OUR Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I just got a Facebook comment from a friend who said "This is the best place to live during this time of year!" It's true! The last weeks of February are when the almond trees in the orchards we're surrounded by start blooming and the weather starts warming up. The rain stops, the sun makes a daily appearance and it's the start of spring! Today we celebrated this glorious time of year at the Almond Blossom Festival. You know we look forward to this parade each year...

We were happy to find our friends the Wickers and share a piece of curb and blanket with them. Ella and Anika oohed and aahed over each cowgirl and princess. I laughed when the baton-twirling 50's Girls went by and Heidi said, "Now I'm going to have to hide every stick in my house!"

Delia pointed out every single dog and "neigh" (horse) that went by and there were a lot of them! She also clapped along to the marching bands.

And Delia and Katheryn were stroller buddies.
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Soon we'll post some pictures of what the trees are looking like around here so you can appreciate spring vicariously!

Last Visit?

My good friend Amy #3 is going to have a baby any day now. We're so excited to see if Jonathan will have a brother or a sister! (Ella is predicting a sister.) As Amy did for me when I was overdue with Delia, today I invited her on an ambitious, possible-labor-inducing, three and a half mile walk to a different park way on the other side of town. (She was nicer, she just had me strolling around our own neighborhood or the mall when I was 9 months pregnant!) When I hugged her goodbye, I had my fingers crossed that the next time we get to visit will be in the hospital.



So, not only did we try to coax the babe in the belly out with this long hike, we also wore the kids out! Both of mine totally crashed at nap time. The park was your typical slides and swings and jungle gyms. The kids also ran and ran and ran around the big, open, hilly field picking dandelions for their mamas and trying to get the kite I brought along to take flight.

Snakes!

On Saturday there was a big reptile exhibit on display at our Bass Pro Shop. It was actually hosted by two guys from our church who are huge reptile enthusiasts and collectors. We were excited to take Karen and Calvin to see the snakes, lizards, turtles and toads that Mike and Loren were showing, but their flight's snow delay nixed this idea. While we waited for our family to land, we were able to sneak over with the girls and take a peek at all the cool California-native reptiles. Ella was especially taken with this brown and white striped California King Snake. She would have come home with a new pet if we let her!

Each Day Was Great, but this One Especially

Yep, Karen and Calvin are heading to the airport right now. It's always hard to say goodbye, so I'll cheer myself up by jumping right on the blog to share our memories. Yesterday was a really fun day!

After hearing a very positive review of the IMAX movie "Under the Sea" on KLOVE, we decided to go check it out. The giant screen and 3-D effects did scare Ella, but the movie was a beautiful documentary about the colorful and unique world under the sea that God designed.

After the 40 minute movie, Karen treated us to a nice lunch. Then we ran around outside the theatre and restaurant for a while and headed home for naps/quiet time.

Next we participated in something that is becoming tradition. We headed over to Jetta's house for dinner. Jetta loves to get to know our family and we love to introduce our family to some of our best friends here in CA, so this is an invitation we always accept. This time we had a 6-year-old boy with us, so Phil took him out to his shop and showed him some of the harvest equipment. Calvin got to climb in and actually drive a tractor and combine. He said, "This is great! Just like the Museum of Science and Industry, only no lines!"

Before our dinner we were graced with the most amazing double rainbow we've ever seen. It stretched in a complete bow across Phil and Jetta's pasture and was breathtaking. We all stood on the porch admiring it for as long as we could. (Of course the pictures don't nearly do it justice.)




The entire time we got to spend with our family was special. Thanks for the visit Calvin and Karen!

"Doing Life" With a Cousin

Want to know our favorite thing about having far-away visitors? It's not the excursions or fancy meals or presents. It's the simple opportunity to share life with someone we love. These past few days with Karen and Calvin were highlighted with the enjoyment of the everyday routine. The best memories will come from laughing over our kids splashing together in the tub, Ella excitedly whispering "I'm sleeping with Calvin!!" when we went to check on her after bedtime or Auntie Karen singing and doing "Hair Monster." We cherish the time to just play games, read stories and "do life."

Mostly it rained for their visit, but this morning we took advantage of a few hours of glorious sunshine to play outside. Ella and Delia taught Calvin their favorite "Tea Party Picnic" imagination game. He taught them his favorite "Dig for Fossils then Study Them in the Museum" imagination game.

Calvin tried the Wii Fit and on their own Delia and Ella hauled out the stool and scale to play along with him.

Rub-a-dub, three cousins in the tub!

"Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear" Ella called themselves in their towels.

Calvin wins the cool toothbrush contest. His motorized, noise-making, astronaut toothbrush is what Ella said she liked best about Calvin.

Ella loved cuddling with Calvin and "protecting him from noises" but she was so excited to have a bed buddy it took her a long time to fall asleep!

"Is Today Calvin Day?"

Ella has been asking this question every day this week. Yesterday I was so excited to tell her, "YES! Calvin and Auntie Karen come on this day!" With just a slight snow delay in Chicago, Karen and Calvin made it out to California just fine yesterday and arrived at our house around dinner time. I don't even know how much description I need to go into. I think it's fairly obvious how much fun the cousins are having together and how much we are loving having Karen and Calvin stay with us!

Moments after arriving, Calvin and Ella jump into the velvet art projects Karen brought as gifts.

Delia loves Auntie Karen's iphone!

Dave reads Ella and Calvin a pirate and president story before bed. Ella was so excited to have Calvin sleep in her room for a sleepover.

Add This to Yesterday's Post...

Our after-dinner devotions included the Bible story about Elijah last night. I asked Ella if she remembered how Elijah went to heaven.

"Yes. He went in a fiery cabbage."

The Biblical Truths of a 3-Year-Old

This week I've been affirmed in our teaching because I've seen Ella integrate a variety of Bible lessons into her play. Specifically, we've been talking about heaven and the Lord's Prayer and reading her current favorite stories (The Good Samaritan and Four Good Friends) every day. It's so neat to see how she processes this!

Last night at dinner Ella asked, "Can I have some Daily Bread? Are we out of Daily Bread?"

Yesterday she also turned a stool and the bathtub into the front and back seat of a car. She made Pooh Bear the chauffeur and answered this when I asked where she and Delia were going, "We're driving to heaven. It will take a while to get there. It is far away. Do you want to be God, Mommy? We'll go visit you in heaven!"

I recently found her dragging a doll across the floor on a blanket. Of course, "This is the sick man and I am a good friend. I am going to bring him to Jesus" I learned.

And when going through her Awanas book I found this picture. She told me that it is "Ella, zebras and flowers in heaven." I was admiring the beautiful sunset she drew in the clouds when she corrected me, "No. Everyone else was using all the blues for their sky. I decided to make mine red."

The Imagination Inspired by a Closet

Last night Ella and Delia discovered my built-in linen closet. At first they just cleared it out so they could hide in it. Each girl took a shelf and then closed the door to be unseen. This alone equalled great fun. Next, they piled all the baby dolls inside. Then they started unfolding towels and blankets to make it into a fort. The fort turned into a dog house and I had two barking puppies running around. They indulged in this world of imagination for an hour and a half straight!

Dave was at at basketball game, so I had to describe the night's discovery to him. He laughed and recalled all the secret places he had played in at his house growing up. I guess there's just something irresistible about a small dark niche to crawl into and hide when you're a child!

Yoga

Oh yeah, we're loving the Wii Fit! Ella asks us to "play exercise" every day. She and Delia jump right in and work out with us!

Must...Have...My...Boots

Delia's latest obsession is with footwear. She hasn't been found without Ella's rubber or snow boots on for the past week! I like how she pairs them with jammies.

It's the Little Things this Valentine's

Happy Valentine's Day! We've been having a great day, though low key and normal, a few special extras have been sprinkled in-- heart shaped PB&J sandwiches, simple gifts, homemade cards, pink milk, a yummy grilled dinner, etc. Since we've been decorating and receiving Valentines all week, today was not actually that big a deal.

I made my family my favorite Teri-dish-- Dutch Baby for breakfast (recipe over the right). Then we relished a morning of lounging and leisurely coffee-drinking.

The girls also had a pink bag of pink presents to open this Valentine's. I've been collecting small gifts-- coloring books, bubble bath, stories and a new pink dress up gown (which Ella is wearing in the first picture and will probably be wearing in each subsequent picture I take of her for the next 2 years). As I knew they would be, each new little treasure was received with enthusiasm.

Last night Dave and I went on our romantic Valentine's date. We used passes someone gave us years ago to see Slumdog Millionaire (our SECOND movie in a theatre since Ella was born!). This movie was fantastic and we heartily recommended it. Then we shared a decadent dessert at a nearby restaurant.

So, this Valentine's, though un-extravagant, was celebrated with lots of love. Now, if you'll excuse me the timer on my brownies is going off. Brownie sundaes here we come!

Love is in the Air

In preparation for Saturday's big love bash, the girls and I have been keeping busy with Valentine's crafts and activities. This year we have a schoolgirl, so Ella's homework was to write her name on 14 Valentines that she specifically picked out for her friends. Dave and I high-fived over the name we choose for her-- only 4 letters, two of which are straight lines. (And yes, with a last name like VM, this was totally intentional!) She whipped out 14 E-l-l-a's in less than 20 minutes. She's pumped about her class Valentine's Day party tomorrow.



Today we went to the Bible Book Store for their Wednesday morning story hour. This was fantastic! The kids heard stories about Jesus loving them and learned John 3:16. They were also taught the sign language sign for "I Love You" and then made special Valentines featuring their traced hands making this sign.



I have little self-control when it comes to giving a gift I'm excited about. Today we gave Dave an early Valentine: a frame for his office that we've been working on. It has the girls' hand prints and a Photo-Shopped collage of pictures I took of Ella and Delia. He loved it! Finding the gift he got me slipped into my wallet today and Ella repeatedly telling Daddy about the card and picture frame we made him helped force my hand early on this! :)

Speaking "Delia"

I've noticed that Delia's talking has subtly shifted as of late. She continues to collect words to add to her growing vocabulary list, but she is now learning how to string those words together to make herself understood. For example:

"Uh-oh. Eeeese. WeeWee. Uh-oh." This meant, "Oh no, I've dropped my cheese on the floor and now Lily has eaten it."

Or

"MommyMommyMommyMommy! Bee-Bee. Ed." This meant, "Mommy! It is completely urgent that you help me get this hat on the baby's head!"

Of course, these statements came with motions and props (like the baby doll) and I wouldn't expect anyone but those of us in her immediate family to know what she's talking about. However, this stage of early talking may be my favorite of all the milestones. To watch my little ones figure out how to communicate and that I understand exactly what they want and need is so cool!

It Takes Two...

To enjoy breakfast and a start to the day.

To snuggle while watching a movie.

To perform a puppet show.

To read/hear a story.

To get dressed up for a night on the town.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return on their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. And a chord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

(No, we're not announcing anything. The third strand is GOD!) :)

Number 500!

Can you believe I've written 500 posts already? While Heather was here I hit number 500 on my post counter! I thought it would be fitting to celebrate my apparent obsession with blogging with some thoughts on what this particular blog has become.

It started as a way for you far-away family to stay updated on our lives and our girls. I still think of my audience as 6 people: Mom, Dad, Karen, Kristen, Kyle and Heather. In some ways, I like the oblivion of not knowing who exactly is reading. Church friends? Friends of friends? People I haven't talked to since high school? People I don't even know? I'm gonna just keep pretending that this is my own little conversation with those I know and love best (no offense to the rest of you!) ;)

I have to admit, though, that even if I did not have an audience, I would continue to blog. I now write for me and my family. It's become my favorite hobby. I've turned this blog into a digital scrapbook or journal of sorts. I feel like some day I'll give my kids the amazing gift of the record of their first years of life. I tell their stories and post their pictures because I am so extraordinarily blessed to be their mom. I hope my love for my family comes across when they are reading these old posts as high schoolers or mothers themselves.

Thank you again for being a faithful follower of my bragging and rambling. Will you stay with us for another 500? I hope so!

Delia and Ella at 18 Months

These are the portraits we just had taken for Delia at 18 months...

And because it's fun to look back and compare, here are the pictures of Ella at 18 months...

I love their big, silly personalities at this age! You can see it a little in Delia's pictures and a lot in Ella's!

What Else We Did

Today is the sad day that inevitably follows a lovely visit from family. For one week we have the opportunity to reconnect and spend quality time with a dear sibling. A break is taken from normal life. We sit around talking, we plan and take outings, we eat special foods, we go out and do something fun at least once a day. Today Heather returns to snowy Michigan and I am sad.

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You read about our big day trip to Pt. Reyes and caught a glimpse of what we did the majority of the time (play with the kids), but we had fun doing tons of other stuff too. Dave finally found a store that had his Wii Fit and was able to buy it with a birthday gft card from Heather, so there was daily hula hooping, dancing and ski jumping. We had a little Superbowl party where Ella learned cheers Auntie Heather remembered from her cheerleading days (you won't see that video, though, Auntie's orders). We did a little shopping, a little Starbucks and the following:

We took a break from Stroopwafels and baked these cookies Ella picked out of my recipe book-- Chocolate Mint Sandwich cookies. Ella picked them because of the pink filling.

Ella really wanted to show Auntie "The Fish Store" so we went to Bass Pro Shop. Here we get our 3-D cammo on. After this, Heather got to practice her shooting at the target range.

"Nigh-nigh Ann-Ee!" Of course, Ella adored her Auntie and kept her hopping with activities at home-- from doctor to dress-up. Delia (in typical Delia fashion) warmed up to Auntie gradually. A highlight of each day was the running hug she'd give Heather before bed.

On Saturday, Dave had plans to take his Young Adult group to a Stockton Thunder hockey game. We got a babysitter and Heather and I came along. This was SO FUN!! My sister was the perfect person with which to watch a sport I knew little about. We laughed together over the atmosphere and learned the rules from Dave, eventually getting into the really exciting game at the end.
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And, you got it, we played lots and lots of Ticket To Ride. Here are the cumulative scores of 8 games (drum roll please...):

Dave: 1,060 points
Heather: 1,212 points
Jen: 1,224 points (I won!! Yipee!)