newest achievements

Selah is standing!!! Yippy!!! I woke up to this beautiful smiling face this morning saying mamamama. Could she be any cuter, I think not!

This looks so uncomfortable, I guess she's comfy though. Selah would be great at gymnastics, she's so flexible. It's the only time she'll be able to prop her feet up on the table, so she's taking advantage of it.

We're moving out!

We got a call on Monday from the housing manager at MBC. She said that somebody had canceled their move in and we were next on the list. So on August 15 we are moving into our new (to us) 2 bedroom townhouse. We are so excited! This is truly an answered prayer, God is so faithful! For a while now we have been praying for a place of our own. Initially we moved in with my parents to save money for a house. Well it is no secret that the housing market stinks. So that really isn't an option right now with a single salary. (Although, we are so thankful for Dan's fantastic job, which enables me to stay home with Selah). So, it is by God alone that we have a place of our own for the three of us. The downstairs will have a living room, kitchen, dining room, and half bath. The upstairs will have a full bath and two bedrooms. That means Selah gets to have her own room! And I am so EXCITED to decorate her room! Continued prayers are much appreciated as we venture on into this new chapter in our life.
Thanks mom and dad for giving us a place to stay for this past year. We are forever grateful to you for allowing the three of us to take over your home, especially the smallest one. We love you!

Before the big move, we have a birthday party to plan for a very special girl who is turning ONE!!!! I am still amazed at how fast this past year has zoomed by. I still remember every moment in the hospital the day she was born. The tiny babe who didn't do much except sleep, eat, and go potty has developed into our speedy crawler, avid climber, talkative, giggly, affectionate daughter. So many wonderful memories this past year, and it has only just begun. I love this life!

baby cousins

Saturday was insanely busy as usual...but I love it. I had class from 8:30-12:30, immediately afterwards we headed out to Estacada for a BBQ and birthday celebration for my cousin's 3 year old daughter. After that we hopped on over to our church for Sally and Bryan's wedding, which was beautiful. My cousin also has an 8 month old daughter named Ayla (2 months younger than Selah). However, Ayla is about 5 pounds bigger than Selah is. Above are pictures of the two of them playing at the picnic. They shared a toy, spray bottle (it was HOT!), and a small tub of water, which Selah kept dumping the water out of. Her newest fascination is filling buckets up and then dumping things out.
Below is a picture of the two of them back at Christmas (Selah 4 months and Ayla 2 months). It is so fun having babies in the family. Dan's cousin is due the end of October, so Selah will have a little boy cousin to play with on that side.

You gotta love the girl

Taking every single toy out of her toy box

Enjoying her cob, without the corn. It was hot this day, so Selah got to be in her diaper.

Pulling herself up onto the coffee table.

Our wonderful 3rd and 4th grade Explorers that we teach Wednesday nights in the Caravan program. I've been with these kids since they were 1st graders, and they mean the world to me. I so enjoy my time with them, watching them grow personally and in their knowledge of Christ. I like the Caravan program because it allows us to teach these kids that Jesus is real in every aspect of their lives, whether they are hiking, cooking, doing crafts, or helping someone out. I thought I should introduce them to everyone, because they are so important to me. I will miss them when they move on to the Adventurers (5th and 6th grade class). The children's department at our church does so many wonderful things, and we are incredibly blessed to be a part of it all. This picture was taken when we went on our hike last Saturday to Balch Creek Canyon in Forest Park. We all had a great time and came home with only one injury. Thankfully just a little skinned shin from playing in the creek.

Happy Father's Day!

I Love you dada! Happy 1st Father's Day!

Wishing my wonderful husband a Happy Father's Day, and to all the father's in our life. All of you are irreplaceable and so vital to the lives and well being of your children (young and old). Thank you for your hard work in providing for your families. Enjoy this day in honor of you!
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By the way, Dan made it home safely from his trip. Although, he did catch a cold while he was over there in cheeseland, he enjoyed his trip. We are so glad to have him home.
Another update on Tot (Selah-that's one of many nicknames we have for her) for you. Selah can sit up from a lying down position all by herself. She is so quick at it now. It is exciting to see her learn a new skill. She mastered it about a week ago, but it still amazes me when I see her do it. So, now her favorite thing to do is sit up in her crib and play. This has prompted us to remove her mobile and lower her crib mattress, because she is pulling herself up. Well, we are on our way to church. Happy Sunday everyone!

Leaving on a jet plane...

So Dan is leaving for Madison, WI tomorrow. I am nervous and not looking forward to him being gone. Not only because I will miss him, but also because we looked on the weather forecast and saw that there are severe weather warnings in that exact area. A tornado was spotted and baseball size hail were coming down. A big fault of mine is that I get very worried when Dan goes out of town, and it will only happen more often when he is an engineer. So I am working on this fault so that I won't be a basket case every time he leaves.
The point of this post is to request prayer for him while he is away. He will be in Wisconsin from June 8-13. Thanks everyone!

mini update

It's been a while since I've posted, and this isn't going to be much of an update. Life has just been extraordinarily busy! Thanks to some wonderful friends, I was able to let go of one responsibility. Thanks again for understanding. I do miss little C, though!
All in all we are hanging in there and surviving not on our own accord, but by God alone.
Here is an update on the babe...Selah is getting her fifth tooth in, upper right side. She has been doing so well with getting her teeth in, and they're coming in fast. It's a good thing I think, just get it over with soon. Also, BIG NEWS...she is crawling! Well, it's more of an army crawl, but I've decided that this is a type of crawl so we're saying that yes she is crawling. She is fast too! A week ago I could put her on a blanket on the floor and leave her for a bit, come back and she'd maybe moved a few feet. Now I come back and she's clear across the room. Geesh! Now is when motherhood gets tricky! Before I was able to take care of one of my needs for a bit while she played, like going to the bathroom or getting food. However, I have a feeling constant supervision is going to be the name of the game. Long gone are the blob days, mobility has officially arrived. Lets see, other exciting news...oh she can clap, begin to distinguish between who mama and dada are specifically. I'll post some pictures at a later date. Thanks to Dan's dad we got a new camera. It is an SLR Canon Rebel. Nice camera and easy to operate.
All right folks, have a great week !