Looking back...

Just looking back this morning on when Sarah was a baby. Sarah was born November 12th, 2002 at 552pm by C-Sectgion. She was very quiet back in those days. A deception that I still can't believe as she's never quiet or still now! It's amazing to see what a big girl she's become. She read almost 60 pages from her "Dick and Jane Treasury" book this weekend. She road her bike around our camping loop BY HERSELF. She's tall and mature and beautiful and not a little baby anymore. **Sob** So here are a few pictures of what our life will look like in 3 short months. The sweetness of new baby. :D

Trip to the beach, trip to the basement.

2 weeks ago we took a weekend trip to Manzanita, Oregon. One of Andy's customers from the shop owns a house right on the beach and we've been able to rent it from him a few times over the years. This time, we went with friends from Andy's volleyball team. The weather was so perfect and beautiful!! Here is a picture of Andy and Sarah at the top of a cliff where I would have scolded them for being if I had been there. They went on a grand adventurous hike uphill for 2 miles to be rewarded with this view. Isn't it spectacular??! Andy reports that Sarah is an excellent hiker and is excited to go hiking with her again.















This weekend was Memorial Day Weekend and we celebrated the three days off by stripping out our basement. All the furniture, toys, and inlaws stuff are boxed up and out in the garage. The carpet is GONE (to the dump) and the popcorn ceiling has been stripped down. I'm SO GLAD that dirty old icky stuff is gone! The bare ceiling looks better than that popcorn texture ever did!! Here are some pictures of Andy working hard.























































































No, I'm not trying to show off Andy's behind... just showing that his back pocket is FULL of popcorn junk. ewwwwwwwwwww. He had that stuff everywhere.




















Andy laid a plastic tarp down on the floor and moved it around with him as he worked so in the end he "just" had to roll up the tarp and take it out to the truck. Fortunately, the neighbor (max's dad) was around to help with the heavy lifting on that one.

Up next: repaint and texture the ceiling, seal the cracks in the floor that caused the flooding in the winter, and get quotes for carpet and electrical for ceiling lighting. I can NOT wait to have better lighting down there instead of the insane amount of (mostly ugly) lamps that we've had for seven years now. YAY FOR LIGHTS!!!!!

When the downstairs is done, all the stuff from this room upstairs can get moved down and then this room can become little andy's room. :D

23 weeks already?!

Little Andy weighs just over a pound and is nearly 12 inches long now. I know that the information I'm reading about this is right because he has recently aquired the skill of stretching out to kick and hit mom in both sides at once!! I know Andy isn't a big soccer fan, but I think little andy will be!!! He also feels like a rock in my tummy. A big heavy, ROCK! ullgh. This weekend little andy had either his head or behind sticking up toward my left rib - you could feel this hard bump of him in my tummy. I keep looking expecting to see those weird alien movements visible from out here, but not yet. I'm sure he'll put on a show soon enough, though. Nothing else new or fabulous to report in baby land. My next Dr appt will include the dreaded glucose test as well as a shot for Rh factor. Don't hate me because I get to have all the fun!

It's a ...

What a wonderful day! We went to the hospital this morning for our Ultrasound. Everything with Baby Fey looks great and is all there - head and shoulders, knees, and toes :D
Little Fey made sure to turn around and show off all the good stuff, too. It looks like our future will include some shopping for cute little...



































Baby Boy things!!!!!! "Little Andy" is very definitely a boy and a proud one, too!! So it looks like the room that is currently our "computer room" and is red and cream will be converted to a boys room in Red, Cream, and Blue with a car theme - of course!!!

We haven't decided on name yet, but have decided to keep that a surprise until his birth, anyways. Only about 19 more weeks... now, to get the rooms all switched around. OISH!!!

This was such a fun thing to do on my birthday too! Now we're off to pick up Andy at work and go to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Chez Jose!!

Banana Phone!

20 weeks and as long as a 'nana! Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

Our Ultrasound is this Friday - I can't wait!!

How He Loves Us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

I love how she says near the end that "we're never the same after we encounter the Love of God"...

My cousin's wonderful husband is dying of cancer right now. It breaks our hearts in ways that we can't even express. The thought of my sweet cousin being without her love and their girls growing up without their father who loves them so so much just kills me. Then I hear this song and I think, "holy moly! Toby soon will encounter the Love of God in a way that none of us have yet or will during our time on earth. And I'm jealous. He'll be dancing with the angels and I'll be here, doing the dishes. It really makes me want more of God.

"He is jealous for me
Love's like a hurricane,
I am a tree
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
and I realize just how beautiful You are
and how great your affections are for me.
Oh, how He loves us so
Oh, how He loves us
How He loves us so.
Yeah, He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves.
So we are His portion
and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking
So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss
and my heart turns violently inside of my chest
I don't have time to maintain these regrets
when I think about the way That he loves us,
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves us
Woah, how He loves"

Baby Bell Pepper

Baby is now as big as a bell pepper and weighs almost 7 ounces. (Length: 5 1/2 inches, head to bottom.) The ears are formed and working now. Sarah LOVES that!! She lifts up my shirt and talks into my bellybutton (the uterus is now up to my bellybutton and weighing heavily on my bladder). I swear, she thinks it's a baby-telephone. She tells baby about her day and that she loves him/her... it's way adorable. My tummy has been growing in size of course over the past weeks but now there's a noticeable change - it's ON MY LAP. what a weird feeling! Our ultrasound (where we will find out if it's a Prince or Princess) is scheduled for 5/8. I can't wait!!!

Are you weary like me?

So today was Sarah's first day back to school after Easter Vacation. I was able to take a nice nap and enjoy a quiet morning with just Max. However, I was internally lamenting on how weary I am over parenting Sarah. Right now, the hardest thing is communicating to her - getting her to UNDERSTAND - that she needs to make better choices. She's all too fond of saying "It was an accident" instead of saying "I'm sorry, I'll clean it up" or whatever. I look ahead and worry that she'll be in high school and flunking an easy course because she didn't pay attention to the requirements of the assignments or plan ahead to get them done. I worry that she'll tell her boss "It was an accident" and not be the person to take the blame and do her best to fix things. I just worry. How is she to grow into a great woman of God if she isn't humbled before him?

Then I was driving to pick her up from school. This song came on the radio. Take a listen.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT0UodmNhKk

Oh, how our Heavenly Father loves us so and reaches to speak to us even when we don't think to lay our burdens at his feet!! I realized how blessed I am to have a Loving Father who NEVER grows weary of MY exploits. I'm sure He wonders how or when he'll get through to me, yet He keeps trying. He keeps reaching out to me. Can you even imagine a day where you, as a parent, don't grow weary??
I'm so greatful for God's unending Mercy... now to convey that more to my daughter... :D

Isaiah 40:25-31
25 “To whom will you compare me?
Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.
26 Look up into the heavens.
Who created all the stars?
He brings them out like an army, one after another,
calling each by its name.
Because of his great power and incomparable strength,
not a single one is missing.
27 O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
28 Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
29 He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
30 Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
31 But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.

The mouse

Sarah found a dead mouse (she blames Cooper..) outside today and wants to keep it as a pet. It won't eat much. It'll be quiet. Anyone want to explain this on to Sarah??? lol!

An Avacado Sized Boxer!

Baby Fey is now 4 1/2 inches long and moving around like a boxer in training!! He especially loves to box at my stomach after I've eaten. While it's nice that he's not tap dancing on my bladder, really, I would like to enjoy my meal without the rumble in the tummy afterwards!! Our ultrasound has been scheduled for 5/8 - my birthday! We can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl!! Other than the baby boxing, I'm feeling great!

This weekend we'll be celebrating Easter at my dad's house. I need to make a few desserts to take, but am brain dead on thinking of some yummy ideas.
Do you have any ideas?

Basically, I'm always brain dead these days! I forgot to change the alarm from our "weekend wake up time" to Andy's "weekday wake up time" last night. Fortunately insomnia is getting me and I was awake at 530 this morning!!!

After Easter, Sarah has a week off from school for Easter Break. Our plans include Powells Books, OMSI, and 2 days at Auntie Becca's "Camp Becca" :D I need to come up with another idea or two, but am waiting to see what the weather will be like.

I've also started planning out some summer activites. Hopefully Oma and Opa will pay for some of the German Camp again this summer. Sarah had such a great time there last year. And her school has 2 weeks of Vacation Bible School that she can go to - LOVE her school! So between camp and swim lessons, I hope we can keep Sarah busy and time flying. :D

Andy got his first sunburn of the season. I DID remind him to wear sunscreen. But did he??? NOoooooooo. lol! Today it's supposed to be 77* here (near 25 C*) and I hope to get outside with the kids for some spring fun. The mailbox planters are needing their annual spring cleaning. :D

I hope you are doing well, happy, healthy, and blessed!