What in the world is a Child Life Specialist?!

So, I haven't actually gotten a chance to watch this segment as my computer is LAME, but I hear it's great. I guess Matt Lauer, from The Today Show, spend a day as a Child Life Specialist. So...if you've ever wondered what I do, hopefully this will help. (if not, ask me) Hope it's a good depiction of Child Life!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33491735/vp/40313468#40313468

Totally Rad 80s Party!

So, I turned 30 last summer. I had told Jaye that I thought it'd be fun to have an 80s skating party to celebrate...we tried 2 different times to plan the party but the dates just weren't working for our friends and family. Well, the more I thought about it, the more I still wanted to do the 80s party. So...thanks to Jaye, and lots of our amazing friends and family, we finally had our 80s party! Jaye and I searched high and low for our costumes and I LOVE how they turned out! Here are some pictures from our party...

Jaye did my amazing makeup! He's pretty good!

Yeah, he's a pretty hot rocker!

True love on skates!

Hope was too little skate, but she LOVED running all over the rink! It was hard to keep up with her and keep holding her hand while on skates!

We really did try to get a good family picture...Hope wasn't really cooperating...

My amazing friend Karyn was a good sport and sported some 80s gear too!

After the skating rink we had everyone over to our house for dinner and cake. The little ones played so well together and thought it was fun to "talk" to each other on their phones! It was so fun having other kids and families around and I love that our house has space for the kids to play and yet another space for the grown-ups to sit around and talk. Every time we have a party or get-together Jaye and I always talk about how fun it is to have all of our favorite people in the same place, at the same time! I am so thankful for all of our friends and for our amazing families!!! So, it may have been almost 6 months later, but happy birthday to ME!

What's New?!

I am enjoying Hope so much these days! I am so proud of her and the little girl she is! She is full of wonder and curiosity and is quite funny too!

In the past week Hope has expanded her vocabulary by leaps and bounds! She has become quite the talker and story-teller lately! Up until recently, a lot of words were just the consanant sound they began with. Now Hope is using multiple syllables for words and is putting words together to tell us things. A few of my favorites are: "Oh Too-dles", "Mama Car!", "Table", "Mi Mou" and "Mi Mou Par" (Mickey Mouse Park), "Shereal", "Srend" (friend), etc. She gets so excited now when she starts telling her story and I love it! She is just verbal with everything now! When she plays hockey around the house she says "go go go" as she hits the ball with her stick. She loves the "Hot Dog" song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and walks around singing "hot dog" and then mumbles some other stuff as she dances around the house. She is in love "Ayel" (Ariel) and can spot her out anywhere. She loves the pirate song on her Disney movie and walks around singing it.

She's now telling us what she wants to eat for dinner (not that we have that many choices) and then actually eats what she chooses. She loves to snack and asks to have her snacks at her little table. Her new favorite thing is sitting inside of our ottomans/cubes...she'll sit in there for a good 10 minutes, playing with whatever toys she's brought inside. My car is quickly becoming very full of toys and things as she insists on bringing various items with her on our outings. Tonight's items of choice: blankie, a balloon, and a pink sparkly princess shoe. She tells us when she wants to go to bed or take a nap...so nice!!! Today she really like snuggling under a fleece blanket while sitting on the chair.

I just love this stage/age!! We have so much fun together and I am so thankful for my mornings and days off with Hope! It is a blessing to be her Mommy and spend my time with her!

Holidays & Traditions

The holidays are quickly approaching and I find myself thinking a lot about what I want from them. Growing up we didn't have many traditions other than having a fruit soup and lefse (Scandinavian) on Christmas eve and getting new PJs to wear that same night. As I think about Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I have this desire to be intentional about assigning meaning to both of these days.

In the latest Pottery Barn Kids catalogue they have a Thanksgiving tree that I love! I refuse to spend the $70 they want from it, but I definitely want to make my own for next year. The idea is that you create a tree with a pocket for each day of November. Then, each day you write down what you are thankful for and put it in the pocket. I just love that it is an intentional act of remembering our blessings and all we have been given. Goal for next Thanksgiving...create my own "Tree of Thanks".

A friend recently opened a discussion on facebook by posting the follwing,

"wondering what you're doing during the Holidays to make them less about our wish list and more about loving others"

This got me thinking. As I read through her friend's responses and ideas/traditions, I found a few I really like. I've always thought it would be fun to make Christmas day a celebration of Jesus' birth and Jaye and I have talked about how it would be fun each year to bake a cake and decorate it and celebrate Jesus' birthday! On my friend's page, someone posted that each year, their kids get 3 gifts. After all, Jesus was brought 3 gifts from the Magi. I love the idea of simplifying the present part of Christmas! Don't get me wrong, I love giving gifts and I tend to go a bit overboard...but do we really need more stuff? I like the idea of reading the Christmas story on Christmas morning and then tying in the gifts to the wisemen bringing 3 gifts to Jesus. What would life look like if Christmas was brought back to the true meaning and became more about the baby in the manger than the gifts under the tree?!?

I want us to be intentional as a family about celebrating the gifts we have been given and about celebrating the greatest gift of all that came in the form of a tiny baby...

This is just me thinking out loud...I haven't even had a chance to talk to Jaye and get his take on this....

Conversations with Hope, Part 2

Today was another great day! Hope and I stayed in our PJs until at least noon. We tried sidewalk chalk for the first time this morning and Hope seemed to love it! We played outside in our PJs and it was glorious! (except when a new neighbor came to introduce herself...oh well, I doubt she really cared) I decided to take Hope to Disneyland this afternoon after her nap and before picking Jaye up for the Duck's game. We parked at Downtown Disney as I knew it'd be a quick trip and I thought I'd be really smart and take the monorail in. Well, we did take the monorail in, but it wasn't the brightest decision as "monorail blue" wasn't working properly and we had to wait almost 30 minutes before we finally boarded "monorail orange" and left for Disneyland. Oh well, life is about the journey, right?!? Anyway, we only had time for 1 ride by the time got in the park so we tried the rockets in Tomorrowland as that line is always short. We waited a bit and talked about the snow on the castle while we waited. Once we got up and going in the rockets Hope wasn't so sure, but she did great! All night, Hope has been talking about our day...Here's our conversation:

Hope: Mama, D?
Me: Yes Hope, we went to Disney today.
Hope: Mama, Marma?
Me: The monorail?
Hope: Yah. Car?
Me: Yes, we saw the cars when we were in the monorail.
Hope: In. Anaw?
Me: Yes, in the monorail. Another car?
Hope: Yah
Me: Yes Hope, we saw another car.
Hope: Rocka?
Me: Yes honey, we went on the rockets.
Hope: Hope?
Me: Mama and Hope went on the rockets together?
Hope: Yah. Up up.
Me: Yes, we went up up in they sky.
Hope: No?
Me: Yes Hope, we saw snow on the castle.
Hope: Cole?
Me: Yes, snow is cold.
Hope: Shree?
Me: The Christmas tree?
Hope: Yah, yites?
Me: Did you see the lights on the tree?
Hope: Yah. Mama, marma?
(repeat)

As soon as we picked up Jaye from the train station, Hope tried to tell Jaye all of the things we saw, complete with "Two Ry", telling him we went on 2 rides. She is quite the conversationalist!!

Unfailing Love

"But I trust in Your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me."
-Psalm 13:5&6

Thankful

Many friend are posting something they are thankful for each day this month. I don't know that I'll get around to it each day, so here is my list...all at once!

1. Hope. Each day she brings so much joy to my life and makes me laugh! She is so full of life and curiosity and I love getting to be a part of the learning process with her!
2. Jaye. Everyday I am blessed to crawl into bed next to my best friend. He gets me and loves me no matter what! He works so hard to provide for our family and cares for our home and our hearts.
3. My Parents. My parents have always been a great example of what it means to follow God's call and live by faith. My parents watch Hope 3 days a week while I go to work and I am so thankful for the time and love they pour into her.
4. My Brother. Not everyone gets to really appreciate their siblings as they grow up. Because of our age difference, I have enjoyed truly seeing who he is and is becoming. I am a proud sister as he is such a good kid with a kind heart!
5. Extended family. I now get to see my Grandma at least once a week and I love that she is around. Jaye's parents are wonderful and I love our time with them. I have lots of family still around, even if they live far away.
6. Mentors. There are a handful of people who have shaped me and taught me so many invaluable lessons as I've grown up. I am thankful for the time they gave to me.
7. Friends. I have been blessed with a few best friends and a handful of other great friends!
8. My job. I love what I do. I love my job, I love my staff, I love the ED! It is a blessing to love and look forward to work each day!
9. My home. It has been so much fun to have a house of our own the past 2 1/2 months! I love having space. I love having a yard. I love that this is OUR house!!!
10. My car. I am driving the car I always wanted. It is dependable and practical and I love it.
11. Facebook. I know it's silly, but I love being able to stay somewhat connected with friends and family who are out of the area.
12. Sunshine.
13. Disneyland. We have so many fun memories and have had so many amazing family days thanks to our Disney passes. I love it!
14. Our church. It's so important to be fed spiritually and I am thankful that Hope loves going to church and is already learning about the Bible.
15. Candy.
16. K-Cups. Little did I know a few years back how fabulous it is to make 1 cup of coffee at a time and to be able to enjoy such yummy flavors!
17. Desire. I am grateful for the renewed desire I've discovered for spending time with my Creator. I am learning and I love it.
18. This probably should have been 1st, but I am thankful for faith. I am thankful to have a Maker who knows me inside and out and who has amazing plans for my life!
19. Converse. I love variety and I love having fun shoes to wear!
20. Wind Chimes. I discovered windchimes on a trip to Texas to visit a dear friend. There is something so wonderful about hearing them chime and watching the wind.
21. Guatemala. A part of my heart is still there and I cannot wait for the day when we can live there and call Guatemala home.
22. Spanish. I am so thankful that I was able to learn Spanish. I love being able to communicate at work and I love hearing others speak the language!
23. Christmas trees. I know it's not that season yet, but there I just love the sparkling lights and ornaments that tell stories of where we've been and what we've done!
24. My bed. I love crawling in bed at night, and snuggling in under the covers. I love our cozy bed.
25. Closed doors. I was thinking yesterday about various doors that God has closed for me and how as a result of doors being closed, I've found something new and better! His plan is so much better than mine!
26. Girl-friends for Hope. We have lots of friends who are boys, whom I love to death, but there is something really fun about Hope having friends who are girls. She can play dress up with them or princess with them as she gets bigger and that makes me excited!
27. Jeans and t-shirts. As much as I try to find "grown-up" clothes and as much as I think I want something new and different to wear, I keep coming back to jeans and t-shirts. I think, at my core, I am a jeans and t-shirt girl.
28. Ribbons & bows. A ribbon in your hair makes a ponytail fun! A ribbon or bow makes a last minute knot on your head look like you actually tried!
29. Crockpots. I need more recipes, but I love that you can throw some ingredients in a container and have a meal with little to no work.
30. My flat-iron. I know it's a bit vain, but whoever created the flat-iron was a genius. My hair is a funky not-curly and not-straight, but somewhere in between and it just doesn't work. I love being able to straighten my hair and have it look smooth and under-control!

Happy Halloween!!!

Hope is all about Minnie Mouse so we figured this would be a fun costume for her! She loved it!

We originally planned on carving pumpkins as a family, but Hope wasn't very into it and wanted to go to bed. I made a Kai-Lan pumpkin, Jaye made Jack Skelington, and Hope had a cat pumpkin.

She wasn't sure what to think of Dad cutting up her pumpkin.

On Halloween we went to downtown Claremont for their little carnival. Hope liked playing the games and then picking prizes. I think we ended up with 9 pencils that she chose!

Here's Hope with her friends Violet and Abigail. It is impossible to get all 3 to look at the camera! Aren't they cute though! I love that Hope has friends who are girls!

Gotta love the poofy skirts on all three!

After Claremont we surprised Jaye's folks by showing up with Hope in costume. We played at their house for awhile and then took part in our first neighborhood event. We enjoyed meeting our neighbors and sitting around the fire while the kids (mostly jr. high and high school) went trick-or-treating. Our neighbors next-door made chili and amazing deserts and we sat around enjoying the evening. Since it was next-door we took Hope home to bed and brought the monitor back with us. It was a fun night and we are excited for our next neighborhood event...Christmas progressive dinner!

19 Months (plus 7 days)

If I don't take time to stop and write what Hope is up to, I will forget. I wish my memory was better. Here's what Hope is up to:

-Hope still loves all things "D" (Disney). Up until Weds. she'd point out the Disneyland billboards and talk non-stop about them. (On Weds. they were gone as Halloween is now over...she cried and cried)
-Her favorite shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (especially the part during the opening song when Donald comes out in the hand balloon), and Handy Manny. She asks for both.
-Still not so adventures when it comes to eating. We have oatmeal every morning, and then other meals consist of: dried fruit, crackers with peanut butter, chicken, hot dogs, scrambled eggs, baby food green beans with rice, cereal, animal crackers, raisins, goldfish, and bunnies. I gotta figure out more options!!!
-Hope loves chocolate! She has discovered chocolate donuts and candy and walks around asking for "chocola". (o: She is definitely my kid!
-She loves to spin and twirl until she gets so dizzy that she falls to the floor. She loves sitting at her table in the playroom. Still loves books.
-Lately, she's been asking to go to bed. She loves her blankies and binks and snuggles right in. She's still been sleeping in late and this is one grateful Mama! Wake up time of 8 or 9 is heaven!!!
-One of her new favorite things is stickers! We have a special sticker book for the train and another one for hockey games and she LOVES them! She likes to stack them all on top of each other and put them all over her shirt!
-She loves to sing! She likes to sing her words and sings little songs to herself.
-Fun words: "Oh Toodles", Shereal (cereal),
-Things we talk about: Her "guys" and their "puck" and "hockey", "D", "Minamina mou"," quack quack" (Donald Duck), "Ba Ba" (sheep), cows, farms, Playhouse Disney show, Pretend City and the chickens who eat, babies, etc.
-Hope is very ingenious and creative. She explores everything and is determined to figure things out.
-All but her back molars are now in and she loves to brush her teeth. She puts her stool up to the sink and then tells us which toothbrush (Elmo, Abby, or Piglet) and which toothpaste (choo choo or Abby).
-Her favorite music is Mary Rice Hopkins at the moment. (big surprise) She asks for the cow song and animal song whenever we are in the car.
-She loves phones and picks up anything that resembles a phone and says "Hello?!".
-She thinks eskimo kisses and butterfly kisses are hilarious.

Hope is such a delight and is so much fun! She brings laughter to our lives daily and I am so happy to be her Mommy! She is so easy-going and fun!!!