Monday, September 28, 2009

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Ethan


My son. When did he get so big? I look at him sleeping...he falls asleep so easy...almost anywhere (like tonight...on a floor cushion). So I sat and just looked at him. So peaceful. And he's staying in once place! His hands are rough and calloused...probably from his new found conquering of the monkey bars. They are over sized...like a puppy with big paws that he'll eventually grow into. I feel like I have missed the last two years of his life...to one extent or another. When did he turn 5?!...and I can't believe that in just a few months he'll be 6!
He amazes me everyday with some new way he's found to manipulate an object to do something I didn't even know it could do. He's so smart...in an unharnessed type of way. Like today...did you know that if you turn a round magnet on it's side, it will roll (not drop) all the way across, down,(or any which-way) across a refrigerator? And he went around finding places that it would stick to the wall...in essence...he was finding the studs in our house. He breaks things just to find out what's inside...a seashell only lasts minutes in this house...
An ingenious...growing child...

Saturday, September 26, 2009

New Bed

Danissa got a new bed today...we found a nice white one at a yard sale for $15 and put some of her princess bedroom decals on it to make it her own. She also got to finally make use of some princess wall decor that she had been saving for her own room for about two years. She is very proud....

Feisty x 2

The twins have been getting rather feisty with us lately. For example, yesterday Mike was in the twins room and Cohen walks in and says "HEY! GET... OUT... OF... MY... ROOM!" Then Chezney was using the big girl potty in the bathroom with the door open and she yells "JOY! I need you!"
And just now...first thing this morning she's sitting at the table telling me to "not talk to her". Hmmmm

Monday, September 21, 2009

Sunday, September 20, 2009

A Busy Saturday

We started out Saturday by eating some homemade waffles and then headed to The Taste of Harvest, which is basically a kickoff into fall where a bunch of vendors fill up Wenatchee Ave. Unfortunately, it seems like we were there earlier than most of the kids activities were started, so we missed out on that, but we went to the farmers market and the kids got some free plums, we got 10 ears of corn for $2, and Mike got me a bouquet of flowers.
This was just a funny picture...Chezney was window shopping and found something she really wanted....LOL
Then we hurried home so I could go be the second photographer at a wedding, which was fun and I got to ride in a stretch suburban with the bridesmaids, flower girls, bride and the father of the bride. *whoo hoo!* Most of the pictures I took (all but about...3) went home with the primary photographer, so I'll at least share the ones I took before switching cameras:
Then I went home and we headed to the Movie in the Park, which was Wall-E. Mike and I have never seen it and it seems like it's a cute movie, but the lights were on at the park, and the wind was so loud we couldn't hear the movie, so we ended up leaving. Bummer!
Fun day though!!!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Grandparents Day at TRA 2009

I never did get a chance to get the copies of the pictures of Grandparents Day last spring...that is...until today. So I thought I'd put them on here so you guys can copy them to your own files, as well.
Thanks for taking the time to come! I know it means a LOT to the kids and I really, really appreciate it! It'll be happening again on May 28th, so get that on your 2010 calendars!
Great Grandpa and Grandma Nelson

Grandma Cheri

Grandpa Steve

Chezney

I found that Chezney was in a very photogenic mood this morning, so I tried to take advantage of it before it was too late....I got in one crystal clear close-up and one more shot that was set up but my focus wasn't perfect before she was up and running with another less-than-photo-perfect mood. Oh, well!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Friends

I have to say that I have this super great set of friends that I have been so grateful for. They don't judge, they have fun, and we feel like we can be ourselves around them.
They're a few of a very small number of people that I could say that I would let them come into my home on my laundry day (or not even doing anything day...like that ever happens...) and I wouldn't feel like I need to apologize for my mess, or my Cinderella look. I so appreciate that friendship, even though we don't get together nearly as often as we should.
They have come to our side and helped us out so many times and I just feel like there isn't anything I can give in return....so if you guys ever need babysitting ;)....
Anywho, just a little shout out to Billy and Beth, thanks a million!

Recipe anyone?

Does anyone have a recipe that has brown sugar, poultry powder, pepper and cinnamon in it? My littlest daughter thought that those would be a great combination and dumped them all together....hmmmm.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Another School Picture...plus flashback

I'm feeling a bit guilty that I don't have pictures of Rianne and Ethan together or Ethan and Brandon together, but I had to share this anyway...
Danissa and Breanna yesterday....

Danissa and Breannas first day of 1st grade.... Danissa and Breanna on the first day of Kindergarten...Danissa was upset and crying and wanted nothing to do with pictures.... Danissa and Breanna on the first day of Kinderprep 3 years ago. My how they have grown!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

First Day Of School

Danissa and Ethan started school this morning. Danissa is officially now a 2nd grader and Ethan is in Kindergarden. My kiddos are getting bigger!....


Monday, September 14, 2009

GREAT sermon series

"THE CHRISTIAN FAMILY IN THE 21ST CENTURY AMERICA"
Our interim pastor started a new series yesterday with this title. The three weeks that he will spend on the series are titled:

Sept 13 -"The Heart and Soul of Parenting "
Sept 20 -"Childing"
Sept 27 -"Clanning"

(the latter two- he admits are words he made up but fit the title perfectly- thus he used them anyway...)
I encourage anyone who is interested to go to the WFMC website ( http://www.wenfmc.org/ ) and listen to the downloadable sermon from this Sunday.

P.S. Every Sunday for the next 11 weeks (the first one was yesterday...) we are hosting a great "Sunday School" type class called The Marriage Journey, taught by Dr. Mitch Whitman PhD. He is an awesome speaker and has a great class outline for the next 3 months. It's open to the public and it's at 10:30 in the gym. I'm not sure how many people were there on Sunday from other churches, and how many were from our church but I would estimate about 120 people showed up yesterday. I think it will be a neat 12 week course, so if you'd like to come, let me know and I"ll save you a spot!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Warm Beach Camp- Daddy N Me Weekend

Mike called today from Warm Beach...he's there camping with Ethan at a Daddy N' Me Retreat. It sounds like Ethan is taking Warm Beach head on, bouncy down every trail he can find and showing everyone he comes across that "You can't point this finger at people..." (middle).
Mike has to take a hike to the lodge every time Ethan has to poop because he can use the urinal in the bathroom next to their campsite, but won't use the stall because it has a spider on the ceiling.
And when they went for a hike in an area that the they use for trail rides, Ethan saw hoof prints in the dirt and said "WOW! Buffalo tracks! No wait...it's Reindeer!", which he firmly believes and won't be swayed by the idea that it could be horses....
Sounds like they are having a great time and Ethan is fully in his element. I'm really excited for them and can't wait to post pictures that Mike brings home...

Human Fly Catcher

Chezney has a fascination with catching flies. And she is good at it. But the amazing part isn't that my 2 year old can catch flies by hand on a consistent basis...the amazing part is that she can do it without killing them. She'll catch them and then run through the house holding it by two fingers and showing it to everyone "I got him! I got him!" and then when she has finished showing him off, she simply releases him back into the wild where he just flies free from her fingers and then she runs off to find another one to catch and release. How strange is that?

Friday, September 11, 2009

It's the Eggs

We had eggs and Bran muffins for breakfast today...
Ethan comes into the kitchen from the dining room and says
"Eww! Someone tooted over there so I am NOT going over there!"
Danissa replies "It's just the eggs Ethan"
So then Ethan says "Ewww!!! Someone tooted on the eggs!!!"

Thursday, September 10, 2009

6 Week Raisin Bran Muffins

I have loved this particular Raisin Bran Muffin recipe since I was a kid and recently have been really wanting it so today, I decided to make it. I thought I would share the recipe since so many of my friends like to use their blogs to share great recipes. The best part is, it makes a bunch and the batter is good in a sealed container in your fridge for up to 6 weeks! What an easy warm way to get the kids off to school!

Recipe:
1 15oz box Raisin Bran Flakes 5 C Flour
1 C melted butter 2 tsp
3 C sugar
4 beaten eggs
1 qt buttermilk
5 C Flour
5 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 C boiling water
Mix it all together and store in a covered container in the fridge for 6 weeks. When ready to use, take out desired amount and fill muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 400 for 15-20 min.
*I personally like the muffins better when the batter has had time to sit and the bran flakes fall apart and become part of the batter....sounds gross but mmmm!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Trucks

Cohen has recently taken up the hobby of playing with trucks....it's adorable to watch him. Even driving downtown, he notices any "big" trucks like fire trucks, garbage trucks, etc. In this picture he is actually saying "Truck" while he pushes it on the chair. Very cute!

Monday, September 7, 2009

New...er....kitchen

Who would have ever thought that you would have to do all this just to put in a new dishwasher after yours broke?!?! Well...that's what happened to us today...and that's not even showing you the part where the cabinets were ALL sitting in my livingroom... All because of this.....The floor was installed right to the edge of the dishwasher and somehow our counter tops were not "regulation height" so our dishwasher was trapped...so it was either raise everything up...or rip out the flooring...
And the final result is: THE SAME KITCHEN WE HAD IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! Only...the counter tops are 3/4 an inch higher and the dishwasher is white ;) LOL

HUGE thank you to Mike Babst for volunteering his time to come and save us!!! He really went above and beyond...not just temporarily fixing the problem, but coming up with a perminent fix which will help all future owners of this home to come...

Friday, September 4, 2009

River Baptisms

Below is a picture of my dad doing his first baptism...and the news article that came with it. It was in the Wenatchee World today...
Nine-year-old Jack Myers stood waist-deep in the Columbia River with nose pinched, eyes shut and heart open to receive Jesus. Seconds before his baptismal dunking, two wayward fish — traditional signs of a living faith — zipped past his legs.
“Hard to miss the symbolism,” said a smiling Mike Henry, Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Wenatchee’s Free Methodist Church and officiate last Sunday for the congregation’s annual river baptism service. “Those fish came out of nowhere.”
But that’s the way faith often works, said several adults in a group of 13 baptismal candidates — ages 6 to 60 — who publicly professed their commitment to Jesus and his teachings before a crowd of nearly 200 church and family members. “You don’t expect it and — whoosh — there it is,” said candidate Blaine Davidson.
The river-dunk baptism, a biblical standard and local church tradition for at least 10 years, allows for a larger crowd and more informal presentation in a natural setting, says the pastor. “It makes everyone feel good — through song, prayer and witnessing of these renewed commitments.”
The service was held in 95-degree weather in the swimming area at Kirby Billingsley Hydro Park in East Wenatchee while weekend swimmers — sunning in bikinis, floating on inner tubes — looked on.
Serving more than 1,800 members each week in two services and youth ministry gatherings, the Free Methodist Church also offers at least two additional baptisms spaced through the year in the church’s more formal baptismal font indoors.
In the week prior to the river baptism, Henry prepped baptism candidates for the ceremony by asking them to ponder questions about their faith and personal relationship with God.
“We aren’t looking for this to be an emotional decision,” said Henry, a few days before the riverside service. “We want people to think this through and be in the right frame of mind. At the river, no matter how jubilant we get, there’ll be no spontaneous baptisms.”
On Sunday, Henry introduced the candidates to a beaming crowd.
“This is a profession of faith and a public declaration of our love for Jesus Christ,” said Henry in a pre-baptism address under one of the park’s shady picnic shelters, 100 yards from the swim area. “Through the actions of these devoted, we can perhaps renew our own commitment to faith and the Lord in our lives.”
Henry paused, casting his gaze down the line of candidates. “Make no mistake, this is a powerful and profound thing we are doing.”
Davidson, 31, told the gathered about his “dark journey, lower and lower, to reach the point where everything that could go wrong in a man’s life did just that. I hit rock bottom. I was lost.”
That was nine months ago. At his lowest point, the Wenatchee man said, he realized that earthly support and encouragement wouldn’t be enough. With the help of a mentor and guide — church member Steve Bishop — Davidson said he “surfaced from the darkness to reach a place I could receive revelation. I gave everything over to God and haven’t been the same since.”
The river baptism, said Davidson, is his public declaration “that I claim victory with Jesus in my life.” The candidate said he was excited about entering the river and renewing his commitment. “I’m ecstatic,” he said. “I could stand on the highest hill and shout to God and everyone here that I’m ready to be reborn.”
Amber Davis of Wenatchee said she’d been baptized as a child but now felt the need to renew publicly her faith and commitment to Jesus. “I was in a gray area and not where I should have been spiritually,” said the 29-year-old. “This (the river baptism) is a good step towards being closer to the Lord.”
Davis’ two sons — Akira Lindsey, 9, and Taber Lindsey, 6 — were also baptized alongside her in the river ceremony.
As for Jack Myers, the 9-year-old with the fish swimming past his legs, the river baptism allowed him to emerge with new thoughts about his relationship with Jesus. “I guess I feel different,” said Jack. “I feel I should act differently, maybe do more God-like things.”
Jack, son of soon-to-be missionaries Devin and Bridget Myers of Wenatchee, wasn’t sure he could live up to the demands of baptism and the subsequent blessings, said his dad. “He was worried that even though he was baptized, he might still be mean to his brother,” said Devin. “But I explained that baptism would bring him closer to God, sure, but that he’d still be human — and humans aren’t always perfect.”
The Myers family ship out in December for two years of missionary work in Nigeria.
That leaves, perhaps, the most important question of the day: Was the water cold?
“Yes,” said Jack, who had just changed into dry clothes. “But it was just right. It felt good.”

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Double Dose of Giggles

The twins refuse to sleep in beds. Even when I try to put their mattress on the floor, they won't sleep on it. They sleep on the ground, without pillows. It's all I can do to keep them off the carpet.
Tonight, they were just giggling to no end, so I snuck in to see what was up and this is how I found them. Just making faces at each other, holding hands, and cracking up. And people wonder why I have a hard time separating their bedrooms.... ;)

Since When?

When did my daughter grow up? She has always been beautiful...but to her embarrassment, she does get comments (sometimes VERY loudly...) on how big her feet and ears are and also how hairy her legs are. So, like me, she decided to start shaving at a very young age. That's right...my daughter....is ...s h a v i n g.

Small Conversations

The conversation between the twins is really starting to grow, and I love to watch it. Tonight for example:
setting the stage:
Chezney gets into the tub while I'm cleaning up Cohen after a poop so he can get in, too.
Chezney: "Oh hot!"
Cohen: "I not hot...I cold."
Chezney: "I'm hot."
Cohen: (realizing she's in the water) "OH!"
Chezney: "What'er ya doin' Cohen?"
Cohen: "I poopy."
Chezney: "Oh...I sorry."
*Cohen now gets into the tub
Chezney: "Hot Cohen?"
Cohen: "No..."
I just love watching them grow in language and listening them talk to each other....it's just so sweet!

Thanking Fairies

My kitchen is singing today because a kitchen cleaning fairy decided to fly my way today and pay us a visit. So... I just wanted to thank the fairy that swept by my house today ;)