Special Double Day

Good Morning Everyone!

Today is me and my hubby's 6th anniversary. I know 6 years really isn't all that long in the grand scheme of things, but it's simply amazing to see all that has happened in these last 6 years...5 times a movin', 2 new babies, 1 little kitty, 2 birthday fish, many new friends, and one great seminary adventure! That about sums things up. The one constant thread that we've seen is the Lord's providential hand guiding our whole life. He's provided for everything we need and blessed us beyond measure. Speaking of one of those special blessings...

It's Warren's 1st Birthday today!

What a funny guy...he adds so much to our little family and I can't imagine life without him, or any of us for that matter.

So Ryan and I will be going out to dinner and a movie tonight while the boys play with Grandma and Grandpa. A whole evening to ourselves...I almost can't remember what that's like! (For the record, I wouldn't change anything about it either.)

Enjoy your weekend all!

Bike Riding Cousins

Bike Riding Cousins
Originally uploaded by treezeebak

Ryan took Warren and our nephew Johnny on a bike ride in the bike trailer we're borrowing from friends. They had a good time until about halfway through when Warren decided he had had enough. I got some cute pictures before they left.

So Much That We've Done...So Little Time to Post!

Well hello everyone. Yes, we're still here! I took a look at the blog last night and realized that it's been over 2 weeks since I've last posted anything! We've been busy busy with Ryan's parents visiting, my sister and family here, our friends from seminary also here (at the same time as my sis!) and 1st birthday parties! So here goes...this is going to be a long one (as long as the babies stay asleep for their naps.)

First of all, Ryan's parents came up for a short visit (Friday-Sunday) because we were having Warren dedicated on Sunday the 15th. On Saturday the 14th, we all took the Blue & Gold Fleet Ferry from Jack London Square in Oakland across the bay to San Francisco and played around for a couple of hours. It was one of those rare San Francisco days that are absolutely gorgeous; no fog, no clouds, just warm sun and a nice breeze. Perfect.

Jake was stylin' in his sunglasses, and the day was completed by a ride on the bronze wolf back in Jack London square. We were all only mildly sunburnt and tired, and the boys held up very well for not having any naps. All in all a very nice day spent with Grammy and Papa.

The next day was Sunday. After church and the dedication, about 24 family members came over to celebrate 4 birthdays. My sister's baby John and Warren turned 1 (well, technically Warren's birthday is tomorrow, but he'll never know), and 2 of my cousins turned 11 and 14. Another beautiful day, which was a great blessing because the party was outdoors.

Ironically, Jake ended up getting the biggest gift, even though it wasn't even his special day! My aunt and uncle Lori & Jim save some of their toys for us from their son when was younger, and one of the things we got this time was a rocking horse! Jake went bananas over it. He rocks on it constantly, and now Warren is starting to love it as well.

One of the funny things that happened with the cousins while Jess and Isaac were here is that Warren would use Johnny as his walker! He'd see Johnny crawling and climb up on his back and walk along with him. It was good entertainment.

So then our dear friends the Thompson's came up for a visit Tuesday the 17th through Friday the 20th. Ryan and Glen go to seminary together and Shilo and I became good friends through meeting at the Seminary Wives' Discipleship group 2 years ago. We've had some good adventures so far (Pride & Prejudice party, arboretum strolling), but their visit up here takes the cake. We went to San Francisco (2 times in a week!) on Thursday, but other than that, we just hung out and talked. One of the reasons Shilo is such a dear friend is because she is a godly woman and always encourages me when we are together. So we had a great time which went by way too fast. They also got to meet my sis and family, which was nice.

Mmm Mmm Chocolate

A boy after his Grandma's own heart...a chocolate lover! This messy face was the result of enjoying a tasty fudge popsicle after dinner...delicious.




Misc. stuff:

Ryan started teaching his Sunday morning Adult Bible Fellowship class at church and is enjoying it very much. It's what he loves doing, so he is glad the class finally started!

It's my nephew's 1st Birthday today (Jess and Isaac's son, John)! It probably happens to me about 3 to 4 times a month that I'm amazed at how quickly time flies, and this is one of those instances. We can't wait to see the little guy this Friday when they fly in for the joint birthday party this Sunday. Warren will be a year on the 28th and we're having a party for the 2 babies and 2 of my cousins who are turning 11 and 14 (I think).

Another thing to be excited about is that Ryan's parents are coming to visit this weekend too! Jake is thrilled and can't wait to see Grammy and Papa. The main reason for their visit is that we are dedicating Warren to the Lord, to raise him to fear God, this Sunday and they wanted to be here for that. What a special time with so much of our family and friends there to support us in this.

We also have much traveling to do in the coming months. We're moving back down to socal at the end of the summer for one last semester at Master's. Then in early September we all are flying out to Emporia, Kansas to visit Flint Hills Christian Church where there awaits a possible associate pastor position. Ryan and I can hardly stand the wait, we're so excited about going! And finally in October, we go to Tacoma, Washington for Ryan's cousin Josh's wedding. Fun times ahead!

The Tornado

More on the personality of our Mr. Wo-Wo.

We all believe that the little tornado-like hair-do on the bottom of the back of his head is a foreshadow of things to come. It's funny to see how different the boys are, and the older Warren gets, the more apparent it becomes. The Jake-man has always been quite content to sit and play or read for a good long time, at least in baby- and toddler-time. Whereas Warren, a.k.a. The Tornado, only sits still when he is strapped into his chair for meals or sleeping. We may be in for quite a ride with this one folks, and praise the Lord that He's given us an authoritative Word on raising children; otherwise we might have had to ride out the growing up years hiding under our bed.

Here's a picture of the "Tornado."

The possibility of moving to Tornado Alley (in Kansas) is quite appropriate, I think.

Mr. Independent

This is one of Warren's many character traits (when he not feeling needy!). He sometimes just wants to be left alone and do his own thing. We are more than happy to oblige after his seemingly endless stage of being super-clingy, especially with Ryan. He's still like that, but he is phasing that out as his baby-ness all too quickly passes into toddlerhood.

He has started balancing on his feet, mostly when he's unaware he is even doing it! I caught him when he was inspecting Billy yesterday standing all by himself for maybe 10 seconds or so, which was just long enough for me to get the camera and snap a shot!

4th of July Picnic (on the 1st)

Hi there all you readers.

Yesterday after church was the annual 4th of July picnic. It was at nearby Lake Chabot (shu-bo) where we had fantastic weather, all the free watermelon you could eat (of which Warren ate 3 slices all by himself...his new favorite food), and plenty of good conversation. My boys had a blast riding the hot wheels and meeting lots of new people. A family friend, Curt, was kind enough to push Warren around for a while on the bike.

When we got home, we all relaxed and the boys played with great-Grandma (my mom's mom) who came with us to the picnic. It's pretty amazing to see so many generations all together.

I attempted to get a shot of the boys wearing their matching 4th of July t-shirts, but wasn't very successful. Jake didn't want to pose at first, and by the time we finally coaxed him into doing it, Warren had had enough!

It was quite a fun day.