Ashtin's Birthday Party

We went to Washington over the weekend to attend our niece Ashtin's 11th birthday party. She had a pool party at the local high school's swimming pool. Gavin was a little hesitant at first to get in the water, but once Chad got in and he saw how much fun everyone was having, he jumped right in.

Missing In Action

Wow! What a busy couple of months I've been having! Since starting the billing position with Titan in January, its been hard to get everything done, so I apologize for not posting as much as I'd like to. I'll try to make sure to post at least every few days from now on. I took these pictures of Gavin and Alayna sometime in the last two weeks or so. Gavin has been taking a Tumbling and Trampoline class at the community center, which met once a week for 5 weeks. He had a great time jumping on the crash mats, practicing his somersaults and (as you can see) walking across the balance beam. The actual trampoline part was kind of a bust. I thought Gavin would really like it, but it became much more of a struggle than I was prepared for.

Dr. Sears' Birth Book

I just picked up "The Birth Book" by Dr. Sears at the library today. I've been wanting to read this book for awhile now and have had it on hold at the library for over a month. (Apparently, lots of other women have wanted it as well). I started reading it as soon as I got home and have not been able to put it down! I really appreciate Dr. Sears for his more natural approach to childbirth, although he is not a "doctor hater" like it seems in other books (since, I guess, he IS one!!). I really enjoyed reading the stories of the births of his children (he has EIGHT!) which is told mainly by his wife, Martha. Its amazing to see how the experience of giving birth has changed so dramatically just in her childbearing years (her first child was born in 1967). I also appreciate that they are believers in Christ, although this never is mentioned in this book (at least not that I've yet read). I guess I just trust their judgement more now that I know that they have the same basic view of the world that I also have.

I highly recommend this book for anyone you know who is expecting a baby or will in the future. I waited all this time to get it at the library and now I may just have to purchase it to have on hand for reference for my next birth (God providing).

~Yum Yum~

Alayna looked so cute with sweet potatoes all over her face that I had to snap a few pics!

Cuddle Time

Gavin and Alayna cuddling together in Mommy's bed.

Blizzard Hits Portland

These pictures are a couple of weeks old, but I wanted to make sure to post them. We got hit pretty hard with some snow storms a couple of weeks back and actually got some accumulating snow. Gavin had a blast playing in it! It was fun while it lasted, but after a few days, the traditional Portland balmy weather came back and the snow was gone.

~Look at Me...I'm So Stylish~

Hello 2007!

It has been an eventful start to our new year. First of all, Chad accepted the position of Director of Sales with Titan Freight Systems and is very excited about this new opportunity. This position is very different from his former Sales Rep position. Now, he is in charge of managing the entire sales force (about 5-7 sales reps in Washington and Oregon). His first weeks have been spent sorting through resumes and interviewing potential employees, as they are in need of hiring two more reps. I asked him recently if he is feeling stressed. He said "yes, but it is a good kind of stress. It makes me excited and want to continue working instead of tiring me out." Also, very very recently (like in the last couple of days), Titan temporarily lost their billing person, who is taking a medical leave. SO......I get the honor of learning the billing system and will be working part time in the evenings (2-3 nights per week). Honestly, though, its great. I've really been wanting to find some sort of part time job to let me escape from "Mommy mode" and get out of the house. Of course, I always have my Mary Kay, but this is much more "paperworky", which I just love!

Gavin & Alayna ready for church

Look, she sits!!! Yay Alayna!

I am a Domestic Goddess!

Or a complete nerd for taking a picture of my dinner! But....I'm just so proud! Isn't just gorgeous? TIVO recorded an organic cooking show for me and this looked so yummy, I just had to try it. Here's the link to the recipe....be forewarned, though, make this on a day when you have LOTS of time. Oh, and just another tidbit, I halved this recipe and it still fed us dinner and gave us leftovers.

Getting Gavin Dressed.....

....is a timeconsuming ordeal! Gavin insisted on wearing daddy's shirt to the grocery store. (Mom won this one!)

Lights on Peacock Lane

Last night we drove to see the lights on Peacock Lane, a road about a 10 minute drive from our house that has gained a reputation for having very cool light displays. Its in an older neighborhood, so the houses seem to have even more "character". Gavin called one of them "a gingerbread house". Click here to see pics!

Montage of Cuteness

Super Cute!

I am having a ball dressing Alayna up in so many super cute outfits, thanks so much to Melissa, who let me borrow Maddy's outgrown clothes.

**NEW** MySpace Link

Just for fun, I made a MySpace page. You can view it by clicking on the MySpace link to the right.

Let it Snow~Let it Snow~Let it Snow

About a week ago we got our first (and probably only) snowfall for the year. At 7:30 in the morning, Gavin wanted to go out and play in it. At first, I hesitated. It was, after all, only 7:30 a.m. But I soon realized that if we waited, it would probably be all melted within a couple of hours. So, we got Gavin all bundled up and he marched through the snow, bent over to touch it, stomp in it and feel what its like to go down the snow-covered slide. Ahh, to be 4 years old again!

More Arizona Pics

Mom just emailed these additional pics from our Arizona trip. I thought they were so good that I wanted to share them with all of you. I just have to say my favorite is the one with me and my sisters, Karen and Kelly. I love my sisters so much! I'm so glad we were all able to hang out in Phoenix!!!

In Loving Memory of Cliff Harris

Chad's Grandfather, Cliff Harris, went to be with the Lord this past week. Chad flew out to Boise the day after Thanksgiving with his siblings to attend the service. He just got home last night. Although a tearful weekend, he said it was a very nice service and so good to be with family. We have been so blessed to have many more years with Grandpa than we ever expected or imagined. I found his obituary and thought some of you might like to read it.

On our way to preschool this morning, Gavin says...

"Mom, did we bring our smoke today?" Smoke, smoke....I had no idea what he was talking about. "Smoke?" "Yes, smoke coming out of a smoke stack." "Uh, no, sweetie, we didn't bring our smoke today." He sounded disappointed. "Oh," he said, "but all the other cars have their smoke." Then I realized what he was talking about. He saw the exhaust coming from the other cars and it looked like smoke (it was a chilly 35 degrees this morning). "You know what, Gavin," I said. "I was wrong...we DID bring our smoke today."

Rejoice in the Miracle of Birth!

What a beautiful statement, huh? Well, I wish I could take credit for creating it, but it was actually in an email I received from my aunt who was announcing the birth of her first granddaughter, Emilia Hope Harris, daughter to my cousin, Adrienne, her husband Seth and proud big brother Ethan. I wish their family great blessings and congratulations!