the Evans' family adventures

Cute

2010-06-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Joe discovered this little nest in our window flower basket and I love it! The little mama bird is very protective, and every time I water the flowers is in a little tree about 10 feet away incessantly squawking. Such a perfect little nest and cute little eggs...it was really fun to show it to Salem!

Guess what, guys?

2010-03-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, guess what?

Yep, if you haven't heard, I'm going to be a BIG BROTHER!

My little brother or sister is coming October 2010, Lord willing!

Seasons

2010-03-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

I've been really excited about how the days have been getting longer recently, and can't believe it's almost time for Daylight Savings Time and we'll get a whole extra hour of daylight every day! Thank you, Lord! I love how signs of spring are everywhere, and every time we go outside we hear the birds' songs (and my little song bird joins right in)! And I love how the change of seasons is a constantly cycling reminder of God's goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. I'm thankful that he remains unchanged through every season of our life, and we can trust him completely with our future.

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great Faithfulnesss, mercy and love.

Last two days!

2010-03-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a super busy weekend, so here are days 27 and 28....finally up!

Day 27 (2/27/10)

tearing apart tissue paper, very self-satisfied!

Day 28 (2/28/10)

my happy boy, he LOVES playing outside.

Day 26

2010-02-26T13:38:00.000-08:00

Day 26 (2/26/10)

Rain, rain, go away! Little Salem wants to play.

Day 25

2010-02-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

Day 25 (2/25/10)

Here is Salem eyeing daddy's bowl of ice cream. This is what he thought after he tasted it!

Day 24

2010-02-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

Day 24 (2/24/10)

Well, truthfully, as much as I've enjoyed the challenge, I'm glad it's almost over! The last few days, I've been feeling completely uninspired to take pictures, just between a busy schedule and the soggy, foggy weather we've been having. I'm so thankful today was beautiful, though, and I realize when I watch the weather for the rest of the country, I shouldn't be complaining in the first place! Anyway, this afternoon, when Salem got up from his nap we had a really sweet time hanging out on the couch while he drank his sippee cup of milk. So since we were having so much fun, I thought I'd sneak out the camera and see if I could capture his sweet little mood. We even made a game of me "hiding" while I took a picture and then popping up my head afterwards and saying "peekaboo"! Here are a few more shots. I'm soooo thankful for my boy, and I'm thankful that I stuck with the photo challenge so far :)

Day 23

2010-02-24T21:26:00.000-08:00

Day 23...posted a day late, again.... (2/23/10)
The spoon didn't work so well, so....
I think we are officially entering the "do it myself" stage...Oh boy!

Day 22

2010-02-22T21:41:00.001-08:00

Day 22 (2/22/10)

Day 21

2010-02-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

Day 21 (2/21/10)
Here is our WALKING BOY! He's been taking a few steps every now and then for the last 3 or 4 weeks, but I feel like today is the day he really took off! He was walking all over the place at church this morning... not only walking to us, but just to check out things on his own that he was interested in. It's crazy!!! Here's an outtake which is extremely blurry, but I love the motion and excitement in it :)

Day 20

2010-02-21T12:22:00.001-08:00

Day 20 (2/20/10)
This can't be good.....check out our little TV bug!

Day 19

2010-02-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Day 19 (2/19/10)
Here is Salem trying to get to the camera, and tackling me (that's why the picture is cut off)! It was so good to see him back to his happy and playful self today.

Day 18

2010-02-18T17:10:00.000-08:00

Day 18 (2/18/10)
Here's Salem eyeing my cup of chai on the floor (in the cup)! I had completely forgotten I had left it there until I saw him staring at it. We played inside all day when he wasn't napping- I think he napped a total of just over 5 hours today!!! Poor guy, he's had an allergic reaction these last few days, and we're still trying to figure out to what. So, to treat the hives and sneezing he's constantly been on Benedryl...it's been really hard to see him feeling bad and not himself. Anyway, I like this photo, because of the fact that you can actually see his neck, a new feature for him!

Day 17

2010-02-17T17:27:00.000-08:00

Day 17 (2/17/10)

Whew...three blog posts in one day! That is definitely a record for me...feels good to be caught up with the challenge! I let Joe take this one for me while were having some fun over at the park. Salem must have played with the wood chips for at least 15 minutes!

Day 16

2010-02-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

Day 16 (2/16/10)

I couldn't decide which photo I like more....I just love this little face sooooo much!

Day 15

2010-02-17T14:17:00.000-08:00

Day 15 (2/15/10)

Here is my 'handsome' little boy... I think this jacket suits him well! We had just finished a walk and I was having a little fun experimenting with light.

Day 14

2010-02-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

Day 14 (2/14/10)

My valentines! We decided to postpone the romantic dinner date and celebrate Valentine's Day together as a family. We had a fabulous meal at the Cheesecake Factory (thanks to a giftcard from a friend) and then went down to the Depot in downtown Mill Valley for coffee and to hang out. Salem LOVES it down there, as there are people, and kids and dogs everywhere!!!!

Day 13

2010-02-16T10:46:00.001-08:00

Day 13 (2/13/10)....finally!

Here is Salem at his one year old birthday party! He was fascinated by the fire and tried to grab it, but fortunately Joe blew it out just in time! The party was lots of fun and many of his little friends were able to be there.

Day 12

2010-02-12T20:52:00.001-08:00

Day 12 (2/12/10)

Day 11

2010-02-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Day 11 (2/11/10).... a day late....

Joy. Wonder. Amazement. Mirth. Curiosity. Exuberance. These are just some of the emotions I get to experience as I see the world through this little boy's eyes. I'm glad God made it that way. We are so blessed as parents.

Below are a few more pics from the fun time we were having. We were running a bunch of errands yesterday afternoon, so I tried to make it fun for Salem by stopping at this little water park by Trader Joe's to watch the birds for a while. I think he was actually trying to mimic their flying as he wildly waved his arms up and down!

Day 10

2010-02-10T18:08:00.001-08:00

Day 10 (2/10/10)
Well, ten days down, 18 more to go, and so far I've really enjoyed the photo challenge. I thought I'd try a black and white today to vary it up a little. I think this look means, "Hey mommy, I'm up from my nap and ready to DO something...put that camera down, and let's go!".

Day 9

2010-02-09T15:09:00.001-08:00

Day 9 (2/9/10)

Salem happily reading his picture Bible. He kept saying "nu-nu-nu" and "Bible", which is actually one of his favorite words! This morning when Joe went to get him out of bed, after saying "Da-da" a few times, he started yelling "Bible!"....I guess he's really got our morning routine figured out! He loves to snuggle up in Joe's lap and read together every morning. I pray this is the beginning of a life-long love of and enthusiasm for the Word.

Day 8

2010-02-09T11:40:00.001-08:00

Day 8 (2/8/10)

Here is my dreamy-eyed, little ONE-YEAR OLD, eating his "birthday cake"at lunch....well really it was left-over king cake (since we'll be doing a little party on Saturday with cupcakes), but it was still loaded with sugar and he seemed to like it! We had a really nice day together (besides being busy with teaching...which was sad for me, but I'm thankful for the work) and got to spend some fun time all three us us together. We ate at Panda Express for dinner, and Salem was so excited about the bright lights and colors and people to watch that he hardly ate anything. He had an extra long bath before bed (which he loves) and we read some stories, and part of Psalm 139 together. I can't believe I made it through the day only tearing up once.

Psalm 139: 14-16
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Day 7

2010-02-07T20:20:00.001-08:00

Day 7 (2/7/10)

Well here is day seven. We were at a Super Bowl party, which was lots of fun, but totally packed out so Salem found a nice little quiet spot under a little table by the window! He must have stayed under there for about half an hour, just eating his goldfish and looking out the window. Another reason he probably like it so much was that it involved climbing- see the pic below, there was a rounded ledge a few inches above the ground that he climbed onto. It's so fun to watch this curious boy explore his world every day!

Finally here is a picture of the king cakes I made for the celebration. It was a proud day for New Orleans and the Saints!

Day 6

2010-02-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

Day 6 (2/6/10)

Here is my little lamb with his little lamb right after his afternoon nap. His last Saturday afternoon nap as an 11 month old.

Day 5

2010-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Day 5 (2/5/10)
So, I had a hard time choosing my favorite pic from today, because at lunch Salem was slurping up spaghetti noodles and saying "noo-nah"! It was so funny! It seems like every day he starts saying several new "words". But here is the one I chose. He loves squeezing into tight spaces and CLIMBING (just like his daddy)! How is it that he would learn to climb before he even really walks? He was very proud of himself as you can see.

Days 3 and 4

2010-02-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

Yay! So glad to see my good friend Erika joined in! She had a wonderful idea, for those who don't have kids to photograph something else, such as a pet or something in nature. I may even try to do that another month. Speaking of nature photography, I noticed that the cherry trees are starting blossom and I'm dying to go take some pictures. Hope to have some to show later, but for now here are a few of some lovely tulips my very sweet husband surprised me with last weekend. I was so excited, it was the first time I ever got tulips and I love them.

Well enough about flowers, back to the 28 day photo challenge! Here is the photo from yesterday.

Day 3 (2/3/10)
Boys will be boys! We were babysitting Salem's friend, Jude and went outside to play. It's amazing how fascinating wood chips are for little boys. Jude kept picking up them up and throwing them, and Salem kept trying to eat them....we're working on that!

Day 4 (2/4/10)
Salem showing off his mad drumming skills for his friend, Carsyn. They were really getting into it! Oh and by the way, he's free-standing here and has been taking quite a few steps on his own lately!

28 days....

2010-02-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

So, I know I haven't blogged in probably almost 9 months, but lately I've been kind of missing it. Even if nobody reads it, I think taking time to reflect on life and write down my thoughts in a format like this is good for me. Besides it being a fun way to document our experiences as a family and watching Salem grow up. So yesterday, when I saw my friend, Shannon posted a challenge about taking a picture of your child every day for the month of February and posting it, I decided to go for it! Especially since this is the month of his first birthday (next MONDAY...I can't believe it) I thought it would be fun and special to remember our daily lives with a 12 month old little boy.

The first one is actually from January 31, since I didn't read about this till February 2nd, that counts right?

Well here it goes.....

Day 1 (1/31/10)
You'll have to excuse the snot bubble, but this was too cute not share ;)

Day 2 (2/2/10)
My little "funny bunny" eating his Annie's graham bunnies, finishing off a late dinner after quite a shop-a-thon afternoon of running errands to among other places, Target. I don't know why I love that store so much, all they do is take my money.

Well that's a start...I'll do my best to post a shot for each day!

a boy at the beach

2009-06-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Here's Salem very much enjoying himself at the beach at Capitola yesterday, one day after he turned 4 months and also our 2nd wedding anniversary. We had a great little family get-away & I'll share more pics later, but just wanted to put this one up....we are so blessed!

The month of visitors

2009-06-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the month of June is here in full swing! It will be a busy month of visiting friends and family. We already got to visit with some old friends last Saturday and had a fun afternoon hangin' in Sonoma, and my sister and her husband get in later today and I can't wait!!! They are expecting a baby in December, so it will be so fun for them to get to know Salem. And we're really excited that he'll have a little cousin so close in age!

Seems like just yesterday I was at their wedding, and saying goodbye before they left for Korea, and now they're almost home and have a little bun in the oven. Seems like just yesterday that Joe and I got married and it will be 2 years already on the 9th....wow! More to come later about all our visitors and some fun museum visits we made this week!

Long time, no blog

2009-05-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

Well I totally love this whole motherhood experience, but this little guy keeps me really BUSY! I can remember my mom telling stories of how she used to say that when I was a baby, and this older mother from her church with 5 or 6 kids just kind of knowingly smiled, and was like "you think you're busy now!"

I feel like I'm finally resurfacing and starting not to feel quite so behind. I was talking about this with my friend, Stacy the other day and we were remarking on how it's weird that some days are too busy to squeeze in a walk! I wonder how I did everything before when I worked 40 hours a week?? Oh well, with Mother's Day recently I heard on the news that if a full-time mom was paid a salary for all her work it would be well over a 6 digit figure....

Anyway, I really liked the idea that Shannon posted as a challenge on her blog- a photo a week of me and my baby. I totally didn't take the challenge, because I think I'd be doing pretty good if I remembered to post 1 a month! But, I had already been thinking about wanting to get more pics of me and Salem together even before she posted the challenge, so I've been trying to take more. Here are some from the past few weeks...and a few cute ones with Daddy too!

He is always so happy in the mornings! This was the week after Easter

when I came down with a terrible stomach bug....

Here we are on a picnic after church in mid-April

Making dolmas (rolled grape leaves) last Friday!

Salem loves listening to me practice! Sometimes I can't tell if he's watching my fingers or intently staring at the scroll on my instrument, but he really seems to enjoy the music. He intermittently laughs and coos along!

My 2 favorite guys in the world!

Salem and daddy in their Sunday best.

Happy Friday and....

2009-03-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Happy First Day of Spring!

Some good reads...

2009-03-17T13:46:00.001-07:00

So yesterday while I was holding Salem and trying to put him down for a nap I came across some interesting blogs, that I thought I'd share. Yesterday the Ninth Annual Weblog Awards' winners were announced and it's pretty cool- the best blogs and runner ups in a bunch of categories. And then of course if you go to some of these you could spend countless hours checking out other blogs in their blog lists...so let me know if you come across something amazing. I've only had time to check out a few of them, but here are a few interesting reads I found-

http://goodamericanwife.blogspot.com/ - check out the post from March 6th, and please tell me if I ever act like her "aquaintafriend"... very funny, but I can already see the dangers in comparing your kids with other people's kids :)

http://camelsandchocolate.com/ - a travel blog with great photographs and really good post about SF, if you need ideas for giving tours to out of town friends or fun things to do yourself!

http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/- some totally delicious looking goodies and I liked her posts about wine country (March 9 & 10)... we still haven't been to check out Napa and Sonoma, so now I can't wait to go!

Chai Spiced Pancakes... interesting and yummy!

See the resemblance?

2009-03-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

Salem at our 20 week ultrasound....

Salem at 4 and 1/2 weeks....

Our son, Salem

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

Wow...the past 4 and 1/2 weeks have flown by and are somewhat of a blur, but it is amazing to say that- "our son"! Joe and I (while missing good nights of sleep) are so loving being parents and are sooo thankful to God for our beautiful, healthy, precious baby boy. And he is 100% BOY- you should hear the way he grunts and burps! Since I haven't blogged at all since Salem was born, I'll try to catch up here with a few pictures and thoughts...maybe in a few posts as I think of things!

Salem Joseph Evans
born 5:45 am, 2/8/09
8 lb 1 oz, 20.5''

While it seems hard to believe Salem is almost 5 weeks old, on the other hand when I think that just a month and a half ago I was still working full-time at my old job in Sausalito, that kind of seems like a life time ago- being a mother has become my new identity.

Well first a little about his name. Salem means "peace" and is from the same Hebrew root as "shalom". It is found in the Bible in Genesis and Hebrews- Melchizedek the King of Salem who Abraham meets with and is a type of Christ in the OT, a priest without beginning or end of days. When it says he was the king of Salem (peace) it is referring to a city- probably the name for Jerusalem (the city of peace) before it was called by that name. Any way we both really liked this name from the beginning and although we considered a lot of names, this was the one we always kept coming back to and finally decided on. Besides the personal meaning the name has for us which I'll share below, I think that peace is such a huge part of the meaning of the gospel- Rom. 5:1, Eph. 2:14-15& 17, Col. 1:20.The name Joseph (besides being daddy's namesake and great biblical characters) means "He shall add" and God has blessed us with (added) peace in so many ways throughout the last year leading up to Salem's birth. About this time last year we had a miscarriage, and although the pregnancy was a surprise to us, it was a very difficult time to walk through. God, however, was with us and brought healing, strengthened our faith, taught us a lot, and gave us the desire to start a family. And now, less than a year later we have a sweet 1- month old baby boy in our arms. I was blessed with a great pregnancy (kinda crazy, but sometimes I miss being pregnant!) and although the labor was not how we prayed it would be (short and easy) God showed his grace in other ways (great doctor and hospital staff, healthy baby, good recovery for me, etc.) in denying that request. I labored at the hospital for over 20 hours and pushed for 4 hours, then in the end had a C-section. Not what we had planned, but God gave us peace and we had complete confidence in my doctor's decision (he said using forceps to pull him out was an option, but advised against it) and skill. Although I was disappointed, I realized that God was in control and he knew (even before time) the exact moment and manner that Salem would enter this world. Praise God! We are in awe of how he works and his grace in our lives and can't wait to see the plans he has in store for our son and our family.

Well here are a few more pictures (from the first few weeks...I need to keep snapping them and upload some new ones soon- he's really growing fast- weighed in at 10 lb. 13 oz. at his 1-month appointment on Tuesday!)... more thoughts on mothering in the days to come!

He has long, skinny feet like his daddy!

BIG YAWN...
You can tell they're going to be best buddies already :)
Playing around...
"I love my sleep!"
Salem and Dr. Wilner
It's time to SLEEP, sweet pea!
"I sure can't wait to play some football!"
I love this one (thanks, Shannon)... our thoughtful little boy!

Showers, maternity pics, & nesting!

2009-01-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

Well things have been really busy lately, sadly leaving very little time for blogging...but here's an update and some pictures of what we've been up to lately. Two Saturdays ago (1/17) was a really busy, but fun day! We got an EARLY start (thanks alot, Shannon ;) to our day, having our maternity pictures taken by my friend & neighbor, Shannon who was joined by another friend and budding photographer on campus, Lindsay. We went to the Marin Art and Garden Center...it was a beautiful but chilly morning... 39 degrees when we got back to the car! Thanks girls, it was a blast and we love the pictures! You can check out more at Shannon's website!
Yep, we're due on Valentine's Day~ we know, love baby :)
Later that day, the ladies from our church, Calvary North Bay, threw us a shower. It was held at Toni's (super cute) house in San Rafael and was really fun. They had planned some games (I won the "guess that baby food" game) and had the place decorated really cute. The food was good and I ate way too much lemon cake and ice cream...yum!

Our baby boy's first stuffed animal!
Joe was set on attending even though he was the only guy except Toni's little boy, Luca. I was glad he was there, though! Maggie, Joe and I.
Brook, Tana, Sara, and Natalie
And on to next shower....The next Saturday, three dear friends- Brook, Liz, and Shannon threw me a shower on campus. It was at the Cunninghams' and a bunch of girls came- most of them either prego or new mamas! We had a great time...thanks so much, ladies!
Playing the diaper game...the melted chocolate bars really looked like poop! I was horrible at guessing, but my friend Erika got them all right!

Reann and Mara, Leah, me, Katie, Melissa, and Emily
Erika (also a mom-to-be come June), me and Brook
Liz's exquisite truffles! These things are the BOMB!
And finally, here's a sneak peak at the baby's room. This was actually about a week and a half ago, so we've done a little more...but you get the idea!
Joe has been working so hard on it...from painting the walls and washing all the bedding, to completely refinishing this little dresser (which is also our changing table)- thanks, Babe! And I think my "nesting urge" has kicked in too... been cleaning a bunch and wanting to do more in the nursery, but tomorrow's my last day at work... so hopefully I'll have time for that soon (and to rest)!
Well that's it for now...I go to the doctor later this afternoon, so we'll see what he has to say (if I've made any more progress)!

Truckee Trip!

2009-01-12T12:28:00.000-08:00

Over New Year's weekend we were part of a youth ski trip with our church, Calvary North Bay to Truckee, CA (the coldest town in the whole state according to my friend, Lauren, at work). There were 15 people (16 counting baby boy Evans) who went- made up of youth, leaders, and some college- age kids. I went against the advice of my doctor...he was concerned since he's had several patients in the past who traveled around 34 weeks and then went into pre-term labor while they were out of town. Thankfully our son wasn't ready yet, and didn't get any ideas about surprising us early...now just watch him be late!

Here is a picture of the snow on the way up...this was before we got to the even colder temperatures where the snow was covering the trees. It was so beautiful! We got to see the snowflakes falling as we finished our drive, and fortunately we didn't even have to put on our chains.

The cabin we rented was super nice. It was actually the family's primary residence- more of a comfortable, stylishly decorated, good-sized house, than a cabin. We got to stay in the master bedroom (I guess because we were the only married folks and I'm a pregnant lady...or just because everybody was really nice!). Anyway, the bed was HUGE and there was a really beautiful view of the mountains outside the window.

Here's Johanna by the Christmas tree. It had to be the biggest, coolest Charlie Brown Christmas tree ever.

The snowman (Bob) the girls made the first night to welcome us home when we got back from renting equipment/ grocery shopping.

The skiers/snow-boarders getting ready for a big day on the slopes! And no, I didn't join them (although I secretly wished I could have), but Joe went skiing for the first time and (aside from a really sore behind) had a fantastic time!

Joe scraping all the ice off the windshield...quite an experience for us Southerners!

While everybody else went skiing, I got to hang out with 3 really sweet girls and we had a great day. We took it easy in the morning and spent some great time in the Word together. Then we went to this REALLY good little Mexican place (wish they had Mexican food that good here in Marin!) for lunch. After lunch we went treasure hunting in a couple little thrift stores, and then headed over to Donner Memorial State Park right on Donner lake- the place where the unfortunate Donner party spent the long winter of 1846, unable to cross the 22 ft. of snow blocking the mountain pass. There was a very interesting museum and video that we watched about their ordeal. It was hard for us to believe that only happened just over 150 years ago, and how things have changed. Before going back to the house, we finished off the afternoon stopping at a popular little sledding spot. It was fun, but COLD!

Here I am with Sarah W. and Kiti-

Kiti and her friend from school, Sarah-

Some really cute kids playing in a little snow fort-

Lexi, Sarah, Elisa, Johanna, and Joe C.

5 of the Chaimongkol 8! Joe, Kitima, Johanna, Tavi, and Ben-

No photo editing here...it was really 15 degrees the morning we left!

The whole gang!

Christmas at our place...

2009-01-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Well, I know I'm late in posting these and Christmas '08 is already becoming a distant memory...but here are a few pictures from our Christmas Day. We had a really great time, cooking dinner and hosting friends. We all ate way too much, then finished off the afternoon playing our favorite card game, Dutch Blitz.

Here we are with our friend, Katie Redd- love that girl and her Carolina ways! She had to work at Starbucks in the morning- yes, they are open in Mill Valley on Christmas Day!- then came over to our place.

This is my friend from work, Lynn. She's from Malaysia and a really cool and sweet girl. She came early to help me cook and made the harvest pie (unfortunatley I don't have a pic)...my personal fave.

Our tree...the tree we got to decorate twice- once in our old place at Tichenor, then off came all the ornaments and we moved it over to Judson. We loved having a real tree...got it from Rite-Aid! It was sooo pretty, I was really sad to take it down.

Our half-way consumed turkey...prepared in my new roasting pan from Ikea!!!

Chocolate chess pie (there's a story behind this one, notice the drip down the side of the pie dish...we nearly spilled the whole thing trying to rotate the oven racks!), homemade mac & cheese, carrot souffle, and green bean cassarole...

The pecan pie is Joe's masterpiece (great job, babe!)... it came out so well! And so did this pic... courtesy of Lynn.

One more of the tree...

Well that's about it... I got a new camera for Christmas (just a small digital one, because my other one broke and the only pictures I had been taking were with my phone) so I hope to be taking more pictures this year! I'll post some soon of our trip to Tahoe/Truckee last weekend!

A Mill Valley Christmas

2008-12-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

Well just wanted to say a quick hello and MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our friends and family! We just finished moving everything (still have a bunch of unpacking left, though) into our new apartment and cleaning out the old one for inspection yesterday...whew! We were really blessed to have our friends (and old neighbors) Dave and Kerri help us with this monumental task! Our new place was looking really cute last weekend (freshly painted walls- Joe and a few of friends that helped out did a great job, and our tree is so pretty) when we had some girls from church over for a fun night of making Christmas ornaments... then we had to bring the rest of our junk over! How did we get so much stuff anyway? And our poor son's room has become the storage room...well not for long, though... We need to start getting ready!

We have so much to be thankful for though. I'm enjoying some time off- my company gave us this whole week as paid vacation time- what a blessing!!! We'll be cooking a big dinner and having some friends over on Christmas, then later in the day spending some time with a family from church. It's kind of different being here and away from our families on the holiday, but it has still been very eventful and fun. Last Saturday we went caroling in downtown Mill Valley at the Depot as part of the outreach program that Joe has been coordinating with our church. It was great! Then on Sunday we did a big cookie swap and made cookie plates for everyone to give to their neighbors and invite them to our Christmas Eve service. Looking forward to that, too- our pastor is doing a special message on the incarnation and we'll have a guest worship leader.

Well, things have been super busy (as they always seem to get this time of year), but I'm praying that this holiday would be exactly that...

hol•i•day
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English halig, holy + dæg, day;
holy day, day set aside for special religious observance

A holy day of worship. That we would take time to worship and wonder at our the grace of our God and the humilty of Jesus as he took on flesh and came to dwell with us. We pray wherever you are, that your Christmas is filled with his presence and joy!
Love,
Joe and Hannah

Shepherd's pouch...and Christmas gifts

2008-12-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I listened to this video on Desiring God about what Christmas Day looked like in the Piper household as they raised their family. It gave me some really good ideas, and although I really, really like having a Christmas tree and don't plan on giving that up, I love the Shepherd's pouch idea and would like to start that as a tradition for our family.

Today there's another really good "Ask Pastor John" about keeping gift giving Christ-centered, especially with young kids. Good stuff...check it out! I've often thought about this and have heard different ideas- like 3 gifts for each child- one that's something needed & practical, one educational, and one fun gift that's something they want. Don't know if we'd ever stick to anything like that, but I guess it's never to early to start thinking about these things....

Favorite drink at Christmas time

2008-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

hot chocolate...yum. a classic with limitless possibilites

apple cider or wassail...does anyone know what the difference is??? either is delish!

egg nog...don't really like it

Happiness is...

2008-12-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

... well, not really a warm puppy. At least not the deepest, most lasting happiness.

Here are a few thoughts that I'm trying to wrap my mind (and heart) around...

"If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God,
and not from the world."
David Branierd

Luke 10:20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Frogs, snails, puppy dog tails, blue birds, and red balloons

2008-12-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I feel like I'm coming out of hibernation...Joe and I have been sick with a nasty cold. It was even worse this time for me... because even though I checked with the pharmacist and called the doctor's office yesterday, I didn't feel good about taking medicine. One night...think it was Friday, I took a benadryl and then worried and prayed myself to sleep, and felt much better when I felt our little guy kicking me (and letting me know he was okay in there) in the middle of the night!

Well I am really bad about posting pictures (not like my friends) but will try to post one soon of my third trimester belly...less than 10 weeks to go (Lord-willing...give or take a week or two)! And we had a great trip to Louisiana over Thanksgiving we had a really good time visiting our families and got to see a few good friends while we were there too! And we both accomplished Joe's goal of eating A LOT and getting fat...well, I think we each gained a few pounds (which he can totally get away with and which I'm supposed to be doing anyway, right?)!

We're starting to get ready for the baby (it's really time!) and we got a crib last Saturday off Craigslist...pretty exciting! And we're getting ready to paint our new place and move this weekend! I can't wait to get in there and be settled, but there's oh so much to do in between...

I have been sooo indecisive about how we should decorate the baby's room. (Pregnancy seems to have made my indecisiveness 10x worse.) Over Thanksgiving I thought we had made a final decision...I found this super cute fabric and was going to make curtains and base the colors for the room off of it.

Then I kind of had to start rethinking it, because Joe wasn't too excited about a blue bird theme (in fact he'd let me do the curtains but that's it...no more blue birds)...I guess it's not the most masculine. To be honest though, I was starting to question it before that, because I found the cutest little puppy design on Anna Maria Horner's site and wanted to use it to make some wall art. And puppies and blue birds don't exactly go together...don't want it to turn into a hunting theme! Anyway the decision got even harder today when I started thinking about a red balloon theme.
I love the film Ballon rouge- if you've never seen it you should- it's wonderful...Joe and I watched it a while back and I was thinking about our little boy the whole time, wondering what he'll be like.

Well we shall see what becomes of the nursery (Any of my friends with amazing decorating sense, your suggestions/comments are most appreciated!) My little sister suggested combining the puppy and red balloon ideas...like doing a picture of the puppy following the silhouette of a toddler crawling with a balloon in one hand. Hmmm...enough dreaming and rambling- Good night!

Busyness=Laziness?

2008-11-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

I read something last week on C.J. Mahaney's blog that got me thinking about how I spend my time. It made me realize that you can be super busy, and still be guilty of laziness and be a big-time procrastinator.

Here's a quote C.J. shared from the article "Putting Off Procrastination" by Walter Henegar which I found myself relating to all too well:

“I procrastinate,” he writes. “I’ve been doing it most of my life. If a particular task is even remotely unpleasant, my first and persistent tendency is to put it off. It’s not that I’m lazy; I’m actually very busy. I just wait as long as possible to do the really hard stuff. I always pull it off in the end, but it regularly makes me miserable”

I've been slowly learning/realizing this since being married- because now my procrastinating to clean the bedroom, or open mail for example(2 things I really hate doing) don't just affect me, but they affect (and understandably frustrate) my husband. He can't understand why I never seem to get around to doing things that he's asked me to do and are important to him....and now I'm realizing that it's probably not because there aren't enough hours in the day, but because my time is so taken up with busyness... and while I'm getting lots of stuff done, I fail to prioritize my time and focus on what's really important!

Like relationships...like people. Jesus in the short time of his ministry on earth, accomplished all the Father laid out for him to do, and still had time for people. He told the disciples to "let the little children come". I pray that in the busy times ahead for our little family- the holidays upon us- with traveling, events to plan/attend, etc., Joe's finals and the end of the semester, getting ready to move into our new apartment and begin the adventure of parenthood- we will be more aware of laziness (even when disguised as busyness) and procrastination in our lives and instead have biblical priorities. Here are 3 really good points from C.J.'s post in closing-

* Busyness does not mean I am diligent
* Busyness does not mean I am faithful
* Busyness does not mean I am fruitful

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." - Ephesians 5:16

Three Months from Today...

2008-11-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Is Valentine's Day...Valentine's Day???

In a normal year, with Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I would never be thinking about Valentine's Day now...but that just happens to be the day our baby boy is due!
So I'm almost 27 weeks, and here's a little baby update-

This week, your baby weighs about 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with his legs extended. He's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing his eyes, and perhaps even sucking his fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While his lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if he were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother him, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

He's also putting on more baby fat...and appears to be having quite a growth spurt as I haven't really put on weight in the last week or so, but my belly is definitely poking out more! It's funny all the comments and looks you get when you're pregnant- just yesterday some friends told me I was tiny and were worried if the baby was big enough, but the day before that someone told me my tummy had REALLY grown since the last time they had seen me (and I gently told her that the baby had grown), and then there was the fun comment that I had doubled in size in a week! Oh well, I guess that's just part of the whole pregnancy experience...

Here's a view of what's going on in there, so you can see he's really not bouncing around in a bubble like the little baby ticker shows!
Oh yeah, and about names- a lot of people are asking if we've decided on a name and what we're going to name him. Well we're pretty close, but not sure yet and are definitely going to keep the name a surprise. If you have a suggestion let us know...all those so far go down as a no- Jehoshaphat was our pastor's pick, and then there were the "cute" Valentine's Day suggestions... Cupid or Valentino. I don't think so :)

Well that's it's for now...I'll try to post some pictures of my growing bump soon!

1 week ago today...

2008-11-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last week, America chose a new president. I have mixed feelings (and won't go into all of what I think...haha!). But, regardless of how you feel about the outcome, it is widely known that Barack Obama is the most pro-choice candidate ever to be elected to the office of President. He supports partial birth abortion, voted against the Infants Born Alive Act (which would give neonatal care to a baby that actually survived a late term abortion instead of being left to die), and said in the past that he would like the first bill he signs into law if elected to be the Freedom of Choice Act. And since he supports government subsidized abortion, the number of abortions in this country during his administration is likely to increase.

One of the saddest (and most ironic) things to me about his policies on abortion is that while the overall number of abortions in America is at it's lowest since 1974 (according to the Guttmacher Institute), alarmingly black women's abortion rates are 5 times higher than white women's. In terms of the actual numbers this means that nearly half of all African-American pregnancies end in abortion. It took a while for that to sink in for me.

Ever since first having a miscarriage and now being pregnant, the issue of abortion has become a much more personal issue for me. Not that it wasn't important to me before, but it's different now. Just thinking about this little person inside of me, a unique one of a kind human being who's already showing his personality... he moves to the music when I play, he gets excited when he hears his daddy's voice and kicks when we read him stories, and I seriously think his favorite food is pie (any variety)and ice cream!

All this to get to the point of this post: I want to do more that blog about my thoughts on abortion, more that cast my one vote in an election...I want to turn my conviction into action. That's why I'm praying about what God would have me do on a personal level to help turn the tide-- saving babies from this horrible genocide and helping mothers and families when they need it most. What are your thoughts...ideas?

Mt. Tam

2008-11-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Friday night my sweet husband picked me up from work, and had a surprise up his sleeve. He brought me clothes to change into, and then we went on a hike (on a ridge in Tiburon- with amazing views- thanks for the tip, Kelly) to watch the sun set behind Mt. Tam and the city lights start to twinkle as darkness fell. It was breathtakingly beautiful- the air fresh and cool, the grass sweet smelling, and the sky a glowing canvas of gold with fiery red strokes stretching against the western sky- on display by the First Artist for all to enjoy.

Speaking of Mt. Tam (short for Tamalpais), it amazes me how many beautiful views of the mountain there are in the area- some of my favorite are actually right here on seminary campus (like this picture from last December), and how prominent of a feature it is in the landscape- both from the perspective of Mill Valley and all the other little towns at the foot of the mountain, and from places like San Francisco, Richmond, and north of San Pablo Bay.

It always reminds me of how we, as God's people, are to be a city on a hill- that cannot be hidden...just like Mt. Tam can be seen above the rest of the landscape for miles. And people are watching the way we live our lives. My pastor says a lot that our lives are the only translation of Scripture that many people will ever read...so what kind of a translation are we?

Christmas Countdown...

2008-11-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

Wow! We are well into the month of November and Thanksgiving is just around the corner...very exciting! We will be heading back to Louisiana for the holiday, and besides getting to spend time with our families and catch up with some old friends, there will be tons of wonderful holiday home-cooking! Yum- Baby boy will love it! Speaking of holiday cooking, I think I'm going to make this pie soon- Sweet potato buttermilk...can't wait!

I was just looking at the calendar and can hardly believe Christmas will be here in 49 days- and only 51 days after that 'til the baby is due! Time to start getting ready!

On the subject of Christmas, here's a video for Advent Conspiracy- just heard about it recently... it's really exciting! I've always tried to avoid the hustle and bustle and commercialism of Christmas, but here's some great thoughts on how we should be celebrating in meaningful, God-honoring ways. Also, they have a community site http://rethinkingchristmas.com with fun ideas for homemade, creative, cheap (and simple) gifts. Check it out!

2008-11-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well here we are! Finally joining the world of blogging... I decided I didn't want our son to be the only one in his generation whose parents were still in the dark ages as far as technology and modern communication are concerned!

More to come soon!