Amazima - Katie's children

I was awestruck as I ran across this blog yesterday. Take some time to read about what one young woman is doing in Uganda:
Take some time to read through her experiences.... I've copied some from her blog, but there is so much more, plus pictures. Pictures of the children she has taken in, and of those who she is still striving to help. To step out in faith and care for even a few of the millions of children who are homeless, hungry, and sick is an inspiration. I realize that I am blessed by God to be safe and healthy in my more-than-enough home. It's easy to look at any of the so-called hardships I think I have gone through and feel sorry for myself. But they are all nothing. Nothing compared to the devastation that 147 million orphans in this world go through.


"It is my 16th Birthday and I am eating sushi at my favorite restaurant with my parents when I tell them that I would like to explore the possibility of taking a year in between high school and college to do mission work. This is unheard of in my family and they say they are not sure and will think about it. I am nervous, but somehow I know it is right. He changes their hearts.

I graduate high school having made the commitment to teach Kindergarten for a year at a school in The Middle of Nowhere, Uganda. In August I get on the plane. I’m apprehensive and I cry most of the way because I miss my Mommy and my boyfriend. I am eager, but so uncertain. I trust Him. I teach 138 children how to speak English and to love Jesus.

It is October and I am just not sure I can do it anymore. I live in the smallest room I have ever seen in the back of a pastor’s house. I am more uncomfortable than I had bargained for. No one understands, not people here, not people at home. I am tired. But I am prideful and I am not going to quit. I don’t like this. But I know He has a plan. I learn, I grow, He is there.

It is December and God has spoken very clearly about opening a ministry that sponsors 40 of the orphaned children in the village where I am working. This involves moving into a different house, ALONE. It is big and I cannot imagine how God will fill it up. I am lonely and I am anxious. But I am still trusting. He fills the house, and we now have 400 children sponsored.

It is January and I am looking at a little girl, crushed under a brick wall with no one to care for her or her younger siblings. I offer to take the three home with me until we find them a better placement. I am not really sure what to do with them, but I know they are God’s children. They stay.

It is three days later and the littlest looks at me and calls me mommy. My heart might break in two. Something clicks. I am even more scared than I was the day I stepped on that plane, but I KNOW. Today I have 13.

I have to deliver a baby, give a boy stitches, pull a tooth, give and injection. I am petrified. But no one will do it if I do not. He is present, He holds my hand, they are all fine.

It is March and a lame little girl is brought to my gate. She is undoubtedly mine, but I am still anxious. What if I can’t do it? I don’t know what to do with a special needs child, especially as my 13th child. I am criticized and ridiculed. I wonder. I trust and praise God for her sweet little life. She starts to walk.

We keep taking in more children until there are 400 in our program. There is no way we will raise enough funds, but by now I have stopped worrying. He has always provided. Blessings rain from the sky, and all 400 children go to school. "

from http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/

So as I tuck my own precious child into bed in just a few short minutes, I'll pray for him as I do every night. But I'll pray for Katie's children as well.

Quick visit

My dad came out from Minnesota to visit with the three of us. Noah was unfortunately slammed with work, and couldn't spend a lot of time with us, but I know my dad loved spending time with Ethan, and had a great time as he acclimated to being Grandpa. We spent most of the time just doing errands and holiday shopping around town. We also went out for dinner at our neighborhood pub.

Also, I stole a few photos of my grandfather from my dad, as I don't have a lot of them of the last few years of his life. He passed away a year ago, and today would have been his 91st birthday. I know he would have loved to meet Ethan, as he is the first boy born into our family in 55 years!

Grandpa Howard:

Pictures of the day

Although it's 3 days shy, we'll call this 2 months. When people ask how old Ethan is I feel like I've been saying "almost two months" for the last few weeks. I guess I'm going to have to get used to not saying almost, since Ethan will hit the two month mark on Friday. Here are a few photos of our sweet, sweet boy. I love him so much.

When Dad dresses me

I do love it that Noah enjoys spending time with Ethan. He's the master burper, bather, and diaper changer and he really makes my job a lot easier by picking up the slack when my hands are full. The one caveat is when it comes to dressing Ethan, he seems a little lost. Now, this seems to be a recurring theme from the stories I hear from other friends about their husbands, so this isn't intended to throw my hubby under the bus. If anything, I think it's adorable.

Usually I just set out 2 or three outfits next to the changing table because a) its easy to grab if I need something quick b) if there's something that he hasn't worn yet or might grow out of soon, I might want him to get some wear out of a certain outfit and c) if Noah's changing Ethan, he doesn't have to guess on what will or won't fit him, since there are different sized items in the dresser and I do most of the laundry, so I know what fits and what doesn't.

Let's just say that today, there weren't any outfits set out. And while the pants and shirt weren't the most complimentary to each other, I don't really care. What did make me laugh was Ethan's pants. Notice the tag:

Just the first of many dad inspired outfits. I wonder what other fashion statements we have to look forward to!

Thanksgiving

How could I forget to take pictures of Ethan's first Thanksgiving!!?! We slept in a little later than anticipated, packed our bags, and braved Thanksgiving day traffic and drove to Noah's family's house. After quite a long drive, we arrived at Noah's Grandparents house, and left our camera in the truck. From there on out, the thought didn't even cross my mind, and the truth is that Ethan slept through most of the evening. I did manage to get a great shot of Ethan and Roxanne the next day... sooo, sorry Ethan, this is the closest thing to a picture of your first Thanksgiving:

Cute Jammies / New Sling

There is so much to be thankful for these days, but I honestly can't get enough of this kid.

Cute moose jammies:

A picture with mom:

A new sling:

This sling is fast becoming a favorite item in our household. It saves me when Ethan just wants to be held close and there is laundry to be done, dishes to be washed, etc. This seems to happen most during the evenings when Noah's at work. This has often meant that certain jobs get put off till the next day or.... hmm... who knows when! But Ethan loves his Lucky Baby Sling, I love how cute it looks, and most importantly, it helps to keep him calm and snoozing when there are things to do (like packing for Thanksgiving, which is what I have to do right after I finish writing this).

We are going out to Noah's family's place for Turkey day... which makes 3 weekends in a row of traveling! I am becoming quite a pro at figuring out what to pack, what baby gear we need, and how many diapers, outfits, etc. And going to visit family is worth it becuause it sure is fun to have everyone love on the baby. We are so glad that we'll be sharing this holiday with family, and also will be missing others that we can't be with too.

Happy Thanksgiving Friends and Family :)

My boys

I am usually the first in our family to grab the camera and start snapping. This means that we end up with an uneven amount of pictures of Ethan with his daddy in comparison with pictures of me with Ethan. I'm not complaining though... and here are some favorites of Noah and Ethan together:

Great-Grandma and Grandpa visit

My mom and grandparents flew in last Friday for a quick weekend visit. Ethan had a great time getting to know his Great Grandparents and seeing his Grandma again. Just a few pictures:

First look:



Four generations of family:
Great-Grandma:

Grandma:

Great Grandpa:

Catching up on past events

A few weeks ago, Noah and I got all dressed up, and with some trepidation, left for a night in Seattle without Ethan. This was the last Friday in October, meaning Ethan was not even 4 weeks old... I had to stop myself from thinking that this made me a bad mom. It was an annual awards banquet we were obligated to go to, and as expected... we had a great time! I was very nervous to be away from Ethan for such an extended amount of time, but he was in great hands. Noah's sister Roxanne (who's new name of "Aunt Smee" is catching on quite quickly) came over, forgoing a day of work, and visited with us, helped us get ready and even brought some lovely hydrangeas too! It was so nice to have such a capable and trustworthy family member looking after Ethan, and I know leaving him will get easier with time. I think we all did great... no tears were shed on my part, or Ethan's for that matter!

One month check-up

Ethan had his one month check up today. He weighs 9 pounds 3 ounces and is 21 inches long. His birth weight was 7 pounds 8 ounces and he measured 19 inches... so he's growing, growing, growing! Good job buddy :)

One month later... welcome Ethan!

Life is busy and wonderful with a newborn! Our time with Ethan has been so precious and we just love how much joy he has brought into our lives. So while it's been all too long since I've written anything on this site, it's been out of complete selfishness. Yes, life is busy, and the days are full, but mostly I'm soaking up the time getting to know our little son and enjoying our family as it feels even more complete with this new life. Ethan, you are the sweetest little boy and I'm so glad I'm your mom.

So, I'm hoping to post much more frequently and even get caught up on all that has been happening in the past month. Also,thanks to my friend Stephanie for taking these amazing pictures.

Duvet Cover

So what do you do when you're out of ideas to pass the time and are 39.5 weeks pregnant? Make something, I guess.

I made this duvet cover last night.

I had an old plain white one that wasn't going to cut it anymore, so I deconstructed it, and used part of it for the underside. I used a large piece of fabric I got at Target for the top. I was really hoping to get it done in one night, and I got pretty close. I finished the last little bit and did the button holes this morning. So start to finish was within 24 hours, which isn't bad for me! I also bought one pillow case that matched the fabric (one was all they had, so it works out alright, I guess). The nice thing is that the fabric matches the sheets and curtains we already have, so I think the total cost on this project was under 14 bucks.

Alright, baby... only 3 more days till your due date. What are you thinking in there? Are you going to be early, on time, or late??????

Getting ready

I think its adorable that Noah is wearing his noise reduction headphones while steam cleaning the carpets... even more importantly is the fact that our carpets are getting cleaned. I have the best husband ever. Now off to a movie while everything dries!

There are only 8 more days until Ethan's due date, although we went to the doctor today and she pretty much said, well, it could be tomorrow, or it could be 2 weeks from now... and that's fine with me. We're ready whenever he is ready :) In the meantime, it's just cleaning, getting together with friends, and walking as much as possible.

Craft time!

Seeing that I wasn't thrilled with how my last quilt came together, I decided to put the sewing machine and fabric away for awhile (not to mention that it helps our dining room table stay clean). I've been wanting to make something to put on the wall for Ethan, so I decided to make this cute little elephant.

I was quite happy with how it turned out, but there were two problems: 1) I still had an extra wood board and lots of paper, and 2) I felt like I could have done something a little more challenging because the idea and even the template was completely stolen from Martha Stewart online.... So, I decided to make another one, this time creating my own design. It was a little tricky, but completely worth it. I hope he'll like it!

Good position

Quick baby update: I went in for my 36 week check today and our doc confirmed that Ethan is settled head down and is well positioned for birth. The nice thing about knowing this is that once babies are in this position by this time in a pregnancy, they rarely move out of it. So that's good news and now I get to go in every week to the doctor... time sure flies!

Life is Good - 34 weeks

I can't believe that 34 weeks of this pregnancy have passed already! I'm doing well and our little one is growing, moving, and getting ready to make his appearance in about 6 weeks! I have started to feel a little more uncomfortable from time to time, but I'm trying to make the most of it and enjoy being pregnant as much as possible!

















In the last week or so, we've had a great time with friends and family. We've been able to spend a decent amount of time with Noah's family despite everyone's busy schedules:

My sister-in-law Roxanne threw us a fabulous baby shower with family and Noah's work friends.

This is a quilt Noah's mom made for Ethan... she used flannel receiving blankets for the quilt squares and so now we have a little quilt that coordinates with some of the other items we have. She's so creative :)

Noah's dad came back from tuna fishing on Saturday and despite rocky conditions and a sleepless night, they caught a bunch of tuna and had extra fillets to share. So thanks to him, we had a delicious meal last night and still have more in the freezer. And Noah got a chance to grill up something new and different. It was delicious!

So what else is new? Noah and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary on 8/12 by hiking at Tradition Plateau in Issaquah, making a stop at our favorite coffee shop in the area, spending a low key afternoon at home and dinner out at a great restaurant in Seattle. I am always amazed at what an awesome husband I have. You go into a marriage knowing that good things lie ahead, but I swear I find myself loving him more each day, and feeling like all expectations I had are continually exceeded.

We've nearly finished the organizing/assembling items for Ethan. Pictures to be posted soon!

Recipe Post - Black Bean Dip

Alright this is for my mom as well as a few friends who had asked for the black bean salsa recipe. It's really easy to make and involves only a small amount of chopping, mixing, etc. I got this recipe from an old co-worker, so I'm not sure who to credit on this one! And I don't have a photo of the finished product, but snapped a few shots as my mom and I were making this delicious dip for the baby shower a few weeks ago:
1) The canned ingredients plus the onion


2) separating the cilantro leaves from the stems.


Black Bean Dip:

I usually do this in three steps, starting with the canned goods, then the chopped items, and finally the liquid ingredients.

In a large container, combine:
1 can of black beans - rinsed and drained
1 can of whole kernel corn - rinsed and drained
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chiles - do not drain

Then Add:
About 1/2 purple onion - chopped as finely as you like
A bunch of cilantro - a handful or so of chopped leaves
One avocado - sliced and cut into small pieces.

Lastly:
About 1/8c. olive oil
About 1/8c. balsalmic vinegar
1/2 tsp of tabasco sauce
(Some people like more oil, vinegar or tabasco... these amounts are all on the conservative side)

Anyway, that's it! It keeps in the fridge fairly well, and if you want to make it the day before you need it, the flavor gets even better when the ingrediends have time to mix together... just add the avocado and cilantro on the day you'll use the dip so the bright green color really stands out! Enjoy!

Shower fun

My mom came over two weekends ago and was so sweet to host a baby shower for me! It was great to get together with girlfriends, both from high school and college and enjoy some food and fun together. Me (32 weeks pregnant!), Brit, and Libby

We also got to enjoy Stephanie's baby girl Josie (7 weeks)! Alexis, Jenny, Stephanie, Josie.

Really Behind!

There has been so much going on during the past month, and yet I've had no time to update on here! I'm thinking that this will all change in the next few days for two main reasons:

1) We've been moving furniture around to make space for baby Ethan's arrival. Our computer is now in our bedroom and that is also where our air conditioner currently is. Needless to say I've been spending less time in our main living area and much more time in the bedroom. Maybe that will prompt me to blog/download all of the photos from our past 3 or 4 major vacations and events.

2) I have been without a car for the last 6 days! Breaking down out of town on one of the hottest days of the year was NOT a fun ordeal. I was even stuck over in the south sound area (Olympia/Shelton) for 3 of those days. Side note: I was staying with my in-laws, so they rescued me from a gas station on 101 and made life much more bearable even though I really just wanted to be home! Now that I am home, I've gotten used to life without a car (it's still in repair shop limbo)... and while I'm frustrated with the dealership and their shenanigans, I don't really mind being carless because I've been getting so much done around here!

Arches National Park

I knew that we wouldn't have time to spend a full day in Moab as we drove back from Santa Fe. The timing ended up working perfectly however because we left Santa Fe early enough on Wednesday to get into the park by 330 or so and spent a few hours there. We were able to do a small hike (boy was it hot!) and see quite a bit of the park. We saw Balanced Rock, Landscape Arch, Tunnel Arch, and Delicate Arch.
By then, it was time to call it a day and we got dinner in Moab. On Thursday morning we got up early and hit a few of the sights we had missed from Wednesday. Hiking around was much better because it was a good 20 degrees cooler than the evening before. We saw Turret arch, Double arch, and two called the North and South Windows.
Noah is the best at spotting wildlife, and it was no exception while we were at Arches. In addition to the normal lizards and deer that can be found around there, he'd been talking about wanting to find a scorpion all week, and finally, he did!

Sandia Peak

Yesterday, we drove from Santa Fe down towards Albuquerque. There is an area that has a tram to the top of some mountains known as the Sandia mountains. We went up with a picnic lunch and enjoyed the views of New Mexico from 10,000 feet. It was only 70 degrees at the top (compared with 95 down at the base) but that sun was sooo strong! There were some great hikes that Noah and I were wishing we could have done, but our schedule was packed and we had to head back down sooner than we would have liked. Here are a few photos:

Road Trip!

Noah and I have spent the past two days driving through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and finally into New Mexico! Our truck is very comfortable to road trip in, but 24 hours of driving in two days feels like quite a lot no matter how good the company or how easy the drive. So, we arrived yesterday afternoon with enough time to check out the beautiful house we are staying in, do some grocery shopping, and enjoy a wonderful dinner with my dad and his wife. After a good night's sleep, we were ready to celebrate my birthday and Father's Day by wandering around downtown Santa Fe! I'll update this post and include some photos when we get home.
Building in downtown Santa Fe
The back patio of my Aunt's house. The property also has a 270+ degree view of Santa Fe.
Happy 27 to me!