Happy Anniversary Baby

It's hard to believe all that has happened since that day 8 years ago when we committed to "love, honor & cherish till death do we part". God's grace shown to me that day through the awesome gift of marriage continues to be revealed daily. I am amazed at how the Lord uses my marriage to refine me into the woman He calls me to be. And He uses my amazing husband to teach me. I used to believe that a good marriage depended upon a husband loving his wife more than anything or anyone - his job, his family, his kids - all had to be second to his wife - and that is a good marriage. However, a great marriage requires that a husband love & serve God - before anyone else. As my husband's spiritual walk goes, so goes the tenor of my house, my marriage, my children's well being and my happiness and joy.

I am blessed with a man who above all else loves God. Because he loves God, he is able to love me better - more fully, and more forgiving (a much practiced skill being married to me!). Because God is the third strand that binds us together, our marriage is a cord not easily broken. Because we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts, it is in our marriage and in our home.

Happy Anniversary baby - got you on my mind, my heart and my soul. I love the journey we are on together and love what the Lord is building in our lives and marriage.

Best Friends

I simply love Becky's best friend Gracie. She has such a sweet spirit and a kind heart. Today, we got to the beach before they did, and the princess got into a mood. As soon as Gracie arrived, Becky was up and playing - and the girls got busy. For a long time. Even a woman sitting next to us remarked how busy they were together and how well they were playing together. It just warms my heart that Becky has Gracie for a best friend - and I hope that many years from now, they will share these pictures at their weddings when they stand up for one another!

But perhaps my most favorite thing about Becky's friendship with Gracie is how good of a friend her mommy has become to me. It can be hard when your daughter's best friend's mom & you don't really "click". Especially when the girls are young and you have to be together for them to be together. I am so blessed by my friendship with Tanya; she keeps me focused on the things in my children's lives that are important, helps to remind me when I am becoming neurotic about one thing or a hundred others, offers me wise & kind advice and prays for me. She is a great example of a "real" mom - setting a great example for me!

"There's nothing better than a good friend; except a good Christian friend with chocolate"

Tanya proved this today when she came to the beach with chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting & cream cheese filling for my birthday! They were amazing (and she even let me take home the extras!!!) - but I think Becky enjoyed them more than anyone!

There really is nothing better than my good Christian friend with chocolate! Thanks Tanya for a great kickoff to my birthday weekend!

Grandpa

We had a most amazing visit with Grandpa Dick this week. He decided a couple of weeks ago to hop a plane and come see his grand kids - Doug & I aren't kidding ourselves..we know who he really wanted to see!

Grandpa & Katie together for the first time!

At lunch on Saturday (While mommy was out sailing!)

On Tuesday when we had to take Matt home, we stopped by Tom's Farms for lunch; it's not as fun during the week as on the weekends - and it was miserably hot - but it was a nice little outing!

Sweet sisters!

Tractors

and big, gigantic chickens!

thought maybe we could get grandpa to smile in this picture - but no luck! He really did have a lot of fun with the girls

We tuckered him out! Seriously - his favorite time of day was nap time - his, not the girls!

Our girls are so blessed to have some many grandparents to love on them. It amazes me how these two little girls had no one, and now are surrounded by so many family members and friends who love them. God has abundantly provided for them and we are so grateful!

Thanks for coming Grandpa - don't stay away so long next time!

Takes me away

So has there ever been anything in your life that you have walked away from, didn't think you missed at all only to realize one day when you have/do it again how much you really did miss it?

There was a time in my life when every weekend was spent on the water racing sailboats. Not America Cup caliber racing, but friends getting together to sail boats to see who would get the engraved pickle dish at the end of the day. In San Diego, you can race every weekend beginning New Year's Day and right up through about the weekend before Christmas. For several years I did just that. I was so involved that I even found a way to create employment in the industry. I was so blessed because through that, I got to sail on teams way above my level in some really great places. It was a fiber of my being.

When Doug & I got married, I cut the schedule back a bit - and was glad. I had a new life, and sailing was not all of it anymore but a part. It was still my job, and it was still something I loved to do - just not all the time.

In April of 2008, when we got the call about a 14 month old baby girl waiting for her momma in an orphanage in China, I sailed my last race. My thoughts were no longer on the water, but on my daughter. I turned my business over to someone else, walked away and never looked back. Not one single moment of regret. Ever. No sense of loss. Never missed it.

Until last Tuesday. When I got "the call". From my old team - "Zuni Bear". There was a championship regatta in Long Beach and was I available to race? My husband, who is the most amazing husband in the world, said "Go". He would handle the kids (all 4) and his dad who was flying in on Saturday

So I dug up my sailing gear, tried on my sailing clothes (and found they still fit!), asked for grace from the team for my "rustiness" - and climbed back on the bow.

Oh how I loved this scene....

Team Zuni Bear....I think we were looking pretty good here!

As much fun as I had - it was still pretty cool when I got back to the dock on Sunday and had my own personal fan club waiting for me - they loved being on the boat - and look like a couple of naturals!

Of course, the favorite time on the boat for them was snack time with Rich!

A future bow babe here (for the non sailors in the group - a bow babe is someone - usually a small person_ who unknowingly gets trained to do foredeck - the wettest position on the boat and also the hardest on the body - you get tossed around like a flying fish on the deck up there) - like mother, like daughter!

Momma and her fan club!

My children and husband are the center of my universe - but it sure was nice to have another planet re-introduced into that universe this weekend!

Thanks Team Zuni Bear for being patient while I shook the cobwebs off - every bruise (and there are many) was worth it!

Sweet Sisters

Many days, my days seem more like I am a referee than a mom. I facilitate negotiations over things, sort of and try to administer justice during disputes, wrench apologies from a child who is clearly not sorry for whatever offense she perpetrated on her sister and generally try to maintain some semblance of loving peace - or at least not all out war - between two very focused and strong willed girls. I wonder during these moments if the bond that I pray for daily will ever develop between these two children - girls made sisters not through birth or blood but through divine intervention in their lives. I hold my breath hoping for unity, for love, for connection with one another

Then some days - I get the joy of watching this.....

...and I remember to breathe - because the One whose plan this is will knit their hearts together and I can stand firm on His promise for them - that they will be sisters in the heart, where it matters most.

Wild Water Park

We have season passes to our local water park, and one of the benefits is that we get two free days at the "BIG" water park - so Tanya and I took the girls there today. We had a blast!!! Oh yeah - and so did the girls! They have a great section that is very geared towards "the littles" - and the girls hit the pool running!

Becky become very brave - and went down the water slide on the tube....by the end of the day, she was doing it on her own - complete with taking the tube up the stairs on her own, getting into it, and coming down. Very proud momma here!

Katie was ok with the tube slide, but not as much as I thought she would be

Becky loved it - wanted to do it over, and over and over again.....

Gracie came down with great style -

After the tube slide - it was onto the open slide...as a group

Becky got off to a great start.....

I caught up quickly - but Katie (on the far left) and Gracie (on the far right) got "stuck"

Becky "won" the race - Katie was barely out of the gate at that point.....

Katie & Gracie finally caught up!

We had so much fun that even though we are running out of days in the summer, we are going to find time to use that second free day!!!!

Summer Scenes

I am in denial. Bad. I plain & simple don't want summer to end. It's been a hard & long summer. The decision to hold Katie out of school means that I have been with both girls, all day, very day, since June. That's a lot of time. There have been days (really weeks) when we've had no food because I simply can not go to the grocery store & do a real shop with both girls. We've gotten delinquent notices from all our utility companies because I don't have the uninterrupted time to pay bills and do our personal book keeping. If you've sent a gift for someone - here's your "thank you" - because not only have I had no time to write a note, I can't even remember what amazing friend or family member sent us what perfect gift.

But through all this - I don't want summer to end. I have loved having the girls home. We have gone to hte beach every Friday. We've been to swim lessons and ballet lessons and the local water park and pool parties at friend's houses and all kind of fun things - and it's been fun. We've swam in the back yard pool (the girls going naked some times because they go down the slide faster that way!). We've traveled to see our CWA family on the east coast. We've gone to baseball games & the Hollywood Bowl (ok - those were mom and dad outings!) - and we've eaten a lot of ice cream.

So my goal for the next 10 days is to make the most of the time that is left. Tuesday, Becky and Katie went to heir first movie - and Becky made it through the entire showing of "Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie". We went with some Lucky Mommys, then everyone came back here for lunch - it was quite a crowd...and loads of fun!

One of our other fairly regular outings this summer is Tuesday night pizza with Sam, Nicholas & Genevieve at ZPizza, then frozen yogurt at Tutti Fruitti - if oyu notice it was pretty easy to get the kids to all look up for hte camera at pizza, not so much at Tutti Fruitti!

Make the most of the rest of your summer!!!!!