. . . a glimpse into my heart.

We returned from Dave's 4 week sabbatical less then a week ago. It all feels so distant now and like we've been home for months. Judah starts kindergarten in 4 days. Am I ready? No. I need to do his school shopping but besides that it's hard for me to swallow the fact that I have a child old enough for kindergarten. Liam will be starting preschool a couple weeks after Judah starts. I will have 3 days with only two kids at home and two days with just Gabriel for a couple hours. It will be a good thing for me in a lot of ways. I think I will appreciate my boys a lot more and enjoy my time with them. It will also help me bond more with Gabriel and get more done in a day (cleaning, laundry, exercise, scrapbooking, etc.) So, over all I know that having two boys in school will be good for all of us. It's just a big adjustment for me to send the two off to school in someone else's hands. Our time away was good although we had bumps in the road throughout. We got a lot of q...

*Gabriel is still in diapers and the only thing close to Potty training I have done is occasionally putting him on the toilet to see if he’ll go. Well, now that we’re traveling he’s showing an interest. It all started with him asking to go to the potty almost every time I changed him diaper. Now, he will tell us he needs to potty with urgency and when we take him hid diaper is dry and he pees a ton. Now, he’s not telling us every time he needs to go but it’s a start. I can’t do any serious training till we get home but we bought some pull-ups to help when we’re out in public and he wants to use the bathroom. *We went on a little “hike” and Gabriel brushed some Stinging Nettle. Poor little guy couldn’t stop itching his leg. Luckily, Dave knew about another plant you can break open and rub on it to stop the itch. It worked! *This morning Judah woke early as usual but unlike every other morning Grandma and Grandpa were still in bed. He would typically join them in the kitchen/living room...

- I am making a forced transition to running on the road rather then the treadmill. I thought running at sea level would be easier but it wasn't been. I think it's because I am used to running the treadmill. I do, however, LOVE running in the cool and salty air. - Liam is wearing some sort of Spiderman thing on his arm and when asked what it is he said it's for drinking when he goes running. I think someday I might be running races with my little boy! - The change in weather has brought out the curls in Gabriel's hair. I have let it grow out a bit and it's so adorable now.

I'm sitting in McDonald's using their free WiFi and posting the last couples blog updates that had to patiently wait on Dave's laptop until we got internet access. We had some great Tillsmook ice cream which isn't something you'll find in the typical McDonald's in Grand Junction, CO. This morning the boys woke us nice and early again but with no plans and schedule to keep I ended up napping for a couple hours before lunch. It was WONDERFUL! The boys were plenty loud but my body didn't care and enjoyed the rest I could so easily get knowing the house was small and Dave was there. It's been so wonderful to sit around and relax without a care in the world. I bought a book at the used book store and 3 chapters in I think it might be a good read. It's a Christian mystery. It's fun to sit and read and not feel guilty about the loads on laundry waiting for me.

So, after two days of sitting in a car with no exercise and not eating anything nutritious, sleeping on two different beds in two nights, then running yesterday morning. . . .well, I hurt. . . .everywhere! I have aches that I assume are from running after a few days off but the majority of the pain doesn’t seem explainable. My right arm is killing me, mostly muscular pain. My core muscles are so achy and sore.. My legs, my shoulders . . .you name it and it’s sore. I sure hope this works itself out soon cause this isn’t a great way to start a vacation. Dave has been working on writing a paper for his ordination so we’ve had plenty of down time just hanging around the house. I have realized that the books I brought aren’t the type of book you get enthralled in. So, after naps (which are happening now) we’e going to find a bookstore and hopefully I can get my hands on something fun to read. I am thinking about Blue Like Jazz as I have heard it’s a good read. However, I wouldn’t mind a ...

Today was our first full day here and it was wonderful. This morning Dave and I each took a run outside in the misty cool air. It was fabulous and much better than my treadmill at home or running in 90 degree temperatures outside. So, a lot goes into vacationing with kids and you never know what a day might hold. The boys woke at 6am which isn’t as bad as it could be considering we’re in a new time zone and they were waking at 6 at home too. We spent the morning vegging and enjoying laziness. After very successful naps (which is uncommon in a new place) we headed to the beach. The weather was very over cast and a little chilly but as long as it wasn’t raining, we were happy. Liam and Gabriel were very intimidated by the ocean and the waves coming in but Judah had no fear. Gabriel shed some tears but then found his contentment in playing in the sand and getting all wet. Liam eventually warmed up to the joys of the waves and we had a lot of fun. I walked out into the water with Liam an...

I haven't updated about our trip at all so here's a little run down. The boys enjoyed stretching their legs during our layover in Denver. They crawled/ran all over the place. Luckily, there were few people around the gates we were waiting near. We went down to the Seattle center to take the Monorail (which Liam really enjoyed) and had to snap a picture of our boys and the Spaceneedle. Liam got to ride the Carousel which was a first for him. The pole was terribly cold so I put my gloves on him. He thought it was pretty cool to ride the horse. We spent Christmas Eve with dave's dad, step mom, step sisters and step nephew. Gabriel seemed to enjoy his first Christmas although he sat in my lap most of the time and watched Liam. We woke up Christmas morning at Dave's Grandma's cabin. Once again Liam and Gabriel got showered with attention and spoiled with toys. They had a lot of fun playing with their new toys and the dogs. Then we headed to the mountains and spent a few ...

till we leave for Seattle! Dave had a touch of the flu last week and we thought it missed the rest of us. Then last Monday during small group a little girl threw up in the play room with all the other kiddos. We aren't super worried about our kids getting sick because we know it's good for their immune systems to learn how to fight early on. well, Tuesday evening Gabriel was acting up and not nursing well. So, I offered him some peas. He just wasn't eating like he normally does and to be honest I was getting irritated and frustrated. I went to the sink to get a wash clothe to clean him up and can the feeding attempt when all of a sudden Gabriel pukes over the side of his tray all over the floor. This was no baby spit-up. Poor little guy! He hasn't been acting normal ever since. No more puking but he's just fussy and always looks tired. Since that puking evening I haven't felt so great either. All it's been for me is sore muscles and an upset stomach. Liam...

Till we leave for Seattle! Woohoo! I cannot wait. I think with the hour time difference we'll be putting the boys to bed around 8. That will be great. Dave and I hope to take advantage of staying with his parents by putting the boys to bed and leaving to go "hit the town". We can go see late shows, go for walks (brr), go out for ice cream . . . We don't have to be stuck because every evening and night we'll have free sitters. :-) Most likely we'll only go out after the boys go to bed but I am excited to have more one on one time with Dave. Things have been crazy lately and we've been super busy and super stressed. I feel like I am on my last leg. Thankfully Seattle is near. Praise the Lord. He brings refreshment when you need it most.

. . .and tired. I know, after this weekend away we were supposed to feel rested. However, I have neglected to take my vitamins for a week so I think that is a big part of my problem. Anyway, we have no pictures to share since we forgot the camera. It was a nice weekend. We spent a lot of time just veggin' but we also spent a lot of time praying and studying God's word with our pastor and his wife and 4 elders and their wives. There were so many encouraging moments, sprictures and prayers that I wouldn't know where to begin. Dave and I got prayed over by the rest which was a huge blessing to my heart which has been aching a lot lately. I was a bucket of tears but it was wonderful to feel so much love and support. Gabriel was the only kiddo and always was the center of attention. I was thankful he did well sleeping somewhere other then his own bed. He was a pretty good boy for us. We still have youth group tonight so unfortunately we can't just kick back and take it easy....

We are leaving tomorrow morning for Telluride for the Elders/Staff Retreat. It's a beautiful place. We get to stay in a nice condo that's probably the nicest place we've ever stayed in. We've been there twice before. One of the elders in our church has a time share and they were nice enough to allow Dave and I to stay there May of last year. We also were there for the last retreat. We're leaving Liam with some family and just taking Gabriel. I would love to leave him too so Dave and I can have some 'us' time but he's still breast feeding. It'll be a nice break from the norm. We're going up earlier then they need as too because we want to make the most of the weekend. Here are a few pictures of us in Telluride May of '07.

On Sunday we went to dave's cousin Mike's wedding. Dave officiated his very first wedding. He did a great job. From left to right: Suzie (Dave's step sister), Katie (Dave's step sister), Karin (Dave's biolgical sister) and Dave a the wedding. Gabriel's first ferry ride to Great Grandma Ginny's cabin on Widbey Island. On the beach maybe 100 yards from Great Grandma's cabin. Liam LOVED to beach! Liam's first boat ride in the Lagoon. Sunset view from the cabin.

Yesterday we went to Gas Works Park. If you've seen the movie Ten Things I Hate About You then you should remember the paintball scene. It was filmed at Gas Works Park but there is no paintballing there in real life. There are awesome views from the hill. Here are a few pictures:

This was at the Ballard Locks. We went down to see the fish ladder and Liam loved watching all the fish. He would say, "That's a HUGE one!" We played some softball in the grass. We went to play at the park for a little while yesterday.

We're here! This is a picture from the car on our way through town to Dave's dad's house: Liam sacked out in the car on the drive: This is when we first arrived at the house: We left after youth group on Sunday night and the boys slept the 1st 9 hours which was a huge blessing and made the trip way smoother. We got awesome gas mileage in the new minivan so we didn't have to stop very often for gas and only had to stop for food twice. We made it here in great time. So, today we walked downtown Ballard. There's some cute little shops and coffee shops on every corner. We went to Archie McFees which is the some random store ever. They sell lots of crazy little toys and silly things. We bought Liam a plastic Ballard Salmon which he's been carrying around all afternoon. We stopped at a cute little shop and bought a pound of locally made fudge. Wonderful! Yumyum. Tonight we're hanging out with Nic and Melissa, two of our closest friends from Lakeside Bible Camp. M...