Beach and Israel Update

We have arrived at the beach safely and are enjoying our first day. We walked down to the beach tonight and enjoyed the water. It was so beautiful! And Seabrook is so quaint and lovely. I'd love to live here!!

Tonight I got a call from Beth from Israel. She is doing well and enjoying all that she's seeing. I wish we could have talked to her a bit longer. They are still in Tiberius today but will be going to Jerusalem tomorrow. Today they're going to the Sea of Galilee in a boat and the site of the feeding of the 5000. They will also be going to the Mt. of Beatitudes. Please keep her in your prayers as they continue to walk much of the day. Her knees are in some great pain and it makes her second guess where she'll go during the day during parts of their tours. She doesn't want the enemy to dictate her trip because it is such a blessing to be there and to see these sites. Also, pray for her sleeping. Because her schedules are off, she is having trouble getting to sleep at night. She sleeps well once she's there, but because she's not getting much sleep because she isn't falling asleep quickly.

"Lord, thank you for allowing Beth to get to Israel safely and for providing her funds to experience these exciting things. Lord, we ask that you would take each step with her and help to give some relief to her knees. Allow her enjoy each step, remembering that your Son took these steps too. You are a good God and I am so thankful for my sister and the sacrifice she's made to get to Israel. I pray that you'd give her more than she could have ever imagined in this part of the world. I pray that you would continue speaking to her. Lord, please give her the rest that she needs to feel rejuvenated in the morning and the rest her body needs to repair itself. We know you walk with her and her team and we bless you for it. We pray a hedge of protection over them and extra measure of grace. In your sweet and precious name, Amen."

Exhausted...

For the past week, I've been so exhausted. I wake up in the morning thinking that I wish Ken would stay home so I could get some rest. I get up and do my daily duties and run our errands and take a nap and feel even worse. I've even tried drinking coffee and it just makes me feel worse in the end. Then when it's time to go to bed, I'm not as tired as I was all day long. I was sick over the weekend (last weekend) and wonder if that has something to do with it. No, I'm not pregnant - that was my first thought. We are going on a weekend vacation this weekend and I'm definitely looking forward to that. Hopefully some "rest" will help.

Tour of Isreal

My sister Beth left on Tuesday for a trip to Isreal. She was going with her church for a tour around the holy land. She will be going to all of the "tourist" areas as well as the areas made famous by our Lord. She'll be visiting the Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Jordan River, Mt. of Olives, Paul's home, and other places visited by Jesus. She has been pretty excited about the trip for months, and I just realized how exciting it must be to go. This will be a touring trip, not missions will be conducted (at least not directly) :)

If you're interested in tracking the trip, the team will be blogging each day and you may visit their site to keep track of her.

We are praying for a blessed time with her team and many safe travels as this land continues to be a target in the war on Terror and can be unsafe at times. But tourism is what keeps this land safe, as this is it's life blood. Please keep her in your prayers and I'm sure she'll have lots to share when she gets back.

P8A Poseidon - Boeing Subhunter

I tried to email this out, but thought it would be a better idea to post a blurb here about this...

As most of you know, Ken works for Boeing here, outside of Seattle. Boeing is a huge force here in the Seattle area, as they have several plants all around the area where they design, build and maintain Boeing aircrafts and other projects. Ken works as a Software Engineer for a Navy Defense aircraft. He is one of (about) 250 programmers working on the project. He was hired on shortly after the start of the project in 2005 and has been asked to stay as one of 3 out of 25 on his team through the implementation stage of the project. What an honor! It is just a small testament of the hard work and dedication that he has to his job and to the company. And he loves to learn, so that always helps! This week, a news story was shown on about the P8A Poseidon plane on a local news cast. I just happened to catch it and was very proud of the information that was given. Granted, Ken isn't in the video but to know that this is the project that he is working on for our military is very humbling. We are even hoping he'll be able to take some test flights with the aircraft.

Enjoy the video. It's packed with neat information about the plane and it's capabilities and functions for our government and military.

Maggie Moo's Mom's Designs

I am sure I've told most of you about Maggie Moo's Mom. But she has some great designs that I want to show you! She does GREAT work with lots of "love and thread". Visit her site and take a look! She is a friend of Beth's and has a great story (and a super cute little girl). She's made a few things for Finn that he LOVES!!

Now its National News!!!

We made National News on CNN!!! Should we be proud or ashamed??? And to answer Jessica's question, it is mostly men who frequent this place (that is less than a mile from our home) but there are some women who visit, and the shop is on a major road.

My concerns are now local news.

Last night, my concern about the local baristas choice of wardrobe became a news story and this local mother will be protesting this weekend. And from the news posted, it seems to be ALOT worse than I thought. But then again, I don't visit them. :) I like my barista to wear clothes. (I'm not kidding - watch the story) :)

Photos of Finn...

Finnegan had his photos taken again. And boy, is he cute. I can't get over how photogenic he is (I think he gets that from his daddy). He is such a happy baby and it really comes through in his photos. The last photo is one of him and the dogs. The photos were taken here at the house, so we were able to get these classic shots. The dog on the left is Oreo, and the one on the right is Tootsie. (And obviously, these are just a few of the photos. There are TONS more. But I won't bore you with them all.) :)

I miss....

MY family!! I miss being with people who can look after me and think about my well being. I love the friends that we've made all over the country and I know that we have been blessed by God by knowing them, but they don't replace that care-free attitude that comes with having your family close. That attitude that allows me to stop by when I feel and just hang out. I miss NOT being a guest all the time.

Can't wait to be home... in three short weeks :)

Zoo, Waterbabies and Buttons

Today was Finnegan's first trip to the zoo. We took the trip with some friends and stayed for the first few hours it was open. Luckily the zoo is small and we saw almost all the animals and then headed home for lunch. I even got some nice sun.

We have also finished our first week of waterbabies class. And I must say that I am so proud of Finnegan and how he's doing in the class. At first, I don't think he really enjoyed it, but during our second class he opened right up and is "talking" almost the whole time. On Thursday, we even tried going under the water and he was able to do it three times. I am so proud of him and how well he's doing. I look forward to more fun times in the pool.

This week, I've really been focusing on (in my spare time) de-cluttering our house. I think after the winter, we just into this funk where we think that everything in our house needs to be right in front of us and we need to keep EVERYTHING. So, I've been really trying to find a home (sometimes - not with us) for all of our things. I've been reorganizing closets and drawers making more space for things and getting rid of things that we don't use. It is so freeing! Well, tonight I cleaned the hall closet and the sewing box. I even constructed a Button Jar. Ken played with one when he was a kid, and my mom had one. So I thought it would be fun to start putting all those together so he'll have them later in his childhood.

Vacation, Here we come!!

Granted, we are planning a HUGE family vacation for December 2008, with ALL of Ken's siblings, their spouses and children, as well as my immediate family with my brother-in-law and niece as well. But other than our spontaneous trip to Disneyland for New Years in 2006, Ken and I have not been on a vacation with just the two (and now three) of us. Granted, we should have done a bit more traveling before Finnegan came along, and there are days that I regret that we never took that trip to Hawaii or Cabo, but we can't change the past, so we are changing for the better in the here and now, and have planned our first mini-vacation. We are headed to a town called Seabrook, WA, and it is coastal town, about 2.5 hours away. We will be staying in a small beach house for the weekend and will have access to the ocean and the nearby rainforest. Hopefully we have good weather. We go in about 2 weeks, which I am very excited. If this trip goes well, hopefully we can make this something that we do frequently throughout the year, you know that place that you have for escape.

I'll definitely post photos when we get back. Also, it will be a bit bitter sweet, as we visited a coastal town just south of Seabrook, two days before Finnegan was born. It was a great day out at the coast with Mom and Dad, Ken and the Dogs.

Why I choose Starbucks

Occasionally, my husband complains about my weekly trip to Starbucks. But today, I realized why I enjoy Starbucks more than any other coffee stand in town. Here in Seattle, it was sort of phenomenon for us when we moved here, there is a coffee shop on every corner, literally. In Michigan, there is this thing called a "shanty". My uncle has one that he built and he takes it out to a lake every winter and it sits on the ice, and he fishes in it. In Seattle, they take these "shanties" and put them in the corner of a gas station parking lot, and call it a coffee shack. Some are chains, others are one man deals. But they all sell every coffee concoction that you can think of. And a lot of times, the prices are cheaper than a regular Starbucks. So, why don't I go to these places? Well, I used too... I've tried several of them. There is one chain that I don't mind, but near us there was one that was stuck on the side of a gas station and I used to stop there. They had the great visitation cards, where you got a free drink after purchasing so many. It was called "Bonney Lake Baristas". But shortly after we moved out here, they sold the business to another owner and the business changed, they still sell coffee, but the way they sell their coffee has changed. They wear less clothes! It is now called "Bikini Baristas". And you guessed it... that's what they wear!

Today, I drove past another that has changed owner ship and names... It is this cute shop, much more than a shanty... but it looks like a little tea pot. It was red and white and called "Perky's". Today, when I drove past, the red and white pot is now a cow boy print and it is now called "Cowgirl Baristas". There is one near Tacoma and they wear lingere and swim suits.

To summerize... I go to Starbucks, because they were clothes that cover the gals that work there. Yes, I prefer the coffee too, but more than that, I prefer the modesty of the baristas. Thanks, Starbucks! But the day they employ mini-skirts or tube tops, I'll move on.

World of Weather

The last 10 days have been the unthinkable for the weather all over the world. It all started with the cyclone in Myanmar, then the over 100 tornadoes that touched down over the weekend in our country. And now, the earthquake that has struck China, spanning a distance equivalent from Maine to Arizona. Not only are these acts themselves hard to believe but the numbers of killed, missing and injured. My heart just breaks for these countries and families who are sitting by the rubble of a fallen school in China, in the rain, waiting for their child to be pulled out. I can't fathom the efforts that are being made in Myanmar to find full villages that have been wiped off the map. And those villages contained people that are gone.

I know that God is sovereign and he is good. I just hurt for these people and the pain that they are feeling (granted, I don't know the full extent and WON'T pretend too) and I just pray that God would make himself clear and known to these people in all three countries.

Poo... It happens...

So when you have children, everyone knows you have to deal with poo. Whether it is when they are babies or when they're older. It is either the topic of conversation or event of the day! Well, we've had a few days of poo galore! Yesterday, after a wonderful day in Seattle, we returned home and changed poo diapers three times in 1.5 hours. Our boy was busy. Then this morning, before breakfast could even be served, he had a large diaper, and I didn't realize exactly how large it was... It was all up his back and everywhere. It required a bath to clean it up sufficiently and completely. And not only have the diapers been in high demand, but the washing machine has been working overtime!! We even had an experience like this last week. Oh, how fun these diapers can be!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Well, I have to admit that the day turned out to be a very good one. We found out early Saturday morning that the thing that made Ken sick probably wasn't a stomach bug, but a small piece of Singaporean fruit called JackFruit. The fruit was offered by a friend of Ken's at work of Friday with the warning of "Don't eat too much, some people get sick on it." So Ken only had a small piece of the dried fruit, just to try it. Unfortunatly, it was a little too much for his Western intestinal tract. He as about 50% better on Saturday and then about 90% better today. I was glad that he only got physically sick the one time. And I am glad that it isn't/wasn't something that I could have caught or the baby for that matter.

We slept in this morning and my hubby offered to make me breakfast in bed, but only if I wanted cereal :) So we got up together and dressed and went to our friends home in Seattle. Before stopping there, we did get some lovely cupcakes at Trophy Cupcakes and I am very excited to try them. I have photos of them as well to post a little later.

We spent the days with our usual west coast family. It is always nice to get together with them, especially since all the kids are together. For Mother's day, Shawnta made me a sweet memory jar for my special memories of Finnegan. Theresia and Kelly gave me a bag of sweet things, tea, lotion and then a wonderful photo book. It was filled with photos from when Finnegan was born. Since my mom's camera was stolen, we do not have many photos from the day Finnegan was born. We have plenty of when we got home and our other days in the hospital, but not that first day. It was so precious to have those photos, and ones with just Finnegan and I which I greatly wanted to have.

We are back home now and it is almost Finn's bedtime. We look forward to a big week ahead... a trip to Lacey to visit some friends and we start Waterbabies class this week. Pretty exciting!!

Today was my official, First Mother's day. Last year and still this weekend we had a large debate on whether I was "officially" a mom last year, although I was only 20 weeks pregnant. But this year, it was nice to celebrate. Ken bought me some beautiful hanging baskets for our front porch and Finnegan got me a little Willow tree box called "mother and child". It is very precious. I missed my mom today, and missed being involved in the excitement at home. Mom and Dad took Grandma a great lunch and enjoyed it with her and some other family members. Can't wait to see mom and dad in a few weeks.

Happy Mother's Weekend???

So, I was pretty excited for my first Mother's day. Last year, I was pregnant and enjoyed a day hosting some friends for lunch. This year we were planning to do the same at their home and a short outing to a Seattle Cupcake place for some signature cupcakes. Well, all of this was our plan until an hour or so ago.

Ken came home from work feeling ill. He was pretty pale and said that his stomach was hurting as well as come achy joints. After resting on the couch for about an hour, he decided that he needed to sweat off some of his illness, and mow the lawn. Yes, I did say mow the lawn. I begged him not to do it and told him I could do it and he said no. He would do it and he was convinced it was the best thing to do. After picking up the poo in the yard, and mowing the front and back yard, he cleaned the mower (as he always does) and returned for a quick shower. About the same time, I was putting Finnegan to bed, who was very cranky. He didn't want to be put down, or lay down for that matter. Come to find out, he's teething again. After doing my best to console the baby, I returned to our master bath where I would look for my dear husband. The shower had been turned off for sometime, and I didn't see him in our bedroom getting ready for bed. I then looked in the bathroom, and didn't see him. He was still in the shower. Standing with his hands on his knees, with a mess in the bottom of the shower... Oh, my dear one was sick. Real Sick. We got him cleaned up and into bed, where he was freezing, even with a full set of PJ's on, the duvet and another comforter.

This is the second time I've ever seen him this sick in our 13 years together. The first time it was food poisoning, and we were on vacation with my family. Today, is number two. And with the way the flu is on around us, we'll all be sick within the week and it will last several days. Oh, I don't look forward to it. I do hope that I don't get it, and more than that, that Finnegan doesn't get it. I thought tonight he might have it, but he doesn't have a fever or anything... just cranky.

Well, I suppose that my first mother's day will consist of resting at home, and showing my true colors as a mom... Taking care of a teething baby and a very ill husband. And, I will prove to be the best mom, if I can do all of that AND not get sick too :)

Another one of those great stories...

http://www.wnbc.com/news/15965081/detail.html?rss=ny&psp=news

God even cares about Microwaves...

So our church has this thing called "I Have, I Need". When you have things that you would like to get rid of (older but gently used furniture, appliances etc) you can contact the church and they will help you find a home for those things. And likewise, when you have something that you are in need of, you can contact the church and they help you get in touch with those who would like to get rid of the available items. Ok... so now that you understand how it works, this is what happened. I have several items on the "I Have" list as I am trying to declutter our home and garage of things that we haven't used since we moved into our house two year ago. I have been contacted a couple of times and have been able to give things to folks who need them. Recently, I was able to give someone my old vacuum cleaner. Their family was getting ready to move into a new apartment. After I made the initial delivery, I thought that it could be an opportunity to make another new friend. So I emailed her and asked if she wanted to walk some afternoon (she had a 7 month old also). Also in my email I offered to give them my microwave as well that was on the "I Have" list as well. We had gotten this great microwave as a wedding gift and it didn't even get out of its box until we moved to WA. We used it for 18 months and then moved into our home, that came with a micro. So, this microwave is basically brand-new and needed a family. I was hoping they could use it too. While waiting for her response, I received an email from the church saying that they had another family who was in need of our microwave... Oh, crap! What was I to do? Should I tell the first family that it was no longer available? Or Should I tell the second family that I was waiting to hear from the first family. Oh, what to do!! I emailed the gal at the church to ask for guidance and she said to allow the first family to have the microwave, because she had a lot of other things to give this family. I felt really bad. I wanted to go get a gift certificate for the family so that they could get a microwave. Well, today I got an email from the church that said that one of the other families that were helping our second family out with a dining room table and chairs made their delivery today and also brought a microwave for them without even knowing the situation! How great is that?? God really does care about microwaves... Ok so maybe not microwaves, but the needs of his people and continues to prepare for us, even when we don't know how it will work out.

A few new photos...

Finnegan loves the grass!!

And he loves a little milk with Bear Bear too :)

God is moving again...

When you are trying your darnedest to go to sleep at night and you continually feel the urge to pick up a book and read it, sometimes it's more than just an urge. This weekend has been a rough one for me personally. I won't get into what's going on, but just know that I've had some unrest. Last night, all of the questions that I'd been dealing with for the past few days came to a head and I began to really ask them one by one and define what my true questions really are. As I did this, I had this persistent thought of picking up the book that was next to my bed that I've tried to read over and over before. This book was written by a well known author and has been recommended to me time and time again. However, each time I sit down to read it, I get caught up in the words that the author uses, and I get lost in the visual imagery and miss the points he's trying to make. So I never get very far. After I'd tried to go to sleep, I took the book and snook down stairs to read a little bit of it. I skipped the first few chapters and figured I could always come back if I was terribly lost. I picked a chapter called "Haunted by Questions." I figured that it was fitting. As I read, the writer explained me to a "T". Did he know me? Did he know the questions I had JUST been asking of myself? He may not have know, but God did. God knew the burning desires of my heart and he knows what I desire to know. And he desires to show me. I didn't read much more than the one chapter. I was so blown away by the information that it held. Hopefully, I'll read more and God will show me the answers to my questions and show me ways to live through those answers and in spite of them.

Recent Photos

I've had some problems with my camera as it isn't allowing me to upload photos onto my computer. But I took this one on my phone a couple of weeks ago of Finnegan in his first ride in the shopping cart. Obviously we're at Target - our favorite store. Doesn't he look so cute?? I heart this kid so much!!

AMAZING STORY!!!

Have you read this??? Oh I love these kinds of stories. It makes me proud to see college students who understand and "get it".

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=3372631

What's on your coffee table??

Ken and I forever will have books stacked on our coffee table. When we first bought our coffee table we had these cool picture books on it and this neat trinket... Well, Oreo chewed the trinket to pieces one afternoon while we were away and we continually are reading books and storing them on the coffee table. So I thought it would be interesting to share with you the MANY books that I am trying to read all at once...

• Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - FABULOUS BOOK!! A top read suggestion. Granted the writer is not a christian but his story is amazing and inspiring for a full life.
  
• Bringing Up Boys by Dr. Dobson - Reading with Heather.
  
• Eat this, Not that by Zinczenko and Goulding
  
• Baby Wise II by Ezzo - Haven't read fully, just reference now.
  
• First Meals by Karmel - for reference on new Finnegan meals.
  
• The Vaccine Book by Sears - I'm done reading this - just haven't put it away yet.
  
• Games to play with Babies by Silberg - Library Book
  
• People Magazine Crossword Puzzles - For those down times :)
  
• Various People Magazines
• Distributed Systems by Tanenbaum and Van Steen - Obviously Ken's book :)
  
• Wired Magazine - Several back copies.
  

What's on your coffee table? What are you reading???