Signing Off...

So, I'm going to end this blog for a while. My hunny had a run in with some not so pleasant circumstances and I just think it would be safer all the way around if I not write about our family life. I was made aware of the darkness in humanity and I have to say, I was not happy. My kiddos are gifts from God and if I don't protect them to the best of my ability, then what's my job? If you have questions for me, you can email me. But otherwise, adieu until a later time...

One Step Closer....

We had our home inspection today for the adoption. We passed! So... Now, we will be licensed and the waiting begins in earnest. We're seventh on the waiting list, so who knows? Maybe we'll get a baby this year?!?! Well, that is... If we're still living in Reno. With Yeadon's job insecurity we are looking for positions outside of Nevada. If we leave the state, we will no longer qualify for the program of which we are a part. Please pray for God to give us peace about the future of our baby... He is, after all, the ultimate provider and His will be done!

Vacation time

We were so lucky to be able to take almost two weeks of vacation in March. Kayden was off of school for the month of March and Yeadon was able to take vaction time at the same time... sooooo, we headed over to visit our friends the Schreiners. I was optimistic about the 15 hour drive until it turned into an 18 hour drive.... Suffice it to say, I was very done with driving by the time we reached Aurora at 3 in the morning! The girls were pretty amazing, expect for the fact that Kaelin chose not to sleep for almost the whole car trip... Yead had also worked the night before so he was pretty tired and I did a lot more driving than I expected to! Overall, we had a fabulous time. We went to the botanic gardens, visited the aquarium, and just hung out with some pretty great friends. Yeadon was able to go skiing with Casey, and Nikki and I were able to sew together, which is something that I LOVE to do! Nikki's the one who taught me how to sew in the first place, so spending time with her in this way was such a joy for me. I would love to show you pictures of our vacation, but, alas, my husband downloaded them somewhere and I can't find them! If the picts show up, I will post them... But, I wouldn't count on it being any time soon. :)

Easter goodness and a little confession...

Sooo... I know I'm behind on the Easter pics, but as we all know, I'm just about late for everything I do. So without further ado... Easter!

We had a great day Easter Sunday. Yeadon was able to get the day off so, we met at church then went over to Yeadon's dad's house for brunch and an Easter egg hunt. We then went home, rested, and went over to my Dad's and Grandpa's house for dinner. Overall, it was a busy, but lovely day... Inspite of the coldness and the snow that fell that night!

I made the girls' dresses this year... I finished Kaelin's the night before Easter! Oh well... I tried to be on time this year, I really did! I'll try and post close up's of the dresses next. It was hard to capture them when they were hunting for eggs :)

As for my confession... I'm a TERRIBLE blogger! I have been feeling SO tired lately and I haven't wanted to do anything at all but sit under a blanket and read. Not such a good activity for an active household! Thank you, Jesus, for my fabulous husband who has been so good with the girls lately and for putting up with my sluggishness. I hope the Easter pictures make up for my blog tardiness...

Here we goooooooooooo!

So, we've done it. It's official. We've turned in the paperwork. The check's in the mail. And the waiting begins...

To be pursued...

What does it mean to be pursued?

I just finished a book (yes, ficiton..., but one that inspired some deep spiritual thoughts for me). It was set in the time of the Puritans. I could not have lived that life! I would have felt hopeless and insufficient... On top of living a life void of any God-given pleasures. Plus I'm WAY too outspoken to have kept silent over certain things! Anyway... This book was about being pursued by God and our worthiness to be pursued...

How could the God of the universe want to pursue me on a daily, hourly, minute-ly basis? Why would He? What do I have to offer to the One who is pure and loving and good? I remember feeling so inadequate and unworthy when my husband and I were first dating. I had been in bad relationships, ungodly relationships... relationships that left scars on my heart. I just couldn't accept his love at first. I couldn't accept that he would want me, baggage and all. But he did, and still does. And isn't that what our loving Father does? He accepts us, ugliness and all, and wants to love us in a way that completes us and covers the stains of the past. And why? Why me? I fail on a daily, hourly, minute-ly basis.

I am human. I make choices: sometimes right, sometimes wrong. I cannot do everything right all day long. I barely do things right even part of the time. I fail. I cringe at the mistakes I've made... and yet He is still there. Waiting. Longing for me. Aching for me to see Him as He deserves to be seen. He still pursues me even when I don't take the time to be pursued. How would my relationship with my husband have survived if I had not let him pursue me? If I had not allowed my desires for him overcome my insecurities, my past hurts?

Why is it that we seek to make our physical relationships with spouses, children, family, and friends as good as they can be, but we neglect the most important relationship of our lives? We don't pursue the only One that can love us unconditionally, the only One who sees us for who and what we are, and STILL desires us with a holy love. Why can't we let go of the world's standards and look with all of our being to Him who deserves to be adored, cherished, and yes, pursued?

What would our relationship look like if we took the time every day to just pursue our Lord? And not the way everyone says we should. I will never say that reading the Bible, singing praises, spending time in prayer, or just having quiet time with Jesus is in ANY way an unacceptable form or pursuit! But what if we changed our thoughts? What if we go about our quiet time with an attitude of pursuit? What if we seek after Him with the same intensity that goes into choosing our mates? Or caring for our children? What if we pursue Him with the same longing and desire that our hearts have when we are first being courted by the one who will be our partner in life?

So what now...? What does this have to do with me?

I don't know.

But, I do know this: My God is big, and good, and loving. And he DESIRES me with a holy love. He sees me for who I am, faults and all, and is not scared by what He sees. He will never stop pursuing me, and when I am able to give up my selfishness, my weaknesses, my inadequacies, then I can begin pursuing Him with all that I am in the manner He deserves.

Maybe, just maybe, this is the beginning of that pursuit.

When words become actions.

When actions become habits.

When habits become a holy fire that inflame everything and everyone that I touch...

And in turn, maybe I can finally seek after... no, pursue, the only One who truly deserves my holy adoration and esteem.

Prima Ballerina and a Guppie

My girlies are so stinkin' cute, if I do say so myself! We decided to get them into some sort of physical activity, so we chose ballet for Kayden and swimming for Kaelin. Perfect! Here's some videos of the rising stars in action:

Isn't she SO beautiful?!?



She just dove right on in, no fear, and took off! It was SOOO much fun to watch her. I'm pretty sure she's the youngest in the class as well.

this is what happens...

When I have five home studies and classes for my license... This is only TWO of the piles of laundry that have to be done... It's going to be a LONG road back to the land of the clean clothes!

And this is a what happens when a two and half year old has a room full of toys all to herself... Pure concentration and utter enjoyment!

and so it begins again...

Another year under our belts... Another birthday gone by... Life just doesn't slow down does it? We think that maybe this will be the year that we feel like we will accomplish all that we set out to do. I guess what's really important is that we do all that GOD sets out for us without whining and complaining along the way. If I've learned nothing else from the past year is that God's ways are not mine, and if I don't fight Him along the way, then the journey, whether good or bad, will somehow turn out ok. I've learned alot about myself, my hunny, and my kiddos this past year. I've learned things that work and things that I won't ever do again. I've learned that perfection only worked for Jesus and the rest of us can only hope to be the best we can be and we should accept our faults when they happen. I've come to the conclusion that sometimes our expectations about ourselves do not fit with God's expectations for us, and that makes for some deep soul searching to figure out what we need to do to come into alignement with the perfect will of a perfect God. The beginning of a new year brought some new resolutions... I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions, but this year feels different somehow... I feel I need to make some life changes in order to be prepared for whatever the Lord has planned...

So, here are my goals:

-Lose 30 pounds in a healthy manner

-Excercise with my husband on a daily basis

-Get in shape enough to run a half-marathon

-Cook through a cookbook with my hunny in order to eat healthy and spend time together

-Make quilts for the homeless


If any of these appeal to you, I would welcome the company on the journey. I feel that these are attainable goals and God inspired desires.

Just in case my thoughts and processes were not entertaining enough... Here's my girl, getting all grown up!

count your blessings, one by one

Here are my blessings. God gave me the greatest gifts! He's given me my salvation, my husband, and these great kids! My family is pretty awesome, too! Oh, yeah! And my friends... Gotta lova all of them! God is so good.

Pretty Fairy Princess Kaydence.
Rah, Rah, Rah! Go Kayden Grace!

Beautiful Bride, Kailey... Ummmmm, how bout we slow down, she's growing up so fast!

All of our girlies. Aren't they gorgeous?

And we wouldn't be complete without a runaway fairy bride... That's my girl, Kaelin!

Picnic, Anyone?

I made this quilt with the intent of using it as our picnic blanket. Yeah... The weather's changed, so it didn't make it outside this year. But... We have had two picnics inside, which have been worth it! Last weekend Nana was in town so we had Chinese food on the picnic blanket while watching Olivia. Tonight we had Mac and Cheese (or as Kaelin likes to call it, Monkey Cheese) and watched the new Tinkerbell movie. Love it! My girls get so excited when they see the quilt. They know what's coming when I put it on the floor. I love the little joys in life, don't you?

Sidenote: I don't know what the little smug is, sorry!

The Miscellaneousness of Life

I don't know how a month has gone by with nothing on the blog front. Oh well. Life I suppose has had other plans. Well, here are many pictures of very random events over the past month. I hope you enjoy!

This is Kayden reading her new AWANA book. She's doing so well with her verses. Her teachers are aware of her speech delay and they are willing to work with her. It's been great!

Remember Kayden's birthday dress? I had this pattern for pants, but I just didn't get them done for her birthday. I made these with the left over fabric from her dress. She LOVES them! They are super cute on her, too. I thought they were going to look a bit clownish, but they don't. They look very chic and boutique-ish! She gets lots of comments on this outfit whenever she wears it.


I decided I needed to find something to do with the girls that would keep them occupied for a few minutes at least. I dyed some pasta with food coloring then let the pasta air dry. I figured the girls could make necklaces that they could wear (but couldn't eat!). They loved the idea. For some reason, though, Kaelin is much more coordinated putting the "beads" on the string than Kayden is. Don't you love Kaelin's outfit?? She is very into dressing up as a princess, as you can see. She was making this necklace for Nana Susan when she was in town this past weekend. She got very focused on making this necklace. Don't you love her concentration?

And lastly, this is Kaelin helping her sister put beads on the string. Kayden was much more interested in getting her picture taken.

Up, Up, and Away!

We braved the Balloon Races again this year. I made muffins, got all the blankets ready, had sippy cups filled and ready to go, and the girls warm clothes laid out so we could leave bright and early. As much as I wanted to go, a little part of me craved the warmth of my bed and the comfort of home....And 4:00am is REALLY early in the morning to get up and get the girlies ready! However, life decided to make the decision for me. Kayden woke up at 3:50am with a nightmare which in turn woke Kaelin up. I figured it was meant to be that we go to the races this year. We were ready and out of the house by 4:20am. Fun stuff, huh? Kayden was fascinated by the balloons... Kaelin on the other hand was, well, not so happy to be there. We found out the night before that she was teething, two fat molars! Not fun, I tell ya! So, suffice it to say, when the sun finally decided to grace us with it's presence, Kaelin was done. Ready to go home. Finis! We had some "quality time" with cousins, Auntie, and Uncle and then we called it quits. I had to attend a CPR class right after we left the races, so suffice it to say, it was a REALLY long day for us. To top it off, we almost went to the Camel Races in Virgina City, but, well, that would have been a crazy thing to do, so we all came home and took naps. Much better than smelly ol' camels!

You can see more of the balloon races here.

One Last Hoorah

Yeadon took this past weekend off and it's been great! He needed the break and we all needed some family fun. Yead and I decided to go to Tahoe for our one and only visit of the season. The girls were soooo excited. We stopped at a local corner market store where all the summer accoutrements were 90% off... Yep, I got sand toys, water noodles, and squirt guns for just pennies. The snacks cost more than the toys! Anyway, we made the trip up the mountain and within an hour were looking at the beautiful scene of Lake Tahoe. We drove to the beach where we needed to pay for parking. I was smart. Got cash at the market.... However, the money taker person was not available to break our $20 in order for us to have change for the $8 fee... so we had to "donate" the extra $12 to "Keep Tahoe Blue." Yep, not so smart on my part. Whatever. We loaded up all of our gear and got to the beach. Kaelin, my oh-so-fearless child, ran right to the water without taking off her clothes. Luckily, we reached her in time before she dove head first in the water. The water was not nearly as cold as I thought it would be, which I was very thankful for. We decided to walk out as far as the girls could go, just to see how deep the water was. Not too deep, but deep enough that we made sure that our daredevil wouldn't go walking out by herself. We played in the sand, tried to catch the little fish that were everywhere, and tried to chase the squirrels whom Kealin named "Tika" (for those of you who don't watch Dora the Explorer, this is the name of one of the characters on the show.) Overall, it was a FABULOUS time and we loved every second of it. Maybe next year we won't wait until the end of the season to enjoy the wonderfulness of Tahoe!

You may be wondering why Yead's wearing his shirt while in the water?? Because he's a VERY WHITE man and he would not have been happy with the burn he probably would have gotten.

FYI: If you would like to see a video of our time at the beach, check out this link.

Woven and Spun

We love all things homemade and handmade in our home. I have been SO very productive in that capacity since having my surgery a month and a half ago. Quilt tops, clothes for the girls, gifts for other little girls... It's been a sewing extravaganza in this home. I've loved it! That's one of the reasons the blog side of things has been so quiet... I've been creating!
Auntie Nikki made this pillowcase dress for Kaelin's birthday. She loves it! Whenever she puts it on she says "Aunti Nikki dress." :) I made this dress for Kayden out of a vintage looking skirt of mine. It never fit me the right way, so I thought I'd repurpose it and this is the result. Love it. I used a pattern and had the lining material on hand so it didn't cost a penny to make. Love it when THAT happens.
This is one of my new favorite hairstyles for Kaden. It's a ponytail, turned inside itself, then seperated into three parts. These parts are then braided into three braids and the three braids are then braided together. Soooooo pretty!

Good Morning World!

This was the view at the kitchen table this morning... Fun times, fun times!

Yep, that's Kaelin's elephant towel draped on the back of the chair and on her head. Have a great day!

Riding the Rails

Yeadon and I took the girls up the road to Virginia City a few weeks ago. Virginia City is our local piece of history. It was originally the capital of Nevada during the gold rush years. It is now a quaint little town, resplendent with one of the oldest schools still standing in the US and the "Bucket of Blood Saloon." Fun stuff, fun stuff! Anyway, we decided to ride the steam train on it's 30 minute tour of Virginia City. The girls had fun and so did Mama and Daddy. We just found out that the train will now run from Virginia City to Carson City... Won't that be a fun day trip for the fam??

My Loves

God has so richly blessed my life and I just had to share some picts of my loves...

Changes are Coming...

This is a month of changes for our family. I can just feel it! I had to get another epidural last week and I'm just praying that this one lasts forever. If not, one a year isn't too bad, right? Yeadon had Lasik done last week, too. The running joke between us is "Hey, you can see now, huh?" to which Yeadon replies, "I can see! I can see!" Mind you, he always wore glasses or contacts, but without either he was truly vision impaired. And lastly, I will be having a surgery at the end of the month that will hopefully change my life forever. It's pretty personal for details on the web, and if I haven't already explained it to you, well, give me a call and then I'll give you the details. But suffice it to say... Our God is big and His plans for our lives are always amazing.

As for the new do... Well, I got my hair cut a few weeks ago and I just wasn't pleased with the way it was growing out. So, I made an impulse call to my stylist and this is what came of the visit. I LOVE it! So much fun and I feel sexy.... Hey, a mom of a three year old and a two year needs to get her perks somewhere, right??

She's only two, but....

Sometimes I wonder about God's sense of humor. Kaelin turned two last month (pictures coming.) How is it that my sweet little girl has turned into a terror? I love her, I really do, but GOODNIGHT! She was energetic, yes. Smart, no doubt. Headstrong, I'll give you that. But... A total transformation has come over this child and I don't know what to do. Example: Yeadon and I were going to go out to eat the other night to a new restaurant. We had to LEAVE the establishment because of embarassament over our child! She was literally climbing on EVERYTHING! ::Sigh:: Such is life with a two year old AND a three year old... This too shall pass, yes??

On to happier things... Belated 2nd birthday pictures!

Since we were unable to give Kaelin a birthday party last year due to my back, we kinda splurged this year. We went to pizza at our favorite pizza place and I got Kaelin a very fancy birthday cake from a VERY yummy bakery. We had friends and family join us, and it was a delightful time.

Yeadon made Kaelin this birthday hat. He felt that since I made Kayden a birthday crown, he needed to make Kaelin something. I think it is just fabulous.

We also decided to convert Kaelin's crib into a "big girl" bed. She loved climbing in it and playing in it; however, the sleeping part didn't come so easily. We still have to lay with her until she gets close to falling asleep. The first few nights she would play in the girls' room until she crashed somewhere on the floor. One night I found her curled up in the corner of the room with her blanket and pillow, and she was sleeping on the feet of the rocking chair. My poor girl. We're getting there, we're getting there...