It's official: "We have a Walker!"

Each child is so unique in their own ways and does things according to their own timetable. Gracie is 14 months and has been "flirting" with walking for weeks now. She'd cruise along the couch, or would feel confident with someone's hand to hold, but doing it by herself was another story. In the last few days, she's taken off! Walking, turning and even going backwards. It's also created a "Miss Independent" attitude. If I pull her in one direction, all of the sudden, the opposite seems quite tempting. Those first steps are so precious. There's something really sacred about watching first steps. It marks the beginning of so many new joys yet undiscovered and challenges and bruises yet to be faced.

Some new pics of my babes

Better late than never-Gracie turns 1!

My blogging skills aren't much to be desired, but here it is almost 2 months later.

Gracie Zane turned 1 on January 7, 2009. It's amazing that a year has come and gone.

Here are some of her milestones at age one...

Says "uh-oh" to perfection!
Crawls
Climbs the stairs
Waves bye-bye
Smiles and lights up our hearts
Says "bah" for please with a little tummy rub
Loves her big bro and sis
She's definitely a carnivore and loves meat
Not a fan of veggies (surprise, surprise)
Is sleeping through the night "Hallelujah!"
Has effortlessly stolen our hearts

Happy 1st Birthday Grace!

One of the best books I've ever read!

I just finished the 500+ page novel Ishmael by E.D.E.N. Southworth. A friend lent me this precious find. It is a Lamplighter book. Lampligher is a Christian company that searches for old out-of-print novels and reprints them with a beautiful binding to treasure forever. These books have a wonderful Christian message that many books seem to lack these days.

I simply devoured this book. It's about a young man named Ishmael as he overcomes every adversity imaginable and yet with honesty, integrity and bravery. The book takes place in the mid-1800s in America. Ishmael lives to overcome his ignoble birth and poverty to become something great; and succeeds. His honesty and God-fearing nature makes you want to do more for the glory of God. This is definitely on the list of books I would love my children to read when they are older. It speaks so much to character, godly relationships, overcoming hardships, perserverance and hard work!

I found that there is no copyright on this book and you can read it for free online. I don't know if you could possibly read it off of the computer because it's so long, but here it is nonetheless. For all who do so: Enjoy!
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15774/15774-h/15774-h.htm

"I can't believe he's 5!"

"Can you say, precious?"



The nightvision goggles, he wanted.

Today we celebrated Cole's 5th birthday.

I remember the ultrasound when I found out I was having a boy. I remember being really awed and excited to have a boy, but quite frankly, a bit bewildered by it as well. I worried about typical things (at least I thought they were typical). Like, how am I going to know what toys to buy him? (Tim's department.) How will I know how to change a boy diaper? (Much easier than a girl, I decided.) And, what about boy clothes? Those aren't nearly as cute as the girl clothes. (Not really true.) And the zinger: Am I going to love him as much as I love Caitlyn? Well, to answer that, all I can say is that this little guy pulls on my heartstrings in a totally new and different way. I'm like all moms who absolutely loves all her children. But a mom and her boy? How can I explain it? If you have a son, you understand.

Heading South: A Visit to Bosque Del Apache

What a wonderful day we had! The whole family went south today to visit the wildlife preserve of Bosque Del Apache just south of Socorro.



We had never visited it before and we didn't know what to expect. It far exceeded our expectations. We ate lunch at the visitor's center and walked through an arts and crafts show. We also saw lots of wildlife that had been rescued, including owls, foxes, snakes and even a wolf. Then we drove the loop around the preserve. My photos just don't do it justice. I have never seen so many birds and cranes at the same time! They were innumerable. On the first little lake there even lived 2 bald eagles. This was the first time I'd ever seen bald eagles in the wild.

When you really think it, it is an amazing journey these birds take. Traveling thousands of miles every year. They start in Canada and head towards the equator for the winter. This is just a spot of rest for them.

The kids really enjoyed themselves too. I was satisfied that they were able to see all of this beautiful creation and appreciate it. Sometimes I wonder if I would've appreciated this as a kid, or if it would've been too "boring" for me. But I think it helped that they saw all the adults thoroughly enjoying themselves and glorying in God's creation too.

It also helped that they had their best buds/cousins there to play with too. They are all so precious with eachother. I love it! Listening to Cole and Ben in the backseat of the car, I overheard Cole explaining a game he concocted to Ben. It went like this: "Ok Ben, we are going to be ninjas and then we are going to get lots of snacks and have a tea party." Can you tell he has an older sister?

At the end of the day, as we were nearing the end of the loop, we saw the most spectacular sight of all: the "Landing". Countless numbers of birds (we never did figure out what kind they were: maybe geese of some kind), swooped down into this field to eat. It was like watching bomber plans coming in on a target; wave after wave of birds. We thought they were all in, and then off in the distance we'd see more coming in. It was awesome! Tim and I decided this was definitely an activity we'll want to repeat next year.


Ok, I'm not a professional photographer, but this photo is my absolute fav!


Cranes, cranes and more cranes


Our mystery birds




Coming in for a landing

A Visit to Sacramento

Last week Tim and I had a little getaway to Sacramento. He had a conference to attend, and Gracie and I tagged along for the ride. We had a wonderful time. I was also able to visit and reconnect with my dear friend, Amy and her sweet daughter Faith. We had such a wonderful visit. She drove 5 hours from Oregon just to hang out with us.

Old Sacramento. Cute and Quaint.

Cara and Amy with our sweet girlies.

During Tim's conference days, Gracie and I managed to fill up our time. I finished a book, walked the mall and a visited some beautiful Victorian museums in town. I also toured the Capitol building and found the "Governator's" office. There were press and security waiting outside his door for a press conference. I waited and waited for him to come out, but Gracie was getting cranky and I had to leave. Bummer. Would've been a better story if he'd come out.

The Governor's Mansion. Only a musuem now, but I loved visiting it. It was like walking through a time machine. So much history!

Of course, I had to visit the "old Schoolhouse". This was so sweet. I felt like I was on Little House on the Prairie.