La Famille Armstrong

Cole at 16 months... what a cutie!

2011-01-01T11:12:00.000-08:00

Heads up!

2010-11-30T21:35:00.001-08:00

So, if many of you are still following this blog... please stop! And follow this one ;)

http://thearmstrong4.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Asher pushes Cole around... In a good way

2010-10-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Change is comin'!

2010-10-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to keep this under wraps until things panned out... no, not another baby! We love our kids, but two is good for now - and very possibly for a LONG time :)

I am super excited to announce that in Spring 2011 I will be the Jumps Coach for the Track & Field team at Corban Univeristy!! It's a Christian University in Salem, OR with a track & field program that is only 2 years old. This year, we've got several jumpers coming on board who have great marks and could use some more precise coaching than Corban has had recently. My friend (from my GFU track & field days), Brad Bates, is the Assistant Cross Country coach and the sprint coach at Corban, and he referred me for the position. The head coach, Norm Berney, is giving me a tremendous amount of freedom in coaching and he and Brad will be taking care of my athletes the 2 days a week I will not be at practices. (Also crazy... his brother lives in Coos Bay and he used to watch my HS coach Fran Worthen run when she was just out of HS!) Coach Berney & Corban are also giving me lots of flexibility with the kids... I'm still in shock that I get to do this!

Track has been a great passion of mine for a while. I'll admit it though, I'm kind of a wimp. I didn't work as hard as I should have, and I think I was afraid of trying my best and still not being the best... so I (ignorantly & ridiculously) went with the option of not trying at all. Sadly, I'm pretty out of shape now, though getting better every day, but I'm so blessed to get back into training and becoming a support and encouragement for young, Christian athletes. I know my coach at GFU has had such a great impact on my life... I don't know where I would be without his support and the friendship his wife has given me. I look forward to seeing how God will use me in this role.

This means all my other endeavors are getting kicked. I do love taking photos, but this summer has really shown me that it's just not what I want to spend my energies pursuing. It leaves me drained, not energized. I understand that work is tiring, but I am seeing that God wants me to get closer to Him and share Him with others and I truly see this as an opportunity from Him to do just that, while most of my photographic endeavors have been drawing me away from Him, tempting me to pursue the things of the world. I've never been closer to God than when I am out working hard at something He made me good at. I can't wait!! And I'm sure you will be hearing all about it! Mark is already calling me coach and Asher is chiming in right behind him. I know my boys will love going to track meets and I really can't wait to get the season started! Time to hit and books (or rather, google) and plan workouts... it's going to be hard work and I'm trusting God to use me in this role to impart His love to these students. Did I mention I am excited?? January is just around the corner... wish me luck!

Family Photos at Heiser Farms!

2010-10-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

Darlene Taylor and I have a little booth set up at Heiser Farms today! You can get a family photo taken and receive a 5x7 print for $25 or an 8x10 print for $30. You can also get the image on a CD for $50. No matter what you order, we'll ship it to your address within 1-2 weeks. It's a bit wet out today, but we're in a covered area so you'll be dry while getting your photos taken ;) We plan on being there every Saturday in October so come get a family photo at a great price and pay us a visit!!

Eva Rose Hansen and her 3 adorable boys!

Taken at Heiser Farms Family Photo Booth.

Life on the farm

2010-09-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Cole makes his shot

2010-09-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

Comparing!

2010-09-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

My friend will often post a picture of her newest little boy, and then post another pic of her oldest son to kinda show how they look alike and differ... I haven't been doing this so I thought I would post a few from the boys' first year of life!! Fun huh?? And in case you hadn't noticed (you will soon), my boys don't look too much alike... ah well, they are both super cute anyway! Enjoy!!

Asher at 3 weeks.

Cole at 2 weeks.

Asher at about 2 months.

Cole at 2 months.

Asher at 4 months.

Cole at 4 months (with Aunt Naomi).

Asher at 6 months.

Cole at 6 months.

Asher at 9 months.

Cole at 9 months.

Asher on his 1st Birthday.

Cole on his 1st Birthday.

Cole at 5 months, Asher at 23 months.

We sure love these boys!

New Plan.

2010-09-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Alright, after much deliberation and constant thinking and praying about this... I've decided to take my photography up a notch. I love taking photos and I love helping people, but it's time that I run this like a real business instead of a fun little hobby. That means checking profits, checking costs and inevitably, changing my pricing. Thanks so much to all of you who have let me take your photos and use them for portfolio use!!! I would not be where I am today without you! And for all of you big purchasers, thanks for choosing me for your portraits, wedding and whatever else... I love having you as a client!

I made a new website that reflects my new look and gives a general idea of my pricing. I'm excited to really be working hard at this and learn the self-discipline it takes to run a viable business that will compete with other photographers in the area. Stay tuned as I'll be changing my web addresses to reflect my actual site and my photography blog - both of which will still be called JoliPhoto. Also, stay tuned for updates regarding some photo activities my good friend Darlene Taylor and I will be attempting together! Including (but not limited to) a senior portrait party and Harvest Mini-Shoots at a local pumpkin patch! So fun!!

So, here's my site... I'll soon be removing the wix.com ads once I know it's working well and people like it... so give me some feedback and spread the love!!

www.wix.com/joliphoto/Main-Page

Warning: Lots of photos!

2010-09-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

A few photos of the beach and TONS from Cole's 1st birthday... well, just him and Asher enjoying the cake :)

Cole was happy to just play on a blanket... no sand for him!

It didn't take much convincing to get Asher out in the sand this time...

Since Mark and Cole share a birthday, Mark had a #3 cupcake to combine with Cole's to make his 31 :)

Liking the flame at first...

But not a fan of the smoke :(

I'd say he liked the cake a bit!

Asher liked it too!

Yes, Cole was crying... he hit my tooth with his head... true story :(

View of the North Bend bridge on our way out of town.

My Time in Coos Bay.

2010-08-30T21:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted here. It's been a busy couple of weeks. First the trip to Texas - and all the getting ready stuff for that - and after just a week we headed down to Coos Bay. Mark took a trip with my dad down to CA to hit some race tracks and visit old friends and family. I decided to come down and spend the week with my mom and 2 of my sisters, and of course, the boys too :)

Boy, have they been a handful! Cole is teething with his 1 year molars and has been hot and cold, so to speak. Great for a day or two, then crabbier as I've ever seen him for another day or two. Crazy that he turns 1 tomorrow! And Mark turns 31!!! Asher has been pretty good for the most part. He's been melting down more and more in the evening, most likely just from missing his papa. But overall, it's been a great trip. We had quite a few outings (wal-mart of course)... trip to a park, the playground across the street, the Boardwalk, the Blackberry Festival, coffee and more shopping... eventful enough to keep the boys busy but not too crazy.

But, I'm exhausted! At home it's tough to keep up with the boys, but it gets harder when the house isn't totally baby-proofed and when all your stuff is just in a bag :) I had lots of help tho, just not much sleep! But Mark comes home tonight... within the hour!! So, hopefully next week I'll get some sleep and a break. I also have a TON of work to do, finishing the last 20 photos from one wedding and about 200+ from two other weddings... I'll likely be needed a babysitter one or two days the next 2 weeks, maybe 3... feel free to volunteer!!

Lately, God has been really doing things in me. I feel like I haven't had the chance to break away and really spend time in prayer, talking to Him and listening to Him. I feel like our life is changing (what's new) and I wonder what the future holds. I have ideas, desires, obligations, responsibilities and most of all, I have questions about where God would have me. I know I want to give up all my personal pursuits to chase after His plans and goals, but what's the best route? What does that LOOK like? Does He want me to do stuff here or is there something, somewhere else I should be doing? I just wonder. No answers yet. So, I suppose the best route is to just keep seeking Him and putting all my efforts into what is currently going on in my life and the things that come up. I just wonder, at what point should a person, namely myself, just stop what they are doing and pursue something else? Like missions work or something like that. Anyway, that's a little sneak peak into my jumbled mess of a brain :)

I'll put up some photos over the next couple of days from our little trip. Hope to connect with may of you dear friends soon... I need some down time!!! Love you all!

A Few Snapshots from Our Trip!

2010-08-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

Life Happening!

2010-08-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

I always seem to get busy don't I? :) Thankfully, you all understand.

God has been doing so many things in my heart and life and I wish I could explain it all to all of you! I've been reading more in the Word every day and also reading a few books on my iPhone Kindle App. I definitely recommend reading "The Forgotten God" by Francis Chan and "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. Interestingly, I've taken away several truths from these books that were exactly in line with what God was teaching me. And while these books are about very different things, the underlying truth about God's way is the same. Something I'm really working on since reading these books, is allowing God's Spirit to guide me and acting in obedience once He calls. Doing that is the only way to have victory over sin... to be attentive what God tells me (in my "average" days and extraordinary days) then to actually DO what He desires instead of what gratifies myself and my "needs." I say needs in quotes b/c I'm also learning that this physical world is a lot less permanent than what I admit. Can I get an amen? :)

On another note, potty training Asher has been a huge success!! And I'm so blessed to say that. I was incredibly nervous about this endeavor and like Kristine Blackburn told me, I was really shocked that he is old enough to really be able to do it! Also, the Blackburns are finally moving down to Sacramento where Michael has been working 4 days a week and flying home on weekends for almost 4 years now! It's a blessing and a sadness, as they are some of the "founding fathers" of the church we attend. I will greatly miss her wisdom and grace... this next year of bible study will NOT be the same and I'm curious to see what God will be doing!

Asher is talking more and more every day. He's singing songs, picking out phrases from things he hears in music or movies (or our conversations). He's showing lots of aptitude (or at least desire) to play the guitar. Mark has been letting him strum his guitar and showing Ash a few chords too. Every morning Asher is in our room, trying to grab the guitar saying "Papa play guitar? Please? Say yes?" He plays guitar on any object that is wider than 3 inches. He especially loves to watch himself in the mirror :) He plays on brooms, spoons, shovels, sweatshirts all wadded up, phones, books... and he looks just like he's holding a pick too! So cute. So entertaining. We've video taped it several times... we'll share soon enough.

Cole has really turned into a little boy! He's standing up on furniture and interacting with us more and more. He seems to say "yeah" a lot. Anytime you ask him something. And he does it with a cute surprised look on his face. He also is more into books, sometimes sitting a looking at several for a few quiet minutes. He plays REALLY well by himself too which is a great blessing for us. He wakes up most morning around 5:45 tho, which while it is not directly a blessing, is right along with the theme of self-discipline and acting out in faith... a few more of the things I've been learning :) Cole will walk when you hold his hands and sometimes he can do it while only holding one hand... won't be long!! He also really loves grandpa, and I mean REALLY! Yesterday grandpa came into the room while Cole was in his highchair and there was no consoling that kid until grandpa came back and picked him up! I'm talking about screaming, crocodile tears, sad expressions... it was unreal! But I am really thankful for the bond my kids will have with their grandparents on both sides. Asher is always asking about grandpa Boatright and saying "in Coos Bay?" Our families are such blessings.

Lastly, next week we are going to Texas for Claire's wedding! Claire is one of Mark's cousins and their wedding photographer fell through. Basically, I'll be shooting their wedding in exchange for them bringing Mark and I out there for a few days. It'll be great! I don't feel too anxious, the kids will be in good hands (Mom and Dad A for 2 days, Tracy for the last 2). I feel great about doing the wedding... I'm more nervous about the heat in Bryan, TX during the middle of August!! But honestly, I'm totally fine with either being inside a hotel room or at the mall or movies the entire trip :) Mark and I have NEVER stayed at a hotel together for more than 1 night since we've been married, and we've never been away from both boys for more than 1 night either so this will be quite the treat for us!

Alright, well, I've got to update some stuff on The Giving Portal before Cole wakes up. Check the site for ways to give... I'll be getting more of that stuff done soon! Oh, and I'll post some wedding photos up this week too! Bye.

11 months old! What a crack-up :)

2010-07-31T19:46:00.001-07:00

Asher is Fruit Ninja!

2010-07-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Ash enjoying the games at the Apple store.

2010-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

"Just a click here..."

Good times in Pacific City.

2010-07-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Asher got a haircut!

2010-07-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

Potty Training - For Real!

2010-07-15T22:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, Asher is officially being potty trained. We started on Tuesday, mid-morning after his bath. He did AWESOME!!! No accidents AT ALL until 7pm when we left him in his high chair a bit long while drinking his chocolate milk :) We have a 3 strikes policy though, and Wednesday morning he hit that limit. After going 2 times after waking up, he wet himself while standing over my brand new shoes after having gone only 20 minutes before. Then, the whole pooping in the potty thing did not happen. Then, another poop and pee... all within an hour or so. I was a bit hesitant about today thinking "Man, maybe it was fluke. Maybe he just can't hold it." But, only 1 accident again today! And this was after 6:30pm after a lot of water and (ashamedly) soda :)

Today, we drove out to Tracy's apartment to pick up Shannon, then out to NE Portland to drop off a check and Asher did AMAZING! We made it almost 50 minutes (part of that sleeping) on our way to Tracy's and he stayed dry the entire time! I'm so proud, and relieved!!! On the way home he slept for almost an hour and did wet then, but that's to be expected. I was super nervous about potty training but Asher seems to be understanding the concept. If he has to go and I'm not taking him, he just start to pull down his undies and say "underwear off!" until I help rush him to the bathroom. Also, he LOVES his "Cars" underwear so that motivates him to stay dry too.

Anyway, that's what I've been busy with - that, and editing, feeding, still changing boy #2's diapers, bottles, meals and everything else in-between. Tomorrow, Shannon and I are going to go out SUPER early and take a bunch of dance photos for stock stuff. Should be FUN! Not the early part, but the rest :) Stay tuned for those photos. I'll post a couple teaser wedding shots from Derek and Sarah's big day for your viewing pleasure. Thanks!

Growing boys!

2010-07-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Asher, Starbucks and dominos = perfect combination!

2010-07-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

Busy weekend!

2010-07-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend, 2 good friends got married! Derek and Sarah are so amazing and I was so blessed that they chose to hire me as their photographer!! It was a beautiful wedding, so sincere and Christ centered... and there was so much crazy dancing at the end... cracked me up!

So, my Saturday (and Tracy's) was filled with wedding stuff as we documented their day in photos. I realized early on in the day that I had misplaced my keys. I thought I had left them in my purse, then locked my purse in the car. I had to call Mark from the ranch where the wedding was at - where most of us had no cell service - which left the caller ID as "blocked" so Mark didn't answer and was not able to call me back. I told him I was locked out of the car, and if he could get our other set of keys from Paul (another long story) and bring them to the wedding when he arrived (he was planning on coming anyway, since they are dear friends). He handed me the keys and I thanked him heartily... I felt like such a dork!

After the wedding, Tracy and I headed to the car, looked in the purse... nope, no keys!! We looked EVERYWHERE! Luckily, we had only gone a few places between leaving the car initially and realizing my keys were lost so we didn't have too much ground to cover. Nothing! No one turned them in, not anywhere on the grounds and not anywhere in the car. We drove home at 10pm and I was feeling dreadful. All of Mark's other keys were on that key ring. Was he going to be upset? Would he just shrug it off? I was nervous to say the least, while praying that God would miraculously make the keys appear in the car before we got home.

After a few hellos, how are yous, tired replies, and saying hi to my family (who is visiting), I admitted that I could not find his keys anywhere. He said "What are you talking about? I have my keys." I go "Huh?" He goes "I got them out of your purse before I gave you yours. How did you think I drove home?" Oh my goodness!!! I was just so glad that Tracy and I didn't look longer! And so relieved! I didn't even think "I have my van key, so Mark must have the other key to drive the van home." Ha! It was a great ending after all :)

I'll give you more details about the amazing wedding later... just thought you'd get a kick out of that story. A few boy updates: Asher threw up (again) on the way home from the wedding with Mark. It was strange though b/c it was MILES after all the turns, on a very straight road. Asher said "Tummy hurt." Mark said "Does your tummy hurt b/c you are hungry?" Asher "No. Bleh!!!!!" You just have to laugh. Luckily, most of it was contained to the car seat. I felt bad b/c Mark had to clean it up while taking care of both boys. They ended up in the bath, which was convenient since it was "bath day" and I had forgotten to mention that to Mark :) Cole was getting cranky at the wedding so Mark fixed him a bottle and let him hold it in the car on the way home. He's been doing really well with holding it himself! He sucked it dry and then tossed it overboard - so sweet. They are getting cuter every day.

Since Asher got his sandals all pukey and since they have not yet been run through the wash, we decided this morning that he need another pair of sandals. So Mark took Ash to wal-mart before church. While there, Asher picked out a really cool pair of flip-flops (that we walks surprisingly well in) and Mark found a little UV protective shirt on sale for $3. Looks like the kid is starting to really grow attached to things he likes... he wore those flip-flops ALL DAY -indoors and outside! And he cried crocodile tears when I took his shirt off for bedtime. I thought about letting him sleep in it, but I figure the sooner he knows limits on being attached to objects, the better. After all, we aren't supposed to be attached to the things of the world, might as well get that message clearly stated to him at a young age. After a little crying, he calmed down and thoroughly enjoyed reading his trucks book before bed. Gotta love it!

So, here's a cute image of the entry way at the wedding where the couple had signs posted. The wedding was at 5 Rock Ranch in Yamhill, OR. Actually, it's more like in the middle of the hillsides, miles and miles outside of Yamhill ;) It's gorgeous out there! And the staff (especially the coordinator Kelsey) was amazing!!! More pics to come, week by week!

Another Photo Poll :)

2010-06-25T16:27:00.000-07:00

Just went on a photo shoot to a couple spots in Carlton I'd been wanting to photograph. Dar and I agree that this was a very productive shoot for both of us... even tho I accidentally deleted all the photos of the 1st location (stupid)!! I plan to recover them tho, since I didn't format my card and realized what I had done about 2 seconds after I confirmed the delete. Worst case scenario - $15 and it's fixed.

Okay, so, after playing around with more editing, I'm curious what photo is more appealing. The wheat image is definitely more fathomable for retail purchase than the couch image from before, so tell me, if you were going to buy one, which version would it be? And which image do you think is most (if at all) "gallery worthy?" I'm also posting a 4th image just b/c it was TOTALLY drab before and I made it looked a ton better... good?? Thanks!!

Original Colors with editing.

Color overlay and style.

Hue overlay.

I would show the before, but I'd be embarrassed... it's SUPER DRAB!

Sorry!

2010-06-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. It's been a little hectic.

Mark has been working part-time at PDR but has then been working more than part-time on SavageApps - the company him and his friends run making all their iPhone apps. They have iambeatbox, the upgraded version of iambeatbox, BeatBox Ultra, and TechnoBox Acid. They are all super fun... even if you can't keep a beat, the app keeps the rhythm for you and all you have to do is move the "gems" around to choose a different sound and beat. Asher even likes to play!

I've been keeping extremely busy with the photography stuff. Shoots, editing, driving, editing... even with taking care of the kids, trying to finish cleaning the tile floors that are covered in filth from the previous owners, figuring out how to eat gluten-free without starving myself and just doing all the other random household stuff. Yesterday, I finally put up a bunch of our frames and photos and tried to clean up our bedroom a bit. It has kind of become a storage place for items that have no place yet. Once we get our deposit from the old place back, we hope to go to Ikea and get some much needed shelving and storage items :)

As far as the gluten free stuff goes, I'm pretty sure I need to do it. I went 4 weeks without and then almost a full week with and I did alright. No digestive issues besides gas and gurgling, but man, am I feeling bad. Just achy, tired, tired and did I say tired?? My back feels bruised and strained, my head is in a fog constantly and I am just plain crabby. So, back off the wheat. It'll be worth it to feel halfway sane again.

Well, I have crying kids and it's almost naptime. I'll update again soon... well, sooner or later ;)

Lovin' the sippy cup :)

2010-06-18T15:45:00.001-07:00

A trip to the mall!

2010-06-12T13:52:00.001-07:00

Out for a walk.

2010-06-09T10:15:00.001-07:00

Votes Please!!

2010-06-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

I went out with my friend Dar this morning to photograph some good ol' Amity landscapes. Well, the clouds weren't quite as dramatic as last week but we did photograph this cool, old, totally run-down house. I tried creating a few versions of the same image... will you please tell me, if you were to buy a photo of a nasty old chair (sure, let's pretend) which would you like best of the following... thanks!

#1 - Full Color, kinda drab

#2 - Altered, Colorized Blue

#3 - Adjusted Black and White

Thank you all!!!

Lovin' the new stroller!

2010-06-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

The Boys Lately

2010-06-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

So, reading my old blogs I realized that with Asher, I did not do the best job at telling everyone what he could do... so now, I'm going to try harder to give details - mainly so I can go back and see what the boys were doing. It's been crazy busy with moving and such, but both boys have been learning, advancing and are able to do so many new things. Here we go...

Asher - he can pretty much repeat anything :) and :( The other day Mark said "Oh crap" just in conversation, retelling something someone else was doing and Asher started saying it... in a funny, grunty type of voice. It was funny and not so funny... cute and disturbing. Asher can also put some of his clothes on by himself! One day, I was on my computer and he walks over with a shirt around his neck! It was a dirty shirt, so I got him a clean one and let him try again. It takes a bit of work but he can mostly do it himself. Pants are hit and miss... especially jeans. Asher is also singing to himself a lot. Nothing that I can understand mostly, sometimes I hear "crinkle star," but it's really cute!

We have a piano at the new place and Asher likes to play on that too - of course, he always has. But you can tell that he experiments with the different sounds. Sometimes he just goofs off and hits all kinds of keys, but often, he just gently plays a few keys in a row, repeats a little, plays notes high and low... we'll see what he's doing at the end of the year and maybe start to teach him a little. His language skills are improving dramatically! And so is his understanding of life in general. Mark took Ash down to Coos Bay this weekend and we prepped him on who he would see and that it would be a LONG drive. Well, then on Thursday we ran a few errands with Uncle Mark and when we got home, Asher just cried and kept saying "Grampa Boatright, Grampa Boatright!" Apparently, he thought the long trip to Newberg would eventually lead to seeing grandpa Boatright... it was very sweet. He also says a lot of phrases like "I'll sit there" "Grampa downstairs" "Want some" (as he tries to give you some of whatever he's eating) "Papa drive, Mama drive"... I wish I could remember all of them! We are really enjoying this stage of his life!!

Cole - well, after going through a cold, 2 ear infections and Fifth Disease/Slapped Cheeks Disease (simple virus) Cole is more like his happy self than he was the past month or so. He's been crawling about on his tummy for a while now but the past couple weeks he's been getting up on all fours and crawling like that... he switches back and forth, depending on how fast he wants to go. He is also pulling himself up on stuff but only to his knees. Funny, b/c he can actually "walk" on his knees while holding onto something but he puts on foot up like he'll stand up and then can't figure out what comes next. I'm sure we'll be seeing him standing up within a few weeks :) He can also get to sitting up on his own, which didn't happen for Asher until after he was walking (that darn huge head of his).

At Cole's 9 month appt he weighed 19lbs 10oz and was almost 29" long. He has 4 teeth (he's had those for a while) and was recently teething with the next 2 on top but they haven't quite broken the gums yet. He has 4 or 5 bottles a day, 3 or 4 servings of fruits and veggies, yogurt, rice cereal, yogurt melts and "puffs" as we call them - those Gerber grain puff things. I think he'll be one of those kids who eats mushed food forever!!! He gags so easy!! Oh well, he does well with lots of veggies so I'm happy with that. He hates getting his diaper changed but is also happy in an instant once it's over with.

We've been trying to get the boys to sleep in the same room at night. We had a couple nights where Cole was completely out before we put Ash to bed and that worked well. Most nights tho, Asher comes out anywhere from 2-5 times!!! Then, we go to put him back, tuck Cole back in (b/c he's usually making faces and noises at Asher) and Cole is just laughing hysterically! It's the weirdest thing! You touch him and he's just cracking up laughing and giggling... at least it helps with the frustration that neither child goes to sleep until they've been put to bed a million times an hour after we started. If it doesn't get better in another 2 weeks we might put them in separate rooms for a few more months... we'll see. Otherwise, they sleep great through the night and mornings haven't been too insanely early. During naps they sleep in separate rooms and that has been working great for me and them.

I sold my double stroller with car seat and got a double jogging stroller (we had to upgrade the carseat last month when Cole got too tall for his). I tried it out with Cole and Analeigh and it is so nice!!! It even has a speaker I can plug my phone into and play music for the kids!!! It rides smooth and the colors are so nice... I love it!!! Hopefully, it'll be great motivation for me to take a "break" and let the kids relax while I get rid of my baby fat :)

We are still unpacking boxes. We have a lot of stuff we need to buy organizational things for so hopefully, we'll get some of our deposit back from the last place and be able to use that money for shelving and such. We'll make a date of it and go to Ikea!!! We love the new place tho. It's been great having Grandma and Grandpa around - for all of us :) Asher loves having them around, he's constantly asking to go downstairs and see them. He stands at the gate we put in and will sometimes throw a toy down, then say "Go get it?" Nice try buddy!

Well, I've been doing tons of photography stuff lately... check my photography blog to stay tuned into that... www.joliphoto.wordpress.com Thanks and I'll update again soon!!

Grocery shopping with the boys

2010-05-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Asher really loves to read!

2010-05-27T11:46:00.001-07:00

Time, life, God... just thinking.

2010-05-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today was great. Kids were fun, fellowship was neat and I got to hear some amazing stories about Christianity in Nepal. Bakta, who became a Christian in the 60's in Nepal, is here in America for his son's (Mohan's) graduation. Bakta is friends with Mukti, who helps run a church in Nepal that our church helps with. Still with me?? We had an authentic Nepali dinner that Mohan made and which we ate with our bare hands!!! It was actually not too messy and incredibly delicious!!! I was so full but now I'm wishing I would have had 2nds!!

Anyway, hearing Bakta's testimony was incredible. Just seeing how he sought out the truth, and in an isolated country, where no one around him had even heard of Christianity, he was given a bible and came to know God. He lived his whole life, making annual sacrifices to wooden gods to atone for his sin. Inside, he always wondered if that really was all there was to it. After reading about Jesus and how He willingly laid down his rights as God's son to atone for everyone's sin, Bakta realized that this was truly different from everything he had experienced. After all, an animal dying is only symbolic... it's just blood. But for a king to deny himself so others might experience God... what a demonstration of love!!

What impressed me most, was how Bakta had never heard the Gospel story, never heard of a "Christian" and had no clue what the bible was. He simply starting reading this "religious book" and God's Spirit opened his eyes and heart, making him humble enough to see that God is really it. Amazing. It's incredibly wild to see how 40 years ago God worked in his life and has been working in 100's of thousands of other Nepali's lives since. God is wilder than I can understand.

Asher loving the slide @ the Morelands

2010-05-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

Cole's 1st Attempt at Swinging - Success!!

2010-05-17T15:39:00.001-07:00

Mother's Day in Coos Bay!

2010-05-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

I had a great mother's day weekend! Strangely, Mark and I actually spent it apart. We were contemplating taking the whole family down but with all the stuff you have to bring with a baby, it's just a lot of work! We were trying to figure out what to do to make it easier and Mark suggested that I either go by myself or go with just 1 of the kids. At first, I felt really guilty about the idea of just taking Asher b/c I knew it would be loads of fun. He's easy with food, easy with naps and entertains himself really well... but after just a tiny bit of coercing, I went!!

I rode down with Tracy and her boyfriend Mark. Yes, she's dating a Mark!! Crazy huh?? We'll just call him Mark C (for Crocker, his last name) from here on out. Well, Mark C has a Honda Element, which you can basically hose out b/c of the type of material of the seats and flooring. I had jokingly said how great that was b/c you never know when a kid is going to throw up. Yep, it happened. On the way back home, just after we merged on I-5, Ash threw up. Poor guy!! I think it was just the combination of a full tummy, watching his iPhone and the curvy roads. Mark C was a hero!!! He actually did most of the cleaning!! While I cleaned and dressed Asher he was diligently working on the carseat. Not too much got on his car thankfully but the carseat really stunk and poor Tracy almost lost her lunch too. It was eventful to say the least... and Mark C really proved his worth!!! (As if he needed too!!).

The weekend was really fun tho. There was just good sister bonding time, relaxing time with Mom, great food and good memories with Asher too. He just LOVES Gma and Gpa. We got him to learn to say "Boatright" too which was just adorable. He went down the slide at Mingus Park about 50 times, swung a little bit and just wandered around looking at ducks. When we went to the beach on Sunday, he waltzed down the sand with both hands in his sweatshirt pockets and thoroughly enjoyed splashing in little streams and the edges of the waves.

Asher also experienced hand-held massagers... you know, the little ones with rollers on them. In fact, Tracy, Mark C and I were sitting watching TV while Asher (oblivious to us watching and laughing) proceeded to massage himself with one. He started on his shoulder, worked down to his tummy, then lifted his shirt up to make sure and get the skin on his tummy, went to get his back and put the massager down... looking like "Hmm, I'm not sure what the big deal is with this thing." It was so hilarious!! Asher also loved the kitties! Poor Buster and Missy... being chased by a toddler must be frightening! You could tell that the cats weren't sure if he was a person or an animal, but they still let Ash grab their tails and rub their bellies... they are such well behaved cats!

Here are a few photos from our adventures. We have a few more on other people's cameras that are great so I'll post those as I get ahold of them. Love you all!!

Enjoyin' a good swing.

Such a sweet expression.

All smiles.

Asher is such a cute boy!!

Tracy and her Mark.

Asher just won't take a photo with me!!

"Keep walking Mom!"

Running from the waves.

What to do?

2010-05-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am in this constant flux of trying to find something to do and feeling totally overwhelmed with what I am already doing. Can anyone relate? Sometimes, I have so much work to do that I cannot budge. Other times, I feel like I am looking for something to do that is more fulfilling. Raising children just doesn't always "feel" like I am "doing" much. I mean, there's the constant diaper changing, feeding, consoling, cleaning and of course, the never-ending piles of dirty and clean clothes that need to be washed and put away. How does a Christian woman remind herself of the main goal of all this?

I need to stay in the word more. I need to stay prayerful about my day more. I need to pray more for my husband and kids. I could post a thousand more "I need to" phrases and in my thoughtlessness, I could also post a bunch of "I need" phrases. I don't know how to operate in a way where I don't end up in this place! Does this even make sense? I need to edit photos, but the hard drive isn't working with the airport... wait, I just remembered, I unplugged it so I could plug in and use the printer!! Well, I'll add "I need to get a USB hub" to the list. I also need to list more jewelry for Apparent Jewelry on etsy... people have been wanting to order but I just haven't had much spare time to get on that. I also need to make them business cards and figure out how to keep track of orders for beauty shops wanting to display the jewelry.

I've found I don't start tasks mainly b/c I don't know if I will have the time to finish the task in one sitting... due to children :) But then, I just get behind and stress more until I am beyond able to focus or be kind - not actually beyond able, but just beyond it being natural or easy. I must find a better method for doing all this! Anyway, I just wanted to share my daily struggle a little bit. I really should be getting something done instead of this... guess I'll get to it. Feel free to share your wisdom or at least pray for me! I have a completely insurmountable list this week :) God is faithful tho, I just need to stick to it and rely on Him.

My Favorite Place

2010-04-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Warning: May contain detailed information about my bowels and intestines... read at your own risk!

So, I was at the ER again today. At 9pm last night while painting at the new house, I had a terrible bout of "the runs" and spent way too much time in a dirty bathroom. After I got home at about 10:30pm I just curled up in pain for a LONG time before falling asleep. I woke up at 2am with more pain, and more yuckiness... only this time I noticed that it was all blood. After googling the phrase "diarrhea severe stomach pain blood" I found that I should head to the Dr's ASAP.

It was definitely my best stay ever - Dr's were attentive, very nice and extremely observant ;) Only 3 hours! Haha. They gave me pain meds, anti-nausea meds, urine sample and CT scan. I honestly thought I might die last night driving to the hopital. I was praying and thinking about it and surprisingly, I wasn't worried about it. My pain was worse than my labor pains with Asher... I really started thinking maybe this is preparation for being tortured to death. I realized that if I died, I would finally be able to see Jesus and experience Heaven - not too bad!! I was mainly very sad thinking that my boys might grow up without their mother. That made me think of a bunch of other things I'll deal with later.

After the CT scan, I felt pretty yucky from the die they use to look at all your veins. So, the results are in! I have a case of Colitis tho it is unknown what it is caused by in my case. Next week I'll be taking some more tests to see if it's Crohn's disease, Celiac disease or some other type of Inflammatory thing. On the scan, by bowels looked fine so if it is Chrone's disease then it's early and I have a good chance of avoiding major surgeries. They also found that my IUD is slightly displaced. I like the idea of such a secure option for birth control, but there are also other things that make me unsure whether I really want to have it in. The Dr's also found a small ovarian cyst so I'll be following up with Dr Barker and getting those 2 issues taken care of.

Also, I don't have insurance so I'll be taking care of that on Monday. Since I haven't been formally diagnosed yet, I should be able to be approved. If I'm not approved, I do have another option that I qualify for with any pre-existing condition. Surprisingly, I don't feel too worried about all this. It gives me a new perspective on enjoying life, building relationships with my family and trusting God for every breath.

So now I'm home, just resting. Watching movies, taking naps, knitting on Rayma's baby girl's blanket... yes, she's having a girl!! Little Zoe... so sweet. I am feeling really weak and tired but a lot of the drowsiness is from the meds. I've also gotten VERY LITTLE sleep the past 2 nights so that doesn't help. I'm excited to see what the future holds tho. I'm going to quit drinking coffee b/c that, and stress, are major triggers. Umm, I'm not really sure what to say about it now... just pray for me, pray that I get insurance and beg God in general for my health and energy for the sake of my family.

Ash got hungry while shopping!

2010-04-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Painting and Working

2010-04-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, Mark's parents got the keys to the new place this weekend! We checked things out on Friday and then spent a good portion of the day Saturday just cleaning and painting the trim while Mark's dad framed a wall downstairs. The boys did really well. The carpet is all being replaced due to pet owner's and smokers being the previous tenants so we put some big blankets down and Cole pretty much stayed on them. Plus, both boys slept almost 2 hours at the same time so I was able to tape off all the trim in the dining and living room.

I went back after dinner to work on the office. There were some bookshelves that were attached to the wall which Mark and Dad A had to take down. The previous own had just painted around them so we were needing to paint that room anyway. I've spent probably a good 10 hours there painting it all and I've got probably another 4 hours until it's all done. I think I must just be slow!! But I've very meticulous so that's good. Then, once that dries, we'll have to repaint the trim too before the new carpet can go in. So, I've got my work cut out for me this week!! Mark doesn't like painting much so he's been watching the kids while I go and do that. It's been a great break and I've been listening to some great bible teaching during that time.

Some of you know that we meet with a small group of other Christians every other Sunday night. It's kind of like a bible study I guess. We have a potluck, talk about what God is doing in our lives and talk about the bible teachings we've heard lately. Francis Chan's church in Simi Valley has been very inspirational to us. Just seeing them study the word and really try to live out what it says is so different that your typical "American church" and I know Mark and I have both been challenged to pray about what that means in our lives. Their church has been reading different books of the bible each month to get people to really spend time learning what Jesus did, said, who God is, what He desires for us and how to grow closer to Him.

Our small group has also be trying to come alongside and do the same thing so we've been reading in the book of Luke. It's amazing to see the faith people had in Jesus to heal them. No question, just asking Jesus to cure their disease, cast out demons plaguing their loved ones... it's a faith I certainly lack. They would just go to Him, ask to be healed and Jesus would do it!! One centurion even just sends his servants to ask Jesus to heal another servant saying he knows that even is Jesus just speaks it, that his servant can be healed... and he was! I'm not sure why I always wonder if God wants to heal us or fix us or desire good things for us. Not good things like cars, nice houses, lots of savings. But to be content, to love others and have good relationships with our friends and family. Something to be thinking about for all of us.

On another note, my kids are just getting cuter and cuter. Asher is learning his colors. The other day I went to put on my shirt and he just shouts "GREEN!!!" I was surprised b/c I didn't know he actually knew any colors... I thought he just knew certain objects were known as certain colors... like his green car or red truck. Plus, there was a possibility he could be color blind. My uncle Jeff on my mom's side is color blind so my mom could be a carrier, and I could be a carrier, and either of my boys could have gotten my carrier gene (which is on the X chromosome) so if they did, they would be color blind too. I don't even know what kind of color blindness my uncle has... I think it's a red/green one. Anyway, so Asher is naming colors correctly more and more so I think he's good!

Cole is the expert waver.. so sweet! And now, when you say "yay" he starts squealing and clapping his hands. So stinking adorable! He can scoot around a lot, pretty slowly, but he can get all over the living room. He's starting to get on his hands and knees so maybe he will crawl like the average baby instead of like an army dude like Asher did. The boys both take a bath together now which is much easier on mama and more fun for them. Asher is such a good brother... sharing toys, sharing the space in the tub and helping wash Cole. I cherish it and really hope to teach my boys that giving is what God asks of us, no matter who has what first... b/c it's all God's and our reward is in Heaven, not here on earth.

Here are some cute photos of Asher from being in the backyard the other day. He is getting to be SO FUN!! And HILARIOUS! These are all in order, within about a 2 minute time-span. Enjoy!

Getting up to go running.

Dancing, running and shouting.

Running by, shouting all the while.

Looking up, still making lots of noise.

And then the typical, 2 year-old meltdown.

No worries, back up and having fun again :) Gotta love it.

The new place.

2010-04-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

The new Armstrong Home

2010-04-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

We are moving... again! Before you totally call us crazy, let me explain.

Mark's parents have recently been looking for an investment property to purchase. They've always been interested in owning multiple properties and renting them out, fixing them up and someday being able to live off just that. As they were looking, they found a 3 story place (daylight basement) for a great price... less than some of the regular 3 bd, 2 bth places they had been looking at. The house has the main entrance on the main floor - 3 bedrooms and 3 baths (with the master on the top level). Then, the daylight basement is a 2 bedroom, 2 bath with kitchen and spare room, kind of like an entertainment room. The basement is unfinished but completely framed, wired and plumbed! Just sheetrock, flooring, cabinets and some fixtures and it's set.

We were unsure how things would go since lately, many people who have been buying homes seem to be put off to the side and end up waiting a good 4-6 weeks to sign papers past the original date they were supposed to sign on. However, not the case with mom and dad A. They did the final walk-through today and signed all the paperwork! They get the keys on the 23rd and will start renovations soon afterwards. All of our living area (top 2 floors) just needs carpet and we may paint a couple of the bathrooms. So, looks like we'll be moving at the middle/end of May.

This idea has been a work in progress. Over the years, we've talked about a family living situation like this but we just hadn't found the home or a way to do it. Shaana (Matt's fiance) will be renting out their current home in Carlton and Matt will be living with Mom and Dad until they get married in July. It's neat to see all of this come together. Things like separate living spaces and kitchens, having enough bathrooms as the boys get older have been hard to find so we're really excited that this is finally working out! Plus, I'll live really close to about 10+ great friends at the new place - which, is still in McMinnville.

Things you can pray for: smooth transition. We are SO tired of moving but are already well prayed into this decision. One of our bedrooms is more like an office - it has doors, but no closet and we're hoping we can have the boys share a bedroom as the 2nd bedroom is plenty big. During the day, we may put Cole into the "office" until he's down to one nap which will hopefully be this coming Fall/Winter but since they are both sleeping through the night on a regular basis we're hoping that part of sharing a room goes well. Pray that all the work downstairs goes smoothly and that the whole transition with mom and dad moving, Shaana moving, Matt moving out from Carlton, into Mac and then back to Carlton all goes as easy as possible.

I'll be really glad to be close to friends (although we'll be farther from the Barnharts - insert sad face) where I can walk and have some relief from being stranded at home all day - I am literally going crazy (ask Tracy or Mark) so I'm pretty thrilled about that. Plus, it's only 1 mile from the park which will be a great distance to jog once the weather is more predictable without being overly ambitious.

And, this really has nothing to do with the rest... but my sister Tracy has a boyfriend! A really awesome, God-fearing, respectful and sweet boyfriend... whose name is also Mark :) So, we're calling our guys "my Mark" and "your Mark" all the time!! Funny stuff. Even funnier, is that he grew up in Coos Bay too but they never really met!!!! God is so funny sometimes. Anyway, keep me and all of us in your prayers, we'll sure need them over the coming months. Thanks!

Asher sporting Nike.

2010-04-14T18:55:00.001-07:00

Thanks Scotty!

He's finally big enough to wear it :)

The Days Go By...

2010-04-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write here for forever!!! Sorry if you've been checking my blog and thinking "sheesh, doesn't anyone ever update their stuff??" At least you've gotten a cute photo every few days :)

The boys have been doing so many new things and I want to make sure I share them on here for a few reasons. 1- to give other young moms hope that kids do grow up (I know I need the reminder often) 2- so all of you family members who aren't local can feel like you know what's going on and 3- so I can look back to remember all the stuff that was going on too!

Let's start with Asher. He sure is turning into a little boy... like a kid, instead of a baby. He's saying all kinds of things out of nowhere and he can repeat almost any short word or phrase you say! Just today Mark was walking with him to get the mail and Mark said "okay, time to cross" and Asher replied "cross the street?" Or lately, he's been wanting to snuggle with me more and more. A few weeks ago he started saying "snuggle" after bathtime, then one night Mark was tucking him into bed and Asher said "snuggle a mama." It was so stinking cute!! So now we snuggle every night before bed... so fun!

He also has been changing a lot of his 1-syllable words to 2-syllable words... well, the ones that are supposed to be. Like how Zebra used to be "bra" and is now actually "zebra" along with giraffe, soccer, funny, silly, steamer, sandwich and so many more! We also let Asher "drive" when we get home sometimes. He loves to sit in the driver seat and mess with all the buttons and pretend he's shifting gears. Now, when we are about 2 or 3 blocks from home he starts to say "drive a mit" (aka minute) or "drive a bit." He also has begun to recognize landmarks - all too well!! Whenever we drive past the Starbucks parking lot he starts saying "steamer, bucks, coffee!" When we drive past At&t he says "Matt, Grace" b/c uncle Matt works there and we have seen Matt's soon to be daughter Grace there too. And in case you didn't know, Matt is getting married in July and is inheriting a beautiful little gal Grace along with his love Shaana.

Just a couple other cute phrases... do it, some more juice (or whatever he wants at the time), soccer ball, I see you, drive a papa, papa drive, see a mower (or anything else really), help you, help me, up there, in there, get it, papa shower, another one, other one... we are really learning to watch what we say too!!

Cole is also learning all kinds of things. He's sitting up really well now, even in the tub!! Somehow, Cole learned how to do the pageant wave... it looks oh so graceful and just ADORABLE when he does it... especially b/c he smiles so big every time he does it! He has also figured out that when I leave the room, I am actually still around (object permanence) and cries big crocodile tears until I come back. He has also started throwing fits when he's full or doesn't want to eat his food... being only 7 months old, this is not the most fun ever :( He also throws fits the instant papa walks in the door... until papa picks him up that is. At least he smiles most of the day and is starting to really be enjoyable.

I'm pretty sad b/c Cole's hair thus far has been a really cool color of orange - very unique and super cute! But, most of his roots are the blondest blond I've seen... which is still cute, I just LOVE orange hair!! His eyebrows are still orange so we'll see what happens.

Despite all the fun things the boys are doing, I still find myself being exhausted and truthfully sad. It's hard being at home all day. Not only this, but I find myself crazy busy with lots of things and no outlet!! I'm always doing, trying to fit as much in my day as I can but then the next day I completely crash from being overwhelmed... I try to be efficient, doing things in a certain order to maximize my time but I am TIRED! Both boys are sleeping all night now, which helps, but I often feel like I don't even have the time to have a breakdown... not sure how to feel about that! Each day I knock a few things off my list, but I feel like each room I walk into, I see so many things yet to be taken care of that I just get depressed about it. It's been almost a full year since our Ford Escape stopped running... and I'm still stuck at home... that may change in the next month... we'll see. I feel like my sanity would improve if I could at least get out of the house during the day every once in a while. I can't really go for walks until after naps b/c Asher falls asleep ins the stroller and it messes up his afternoon nap... same with Cole, so if the weather is nice and the timing is right we can go for a walk later in the afternoon... when I should be cooking dinner...ugh! Other than that and Thursday morning bible study, we are completely homebound 8am-5pm.

So, I'm trying to sort all this stuff out. I enjoy most everything I do but I just don't know how to keep up... especially when the boys are a wreck. Hopefully I can start getting someone to watch the kids in the morning every once in a while so I can get a couple hours to catch up on stuff without other things/people interfering. Plus, I know things will just get easier as Cole gets bigger... I feel like I'm in survival mode but I am not very good at it. I'll let you know how all of this goes as it's an almost daily struggle lately. But, I know God knows what He is doing and He knows when I really am at the end of my rope.

Okay, so, to end all this babbling, here are a few cute photos of the boys from yesterday... enjoy!

Picking grass.

Asher usually has his shoes off within 5 minutes. Cole usually chews on them within 5 seconds.

A little unsure about the camera... but still cute!

Click on this and view full-size... just a perfectly, adorable action shot of our little man. Such a fun expression caught mid-run... gotta love this kid.

How cute is this???

2010-04-08T20:03:00.001-07:00

Bathtime = Discovery Time

2010-04-03T19:45:00.001-07:00

A very happy 7 months.

2010-03-31T19:00:00.001-07:00

Sweet brothers :)

2010-03-26T18:44:00.001-07:00

The Giving Portal

2010-03-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

Our site is up!!

God has been doing such a work in our lives. After lots of powerful messages, reading and studying scripture and sharing with other brothers and sisters in Christ, we felt called to create a website where we can facilitate the giving of finances to help those in need. We have categories covering missionaries, those in biblical training, people suffering financially (for many reasons), a general fund for emergency needs that may arise, organizations that are spreading the gospel while meeting the needs of the impoverished and hopefully many more to come.

When you donate, 100% (minus paypal fees) goes directly toward the person listed. When logged in, you'll be able to view your entire history of giving, making it easy to track payments and such. As of right now, we are in the process of applying for 501(c)3 status so we cannot guarantee your donations to be tax deductible. We will let you know once we are approved!

If you know of someone in need, don't hesitate to let us know! The goal of this website is to promote God's love by meeting the needs of many while showing the world that His children give of themselves to benefit others - to mimic what Christ did for us. Pray for us as we start this adventure - we do not know what this will require of us long term and we'll be trusting Him to guide us as The Giving Portal develops.

We hope to be adding many people to our website over the coming months and year. We also hope to add an online store selling t-shirts, books and other merchandise. Thanks so much for all of you who have helped us in this process... we genuinely hope that the love of God will be shown through this site.

Asher's request: McDonald's for lunch!

2010-03-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

How can you not smile??

2010-03-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

quick and random...

2010-03-17T15:03:00.001-07:00

Anyone know what kind of plant this is??

Asher loves to read

2010-03-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

Asher is officially 2 years old!!

2010-03-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly, I can actually believe that Asher is already 2. He eats by himself at every meal - no assistance needed - without making much of a mess. He is starting to say two-syllable words with ease, such as "helper", "snuggle" and "soccer." He is starting to count as well!! I didn't realize he actually knew the order of #'s until I was counting stripes on his shirt yesterday. I said one, he said two, I said three... and so on all the way until 10! I was really surprised and it was really cute :)

His birthday party was super fun! I thought it was just a small thing since we only invited a couple families besides our immediate family... if forget that our immediate family is pretty large even when not everyone shows up! I am really bad at baking, and since Mark's baking expert sister lives in Cali I decided to make a dirt cake with gummy worms. It was a success!! Many of my friends has only seen one and not actually eaten one! It's an instant mix with oreo pieces, vanilla pudding and oreo crumbs as the "dirt" with gummy worms poked in throughout. Mark had the idea to put his "cake" in his dump truck so it was separate and we put everyone else's in little clear cups. Asher LOVED it! Now when he sees his truck he keeps saying "cake, cake" until we tell him it's all gone. I'll have to get even more creative next year... or become good at baking!

Asher got some great gifts and we were so blessed by how all his friends loved playing with him and helping him open them. Bella loved pushing Asher around in his block-bucket in the garage, which we turned into a big, decorated play area for all the kiddos. I felt like it was the perfect party - not too fancy, but just enough effort and decor to make it really enjoyable and memorable. I'll have to post again soon about all the cute things Asher and Cole have been doing lately... if I can remember them all... there are so many!! Enjoy the photos...

Where the kiddos partied...

Little pre-party nap ;)

The dirt cake!

Asher and Tyler Moreland enjoying their dirt!

Asher's 1st baseball bat!

Blocks!!

The perfect party faux-hawk.

Opening more gifts.

Free rides in the block bucket :)

Book Contest!

2010-03-10T07:21:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone... our friends Jeff and Chelsi who are in MN are giving away books again!! Just a short contest :) Check out their blog and enter to win one of four titles... one by their pastor John Piper!

Also, The Giving Portal is almost up and running... we have just 2 or 3 kinks to work out. Please check it out soon as we'll be giving you the chance to support Jeff and Chelsi (and family) in their endeavor to learn more about Christ and how to be effective in ministry here in the US. We love them dearly and are in constant prayer for their provision... we hope this site will help them earn the support they need!

The Apparent Project

2010-03-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight was awesome. This week has been awesome. It didn't start out that way but seriously, God has been actively teaching Mark and I some things that we think are going to change our world and hopefully others' too!

Tonight I went to The View Christian Church to view a presentation by Shelley Clay. Her husband Corrigan grew up in the same church my sisters and I did... they are the one's living in Haiti that I think I've blogged a little about before. She goes back to Haiti on the 23rd and tonight she had set up all the jewelry the people involved in their ministry have made. It's amazing!!!!!!! I wish I had more money so I could give more and buy more and just get more people to buy more!!! I bought a few bracelets that are simply beautiful! On each piece of jewelry they put a tag with information about the person who made the item and their photo... so neat to see how we can actively help people who are literally starving and need to see God's love.

The Clay's ministry is so in line with Mark and my giftings... I think I may actually be running their etsy site soon. They don't sell online yet and I've set up several etsy shops and I would be SO BLESSED to help out in that way! I'm seeing more and more how much of my time is spent on my personal pursuits and I'm seeing more clearly just how full of sin that is! God calls us to be filled with Him and to die to ourselves yet in America, it is completely fine to spend your time on things that benefit you. It's as if Christians here no longer believe that God's Spirit renews you when you spend your efforts on loving and serving His people. We seem to have forgotten that Jesus said it was better for Him to go so that we could have His Spirit and do great works in His name. How is this possible???

Anyway, I'm saving that subject for a different blog and a different day :) What I really want to do is spread the word about what Corrigan and Shelley are doing!! Here's their blog and you can see their official website from there. Once I get my hands on more of that jewelry I will let you know. I am really excited to see what God will do with us. Our debts are a burden right now... we can't just pick up and leave unless God takes care of those or something... not that we are going to head anywhere right now, but we just realize what a selfish thing all our debts are. After hearing about Haiti (even pre-earthquake) I desire to be more grateful and to use my resources in a way that enables others to feel God's love, even if it causes me to sacrifice things that seem like "normal" things to have. Haiti's EMPLOYMENT rate was only 11% BEFORE the earthquake!!!! The average person makes $400 a year!!! I am just baffled more and more by how many of us in America are so spoiled and don't even know it! How can so many of us only see our own problems and never care to help out somewhere else? I never want to be that kind of American ever again.

Aù jûs cucumbers... Yumm!

2010-03-05T18:01:00.000-08:00

Workin' on sittin' up!

2010-03-05T11:47:00.001-08:00

Women's Retreat

2010-03-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a weekend! I had a lot of fun and God opened my eyes to so many things. I won't have time today to post them all here but I hope to continue posting a lot of it on my smallmustardseed blog. One quick comment though...

We did a video series by Beth Moore and in part of it she spoke about spending our love on others. I got to thinking about this concept and what I am spending every day. I realize that I save so much of my time and energy for other reasons... I'm not even sure why! What is the point of living if you aren't spending your time? Time doesn't roll over like my minutes do :) Sure, we can try to conserve energy or sanity, but isn't the more faithful and trusting thing to do is spend all of ourselves on whatever God desires, truly believing that He is the one who replenishes us? I want to believe that! I cannot on my own, especially with 2 small, needy, draining boys!!

But honestly, I know in my head that my life will be of little worth by saving it for myself or for other selfish reasons. The only way my life will amount to anything significant is if I spend all of myself, time, energy and resources on furthering God's kingdom. Otherwise, I'll get to Heaven and everything I've done will burn away. I don't want to barely be saved... I want God to be excited that I am finally with Him in person.

Happy Healthy 6 Months!

2010-03-01T14:17:00.001-08:00

Happy Times

2010-02-26T09:29:00.001-08:00

Getting so Big!

2010-02-20T15:03:00.001-08:00

Ugh.

2010-02-19T21:52:00.000-08:00

So, I had a pretty good day. I went down 3rd Street with Gizelle this morning (thanks to Mom A. for watching the boys) and took a bunch of photos. I was wanting to stay active with my photography and Gizelle wanted to practice with her SLR so we just walked up and down the street taking photos of whatever. I'm hoping I can use a bunch of these for stock to earn some extra $$$ so we'll see how they sell. I actually am liking more of them in the B&W version... enjoy. Oh, and PLEASE tell me what you think... I love taking photos, but some days I feel more discouraged than hopeful... just gotta keep my focus on what is actually important in life... Jesus. Thanks :)

Just Stuff

2010-02-18T21:21:00.000-08:00

No pictures today, sorry. Just thought I write a bit about the day and what the fam is up to.

Mark has been pretty busy at work. He still has been able to come home for lunches most days (which is such a blessing to me) but he's been working on lots of other projects once the kiddos are in bed. Feels like we don't actually get to hang out - oh wait, we really don't! It does seem to get easier as the kids are getting older so we're just doing what we can to take some time off together every once in a while.

Asher is learning a new word almost every hour it seems! Yesterday he learned "gross" (due to his yucky cold) and today he said "Shell" as in Michelle, "Chul" as in Rachel and has been repeating "Srah" and "Kaee" ever since Sarah and her daughter Katie came over yesterday morning. Gosh, what else? He certainly is entering into the 2 year old tantrums but our methods for handling them seem to be working, they certainly are trying times but we're confident that consistency and prayer will seal the deal! Picky eating has become a new fad... especially when he's hungry after nap time... only fruit snacks will do... which are not mom's favorite idea... so yeah, that's been fun every day :( He's also learning how to play catch and he's pretty good at it! The first time we played he caught the ball about 75% of the time and after a few catches and lots of my saying "Great job" he says "treat?" So cute! I told him sorry, but treats are only for helping mama or going on the potty :)

Cole sure is growing too. He seemed to really turn a corner in his eating lately. With solids he's just been weird... so finicky about when you offer them. If it's too soon after a bottle he's not interested, if it's after a nap, he is too hungry and just cries. So the past 2 or 3 days I've waited 1.5 hours after his bottle and voila!!! He's been great! Still getting up in the middle of the night eating a lot and then not eating a ton during the day but I have an idea to help that out... I'll let you know how it goes! He's still working on sitting up, he's just too much of a wiggle! He's certainly strong, but he won't hold still for very long and doesn't care if he falls over. But he's really become a lot more aware lately. Loves peekaboo, loves tickling... he just seems to understand a bit more about what's going on... he gets excited when he sees his bottle or me making baby cereal... and of course, he LOVES Asher.

The two brothers are so cute together. Lately, Ash gets really close to Cole and grabs his hand while saying "Coley, Coley, Cole" in a high voice. Then Cole starts making high pitched squeaks back to him. Then Asher laughs really loud, and so does Cole and it continues on and on... it's pretty much the cutest thing ever! Maybe we can catch it on video soon.

Me? Hmm, I'm too tired to think about it. Tomorrow I'm going on a photo shoot down 3rd street with Gizelle... Dar was going to come with us but she ended up leaving town. Ah well, her loss ;) I'll post some photos this weekend hopefully... we're mainly going so I can get some new stock shots and so Gizelle can get some practice with her new camera. Should be fun! I'll also scout out some areas to take portraits on 3rd st that I can hopefully use as I begin to book more photo shoots again.

Alright, enough for now. Time for bed!

Sweet Brothers

2010-02-12T10:26:00.000-08:00

I love my boys. They sure are cute... even if they are a ridiculous amount of work!! I thought I'd share these photos from the other day. The one with the bears is super special as it shows both boys with the very first gift anyone gave them once I found out I was pregnant. They are from Jeanne - the photo gal I used to work for :) Thanks Jeanne... they will be loved forever!

Also, coming up soon on the blog - some thoughts on living the Christian life in America and a great muffin recipe my friend Jana shared with me and taught me how to alter (she really needs to have her own cooking show)!! Hope you love the photos!

More Park Photos

2010-02-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Such a cutie huh? And to add to my previous post... Asher actually loved swinging like a big kid... and he only fell off 2 times! And it wasn't so much as falling as it was tripping and tumbling as he tried to stop swinging. I was surprised b/c I just put him on, told him to hang on tight and pushed a little, then he started pumping his legs and getting going on his own!! I was a lot older and had to have my grandpa Gates teach me how to swing... I knew Asher was smart!!

Looking at an airplane.

Running down a grassy hill.

Watching all the other kids.

Swinging like a big kid.

Cute shoes!

Gotta love sand!

"Cool!"

Park Season

2010-02-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited for this summer. I expect to make lots of good memories with my two boys at the park... hopefully many times!! On Sunday, it was so nice out that Ash and I went to the park for some fun. He LOVED it! Last summer, he liked the park but he was still a little bit too uncoordinated to tackle the climbing structures and stuff - plus it was hot, I was super pregnant and we didn't have a car :) This year however, we still don't have a car but are within walking distance, I'm not pregnant and Asher seems to have figured out that the park is a great place to be! Enjoy the photos and I'll post a few more pics tonight. Also (small photo plug here) I was thinking I'd start offering "park photos" to families - session that takes place at the park where I pretty much just photograph kids playing at the park... ideas?

Bathtime Cuteness.

2010-02-05T11:19:00.001-08:00

The Haiti Crisis

2010-02-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking so much about Haiti... mainly b/c an old friend of mine shared a link on facebook to a blog of some even older friends of mine :) Corrigan Clay and his wife Shelley, along with their 2 biological children and 2 adopted Haitian children, are missionaries in Haiti right where the earthquake was worst. They've been there for a while and I haven't had the chance to read all of their blog about when they started, but it's amazing to see God's Spirit so evidently shown in their lives and shown to the people around them. Corrigan has such a heart to know God and to best show His to others... his blog brings me to tears almost every time I read it!

Anyway, check out their blog or their website to see what they're doing and how you can help. I plan on hosting a jewelry party for them to support the work they are giving needy women sometime in March. Their work really inspires me and pushes me to seek more where God wants me. They work with many artists, teaching skills and artistic trades, which Mark and I are both really interested in. Maybe we'll go there and help out someday :)

On another note, Mark and I are working on a non-profit called The Giving Portal and our website should be up soon. The main purpose is to provide an online avenue of giving and awareness of need... that is the simplest way to say it... but it involves a lot more!! I'll keep you posted on that as it progresses.

Our Contortionist Learns to Roll... Kind of...

2010-01-29T07:33:00.001-08:00

Got my running shoes!!

2010-01-27T13:32:00.001-08:00

Growing Pains

2010-01-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

My growing pains are more like the opposite actually, decreasing size pains :) The treadmill is awesome but is also a very clear indicator of just how out of shape I am! My hip flexor was giving me trouble after just walking under a mile! Sad, but good to see that I'm not too overweight even being that out of shape I guess. I'll be just walking until I get my new shoes - I was really prone to injury my last season at Fox so I want to make sure I don't kill myself on workouts that are harder than what my knees can handle.

Cole is also going through some growing pains... teeth! This morning it was incredibly obvious that he is teething. The last couple weeks his drool really picked up, but this morning his gums were soft, swollen and I think I might even be able to feel a tooth really close to coming out! He's super cranky, chewing on everything and doesn't want to eat much at a time but eating often. I remember Asher being the same way - I'm sure it doesn't feel great sucking on a bottle when your gums are killing you.

I prayed throughout the whole pregnancy that Cole would be a fast teether... Asher was so slow... still is actually! It takes Asher over 2 months to go from teething to feeling the teeth and then usually another month to actually SEE the teeth! I'll keep you posted and hopefully I'll have a photo of at least 1 tooth within a week or so... my sanity may depend on it :)

Patience sure does not come naturally to me, which makes me sometimes wonder why I ever thought I could be a good mom. Hopefully I'm better at some of the other areas and ages of parenting! I love Asher's age now, he's more verbal and very silly and usually really easy to take with my almost anywhere. I know that next Christmas will be a huge turning point with having 2 boys... Cole will be almost 15 months and will be eating mostly "big people" food, walking around easily and I'm sure they'll both be acting incredibly silly together. Should be good times!!! I'm looking forward to it... too bad I can't stall time at that point for a while :) Stay tuned for updates!

Happy with Papa.

2010-01-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

Asher in Undies

2010-01-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

Well, Asher has officially started potty training :) He did great today. Only 2 minor accidents in undies and one small spill just before bath while roaming in the nude. He went on the potty 5 times!! I've decided that after 3 accidents each day we go back to diapers... I may change my mind on that one, it's not set in stone or anything. But he likes it a lot, at least the "Cars" underwear. He will clap and say "potty" every time he's done, even if he just sat there and nothing came out. We also give him 1 mint chocolate chip for each time he actually "goes" in the potty but he's actually been enjoying washing his hands afterwards while standing on his stool more than the mint chips! He'll still be in diapers at naptime and night for a while I'm sure, but I'm excited to see how this goes. Isn't he adorable!?!

More Dr's Appointments!

2010-01-14T15:15:00.000-08:00

Today I took the kids into the Dr for a couple reasons. 1st, Cole needed to get another vaccine that they were out of last week and 2nd, both kids have had croup on and off and it had gotten worse the past couple days. They gave a prescription for Asher if he gets Strider (loud and hoarse wheezing) while being active and were told to bring him to the ER if he has it while resting... also, to take Cole to the ER if he gets wheezy at all.

A little history on Cole for you: When he was born Cole had moderate ridging on the front bones in his skull. This is normal for newborns (usually newborns who actually went through the birth canal) but it is usually in the back bones of their skull, not so much on the front. Cole has an obvious ridge from all the way between his eyes up to his soft-spot on top. The ridging would be fine if the bones haven't fused but since it's still pretty prominent his Dr is getting a little concerned. She ordered an xray to see if the bones have fused and if they have, Cole will need surgery to separate them. Sad huh?! The xray tech was out to lunch so I'll have to either go tomorrow or early next week... for some reason, I feel more anxious about working out the transportation issues than I do about his head!

We're not completely crazy about the Dr we have now. I waited over an hour after the exams were done today before the nurse brought back the vaccine Cole needed... an hour!!!! That's a long time in a small room with 2 small, hungry boys with only 2 toys. Cole had a bottle, Asher had a whole bag full of crackers with water but we survived. Anyway, we are thinking of getting a 2nd opinion from Asher's old Dr in Tualatin. We liked him so much - he just seemed very attentive to details and more on the same page as far as health concerns go. Any big health issues they refer to OHSU which we would feel more comfortable with anyway. We vaccinate, but we're not totally into the flu vaccines and he's pretty low pressure about all that.

So, please keep us in prayer. Pray for Cole's head (funny as it sounds) that his skull bones will not be fused and that his head growth will continue to push those bones out. Also pray that the boys' croup heads out of this house never to return... as long as neither of them develops Strider within the next day or so, they should be fine. Pray for me, that working out all this transportation stuff will not stress me out of leave me in want of "stuff," namely, a car of my own. Having 2 working cars is more of a luxury than we realized, but I cannot let only having 1 car distract me from God's goodness and His desire to help us. Thanks everyone, I'll keep you posted!

Just a Few Pics :)

2010-01-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

Papa and Asher on Christmas Eve.

Aunt Naomi and Baby Cole Christmas Eve.

The latest shot of our littlest one :)

Asher's New Do!

2010-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Kiddos

2010-01-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd take a minute to post the cute things both kids are doing these days... feels like I haven't had a spare minute to even think about this stuff!!

Asher - well, he is definitely getting more verbal! We're learning to be very careful about what we say and do. The other day I dropped a spatula covered in spaghetti sauce that went all over the kitchen. I said "Ugh!!!" in very loudly and grunt-like (so womanly, I know) and about 30 seconds later Mark and I hear Asher in garage yelling and pounding on something... couldn't very well discipline him for something he learned from me! Anyway, so I've been challenged to change my behavior quite a bit.

This morning was super cute - after baths, I was checking an email on my phone before I went to put clothes in the hamper and diapers in the garbage. I looked up and the diapers were gone, I hear the garbage can close (it's a metal gonging sound) and see Asher running down the hall saying "away, away." I am so glad my son already can see what needs to be done and does it!! We'll be working on making that skill last :) Asher has also been freely giving kisses more and more saying "tis" as he grabs our necks. Every time he hurts himself he looks at me and says "kay?" like "okay?" I guess I ask him if he is okay a lot!

Cole sure is growing. Just today, he was on his tummy for a while and able to hold his head perfectly upright with very little effort. He was just happy as could be looking at everything, then Asher came over and said "cry?" So funny that Asher can see things and know what usually happens in those situations :) Cole can reach and grab stuff and I think he'll be doing that more than Ash ever did... yesterday I had my head close to him for about 2 seconds and he caught a handful of hair! He really enjoys watching Asher run around. Last night we caught it on tape!! Cole was smiling and chuckling just watching Asher run, jump, spin and make sounds. I can already tell that they are going to be good pals. Cole is getting on a better schedule too, which is incredibly helpful for me. He gets up pretty early but the past 2 days he's had naptime more in line with Asher's so I've actually gotten to pray, read my bible and knit without anything going on in the background!

I'll be busy the next month or so getting ready for the women's retreat. But I am so looking forward to not cooking or planning meals for 3 whole days!!! I'll have a few responsibilities at the retreat but it should be a really fun time - and hopefully I won't catch or spread the NoroVirus this year! Oh, and here's a cute photo of Asher that we took a couple weeks ago... enjoy!

Cole is 4 months!!

2010-01-06T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Cole was 4 months in December but he had his 4 months appt today :) It went well. He was really cute and laughing and chuckling... until the Dr touched him! He stopped crying shortly after the shots tho and he's a healthy guy! He weighs 15lbs 10oz, his height is 25.5 inches and his head is just under 17 inches! Pretty much at the 75th percentile for everything.

His Dr is pretty into the whole flu and H1N1 vaccine, which we're not so into. I'm not completely against it, but we're homebound most of the week and my kids are just really healthy. Asher's only had the Norovirus and a few colds since he was born and so far, Cole has only had a cough that lasted 1 week... so, I'm not too concerned, it's just annoying to have to deal with a Dr that pressures you at every appt!

Well, Cole is waking up... better give that kid a bottle before the world errupts!

Mini-Mark in training :)

2010-01-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

BSF

2010-01-04T10:42:00.000-08:00

So, I got an invite on facebook from the woman who is the teacher at a local BSF class in Lake Oswego... she had let me know a while back that BSF will now be offering childcare for children under 2 years old which is a brand new policy!!! I'm so excited b/c I had originally quit going since I could not find weekly childcare for Asher when he was little... plus, our whole car situation has not allowed me to go either.

Anyway, BSF International is an amazing organization that truly teaches God's word in a straightforward and effective manner. I learned so much while attending the years I went. They offer introduction classes the 1st week of each month and the infant childcare program begins January 26th. I would really like to go but I have no car!!! I'm posting this for 2 reasons: 1- in the hopes that I can get someone to come with me and give me a ride while also attending and 2- that more of you look into BSF and begin participating in this amazing ministry. While some may go and think it seems "strict" I've discovered that all their rules are in place to allow God to work without hindering one another by our perceptions and ideas.

It's an intense study, 6 days of homework each week, but seriously, I learned more at that study each week than one month or more of sermons (no offense Steve, it's just a participatory study and not only a sermon). MaryAnne Noack teaches the Tuesday morning class in Lake Oswego at the Lutheran church and she is amazing too!! I love hearing her teach and her honesty always inspires me to truly seek after God. The class starts at 9:15am and ends about 11:30. Please, if you have any interest, contact me and at least come to the introduction class and one real class after that!

The class is pretty straightforward and very structured... meet and sing 2 hymns, hear a small intro, break into small groups to discuss lesson from previous week, meet as a whole group again, sing 1 hymn, lecture, get new lesson, repeat! Let me know if you're interested in attending! The first time you go you'll need to find childcare but every week after that you just drop them off and they'll get to learn a lesson and a bible verse that goes along with our study. Like I said, please let me know if you're interested, I know you'll be blessed by it!!!

Asher's Second Cousin... AKA Brody!

2010-01-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

Really, do we believe it?

2009-12-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Sunday's sermon was really excellent. That, along with one of the worship songs, got us really thinking about how much we believe what Jesus says. The song is called "In Christ Alone" and sounds very hymn-like even though it's relatively new... the last verse says this:

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

Both of us really feel like we "trust" God for most things but to really be so confident in what His plans are for us... we definitely feel like there is a lot of ground to be made up!! In the sermon, Steve was talking about when King Herod killed all the male children, age 2 and under, and how Matthew says it was a fulfillment of prophesy. I'm sure most mothers did not see it as God's plan being accomplished at the time, as I'm sure many families were devastated by Herod's jealousy. It was a terrible tragedy, and I would like to say that tragedies on that scale do not occur today because they do, just not publicly. But it really got Mark and I to start considering the way we look at circumstances in our lives. Instead of looking for fixes, do we look to God for guidance and assurance? Or do we look for human solutions and personal happiness? I know I'm usually the latter.

I also started thinking about why I don't give God as much credit as He deserves and was just trying to think about Him and who He is. Steve was talking about Jesus being the new ruler, so I started to think about what it looks like for us to serve a King. I can imagine, that if I knew Queen Elizabeth and she offered to take care of all my needs for all of time if I just made myself about her goals and did whatever she asked that it would be a pretty nice gig, yeah? Well, maybe not awesome, seeing that she is human and may have selfish goals and not completely desire the best for me... but God is far beyond that. He not only has power over earthly circumstances in one small country, but He has power above all creation over all time!!! Seriously, we really have such a limited idea of how much that is... well, maybe we don't and that is why we don't trust Him. We think "Yeah, He can do anything, but really, is He going to do much for me?" I know that I too, seriously misunderstand the completeness of God's goodness and love towards us.

Take this verse: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him?" Matthew 7:11 If I, being selfish and caring mostly for myself, know how to being loving and caring and want good for my kids, how much more does God, who is completely perfect, brilliant and good, want to show us goodness when we ask!!! In America, many people have loftly dreams but we tell people to always keep their feet on the ground, attempt something more attainable... but God can do the impossible, and if we aim for God's will we should attempt the impossible so that it is only possible with God.

All of this to say, I truly desire to be about God's business and should not question the circumstances of my life as long as I am pursuing God, for He knows better than I do and He loves me more than I could ever comprehend. I really want to believe that and there's no way without Him that I can!

Asher says thanks G&G for the starbucks card!

2009-12-26T08:01:00.000-08:00

Matching Brothers - Thanks Jenn!

2009-12-23T08:38:00.001-08:00

Who said this kid was the serious one?

2009-12-20T13:17:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Boatright intruduced Asher to this little number. Apparently
it's funny when mom does it too!

Rough morning, I guess.

2009-12-20T12:57:00.001-08:00

Binkless.

2009-12-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

Asher did an amazing thing last week... yep... gave up his binky! It was really odd actually. One morning after his bath he was being very cranky. I went and found his binky and tried to hand it to him. He simply kept saying "done, done" and refused to even hold it. He took it with him to naptime but wouldn't put it in his mouth. Well, actually, that day he never really napped... he just played in his room for half hour-45 minute increments, came out of his room, got in trouble, then back to goofing off again. That night, he still wouldn't take his binky. Even while crying at night he just kept saying "done" whenever I tried to give it to him. We figured we'd take the opportunity to hide all the binkies!

A friend suggested he might have had an ear infection and that it hurt to suck. I don't know what exactly happened, but he's on the upside of his cough now and goes to sleep without the binky! He asked for it once today so I just told him "You said you were done so all the binkies went bye-bye." and he seemed content with that answer :) So yay!!! I'm so glad it wasn't a super drawn out battle or source of contention. Cole doesn't seem to be near as attached to his so I'm hoping we can raise 2 kids without power struggles over binkies at least!

On another note, I had my last Dr's appt for a while to just check a couple things out with my recovery. I've had a really sharp pain on the right side of my incision on the inside. It feels like a strained muscle does and it gets worse when I do a lot of lifting or working out. My Dr felt the incision and said it was the material they use to close up everything. I guess it's a really strong suture on the right that is in more of a knot that the rest and it takes about 3 months for it to dissolve. Where the knot is can dissolve more slowly and that's probably what's causing the pain. He said I should be painless within a month or so and to just take it easy until it doesn't hurt anymore. I wasn't really worried, just annoyed that I can't work harder to get into shape again. But that's what this summer will be for... hopefully lots of jogging to the park with the kids and swimming in grandma's pool!!

Lastly, Cole is starting to chuckle a bit! Kristi was watching the kids while I was at the Dr's today, and she said her and her daughter really got Cole laughing! I was sad to miss it but am really excited to hear it soon. He's so cheerful (as long as he's not tired or hungry) and so content most of the time. We get lots of smiles and he's becoming slightly more predictable... my kids are polar opposites! But so far, Asher and Cole seem to really love each other... as much as babies can. Cole just watches Asher run around and Asher loves to help me get Cole up after naps. Asher will go running to Cole whenever he cries and will even put his binky in when he's tired. It's so cute to see Asher take toys to Cole and just say his name, even if it is way too close to his face :) I'm glad to have these boys and really look forward to the fun times ahead.

"Bucks!"

2009-12-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

What a cute munchkin!!!

2009-12-13T13:37:00.000-08:00

Asher Ioves grandpa's Magnum!!

2009-11-30T15:24:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-28T14:57:00.000-08:00

Our first Thanksgiving with little mister Cole... it was pretty good! We're always the last ones to leave mom and dad's no matter what occasion, and true to form, we stayed from about noon until 7pm :) Hopefully they don't mind our constant intrusion!

It was a good Thanksgiving. So much has been going on in both of our lives that it was nice to have a day to just sit back and do nothing in particular - besides changing diapers and feeding kids at least. I'm feeling so tired today that I'm sure I'm not portraying what a blessed time it was. Overall, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving have been nothing but going from one even to the next, taking care of one task and running to the store for something... I feel like since we moved in I haven't had an hour to just sit!! I'm either exhausted and trying to recoup my energy or taking care of mailing something or cleaning more bottles. I would like to say that things might slow down but that's never true this time of year. At least we both love Christmas so hopefully the busyness will be fun!

I've got a few church events coming up, which means planning and arranging details this Sunday, Wednesday, Friday and then of course the Wreath making on Saturday. Mark is playing at the Calvary Chapel Coffee Shop tomorrow, then leading worship next week which means his evenings are full and he'll be gone Thursday evening. Then, cookie exchange, Armstrong Family get-together and other yet-to-be-planned activities... I sure hope I have some down time in January! But, I will probably be doing a photo shoot with a few models and makeup artists then so I'll be busy planning that. I'd love to be able to buy the studio equipment to do it here but so far, I'm about $1000 short... yeah, I've got a bit more to save. But, I also have some photo shoot ideas with some interested people and I might be able to make it happen by mid-January so I'll be attempting to arrange getting that taken care of which also involves clearing out the garage and finally unpacking everything... I'm tired just writing all this! But I'm grateful to be busy (most days) and hope that this whole mother-of-two things gets a bit less hectic... Cole isn't quite the scheduled eater and sleeper that Asher was... but he smiles a TON so it mostly makes up for it!

Well, enough about busyness, here are a couple cute photos... I love the one of all the boys... Mark watching Asher watching Cole watching his hand! I don't know why they always look kinda grainy when I upload them... ugh, another day's work! Stay tuned for more updates... hopefully within a couple weeks at least :-)

Cole is such a smiler!!

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Playtime with the Armstrong Boys

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Asher likes to color

2009-11-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

Asher is 20 months old!!

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I cannot believe how big Asher is getting. He's learning new words every day - although many of them sound like "bee" or "bah," many other words are getting more accurate :) Like car, Cole, baby, eat, food... how come I can never think of all of them while I am writing!! Anyway, he's becoming such his own person. From the way he likes to eat his food without being watched, to the way he likes to take off his socks and pick between his toes (one by one, one after the other - it's pretty hilarious)!

He can turn doorknobs and lately, when I start fixing a bottle for Cole, Asher will run to Cole's room and go right in... he loves to help with everything! He also loves to help push everything... the stroller, the shopping cart, the broom and mop, anything that can go! And he loves going. Whenever I put on a sweatshirt or socks he asks if we're going. He runs through the house and the yard and it's the funniest thing ever - mainly b/c he swings his left arm really hard but his right arm just kinda hangs out, up in the air barely swinging - he might not have inherited my athleticism. He's really good at telling you what he wants and he's pretty patient if you let him know it's on the way... like his toast this afternoon. He didn't even want fruit snacks, he wanted a 2nd piece of toast... he kept crying "toe, toe?" But once I told him I was making it, he just sat there waiting for it without a peep.

Not to say he doesn't have his moments, b/c oh boy, he has plenty!! But he's been getting a lot of teeth too so we try to cut him some slack without compromising on what rules are a must. This morning while he was screaming I noticed that he actually has one of his 2 year molars! Whoa! I knew he was getting his last 2 bottom teeth and that his top kanines had just broken but I was not even looking for molars... poor kid. He loves the new place though and already seems to know what happens where. I'm always amazed at the things he learns without me teaching him - I feel like Mark and I are always laughing about the things he figures out! He also recently started calling me "mom" sometimes instead of mama. If he can't see where I'm at he just shouts "MOM, MOM" until he finds me. He also just LOVES little Cole... it's so cute to see him look at his brother and just smile. We love these boys, even though they are a handful!

Well, here's a photo of him in the new backyard... he's growing up so fast!

Taking Photos

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It's been a while since I took my camera out. Life with 2 kids is busy enough, much less life with 2 small kids (including a 2 month old) and moving into another home and only having 1 car! Luckily, we had TONS of help and it has not been as bad as we thought. We absolutely love the new place... it feels just like home... and what's even better, Asher seems to love it too and has had no trouble adjusting to sleeping here! What a blessing.

Well, I decided to take some photos of Cole during Asher's nap... enjoy! Hopefully I'll get some pics of the new place once we've had a chance to pack away some of the boxes :-)

2 months and counting :-)

2009-10-31T14:45:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at the New Place!

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Such a Happy Boy.

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