Bellybou'

One more thing that I really wanted to share!

Two of my closest friends have a fabulous Maternity store that is now online!

It's at http://www.bellybou.com/ and it's got a great selection of designer maternity denim, and designer maternity brands you can't find in your chain maternity stores! It also has a fun selection of hip baby clothes and all the newest baby accessories!
It's a Sacramento Maternity boutique but now they are able to offer more than just Roseville Maternity, with the webstore they've made stylish maternity clothes available to everyone!

So check them out at http://www.bellybou.com/ and help spread the word!

If you're looking for something specific or wants some advice or direction. Contact them and they will definitly point you in the right direction!

Sentimental...

Ryan is going to give me a hard time for the cheesiness of this post for sure but here goes...

I took the girls to Fresno to visit a friend while Ryan was gone. It had been a long week and I had hardly slept the night before, being in the same room with both girls. It was 11 at night and I was driving through LA and this song came on. I looked back at this sweet sleeping girl and I felt every word.

It Won't Be Like This for Long by Darius Rucker

He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all night
Layin’ there in bed listenin’
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be OK

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon we'll look back laughin’
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
‘Cause it won't be like this for long

Four years later ‘bout 4:30
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This’ll only last a week or two

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon you'll drop her off
And she won’t even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It won’t be like this for long

Some day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times he'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle
And he'll raise her veil
But right now she's up and cryin’
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her
‘Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin’ her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows

It won’t be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah, this phase is gonna fly by
So, he's tryin’ to hold on

‘Cause it won’t be like this for long

It won’t be like this for long

Delight

Turning one is so significant. It was only a year ago (a little over a year now) that I had never laid eyes on this precious gift.

Natalie's pregnancy was so long and difficult for me but I love looking at her and thinking, "you were worth every minute of it and I would do it all again, and then some."

I love the joy this baby expresses and experiences. I bought a rosebush in honor of Natalie and it is called "double delight". When I look at it's gorgeous, fragrant blooms I think of my baby and the word DELIGHT seems to fit perfectly. And of course - Double Delight because I have two to delight in :).

I took a couple of pictures a while back of her at the same place that we had Noelle's one year pictures taken. I just hadn't posted them. Here they are. Also, below are some of Noelle, just for fun.

Tea anyone?

Ryan is a tea lover. We buy loose leaf tea from Tea Gschwender online. The link is below if you want to check it out. We have loved their decaf chai! We like to make it at night, especially for company. Add a little cream and sugar, delicious.

Ryan usually likes to buy the fancy ones that taste very pungent and strong (like Assam Mokalbari and China Oolong Kwai Flower). I prefer a fruit flavored black tea (like Strawberry Cream).

Anyways, thought you all might like to check it out...
Guess I'm in the mood for sharing with these last two posts. It could be that I don't get out much and just want to share what I enjoy somehow :).


http://www.teamerchants.com/Catalog/Default.aspx


p.s. The Peachy Green Rooibush is really good. This red tea is high in antioxidants and caffeine free.

Jesus Revealed

There are continually messages that I hear at our church Rock Harbor that are encouraging and/or challenging. Often there is a lot of depth and theological insights. Last week the message was pretty simple but profound at the same time and really encouraged me. It seemed a good fit to pass on.
The focus was finding Jesus throughout the Old Testament. In doing, it really points towards God's love.
If you want to hear it, the link is below. If you have an ipod, download it and keep it handy for when you get a free moment (exercising, cleaning, waiting, etc.)

http://rockharbor.org/resources/messages/index.php?series=Jesus+Revealed

Enjoy.

Another favorite recipe...

This is simple and we really enjoy it.

Mom's Spanish Rice

· Cook 1 lb hamburger meat with 1 cup chopped onion until brown (in large skillet with lid)
ADD:
· 1 lb can tomatoes
· 1 ½ cups water
· ¾ cups uncooked rice
· ½ cup chili sauce (like Heinz brand, near the ketchup)
· 1 tsp salt
· 1 tsp brown sugar
· ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
· Dash pepper
COVER AND SIMMER 30-40 MINUTES.

We serve with garlic bread and maybe a salad! The girls eat this up.

Brazil

On the weekend his team (four of them) visited Ubatuba They had lunch right on the beach. I think he said they ate fried shrimp. ?

He ventured into this jungle...

He thought he was Tarzan.

He didn't have me holding him back from being adventurous...

Ryan spent 11 days in Brazil for work. His new position as part of the Lean Manufacturing Team involves some traveling. They are rounding all of the C&D facilities in the US and Abroad and providing a pretty intensive training. They then maintain contact and support with the facilities and continue to encourage growth and change in the area of lean manufacturing.

I am getting the question all the time, "What is Lean Manufacturing?" I don't think I'm explaining it well. So, I googled it. Here are the two definitions I came across that put it into more concise terms.

"Lean manufacturing or lean production, which is often known simply as "Lean", is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. Working from the perspective of the customer who consumes a product or service, "value" is defined as any action or process that a customer would be willing to pay for. Basically, lean is centered around creating more value with less work. Lean manufacturing is a generic process management philosophy derived mostly from the Toyota Production System (TPS) (hence the term Toyotism is also prevalent) and identified as "Lean" only in the 1990s.[1] [2]. It is renowned for its focus on reduction of the original Toyota seven wastes in order to improve overall customer value, but there are varying perspectives on how this is best achieved. The steady growth of Toyota, from a small company to the world's largest automaker,[3] has focused attention on how it has achieved this." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing

Here, let's try again...

"A business philosophy and/or strategy that focuses on eliminating waste, which includes all steps or processes that do not add value to the final product or service. It is usually employed along with the concept of kaizen, or continuous improvement." www.windowanddoor.com/article/resource/industry-glossary

So, that's what it is. Some of you may have connected with that but I'm sure you can all imagine that their training process is not without obstacles and a lot of people just plain don't get it (I can see why). But this is very valuable to the company and they are already seeing some success and potential for success.

Being a Mom!

Here are a couple pictures from Mother's Day.

I have to say that I absolutely cherish the gift of being a mom. I feel so loved and supported by my husband and I adore my girls.

Being a mom is such an interesting journey. I am continuously humbled and streched in the process. I guess I had a secret hope that my kids would not be difficult and that somehow the stories you hear would just not apply to me.

Well, not so.

Ryan is in Brazil for work - 11 days. I'm struggling a little. We don't have much going on and Noelle has had some trying moments.

Today, we got out of the house - an exciting trip of dropping off library books and getting gas. I was hoping Natalie would fall asleep but she didn't and I knew I better go home and put her down (try again). So as we are driving down our street Noelle begins to cry and complain that she doesn't want to go home. At this point I feel like I can't take it anymore and then she says,

"I don't want to go home. It's dirty and I always step on food."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It was a low blow.

But in the end she's right and so I went home and swept the kitchen.

And yes, tonight after just finally getting them both to bed, I'm still incredibly thankful to be their mom.