Rides

On Wednesday we enjoyed a day of Rides arranged by Mt. Hermon. It started with an hour long, open-air train ride through the redwood forest from our camp and into Santa Cruz. We loved spending this day entirely with the Girards and chose to do the Boardwalk with them once we got to Santa Cruz. On the Boardwalk, Ella was so happy to go on the kiddie rides with her buddies. She rode little boats, cars, planes, flying dragons and a Pepsi truck. The sights, smells and sounds of the Boardwalk are always fun to take in. We wandered around admiring the old wooden rollercoasters and sky buckets built right next to the ocean.

Delia just grabbed naps whenever she could, here she dozes in her stroller.

Why I Love My Daddy (by Ella)

My daddy knows all my favorite stories and reads them very dramatically.

He plays Pretty Pretty Princess with me (but you'd never know about that since Mommy is forbidden to take pictures of it!).

He makes bath time wild and crazy!

He wrestles with me and taught me how to tackle.

He is my prince. He dances with me and finds me when I leave my shoe behind at midnight.

He never forgets to give me a hug and kiss before he leaves for church.

He is the only one I can actually fall asleep and cuddle with.

My daddy helps me jump on the big ball, which is my favorite thing to do.

His computer has things like "Move It, Move It" on You Tube and the Little People site bookmarked.

I can ride on his feet, swing in his arms and slide down his back.

He not only makes me the best scrambled eggs, he puts me on the counter and lets me help with each part (I especially like mixing them real fast).

He is always singing, and sometimes making up, some goofy song.

Sometimes I get to go in the little house and race cars with Daddy on the TV. I love this!

I often come home with some special treat that wasn't on the list when I run errands with Daddy.

If I ever wake up scared in the middle of the night, he is the one to quickly come and catch the fly or reassure me it's just motorcycles outside my window.

He works very hard to provide for me, Delia and Mommy.

He makes me laugh.

He takes good care of me.

He loves me so much.

He is the best daddy in the world!

Cinderella and Her Fairy Godmother

A little back lit and I think Ella is in the middle of a twirl, but I wanted to show you how Delia is standing completely on her own on a regular basis now! (No steps yet, though.)

Singing With Daddy

We had our own Children In Worship right in our living room last night. Ella was the teacher and Dave was the student. After acting out a little story with stuffed baby toys, Ella led Dave in some singing...

Father Abraham

This Little Light of Mine

Early Father's Day

Dave leaves on Friday for his week+ at Hi Camp. This is an annual convention for students from our youth group and others around California. It is held in the beautiful, forresty coastal mountains, minutes from the Pacific and is a true "mountain top" experience for all who attend. I'm excited for Dave to have this time to bond with his students and be spiritually challenged, but it does mean we won't see him on Sunday for Father's Day. He is such an awesome dad that we couldn't let him go uncelebrated, so we are doing Father's Day today! We woke him up with hugs, "Happy Father's Day!"s, and a gift of Ladder Ball (aka "Horse Balls" or "Hillbilly Golf"). Then we delivered a giant chocolate mocha to him at work and tonight I have special dinner and dessert planned.

I was originally stressing about the long time I'd be Dave-less, but some exciting new developments have just occurred! I will be attending Mt. Hermon with the girls for the week! Dave's Hi Camp is actually affiliated with this renowned Christian Camp and many families from our church go to the Family Camp that occurs simultaneously with and nearby Hi Camp. Someone from church has generously offered to help pay for our registration fees and one call confirmed that there is plenty of space for us yet. Family Camp at Mt. Hermon includes amazing child care/day camp for Delia and Ella, special speakers and worship times for me, plenty of family fun (like organized pool games, campfires, carnivals and BBQs), all our meals in a dining hall and even a day away-- a train ride to the Santa Cruz board walk! I'm thinking it will be like the summer camp I grew up going to (except for adults) complete with 2 of my best friends, Julie and Teri, going with their families. God really worked out the details so that not only would I would not have to stay home alone, but I could go and have this spiritually recharging, super-fun time with my friends and girls!

Lots to Celebrate

We're party animals this week! This time of year seems to carry lots of celebrations: birthdays, graduations and weddings. With Dave's involvement in the youth programs, we always have a bunch of graduation parties to attend. We kicked off our party week on Monday with Jared's birthday.


As fun as it always is to hang out with this crowd, Ella especially enjoyed the little water slide pool with her buddies. Even Delia got a break from Mommy's arms to satisfy her curiosity and need to move in the jumpy house. The twins, Peter and Cora, joined her, where Peter was the object of Delia's affection-- tackled with hugs and slobbery kisses! Amy (Jared's mom) recently learned that her baby due in October is a girl!

Some grad parties are a little hard for the girls, they're mostly for adults with few kids or toys (Ella spent much of Saturday night's on an inside treadmill with a caring high schooler!). Today we had our favorite party, a celebration for 4 graduates, all members of the extended VM family: Cody, Carlene, Kalvin and Kirsi. Ella swam with her friend Mikaela and even learned a few swim moves. The "jump-o-leen," visiting the mooing cows and huge tri-trip lunch were also highlights, as was "the best cake in the whole world!!" (according to Ella).

Delia's Monkey Moves

Last night Dave and I were hanging out in the study when Ella came busting in yelling, "DELIA IS A BIG GIRL, DELIA IS A BIG GIRL! COME SEE!!" She dragged us to her bedroom where we found Delia about to flop into Ella's bed after having climbed the steps by herself. Shortly after, she climbed up on the bathroom step stool to help herself to some water play in the toilet and moments later she devised this system for grabbing a just-out-of-reach candle on the shelf.

Whew! I am a tired mama...

You Know Her So Well

We've been having so much fun just staying home playing with all Ella's new gifts. Each one of you picked out such a thoughtful gift that was perfect for Ella. Craft kits, kitchen toys, dresses, accessories, gardening toys, princess games...you know how much Ella loves creating, imagining and being girlie. One of the best gifts came from Karen, Chris and the boys. She ordered Ella 4 new dress-up gowns off ebay. These are not just your typical princess dresses, though. They are pageant gowns made and sent from China! I don't even need to describe how much Ella adores these. Yesterday we spoke with Kyle on the phone and he said, "I love how she dresses up for pictures." I replied, "She doesn't dress up for pictures, she is just dressed like that all the time!" I guess her being a princess is so common, I don't even notice anymore if she is wearing a crown to play outside or a pink, sparkly dress to blow out her birthday candles! Pondering this more leads me to a little dress-up flash back...in how many blog pictures is she actually dressed up? Here and here and here and here and here and here, for just a few!

Thank you for the NEW gowns, Karen. We're so happy to integrate some variety into the princess dress-up wardrobe and maybe even retire the old ones!

Delia Has Some Exciting News...

In just a few weeks, Delia is going to have another BOY cousin exactly a year younger than her! Kris and Eric's meeting with the birth mom today went perfectly. We just got off the phone with a tearful Kris who said, "We are going to be parents in July!" When asked after the meeting if she wanted time to think about things, the birth mom said, "No." She was completely confident with the choice of Kris and Eric. She knew she loved them from their profile and she loved them even more after meeting them. In turn, Kris was impressed with the birth mom and even said the mom reminded her of herself. The baby is a boy with a due date of July 12 (Delia's birthday is July 13!). Kris will accompany the mom for one last ultrasound.

I'm so excited to even type this now, my thoughts are all jumpy and my hands shaking. Kris said, "It was God from start to finish." We just praise God that this process has been so easy and blessed for them!!

You Gotta Try This!

So the idea is stolen right from my good friend Teri, but it is genius so I need to share it with all of you: homemade sidewalk paint! With just 1/4 cup corn starch, 1/4 cup water and 5-10 drops of food coloring you can make a cup of awesome sidewalk chalk paint. Here is is what I love about this:

*It's cheap... much cheaper than the $10 Crayola sidewalk paint that gets all used up at once. I'm so in love with this idea and dedicated to doing it regularly, that I even bought the tub of corn starch from a stock-up store, making it even cheaper.

*It's entertaining. For 2 days in a row, Ella has sat for over an hour just painting away until every last drop was used up.

*It's educational. Today we had a little lesson in mixing and making colors. To Ella's amazement, we got PURPLE!! when we mixed pink and blue.

*It's kinda neat. It goes on the sidewalk like water, but dries crusty and vibrantly colored.

*It's easy to make and clean up. The stuff brushes right off clothes and washes right off cement (like chalk).

I hope you try this simple and fun summer project and love it as much as we do!

Little Miss Photogenic

Enjoy Ella's 3 year old portraits:

A Fitting End

Each night a ritual ensues. Without discussion the board is pulled out, the cards shuffled and the train cars lined up. What follows is intense-- hand-shaking as trains are laid, heart-pounding as routes are considered and temper-flaring as tracks are stolen, intensity. Our immediate family and a handful of friends will recognize what I am describing: the addictive game Ticket to Ride. It could be argued that we are spending quality time together, but mostly we just end up mad and frustrated with each other at the end of it. You could argue that what I am about to tell you is pretty impressive, or you could just pity us for being super-nerds. The best way I can think to end a wonderful week with Mom and Dad is to publish our weekly scores, the culmination of 7 games.

Dad (bringing up the rear as the caboose): 699 points

Jen: 918 points (just a 2 point difference from 2nd place I feel compelled to point out!)

Mom: 920 points

Dave: 1,134 points (Yep, that's an average of about 160 points a game. He's an unstoppable locomotive!)

Our Little Ella is 3!!

Ella's been having a very happy birthday so far. Thanks to all of you who sent gifts and cards! This morning Ella woke up to find balloons and streamers decorating our dining and living rooms. We continued the tradition of opening the presents first thing in the morning in our jammies. Ella wanted to stop and play with/color/read each gift before opening the next. Then we did her cake at lunchtime. It is the "Princess cake!" she quickly requested when I asked her what kind she wanted. Jeff, Amy and Jonathan stopped by to drop off a gift and were able to join us in song and celebration. Right now the little birthday princess is conked out. Tonight we are headed to Ella's favorite place, "The Birdie Restaurant" (Red Robin), for a fun dinner and serenade. Even with all the festivities, having Grandpa and Grandma here is what is making this birthday especially special.

Check out the slide show to the left for pictures of presents, cake and dinner. Double click on the little picture box to view them larger in Picasa.

Yosemite: "Yay God!"

No words needed. Enjoy the breathtaking sights of our glorious creator...

An Answer to Prayer!

A little over a week ago I shared about the possible new addition to our family through Kris and Eric's adoption. The update tonight is SO encouraging! Yesterday we learned that the birth mom did pick Kris and Eric's profile and requested a meeting with them (this will occur on Wednesday). That is very exciting news by itself, but tonight we learned more. The birth mom's social worker spoke with Kris and Eric and told them these awesome things:
*The birth mom LOVED Kris and Eric's profile and is so excited about them that she wants to share the baby's gender with them.
*The birth dad has already signed away all his rights.
*The birth mom is 19 and her 17 year old sister also just had a baby. The mom said this taught her she is "definitely not ready to have a baby."
*The birth mom is adopted herself, so she is understanding and supportive of the whole process.

So, it is hard for us to not think that this could be it! Your prayers for Kris, Eric, the birth mom and our possible niece or nephew are still coveted. We'll keep updating you, friends!

What We've Been Doing

We've been having such a great visit with Grandpa and Grandma. Our last big outing was to the ball game and our next big outing is to Yosemite tomorrow, but in the meantime we've been keeping plenty busy and enjoying each other's company.

On Tuesday we went to have Ella's 3 year old pictures taken. They came out beautifully and I can't wait to share them with you. Then we had Ron and Florene over for dinner. This is a nice couple from our church who connected with Mom and Dad on one of their first visits. Each time our parents visit they get together with their friends, Ron and Florene. We had a nice dinner together and a long visit to chat. We also made Stropewafels-- here's Mom's first taste!

Wednesday was pretty low-key. The highlight of the day was an aMAZing anniversary dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Strings. We were excited to share this celebration with Mom and Dad and they generously treated us to the fabulous meal. Ella was thrilled to have her favorite babysitter over (Delia was not so thrilled). The dinner may have been the most delicious thing I've ever eaten-- bread, salad, wine, chicken cannelloni, raspberry brownie lasagna and tiramisu (we split these sweets). Here Dave poses with our decadent dessert choices.

During the day we cleaned nursery toys, read, played games and took a happy little walk to the park.

Today the guys and gals split up. Dad and Dave went golfing and Mom and I went shopping. Stay tuned for the spendid scenery pictures of tomorrow's Yosemite trip...

The Gift of Marriage

As we celebrate 9 years of marriage, I reflect on the many homes and places we've been in on this exact day each year. I was going to steal my friend Andrea's idea and list all the places we've gone to celebrate our anniversary, but I honestly can't remember them all! Another thing Dave and I do to make our anniversary fun and thoughtful is follow the traditional gift guidelines. Since some creativity and consideration goes into this, I DO remember and will share that instead.

Year 1, Paper
For Dave: Two books about sermon writing for his library (so romantic, right?)
For Jen: Stationary and a gift card to Borders

Year 2, Cotton or Straw
For Dave: Boxer shorts and shoes he wanted/needed
For Jen: Straw summer shoes, a straw beach hat, twisty straws!

Year 3, Leather
For Dave: Accessories and tools for our new grill, including a leather hot mitt
For Jen: Comfy Birkenstock shoes for walking Disney World

Year 4, Fruit, Books or Appliances
For Dave: Fancy new coffee maker and fruity flavored coffees
For Jen: Fondue cookbook, fruit to use for making fondue and new Tupperware containers to store it

Year 5, Wood
For Dave: The game Settlers of Catan (Get it? There're "wood" cards in the game)
For Jen: Wine barrel planters

Year 6, Sweets or Iron
For Dave: Board books about daddies to read to our on-the-way baby (aw, sweet...) and a gift certificate to a golf range (something to use his "irons" on)
For Jen: Season of Survivor on DVD and fun candy to eat while watching it, iron supplements!

Year 7, Copper or Brass
For Dave: Tie holder with brass hooks, a new dress shirt and tie
For Jen: Batteries (Coppertops), sunscreen (Coppertone) and the green, tiered shelf for toy storage that I wanted

Year 8, Bronze, Rubber or Linen
For Dave: Rubber-soled shoes and a bronze picture frame for his office
For Jen: New Calphalon pan, rubber utensils like spatulas and spoons and 400 thread count sheets (yeah, this was a good year for me!)

Year 9, Ceramic or Willow

For Dave: A gift certificate to Color Me Mine-- Ella is really excited to go on a date with Dave to "paint a big plate for Daddy's grill."

For Jen: The Willow Tree "Promise" figurine, SO perfect since our first dance at our wedding was to Tracy Chapman's The Promise and the figurine is of a couple dancing! (Big points for Dave!)

So looking back, I see that we like to give each other shoes! While Dave is funny at picking out some wacky, yet practical (iron supplements, batteries?!) gift to meet the requirements, my method is to find a gift I wanted to give Dave anyway and work the requirement in as a little extra.

Of course, it goes without saying that each year my best gift remains my wonderful husband. He takes care of us, fathers actively and creatively, and shows me he loves me in many different ways each day!

Let's Go Nuts!

We did our Memorial Day by the book: a baseball game and BBQ. The ball game was our minor league Nuts (strange mascot, we know...keep in mind we are the #1 grower of almonds and walnuts). The day was perfect and we enjoyed a good game, all the entertaining extras minor league has to offer and finally some blue skies and sunshine! Tonight we'll grill chicken and have Pastor Bruce and Joyce over.

Nope, it wasn't still raining. The umbrella was to provide some much-needed shade. Delia may have had the most fun. She busted out her dance moves and clapping each time the music played (which was with each new batter!)

The joy of being spoiled by Grandma-- super special ice cream for Ella!

This is Al the Almond. Wally the Walnut was nearby, but busy. Delia was pretty into them! Ella was more timid this time.

Quote of the Day

From Mom (after a day of observing Ella's constant narration of the world around her and her "performances" and Delia's incessant activity...)

"Well it looks like you have yourselves a Karen and a David. If you keep going, maybe you'll get a Kristen and Kyle!"

Welcome to Warm, Sunny California!

Today we welcomed Grandpa and Grandma to our cold, overcast home. Say what you will about our intense weather, one thing it is is predictable. When it stops raining in February we brace ourselves for a dry season lasting until fall. Rain is so unusual it makes headline news. Well, apparently we are having some of that fluke rain now and it will last through our parents' visit. We had to grill our burgers under an umbrella and Dad is actually sleeping with heat on in the guest house! Two weeks ago it was 103!

Regardless of the rain, we certainly enjoyed Mom and Dad's company inside, and no one more so than Ella. In the few hours Grandma has been here, she has read 10 stories, heard a sermon, seen a puppet show, played Lion King and Cinderella, Mr. Potato Head and restaurant. Ella keeps saying, "Excuse me, guys. I want to show/tell you something!" She is in definite show-off mode. It's cute how excited she is to have Grandpa and Grandma here.

Check out these cool cookies Grandpa and Grandpa brought us!

It took Delia a little longer to warm up to people who weren't her Mommy and Daddy, but eventually she too showed off all her movement and tricks and ended her night with an adorable game of peek-a-boo and slobbery kisses with Grandpa.