Seattle Fun

Yesterday we spent the day in Seattle, Washington having fun with my best friend Sarah and here two little ones, Courtney and Alex. We drove up in the morning, leaving Lacey, WA in the bright sun and arriving in Seattle under dense cloud cover. The first place we visited was Pike Place Market. While we were hoping some fish were going to fly past our heads the only entertainment was a gigantic Monk Fish. Hanging out over the side of a vender's display of ice and fish, this UGLY specimen was a perfect photo opportunity for me. I encouraged Nick and Courtney to stand next to it for a picture. Upon getting close to the fish, however, they were frightened out of their socks when the fish suddenly "jumped" into the air at them. The joke was on us. Amid frightened tears of my daughter and Alex and wide-eyed stares from Nick and Courtney we realized that the long tail of the fish was threaded through a tunnel in the ice. A rope was attached to said tail and the vendor took great delight in scaring anyone who came near this ugly monster by jerking the rope, thereby causing the fish to "attack". The visit to the Market was like no other. Vendors called to you offering samples of their wares and street performers play various musical styles as you proceeded through a vibrant display of colors, taste, smells, sounds, textures and sights. A visit to Pike Place Market is truly an experience that invites all of the senses to participate. Vibrant displays of flowers and fabrics line the aisles. After sampling such delicacies as chocolate linguine we decided that our starving children needed some more nourishment than the busy Market could offer. During lunch dockside at a Red Robin we noticed that the day seemed to be clearing up. We were blessed with sunny clear skies and warmer weather upon leaving the restaurant and celebrated by visiting a Starbucks on the corner. No visit to Seattle would be complete without a Starbucks beverage, I was told by Sarah.

Next we visited the Pacific Science Center to see the IMAX 3-D version of Monster's vs. Aliens. We had a wonderful time and the kids loved watching the movie leap off the screen towards them. Even with Alex deciding that his nose the perfect place to store a spare Reese's Pieces candy, the movie was a great success. We then ventured into the museum itself to see moving dinosaurs, play with fluttering butterflies, and investigating bugs, music, and other fun times.

Finally, we ended our day with a trip up the Space Needle. Walking so high in air was thrilling and yet slightly terrifying at the same time. After exiting the glass elevator, we ventured to the outside (yes it is actually outside) observation deck and took in a 360* view of Seattle, Puget Sound, and the Cascade Mountains, including Mt. Rainier. The breathtaking view was the perfect end to our perfect day in the Northwest. Tired and a little hungry, we trudged back to the car and began the drive south towards home. It will be a day none of us will soon forget and we are so blessed to have shared it with our friends.

Fun in a box

Have you ever noticed that kids have a lot of fun with the simple things in life? Our TV broke and we sent it off for repairs. They sent us a new set in a BIG box. I cut a door with a handle and two windows with shutters in the box and the kids painted it. I have rarely seen so much fun to be had with cardboard! It was a house, a fort, a shelter during the tornado (mom was vacumming), and a roller coaster ride with Dad (mom tipped the box onto various sides with Dad and kids inside, sending them rolling in various directions). I can honestly say I don't remember the last time we laughed so hard as a family.
It is a reminder that the simple things in life can be the most rewarding and fullfilling. To often we get caught up in the technology and the various outlets (malls, Chuck E. Cheese, etc) and think that we must be entertained to have fun as a family. Not so. There is fun and family time to be had in just taking a nature walk, going to the beach, or playing in a giant cardboard box.

Time with Dad

A son's time with his father is precious, to be sure. When they are little times seems to fly by so fast. Mike is working the second shift (6p-6a). This means that sleeping during the normal waking hours is a must for him on his days on the job. Days off are family days for us and we try to do family activities whenever possible. Today was a red letter day for Mike and his son. Nick and Daddy went to Home Depot to take part in their monthly kid activity. Today they worked together on building a birdhouse. Mike read the directions and guided while Nick learned how to hammer and screw and glue pieces together in the proper order. He received an offical apron for working with tools and a pin. For each project he finishes he will receive a pin to add to his apron displaying the project he finished and a certificate of completion as well as his hard earned project. He took this picture displaying his apron, birdhouse, and pin (on right shoulder). They had a lot of fun together and built Mommy a beautiful bird house to hang outside. The back is plexiglass and it hangs on a window with suction cups so that if, and I stress if, a bird happens to build a nest within it, we will be able to see the babies. Nick wants to paint is up pretty for the birds so I guess that finger paints will be coming out tomorrow. What was most important was that Nick and Mike spent some quality time together. This happens rarely and it is important that Mike sees Nick as a little boy and that Nick sees his dad as a loving father. This happens best when they spend one-on-one time together and it makes Nick feel special (he is doing something with Dad, man time, etc). Next month they already have plans to attend the May session and build a wheelbarrel planter (nice Mother's Day project yes?).

A memory...

My husband and I were talking about the past last night. We were going over old times and remembering our dating years. We laughed over some of the times we had and silently pondered others. I remember meeting Mike long after he says he noticed me. He claims to have first seen me a few months prior singing in the Homecoming Concert at ONU. I first met my husband to be after my first Christmas break in College. The year was 2000 and I was going to a rehersal for Shakespeare in Love with Chocolate. I was to do a scene from Hamlet as the fair Ophelia and a guy I then knew only in name was to play Hamlet. I was not to impressed at first, having just come through a very hurtful breakup. But he called a few days later to ask me out. Still not wanting to get my heart broken again into tiny pieces I tried to scare him off but he wasn't easily detered. We began to date and soon I realized that I was with a very different class of guy. He was gentle and loving and stood by me through hard times. He was also fun, spontaneous, and exciting. He proposed to me August 18, 2000 and I said yes. I joke with him that it was partly because he had me stuck on the top of a ferris wheel and I am terrified of heights. We were married in front of family, God, and friends July 27, 2002 and after some tough times, fun times, heartbreaking times, and times where we wanted to just chuck it all in and cut our losses we feel closer and stronger than ever. Praise God for the love of this man of mine.

How do you overcome profound despair?

How do you overcome profound despair? When you loose something so close to you that it actually takes a physical part of you with it when it leaves? I do not know. This is a question that I continue to ask myself daily two weeks after I entered into such a state. My tiny little baby, only a short time into life inside of me suddenly ceased to exist. The tiny heart that had developed from atoms to small for the naked eye to see suddenly ceased to beat. The image that I saw on the ultrasound, while beautiful and precious, suddenly ceased to live. The cause? Unknown. A blood clot between placenta and wall is thought to be the killer of my precious little life. To make matters worse, I was to undergo a procedure that would remove my little one from me. I gave birth, in a way, to a baby that I never got to hold and never got to meet. When you are expecting, planning, rejoicing, and loving something and then find out that it is not going to be, your heart breaks. You feel as if you will die of the hurt that is now slowly building up inside you until it cascades out of you in torrents of tears, blood, and emotion. It should kill you but you continue to live. But unlike a bullet, there is no easy fix for the pain. A bullet can be removed, the hole repaired, and medication given to ease the pain. Time, they say, heals all things, but I am still waiting to see how much time it takes to heal my pain, fill my emptyness, and stem the tide of tears. Two weeks is a very short time and while I look forward to the time when I might be able to again feel that tiny life growing inside me, my heart still yearns for the one I lost. Is it wrong to look ahead to another new life when I still grieve and yearn for the one I lost or is this just another step in healing? Time will tell.

Easter 2009

Easter is drawing near, just short of two weeks away. As with any holiday, Mike and strive to make a memorable day for our children and for our family. This Easter, we sought out some special outfits for our children and took them for a special Easter sitting at the local portrait studio. My sweet children took such beautiful pictures. Isn't it wonderful that we are blessed with the technology to capture these moments for remembrance far down the road? Watching my children pose, smile, and enjoy their brief moment of "fame" brought tears to my eyes and laughter to my lips. I even confess that the sin of pride in my youngsters reared its head a bit. But look at my babies. Easter is a special time of year for them. They look forward to the bunny, the eggs, the candy, and the fun. But as I was reminded by my little boy "Easter is when Jesus did magic". He is, of course, referring to the fact that our Savior raised from the dead and saved us from eternal death. Let us remember that although the world tells us that Easter is about baskets, outfits, candy, and giant rodents the true meaning of Easter means so much more!

I'm actually doing this...

I find it funny that I actually have the time to sit down and blog. My life has been so full with finishing school and all the hectic stuff that we have been hit with since last July that I can't imagine having time to myself anymore. That won't last long. I have found time to actually start digital scrapping and I can't believe how far behind I am. Four years behind, if I think about it. My little man is growing up so fast and it has been fun to look back as I sort through pictures and see how he has changed. My baby has grown so much as well! Caitlynn, my little 18 month old going on 13. Yes, she is acting that mature. Even wants to put make-up on with me in the morning. Ahh.... Time flies by so quick. Well, I need to get a move on if I am going to go hit the sale this afternoon at the mall. Kids outgrow clothes so fast! Love ya all!