Back to blogging

Yes, I've taken a long (much longer than anticipated) break from blogging. However, there is a lot to update, so I suppose now is as good as any day to start.

December...
Was an exciting month for our family. We had lots of visitors, I turned 30, Jameson was very excited about Christmas (and still asks when it is happening again), and we announced that we were pregnant with our second child.

In early December my mom and sister came out to visit

Jameson was very excited for Christmas this year

He couldn't even stand still

I turned the big 3-0!

...and got to celebrate with my lovely ladies!

Christmas Morning

Auntie Alison came to visit for New Years

January...
Was a very chill (weather-wise, and event-wise) month, as it usually is following the holiday craze. We stayed inside and had lots of play dates because it was so cold outside! Jameson and I did get some relief from the cold when we took a trip to San Diego for the PLNU study abroad fair. We got to see my brother, Tim, and his girlfriend, Cristy and we stayed with our friend's LeAnn and Zach. It was a lot of fun! We also found out we were going to be blessed with our 2nd boy, which is what Jameson was saying all along. When we got back Auntie Alison was here for a first interview at a school in Denver.

Jameson and Shayna playing in the snow

Grace and Jameson playing with the doctor kit

Playing at a playground by LeAnn and Zach's home

February...
After Jameson's hospital stay (in November) we decided we needed a family vacation. We decided that Disney World would be a great place to take our "Celebrate Life" trip (both his life and our pregnancy). We absolutely loved it, even though the weather wasn't terribly cooperative. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was such a fun place to stay, waking up to animals outside our hotel room was very exciting!

Our seasoned travelers

Like the sign says...

Animal Kingdom

The Teacups

Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride was so fun!

We love Disney World!

Baby belly

March...

Jameson had his golden birthday by turning 3 on March 3. In my opinion it was a REALLY golden birthday because he turned 3 on 3/3. :-) Like Christmas he was very excited for his birthday and for the first time really understood what it meant.

The table that greeted him when he woke up

Helping to make his birthday breakfast: Pancakes

Already becoming quite the chef!

Jameson got a bike for his birthday

and a child's table and chair set

Birthday pic with Daddy (aka Kev, which is what Jameson calls him!)

April...
Was another easy-going month. We began to plant our garden and make summer plans. We found a wonderful midwife who would deliver our little boy, and began planning our homebirth. We found our weekly breakfast place called Snooze's (thanks to Beth and Julio). Took a trip to the zoo with cousins and had lots of fun.

Grace and Jameson posing in front of Jamie's tulips

Jameson and me at the Zoo

The angry peacock, but look at his cool tail feathers!

Riding the carousel with Eden

Getting bigger!

May...
For me the most memorable event in May was Jameson got a hair cut. A VERY short haircut and he wasn't happy about it. It has kept him much cooler this summer but he keeps telling me he "wants his crazy hair back." We also had a rockin' pizza/dance party with our buddies. We found out Alison (my bestie, aka Auntie Alison to Jameson) was going to be moving to Denver and got her dream job at an awesome charter school as the new "Literacy Specialist." Yay, Alison!!!

THE haircut

Bridget chopping pineapple for pizza night

Landon rolling out his dough

The crazy dance party

Julio teaching Zach some moves

June...
Due date month is here, although not until the end of the month! Kevin finished up his quarter at DU, then it was just getting ready for baby boy who was still unnamed. We took Jameson to his first baseball game which he loved and "our rockies" (Jameson's name for them) won. Yay!!! I began getting chiropractic work and in week 39 I started acupuncture to bring this baby boy out! I REALLY didn't want another 11 pound baby, the recovery was a long one with Jameson. Our goal was 9.5 pounds. My mom arrived June 19th to help out with Jameson in the hopes that this baby would arrive by July 4th when she had to head back to Portland!

GO ROCKIES!!!!

Ready to have a baby any time. (June 15th)

We got our wish and Tobin Joseph arrived a day after his due date, weighing in at 9 lbs 7 oz and 20.5 inches long. The birth was incredible and couldn't have gone better!

Proud Daddy Kev holding Tobin

Jameson meeting Tobin for the first time

Jameson wanted me to hold Tobin immediately, I had to ask my oldest boy for a hug!

Not too sure what he thinks about the loud, bright world (sorry its blurry,we didn't use a flash)

July...
A month on and Tobin is a wonderful baby. He sleeps well, eats well and doesn't cry much. Although, he has learned that if he wants something he better be loud, we joke he goes from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Kevin's birthday is the 31st so we are excited to celebrate him in a few days. Jameson has adjusted to being a big brother and tells everyone he sees that he has a baby brother named baby Tobin. It's been a fun transition, although I will admit to being more tired than I imagined! I am lucky Kevin is a great cook, and I don't have to worry about having meals on the table since he does it. My neighborhood friends have been so helpful, taking Jameson when he, or I, need a break from each other or just a change of pace! Since Kevin is on summer break, that has been great, since he has been around so much! Hopefully, now that everyone is updated I can be better about blogging. Whew! Now, I'm really tired!

My favorite books from childhood

I love reading. I always have, and as a child and teen I probably read a book or two a week. If I liked the book I read it in a day. Here are just a few of my favorites that I can remember off the top of my head. If I found a book that I really enjoyed I would read everything the author had written, so while I didn't write all of their books down I will mention it.


I received "A Little Princess" for Christmas (or my Birthday, it all blends together) in 4th Grade. I loved the book, I loved the pictures. I love the story! Also, "The Secret Garden" is another favorite.

In 5th grade I had a teacher that really challenged my quality of reading. I had never had a teacher push me to read "literature." Ms. Solberg did that for me, and I have to admit, its because of her that my love of reading flourished mightily. When I would finish one book she had another waiting in the wings. Katherine Paterson is still one of my favorite authors to this day, as you can see below I have two more selections by her.

"The Great Gilly Hopkins" is about a young girl who has been bounced around in the foster care system, how this poor child acts and reacts. When she ends up in a home that she thinks she'll hate she actually comes to love the foster mom and the other kids there.

"Lyddie" about a young girl who works in a factory in the early 1900's (late 1800's?)

"The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" is one of my all-time favorite and most read books. I absolutely love this book, even though I haven't read it for years and years. I still have my well-worn copy sitting in our guest room and I try to get visitors to pick it up and read.


"Year of the Black Pony"

My 4th grade teacher read us some fabulous books that were not nearly as well-known as what some other teachers read aloud. While I don't remember every book she read that year I do remember this one "Year of the Black Pony." It was the first book she read to us. She had a mural up in the reading corner that her son (or husband?) had painted. Each book she would put up a different mural. The second book she read to us was called "Half-breed" and is also a book worth mentioning.


"Homecoming"
Cynthia Voigt is another favorite author of mine and this is the book that began it for me. If you adults haven't read "Homecoming" I highly recommend it. This is a book I read in 5th grade and I remember thinking how long it was, but I was so sad when it was over because I no longer were a part of this family. Luckily, I found out she wrote 7 books based on this family and the series goes on for a number of years in the character's lives.

WORLD WAR II Phase

"The Devil in Vienna"

"The Devil's Arithmetic"

"The Upstairs Room"

"Number the Stars"

"Summer of my German Soldier"

I definitely went through a World War II phase and I am pretty positive I read every single book out there dealing with this topic. I literally couldn't get enough. It was such a tragic time in history and reading about how one survived was always inspiring to me, even if it was fiction.

"The Witch of Blackbird Pond"
I have always loved historical fiction and this is one of those books that wasn't nearly long enough for my liking. I really love big, thick books that I can dive into, but I loved the story very much, so I forgive it's relatively short length.

"Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry"
Another great book, that opened my eyes to the injustice of the world. I did read the other two books about the same family. "The Road to Memphis" and "Let the Circle be Unbroken" and I enjoyed those as well.

"Island of the Blue Dolphins"
A random award winner book that was in our bookshelf at home. I loved this story and the sequel called "Zia."

"Hatchet"

My 6th grade teacher read this aloud to us and I was enthralled with the story. Later on when I worked in a group foster home I read it aloud to some of our kids (10-18). Everyone loves a good story being read to them. I also went on and read many other books by him, and can't wait until Jameson is old enough to read him some of these "boy" books. I am always on the lookout for good boy books.

Those are a few of my favorites from childhood. Did you enjoy reading as a child? What were your favorite books?