Going to the Ranch

My 97 year old grandfather has property in Southern Oregon that our family affectionately refers to as "The Ranch."  Becoming an adult has made it difficult for me to visit the ranch, so this year, I decided to make it a priority to make a day trip.  It was the first time I had gone in over 10 years.  Savannah stayed back with Grammy and Papa, and my brother, his very pregnant wife (she was a great sport about the whole thing!), and their son joined Amora and me for a day of outdoor fun.

Amora had an absolute blast.  We went creek walking twice, enjoyed a hike looking for a tree that my grandfather carved initials in (unsuccessful), and spent time with family.  I really enjoyed the extra time with my brother and his family and felt very blessed to have that time with them.

Billy showed Amora how to use his slingshot.  She was mildly impressed.

Amora and I took a few pictures with my grandfather.  He loves his home in the mountains.

The above pictures were taken from the deck.  It really is a slice of heaven in the mountains.

My grandfather is always up for pictures.  He's such a good sport!

I'm so glad we took the time to go to the ranch.  Amora enjoyed spending time in a place where I spent much of my summers growing up.  As for Savannah, she had a blast and was spoiled rotten by Papa and Grammy.  

Beach Day

I took a whole week off of work to take my girls to Oregon for July 4th, and it was so nice!  I rarely take that much time off and really loved spending time with my girls and family members.  I was so grateful for the time my family spent to help us have a really great trip.  

One of our first activities was the beach.  We went with Grammy and Papa to Lincoln City.  Our hotel was right on the beach, and the girls had a blast!

Amora loved playing in the sand.  She barely went in the water (probably because it was so cold).

I think this is one of my favorite pictures with my dad.  Aren't we cute?

My girls love their Papa!

And a trip to the coast would not be complete without a trip to Moe's.  We had a gorgeous view from our table.  Amora and Savannah insisted on sitting next to Grammy because she's super great.

One of the best parts of staying in a hotel easy access to swimming.  My little fish was in heaven.

As is typical of the Oregon coast, there was plenty of wind to fly a kite.  Amora got bored in about two seconds because she wanted to get back to playing in the sand, but Savannah thought she was pretty hot stuff flying a kite all by herself.

Pure joy.

I love this picture.

We had such a great time at the Oregon coast, maybe next year we'll bring Adam!  But really, it was such a treat to spend so much time with Papa and Grammy.  We sure do love them.

Boise Music Festival

The thing I love about living in Idaho is that if you take the time to look for fun family activities, you will find them.  Adam was able to score us some free tickets to the Boise Music Festival, so we packed up a lot of water on the warm 106 degree day and headed out.

They had an indoor area with bounce houses where the kids ran wild and Adam and I hung out together.

Amora took a break from playing to give a sassy pose.

Bounce houses are so fun when you're six!

Grandpa Ron was in town and joined us for some fun.

Ha ha--it's nearly impossible to get this girl to smile for a picture.

But she LOVED snow cones with her grandpa.

A Day at Jump Creek Falls

I took a technology class this summer that reminded me of how EASY it is to blog.  With that in mind, we have had a very busy and fun summer and I wanted to give family and friends a chance to see what we've been up to.  Here's the first of some family updates.

A few weeks ago, my mom and brother stopped by for a couple nights to visit as they were passing through.  I was tasked with trying to figure out what to do with three teenagers, two little ones, and two adults.  So we went to Jump Creek Falls and it was wonderful!

Savannah loved playing in the rocks and sand and exploring.

The bigger kids enjoyed climbing rocks and being cool.

It was a gorgeous day with a beautiful view!

I love my Savannah.

Hanging out with my mom was super nice.

If you haven't checked this place out yet, you are missing out!  We try to go at least once a summer.  It was a great family activity.

2012 Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

This year has been a year of excitement and anticipation for our family. We bought our first house, gave a home to a naughty little kitty, and best of all, welcomed a sweet baby girl into our family.  We feel grateful for all of these new changes and so blessed to have such a wonderful growing family.

On December 17th, Savannah Jade joined our family.  She is the sweetest, cuddliest baby, and we are loving getting to know her little personality.  We look forward to watching her grow and develop, and Amora eagerly anticipates the day when Savannah will be a bigger baby so she can teach her how to crawl and walk.

Amora has had quite a year.  She started dance class last January and proved her love for performing at her first recital in May.  It was an adjustment taking instructions from a teacher, as she is used to being the boss, but she is doing great now.  Her plies and chiases are just about the cutest things you have ever seen.  We got her a kitten over the summer, which she named Max.   She and Max have a love-hate relationship, as most play sessions end with Amora scolding him for one reason or another.  Amora started preschool in the fall where she is thriving. Her teacher describes her as sweet, loveable, responsible, and shy.  Apparently she saves all her sass for home.  She loves crafts, wrestling with her daddy, negotiating, and writing.  In fact, we recently caught her writing her name on a dollar bill!  This little girl has so much personality; we are blessed to have her in our family.

Wendy has continued her employment with the state of Idaho and juggles full time work and being a wife and mother. She was fortunate to have a healthy pregnancy that enabled her to meet the demands of such a busy life.  She is defi- nitely enjoying maternity leave and hav- ing more time with the people who matter most!

Adam is working as a psychosocial rehabilitation  (PSR)  worker  in  a  job  that gives him an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the children he works with.   He is an amazing husband and father.  He is also becoming quite a chef and loves to share his culinary creations with friends and family—just ask for an invite!

It's been an eventful year for us.  We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season and count our blessings daily.  We hope 2013 blesses us with quality family time as we adjust to being a family of four.  Merry Christmas and may God bless you this Christmas season!

Love,

Adam, Wendy, Amora, and Savannah

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My baby girl turned three last month. It's amazing to think about how it feels like the past three years have flown by, but at the same time, I can hardly think of our family without this precious little girl.

We just love spending time with her and listening to the crazy things that come out of her mouth. She's constantly bossing us, sassing us, or being sweet. She weighs about 32 pounds and has gone through a growth spurt recently. She loves to sing and dance and is looking forward to going to ballet class now that she's three. Her favorite foods these days are tacos and guacamole. I'm pretty sure she thinks chocolate should be a food group. She's a picky eater but will usually eat her meals with the possibility of a dinner treat.

A favorite Amora story of the year: In her nursery class at church in November, the teachers are rounding the kids up for the lesson. Amora stands in the corner and says, "Anyone who doesn't want to hear the lesson, come over here." One little girl, Ivy, decides to join Amora. When the teacher tries to get Ivy to join the rest of the class, Amora holds out her arm in front of Ivy and says, "Ivy doesn't want to hear the lesson."

Yes, I am toast.

Amora is also going through a Tinkerbell phase. So we had to have a Tinkerbell/Princess/Pirate birthday party (pirates for the boys). This was as creative as I could get for the invitation with minimal time working full time, planning her birthday party, and getting ready for Christmas.

She asked for a Tinkerbell cake, so her not-so-crafty mom made the attempt. Not too bad with a cake mold. I was proud of myself and Amora loved it.


And here is all of her loot. Probably one of her favorite parts of her birthday was going to choose what balloons she wanted.

And here is my little princess. We were all set to wear the Tinkerbell costume for the party until she opened this princess costume from an aunt and uncle. Tinkerbell party magically morphed into Tinkerbell/Princess party.


She figured out the art of blowing out the candle. I don't think there was even much spit on the cake. Way to go, Amora!

We love you little girl! We look forward to discovering what 3 has in store for you!

Christmas Letter 2011

What better way update the world after many months of absence than my Christmas letter? More to come, eventually.

Dear Family and Friends,

As with every year as of late, this year has been a year of change for our family. We have added new jobs to our resumes, experienced new adventures, and felt gratitude for the abundance of blessings received this year.

We’ll start with the most important member of our family, Amora. She has continued to grow and develop into a jewel of a little girl. She loves all things girly, especially princesses, fairies, and dressing up. We successfully mastered potty training which proved to be a challenging yet rewarding endeavor. Her favorite potty activity? Playing on the iPad while doing her business. What can we say? We have a diva on our hands. This year she has shown her artistic and creative sides by speaking “Spanish” (her nonsense language), cutting shapes, drawing people, singing, dancing, and making up silly names for her imaginary siblings and friends. We continue to be amazed at her developing vocabulary and sense of humor.

This year has been the year of many jobs for Wendy. She started the year as a stay at home mom then went back to work as a long-term substitute teacher at a local middle school. She then landed a job as a part-time summer school health teacher at an alternative high school. And in August, she changed careers and began a permanent position with the state of Idaho working in public health. The best part of this new job is the financial stability and the low stress nature of the position. The most difficult part of this has been the challenge of being away from Amora. Luckily, she is in wonderful hands with her daddy.

Adam landed a great job as a psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) worker that gives him flexible hours and allows him to try to make a difference in the lives of the children he works with. He goes to work part-time in the late afternoons and evenings, takes care of Amora during the day, and does a good job making sure the house is in tip top shape. He even finds time for his fun experiments in the kitchen (which mostly turn out well).

It’s definitely been a crazy year for us, but we are grateful for where it has led us. We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season and count our blessings daily. We hope 2012 brings us continued stability and maybe home ownership. Merry Christmas and may God bless you this Christmas season!