Hunter and Friends

I was looking through random pictures and came across lots of pictures with several of his friends. I love the idea of him already having friends that he sees on a regular basis. These pics are from his Air Force friends group. Haha.



Scarlet taught him to crawl under the coffee table last week. Lovely!



Scarlet also taught him how to hug girls. Can't you tell he's just thrilled?



Then Ryleigh told him that he better practice hugging girls and that he better learn to like it...



Okay, maybe he doesn't think it's so bad.



Hunter with his girlfriend, Halle.



The whole crew! Ryleigh, Scarlet, Halle and Hunter. C-17 babies unite!

Puyallup Fair

We had a great day at the Puyallup Fair last Friday. We went with Jesse's bff, Jamie and his 2 year old daughter, Scarlet. I have decided that the fair is so much more fun being with children. I love to see their faces light up when they get close to the animals or go on a ride.

I enjoyed a raspberry scone, bbq boneless rib sandwich, and some fried pickles! Gotta love fair food! :)

I was totally bummed that I forgot to bring my camera with me, so sorry about the poor quality from our camera phones!

Hard to Catch!

I've been having a heck of a time trying to get Hunter to stay still long enough for me to take his picture! This is the result of my efforts:









Checking in for Meet Up Monday. Check out Amy's awesome blog! :)

I Will Always Be Your Baby...

Yesterday afternoon, Hunter and I drove back from visiting my parents house, and Hunter had fallen asleep on the way home. I gently lifted him out of the car seat and help him close. When I got inside, I set him down so I could put my things away, but he clung to my legs. At first I was a little annoyed because I had a messy living room and wanted nothing more than to straighten it out. Then I looked back down and wanted to hold him more than anything.

We sat on the recliner and he just curled up on my lap and rested his head under my chin, eyes wide open. Hunter had not cuddled with me for months, unless it was while drinking his morning bottle. And there we sat in silence for the next 45 minutes, smiling at each other. I touched his face and arms, thinking back to the first days after we brought him home from the hospital. It was almost as if he was thinking about the exact same thing.

I've been so excited for him to learn new things but with his 1st birthday less than 2 weeks away, it has been a little emotional that my baby is growing up. I had been missing the days when he sat with me and let me wrap my arms around him. It felt like he understood how his mom was feeling and without words, he was telling me, "Don't worry mom, I will always be your baby."

Friday Five

I'm linking up with Beth from www.mcclintockb.blogspot.com for her "Friday Five". Check out her blog, it's great!




1. What's your comfort food?

It's gotta be berry pie, any type of berry pie. Yummy!


2. What's on your mind right now?

Going to the Puyallup Fair!




3. What's the best advice you've ever received?

A couple months ago at church, they were talking about holding grudges and forgiveness. The fact that everyone is worthy of Christ's forgiveness, how can they possible not be worthy of yours? This has stuck in my head and changed my heart.

4. If you found $10 dollars today, what would you do with it?

I would head over to Starbucks and have Pumpkin spice latte with a pumpkin scone. Yum!!!



5. What is the least favorite thing to clean in your house?

I hate cleaning bathrooms, despise it!!!


I only wish I looked this happy when cleaning the bathroom!

C-17 Spouse Flight

Last Sunday I had one of the most amazing experiences EVER. Jesse's squadron offered a spouse flight on the C-17 to show their appreciation to the wives of the squadron.

We flew to Spokane and then on the way back, they opened up the back of the jet. It was so cool, they flew low levels over the Columbia River and then again when we were flying over the Puget Sound and Seattle.

You can see the loadmasters in some of the pictures sitting on the edge of the plane. This made me realize what an amazing job Jesse has!

You Know You’re a Working Mom When…

I’ve decided to join Julia over at www.workwifemomlife.com for her “Working Mommy Wednesday”. This week I’m going to respond to her first prompt: You know you’re a working mom when….

1. You get to work with a diaper bag instead of your purse, whoops!
2. You start the car, get everything loaded, and THEN wake up your baby to get them ready and out the door
3. You’ve made it down the street at 6am and turned around to grab your kid’s favorite toy, which you’ve left at home, to make the morning ride as peaceful as possible.
4. The best feeling is waking up to your alarm at 4:45am and realizing that you hadn’t woken up at all in the middle of the night. Gross, we aren’t ever supposed to feel good waking up that early, right?!
5. Bedtime at the end of the day is bittersweet, you are so tired from a long day but dearly want to spend more time with your child.
6. Coffee is no longer optional on a work day.
7. Working overtime seems unbearable; all you want to do is get home to your child.
8. You find your mind wandering at work about birthday parties, baby clothing sales, and what they are going to be for Halloween this year.
9. You count down the hours until the weekend begins, so that you can have the entire weekend with your kiddo.

If you are a working mom, check out Julia’s wonderful blog and working mom e-community!

5 Times Over

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately of whether or not I got into the right career choice or if there is a career that is better suited towards my personality. I’m not trying to make a switch, but it made me ponder the idea of…. If I lived my life over 5 times, which different career paths would I take?

1. Elementary Teacher – I absolutely love most little kids and I feel like this job would best suit my personality and really bring out the best in me. I love to be creative, act goofy, and do spontaneous activities. Surprised? Well, I just never have time for that sort of stuff! I would love to have that sort of environment for my career. Small children rarely annoy me, they are the only group of people that I usually have tremendous patience with. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely have my moments at home after a ten hour work day when I want to scream because Hunter is into the cupboards, pulling the lamp off the table, or feeding his entire dinner to the dog.

2. Air Force Pilot – After seeing what Jesse does as a loadmaster on the C-17’s, it has instilled a desire to have adventure in my work. I also have developed a strong sense of wanting to serve our country.

3. Baker – For awhile, I dreamed up opening up my own bakery or cupcake shop. Now I am thinking, I just want to bake. I don’t want to own a shop, simply clock in and bake, bake, bake! So yes, I would love to wake up at the crack of dawn, or even before, head over to a quaint little bakery, bake up some delicious food, and then welcome people as they come in for a tasty treat!

4. A chef – I really don’t think I’m cut out for the brutal competition and rivalry that goes along with it, but the idea of going to culinary school really appeals to me. I LOVE watching Iron Chef America, Next Food Network Star, and Chopped. I just think it would be very fun and exciting.

5. Stay at home mom – I go back and forth about this. I love being at home with Hunter, but I also like getting a break from home and feel like I am contributing to something outside of our home. The flip side of this is that I would get to spend tons of time with Hunter, would be able to have more babies whenever I could handle it, and be able to pursue some of the above mentioned things at home! I have a feeling this could be coming in my life especially if Jesse gets stationed somewhere else anytime soon. Hmmm, perhaps that will be a future blog topic…

What would you like to do if you had more time in your life to have multiple careers?

Hunter's 1 year old Photos

My friend Chandra, of December Rose Photography, took Hunter's pictures yesterday morning out in Buckely, WA. I had only driven through Buckley in the past and fell in love with it yesterday! It's a historic town off of Highway 410 before you reach Crystal Mountain.

We had lots of fun with Hunter on the train tracks, by the log cabin, and playing with the old railroad equipment. Here are the sneak peeks that Chandra sent over last night. I love them!



Sorry they are so small, click on them to see a larger view.

Isabelle's 4th Birthday Party

Today, Hunter went to his friend's birthday party. Isabelle is four and had a great birthday bash at My Gym in Kent. Hunter was too young to follow the activities with the older kids, but he sure had fun playing on all the equipment!

Forgiveness: Part 3 & 4

Forgiving Ourselves

When dealing with forgiving myself, I need to have more faith in the fact that I am forgiven in Christ, instead of believing the devil’s lie that I am still guilty and should therefore allow myself to wallow in it.

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Jeremiah 31:34

We can choose to continue to feel guilty or we can fill our thoughts with the reality that we are truly forgiven and be reminded of the extent of God’s forgiveness.

Forgiving God

Forgiving God, how offensive and ridiculous! Right? Am I saying that God is guilty of wronging us and that he needs to be forgiven? Absolutely not. Several of His faithful followers in the Bible held short-lived resentment toward God for the judgments and situations that were brought down on them. I know that I have felt angry at God for the suffering and pain that I’ve seen my own loved ones go through as well as myself. God does not need our forgiveness, nor does he desire it. He always acts with righteous judgment, regardless what your perceptions may be. Any resentment we hold against him causes us unnecessary hurting and anguish. We do not know why He makes the decisions he makes, but through faith, we have freedom from the burdens of the world.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

Forgiveness: Part 2

Forgiving your brothers and sisters in the Lord

When dealing with fellow believers, we are supposed to reconcile with them. We should go to them face to face, meekly, and deal with the issue at hand.

If your brother offends you, take him to task about it, and if he is sorry, forgive him. Yes, if he wrongs you seven times in one day and turns to you and says, ‘I am sorry’ seven times, you must forgive him. Luke 17:3-4.

What comes to mind when I read this passage is my relationship with my husband. Am I the only one who feels like they are dealing with the same issue over and over again? It takes so much patience to be obedient and faithfully continue to forgive, but he has commanded us to do so. There are things that I continually fail at and am so blessed to be offered forgiveness time after time.

Fun Game

Play along with me :)

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: We don’t have A/C
B- My BEDROOM theme is: Hmmm, not really a theme but the colors are cream and dark brown
C- The CAR in the driveway is: Blue Honda Accord and Ridgeline
D- My DESK looks: Messy, I need to work on this room quite a bit
E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: 4:45am during the week, 7am on weekends
F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: My hair
G- My GARAGE is filled with: Oh boy…. Tools, poker table, duck decoys, a bow for deer hunting, golf clubs, snowboarding equipment, fishing poles, softball bats… Do you think my husband has enough hobbies???
H- My HOUSE is: for the most part free of clutter
I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: usually a made bed, but some clothes on the floor.
J- My favorite JUICE is: Grapefruit, but I try not to drink juice
K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: The island, kitchen aid, and all our fiesta ware dishes and serving pieces
L- The LAST person who visited my home was: Meghan Fagerberg for our Monday night bible study... LOVE her!
M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: A Cooking Light magazine
N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm: Rarely home, always on the go with Hunter along for the ride
O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: Not much at the moment. Tofu, carrot juice, green beans, apples, pears, apple sauce. I need to go to the store!
P- My last house PARTY was: It’s been awhile, since before Hunter was born.
Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: Stir fry or curry
R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: Our bedroom, when it’s clean. I think it’s so peaceful at the end of the day to lay down and have my quiet prayer/bible reading time
S- The SHAMPOO brand I use is: Herbal Essence
T- My largest TELEVISION is: 47" in the living room
U- UNDER my bed you will find: NOTHING! Yay!
V- The last time I VACUUMED was: Last night
W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: Our yard
X- I wish I had X-TRA: Free time
Y- My YARD is: Kept in good shape by the hubby!
Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: Before Hunter: 9pm After Hunter: 11-12pm

Forgiveness: Part 1

Sunday night at church was amazing. Rev. Majed El Shafie from One Free World International spoke about many things, including the importance of forgiveness. He gave four keys in truly learning to forgive. This has me really pondering the importance of forgiveness.

1. Forgive your enemies
2. Forgive your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
3. Forgive yourself
4. Forgive God

We are the ones who suffer the most when we choose not to forgive. The weight of not forgiving is enormous and keeps us from knowing the freedom that God has for us. In the last couple months, I have been working so hard to remember that if the person is worth Christ’s forgiveness, how can they possibly not be worthy of mine? To me, it is so humbling to come back to that question whenever I am angry at someone. Am I so high and mighty that I could possibly think that my forgiveness should be harder to come by than His?

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Colossians 3:13

Forgiving Enemies
I have realized that when trying to forgive someone whose heart I do not understand and whom I strongly disagree with, it is best for me to pray for that person. When I pray for them, my heart softens and I am humbled by God’s grace and see myself in a new light, just as guilty of failure and sin. It is not our job to judge the other person in their sin, but to repent for our own wrong-doings.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Taking up Indian Cooking

I have decided to take up Indian cooking! Jesse and I both love Indian food, but don't get to have it much. After watching Aarti win on The Next Food Network Star, I got inspired.

I was super motivated to start last weekend.... and then realized that I don't have any of the spices needed to make Indian cuisine. So.... I got on the internet today and ordered all the things I need to get started:

Whole Star Anise
Garam Masala
Smoked Paprika
Coriander Seeds
Ground Tumeric
Black Cardamom Pods
Green Cardamom Pods
Fenugreek Seeds
Fennel Powder
Fennel Seeds
Ground Brown Mustard Seed
Ground Coriander

I got all this stuff on www.myspicesage.com They had really good deals and it ended up being much less expensive then searching for this stuff in a store.

Anyone have experience with using these spices?

Hopefully soon I will be making dishes like this:

Walking, Talking, and Clinging Machine

Hunter has made such huge strides this week! He's walking all over the place now and only crawls to furniture to pull himself back up.

He learned how to say dog earlier this week and this morning he showed me he understood it! This morning, I pulled him into bed with me to give him his morning bottle and our dog jumped up on the bed to join us. Immediately, Hunter pointed at Henry, and said "Dog!" Yay!!!

Hunter is also showing his first signs of any sort of separation anxiety. If I am around, he wants to be attached to me! He cries if I walk away or put him down and then clings to my legs or neck. It seems just about impossible to get anything done around the house this weekend!!!

Football Season

I suppose it is already that time of year!!!

Background Noise

Jesse and I came to the realization a couple weeks ago that we constantly have the TV on. I don’t know if we even really talked about changing that, but that’s what we did. For the last two weeks, on weeknights, we have not turned on the TV until Hunter has gone to bed. It is amazing! We focus on Hunter, each other, cleaning up the house before bed every night, and just enjoying the sound of our sounds laughter. We are not distracted by what is happening on a television show that we don’t really care about, we talk through dinner and we reconnect after a busy day. We are so much more productive!

Now the tough question is….. Will I be able to continue this once my TV shows return in a couples weeks?!

Point Defiance Zoo

On Friday we met up with some of our friends, Ryan & Stephanie and Jamie & Erin, at the Point Defiance Park for a picnic lunch and then we headed to the zoo. Ryan and Stephanie's little girl, Halle, is so stinkin' cute! She's 8 months old and is tiny and such a delightful little girl. Jamie and Erin's little girl, Scarlet, is almost 2, and is so sweet. It's so fun to have friends that have kids as well.

Here are a couple of pictures from the zoo. The top one is Halle and Hunter in the aquarium and the bottom picture is Scarlet, Erin and I riding on a camel!

After the zoo we all headed back to our house and hung out and chatted. Then we headed out to Emerald Downs to watch the horse races with Jamie, Erin, and Pete. We had a good time!

Stop feeding that dog!

Hunter's new thing is to feed the dog his food and he laughs every single time! We finally had to make Henry sit across the room so that Hunter stopped giving him all his food!

Hunter Walking

3 years ago....

I married a wonderful man and had no idea that I would fall more and more in love with him with each year that passes.

Tomorrow morning if you wake up
& the sun does not appear
I will be here

If in the dark we lose sight of love
Hold my hand & have no fear
Because I will be here

I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
& I will be here
When the laughter turns to crying
Through the winning, losing, & trying
We’ll be together
Because I will be here

~Steven Curtis Chapman, “I Will Be Here”