Merry Christmas!

In case you were wondering, she asked Santa for "purple lollipops, marshmallows, and Nemo". :)

Where's The Line to See Jesus...

I know Melissa has more or less taken over "my", I mean..."our" family blog, but I thought this Christmas Song captured one of the challenges that many of us have as parents. How do we capture the true meaning of Christmas along with all the childlike wonder our children have of Santa, Christmas trees and reindeer.

Look up Becky Kelley- Where's The Line To See Jesus- Official Music Video on You Tube
-or-
Go to the link below and read the story behind the song.

http://wheresthelinetoseejesus.com/

Merry Christmas,
Tim

Snapshots

I've been in such an introspective, bloggish mood lately that I haven't posted any pictures in a while. Here's a few, going all the way back to August. Oh, you know.... those summer days when sandals were the only shoes in the closet, play time was spent outside in the sun, and my little girl turned two.

These salt water sandals are definitely browner now than they are in this picture, but nonetheless, I'm declaring them to be one of the pairs of shoes I'll keep as a reminder of her toddler days. Adorable.

On to Fall, and "teaching" her about Halloween. She LOVED getting books from the library about pumpkins, costume parties, and trick or treating.

We painted pumpkins and Sophie was in heaven.
Jeremy got to join us for our Halloween fun. I'm so grateful that we take the time to take pictures like these....

After a bath for Sophie (her Mickey Mouse shirt sadly never recovered), we had a yummy chili dinner to celebrate my parents' birthdays.

Pumpkin Patch!

I picked up a few pumpkins from my parents' garden, along with a wildly rambunctious yet incredibly adorable little 2 year old.

Hausfrau Musings

I read this the other day in a book I'm reading, and I felt compelled to share. (I'm assuming most of you are like me and don't know a word of German, so I'll tell you in advance... hausfrau means housewife.)

"I think it's because there is a hausfrau amnesia - some magical mind eraser that blots out the struggles we experience on a daily basis. I believe it's the only way we can get out of bed in the morning and do it all over again. It's also why our species survives. But those struggles are precisely what we need to keep in mind, because our voices are lost when we don't tell the stories that make up our days." ~ Nicole Chaison, The Passion of the Hausfrau

Thank you to those of you out there who aren't afraid to tell the real stories behind being a parent. It's why I love blogs like www.rantsfrommommyland.com - although I don't personally know the two moms who write it, they're honest, funny and completely down-to-earth. Parenting is ridiculously hard. And I for one don't like it when I feel like I'm the only one who'll admit to that.

I'm apologizing now for all the blog posts in the past that have just shown pictures with one or two descriptive sentences. They were done that way because of a lack of time.... not a desire to deceive or share the real stories. Because what you don't know is that right after that "Sophie's first swim class" picture was snapped (this is coming soon, I promise), Sophie refused to do anything the teacher instructed and cried crocodile tears for 20 minutes. Immediately following the "Willamette Jet Boat Excursion" picture, we removed her life jacket to find a red blotchy rash all over her neck. Tim wanted to tell the boat driver to clean their jackets more frequently. I reminded him it was the WILLAMETTE river we were just drenched with. My germophobic side wanted to break down and sob on the spot.

The conclusion is this: I appreciate when your stories are shared..... the real, unedited stories. It makes me feel less alone in this hausfrau world.

The Place That Built Me

I went back to work this summer. For the first time since Sophie's birth, I navigated the waters of working mom - for three months. And among the things that surprised me was an overwhelming feeling of closure. It had been three years since I had worked at NW Natural, and that included a year of working at George Fox before Sophie was born. I had no lingering thoughts of needing closure. No issues to resolve, no strong desire to continue a career. I went back for the money. Period. And even then, there were tear-filled days where the money didn't seem nearly enough reason. But towards the end of the three months, something strange occurred. I'd drive into Portland, enter the parking garage across the street from my office, and like clockwork the same song would come on the radio. I found it oddly amusing at first. Can't the country radio stations around here come up with a little more variety? But after about four times of this happening, I finally stopped and listened. And then cried. You see, sometime during my journey back to work I'd felt something that I couldn't label. Maybe my stubborn "I'm proud of being a stay-at-home mom" attitude wasn't letting me acknowledge it. Coming back had changed me. Or maybe, it was the opposite. Maybe coming back had reminded me of how much motherhood had changed me. And in the process, some of those nagging questions stay-at-home moms have to to face were answered. (Do I have value beyond changing diapers and wiping noses? Do I still have what it takes to do this job well? And more specifically for me - do I still have the confidence to step in front of a large group of construction men and instruct, organize and delegate?) What a blessing it was to face those questions head on, prove that I can still do it, and then gracefully let go and slip back into mommyland. But above all that...above the proving my value to society beyond the four walls of my own house...I realized that coming back was a source of healing for me. You see, NW Natural is, in a way, my home. My dad has worked there for over 30 years. It is where I have grown up - both as a young girl accompaning my father on "Bring Your Daughter to Work Days" to an adult learning how to make a name for myself beyond "Charlie's Dauther". It is where I learned to assert myself, challenge others' opinions, and establish a voice of authority. That one company is a significant source of my growth as an employee and a confident woman. Leaving work to become a mom changed me. But leaving NW Natural left wounds that only coming back "home" could mend.

The House That Built Me
*excerpt from song by Miranda Lambert

I thought if I could touch this place or feeling
This brokenness inside me might start healing
Out here it's like I'm someone else
I thought that maybe I could find myself
If I could walk around I swear I'll leave
Won't take nothing but a memory
From the house that built me

You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can
I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am

Gym Classes

Sophie's been taking gym classes at the Little Gym in Lake Oswego this fall, and she LOVES it! It's been so fun to watch her confidence build as she interacts with the other kids and try new skills. She also really loves her teacher and will do anything for her. (When I ask her if she wants to try something, it's "no" about half the time, but for Teacher Angela, she'd scale a mountain!).

More of Judy's Visit

Mt Hood Railroad

Sophie got to run the bases after the Mariners game!

I couldn't resist posting this one.... since when did she turn into a girl that wants to pose for the camera??!! Love it!

Fully drenched after an exciting jet boat tour of the Willamette. I swear she liked it. Really.

We can't wait for Grandma Berry to visit again soon!

Quote of the day

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful lately, but just a few days ago the temperature dropped quite a bit, and with pre-season football on in the background, I grabbed a sweatshirt and suddenly felt quite excited about the return of fall. It is by far my favorite time of year. And so, when I read this quote the other day, it instantly spoke to me and I felt compelled to share....

"For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously."
~ George Gissing

Grandma Visits

Tim's mom came out to visit earlier this month, and we filled the nine days with lots of fun activities. Day one was a trip out to Newport to see the aquarium... Sophie's first time. It was crazily crowded, and not as much of a hit all around as we were hoping for, but it was a good start to our touristy week.
More stories and pictures of Judy's visit coming soon....

4th of July

We had a low key 4th of July as Sophie was just getting over being sick. Went to the St Paul parade in the morning and saw lots of horses - Sophie was thrilled. Then home for a nap and back to my parents house in Canby for a barbeque and to watch fireworks from their front porch. As you can see, she wasn't very happy about sitting still for the fireworks, much less a picture. But we had a great time and loved spending it with family.

Out and About

We've been up to a lot this summer, but on a few of the outings we actually took pictures. :) One of the trips was hiking at Silver Creek Falls, and then we were fortunate enough to spend a weekend at the beach with our friends the Harris'. We have so much fun experiencing these adventures through Sophie's eyes! Here are some pictures...

Sophie and Halle

Andy and Janel brought along their game of dingleberry, and Tim and I decided to play. We tied, then Tim beat me in sudden death... of course. :) That's pretty much how it always happens!

Catching Up, Again

It appears we have a habit of doing this... not posting anything for months on end and then realizing there's a lot to catch up on. 'Tis life I suppose. Or you could just call us seasonal bloggers. In any case, here's the cliff notes version of what we (or mostly Sophie) has been up to lately.

Easter at Nani & Papa's house

Have you met "Momma Gorilla" yet? She and Sophie are pretty much inseparable. The first Disney movie she watched was Tarzan, and from then on the love affair with gorillas has not subsided. Throw in a stuffed animal that's as big as her and you have one VERY happy girl. (And yes, we know this is actually a chimpanzee, but please oh please do not break the girl's heart with this information.)

Took Sophie to her first circus. She loved it! When asked what she liked about it, she'd say "big" (for the big elephant), clap (yes, she was thrilled that when she was clapping, so were hundreds of other people...all in unison), and "balloon-balloon" (Don't ask me why she repeats this word. Must be so fun to say she can't stop herself.) She talked about the circus for days afterward. I just love experiencing the world through her eyes. Such a joy.

Thanks to our neighbors, Sophie was introduced to sidewalk chalk and quickly became a fan. She wants nothing more on nice days (okay, even in the rain too) than to go outside and draw "goggies" on the sidewalk.

This girl adores books. Every day, at some point or another (mostly right after mealtime), I can find her in a corner of the living room with a pile of books surrounding her. My mom keeps reminiscing about this, saying I did exactly the same thing at her age.

You're going to think I'm crazy when I say this, but the "Your Baby Can Read" stuff really does work. Have you seen the infomercials on tv? Well, my mom purchased it for her and I was skeptical to say the least at first. But Sophie took to it right away and LOVES the word cards and books. She'll often choose to read one of these books instead of a story book at bedtime. She can read so many words that it shocks us. Oh yeah...and once in a while, Tim and I get out and do something grown-up like (sans child). Like wine tasting with our good friends Stacey and Greg. We're so lucky to live next to an incredible amount of great wineries.

Happiness

I know, I know.... we haven't posted anything in way too long. And trust me, there's much to share. But that's for another time. It's mother's day, the sun is shining, and I want to be soaking up as much of it as I can get, but I need to pass along this.... If you haven't read The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's overdue and I have to return it to the library tomorrow, but I couldn't bear to not tell anyone about it before turning it in. If you like travel writing, humor and analyses of life, people, places, etc, you must read this. I don't often feel this passionate about books, but apparently this one struck a cord in me. I hope it does in you too.

Here's a quote from the book's Epilogue:

"Of all the places I visited, of all the people I met, one keeps coming back to me again and again: Karma Ura, the Bhutanese scholar and cancer survivor. "There is no such thing as personal happiness," he told me. "Happiness is one hundred percent relational." At the time, I didn't take him literally. I thought he was exaggerating to make his point: that our relationships with other people are more important than we think. But now I realize Karma meant exactly what he said. Our happiness is completely and utterly intertwined with other people: family and friends and neighbors and the woman you hardly notice who cleans your office. Happiness is not a noun or a verb. It's a conjunctive. Connective tissue."

Thanks to those of you out there whose lives and happiness intertwine with mine. And to you moms...happy mother's day. :)

Melissa

A Relaxing Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year, and spent the whole day in our holiday pj's. I love this new tradition with our family!