Earthquake

I thought I would write a quick little post for those of you family members who will hear on the news that So. California had a big earthquake. It definitely shook me up, being here with both girls and Natalie back in her bedroom. It's over so quick though and then you realize that it's not TOO big and going to hurt us. Natalie woke up though and started screaming. I just realized why when I was changing her diaper and saw this shelf on the ground. Crazy. Of course we did not put a shelf like that near her bed but it shows that this one really moved us.

So you all know - We are okay!!

SEA WORLD!

We did it! I was having some reservations (as I always do) about staying overnight with the girls in a hotel. I was up for Sea World but not so sure how the rest would go. We had such a fun weekend though and the hotel worked out just perfectly! I'm really glad that Ryan didn't bend to my hesitation and we went for it. (Maybe I shouldn't write that - he's going to hold me to it with every other reservation and some are actually valid.)
Sea World was great for so many reasons and I'm just too tired to name them. Here are some pics.
This seemed like a good idea but I was lifting up Noelle with my knee and trying to stick Natalie's head out at the same time :)
Noelle loves the tide pools, so this was perfect. She loved the aquariums because she could run around from window to window. She sure likes her freedom.
Here's an action shot on the way to the Shamu "Believe" show. Pretty amazing show.
I love this picture! Everyone in the crowd is supposed to do the sign for jump (or something, now I forget) and they chanted "Shamu, Shamu". Here's Noelle and Ryan joining in. This was our last activity of the day and you can see the tiredness in Noelle's eyes.
I was holding way too many things in my hands and we were surrounded by people leaving the Shamu show, but Ryan wanted to get this background. This was the best I could do.

Natalie or Noelle?

Can you tell?

1

2

Natalie 2mos

For those of you who haven't met Natalie yet, I thought I'd put this little video up. Here's our little cutie.

Meet the Baby Part 3

On Friday July 11th we got together with some family in Lake Elsinore for a meet the baby party. It was so great to introduce Natalie to everyone. I come from a long line of baby lovers :)!

The GAG Aunties

AJ Turner, Cameron Pray, Luke VanGinkel, & Hayden Ganyo





For those of you who are unfamiliar, GAG is the nickname given to our group of friends who met for bible study throughout college. I'm not sure how we got the name but it stands for "Girls Accountability Group". We've had a GAG weekend for 9 years now and this year we combined it with a "Meet the Baby Shower" for Natalie.

These girls bless my life in countless ways. Although we are spread all throughout California we find ways to stay connected. Everyone was able to come down to meet Natalie this June, which meant so much to us. The girls encouraged me and loved on Natalie and I.

Thank you sweet friends. I could have never imagined all those years ago when we first started meeting together that God would use you all in such powerful ways in my life.

LOVE THIS BABY!

Natalie is two months old!

Meet Natalie Shower

My sweet friend Lachelle gave Natalie and I a wonderful shower that made us (well, me at least) feel very loved and refreshed. Thank you girls! Here are some pics.

A couple of my friends from high school were able to come. It has been fun to reconnect with them. These three all have babies.
We just know that Macy and Natalie will be great friends and have all sorts of fun adventures together like Jessica and I did. We also hope they will be able to grow in the LORD and encourage one another the way we have. Love you Jess!

CAMILLE

This past month we have had a 15 year old girl from France staying with us. We got connected with Camille through a French friend I went to seminary with. Camille wanted to come spend a month in an English speaking home in exchange for helping with the kids and house.
We just sent Camille back to France last night and we were sad to see her go. She is such a sweet girl and we were thankful for her time in our home.
At first it was difficult to communicate but Camille quickly picked up on how to help with the girls and house and her English (and confidence) kept improving. Sometimes in the car, Noelle would ask Camille different words in French and we got a good laugh from all her attempts to pronounce the words.
It was crazy having a teenage girl in our home (thinking that's going to be here before we know it :)) but we would love to have girls something like Camille.

Thank you Camille for all of the help and good conversation. You are very smart and thoughtful. We are so proud of how you tried new things and new foods without complaint. You also handled the challenges of two little ones very well. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your summer and can take away a lot from this past month. May you continue to grow in wisdom and love.

*Your next challenge is to translate this for your parents so they can read it!

Summer's Here!

Natalie Belle

I don't know where it came from but I just have to call Natalie my little Belle Belle or Natalie Belle. It just seems to fit :).

My sweet little Natalie is almost 7 weeks. Time seems to be moving quicker with Natalie and I try to sneak as many moments to just savor her as I can. I want to soak up the littleness and her sweet little newborn breath. It seems that every time I take her in public and pull her out of the stroller I get a response of awe from someone nearby. It's as if it's such a surprise that anyone is ever that small. I love it.

Natalie is such a smiley little girl. After I feed her in the middle of the night she always gives me some big smiles that remind me how sweet it is to be doing this again. I can't wait for you all to meet her.

Andrew's 1st Birthday

My cousin Lindsay's little boy Andrew turned one last week and these are pictures from the party. I just realized that I don't have any pictures with Andrew in them so here's one just to show his cute little face

Fun with Noelle!

Here is a picture from our recent trip to the park where Noelle and Ryan like to go and "hike." The last couple of times they rode their bike there. It was really nice except for the sign I saw that says "Rattlesnake Habitat" as we were walking out.

This past year, Noelle and I have attended "kid's class" (that's what we call it) at the community center. It's a toddler play time that has been really fun for Noelle.

Big Smile!

I don't have much time to write but I caught this big smile of Natalie's. The past couple of mornings she is really alert and locks eyes with me and has given me a couple smiles. She is so tiny and so precious. We are really enjoying her and Noelle is doing really well too.

Mother's Day

Two!

Great Grandma B

Grandma and the girls

Four generations

Grandma Hoo Hoo (my grandma Joan)

My two most precious little girls - amazing

The Mother's Day after I miscarried our first pregnancy, my heart was heavy wondering if I would have the priviledge of being a mother. Up until that point I had understood very little about the longing that a woman knows if she desires to be a mother and cannot be. That year I had a glimpse into that sorrow.

I was in LA for a cross-cultural counseling class where we attended church Sunday morning at FAME (First African Methodist Episcopal Church). A beautiful message was preached about the mothering qualities of God reflected in a woman that are epressed in a multitude of ways by all women, whether or not you have biological children. After the service, I was warmly greeted by men and women of all ages who hugged me and said, "Happy Mother's Day." Each and every woman was. It was beautiful. God's loving kindness expressed to me once more.

It has been three years and I know that this gift of two beautiful girls is very precious. I think about that day every Mother's Day, knowing that my life is richer for having experienced it. Reminded also of the ways that we as women can "mother" in so many ways and to so many people in our lives.

Aunt Aly and Grandma Julie

Aunt Aly and Grandma Julie came to visit for a couple of days after Natalie was born. They took Noelle to do some fun things which gave me some good time alone with Natalie. It was really nice to have some time with them and I was surprised that I felt coherent and able to actually enjoy visiting. Thanks for visiting you two!

Ryan has been such a huge help. This first week has gone really smoothly. I couldn't imagine if I was on my own. Noelle and Ryan have adventured all around town. It's amazing how much calmer we are with a second baby but of course you have the challenge of a toddler in the mix that keeps you on your toes :).