Holiday Happenings

I had a stomach ache the other day so Rhya snuggled right up to me, gently rubbed my cheek and said, "Ohhh...ohhhh...poor Mommy. It's okay, Mommy. Here, I snuggle you". She then proceeded to climb up and lay next to me with her arm wrapped around my neck. Then she hopped down, ran off, and came back with a barf bucket. 

The other day Rhya and Jordan came up to me with those plastic rings that you can string together for babies. They wanted me to put them on their ears. Rhya said, "Mommy, help me be a lady." Then they paraded around VERY carefully with plastic rings around their ears. :-)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This sums up the past week- job quitting. job starting. snow fun. family fun. friend fun. funeral. eating.

Nate got his old job back at Intek!! He was laid off 3 years ago and now they called him back since an employee on his team is retiring. Start date is Jan. 7.  Everything about it is better than his current position so we are super excited.

The girls and I accompanied Dad and Mom over to Doug and Roxane's for a fun filled Monday. There was LOTS of people, LOTS of food, and LOTS of outdoor time. The TX folks were up so we enjoyed catching up with everyone and meeting Bradley's new bride and family. :-)

Rhya and I played outside with some others back by the river. Rhya never once complained about the cold, and we were outside for a couple of hours. She loved sliding on the ice, making S'mores, and being Gary's 2nd hand helper with firewood sticks. :-)

Fun on the ice!

Thrilled to be outside.

Gary was so thoughtful and included Rhya in every activity, including marshmallows! Nothing like a warm gooey marshmallow to warm one's stomach on a 6 degree day. 

The last time I saw Ashton and Jamie was when they were dating. Now they have 2 little ladies.

We headed down to Doug and Ardi's on Xmas day. Here's Jodi, halfway done w' her pregnancy, holding their new puppy Teddi.

Tim and Heidi were down visiting from Alaska. 

Jordan and Kelli will be married next July. Lot's of happenings with our 'Craven' cousins! 15 years ago we were happy go lucky kids, playing in the woods and coming up with swing shows. :-)

Brielle's latest discovery is the stairway. She zoomed up it 6 times today. I have to watch that one like a HAWK lately. I have felt a little incompetent in the safety department since she's been having lots of little accidents. If it's not herself getting into predicaments, Rhya assists in the matter!

Have a Happy New Year! 

Jabberbox

I wonder how many words Rhya says in one day. It's incredible. She is hardly ever silent. She even talks when she's by herself. 

Here are a few of her latest:

"My hair is very very very long!" "Look at how tall I am! See? I am TALL!!! (small gasp of amazement)" 

        She says this when she can't think of anything else to say. We usually hear this about 15 times per day!

We were at Mike and Kristina's house today. We went to bible study afterwards and she told Gpa George that Mike and Kristina house was very old but very very nice. :-)

Kristina took a tumble down the steps (everything turned out fine) so Rhya told Gpa, "Auntie Stina falled today and she didn't even cry!!"

We tossed around the idea of a new vehicle for a while (including trucks) before deciding that our 05 Camry with questionable transmission will suit us fine even if we have to fix it. Rhya knows that Mike has been itching for a truck too, so the first thing she told him when he walked through the door was "Trucks too expENSIVE!" She has obviously been listening in on the adult conversations! We hadn't even been talking about it.

"Mom? I kinda want some chocwut (chocolate)" 

    hmm. Wonder if she acquired that taste from nursing. :-)

More to come. 

We Have the Moment

Like Kristina (blog link on the sidebar) and the nation, I have been reading and watching the details of the Newton tragety. These were not just kids or adults. They were individuals with names...with families...with passions...with personalities...with ended lives.

I wonder what the last 'together' moments were for the families and other close people. I wonder how they are doing. I wonder how they can possibly cope with such graphic images in their minds, wondering how much their child/friend/mom suffered or saw before being shot.

They will not regret a single moment spent with their deceased loved ones. It certainly helps to put life into perspective. I wonder how I would react if it was my loved one. It sends shivers down my spine knowing that my 'wondering' is someone else's REALITY.

Life can be cruel and confusing...but it can bring our thoughts and intents to higher ground. I noticed that the first thing people did was gather at a church and seek spiritual help.

So, while I have time and opportunity with my children, it is my intent show them by my life how to be spiritual. As a result of spirituality, I can show them how to be kind, forgiving, selfless, happy. I can use the MOMENT while it is still here.

On the Move

Shuffle chubby thighs. Push up diaper butt. Oomph arms forward full force. Grunt. Squeal. 

Our little 8 month old is crawling!!!

There goes the dog bowl! Water everywhere. All the more fun for splashes and blowing bubbles on the hardwood floor.

Wonder what the big kids are doing. Pull hair. Grab book. Squeal with delight. 

Notice Mom in kitchen. Grunt on over. Stick onion and lettuce in mouth, thanks to Mom's messy cooking. Pull self up on Mommy's leg and look up with expectant eyes. Rock back and forth with triumph.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rhya's latest:

Somehow, her brain has figured out the concept of saying 'I promise'

I don't know where she learned it, but she thinks it's her ticket to every thing. :-)

Ex- "Mommy, I want a snack for my nap" Mommy looks skeptical and says, "How about after you wake up?" Rhya thinks about it and replies, "But I prOmise, I will NOT spill in bed! I prOmise I will keep my bed clean!"

She uses this for everything. It makes this mama smile and try to think of ways to stay one step ahead! 

Texas

We drove to Texas. And back! Jen was our drawing power. We try to see our far away sisters once a year and she hadn't meet Brielle yet.

We had Thanksgiving on the Lester side the day before departing.

This dude was there. Nate and Bill hadn't seen each other for a few months so they lived it up. At one point we wondered where the brothers had escaped to, and Sarah found them sneakily drinking Mountain Dew in Bill's van, talking up a storm. Ha just like childhood days. :-)

Rhya's emerging imagination allowed these two to play together ALL day. It's so fun to watch the cousins interact!

Can't get enough of Gabriel's chocolate eyes!

Back to the trip. Nate worked Friday from 5:00 am-1:30 pm. We drove until 11:30 pm. We were hoping to eeeaaase the kids into their hotel beds. Didn't happen. Rhya was showing us jumping tricks while Brielle was jabbering up a storm. :-) It took a while to get settled back down.

I was nervous for the car ride (16 hours), but it went great! Maybe it's because I shoved myself between the two car seats in the back and provided constant entertainment and diversions.

It was all worth it, though! We soaked up every moment with Jen. We attended 3 meetings, hiked twice in Palo Duro canyon, celebrated Jen's b-day at a Mexican place, met lots of amazing people, and just plain enjoyed ourselves!

Enough with the car seat! Finally in TEXAS!

Relaxing at the hotel on our first night in TX.

Auntie Jen being a good sport and squeezing herself in the backseat. The girls loved it. Think it's time for a van? ha

What goes up must come down. Rhya has mountain goat blood in her. She had zero fear and wanted to follow us everywhere.

We highly recommend checking out Palo Duro canyon next time you're in TX. It was gorgeous and the perfect size for hiking. 

We loved the canyon so much we checked it out the next day. It was sunny and 66 degrees. PERFECT.

Lots of snuggle time!

Thanks for the memorable trip Jen! Miss you already.

Shutterfly is updated

More later! Happy viewing.