Card Making

Isaac has been making lots of cards in the past few days. He made thank you cards for fire fighters, police officers and EMT drivers. The top card in the picture is a thank you card for the "Life Flight" people (who are EMTs in the sky). I just loved his helicopter. The other picture is one he made for an up-coming Sleeping Beauty birthday party. Can you see the detail of the princess (awake) with her hair, crown, dress, pillow and blanket? Isaac still says that he likes to scribble better than staying in the lines, "Because it's faster!"

Cute moments:

*Isaac accidentally hits a friend in the eye with the toy. After seeking forgiveness, I get silly and say, "Now kiss his eyeball!"
Isaac laughs.
I repeat it.
He laughs again, a little less enthusiastic.
I repeat it.
He replies, "Mom, it's not funny anymore."

*Isaac is laying on his back, admiring a rock that he painted. He is looking at it intently as he holds it over his face. All of the sudden, he is holding his face and crying.
I ask, "Isaac did you throw it in the air, because you know that gravity makes everything come down."
"Mom, I didn't throw the rock. I accidentally dropped it."
"Honey, if you do that over your face, where do you think it will land?"
"Mom," he says weeping, "sometimes gravity isn't helpful!"

Abigail moments:
*She asked a man at Arbor's grand opening at Daddy's work, "So, why did you come to this event today?" He was shocked and didn't know how to answer.
*In the middle of places, she just starts dancing (to the music in her head). She has a great shoulder bob and loves to shake her bottom.
*She has a true love for the color purple (she is "willing" to use pink). I always know which picture from Sunday School is hers because it is mostly, if not entirely, purple.
*She will sing on command...loudly.

*Today, one of the Sunday School teachers said Abigail is a "Delight!" When they built a Tower of Babel out of blocks and knocked it down, she was welling up with tears. (She obviously doesn't get the meaning of the Bible story, but she probably remembers how sad her brother was when she knocked down something cool he built).

Moments around the house...blessed beyond measure!

I cannot believe how fast these two have grown. It feels like just yesterday that we were teaching Isaac how to say "A-bi-gail" (when she was still in my belly).

These two tease each other almost all day. They know how to get one another's goat. Isaac, like his mommy, is serious, by the book, and loves to have and execute a plan. He is only really funny, also like his mother, when he is not trying (the harder he tries, the less funny it is). He is very creative and really wants to invent things.

With that said, "Sunshine and Butterflies" AKA Abigail, is easy going and not very serious. She laughs all the time...and easily gets us all laughing. When Isaac is trying to direct her, she often drifts off and starts dancing or doing something silly. She is our comic relief at the dinner table. The things in her that melt my heart are the characteristics I see in her daddy.

It is funny to look back to when Isaac was Abigail's age. At her age he was asking deep questions, really examining big issues, the world, sin, why Jesus had to die...he was saying things like, "Mommy, I just want sin out of my heart."

On the other hand, Abigail, when we sit down with her after she has been disobeying, has no desire to dig deep. Daddy was talking to her the other day after a long day of disobeying Mommy, she was crying and seemed to be broken. Just when Daddy thought he was getting through, she starts laughing (noticing her long sleeves covering her hands) and says, "Look! I have puppet hands!" At the same time, I love her joy and childlikeness as she sings and says her Bible verse. I wouldn't quite say child like faith, but a joyful attitude when it comes to things about Jesus.

It will be so interesting to see how this all plays out as they grow older. We pray that they do come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray the the Word that is being hidden in their heart would one day transform their hearts and lives. We also pray that they would see our true love for our Savior and desire to have a personal relationship with our great God.

"Thank you, God, for blessing us with two very unique and individual children with different strengths, weaknesses, gifts, talents, personalities, and fears. Help us to meet them where they are and point them to You. Help us to understand them better and love them selflessly, consistently, gracefully, faithfully...as You love us. When I am tempted to try and control, micro-manage or get exasperated, help me to remember Your love and the great honor it is to be entrusted to parent these two. I take great comfort in the fact that You love them even more than I do. Help Chris and I to follow You more and more as we strive to lead them. You are so good! You have blessed us beyond measure!"

The Nose Knows

Isaac has always had a keen sense of smell. He is highly sensitive to bad breath and even makes himself dry heave in the bathroom when he makes it stink. It is not only bed smells he is aware of. From very young, he could be upstairs and smell what was cooking downstairs, even if it was rice. At 2, he recognized the soil at a farm "smells like Home Depot." He could identify the smell of gasoline, different lotions and spices included in a meal I made...at 2.

Yesterday, we were given a bag of hand-me-down clothes for Isaac. We were sorting through them and he was excited to see a Superman shirt. I agreed to let him put it on. Before he did, he said, "Did ________ give this to me?"

I said, "Yes, isn't that nice?

To which, he replies, "Yeah, because it smells like their house."

The new batch of clothes inspired me to organize the clothes that have been returned from other families and want to pass on to others.

I wondered if my boy could do it again...I handed him a shirt that was his that had been worn and washed by another family. I said, "Isaac, what does this shirt smell like?"

He took a deep whiff, thought, and said he didn't know. I could see the look on his face, he was almost there. I insisted he try again. He took another big sniff, closed his eyes and proclaimed the right answer! He guessed the smell of the right family!

I know that we all have different smells in our homes, from our skin, pets, cleaning chemicals, carpets, detergents, fabric softeners and even what plants we have in and around our homes. It is really neat that my boy has a sharp sense of smell and is attentive to details. I think this is one of the many things that make him so unique and special to me.

My little Bloodhound.

Another Little Taste of Summer

F-R-E-E Summer

I was just thinking of how many fun things we have done this summer for FREE! Chris and I love a good deal and love thing FREE even more. Even if the Lord granted us millions of dollars, we'd still get excited about getting something free.

Here are some examples of our free Summer fun:

A day at the Portland Children's Museum
A day at OMSI
Big Truck Show
Regal Cinema family movies
Train ride at Bridgeport Village mall
Spray parks
Fishing day at Bonneville Dam
Wa County Fair
Lowes Build and Grow workshops (bibs, goggles, badges and the projects they build)
NW Natural Street of Dreams tour (with hot dogs and drinks)

Church events:
Water play/water slides Wednesdays (with free snow cones)
BBQ's (that come with games, food and desserts/more water play)
Car Show

City events:
Picnics/BBQ's and concerts in the parks
Movies in the parks (which are SO COOL)

Library events:
Puppet shows
Juggling show/magic show
Train show
Summer reading program/free books to keep
*We are also too cheap for Red Box and reserve our videos from the library

It is also fun to get the free goodies that they pass out at these events. We have come home with, literally, bags worth of free things. Here are some that I remember:
*4 free ice cream cone coupons
*2 free kid's sundaes
*4 free Mc Donald's kid's meals
*2 free kids meals from Red Robbin
*(if you include the free burgers for birthdays) Red Robbin has give us 4 free burgers and an appetizer
*2 free appetizers at Stanfords
*2 free Child ID kits
*2 free McD apple dippers
*2 free Krispy Cream doughnuts
*tattoos, coloring books, pinwheels, crayons, stickers, lolly pops, McD toys, pencils, balloons...

I know there is more, but I just can't think of them right now. In addition to that, we also have gotten tons of coupons to use if we want to actually spend any money. :)

It is so fun! I know there is more free...I just didn't have time to go to it all this year.

Looking forward to the rest of summer and F-R-E-E activities in the fall

MAX Moments

Today is Saturday. Daddy works and we don't like to go places that are otherwise busy on Saturdays. I have been trying to stay off my foot, so walking to the park is not one of the best options. So, that said, we bought a $4.75 all-day Tri-Met ticket to ride the MAX train/Portland Streetcar. We visited the went to Union Station and had lunch while watching the Amtrak passengers come and go. We ventured to the airport to watch the planes take off and land (and discussed gravity, lift, thrust and drag that all effect a plane and flight).

Along the trip, there are lots of sights and sounds to take in. One of my great loves are people watching and listening. When one ventures out of the burbs, there are so many more interesting things to observe.

MAX moments from an average Portland Saturday via public transportation:

*Talked with a lady and her husband who were on a date to Saturday Market without their teenagers. I learned that the husband, after 30+ years as a real estate appraiser is not able to retire; he starts his new job as a school bus driver this year.

*There are so many different types of shoes!

*There are so many people who sleep on the street and try to "bum a smoke."

*Girl, maybe 19 or 20, loudly proclaimed that she had a huge hangover. Also, she said how America could "suck her d*#k!" When I made eye contact with her hoping that she had some respect for my children, she proclaimed, "Yes, I am a democrat and America can suck my..." (I think I counted her say it 8 times before she walked away). I wonder about our future generation...Sure, everyone has the "right" to complain in America...and also the right to work to try and make it better.

*Two guys, about my age, talking about a girl flirting with one of them. He said he was told that the "girl" was a "girl" but only after an operation. The guy said, "I don't know if I can handle that." The other guy replies, "You know, you just have to figure that out for yourself...I have a pretty open mind."

*Same two guys...talking about the best anti-depressant to use. One of them was trying a good, new one, that seemed to be helping him for the last 6 months he was on it. He was planning to suggest it to some of his other friends. Hmmm.

*Two guys, 50s, talk about going to the library to check their emails. They also talk about sending gifts (one to his girl friend the other to his step-daughter) to people from outside of Portland. One wants to send Voodoo Donuts, the other, a disposable camera full of pictures on cool places in Portland (he only wants to send the camera because he doesn't want to pay to develop the pictures).

*Same two guys...One says, "Man, I see the birds in Portland. Man, even the birds here eat better than most of the people in the world/in other countries." Hmmm. Yes. That statement says a lot.

*Portland does have a lot of cool food choices from around the world. Some of the little street vendors, I am told, are the best (if you find the right ones).

*Girl, 20s, with two of her friends talking about her modeling web site and trying to be discovered as a model and singer.

*Couple, my age, with matching green shirts and matching fancy cell phones ask to take a picture of the kids. They are feverishly trying to figure out clues to the Urban Race through Portland (using phones to look up addresses and call friends for answers). I realize that most of us on the train are no help to them and know very little about Portland. They need to take a picture of themselves with a group of 10 cyclists and are trying to find a Portland B&B that is named after a famous San Fransisco landmark.

*Guy, my mom's age, sitting alone. Quiet. Woman, 40s, walks on the train with her bling, pink cell phone playing Beyonce (I think) very loudly. Guy opens up to the lady right away. She confesses to him that she did 1/2 a cube of crystal (I think that is her verbiage...either way, she says that she is high on meth). The guys laughs, knowing how obvious it is. He confesses to her that he is "slummin' it in Portland" for a while but he is from Vancouver, WA. She smiles with her two teeth, and they leave the train together at the next stop.

*There are a lot of pretty flowers, even among the weeds...if you look really close (and your loving son pick them for you as a gift).

*Couple, 20s, at Union Station taking wedding pictures on a really cool bridge. It is very hard to capture the "moment with all the pedestrian traffic on the bridge. The camera and lens are very nice and I think they got some really cute shots. I wonder if I looked that young to the 30 year old moms when I was having my wedding pictures taken...

*There were so many different languages I heard spoken today; cool!

*Dating couple, about 30, holding each other on the train. They see an add for Hawaiian Airlines and start talking about the fact that they would like to go to Hawaii. Girl says, "When I was on a vacation in New Zealand, I told someone who I wanted to go to Hawaii." She goes on to say that the native from New Zealand criticized her for wanting to go to and island in the middle of the open. She laughs and said, "Actually, Hawaii has 3 islands!" The boyfriends responds, "I don't care with of the 3 I go to, any place on the island is within one mile of the beach."
Guess they really do need to get to Hawaii

*Older man stands up on the train and starts yelling about what his brothers did for us in the war. No one knows who he is talking to, but no one looks up or makes eye contact. Though he is so loud is looks like no one hears anything, including us.

*Portland has a lot of cool old buildings...some restored, some falling apart, some converted into something new with touches of the old still there.

*It feels like people always talk the loudest when they are swearing...even if they are not upset (maybe my ears just hear it more...especially around the children). I was expecting Isaac to ask me to define a lot of different words today. Praise God he was very excited about other things at all the moments expletives were being proclaimed.

*It is much, much faster to get places in the van, but there are not as many interesting moments...

*There are so many cool things always happening at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I love how much there is to do and see.

*I hold my kids, phone, backpack and wallet a little tighter in certain places than others while on the MAX. Hmmm. I don't plan to, it comes natural.

*Isaac was quick to panic when anyone got too close to the "danger area" where the train might hit them. He said, "I was freaking out because I didn't want them to get hit by the train." He would wave his arms, flapping like a chicken and say, "Hurry, hurry, watch out, the train is coming."

*Isaac found "money" on the train. He told me I can put the money in my bank (it was 2 cents, but it was a sweet offer).

*Isaac held a door for me and a family that was behind us. Daddy is building a little gentleman.

*Abigail fell asleep in my arms on the train ride home.


Here are some other things that came to mind in light of today:

Ecclesiastes 1:8,9
All things are wearisome;
Man is not able to tell it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.

Romans1:24-27...you can look that one up if you want to (and use it to discuss prop 8 in Cali)

More Summer Fun

I just couldn't resist posting more pics of Summer. Blueberry picking and the county fair. I love my life!!! Thank you Jesus!