One of those days

Monday's journal entry:

Right now toys are all over the living room floor, and the bathroom is a mess because the kids were playing with water, so of course Emma's shirt is all wet. She refused to nap today after 1 1/2 hours in bed talking and singing.

Clay went #2 while I was on the phone with my mom and then proceeded to wipe his rear on Emma's pink sweatshirt, WHILE she was wearing it. How does one get that sort of idea?

Then, when I asked Clay to pick up his toys, he said, "Mama, you're like Pharaoh."

"Why?" I asked, pretty sure I knew the answer that was coming.

"Because he was mean to all of his people." We talked about how that is not a kind way to talk to mommy...then later, Jeff and I laughed our heads off at his misuse of Biblical narratives.

Adventure at Sturtevant Falls

Yesterday we took the kids for a 4 mile hike along a beautiful canyon trail. For much of the hike we walked next to a rushing creek. We could always hear the sound of the water.

Then we came to a point where we had to "ford" the creek. Brave Jeff went across first, carrying Emma. He would drop her off on the other side, and come back partway to meet me with Clay. Then, he would carry Clay across. And I would come last. We did that 6 different times!
We had one last time to cross the creek. I said to Jeff, "Maybe you should just run ahead and take a picture of the waterfall." I'm so glad he didn't go with my idea... At last, the sight of the waterfall (which was SO WORTH the trip).
We sat at the bottom of the falls eating our picnic lunch as we heard the thundering water and felt it's spritz on our faces. Amazing. I thought about how God just takes my breath away with His magesty.

"And these are but the outer fringe of His works; how faint the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?" (Job 25:14)

The Color Turquoise

Turquoise is one of my favorite colors lately. It reminds me of the ocean... and makes me feel calm and peaceful.

Emma's tutu from Aunt Melissa

This little "dream" house is a Christmas ornament I got from Target a few years ago. I like it so much that I keep it out year round.
I love how light reflects in these Ball mason jars. The white roses are from my friend, Kelly.

Create

This week I was inspired by "Country Living" and "Hallmark" magazines to get into the "Valentine" mood and make some cards and a cupcake topper.

Here's what my table looked like part way though...

The Final Product

Tuesday Mornings

"Mom, when's it going to be Tuesday?" This is Clay's question for me every week. He and Emma so look forward to Playschool, a preschool group led by Fuller parents.

One thing I love about it is the huge cultural diversity. There are families from Latvia, Austrailia, Lebanon, Taiwan, and all over the U.S. Here's Emma's group doing a parachute. Music time is fun for everyone with all kinds of instruments to be passed around.
A pretty flower on our walk home. I still can't get over the fact that flowers bloom here year round. Last week, we noticed some daffodils. I guess that makes it "spring" now!

Beautiful Feet

Yesterday morning, Emma came out ready to go to the grocery store and playground wearing these... I marveled at the difference between kids, as Clay played happily with his trains in his bare feet.
And, here's me in my "mommy socks." Love the holes and the sticker from an apple.

What's on your feet today?

Sunset at Echo Mountain

Jeff is always coming up with adventurous ideas. The other night, he said, "Let's go see the sun set tonight off that mountain." So, we raced off in the car, in order to catch the sun before it went down. It was one of those times where the sky just keeps getting prettier. We watched the sun set behind the mountains, the L.A. skyline, twinkling city lights, and the ocean far off in the distance...and thought "life is good."

What a wonderful Maker. What a beautiful God.

Giddy Up!

This morning, as Jeff was waiting for a friend at Peet's Coffee, he read in the newspaper that the Santa Anita Race Track was having $1 admission all weekend. So, when he got home, he announced that we were going to a horse race this afternoon!

We cheered loud for whichever horse Clay liked best. "Go number 3!" The movie, "Sea Biscuit" was based on a true story about a horse that raced at The Santa Anita Track.

We got to watch the horses walk in to the track. They were huge, with shiny coats, and amazingly strong muscles.

Boys

Today we went to the park. I loved watching Clay play with his friends...they ran, wrestled, fell, jumped, sweat, laughed, and cried. They play with such passion.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

How can it be 12 years that we've known of each other's existance?! We've climbed mountains, walked beaches, made pancakes, had 2 kids, moved across the country, listened, cried, laughed, and shared so much full life together. I delight in being next to you on this journey.... I love you more.

Water Colors

Today the kids spent a long time painting with watercolors. It was neat to see their different styles come out on paper. Emma took long brush strokes, and Clay made short, dark ones.

"This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

The Rose Parade

Last night Jeff slept out on Colorado Street, helping our friends save seats for us to watch the parade today. He only got 1 1/2 hours of sleep, but it was SO worth it! We had a blast with our friends (some from Fuller, and also some visitors from our youth ministry days). Cash and Stephanie came from Phoenix, Aaron from Michigan, and Glori from Elkhart.
I loved seeing the floats up close. The attention to detail and the beautiful flowers amazed us! Happy New Year!