BIG NEWS

So, we have some big news to share with you all. As you know, we recently headed West for a job interview at a church. Well, we went intending not to make a final decision for a couple weeks -- we told the committee that upfront. However, the longer we stayed there the more we realized that we didn't need to put off telling them. They offered Kevin a call on Sunday and on Monday he accepted. So ----- We are heading back to Washington!

The church is Coulee Dam Community Presbyterian Church in Coulee Dam, WA. For those who need a brush up on geography, Coulee Dam is a town located right by the Grand Coulee Dam (I know, you didn't see that one coming). The town right next door (really, the same town, different name) is Grand Coulee. Somehow, I don't think there was a lot of creativity in the naming process. Elmer City and Electric City are also part of this foursome that is really just one town. Now, don't confuse Coulee Dam or Grand Coulee with the town that Kevin went to preach in (at a neutral pulpit) -- Coulee City, which is a half hour away. The Grand Coulee Dam is HUGE! Actually, it is the largest concrete structure in America. It generates a ton of hydroelectricity off the Columbia River. In honor of moving there, Kevin almost got a t-shirt that said "My Dam T-Shirt" but they didn't have it in the right size... I see a lot of "dam" jokes in our future.

The church is a smaller congregation that has been looking for a long time. The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) was very wonderful -- friendly, open and caring. They were very welcoming to our family and showed a lot of spiritual maturity. They even shared how being part of the PNC has shaped their faith journey, which I think is unusual for committee members to say. The church building itself is amazing -- they have so much room that is just waiting to be used! And, more importantly, they want it to be used.

Now, there are some drawbacks. The biggest -- no Starbucks for an hour and a half. Yes, I did agree to this, but only because I really felt God's leading. Along with no Starbucks, there is no Target, no Old Navy, no Barnes and Noble, no Pottery Barn Kids, no mall, no... well, anything. The towns have two grocery stores, a hardware store, a small movie theater, a few gas stations, some restaurants (nothing Italian) and that is just about it. I'm a little worried about this, but also know that Amazon.com is a great thing, and, when I need those stores, the closest ones are in Spokane.

Honestly, I personally think it will be good for me to be isolated from those stores. My time in Princeton has been a huge struggle with materialism -- everything is new, expensive and, most likely, from Europe. I think a time of solitude, away from that, will do my perspective good. I need to gain a more balanced view on possessions and, although it will be hard to go to the other extreme, it will be valuable. Although, what good can come from being away from Starbucks...

We are very excited about this next step for us. Kevin has been working hard for three years for the opportunity to serve a church. He has remained steadfast in his devotion to the call he felt God place on his heart almost 8 years ago -- to serve the church where it is most needed, not where it is most glamorous or worldly rewarding. Soon, he will be able to do that.

Well, of course I've got some pictures for you to see. Enjoy!

The church

The sanctuary

The fellowship hall/Sunday school wing

Part of the town of Coulee Dam (from across the river)

The power lines that grace the surrounding hills

The Dam (although, this picture leaves out quite a bit on both sides)

The playground that is a minute walk from the church

Abby enjoyed her time in WA

Book Worm

My daughter is a book worm. It isn't surprising -- I am always happiest with my nose buried in a book. Still, for a pre-reader, it is impressive. Hannah will spend, maybe not hours, but at least half-hours at a time (which is long for the toddler set) just "reading" either to herself or to her dolls. If she knows the story well, she will "read" a story that almost does the writer credit; if she doesn't, she pays homage to the illustrator with thoughtful observations on the pictures. Sometimes she will set up a story time and bring the whole crowd -- all three dolls, Cow, Elmo, maybe even Bear if it is a special day. The crowd will be put either around her white table or maybe lined up on the carpet, where they can all get a clear view of the pictures. Then, she will pull out at least 15 books to "read" to them. This part always leaves me feeling torn -- I love that she is so into books, love the fact that she is doing this all independently, hate having to put away half the bookshelf when she is done. I've tried imposing limits, like only five books, but five is easy to multiple, especially when you are not quite proficient at counting.... Anyways, she'll set them all up, gather her materials, and then proceed to amusing herself for the next half hour with various books. She has even taken to "reading" to her friends -- she got one note home from school saying that she "read" her friend Kennan a book at school. Of course, one time I did see her "read" to Kennan, a book she had never been read before, and Kennan was a bit upset that she didn't say the right words (he might be a bit of a purist when it comes to reading and story time).

Other times, she is looking for a little silent reading, like the pictures show. Then, she just plops down by her book shelf and goes through book after book (sometimes even putting away the books!). This works great during dinner prep time.

All of this convinces me that when we move, we have to set up her library in a more child friendly way. The teacher in me cringes at having the books all stuffed on a shelf, hard to access. No education class I've taken ever promoted how I currently have our books set up, but with cramped apartment living (and the prospect of moving soon) I haven't bothered to revise the system. Soon...

Speaking of moving soon, keep our family in prayer as we fly out West to go visit a church. We will be gone this Friday through next Wednesday, so I wouldn't even bother checking the blog till we are back. We are excited to have a chance to visit Whitworth University while we are out West and also see some friends that we haven't seen in way too long. Expect to see pictures in the near future of the girls proudly wearing some Pirate gear!

My Random Funny Hannah

This post is dedicated to the random, funny things Hannah has done and said this past week. I've kept a list, knowing that each was worthy of being shared (now, in 15 years, Hannah might not be happy I shared...but that is her issue).

When her teacher was out on Tuesday, Hannah tried to explain to me why. "Miss Bella wasn't feeling good. She got hit in the head with a baseball. Miss Monica told me." When Miss Bella was asked how her head was on Thursday, she gave me a funny look -- her cold had nothing to do with a baseball. My kid made it all up.

"No, I'm not your Sunshine. I am your Princess!" My bad. No more saying "good morning Sunshine" for me.

"First we need to read the directions," she told Kennan as they were playing. She has recently learned some new games that have needed directions and must have thought that Kennan needed some guidance.

The other day I went into her room after nap time and noticed that the toe of her sock was wet. When I asked her why it was wet, she told me that she sucked on it. I asked how. She then proceeded to bring her toe up to her mouth and suck on it. Guess I shouldn't have asked. But talk about flexible!

"That's Miranda green car. It matches the grass." We've been working on the concept of matching, hoping it will help with her picking out her own clothes sometimes -- unfortunately, how do you explain that yes, both are pink, but different shades?

After singing "Away in the Manger" (she still wants to sing Christmas songs every night) Hannah said, "I love him so much." I asked who and she replied, "Jesus." I must say, the prayer Kevin and I have had for both our girls, from the very beginning, is that they would love Jesus. We figure if they have that, the rest will sort itself out.

The very best Hannah story I missed, so I will tell you what Kevin said took place while I changed the laundry the other day. Hannah was playing with her dolls and Cow, setting them all up for a story time around Hannah's table, when she announced that Cow was hungry. She then took my boppy (nursing) pillow, sat in her big red chair, lifted up her shirt and fed Cow -- she even thought to switch sides (don't know if she burped in between). After she was done, she said, "now we can read stories."

Do you like Hannah's new movie star glasses?

Abigail -- 4 months old!

Today Abby is 4 months old! Hard to imagine that she has only been around 4 months, we feel like we've lost more than 4 months of sleep!

Here are her stats:

Weight -- 15 lbs. 9 oz, 88%

Length -- 24 inches, 62%

Head circumference -- 43 cm, 93%

So, that confirms what we basically know -- she is plump, with a big head. The nurse today at her appointment talked about her nice large target zones (thighs) when it was shot time. The following picture easily shows what she was talking about!

Abby continues to impress us with her sweet, smiley disposition. Give her a little attention, and she is all smiles for you. Although she does have quite a set of lungs when she wants to! I guess that she gets from her sister.

Abby is currently working on mastering rolling over, lasting longer at tummy time and sitting up. I would say that her favorites are: her bouncer, her pacifier, her elephant chime toy, being held as much as possible and her big sister. Every day it seems that she enjoys Hannah more and more. We just hope that this continues.

The last four months haven't been the easiest, but Abby has definetly made every moment worth it (especially now that memories of labor are fading). We are excited to watch Abby's personality blossom over the years to come.

My Funny Valentine(s)

Happy Valentine's Day!

This morning, before Hannah went to school and possibly got dirty, we had a photo shoot of the two girls together in their holiday wear. I am very impressed with the results, mostly because the pictures show the girls really enjoying each other, which is pretty telling of their relationship right now. Hannah loves Abby and Abby, in turn, loves Hannah. Today, over lunch, they had a laugh off -- they just looked at each other and cracked up. And I'm suppose to tell Hannah to eat? Watching her and Abby laugh at each other is way more entertaining!

Hannah had a party at school today that she was suppose to bring cards to exchange. I decided that we should make them, although I knew by "we" I meant mostly me with Hannah adding a few personal touches. It was a fun project (once Kevin cut everything out for us) and Hannah was introduced to glitter!

While Hannah was at school, Abby and I went to baby group where there was a Valentine theme. Baby group is such a contrast to playgroup with all the toddlers. The babies either laid on the floor or sat on mommy laps (with a few mobile exceptions) while us moms had a relaxed time to socialize and talk about sleep patterns, baby personalities and feedings. There were about 9 babies there today, ranging in age from 6 weeks to almost a year.
Abby enjoyed the group by laying on the floor, playing with her little clutch toy. A side note that has nothing to do with the girls is that Kevin and I figured out that this was our 8th Valentine's Day spent together. Our first one was in the first month that we started dating and, while we might have had an inclining where the relationship was going, we didn't know that eight years later we would be parents to two girls, going on six years of marriage.

Valentine Preview

Today our home was over run by children. Hannah and I, in honor of the the coming holiday, hosted a Valentine's Day playgroup. We wore pink/red, ate heart cookies and made Valentines for daddies. I didn't get many good pictures (too busy!), but I did get some that I thought I would share with you.

My living room is hardly ever this full!Hannah with buddiesKarin helps Kennan with his Valentine

Junia colors her cardAllie takes time from designing to pose for a picture

Joshua kicks back with a cookie

Katie is dressed perfectly for the occasion (of course!)

Hannah is quite the happy hostess!

Snow Day

Today we finally got a good snow -- first time this year (second time it snowed period)! I don't have much time, but I thought I would post some pictures from our outing. I'll go on the premise that a picture speaks a thousand words and leave these without captions.

Miss Independent

In just another month and a half, Hannah will be three years old, quite the big girl. Every day she shows her advancing age with what she can accomplish on her own. Today it was potty time, which is slightly frightening because if it goes wrong...

I was nursing Abby after our lunch today when Hannah announced that she needed to go pee. She always wants to go pee when I am nursing -- I think she knows it throws me off. I told her to go and that I would be down in a minute. She ran down the hall yelling, "I need a little bit of some space." (Guess where she got that? I'm trying to work on having a bathroom break, it is not yet a successful endever.) Then things got very quiet, which always makes me nervous. Then the toilet flushed and I heard water running. At this point I'm rushing Abby as much as you can rush a nursing baby. When I finally made it down the hall to the bathroom, Hannah was drying her hands, looking quite proud. I glanced in the little potty chair, which showed the remains of a bit of poop (sorry to those childless people out there), but was otherwise empty. I asked her what happened and she told me that she went poop on the potty, wiped, dumped it out in the big toilet, flushed and washed her hands. There was nothing left for me to do! I even checked the wipe job because normally I wipe after a poop, but it was clean. I am very proud of her, but also shudder when I think of what could have gone wrong....

Is my job being downsized?

Bad Mom

Well, I must admit it -- I am a bad mother. Yesterday Abby watched Baby Einstein (well, actually it was Baby Bach...). My infant is now a TV watcher.

Before you call CPS on me, let me quickly add that Hannah has not watched any TV in about the last week and when she does, it is never more than one hour (Sesame Street). Plus, by Abby watching Baby Einstein, I swept the floor and started dinner, two things that these days I never do without backup. Of course, what made it so possible was the fact that Kevin and Hannah were at the grocery store...


If only the study that came out recently on babies and TV watching said that those early "educational" shows improved IQ and early reading skills... unfortunately, what it said was that those shows didn't and that kids under two shouldn't watch TV. Darn it! Otherwise I would be a good mom for exposing my young baby to such a program!


Here are the pictures of Abby watching. Send them to CPS and I'll deny it and say you photoshopped it. :)

Some recent pictures

Here are some recent (very recent) pictures of the girls.

This one was taken after church yesterday. It easily shows just how big our girl is getting! Last time we weighed her she was about 15 lbs, which, for 3 1/2 months, is a LOT! The other day, just for fun, I looked up Hannah info in her baby book. At 3 months she was 13 lbs, at 4 months she was 16 -- 3 lbs in a month! Abby weighed more at 3 months than Hannah did (14 lbs), but I'm not sure if she will make it to 16 in another 2 weeks -- we'll see. While at church, Abby did great, not any crying, but, she did want to talk to the light fixture, especially during prayer time, when it was nice and quiet! Oh well, would rather have that than tears.

This picture is from today. We went to toddler group, where Hannah ran wild and Abby sat/slept. When we got home, Abby wanted to tell Daddy all about her time, with lots of giggles in between. Lately she has started giggling more and we have even discovered that she is ticklish!

Can I just add my very biased opinion and say that I think my girl is very cute? Speaking of a cute girl.... While I was taking pictures of Abby and Kevin, Hannah decided that she just had to have a picture taken of her too! Short funny story from the Hannah department: the other morning I was getting ready and had a question for Kevin, so I called out "Kevin!" and, before Kevin could say anything, Hannah responded, "Yes, Dearest?"