Family Beach Day

Saturday mid-morning after a delicious breakfast and morning nap, we drove to Corona Del Mar for some beach and tide pool fun. Siah wanted to join us in our car so we loaded everyone up.

Instant buddies!

Beautiful coastline

Beautiful family of five: Wes, Carolyn, Josiah, Charis and Baby on the way!

We found a cozy spot on the sand and went to play!

The big boys dug a Siah-sized hole.

 Oh, make that a Charis-Siah-sized hole.

Tide pools

 Checking out crabs fighting

We ended the day with a bath party. The first time E's had friends in the tub. They all loved it!

Among some other firsts, E is sharing a room with Siah while we've been visiting. It's been wonderfully uneventful and gives me hope for the day our two boys will get to share a room. It is already clear that E loves waking up to another playmate so as long as they are on the same sleep schedule, it should be good.... ;)

On Perspective.

{One of the perks of vacation: being able to finally journal, read, etc. without distractions! Here's a bit about what I've been pondering during my quiet times...}
 

About a month ago, a dear friend's world was rocked by a miscarriage. It was the fourth woman I've know since December to lose an unborn child. Completely heart-wrenching. Coupled with a run-in with my neighbors who had just returned from an infant memorial service {the two year old had drown in the pool while his mother was home} and I have been internalizing, reflecting and thinking since. Not just on the surface or fear-level: like refusing to ever own a pool or making a commitment to keep all dangerous and hazardous paraphernalia away from my children. Or to refuse to embrace life the moment I found out it's been created either. 

I guess, thinking more about perspective. God's perspective. Eternal perspective. This is one of the many attractive characteristics my girlfriends, Stef and Natalie, have. They just get it. And do such a great job of being vulnerable so they can share it with others and encourage them. Stef has been so open during the hurtful process of mourning and recovery. It's rare to see that kind of transparency and maturity. And it's beautiful. Most people, like myself, can easily open up AFTER the whole thing is said and done. When you're back on your feet. Feeling good. And all is right in your little world. That way, we're safe to only expose little parts of the nitty gritty without losing face.

When my favorite baby girl was 6 months old, Autumn fell and landed on her head. There was a period of several days where they had to wait to see just how bad the damage was. Life-threatening? Ability-threatening? That whole time, Natalie did not panic. She didn't self-blame or dwell in insecurity or guilt nor was she consumed with worry. She simply prayed and waited. During that time, she reminded me of what God's says:

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made...Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were non of them." {Ps 139: 13, 16}

Of course, what they went through was scary and there was a point when the nurse shared that their baby girl might not make it, before they did x-rays. But Nataile held fast to God's word. He had numbered Autumn's days even before her parents knew her gender or her name. There was nothing about this horrible situation that unnerved or surprised Him. I remember her husband also sharing the same perspective with me. That he was finding joy and closeness with the Lord amidst the nitty gritty. I was sad for them, but so encouraged by the way they handled the whole thing. It was evident that they had thick skin and a tender heart.

After hearing about the more recent losses of young life, I started asking myself questions. Did I hold that kind of perspective up higher than my limited perspective? Do I actively trust the Lord or do I rely on the health and stability of my family, children, or marriage to hold me up? Am I living as though I already have all the resources I need to face whatever sufferings this unstable life throws my way? Sure, I've had some horrible experiences, but what about the ones that rock my identity? My foundation? God never promises a comfortable life. Or even a happy one on this earth. The last bit of Psalm 139 came to mind...

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if here be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" {v.23-24}

So yes, death, life, children, family, marriage, worry, doubt, fear, health, insecurity, long-suffering...all these things are in front of me on earth. Some are beautiful blessings while some I wish to avoid like the plague. But all point me back to Him. The good and perfect gifts along with the sadness from the Fall. Point me to my desperate need of a Savior who rescues, forgives, loves, and endures the hardships with me. My need for grace and the wonderful process he does of making me new.

I pray that He will continue to re-wire my thinking amidst suffering and change my perspective. That he will help me to "lay up for {myself} treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust {nor death} destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Because "where {my} treasure is, there {my} heart {security, identity, etc} will be also." {Matthew 6:19-21} And that He will help me be more transparent during those times of struggle and hardship...

Thick skin. Tender heart.
Thick skin. Tender heart.
....

Delightfully Out Of Character

We are in Orange County visiting W's side of the family!

We left Friday morning and I must say that it was the most smoothest travels to date. I love traveling and am so happy that we've continued after starting to have kids. But, it's definitely not easy anymore. And E hasn't been the easiest traveler, especially in the car. So our car ride was pure amazing awesome-ness that I just must record. For starters, we ::gasp:: actually packed the night before!! Which helped a ton. I'm so much like my dad when it comes to traveling {Blessedly cursed, what can I say...} and like to stick to the planned schedule. So I was beyond excited that the car was completely ready to go come the morning of leaving. 

Our AIS {ass in seat} time was set for 9am. Historically speaking, we rarely if ever meet that time, more so after having E. We did several errands, including dropping off some things at my parents. So our official leave time ended up being 8:35. History is the making here!

Somehow we timed it just right because shortly after

I didn't have to sing to him or hold his hand or anything. He just quietly nodded off to sleep. So lovely. After his nap, he did some of this.

At this point, we were about half way and needed a potty and coffee break. So we stopped for gas, Starbucks, and stretched our legs. Then it was back in the car for some of this.

And more of this.

Then some more play with his stacker cups and new doll. The last half hour was the worst for Mama but only because my bladder was going to explode. :) So we made it in less than 6 hours with only one stop. E was great. I didn't even have to pull out half of my tricks that I had packed in his bag. He truly entertained himself for most of the drive. Did I mention I love this stage?! It was so wonderful to arrive with plenty of sunlight left for play.

Loving the big backyard with plenty of toys to go around!

And cousins to host an impromptu dance party.

Plus floor space to build!

This trip has been so fun thus far!

My New Motto

Well, at least for this week...

"Only dull women have immaculate homes." 
  
Hooray for the weekend!!

Does 2nd Pregnancy Make My Belly Look Big{ger}?!

Ezra at 20 weeks

Baby Boy#2 at 22 weeks

Uh....I think it does!!

His Bench

Last week when my parents came over for dinner, W and my dad moved E's unfinished bench upstairs so we could check it out in its natural habitat. The only step left is a final paint coat, but we wanted to make sure it fit in the space we had envisioned for it. I threw some of the pillows I've been gathering on there just to see.

We're still on the fence about whether it's too long or not. We may just cut off the last two cubes on the left and turn them into a night stand, because the thing is long. But I'm really loving the cubbies already which serve as his dresser for now until we get his closet into better organizational shape. His current dresser/changing table will become his brother's.

The three IKEA baskets contain: shirts, shorts/pants, and cloth diaper supplies for now. The road-map rug is also from IKEA. All those hard back Seuss books were my stash from childhood {thank you, Pops, for letting Mom retain some of my childhood belongings.} And the metal airplane is a summer find at a discount store.

I found the awesome orange pillow cases at Walmart for $5.50 last week when I was there for my other current craft project. Did you know they sell individual pieces of bedding sets? So great! These will eventually make way to his bed.You can see some of the wood-filler on the screws--hence the extra coat.

So, there you have it. A very long cubby bench/bookcase that may eventually get chopped down, re-painted and hold different throw pillows once I find some fun fabric....but you get the idea.

W is We are basically half way done with our DIY list for E's room!! Now it's time to finish some textile crafty fun, some spray paint here, wall shelves there, put everything together, teach him to sleep in a big boy bed, and reveal the completed look! Just small things, like that. ;) Then it's onto our master re-do. Oh, and lastly, figure out a nursery set-up for our office/guest room/throw-stuff-in-&-shut-the-door room!! Hoot hoot!

Our Next Vacation

We are currently visiting "Molar-ville" over in Swenson camp, so naps have pretty much been out the window for most of a week. And E is seriously attached to his paci, so much so that he insisted on having it during bath time last night. Definitely out of the ordinary but whatever works! Needless to say, I'm pretty worn out by the end of the day. I thought this looked like a much happier place to be, so I'll take ya'll here instead of putting a video up of my whiny son or giving a walk-through of our haphazard days. ;)

Our next vacation...in my dreams.

This is a picture of the world's largest and longest pool.

It's located at San Alfonso Del Mar in Algarrabo, Chile.

The pool is over 3,000 feet long and covers almost 20 acres.

It was completed in December 2006 and uses water pumped, filtered, and treated from the Pacific Ocean.

It has the same amount of water that would be used for 6,000 regular sized pools.

So it looks like the options to stay there are to buy or rent a vacation apartment, because the rest of resort's website is in Spanish. But there are no prices. You have to e-mail them in order to get an estimate. I'm so curious about what the cost actually is...I'm sure we could buy a new car with the amount of a three night stay...

But, that was a fun trip out of reality for a bit, yeah? I'm sure this will look like heaven on earth to me in 3 months time. Now, back to the trucks, balls, and Kix cereal.

Happy Tuesday!

Easter Weekend

Since my parents were out of town, we made sure to keep them up-to-date with what we were up to. Here's a bit of what we shared with them via text during the weekend. Sorry,  it's a whole lotta E...but that's basically what the g-parents care about, right?!

 

{Morning play before farmer's market}

 {Afternoon libations after some diy garage time}

 

{Bathtime}

{Praise the Lord! He has risen! Getting ready to head off to church, but not before we found a matching pair.}

{first egg hunt; Lydia helping E get the concept}

 

{Discovering there was actually hidden treasures inside}

 

{not quite getting that a croquet mallet is not a sledge}

{big boys also playing games post-meal}

We sure missed them but had a wonderful time getting adsorbed into the Wolford family. Not to mention the delicious food! Hopefully, my parents don't desert us again on a holiday, but at least we know we'll be in good hands if they do.

Hope you all had a fabulous and

{my absolute favorite picture we got from them. I like to think our silliness is rubbing off on them!}

Not Much

Not much going on around here lately. Although our evenings have been eventful {especially for W}, we're still doing a lot of this during the day...

Our PBK anywhere chair arrived a few weeks ago and has gotten a lotta of love already. I snagged this for E for just $42 instead of the $120 splurge it normally is. Two frugal tips: for PB, it pays you to call in to customer service. I guess they have additional sales that aren't posted online, so she could take an additional $30 off the price. It also pays to hoard gift cards since 2007 {a wedding gift from a student's parents}.

We've had some great parks dates and lovely morning walks this week; so thankful for good friends and the sun! My parents joined us one evening for a yummy BBQ. We've done lots of errands this week as well. My really good friend, Stef, shared her Target score the other day. I've been pining after play kitchens, specifically wooden ones, for awhile now. And she got a pink cutie on clearance. So naturally, we went to our Target and got the red version for $60 instead of the original  $120. Thank YOU, Stef!

{think I'm going to switch out the red curtain for another color. Maybe some camo?! ;)} Anyway, I'm super excited about his new kitchen. We already purchased some loud pots & pans plus some felt foods on our IKEA adventure. We plan to put it up around September when the baby comes. I'm hoping this will help our indoor-ness seem less cabin-fever like for E.

Now we're just kicking back and waiting for Easter weekend. 

 {yes, I realize my son will be 'that boy' who wears his batman costume for a straight month without taking it off. I've already embraced the future.}

We were homeless at first for the weekend, with my parents somehow scheduling a Harley ride down south {the nerve!}. But we were rescued by a family who's known me forever. They invited us to their big shindig. There will be lots of kids which we're excited about.

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter weekend remembering that Christ died for us so that we may be free and empowered to change by His Holy Spirit!

Update: Progress!

To say we've been tired lately would be an understatement. Last weekend, W & I had a date night...at home. We got take-out and stayed in. Boring, I know, but so nice sometimes. And I'm sure this exhaustion has nothing to do with the fact that we've been going to bed so late {without very good reason} these past few weeks.

Anyway, we're still chipping away at our project "to-do" list and have recently been working on E's bookshelf/window seat. It's almost done and was actually quite easy to make. But, this only being our 3rd DIY project, there are a few snafus that may need to get fixed down the line. All part of the adventure!

 {Bam! Those are some hot man legs!!}

Working on getting the top screwed on then a final coat of paint...

There's also new paint on E's walls and our master! So excited about the colors and getting the rest of the rooms together. I've also discovered that I'm a horrible DIY-er and forgot to take before pictures of the rooms before the painter dressed them up in new color. Oops!! And that's my favorite part when blog-hopping; the before vs. after. Yeesh!!

My next craft/sewing project consists of these materials:

And that's all the progress for now! Is it nap time yet?!