Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Kings Canyon Hike
Last weekend we decided to try out our new (used) gear from the recent REI sale. We scored great deals on hiking boots and a backpack carrier for Ellie, and we've been antsy to put them to use.
We headed to Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest. It's approximately two hours east of Fresno and we'd heard that it was beautiful and comparable to Yosemite.
First we stopped at this waterfall to eat lunch before we made it to our final destination to hike. Our little water-lover was very excited about the waterfall.
Ellie ready to go:
Can you see Michael and Ellie on the far right?
I love the contrast of the new green growth rising out of the ashes of black trees.
Not the greatest lighting, but there is a big rock behind Ellie:
We had a great day. Ellie did wonderfully and loved hiking around, and the terrain was beautiful. We can't wait to go back!
I posted more pictures on Facebook. You can see the album here.
We headed to Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest. It's approximately two hours east of Fresno and we'd heard that it was beautiful and comparable to Yosemite.
First we stopped at this waterfall to eat lunch before we made it to our final destination to hike. Our little water-lover was very excited about the waterfall.
Ellie ready to go:
Can you see Michael and Ellie on the far right?
I love the contrast of the new green growth rising out of the ashes of black trees.
Not the greatest lighting, but there is a big rock behind Ellie:
We had a great day. Ellie did wonderfully and loved hiking around, and the terrain was beautiful. We can't wait to go back!
I posted more pictures on Facebook. You can see the album here.
I am a Mom
It's a strange thing to suddenly be a part of a "club" that I had been excluded from until now: mommyhood.
I've been thinking about what it's like to be a mom after years of wondering, hoping, praying, and desiring. I will never not be a mom again. I am now and forever a mother, and I am so thankful to have already glimpsed the amazing joy and privilege of being Ellie's mommy. I never knew I'd be so captivated by my beautiful girl. I was sure I'd love being a mom, but I really had no clue that I would be this enthralled. Michael told me recently, "you were made for this" (being a mom), and it's true. I am not defining myself as only a mother. I am more than a mother. I am a teacher and a friend and a daughter and a sister and a wife. But I sure love this new role.
The Moms Group at my church has been doing some fun activities throughout the summer. Last week we went to a park in town that has a fun water area for kids to play. Ellie loves water, and she loved crawling around in the water. She was fearless, going right under pouring water and playing everywhere.
Thanks, Christa, for taking a few pictures.
I've been thinking about what it's like to be a mom after years of wondering, hoping, praying, and desiring. I will never not be a mom again. I am now and forever a mother, and I am so thankful to have already glimpsed the amazing joy and privilege of being Ellie's mommy. I never knew I'd be so captivated by my beautiful girl. I was sure I'd love being a mom, but I really had no clue that I would be this enthralled. Michael told me recently, "you were made for this" (being a mom), and it's true. I am not defining myself as only a mother. I am more than a mother. I am a teacher and a friend and a daughter and a sister and a wife. But I sure love this new role.
The Moms Group at my church has been doing some fun activities throughout the summer. Last week we went to a park in town that has a fun water area for kids to play. Ellie loves water, and she loved crawling around in the water. She was fearless, going right under pouring water and playing everywhere.
Thanks, Christa, for taking a few pictures.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Living in Fresno
If I'm being completely honest, Michael and I spend more time than we should complaining about Fresno. We miss family and friends all over the world and Fresno has yet to feel like "home" to us. Almost every person we know here is from here, grew up here, and all their friends and family live here. It makes it a bit hard to be from somewhere other than the Central Valley and sometimes we feel like we are encroaching on peoples' lives here. I don't always understand God's timing or plan for us, but we are constantly having to remind ourselves to see the positive things in our situation here.
Thus, I want to focus on a few reasons why Fresno isn't too bad. I wrote this post when we first moved here two years ago, and the positives are similar to now.
-Sunshine, and all that comes with it.
-Farmers Markets all over town. We could go to one almost every day if we wanted to.
-Outdoor water park fun.
-Proximity to beaches and sand.
-A swimming pool in almost every back yard (and friends who invite us over for a swim).
-Warm weather means Ellie and I go for a lot of jogs in the stroller. It also means family walks. (Below, Ellie was 4 days old.)
We've moved many times, and we always find ourselves looking back on previous phases of life with nostalgia. We often remember times that while they were happening seemed negative, but later, looking back, we remember with fondness. I'm sure we will do that someday with our time here in Fresno. (Disclaimer: We have no plans to leave Fresno any time soon.)
We are always learning and relearning that maybe the grass isn't always greener...
Thus, I want to focus on a few reasons why Fresno isn't too bad. I wrote this post when we first moved here two years ago, and the positives are similar to now.
-Sunshine, and all that comes with it.
-Farmers Markets all over town. We could go to one almost every day if we wanted to.
-Outdoor water park fun.
-Proximity to beaches and sand.
-A swimming pool in almost every back yard (and friends who invite us over for a swim).
-Warm weather means Ellie and I go for a lot of jogs in the stroller. It also means family walks. (Below, Ellie was 4 days old.)
We've moved many times, and we always find ourselves looking back on previous phases of life with nostalgia. We often remember times that while they were happening seemed negative, but later, looking back, we remember with fondness. I'm sure we will do that someday with our time here in Fresno. (Disclaimer: We have no plans to leave Fresno any time soon.)
We are always learning and relearning that maybe the grass isn't always greener...
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Happy 9 Months Ellie!
Ellie turned 9 months on Monday. This means she's almost been here for as long as I was pregnant. To me, this side seems to have gone faster, but Michael claims the pregnancy went faster for him.
At nine months:
-She's eating a lot more finger foods lately. She's very stubborn and shakes her head "no" repeatedly if she doesn't want to eat something we're offering.
-She made the sign for "more" a few times, but hasn't in a little while.
-She's gotten a lot more ticklish and loves to laugh and giggle.
-She seems to say "dada" (daddy), "da-da" (ducky), and "da" (doggie). Now, for you cynics I will acknowledge that these all look like the exact same sounds from her. They are. But we know she can tell a difference between these three items, which also happen to be her three favorite things. :) Oh, and she has said "mama" a few times, usually when in the crib and crying for me.
-The biggest physical development lately is her standing and cruising. Not only is she an expert at pulling herself up to stand, but now she takes steps while holding onto the couch or coffee table, sometimes walking the entire length. We foresee walking in our near future.
I've been trying to take a good picture of her standing, one that represents all that she has been up to lately, but it's been hard to do. Here are a few glimpses of what I see throughout my day:
We love you Ellie! Don't grow up too quickly on us.
At nine months:
-She's eating a lot more finger foods lately. She's very stubborn and shakes her head "no" repeatedly if she doesn't want to eat something we're offering.
-She made the sign for "more" a few times, but hasn't in a little while.
-She's gotten a lot more ticklish and loves to laugh and giggle.
-She seems to say "dada" (daddy), "da-da" (ducky), and "da" (doggie). Now, for you cynics I will acknowledge that these all look like the exact same sounds from her. They are. But we know she can tell a difference between these three items, which also happen to be her three favorite things. :) Oh, and she has said "mama" a few times, usually when in the crib and crying for me.
-The biggest physical development lately is her standing and cruising. Not only is she an expert at pulling herself up to stand, but now she takes steps while holding onto the couch or coffee table, sometimes walking the entire length. We foresee walking in our near future.
I've been trying to take a good picture of her standing, one that represents all that she has been up to lately, but it's been hard to do. Here are a few glimpses of what I see throughout my day:
We love you Ellie! Don't grow up too quickly on us.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
An Extraordinary Ordinary Day
Today was a good day. Despite Michael being out of town for the night, Ellie and I had a good day together.
Maybe it was because this morning she finally let me sleep in to what used to be our normal wake-up time.
Or maybe it was her two really good, long naps today.
Or maybe it was how well she ate today, no stubborn battles or shaking of the head, "no," even finally deciding to like yogurt after four days of refusing it.
Or maybe it was the fun playtime on the floor with all her toys.
Or all the giggles and tickles and cuddles.
Or the way I sat and watched her play and stand and crawl and realized how quickly she's going to grow out of babyhood.
Or maybe it was the crazy fun we had rolling a ball back and forth and back and forth on the wood floor.
Or all the books we read.
Or the music we listened to.
Or the music we made playing the piano.
Or the calming, peaceful walk we went on after dinner, when it was a perfect 85 degrees.
Maybe it was the adorable shrieks and excited screaming that ensued as soon as she realized I was drawing a bath. For her. And her ducky.
Or the way she sat contently in my lap and made the motions and touched the pages of our regular nighttime books.
Or how she fell asleep for the night right away--no fussing, no standing--just slipped into sweet slumber.
Or maybe each of these ordinary moments of our ordinary day somehow transformed into a remarkable day.
On second thought, it wasn't just a good day. It was a great day.
Maybe it was because this morning she finally let me sleep in to what used to be our normal wake-up time.
Or maybe it was her two really good, long naps today.
Or maybe it was how well she ate today, no stubborn battles or shaking of the head, "no," even finally deciding to like yogurt after four days of refusing it.
Or maybe it was the fun playtime on the floor with all her toys.
Or all the giggles and tickles and cuddles.
Or the way I sat and watched her play and stand and crawl and realized how quickly she's going to grow out of babyhood.
Or maybe it was the crazy fun we had rolling a ball back and forth and back and forth on the wood floor.
Or all the books we read.
Or the music we listened to.
Or the music we made playing the piano.
Or the calming, peaceful walk we went on after dinner, when it was a perfect 85 degrees.
Maybe it was the adorable shrieks and excited screaming that ensued as soon as she realized I was drawing a bath. For her. And her ducky.
Or the way she sat contently in my lap and made the motions and touched the pages of our regular nighttime books.
Or how she fell asleep for the night right away--no fussing, no standing--just slipped into sweet slumber.
Or maybe each of these ordinary moments of our ordinary day somehow transformed into a remarkable day.
On second thought, it wasn't just a good day. It was a great day.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Ocean, Sand, and Rice Puffs
On Saturday we decided to take a day trip to the beach with some friends. Ellie has been to the coast a few times, but this was her first real experience with sand and water. It ended up being a bit windy, which made me a bit cold, but Ellie didn't seem to notice or care. Instead, she loved every minute of it: the sand, the water, the kite, the company. She did so well she didn't even mind skipping her afternoon nap.
Soooo excited!
Watching Daddy fly a kite.
Sand is fun!
Ellie loves kids and babies. Everywhere we go, she stops whatever she's doing to smile and wave at young ones. At church, she always finds the youngest babies in the crowd. At restaurants, she smiles and flirts with any kids who will glance in her direction. Adults are fine and all, but it's kids that she gets excited about. So, when Ellie had a chance to play with her little friend at the beach, she simply loved it. I thought this interaction was worth sharing:
Soooo excited!
Watching Daddy fly a kite.
Sand is fun!
Ellie loves kids and babies. Everywhere we go, she stops whatever she's doing to smile and wave at young ones. At church, she always finds the youngest babies in the crowd. At restaurants, she smiles and flirts with any kids who will glance in her direction. Adults are fine and all, but it's kids that she gets excited about. So, when Ellie had a chance to play with her little friend at the beach, she simply loved it. I thought this interaction was worth sharing:
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Shutterfly Book
I made a fun Shutterfly book of my recent trips to Oregon and Idaho. I love to scrapbook by hand but I had a coupon for a free book so I thought I'd try it out. It was fun to make and turned out cute.
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