Nessa's Life

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2010-01-27T12:55:00.001-08:00

7 months later

2010-01-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

...we received visits from Auntie Heather in June, Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Brandon and Sara in August and went camping in Prescott, Ama and Papa came in August; As a family we traveled to Montana to visit J's family and Canada to visit our friends Tom, Malora, Noah and new baby Jude; shortly after that J went to Ukraine and Vienna for business; we did the Polar Express in Williams, AZ where the kids "met" Santa; had fun hosting Aunt Joanna and Uncle Mark in Nov., and had a Christmas for the 1st time in Arizona. Daniel is now crawling and pulling himself up all the time, has 2 teeth. I'm continuing to read up on health at WAPF (Weston A Price Foundation) and learning why saturated fats are good for us and why we need cholesterol from egg yolks, butter, and grass-fed beef, and I finally got back out in my garden after a 4 month hiatus (ie, since Daniel starting being mobile!). We're looking forward to visits from family in the near future!

Daniel Lloyd

2009-07-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

Born June 21, 2009. 9 Lbs 13 Oz.

Home for our Chickens

2009-06-11T20:02:00.001-07:00

Our chickens now have a new home, which I am very proud of. Jamie and I worked on it together, making the plans, painting, sawing, screwing it together and this past weekend to finish stapling the chicken wire to the coop frame. I love it; we can walk inside it easily (even my 6'3" husband) and the chickens have plenty of room now. Only thing left to finish is the nesting/laying area, and adding a roosting pole for them to roost at night. Sometimes I let the chickens out during the day to peck around the yard, and usually after awhile they drift back to their home. We're still defining their names - so far we have Tigger, Penguin, Sweetie and maybe Red. I never thought it'd be a challenge to come up with 5 chicken names!!

Pregnancy up-date

2009-06-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

So, most people reading this may not know that we are planning to do an at-home birth this time around. We've had two successful births with mid-wives at our hospital, and they've also been really fast labors, (6 hrs and less than 3 hrs), so I wanted to plan to be at home instead of having to worry about making it to the hospital "in time", (I mean, who wants to deliver their baby in a car, right?) I found a terrific mid-wife, Mary and her mid-wife assistant, Nedra, who have been doing this 30+ yrs, and have delivered over 2000 babies, and so I feel I am in good hands, with ones who have seen the gamut of what "could" happen during a labor, and they are very cautious and conscientious about who they will take, making sure that you are truly a low-risk candidate. So, anyways, all that said, I just had my appointment today, and although my due date is on Sunday, they are predicting that I won't go into labor for at least another full week, so we went ahead and scheduled another appt. for next Thurs. In part I'm really wanting this part of waiting to meet our Daniel or Sonja to be over, but in part I'm a little in relief, because I don't feel "ready" yet for the labor part. It's like you have to both gear up for something really hard, and yet let go of all expectations of what it could be like, and just go for it. So, I think this week is a week of mental/emotional/spiritual preparation so that I will be ready in the moment to give myself over to this birth experience. And my favorite part? In the end, we will have a precious gift to enjoy - our newest Watne!!

Swimming class

2009-05-27T21:30:00.000-07:00

Miss Amy has taught Ana and Bjorn to love the water these past two weeks. It's been so fun to see them transform from crying all the way through their class, to willingly doing everything she wants them to do. She has been a gentle, yet firm teacher, and they've learned to put their heads under the water, open their eyes under water, reach for the wall, jump off the side of the pool, attempt freestyle stroke, float on their back, dive for rings at the bottom of the pool and do kabooms off the side of the pool. Ana loves to practice with me now and she has no fear of of water anymore! Neither of them is swimming independently yet, as you can see from the video footage, yet, they are confident in their attempts and with practice they'll keep getting better at it. As one fellow mom put it, this is the first really hard thing we make them learn living in Phoenix where there is a pool behind most homes. It's been amazing to see both of them rise to the challenge and succeed at the level they are at!

Night away

2009-05-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

Jamie and I enjoyed a night away thanks to some friends, Jan and Rawd who graciously watched our children while we camped in Prescott. The weather was great and we were grateful to find a spot since we arrived rather late. We should journal about all our camping adventures, because we certainly seem to be full of them no matter where we go. This weekend's adventure was the fact that we took someone else's campsite without realizing it, and once we did realize it, we had already had the tent and bed set up!! We were so tired by the end we didn't think straight about how to handle it, so we put the other person's tag on another site, thinking that at least we'd have another spot to stay once the other person showed up. OH, I forgot to mention, the only article on the whole campsite that indicated it was occupied was a small dark green poop bag laying by a stick. No tent, chair, stove, nothing and we arrived when it was dark. So anyway, we went into town, because the pump for our air mattress wasn't working and I'm 9 months preggo and so I didn't feel like sleeping on the ground; we never found another pump, but we did find a body pillow, and we headed back to our site. Then Jamie figured out a way to get it pumped up, and we went to bed, ears open for whenever the other person came back to claim their spot. (We were planning to move locals once they showed up.) So, turns out our air mattress had a leak and we were sleeping on the ground anyway!!! And when we went outside our tent at 7am, who is standing there, but this dear lady, with her dog, who we bumped from her spot, quite upset and not understanding why we were so rude as to take her spot. And I did my best to apologize and make amends, but pretty rough start to the day I must say. In the end though, Jamie and I found an awesome, perfect size little lake to tull around in our small fishing boat, perfect for a family, with a playground and grills and hiking. So, we enjoyed our little boating outing before heading back to Phoenix. All in all, despite the travails, we always find ourselves refreshed from leaving the city and getting into nature. I suppose that is the adventure that we are learning to embrace, that when we leave our comfort home, and seek to "get away", we are accepting the inevitable bumps in the road that will occur, but it's worth it, because only by getting out do we experience the refreshment that comes with newness and not knowing what to expect in a day, not to mention the joy of God's creation in it's rare beauty.

Growing Chickens

2009-05-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

Growing Chickens

2009-05-27T21:06:00.001-07:00

Our chicks are now about 15 weeks old and they definitely look more like chickens than chicks. We think one of our six may be a rooster; it's been making funny sounds around 5 am and it looks different than our other ones, so we'll see what we do if she turns out to be a HE!

Our new pets!

2009-05-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

We now have 6 chickens in our backyard. They are much bigger now than in these pictures, and it's only been little over a month since we got them from a local organic farmer. Three Ameraucanas, one Rhode Island Red and two Cuckoo Marans. Now that they are bigger, we are a little concerned one may have ended up being a rooster, actually, Jamie is convinced one is a rooster, so we may be needing to replace him, or our neighbors will be looking to replace us! They are now big enough that even Bjorn can hold them without squeezing them too much. It's really fun to see both him and Ana go right up to these chickens and just pick them up and tuck them under their arm without any thought! We are still in process of building them a permanent home, but we are getting closer; hopefully in the next couple weeks, ideally before Watne #3 comes along in mid-June!!!

Most recent family picture

2009-03-23T22:56:00.000-07:00

2009

2009-03-23T22:36:00.000-07:00

It's the new year, but it's march and I don't know where the past half-year has gone. Amidst attempted camping trips to Payson with Carson and Kacie; and the Rohr clan near Lockett Meadow; and a trip to Rocky Point, Mexico with all my family and visits from Jamie's family -- Chad and Emily and Oliver; Nate, Jolie, Ingrid and Jesse; , Gary and Lynn and their clan, sledding in Flagstaff, a visit from two sweet Japanese girls, Yo and Mari, a recent trip to Las Cruces, life has been flying by... Bjorn is almost two and is talking a lot now --- "I need hug." "what happened?" "Why?" And Ana Leigh is growing more independent each day, creating make believe songs and stories about what she does at "school". We are only a few months away from giving birth to baby Watne #3!!! Around June 14th is the big day. We're excited to meet our newest member of the family. Ana is sure it is a girl and Bjorn a boy!! Who knows????

Ama and papa visit

2008-09-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

We loved the time with Ama and Papa a couple weeks ago. Sweet times of having Ana Leigh and Bjorn bond with them!!

Zoo

2008-09-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

We made it to the zoo for the first time this season. lots of fun looking at zebras, giraffes, playing in the new water area and petting goats. Bjorn couldn't tell the difference between goat pellets and food --- YIKES! Fun adventures with an 18 month old. He LOVED the goats, no inhibitions at all. His first touch of the goat, let's just say he started at the wrong end.... ;-}

Video of Bjorn walking at 15 months! Oh and dancing with Ana too!

2008-07-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

Real Food by Nina Planck

2008-07-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

What to Eat and Why

Good overview of all basic foods - real meat, real milk, real fruits and veggies, real fats. She explains what we need to eat and why, just like the title says and she explains it well. I feel like I have a much better understanding of all the different foods we ought to include in our diet and why it is beneficial. In summary, our bodies need proteins, complex carbs and fats. In our current culture, "fats" have a bad rap, especially saturated fats. They are seen to be the bad guys in terms of blood cholesterol levels and increased incidents of heart disease. She explains, referring to a lot of different resources and research that shows that not only are saturated fats not the bad guys, but if we keep them out of our diet, we will be nutritionally lacking a lot (and she goes into great detail explaining how/why).

She does a terrific job explaining the behind the scenes reality of industrial cattle raising, chicken raising, egg production, and the industrial way of growing fruits and veggies. She explains why it is nutritionally beneficial to seek out grass fed meat, pastured chicken and eggs and raw milk, cheese and creams. One big difference is higher levels of omega 3's in grass fed and pastured animals than industrial.

She also explains good fats v. bad fats. In summary, pastured butter, lard and chicken fat, grass fed beef fat, olive oil and coconut oil are good for cooking with. She says to stay away from corn oils, safflower, sunflower, even canola. Fats are lumped into three categories - saturated, monounsaturated and polysaturated. Saturated refers to the bond between carbon and hydrogen atoms. There is one carbon to one hydrogen. This makes for a very strong/stable bond. This makes cooking with saturated fats the best. Ex. any fats that are solid at room temperature, like coconut oil, lard, beef and chicken fat and butter. This does NOT include crisco, or any other solid fat that is made with hydrogenated oils. Monounsaturated fats are one carbon to two hydrogen. This is slightly less stable for cooking under heat, but it is still pretty good. Olive oil is an example (there are polyunsat. in olive oil, but there is more mono than poly, thus classifying it as a monounsat.). Polyunsaturated fats are one carbon to multiple hydrogens. This is very unstable and it is not recommended to cook with this under heat. These are oils like corn oil, safflower, sunflower. The liquid corn oils. These are the most common oils found in todays kitchens and restaurants. Hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated oils are when polyunsaturated fats have been blasted with tons of hydrogen atoms to make the liquid oil act as a solid, thus we have CRISCO, a solid, but it is a very BAD solid. It is a transfat that works to increase LDL, the bad cholesterol. Transfats are directly linked to many health problems like blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, etc.

Another thing about fats that I learned was about omega 3's v. omega 6's. These are essential fats, which means our body needs them, but our body is unable to produce it on its own. We need to get these from food sources. Unfortunately, most americans have far too many omega 6's in our bodies, and not near enough omega 3's. We get omega 6's from the corn oil list I just mentioned above, while omega 3's only come in a complete form that our bodies are able to assimilate from meat sources, like fish, beef, and eggs. For those of you who have been pregnant, when we nurse, our babies take all the omega 3's they need from our body (to help develop their brains, eyes) and it often leaves the mom deficient in omega 3's. This deficiency will increase with each child, unless we take steps to replenish it. Cod-liver oil is a good source, unrefined, without chemical processing, if it's too hard to eat fish frequently. I can't remember the huge list of health benefits to omega 3s ,but increasing the good cholesterol, helping our immunity, etc. Again, she goes into great detail.

So, I highly recommend reading this book, you may not agree with everything, but I found it helpful in a lot of ways!

My Garden!

2008-06-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

It has been so fun to try my garden again (4th year trying!) and to actually get some veggies from it! Featured here are my tomatoes. This is the fruit/veggie I was really wanting to have from it, and I actually had some come!! YEAH! Earlier, before the heat hit, I had some arugula, snap peas, mustard greens, carrots, green lettuce, beets, broccoli and bok choy. I tried to produce some herbs, but none of them were able to withstand my transplanting from seedlings to earth. Who knows, maybe next fall. That's the cool thing about planting in Phoenix, if you learn the system, you can have two growing seasons. That is the thing I'm still trying to figure out, but it's fun to have succeeded a bit this year!

Cuddling

2008-06-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Bjorn is the natural cuddler in our family, and it has been so fun to see Ana learn to accept Bjorn's closeness as a good thing, and to actually see her encouraging it!! I so long for her and Bjorn to be close and companions to each other!

Bjorn even likes cuddling people outside family! Here he is cuddling my friend Holly's little boy, Asher. So sweet, but OOPS, he pretty much knocked Asher over in the process!

My baby is growing up!

2008-06-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

I just LOVE watching Bjorn play in water. His face lights up and he sticks out his tongue in ultimate satisfaction and he just bangs his hands into the water over and over, with no care about the water that is splashing in his face!

Bjorn loves to climb into odd places, so here he is enjoying himself in his toybox!

I love this pic of Bjorn. He looks so cool just "standing" there reading his book. He is actually still leaning against the wall. He is 15 1/2 months, and he is not yet walking by himself, but he did STAND on his own this week a few times, so I think he's about to make the plunge into walking any day now!

Life in Bjorn lane

2008-06-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

Bjorn so often is just along for the ride - Ana carries the conversation so much these days, it would be hard for Bjorn to get in any words, if he did have any. Okay, so he is starting to communicate - he definitely knows the sign for MILK, and he likes to use that one. He also have lots of fun babbling words, and grunts and screeches - yes, he will screech like crazy if you encourage him, which of course ana likes to mimic. Bjorn is all boy. When mad, little whining, just throws himself on the ground (okay, and then he sticks his thumb in mouth!) He loves to bang and tear down and climb. He just learned how to pull hard on the childproof cabinets enough to make a sound, but not enough to pull them off. He's still not into eating much other than a little yogurt sometimes. He acts interested, and he has this funny way of having a babbling conversation with a piece of avocado or apple, without really ever taking a bite of it. It's like he's talking to it, trying to figure it out and he sees us eating it, but he's not sure he's ready to take that plunge. Although he sure loves to put everything ELSE in his mouth, my dirty shoes, random pieces of wood, etc. He's very fun right now - the latest was watching him play in the mini pool we have in back porch. 1/2 foot of water, and him sitting there plunging both hands into the water in front of him as hard and fast as he can and getting himself and everyone around him wet - all with a smile on his face. He sputters of course, but more than that he is laughing and cracking himself up! What a hoot! Ana doesn't always get a kick out of it of course, especially when she is in close proximity, but she's learning to humor him. I look at all he can do now, without even walking on his own yet, and I wonder what will the next year of Bjorn learning to walk, talk and eat be like!!!??!!

Ring around the otter, pockets full of water, splashes, splashes, we all go UNDER! (except ANA)

2008-06-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Ana was very excited a week ago when I started talking up taking swimming lessons - the kick board, her very own teacher, the water, kicking, etc. And you know, she has done quite well, although by the end of day 5 I felt content that she just went in the water at all for the last five min. of class (the rest of that class she sat on the side and watched the other two three-year olds swim and kick. She was NOT going to have anything to do with putting her face in the water or with "Ring around the otter"). I even tried bribing with chocolate - goes to show, Ana is not going to do anything she is not really ready for! So, today, I just encouraged her to stay in the water for the whole class; you don't have to DO anything, just be there to kick and enjoy the water (and by the way, if you do the whole class, I'll give you a fruit snack - try bribing again ;-). So, she decided she wanted to do class today. So this was her conversation with daddy on the phone about it --- daddy, daddy, Ana swimming classy, ana does kick board, ana swimming on back, ana not put ears in water, ana blows bubbles, ana not go under during ring around otter, ana blow bubbles. ana eats fruit snacks. ANA DOES SWIMMING CLASSY!! The rest of the day, ana would cuddle up to me and put her hand on me and say, "I'm so proud of you!" (Guess I said it a lot today!)

Daddy don't forget us!

2008-06-09T20:51:00.001-07:00

When Jamie rode his bike to work today, he thought he'd be coming home later on to rest and hang out, but his work informed him that they needed him on the field from tonight, Monday until next week, Wed. Needless to say, we were in shock and sad to say goodbye to him, especially since he'll be out there for Father's Day! So, daddy, here is our goodnight picture to you :-)) We miss you!!!! After you left on the plane, Ana kept saying she wanted to get on plane with you. She did NOT want to say goodbye!

Ana Leigh and Bjorn cuddling in AZ

2008-06-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

Bjorn turns one!!!!

2008-04-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Cousin time

2008-04-08T21:20:00.001-07:00

Easter egg hunting

2008-03-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

More putt putt

2008-03-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Putt Putt Date

2008-03-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Fun at the Phoenix zoo

2008-03-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ana plays dress-up now

2008-02-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

Fun Grins!

2008-02-23T21:48:00.000-08:00

Bjorn is getting ready for much mischief!

Baking bread with Ana

2008-01-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

Ana got a fun Christmas from Aunt Joanna of a cooking set so here she is going to town!

Future Grovers!

2008-01-29T19:54:00.000-08:00

Bjorn loves small spaces!

2008-01-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

Ana and Bjorn love the rocking horse!

2008-01-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

Making cookies!

2008-01-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

Learning about plastics

2008-01-10T14:20:00.001-08:00

I don't know what made me decide to research plastics this week, but something did, maybe it was being with my bro and his wife and seeing them always drink out of glass cups or bottles that started something. Oh, then I read a magazine article written to moms about which plastics are safer, and then Reader's Digest recent publication had an article about bottled water and it talked about plastics there too. And I've had a few friends in the past couple years say things like, don't heat up plastic, you'll get bad chemicals leaching out of them. But I never really understood there was a difference between different types of plastics, and how it can depend on if you heat them or not, reuse them or not, etc. Anyway, plastics #2,4and 5 are considered to be safer to use for drinking or eating. Plastic #1 (which is most bottled water) is supposed to be for one-use only and not for refilling. Plastics 3, 6 and 7 are bad. Unfortunately #7 tends to be what a lot of baby bottles are made out of as well as other baby products.

I was kind of surprised by what I found out, because I had been under the assumption that "hard" plastics are safer, but that is not necessarily the case. IE, most Nalgene bottles are made out the plastic #7 (although now Nalgene is making ones out of a safer plastic.) I also found out that the storage containers I was using daily was #7.

If you are interested in reading what the green guide says in specifics, check out my "safe plastics" link and it will guide you there. If you scroll to the bottom of the article it has a clear chart of the safe and not safe plastic items that are out there.

Charlotte Mason thoughts on life and education

2008-01-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

"Do not let the endless succession of small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind." (The Story of Charlotte Mason, p. 160)

Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a life.

Through reading a summary of Charlotte Mason's thoughts on education, her description of the importance of the atmosphere of the home hit me. Atmosphere is the air we breathe, and it is something we take for granted, and don't really think about as we go about our day. So my home's atmosphere is the air my children breathe and later on when they are older, they will probably not be able to pinpoint a certain moment when they knew they were loved, it will hopefully just be the reality they have always known, and with that, all the other "knowings" that I hope they know, like gentleness, respect, playfulness, love for God, patience, forgiveness, grace, integrity, transparency, etc... on the other side, it could be worry, regret, perfectionism, sarcasm, defensiveness, hurrying about, cynicism, anyways, the list could go on. What struck me was how each word, each moment of care that I give my children really matters, because it is the air they breathe now and will breathe the rest of their lives in a sense. I would be too scared to be a parent when I think of it like this were it not for the grace of God at work in my life, for as a parent, I see my daily desperate need for his hand to not only steer me in the right ways, but also to remind me of his showering love of mercy that never ends no matter how many times I fail.

2007 Letter of Reflection

2008-01-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

2007 has been a year of

GROWING ...

as a family as BJORN JAMES joined us on March 30 - wahoo!!!

as an extended family, as we welcomed JOANNA WYKOFF to our family in June when she married Jamie's brother, Mark in Las Cruces, NM - YEAH Mark and Joanna!!!!!!

for Ana Leigh as an almost 2 1/2 yr old communicator, director, engineer, leader; she is constantly amazing us with her new words and sounds and also she surprises us with how much she understands what we are saying. Most recently she is learning Spanish words, like "naranja (orange) - she says, "nanja" ;-). She loves her baby brother and looks out for him like a true momma to be, getting him toys, making sure things don't go in his mouth, helping with diaper changes, etc. She brings her intensity about life, strong sense of self-awareness and playfulness to our family.

for Bjorn as a 9 month old, happy-go-lucky, explorer, climber, champion army crawler. He brings a calming happy presence to our family of four.

for Jamie, as he just completed his 10th year at Orbital Sciences, and as he looks ahead to beginning a new project at his company for the first time in many years. Also, as he grows as a loving daddy to his darling Ana and big boy Bjorn.

for myself as I learn to adjust to the pace of life with two under the age of two. Life is full, in all good senses of the word. Recently we went to a New Year's party where our sister-in-law passed out "cosmic currency", mine was the word "contentment" and Jamie's "abundance". I am growing in appreciation of how abundant our lives are, with having wonderful children and my spouse to share each day with. I am thankful for another year of good health, especially with having had a baby this year. I also had a unique time with family out in California, when Jamie had a 4 month work stint that allowed all four of us to join him by staying in an apartment there in Santa Maria (near Santa Barbara, CA), from June through October. The simple days at the park, meeting new moms each day, going to the beach or Trader Joes, collecting sand dollars by the shore, barbecue dinners at the park, horseback riding for Ana Leigh, wine tasting on the weekends, short trips to the surrounding mountains and state parks, like Yosemite and visiting Paul and Nicole and meeting their little girl, watching rocket launches, and visiting where Jamie works on the field, becoming part of a new church family, Orcutt Presbyterian Church and being encouraged and exhorted through the clear preaching of the Bible - all these experiences refreshed us and knitted us more closely as a family. And most recently enjoying a splendid time with my extended family in PA, living life for two weeks with my brother Brandon and his wife, Sara and celebrating Christmas and my parent's big 60th birthday at Mohonk Resort in NY. It was a gift to experience so much of the part of life that makes life satisfying, like preparing and enjoying meals together, appreciating the beauty of nature and old arquitecture, staying up late to get the most out of every conversation, sharing live music, creating beauty out of used things, like old wool sweaters and colorful yarn, watching my Ana Leigh receive and show love to her auntie and uncle and grandma and grandpa, and their respective pets, Raja, and "cat", being able to visit a few long-time friends and being able to see our children play together - priceless moments of life!!!! Yes, my life is abundant in all these experiences and through all these relationships. And there is more,

I have even experienced abundance as I have had to say goodbye to people who mean so much to me, like my dear friend, Malora, who moved back to Calgary, Canada with her husband, Tom and almost 3 yr old son, Noah (who was Ana's first best friend). And Jamie's parents, Kim and Carol, as they moved to Romania for 2+ years to share the amazing message of how the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, wants to relate personally and gracefully to us.

LOOKING AHEAD to 2008 ...

as a year of simplicity, abundance and contentment. I hope to create a garden this early part of the year with the help of my little growing Ana Leigh. I hope to grow in the knowledge and understanding of who the God of the Old and New Testament is, and why he desires to know me. I hope to give myself fully to my calling as a mom and spouse. I hope to become more patient and content to live simply. I hope to create beauty out of things not seen as beautiful and to appreciate the beauty in what already exists around me.

THANK YOU FOR READING A BIT OF WHAT OUR LIFE HAS BEEN THIS YEAR. WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Jamie, Vanessa, Ana Leigh and Bjorn James

PS - if you would like our contact info, please email me at vlwoll@yahoo.com

The Compact

2007-12-06T13:02:00.001-08:00

http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Features/what_happens_when_people_stop_shopping_and_join_the_compact

Fall fun

2007-11-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Approaching Turkey Day

2007-11-19T15:04:00.000-08:00

Well, we are officially back in Phoenix, and are getting back into the swing of things. This week is Thanksgiving - where has the fall gone???!!! We'll be getting together with our friends Kacie and Carson, and just chilling, probably with the cornhole game and the kiddoes. Ana is talking lots these days and Bjorn is army crawling all over the place! Fun days.

Leaving California

2007-09-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

It has been decided, after some waiting, that we are to return to Phoenix in a month, around Oct. 15th. I have mixed feelings, simply because I've come to adjust to a quieter life out here, less busyness, less shopping and more nature and more music (I've taken up guitar lessons again and am loving it!). So as we look to go back, we've determined to keep quietness a vital part of our lives even while being back to the big city, perhaps by leaving it at least once a month to do some form of "back to nature" adventure, camping, hiking, fishing, canoeing, etc. we'll see, it will obviously have a lot to do with what we can do with our two kiddos! They've been quite the troupers though in the past month as we went tent camping two separate weekends, for two nights each!!! Redwoods first time, and San Antonio Lake this past weekend. Crazy up in the middle of the night adventures, but even so, I've found it so worth it, because only by attempting it have we found the gorgeous stars again, and deer prancing early morning, hearing bats chirping, falling stars, fish jumping, smooth lake water, quietness... We find our thoughts, our reflections, and simplicity in God's world again.

The King and Princess

2007-09-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

My sweetie

2007-09-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

The FAM

2007-09-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

More CA

2007-09-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

Peachy Canyon

2007-09-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

Second Cousins Ana Leigh and Sophie Meet

2007-09-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

Family travels

2007-09-05T09:56:00.000-07:00

Central Coasting

2007-09-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Soon I'll post pics of our travels, but first I wanted to write about our fun long weekend of traveling about. We left Fri. for the Henry Cowell Redwood forest and arrived with enough time to pitch tent, make campfire (J had LOTS of fun making fire since it's a rare occasion when living in dry forest fire prone land like AZ), and enjoy smores ;-) (a must for me!). As we settled down to sleep, our neighbors were just getting going. Around 2am, the rangers and police came to escort our neighbors from the premises for alcohol drinking and for occupying the handicap camping spot. But I guess they didn't all leave then, so around 5am, the rest of the crew noisily packed up and left. Around 4am, Ana was too cold to sleep in her bed, so she joined us in bed, but I don't know that she ever fell asleep. So, all in all we were a bit sleepless the next day, and Ana and I were quite the cranksters! However, despite this, we were able to enjoy a lovely scenic steam train ride through the oldest forest in the world (that's what we were told on the toar at least) through a redwood forest. It was pretty amazing and Ana LOVED it!! After that we crashed at a local park, while Ana played and climbed and then had some yummy local ice cream. We barbecued sausage and corn on the cob on the grill for a simple meal. The next night we moved camp spots and were by nice people who let us sleep all night, and Ana and Bjorn were content in their beds and so we all rested!! Then Sun. morning we packed up, had a nice breakfast at Ricky's Cafe, and headed for a quick visit with my cousins, Paul and Nicole and their one-year old, Sophie. We had a relaxing time with them, visiting, seeing their new home, and watching Ana and Sophia play. Oh, we also learned something fun about Paul and Nicole - they love to bake and create decorative, beautiful shortbread cookies with amazing icing designs!!! On Mon. and Tues. we spent time in Paso Robles wine country and visited 4 wineries - Peachy Canyon (our fav), Grey Wolf, Eagle Castle, and EOS. B and A did awesome and we all enjoyed ourselves. Amazing what traveling in the backseat with Ana does for a trip. She loved having me back there with her and Bjorn and it was fun just being with her and doing simple little games with her. The backseat companionship was fun for us both. So, after Paso Robles, we drove another hour back to Pismo beach and enjoyed some local clam chowder and swings on the beach. We came home content and ready for our own beds!! Here's to good travels with two kiddoes!!!!

Bjorn is working at sitting up!

2007-08-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Ana is quite the young lady already!

2007-08-29T14:06:00.001-07:00

Pismo Beach

2007-08-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Enjoying an evening at the beach, after some yummy clam chowder at the local joint.

Blast-off!!!!

2007-08-23T07:34:00.001-07:00

Yeah! J's rocket took off this morning at 1:35am!! All went well. We were unable to see anything due to fog and cloud cover, but I did get up and I heard this REALLY low rumble, which was unlike anything else I had heard, which was cool! So, it looks like we're on schedule to return to AZ come end of Oct!!!

Waiting for blast-off!

2007-08-22T14:23:00.001-07:00

J's launch was supposed to go this past Tues. in the early AM. Things didn't pan out and so now tonight is the big night. We're hoping all goes well at 1:30am otherwise we might be here in CA until Dec. Here's hoping...

Three generations together!

2007-08-20T08:38:00.000-07:00

Jamie, Ana and grandma/great-grandma Harriet together in MN

Self-explanatory!

2007-08-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

Uh-oh, now we've got REAL problems...

2007-08-20T08:33:00.001-07:00

Birthday horseback riding!

2007-08-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Gentle leading...

2007-08-20T08:22:00.001-07:00

As a mom, do I lead through control or fear, or am I a gentle one, who woos Ana and Bjorn through love and respect? It's clear which one I aim for, but depending on the time of day, I'm not always successful to lead through gentleness. I was reminded yesterday from Luke 12:35-48 of what kind of "master" Jesus is, and how he leads me. He is not the kind who looks over my shoulder every moment, expecting and looking for mistakes in me, he is the one who trusts that those who love and respect him, will be faithful to Him. He is looking forward to returning and enjoying an eternity with the children he delights so much in. This delight, this anticipation of limitless relating with the God of the universe, is a similar delight I so much desire for Ana to experience in her relating to me now, adult to two-year old. For soon, in the blink of an eye I imagine, it will be me relating to her, adult to adult, and me learning of our Father, from HER! Crazy wonderful life...

Life with two babies is...

2007-08-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

active
a juggling act
never boring
full of interesting sounds
days of smiles and laughter
and often of tears
wonderful and
a gift

Orcutt Presbyterian Church

2007-08-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

If you're curious where we've been attending while in CA, check out this website, www.orcuttpresbyterian.org

It's been a gift to find a church with great teaching after just a few weeks living here and an equally great blessing is the fact that Ana loves the nursery and so she looks forward to going. We definitely have been missing New Valley while we are away, but it's great to be able to "borrow" so to speak another church for a few months!

Ana and dad take a trip to MN

2007-08-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ana is just leaving mom and headed for a weekend away with dad, to go to his cousin, Chad and Emily's wedding in MN. She looks a little skeptical here, but really she was VERY excited to go on the plane with dad. I had prepped her all week about how she was going to fly on a plane (hand sign for plane given to her) like her little friend Noah, and that she was going to go with daddy. In the end, she really understood what was happening and she was actually excited about it. Jamie commented that he was surprised that she actually knew she was inside the plane when they had gotten in it! Fun to see how much they understand at such a young age.

Goodbyes

2007-07-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Even though I am not in Phoenix currently, I feel keenly the departure of my dear friend Malora, and her son Noah and husband Tom. They are moving to Canada where Tom will be youth pastor at a church there. Malora and Noah just left yesterday. Ana asks for Noah everyday, and it's hard not to be able to explain to her why we can't just zip over to their house like we used to do all the time. So today, I thought, I'm going to see if I can find some video footage of Noah to play for her on the computer. This ended in us spending about an hour looking at all of the youtubes that feature Noah (and Buster their dog, which she also asked for). Crazy thing about technology. For Ana, an almost two year old, it was like Noah was really there performing for her, with his dances and yells of laughter, and so Ana joined in with her own wild dancing and hollars. I think she really thought Noah could see her too! How I wish I could still believe like her. I miss my friend, and I know that she is far away now. But it really is awesome to be able to replay fun moments and to enjoy these moments of my Ana enjoying Noah as she knows how to.

Noah and Ana Leigh's Goodbye Dance

2007-07-24T09:04:00.002-07:00

Here is the link to the video that we made when Noah and Ana said goodbye in June. If anyone knows how to link "youtube" to blog let me know!!
http://www.youtube.com/vlwatne

oh beautiful dolphins

2007-07-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Ana, Bjorn and I ventured to Grover Beach on Friday, a nice, quiet beach, away from boardwalk. While we were playing I watched a surfer take his board and head out into the water. A little ways in, I noticed something else swimming with the surfer, and lo and behold a dolphin leaps out the water and dives back in. I was so amazed. I mean, I have seen dolphins before, but there is just something spectacular about seeing them unexpectedly and out in nature like that. It reminded me of the time Jamie and I were on our honeymoon in Costa Rica and we went scuba diving. We were out at dusk on the boat speeding along, and all these dolphins started swimming with us at the front. It was awesome!

Simple moments at Pismo Beach

2007-07-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

Spontaneously we decided to trek out to Pismo Beach last night, right before Ana's normal bedtime, since Jamie was going to be returning to Phoenix today for almost a week. Luckily we now live only 20 min. from the beach and so we zipped out there pretty fast and we enjoyed a gelatto and walking the pier and watched the surfers (funny how they spend most of their time waiting for a wave, and hardly anytime actually surfing) and then at the end was Ana's favorite part, getting to be at the waters edge. I'm amazed at how much she loves it, and at the same time is terrified by it. It goes like this --- the water turns back in the direction of the ocean, so Ana runs towards it, then soon after, the water turns toward the land, and so she runs away from it, giggling, and sometimes she doesn't run fast enough so she looks up to daddy to have him lift her out of it, or hold her hand. Replay this over and over, and that is the beach for Ana. Water, water, water - the sand really has little interest for her. I've braved the beach a couple times alone with Ana and Bjorn, and it goes pretty well, but it's even better being there with Jamie because she can just cling to him the whole time! :-)

Now ;-) --- clothes make him look EXTRA BIG!

2007-06-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

&nb

At birth in March

2007-06-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Daddy and Ana feeding the ducks

2007-06-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hey, look, I can put on my own hat!!

2007-06-27T07:10:00.000-07:00

Ana likes the new slide

2007-06-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

Just thought this was a cool shot of Bjorn

2007-06-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

View outside our CA apartment

2007-06-27T07:04:00.000-07:00

Ana's already feeling at home enjoying a cup of tea!

2007-06-27T07:03:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye to my dear friend Malora

2007-06-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

Goodbyes

2007-06-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

A Tender moment between Ana and Noah

Our fam at Mark's June wedding

2007-06-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Aunt Heather and Bjorn

2007-06-23T07:11:00.001-07:00

In Papa's arms

2007-06-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

Sweet moments with Papa before he leaves for Romania. (She wasn't quite sure what to make of being on a loud bumpy lawn mower though!)

Carefree moments of play

2007-06-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

Ana Leigh playing with her cousins Naomi, Audrey, Cate and 2nd cousin Ava in Las Cruces, NM, during an extended visit with Ama and Papa and Aunt Heather and Aunt Rachel. What a gift of time together!! OH, and that's little Bjorn of 2 months in background in Aunt Heather's arms!

Reflecting on ... (Santa Maria, California)

2007-06-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

... a new land, with cooler weather, breezes, and taller trees. Days spent outside, playing, running, digging in sand, listening to ocean sounds, finding whole sand dollars. Missing my friends back home, but not the 110 + heat of the Arizona sun! Enjoying a new temporary home and the simplicity of its care... more later.

Giddy-up Horsey says Grandma

2006-11-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

Grandpa showing Ana a good time in NC

2006-11-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Ana sees Taryn in her new homeland, Colorado

2006-11-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Retreating with women in Prescott

2006-11-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

Hiking with Kacie, Malora, and of course Ana!

Fun moments with cousins/nieces

2006-11-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

In St. Louis, cooking with chefs Audrey and Naomi and Ana!

My family

2006-11-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Sweetest smiles

2006-11-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

Nothing warms my heart more than Ana's exuberant smiles!

Boo at the Zoo

2006-11-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

Ana Leigh and her buddy Noah James were cowboy and cowgirl for Halloween.
Malora, Tom and I enjoyed taking them around Phoenix Zoo to celebrate Halloween.

Ana at 15 months

2006-11-11T09:42:00.000-08:00

Ana now lets me know when she's ready to go for a walk. All of a sudden I hear her chattering away, and I look over and there she is sitting in her stroller, ready to go!!