two of those weeks), i can promise that i'll be trying. really hard.

oh...one more thing:

i'm selling these hats. please contact me if you'd like to purchase one. prices are as follows: $12 for newborn size. $15 for 0-6 months (size pictured). $20 for 12-24 months. $25 for 2t-5t. shipping is included in the cost. i'll have a christmas themed one soon too. it's a red and white or red and green striped stocking cap. super cute. i'm taking orders for those too.