Josh & Stacy's Adventures

2 days

2012-01-30T21:01:00.000-08:00

In TWO days, Lord willing Josh and I will be heading down town SF to be induced. I am especially excited to be able to breathe better, not need a push to get off the couch, or a four point turn just to roll over in bed, be able to bend over and pick up the kids toys off the ground, and hold my babies on my lap again.
I think that the Lord must use this uncomfortable feeling as motivation to be willing to endure labor and to want to be done with nine months of belly growth.
The kids are excited too and I can't wait to see their reactions to the new baby. I think Josh and I are just really ready to meet her. I feel like after months of getting used to her hiccups and movement and kicking lately I am excited to see the little face that goes with this active baby girl.
We would love your prayers as I am scheduled to be induced on Wed afternoon, hopefully, and we are praying for an uneventful labor. It will be interesting to see how this labor contrasts with Hallel's hard head and Simeon's 10.8 lb. body. We are hoping for something rather simple.
Thank you for your prayers and hopefully we will have baby pictures to follow soon!

This past Saturday my sweet friend Nikkie threw me an adorable baby shower. The theme was nursery rhymes and children's books. Each person brought one of their favorite children's books. I couldn't believe we didn't have any duplicates and we had so much laughter and fun seeing each person's favorite. It was a great idea and Simeon and Hallel are loving getting to break them in before the baby arrives.

THE SHOWER

jsyk-just so you know...

2012-01-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

fyi is so over used I thought I would make up my own acronym:)
"jsyk" is that I am apologizing ahead of time for a lack of blogging in the past few weeks and for the weeks to come. Don't worry I am not tired of blogging or thinking about quitting. Just so you know we just came back from 3 wonderful weeks with family and are headed into a busy month. I hardly took any pictures this Christmas vacation and just soaked up the wonderful time together. Some of my favorite times were acting out the Christmas story in costume and all with all my family in Medford. It was quite comical as we had 3 sarcastic brother in laws involved, a pre Mary (me) and a post Mary (Cynthia and her one month old son) and Simeon as the cutest little sheep. It will be a video that we will watch for years to come.
A highlight for Josh was to take a 3 day duck hunting trip with his brother and brother in law. They spent a few days making a blind for their boat before they went and came back with 6 ducks and a goose and lots of stories.

The other main event has been celebrating birthdays. We started out with a special party for Hallel early in December. She still talks about it and it was special for her to have all of her friends come celebrate with her. Then we celebrated again on Christmas day with Josh's family in Portland. My birthday is after Christmas and it worked out to go downtown Portland with the girls and enjoy some dessert at Papa Hayden's. It was a special and fun treat. And TODAY we are celebrating Josh. We started the morning with a candle in his cinnamon roll and will end the day (after naps) downtown SF for burgers. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!

Hallel and sweet friend Carsyn playing in the curtains

Simeons birthday dance

a dream realized-a doctorate achieved

2011-12-14T22:47:00.000-08:00

I still can't believe I am writing about this monumental event in our lives. Josh finished school and is officially Dr. Mathews! First of all we want to give praise to the Lord as it is only by His grace that we are finished. And second I cannot describe to you the feeling of joy and pride towards my husband as he crossed the stage to receive his hood and become officially graduated. It was a weekend of remembering the past 4 and half years of our life here in SF. With all of the highs and lows of Josh balancing life and babies with a commitment towards school and his degree.
The feeling I would use to describe this weekend was a sense of reality of what this means and a sense of unity that Josh and I have walked together towards a long term goal and seen the Lord grow us as a couple and family in the midst of it. I felt a part of the degree in a way. Don't get me wrong, Josh has done all of the academic work and writing to be at this point and I am so proud of his tenacity and faith in God to work so hard at something for so long with such quality. I truly admire your desire to do all things well and with excellence, Josh.
It was so special to have so many of Josh's family here celebrating with us and cheering him on. It was great for me to think how they have seen the journey from the start when he first went to Multnomah Bible College then Wheaton and then Golden Gate. I think my favorite picture in my mind that will stay with me is the HUGE smile on Josh's face as he shook Dr. Iorg and Dr. Melick's hand with a true look of joy and excitement to be done.
It is good to celebrate this amazing event with family and close friends. We are so thankful for God's faithfulness!
Josh, Jon, and Drew--friends we have grown close to through the years and 7 kids among us

family pic--i love how distinguished Josh is with his blue and yellow and Scottish style hat

Trying to get Hallel to crack a smile

The celebrators

My dear friend Shannon (Drew's wife) who moved in the same time as us after coming from their honeymoon

"Dr. Joshua George Mathews"

Josh with one of his mentors and boss Dr. Melick, an amazing man of God

Sleepy kids after graduation and excited parents

Sara, Christy, Elizabeth, Mom and Dad Mathews all here to support and celebrate

Job well done Josh! We are so proud of you!!!!!

oh November, how we remember...

2011-12-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

November was definitely one of those months that was jammed packed with excitement and flew by in a flash. Here are just a few highlights in picture.
Playing with glow sticks, they are a blast in the bathtub!

Josh trying out his ETS bag after a week of intense lectures and meetings in downtown SF

Cutest books I've ever seen

Time to break out the warm jammies (thanks Grandma)!

Thanksgiving friends

The kids had a blast

And so did the adults (my good friend Elizabeth is due 10 days before me with a girl too)

LuLu and her sweet girls joined the Thanksgiving day festivities

Peppermint cheesecake to die for

A quick date and piece of cheesecake to split snuck in one night

Tree decorations

The kids are having soooo much fun this Christmas with all the hoopla

A concentrated little decorater

Helping momma

Check out that baby belly

Final product! Sorry Josh no pics. He gets all the credit for picking out this perfect tree

Laundry basket fun

Here we come December! Much more fun to be had and celebrated!

10 weeks and counting....

2011-11-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you are really pregnant and can't sleep much? Of course, get up and write a blog about it. Ha!

This Wednesday I will make the 30 week mark. So thankful this process is getting closer. Nine months of life is a very long time. Honestly, this pregnancy seems quite similar to the other two so far. I was so proud of myself for making it a month longer than with Simeon before hearing the "you're gonna pop" comment. I definitely feel like i'm gonna pop most days but since my babies like to hibernate I doubt it.

It is great to have the Holidays as a distraction. There is nothing like a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to make me stop and realize how blessed I am and how my family is truly a gift from God and one that I don't deserve.

It will be so fun to see how baby #3 fits into this little family.

Here are some pictures of my little blessings goofing off as usual.

Aunt Sara

2011-11-17T21:29:00.000-08:00

About a week ago now our family was blessed by a special trip from Aunt Sara (Josh's sister) to our little home. It was a great time and of course went way to fast. The kids loved every minute of it from the anticipation of her coming to the moment we drive her back to the airport.
It is becoming a tradition to make a "countdown" for special events in our family. So we certainly had one this time. The first day and a half the kids had Aunt Sara all to themselves while Josh and I were able to attend a Love & Respect Marriage video conference.
Side note: this conference was sooo good and if you live in the bay area they are doing a live conference in SF (Castro Valley) on February 3-4 (loveandrespect.com). It very affordable and is worth every penny at any stage of marriage!!!! So there is my plug and I really mean it:)
Thank you Aunt Sara!
It was so wonderful to have her here for almost a week of sunshine. We took a huge walk to the spit, went to the Discovery Museum, went to Half Day Cafe for breakfast, shopped Trader's and Safeway in one morning with both kids and no meltdown's:), read TONS of books, and played and played. I don't know if the kids were more spoiled having so much extra attention or if I was just having a sweet sister to help with the kids and do stuff with.
One of my favs was Simeon bonding with his Aunt and yelling Sarra, Sarra, just to get her attention and then say, HI! And Hallel making up a song and singing SAN FRANSISCO on the way to the airport for Sara.
The best news is that we will see her and more family in less than a month!!!

The "countdown"

the book "playground"

reading stories together

1st In n out experience for Sara

french fry groupie

breakfast fun

being silly at the playground

we love you Aunt Sara

costumes and carvings

2011-11-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Last year the kids were crying their eyes out because they didn't want to be dressed up in cute, adorable, stuffy, hot costumes. Seriously, I would have probably cried too.

But this year the kids were so excited and loved it. Although, I am not sure if Simeon had more fun wearing his costume or Josh had more fun getting him ready. Hard to say:)
Hallel had her nails and toes painted for the first time and hair curled and Simeon had egg cartons and socks for padding. He just kept saying, "football" the whole night.
The next night Josh decided to carve the pumpkin for them. It was good times this October.

making muscles

2011-10-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

Josh was teaching the kids how to make muscles. One of those great moments where I just love watching my little family in action.

our vacation to Sicily

2011-10-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Just kidding! But it felt like it for a moment while eating grilled pizza made by my wonderful chef and husband Joshua! I saw a recipe online and said I thought it looked super hard. But Josh being the optimist said that it looked simple and that he wanted to try it. So that he did and wa laa we had amazing pizza!!!
We had left over toppings so he tried it again with a regular white crust dough and we both thought the first pizza made with the garlic and herb crust dough from Trader Joe's was best. If you want to have a go at it we got the recipe from http://www.howdoesshe.com/pizza-on-the-grill or you can find it on my pinterest. Happy grilling!

mmmmm!

Fleet Week

2011-10-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

This past week we kept hearing jets fly over and saw some planes in formation and thought it was great but didn't think much about it. On Friday, Josh came home and said it was Fleet Week!
Last year we went to the air show on Fleet Week with Josh's parents and had a blast. But we totally forgot about it this year. So we made a spontaneous decision on Saturday and went down town to watch the planes. The kids LOVED it and Simeon just kept saying, "jets".
A while back Josh had gotten a smokin deal on groupon for a boat ride and so we decided to use it to have a good seat for the show. There is something so powerful about seeing the bottom of an F18 fly over your head and then hear the loud crackle of the engine follow it. Both Josh and my favorite was when we just looked up and saw the stealth bomber fly so close over our heads. It is an incredible bird and looks paper thin from the side view in the air. Josh also took some amazing pictures from under the Golden Gate Bridge on the boat tour. Maybe someday one of them will make it to a frame on our wall.

on the boat

my favorite picture

the bridge

this is a framer

family photo plus stranger

Sim checking out the water through the port hole

alcatraz

the city

14 months

2011-10-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

I love this sequence of pictures that for once I was fast enough to grab the camera while they were still in action. Hallel was helping Simeon down the walk and he was letting her hold his hand.
These two are such good buddies. They hardly do anything without the other and are both pretty protective of each other. I am so thankful the Lord knew what He was doing in having them 14 mos apart. Hallel loves teaching Simeon new things and encouraging him when he does it well (although she can be a bossy sister at times too). And Simeon is already learning the art of being silly. He loves to make up games and make Hallel laugh. His new trick is to toot (that's not new) but to say "Hallel" after he does and blame it on her.
I hope they stay close forever.

The letter "H"

2011-09-27T21:43:00.000-07:00

Today was a beautiful day and so the kids were outside playing with chalk and sticks and stuff. I was just grabbing dinner out of the oven and Josh had just come home from work when Hallel announced, "Look at my H"! Sure enough she had made the letter "H" on the cement with her side walk chalk. We obviously talk about this letter a lot because her name starts with it but neither Josh nor I had ever shown her how to make one. Josh then proceeded to teach her how to make an "A" too. It is so fun to see her learn.

Sim's making his own progress too. At every meal he used to stuff his food as full as he could in his mouth till gagging. And now he takes a bite and points to his mouth and tells us "chew dat".

Sim being a goof ball.

Hallel joining in on the fun.

George

2011-09-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Are you curious who George is? Ha, so much for the cheesy pun!
This summer curious George came to our favorite little museum so we got to visit him 2 times before he was moved to another place.
The kids had a blast both times we visited George and they just love him more than ever before. He is such a classic monkey that gets better with age!
The exhibit was amazing. Filled with George mini golf, a child size elevator door to open, a windmill station, a station to help George wash windows and much more. One of the favorites was a work station where the kids could put a foam block on a trolley and crank it up a conveyor belt to watch it slide down a track. The kids spent a long time at this one.
I love how every month that we go to the museum I get a glimpse into where the kids are developmentally. It is so fun as a parent to watch them grow and learn and to see what activity they are drawn to each time. God certainly knew the process of growing up would be entertaining!

George in July with Josh

window washing

Sim's hideout

love the illustrations inspired by H.A. Rey

my two goofy boys

finger painting

George in September

don't they look more grown up and taller?

putt putt golf

conveyor belt work station

windmill station

shape projector

secret windows

elevator door man

i found George

Sim's favorite hideout

One of the perks of living in SF. We just love the free day at the Discovery museum and look forward to it each month!

The news we all have been waiting for...

2011-09-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

Yep, you guessed it them are some sparkly girlie shoes!

The story:
This morning i went in for the "big" ultra sound. The woman who did the ultra sound was really nice and just took her time and got all of the pictures she needed. About half way through she turned the screen to me and said, "look at your baby". The baby was just lying on its back sucking its thumb looking super content. So special!

I love this sweet little picture of our gift from God so peacefully resting in my womb!

Then a bit later she said, "oh yep, its a girl" and showed me a nice bottoms up picture. And a few more times she said yes its a girl for sure. So nice to have a good confirmation! And we are so thankful to the Lord that she said the baby looks healthy!

The reactions:

I was super excited when I heard her say that it was a girl. I am glad that Hallel will have a sister not too far from her age. I think the last 3 times I have heard the doctor say the sex I am always excited and then a little sad that the its not the other gender. Almost like i have to mourn the other 50% chance. I know that sounds weird.

Hallel has been convinced that we were having a boy and that his name might be Simeon. So when we told the kids the news she just looked really deep in thought and going to cry. But she is happy about it now.

Simeon just said, "baby girl" real excited.

Josh is super excited for a girl and is being reminded of sweet memories of when Hallel was born. He would have liked another boy for Sim to have a little buddy so close and was excited to use our boy name since we don't have a girl one picked out.

It is really fun already to refer to her as "her" and to get the kids more excited about a little sister.

We love our little growing family!

the little playground

2011-09-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

Usually the kids and i head down the hill to the playground at least a couple of times a week, and especially on Thursday's when we get to watch Josh play basketball at the court next to the playground. But a few days lately because of bad weather or a lazy mamma who doesn't want to walk the hill we have been going to the "little playground". It basically consists of about 6 slides and a few other scattered toys. Here are some fun pictures when I remembered to bring the camera.

One of my favorites!

My other favorite! Hallel loves these pink boots that her cousin from Alaska passed down to her.

walkin' home!

someday cubbies

2011-09-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

This past Monday Josh and I got to renew our tradition of going to see a Cubs vs Giants came at AT&T park. So far, all of the kids have been to a game either in utero or just as babes. But last year unfortunately it just didn't work out for me to go with Josh so he kept the tradition with some buddies. But thanks to our sweet friends the Baums we had a wonderful date night. Josh and I both said by the end of the night we had forgotten how fun it was to just be the two of us. And the cubbies made it especially entertaining for me with 4 home runs and a 6-0 win!!!!

I finally have a cubs t-shirt to be a real fan! Thanks Josh:)

This picture was for the kids. Someday it will be fun to take them down the coke slide.

Our view from the nosebleeds which was actually super good and right below the windy spot.

The orange palms outside the stadium. Seriously half the fun of the game is just being there with all the fans, the smell of garlic fries, and being in the park next to the water.

After game hot out of the greaser maple donut from the famous Bob's (it's been around since the 50's).

mmmm.... are you hungry yet?
As Josh always tells me, "maybe next year cubbies"!

animals

2011-08-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

What do sheep, egrets, and turtles have in common? Absolutely nothing except that they are currently a part of our lives.

SHEEP-have been on our campus for more than a month and they are the highlight of most of our days. The school hires out a sheep herder and about 150 sheep to eat all of the weeds on campus. It has been amazing to see a huge field totally gone in a matter of days. The kids have been entertained for days and days by the sheep and the 2 lambs and the dog who herds the sheep. It has brought new meaning to the kids Sunday School lesson about David the shepherd boy too. They are eating their last area and we will miss them.

EGRETS-are one of the birds that have become a fascination to me. They are beautiful birds that sometimes have crazy feathers on their heads. They are mostly in the water and so we see them on our walks but often they are in the tall grass and stand like statues so that you won't see them. I love that even my 18th month old can say "egret" and point to it.

TURTLE-one of our friends gave the kids a turtle pillow and they love it. They jump on it, snuggle with it, and drag it around the house. It cracks me up what toys my kids love. Its usually the things that surprise me most.

Just had to add a picture of my little MONKEY who was helping Hallel and I color with markers.

1st haircut

2011-08-23T22:46:00.000-07:00

I finally cut the curls out of Simeon's hair. We have loved Simeon's cute little boy curls but they were getting so long that they were curling into his ears. Its hard to see the cut up close but i think he looks so handsome and he definitely still has wave in his hair.

before (first big owie too with a tumble down the stairs)

during

after

sleepy boy

two weeks in Oregon

2011-08-12T22:06:00.000-07:00

The best way to describe time with family is through pictures. So here are some (a lot) of photos that explain the fun times that we had!

Lots of car time.

The kids were amazing travelers.

The first week we camped with Josh's family in Lincoln city. It was so fun and we were spoiled by staying in a Yurt.

Hallel and Simeon and Stephen (2 weeks younger than Sim) spent a lot of time just playing at the camp site in the dirt. They loved being outside all of the time. Simeon was often telling Stephen big stories.

Trying to convince his cousin to give him his Apple Jacks.

Hallel just loves her Aunt Sara and took advantage of someone who would read stories to her anytime. Hallel convinced Sara to teach her the song "Twinkle Twinkle" and now Sim and her sing it all the time together.

A big hit was the game "corn hole" that Uncle Mike made. The little boys loved throwing the bean bags and the big boys had a competitive tournament.

This was a great little lake near our campsite that we got to ride in Mike and Anne's boat to get to it.

We spent one really windy day at the beach. The kids loved it even eating sand pb and j's.

Did i mention the wind?

Our little beach bum.

Heading back to camp.

Making "stick biscuits" which involves a biscuit roasted on a stick with butter and honey inside. mmmmm...

Josh's mom did an ultrasound for us in Portland. It wash extra special because Josh and Hallel got to be there.

Hallel telling Josh that she wanted to hold and kiss the baby when it comes. Precious!

Oh yeah, we are pregnant if you hadn't heard:)

Week 2 was in Medford with my family. The kids made tasty popsicles treats.

Simeon figuring out how to eat them.

Got it!

Chillin with Grandma.

Simeon loved sitting in this chair reading his books.

Reading with Grandma.

It was so nice and HOT! And we loved it and took advantage of some fun water parks.

My mom put on a sweet little tea party for Hallel and her cousin Kacy. They were adorable and had fun.

Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures. My dad served the girls and read "old hat new hat" to them and then they ate and talked and sang "Im a little tea pot" such fun.

Posing with the cousins for a picture. Ohhhhh Simeon. The kids spent time swimming and playing with their cousins.

Josh made a rope swing for the kids and Hallel just LOVED it. It was great to see Josh be creative and Hallel enjoy it so much!

Still swinging.

My sister Signe and her family. Josh and Jonah golfed and put a new a/c compressor in our car. The cousins are so sweet to our kids.

Sim learning to swing.

The end.

changing colors

2011-07-15T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is a blog that has been in the making for awhile. I love seeing before and after pictures so I thought it would be fun to share.

A while back when Josh was working late nights on writing I decided to attack some home projects to keep busy.

Living in a white walled apartment and on a budget I decided to try painting some of my favorite furniture to add some color and reuse what I already have in the house. With a little help from Martha and her $3 trial size paint this is the result. I actually only used 2 cans because one can had enough paint for an entire dresser.

This is one of my favorite little benches and I loved it in the natural brown wood color but love it even more in this rustic green. Sorry, i forgot to take a before picture.

This is one corner of the living room. I wanted to remove the blue color and just highlight the yellow and green. before...

after...

wall decor before...

after...this was super fun to paint an old black plate holder and reuse some old frames that happen to have green matting and then take some pictures of the kids and blow them up

ok on to the bedroom. this has been my favorite wall hanging that i found at Safeway of all places for 5 bucks! so instead of throwing it i just covered it in case i ever want to use it again. before...

after...i think this is my favorite project especially because my mom and i made it while she was here. it consists of tracing Hallel and Simeon's hands as the trees and an old shirt cut up for the flowers. and of course i had to put a bird on it, yet another recycled project.

bedroom wall before...

after...this plate was a wedding gift that I have loved and used in so many places but the card was separated from the present so i have no idea who gave me this wonderful gift...thank you to whomever?

and the big project was painting the red dresser blue. I like the softer hue and the white washed look too

the book shelf was a fakey wood grain particle board and i took the old red paint to the store and they mixed it brown for me for free!

and the bed before...which i still like just needed a change

after...just took off the duvet cover and the pillow covers. these pillows are ones that my sister made for me a few years ago and i love them

seriously it was fun to find things that i already had and transform them into new things. i think this whole transformation only cost around $20 which fits my budget:) i hope you enjoyed this blog as much as i did!
the end

summer fun

2011-07-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

little chef making strawberry jam

head cook observing our work and having snacks

stirring in loads of sugar

finished product

blowing bubbles

water table fun

hot day mohawk

draft sent

2011-06-26T21:29:00.000-07:00

The dissertation has been sent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe it's true and I'm not the one who did all of the work! I am so honored to write that my dear hard working husband through days of sweat and toil has printed and sent his paper, or shall I say book, to the readers. The next step is the defense, so there is still some work ahead. But we are very excited to be at this point. We are so thankful to our gracious Lord who has seen us through this process so far. Also, thank all of you who have encouraged, walked with us and prayed for us, and please continue to pray for us as we finish and pursue finding a job.

On June 20th, Monday morning, we had the car packed and loaded and stopped at the post office to mail the dissertation on our way out of town. It was a true celebration. We had been postponing our family trip for this moment and even had a countdown on the wall for Hallel of our family vacation. We headed off to the beach for 3 days and soaked up some much needed family time! I will let the pictures tell the rest...

Lunch at Capitola Beach

A perfect day at the beach to make lots of sand castles.

Simeon cried when he first saw the waves but then warmed up to them.

Hallel begs Josh to make her a castle and then can't wait to destroy it.

Dennis the Menace Park which the kids LOVED and it was free!

Simeon and I crossing the bridge to get to the green twisty slide.

The park was full of great slides and playgrounds for all ages.

Hallel's favorite was the "bumpy slide".

White sands beach across the street from Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey.

It amazes me how much fun the kids had just shoveling sand!

The only bummer was that our pool was freezing at the hotel so a dip of the toes was it, even though Hallel was soooo excited to swim. She would look out the window of our hotel and stare at the pool. so sad:(

Classic CA In n Out next door to the Hotel, very convenient! It was fun since we never go to the one near our house. :)

Watching Curious George and Angelina Ballerina at the hotel, a very special treat!

And of course Red Robin, our fav on the way home! Super special and fun vacation!

U2 360 tour

2011-06-14T22:52:00.000-07:00

A year ago Josh and I got tickets to see U2 and unfortunately the concert was postponed for a year. But thankfully our tickets were still good and we were able to go in much better circumstances (it is amazing the freedom when you are not nursing). Plus it was a welcome break to spend the evening with Josh in the midst of his writing deadlines.
I think my favorite song was Beautiful Day and Josh's was probably Where The Streets Have No Name. But how can you go wrong with Bono and the Edge outdoors with 62,000 people in a full stadium with a 360 screen, a beautiful moon, and the best date ever. It was so fun to listen to U2 together since Josh is the one who has gotten me to really like them and their songs have a lot of road trip memories attached to them. I will let the pictures tell the rest.
burgers in Berkley

"the Claw" which holds the 360 screen

listening to Lenny Kravitz the opener

nice person who took our picture and their finger

the show

the screen being stretched, nice effect

the end

big girl panties

2011-06-11T04:20:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be writing this blog that we are having potty success at last! It was seriously like all of the painful hours spent on the potty chair just melted away and something seriously "clicked" for Hallel. She went from waiting for it every time to being able to go when she sat down on the potty chair to being able to go on the toilet in a matter of a few weeks. Before this just sounds like a mom bragging I just want to say that there were many days of frustration almost to the point of tears on my part and definitely for Hallel. So I hope this post is an encouragement to all of those mothers about ready to embark on this most duanting training.

One of my friends recently said that she read that there is a connection between verbal communication and the physical readiness to potty train. I whole heartedly agree with this statement. So many of Hallel's little friends that have been verbal at an early age also seemed to potty train early. I know it took Hallel awhile to talk and it seems the connection of holding it and making it come has taken her time to develop.

I know the chocolate chip reward and Grandma bringing new "big girl panties" also helped ALOT too!:)

a visit from grandma

2011-06-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

We had an unexpected specially special visit from my mom this past week. With some gracious sacrifices from various family members my mother was able to spend five very sweet days with us. The kids were soaking up every minute with Grandma as much as I was too. I want to use this post to mostly show pictures of all the fun things we did together. But really the specialness was just in being together and all those conversations that spontaneously come up and having her experience the kids in their "world" being themselves. Thank you to all, but most of all to Dad who shared his wonderful wife with us!
Morning milk snuggle

Scruptious breakfast at the Half Day Cafe

Coffee tasting with friends from our church

Digging, castle building and crushing, and picnic lunch at Bolinas Beach

Discovery museum fun

Showing Grandma the playground at the Seminary

Many more hugs, kisses, stories, playing, eating, laughing, potty training and crafting (I'll blog on those last two items soon)

We love you Grandma!

happy mamma

2011-05-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm finally posting about Mother's Day.

These faces are what make being a mamma so much fun!

Why is spaghetti so messy but so good?

Classic Simeon lower lip face

mmmmmm!

This Mother's Day poor Hallel had a fever and horrible cough so Josh stayed home from church with the kids while I went to work in the nursery. Needless to say it didn't feel exactly like mother's day at first but then again that's what makes being a mother a special job. It's a daily role that is unpredictable and messy but involves the most important people in my life and that it why I love it!

As usual my sweet husband made it a special day. We had a great day just being together as a family hangin out. Then Josh fired up the grill and made these wonderful hamburgers. He did not let me clean a single dish the entire day! AND he gave me my mother's day wish and fixed the brake on our stroller and gave it a tune up so now our walks are back up to speed. We ended the evening with strawberry shortcake and watching The Amazing Race, my favorite show. It was a beautiful day!

workplay

2011-05-02T21:56:00.000-07:00

The other morning Josh was here when the kids woke up in the morning. And upon finishing her morning milk Hallel said to Josh matter of factly, "Let's play daddy". It got me thinking how God made little kids to learn through play and how hard they work at this job. I love observing them figuring things out and growing through just trying something over and over.

One of Hallel's new hobbies is taking care of her lady bugs in her bug catcher. We have gone through a few as Simeon or her free them often but tonight Josh and her caught about 4 new ones. We have named the previous bugs "Lady" since there has been only one at a time so i'm not sure what we'll call this batch.

Well here are some pictures from these two hard at "workplay".

eagerly watching mommy bake cupcakes (yes I did gate them out to cook)

eating the finished product

morning and evening milk ritual

the entertainment of a drill

hangin with the gang

Simeon's new trick

and another trick

cool shades dude!

2011-04-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hallel had gotten out her sunglasses and Simeon wanted to try a pair on too. He just stared out of them for the longest time mezmorized by the shade. Hallel thought he was so funny she gave him a big ole kiss!

waiting for Friday

2011-04-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

All week Hallel was talking about and waiting for Friday. Her anticipation was bubbling over with excitement. She would dance in circles and randomly burst in screams of delight! You might ask what was so special about Friday April 8th, 2011?
As only a 2 year old can express the exhilaration of excitement for family.
It was a visit from Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Sara, of course.
As usual we packed it in with as much fun as possible in a 3 day weekend. Starting out with Yummy burgers grilled by our very own gourmet chef Josh and apple pie by yours truly and to top it off with homemade vanilla bean ice-cream, again a Josh specialty.
We spent a beautiful sunny day in the city of San Fran via the ferry boat which Hallel is still talking about. The boat ride was a first of several experiences in the city which have been on our "wish to do" list. We also went to the Farmer's market at the SF ferry building for the first time, where we sampled all kinds of organic cheeses, preserves, fruit, even lavender sugar and rosemary salt. Another first was at the market where Sara and I saw Nicole Kidman and her daughter sampling at the bread vendor. Josh and I have been disappointed that most of our friends have seen stars at a grocery store or park and we never have in our 4 yrs in SF. I have always wondered if I would really recognize someone famous or not so now I know. I kind of felt bad for her having to be covered with sun glasses and hair in hat but she seemed to be fitting in just fine. (on a side note of conviction it made me feel funny for being so excited to see a normal person who happens to be well known and made me wonder why i am not so excited to tell people about knowing Jesus, probably because He is God and was hated by some and still is today but i wish i was more open still).
All in all it was a great day at the pier in the city! We had a great time having them come to our church on Sunday and love how our church family is so welcoming and made them feel so at home! Then on Monday we were treated to breakfast at the Half Day Cafe, yet another first, and it won't be the last! It was rated best of Marin 2011 and we know why, soooo good!
Lots of laughing, talking, playing, and hugs. It was worth the wait...for Friday to come.

bacon cheese burger with grilled veggies

pie a la mode

fun with aunt Sara

silly with hats

hanging out at pier 39

enthralled with aunt sarah's iphone on the ferry boat

readin the news before breakfast

getting ready to say good bye

2011-04-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Who could not love those blue eyes and irresistible chubby cheeks?

I had to take a picture of Hallel's first ever braids. I love having a girl!

All ready for church!

Rainy, cold wintry days are gone. At least for the last week! Yeah Spring!

My boys on St Patty's day.

"the girls" in green

scootin around

best buddies and playmates

lil athletes

2011-03-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Since their mother is less than coordinated I am hoping these two have inherited daddy's athletic gene.

Hallel sat down one day across from Simeon and said, "catch this".

Simeon is kind of a ball hog and didn't want to throw it back. So much for fair play!

We tell Simeon to go get the football and he happily plays "fetch" any time we are willing.

Trying to hold it like daddy.

A few small steps with a HUGE smile!

Hallel trying out her birthday skates from G & G Mathews.

Rockin the 70's skate outfit.

SO proud of herself.

She gets jealous these days of Simeon getting praise for taking a step. So she is happy to put on her skates and say, "I walkin".

put a bird on it

2011-03-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

You know how a one liner floats around your conversations for awhile and makes you laugh every time you hear it (one of the things I love about marriage is having jokes between Josh and I that make me smile)? Well this one has stuck around for about a month or more and I thought it was just too fun not to share. If you don't get my humor, sorry, it's part of my quirky side.
There is a show on TV about the town of Portland, Oregon were Josh grew up and I spent 10 years living there. It's called Portlandia and I have only seen a couple shorts online so I am not giving my recommendation. But this short was hilllariouuuuus!!!!! It is sooooo Portland and so me!
I absolutely LOVE the bird craze. So much so that I tried starting an etsy shop with handmade bird cards (much to no avail but it was fun), have birds in my living room decor, a bag with birds and the list goes on...so here is the video

12 months old

2011-03-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, our little man turned 1! What a great time to reflect on so much change in 12 quick months. Simeon has changed from being an 11lb chunk who could not distinguish night from day to a 25lb chunk who is trying to stabilize those wobbly legs to take a step. He clearly says dadda, momma, and to the correct person. His other favorite word being "quack, quack" which he shouts for any animal we talk about. He loves his sister and he and Hallel have created such a unique bond from being so close in age and sharing the same room. Hallel tells us all of the time how Simeon is talking to her and she repeats back his baby talk in their conversations.
I think one of the most real reflections for me is the memory of birth. It is just an amazing experience forever imprinted on my heart. I will never forget the excitement when Simeon was delivered. The cheers of the nurses in the room when they put him on the scale and yelled out 10lb 8oz! The nurses rushing in when he stopped breathing and the realization of God's constant presence when he started breathing again. Holding him for the first time. The feeling of being so close to Josh by going through something so intense and life changing together. Hallel's tears the first time she saw her brother cry. Such a significant day to be celebrated over and over!
So enough sentiment now to the day. Simeon was actually sick on his BD with the stomach flu a few days earlier and then a bronchial virus. Usually Simeon loves to eat but because of being sick he lost his appetite. We put his cake in front of him and he was less than impressed. So we thought we would give him a few days and try it again. Once again, big tears and sadness even when Josh fed him chocolate frosting! That's our boy, always a goof! Oh well, someday he'll figure cake is amazing.

book review

2011-03-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

Since Josh has had his nose in the books these past four years I thought I would give you faithful readers a little book review of my own. We aren't into very heavy reading these days but books are very important to my two little thinkers.

Hallel's love for books mean that we often read the same stories over and over. And it is apparent why Curious George, anything Dr. Seuss, and so many others remain classics. There is a whimsical harmony of concise yet descriptive words married with delightful pictures that capture the imagination. So without further ado, I come back to this book over and over again: The Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.
It is a simple story that describes the animals on a farm, but my favorite part is that the day starts out with the sun coming up and then takes the reader through the sequence of daylight, dusk, and then night. I can't help but lowering my voice as the pages turn darker to the night. I think it has a soothing effect every time I read it.

A few other favorites are The ABC Bible Verse Book by Deedra Scherm.
It is a great way to learn the ABC's and simple verses that start with the letter. What I love is that the pictures are great and as we read Hallel tells me what the pictures mean and in turn learns the meaning of that verse. Most verses are hard to explain to a 2 year old and this book is a wonderful tool.

Another Bible story book that Hallel is enjoying is The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. We read one each day before nap time and she is so excited that she runs into her room for nap. Going to sleep is another story but i'm excited that she loves to read the "Bible" at this age. The pictures are sometimes funny to me but she absolutely loves them. The writer conveys the message of Christ through the eyes of a child. I think that the book appeals to different age levels too. Even though Hallel doesn't understand a lot she still gets "it" at some level and loves the stories.

Simeon is just starting to babel as he "reads" and actually look at the pictures rather than just be fascinated with turning pages. That's my boy!

There are so many amazing kids books out and I love that most kids love to be read to so let me know what is one of your favs and we'll try to find it.

changes

2011-02-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

The most recent change is that Simeon is standing all of the time right now and we just can't wait for him to take his first step! Maybe by his first birthday. He is so determined to stand that he practiced for about 15min the other night standing straight up from a pillow and then falling on it. So funny.

Since the purpose of this blog is mostly to keep our family and friends updated on our life here in San Fran i will limit my wandering thoughts to a minimum.

We are entering a season of change in every sense of the word. A few weeks ago Hallel was standing outside in front of the newborn pink blossoms on the tree next to our house giving us premature thoughts of Spring. While last week we were bombarded with nights of winds and rain storms of such extravagance that Mt Tamalpias has snow at the top. Mt Tam, as we call it, has not had snow for some time.
We again enjoyed sunshine today and will be reminded of winter this week as more rain is on its way.
Besides the high and low changing emotions of our weather our dear friends are finding new homes. We are so excited with them and have witnessed God's faithfulness as they are trusting Him to lead the way. And simultaneously seeing our little block of companions become empty houses.

It definitely leads to reflection and thankfulness of heart to have met, bonded with, and grown up in many ways with these dear friends. I love the fact that we can walk out the door and down a few houses and find sweet little playmates for our kids. Five families, 7 little amigos, and 2 buns in the oven have relocated since January. Some moved closer than others so we will just have to drive further now.

its been a while

2011-02-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

so how about a hodge podge of pictures to make up for lost time. i apologize to the grandparents who love to see their grandkids in action.

I'll start with a reminder of the amazing place that we live.

A yummy cup of coffee from downtown San Fran in Jan (i honestly didn't meant to cheesy rhyme)

I made this gross Fallafel and none of us liked it. We felt bad to make Hallel eat it but she's a good sport.

Hallel, Simeon, and Josh have a nightly routine of wrestling when we finish dinner. I am not sure which of the three has the most fun!

The kids playing with their sweet friend while the dads were watching the game on Super Bowl Sunday.

These are the cutest cupcakes that my friend Hannah made for her son Salem's 2nd birthday!

This was the best shot i could get of the kids wearing their party hats they made at the birthday party. Hallel would not smile and Sim would not sit still. oh well.

buddies

2011-01-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

These two little buddies just love to play together. Hallel sticks up for her brother and tells people that his name is "Big Boy Sim" if they try and call him just Simeon.

And Simeon is now a proficient waver. If he is about to touch something that he is not supposed to and you tell him "no, no" he will look up with a grin and start waving. The other night Josh went in to check on the kids in bed and Simeon still laying down, almost asleep put his hand in the air to say hello with a wave.

I tried to capture the wave on video but it is much better when he does it spontaneously.

We are on our party marathon right now as all of our brithdays and anniversary fall within 11 weeks of each other. It's kinda fun to just have one celebration after another.

This past weekend Josh found a great deal with Red Robin online (our favorite burger place). You can sign up for a free burger for your birthday. Then he read the fine print and it said that you can use two coupons if your birthday's are within two weeks of the other. So thank you Red Robin for burger's and fries on the house!

football fever

2011-01-07T22:51:00.001-08:00

Go Seahawks and Ducks!

big boy

2010-12-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

Just a couple of short videos to show Simeon's little budding personality. He actually crawled for the first time yesterday and then a couple of times today. But he still prefers the army crawl or just cruising around on furniture. He is working on tooth #4 and eating a few solid foods. He is almost never without a smile and is so affectionately called "big boy Sim" by his sister.

I love watching these two play together and make each other laugh. It is so awesome to see them bond and hopefully they will always be good friends. In this video Simeon was laughing so hard at Hallel and of course when i started filming he kept getting distracted by the camera. But it is still super cute!

festivities!

2010-12-12T17:13:00.000-08:00

Josh and I are both suckers for the Christmas festivities. We love singing carols, reading advent, drinking peppermint mochas, family traditions, and anticipating opening presents!

This weekend we went to Sausalito and looked at gingerbread houses on display in the local businesses and then watched the parade of lighted boats and fireworks. Hallel loved it and especially the fireworks (in her words the lights that make noise).

Today we went to the Depot in Mill Valley to go down the man made snow hill but it broke a few minutes before we arrived. Kinda glad we weren't sledding when it collapsed. So we walked around the town and enjoyed the Christmas singers.

One of my favorite memories growing up was when our friends would bring over a plate of Christmas treats and we would carefully pick out our favorites cookies and savor the peanut butter balls till the next year!

Well now it is my turn to try my hand at Christmas delectibles and share the moment. So for those of you whom we cannot deliver to this is our best try.

Enjoy the season...only 13 more days...

the last day of November

2010-11-30T09:24:00.000-08:00

Well, its the 30th so I thought I would take this opportunity to share the November news before we embark on a new month!
The week before Thanksgiving Josh went to his annual ETS (Evangelical Theological Society) meetings this year in Atlanta. He presented a paper and caught up with old friends from all over the world. And put his resume (CV) out there for some schools. He had a great time and is in the midst of writing, job hunting, working and still giving his family priority. He is doing an amazing job and we all would appreciate your prayers.
The same time that Josh was gone two of my sisters came and stayed with the kids and me in Cali. We had a blast and the four cousins were able to meet for the first time!
We had a nice Thanksgiving with friends and ate way too much. Josh cooked a bird and I made pumpkin pies so we had plenty of leftovers. yummo!

ALL BUNDLED UP

HALLEL LOVES SCARVES THIS WINTER

COUSIN TIME

CYNTHIA AND SABRINA

ENJOYING THE SUN AT THE SPIT

READING BOOKS TOGETHER

JOSH PLAYING FLAG FOOTBALL
Then we had a few fun family days of Christmas shopping and of course getting a tree! I love the smell of pine and the kids are in love with the lights! It is so fun this year to talk about Jesus' birth and see Hallel beginning to understand. She has been singing along to some of the Christmas songs. Yeah Christmas, here we come!

DECORATING THE TREE

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

boots

2010-11-27T22:47:00.000-08:00

my 3 favs

2010-11-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

This morning Josh, Simeon and I were sitting on one couch and Hallel was on the other couch drinking her milk. She got down with two blankets in one hand, her milk, and a pillow from the couch and said, "sit by you". It was sweet and a good family moment.

all dressed up

2010-11-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

My 2 favorite little cutie pies were donning their adorable costumes at the Harvest Festival on campus. Of course, I brought the camera to the fest but between eating the annual chili cook off lunch and Hallel experiencing a jumpy house for the first time the camera never made it out of the bag. So you will have to settle for quick snap shots while Hallel was in tears that Simeon's mane was touching her and that i wanted her to put her bunny gloves on. Simeon just sat there the whole time with wide eyes. They never stop making me laugh!

G & G time

2010-10-30T15:09:00.000-07:00

Our kids absolutely love their Grandparents!

The other day Hallel was talking to Grandpa O on the phone and I told her to say, "Have a good day" and it came out, "Have a Grandpa day". It was so sweet.

A few weeks ago Grandpa and Grandma Mathews came for a visit and the kids were delighted to have

G & G all to themselves. We decided to take them into the city for Fleet Week. It was so fun to see the Blue Angels in flight.

Of course we can't wait for Christmas for more G & G time!

sleep cycles

2010-10-19T21:27:00.000-07:00

One night when Josh went to put Simeon in his crib he whispered for me to come look at Hallel in a funny sleep position on her toddler bed. Since then Josh and I have tried to capture some of these great positions on film.

So far Simeon sleeps in his swaddle so his sleep style is pretty much mummy like but that is about to change. We tried laying him down without a swaddle today and he cried for an hour freaking out with his hands so free:). He is such a character. He can do one arm out but two is just too much for now. I am sure we will have some great pictures for him soon too.

My favorite one of Hallel is when I came in to check on her at nap time and she had gone and found her striped socks and put them on and pulled them up over her pants! She definitely has style:).

Her beloved "doggie blankie" wadded up beside her.
One day she somehow fell asleep with a hand holding on to each side of the railing.

Upside down and hanging off the bed.

Deep thoughts in dreamland.

Favorite position-booty up!

I had to throw one in of Simeon when he rolled over and fell asleep after watching his fish mobile.

Classic one leg off the bed trick.

There is something so peaceful about these little wiggle worms that don't stop moving from the time they get up till when they go to sleep and then complete stillness.

camping

2010-09-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

As usual I am a week behind in the blog world but better late than never. Two weekends ago our family of four went camping! I am happy to say that it was a great time.

You see, last summer we tried camping and i did not fare too well. So this was our trial run to make sure that we are still a camping family. Both Josh and I were pretty nervous but it was a success despite the rain! Hallel and Simeon were covered in dirt and had a blast. We borrowed a tent big enough for all of us. And Josh set up camp,made a roaring fire and his usual bacon, eggs, and pancakes for breakfast!

Hallel trying out the zippers on the tent

Being silly in the tent with daddy's hat.

Sleepy Simeon after a night of rain.

Home sweet home.

Josh rigging up the lantern-everything about camping appeals to his manhood-he loves it!

and I enjoy watching him:)

Hallel spent a good amount of time walking around and sliding in the leaves!

Simeon watching all of the fun.

I absolutely love his bright blue happy eyes.

Trying to get a family picture

This is about the 10th picture and its still blurry.

Thanks to my patient husband-we did it!

sweet feet

2010-09-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hallel has always loved playing with her shoes.

Now she has moved on to bigger shoes!

We find them all lined up around the house.

But my favorite is on two sweet feet!

PS we are trying potty training this week! more to follow:)

a visit from friends

2010-09-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

Some of our dear friends Zoe and Zander came to visit Hallel and Simeon. It was such a treat to have such special friends hang out with our kiddos. Hallel didn't want Zoe to leave at the end. She loved the piggy back rides and stories and all of the big girl attention!

cuteness caught on tape

2010-09-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words.

Than a video must be worth ten thousand:)

Enjoy!

I love finding Hallel being creative at play. This was one of those days when I found her in her room "reading".

Simeon dishes out huge smiles like there was no tomorrow. He loves sitting up and has started jibber jabbering. It's great!

This is our favorite little brown eyed pea trying out her new dance moves!

little feet

2010-08-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

2010-08-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

We were gone for two weeks on vacation and I feel like our kids grew up a ton.

Simeon met my parents and his 10 day younger cousin for the first time!

Plus we went to Josh's dads family reunion with 75 plus people. It was a wonderful time with a great family that gets along in a tremendous way!

Minus the stomach virus it was a GREAT trip and wonderful memories with a lot of family and some good friends too.

By the time we came home Simeon started rolling over both ways. And Hallel is now putting words together to make mini sentences.

Unfortunately, we were so busy having fun that we forgot to take pictures. oh well, the memories live on...

Simeon and Stephen-cousins 10 days apart

Hallel hanging out at a play area in Mill Valley

Anniversary Greetings

2010-08-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Happy 45^th DAD and MOM!!!

We had such fun with you in Medford!

We are so thankful for what wonderful Grandparents you both are to our children. We are thankful for the years of putting Jesus first in your lives and for being so committed to one another. 45 years of showing unconditional love and commitment is beautiful and a rarity. We know that it is only because of Christ and so we thank Him most of all. Mom, one time you told me that you and dad have only spent a few days apart from each other your whole married life. That is amazing and remarkable! We love you so much and celebrate in our hearts with you!

Love,

Josh, Stacy, Hallel and Simeon

summer memories

2010-07-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

It has seemed like anything BUT summer here lately! We have been covered in foggy, blustery, windy, cold days. We even had to turn the heat on the past two days because we were so chilled. Well the irony of it is that we will be heading north to Oregon and Washington to find some sun!:) We hear it has been 100 degrees in Medford.

In spite of our coolness here in Cali we are still on a quest to make summer time memories.

We have been making family outings on Fridays nights together. Last Friday night we went to the outdoor shopping area and walked around. Hallel loves frolicking from one fountain to the next. There are about 5 that are just her height with splashing ducks, spitting frogs, and swimming fish statues in the fountains.

The Friday before we went to an outdoor live local music band and I think we might hit that up again in Larkspur this Friday. Hallel loves dancing to the music and watching the other children around her. She kept walking up to this little boy who was playing his plastic guitar ever so seriously and he would just nod his head and strum his strings like a pro. It was adorable!

We also braved the Academy of Sciences Museum this week on their free day. We were there 1/2 an hr early and still in line at the end of the street. When we left the line was still wrapped around the street corner! Crazy! But it was worth it. Hallel kept saying "phishhh" as we looked in the two story aquarium. We even saw an albino alligator but I am not sure Hallel knew it was alive.

(please excuse my annoying camera voice-I love Simeon's big eyes as he looks at the light)

We are so excited to see sun and even more ecstatic to see family! Here we come Oregon!!

riches

2010-07-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

I was thinking this morning on my favorite walk down to the "spit" (a beautiful walk along the Bay where you can see Alcatraz, the city, and Sausalito) what riches our children are inheriting. Not a home with a view, or land, or a car but some priceless examples.

This week my dad and mom have been teaching a girls club at VBS at their Church.

Josh's dad is at camp counseling young boys and two of our nephews are there too. And Josh's mom is faithfully working for PRC counseling young pregnant mothers.

What a gold mine to have all of our kids' grandparents spending their retirement days adding to God's family!

Josh and I pray that our children's bling bling will be for the cross of Christ and the rich love of God!

I love these verses in Isaiah 55 claiming God's richness.

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price...Seek the LORD while He may be found...as the heavens are higher than the earth so My ways higher than your ways."

Well, thanks dads and moms for being great examples!

I hope they see Christ even through the reality of Josh and my squabbles and our everyday attitude struggles:)

Making playdough

Simeon being Simeon

Josh and Hallel relaxing after a long day(they even say "ahhhh" together)

sweet cheeks

2010-07-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

these days

2010-07-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

These days I feel like I am watching time lapsed photography as my children grow right before my very own eyes. When we put on Hallel's socks this morning they seemed 1/2 an inch smaller than they did yesterday. Then I was dressing Simeon and his little pants looked like highwaters so off to the closet I went and sure enough he fit right into a 9mo outfit! Yikes. Can I keep up with these little ones?

It sure is rewarding to see their sweet little faces light up when they learn something new. Hallel has just transferred to a big girl bed and is mastering the skill of staying on her bed until we come and get her. She likes using a spoon and trying a fork for meals. She is working on new words every day and expressing herself in a more proficient way. Daddy even recently taught her how to kick a ball.

We are about to retire Simeon's bouncer as he did a backwards somersault off of it the other night. It was hilarious and he landed upright thankfully. He is rolling to one side. And is working on his laugh. It is so fun to see the two interact together.

Josh and I had no idea how fun it would be to be parents. And to just watch our kids be themselves!

Aunt Sara

2010-07-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a wonderful visit with Josh's sister Sara. It was a treat to have her here and we packed in a lot of fun in a few days!

It started out with a trip to the airport to pick her up. Hallel is fascinated by airplanes right now so sitting in the airport watching her plane arrive was a thrill. On Saturday we were up and off to Sonoma to visit our favorite Sunflower Cafe for coffee and a walk in the park. We drove through the beautiful vineyards and even stopped for a tour this time. It was fascinating to hear the process of growing grapes. On the way home we had dinner at the Broken Drum in San Rafael (because Josh found an awesome coupon for 80% off:).

On Sunday we had a wonderful day of worship at our church and the unveiling of the new name and logo. Our Abiding Way church will now be called Red Hill Church and we are super excited at what the Lord is doing there! Sara was able to support Josh's Bible Study that he is teaching on The Basics to inductively reading your Bible. And after some afternoon play time we ended the night by watching Invictus. A great story about the leadership of unity through Nelson Mandela and the South Africa Rugby team. This was fun because Sara lived in Burundi for over 2 years and watched a lot of Rugby. Then all too soon it was back to the airport and lots of hugs. We will see you in Oregon next time Aunt Sara-we love you!

beach days

2010-06-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some beach pictures from two different days at the beach. It's a shame that we usually don't go unless we are taking people there but it sure is nice to be sooooo close to water. We will never probably live in such an amazing area like this place!

family funtimes

2010-06-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

a wonderful gift!

so much fun!

swimming at the hotel

smiles for the cousins

lots of snuggles

happy birthday Ben!

a ride from uncle Mike at the Exploratotium

Luke break dancing

playing at the playground

cousins

This past week we had a wonderful visit from Josh's brother and family. The kids loved all of the attention from Uncle Mike, Aunt Annie, Elizabeth, Ben, Adri, and Luke!!! Hallel would get Adri to read to her book after book in the morning. And she even got Lukes name down by the time they left!

We packed it all in a few days and it was so much fun!

Then we had a sweet visit from our friends the Howeth's who were at the Seminary until December. It was so fun to eat, play games and have some good ole times. Unfortunately we were having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures,oops! Carsyn, Hallel and Tucker were all born about 11 weeks apart and have a sweet little bond together. Hallel was trying to give Tucker kisses when they were hanging out. It was pretty cute.

sweet Simeon boy

2010-05-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Simeon is such a delight! His personality these days is kicked back and super smiley. We can't even put the pacifier in his mouth because he will be crying and then just break out in a huge smile! He is definitely social and is the most sad when he thinks everyone left the room. He just wants to be around us. He LOVES his big sister no matter how many times she pokes his nose and eyes and slobbers big kisses on him.

He loves going on walks in the two seater with Hallel next to him. And at sixteen lbs at his 2 mo check up he is in 6 mo clothes.

And he looks like his handsome daddy! We love him!

you're invited to our tea party...

2010-05-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

...it's a rainy Monday morning and we are stuck inside wishing we could be outside running through fields of clover-or just outside. So, we settled for a tea party instead if you want to join us via blog.

We put on our polka dot scarves and Hallel's French Barret from Grandma for the occasion. We spread a lovely blanket and poured ourselves some h2o and had blueberry puff snacks ("nacks" according to Hallel). We danced to Mambo Gelato and even did some twirls and dips. Our stuffy friends (literally with cotton) were there and Simeon even joined us. It was a grand time and maybe we'll do it again soon (rain for-casted for Thursday)!

The verdict

2010-05-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

This morning was my two week check up for my ears. I told the audiologist that I have been praying that my ears would be better. So into the soundproof room I went and put on the headphones to check on the verdict. It was so encouraging as he tested me I could hear more of the frequencies in my left ear than last time.

He also did this test of a recorded voice saying words that I was to repeat. The last time when I did this test it sounded distorted like a voice on dead batteries that is low and in slow motion. But today I could actually hear the voice and that he was saying words. I still couldn't make out most of the words but at least I could hear sounds that weren't distorted.

The audiologist said that he could see improvement and that we are headed in the right direction! Yeah! I told him that a lot of people have been praying for my ears and he said-well keep doing that.

We are just praising the Lord for His answers to our prayers! My hearing in the left ear is still below 50% but he said that it could improve more and my right ear is compensating well.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who have been praying. And thank you Lord for letting Your answer to be improvement.

The times that it impacts me the most is in large groups of people with any background noise. But around the house it is fine with the kids. I just feel like I want to pull something out of my ear and hear again. I will have another test in 3 months to see if it has changed again.

Thank you again for being the body of Christ to me in this situation. I don 't think my ear will ever be back to normal but I am super thankful for progress. I am also thankful for how the Lord uses physical things to make me more dependent on Him. I definitely need Him in various situations that I wouldn't have before.

My parents reminded me the other day of Paul's prayer to be delivered from the thorn in his flesh(whatever it was). It is a great reminder to me that God will use anything to make me humble.

Pressing on!

2Corinthians 12:8-10

"Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamaties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

mmmm mothers day!

2010-05-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

My sweet husband outdid himself this year!

I think that I like mother's day even better than my birthday because I get to celebrate the thing I love to do-be a momma! It is by far the most rewarding job I have ever had in my life:)

Josh gave me the gift of time. Time to saunter through Target(one of my favorite stores) and just look while he watched the kids at home. And then time to sit in the sun and read my Bible. What a refreshment to the heart to just stop and be quiet! Thanks Josh!

Josh also made me a gourmet meal which was amazing! He concocted recipes, shopped 4 stores, cooked, and did every last dish! This was way better than any restaurant could offer.

Appetizer-Kalamata olive dip/fresh basil pesto dip with grilled bagel chips

3 cheese garnish

Trader's old fashioned sparkling lemonade

tossed salad, green peas, grilled chicken, carbonara with saffron

handmade carrot cake muffins with vanilla bean cream cheese frosting

Thank you for the yummo meal and for being such an amazing husband!!!!

buddies

2010-05-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

I thought I would just post some random pictures so that you all can see some of our lives from the past two months.

Hallel has turned a corner this week in learning how to be gentle with Simeon. While Simeon has suddenly turned into a little social bug. He loves to interact with us with a big smiles, some coos, and big blue eyes. Hallel thinks he's so funny!

I feel like I had a glimpse this afternoon of their budding friendship when Hallel sat on the floor beside Simeon playing and interacting for about 5 min-it was so sweet!

Sorry this pictures are backwards.

Hallel being quite the reader

Loving on two babies

The cutest little monkey

Our other little monkey climbing everywhere

bro and sis hanging out

Easter morning

Handsome little man

End of March

Love pats

Lots of kisses

More later...

one day

2010-04-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! This is the first blog I have written since having Simeon.(Thanks Josh for posting the pics!)

Sorry its been so long. I write a new blog in my head each week and then between poopy diapers and spit up it never gets to the computer:) Thanks for being patient and I will do my best to be blog happy again!

This is kinda a serious blog taken from an e-mail to my fam about how one day a lot can change. And don't worry, i will post amazing pictures of our beautiful children in the next blog because they are so fun and Josh and I can't get enough of them!

-Had my 6 week ob check and im doing really well. I still can't believe how quickly the healing has been compared to Hallel's delivery. I just have had one weird thing. I will tell you the story and ask you to pray.

Mon the 12th about mid morning i suddenly lost hearing in my left ear. I thought I was sick so I started taking head cold medicine and realized a few days later that I didn't have any sick symptoms. I was able to see a Dr on Fri and he said that my left ear and throat were swollen so he gave me some flonase and told me to e-mail him on Mon. There was still no change in my hearing so my Dr put me on antibiotic on Mon and still no progress. In the meantime, I had my 6 week check up and my ob Dr. put me on Sudafed. Still no progress so after over two weeks the Docs sent me to an audiologist. I was there this morning and had multiple hearing tests. The aud said in short that I have "Sudden Hearing Loss" and sent me to see a Medical Dr. He said that I have had a viral infection at some point and I have an immune problem which triggered the hearing loss. He then put me on Prednisone and Zovirax to deal with the inflamation and hearing loss. He said that when this happens it is permanent damage and sometimes they can recover up to 1/3 of the hearing. I will be on these medicines for 10 days and then go back to the Drs. in 2 weeks for another hearing test.

I am asking you to pray that if the Lord wills that He will restore as much of my hearing as possible or all of it. It is definitely hard to hear the kids when there is other noise going on. And being in groups is really noisy and I feel like i am straining a lot to hear well. The good news is that my right ear is really good so I can still hear well with that one. I think that we have been to the Drs one to two times a week for the past 7 weeks:)! I am so thankful for great insurance right now! It is kind of a sudden change and impacts our family a bit. As always, Josh has been extremely patient and helpful.

Sorry that this e-mail is extremely LONG and I'm sure full of grammatical errors but I wanted to update you all and ask for prayer.

We are loving our kids and this stage of life and the HUGE blessings that God gives us each day most of all His Salvation!!!!-

Simeon Caleb

2010-03-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't posted a blog in a while. Here are some pictures of what's been going on around here lately.

Hey little brother, come play!

2010-03-09T05:47:00.000-08:00

I just can't wait to meet you!

Daddy will snuggle with you...

I will read to you...

Aunties and uncles and cousins will give you lots of lovin...

I will even let you use my pink stroller...

and my crib...

come on little bro!

If only he knew how much we wanted to meet him, hold him, and how many kisses he would get I am sure he'd bust on out here. Let's face it. If I was in a cozy warm hot tub I'd probably want to stay too. (Josh keeps reminding me that it is not Simeon who chooses to make the exit).

If you haven't guessed we are still waiting in anticipation for our little Simeon. And to have these questions realized.

Will he look like Josh or Stacy or Hallel? Will he have a head full of hair? or red hair? How will we as parents feel the second time meeting our child in person face to face? How will Hallel respond to her very own living baby brother? Will he be a chunk (yeah, we are pretty sure about that:))?

We are still praying for a healthy, safe, and uneventful delivery SOON!

UPDATE: This morning at my doctor's appointment my doctor set up an appointment to be induced TOMORROW!! We're so thankful and excited. Please be praying for us all.

baby love

2010-03-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

Well, we are on the countdown! Baby Simeon is officially due on Friday in 2 days! Hard to believe after 9 months of him growing big enough to be ready to enter this world. We know that he may not come till later but it is definitely feeling Real and Exciting! We went to the hospital today to visit brand new baby Ella who was born Tuesday morning in the wee hours. It is such a beautiful reminder of how a brand new baby is a complete miracle of God!
Please keep praying for our dear little Simeon Caleb as he prepares to enter this new home!

Some sweet reminders from my dad about the process of waiting.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a "For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born..." "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."

In the mean time our little entertainer continues to shine at her job.

Sonoma

2010-02-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

It has been crazy rainy off and on here for the past few weeks so when we see the sun we try and head outdoors even if its just on the front porch. A few weeks ago it was a sunny Saturday and we made a run for it.

We had a family outing to Sonoma and ate lunch at our favorite Sunflower Café on the back patio! Sonoma also has a huge park in the middle of town and so Hallel walked the majority of it all by herself! She chased the geese and tried out all the slides.

Josh would put her up on top of the slide and she would scoot her cute little bottom to the edge and go down. About half way down the twisty slide she would close her eyes tight and smile. It was the cutest thing! I hope she stays unafraid and adventurous about life (with some caution:)).