More from Ezekiel...

A couple weeks ago we were at the park with our little friend Kate, who is the same age as my Ezekiel. A stranger talking to Kate asked her how old she is and I watched in amazement as Kate answered with all the confidence in the world "Two and a half. I will be three in June." Oh my, I thought, I have seriously dropped the ball in this department. I don't think Ezekiel can even say that he is two, and he certainly doesn't have a clue when his birthday is! So, like any good parent, I decided to teach Ezekiel quickly so that next time he could be the star student at the park!

On the way home, the quizzing began.

Me: Ezekiel, how old are you?
E: I see birds!
Me: No, Ezekiel, say "two!"
E: Two!
Me: Good, honey!! (See, I knew it was simply a matter of unbridling his potential!) And when is your birthday?
E: Dog! Dog! I see dog!
Me: Ezekiel, your birthday is in August. You are two and you will be three in August. Can you say that?

So, on this went back and forth until I finally felt he understood. Phew, crisis averted. My child is no longer on the fast track for unemployment.

Later that night, Ezekiel and I were having a tickle fest and I decided it was a great time to reinforce our lesson from earlier in the day.

Me: Ezekiel, I will stop tickling you when you tell me how old you are. How old are you?
Ezekiel (in between giggles, but with the same confidence he saw his friend Kate display): AUGUST!

Ok, maybe we should hold off on those college applications after all.

Doheny!

We're home from yet another wonderful and memorable trip to Doheny! I have to confess, I was wondering just a bit if this would be the year to do us in. After all, Heidi and I have come a long way from sunbathing in the sand at 15 to now chasing four kids under the age of 3 all in the name of "vacation"! But, you know what? It was another great year! The kids had SO much fun and, even though I got very little sleep the first night (it was freezing and Bekah Jane was teething!), we had such a great day the next day I didn't even care! So, we even braved night number two (MUCH better, thanks to Motrin!) and enjoyed an early morning breakfast (COFFEE!) at McDonald's and a beautiful bike ride the next morning before heading off for home. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story!

DAY ONE:

Bekah Jane and Everett setting up camp

Ezekiel discovering his love of baseball

Going for a walk with Heidi's family to see all the birds

Ezekiel jumped on Grandma Jeanine's back while she was taking pictures!

All bundled up for dinner (it was COLD that first night!!)

All cozy in our tent and ready for bed!

DAY TWO:

Good morning Mama! Sure feels good to get out of all those jammies!

Silly girl.

Breakfast with my little man

We rode our bikes to the most delicious bagel place. Man, we look forward to that bagel all year long! (Everything tastes better when you're camping, you know)

*Insert picture of me sleeping peacefully in a beach chair* After breakfast, my two kiddos went down for an early nap and I actually got to take a nap on the beach for about an hour! HEAVENLY!

Me and E playin' ball (Heidi was pitching)

Heidi drew Ezekiel this picture of a barnyard - which Ezekiel called his "animals". He carried his animals everywhere for the rest of the day - to dinner at the pizza parlor, to bed, in the car, on our bike ride, and even home the next day! So cute. He loved that picture!

Heidi heading for the water with the two babies


Kate and Ezekiel enjoying the view

My little sunbathing beauty

Ezekiel loving the waves

"C'mon, Mama, c'mon!"

DAY THREE:

One final bike ride. We rode along the beach on enjoyed the absolutely perfect weather. I didn't want to go home!


Tired babies! So sweet how they fell asleep leaning on each other.



What a full trip brimming with precious memories! Can't wait for next year!

And we're off (again!)

Our family just got back from a fun-filled week in Arizona visiting Kevan's side of the fam. Here is a cute pciture of Bekah Jane, Uncle Gary, and her Avoa (great-grandma):

I'll post more pictures about this trip soon...but, for now, we are off again - this time to Doheny Beach! Yes, Heidi and I are braving our annual camping trip again. I think this year will be even tougher than the last, since we both have TWO mobile children. But it is always worth it!! And Ezekiel is so excited to go to the beach with Kate. So, here goes! We'll be back Friday...wish me luck!

Vacation!

At the end of February, Kevan and I went on an awesome trip to Washington DC with my parents. Early in our marriage, we always said we wanted to go to DC and England before we had kids. But, as life so often goes, Kevan went to Iraq instead and a year later I was pregnant with Ezekiel. So, needless to say, we were pretty excited when my parents asked us to join them while my dad did some business out there! Matthew and Alice had our kids (God will reward them in heaven!) and we had 6 wonderful days of history, culture, and the best food we've ever eaten. It was AMAZING.

This trip was always a dream for Kevan, since he'd never been and I was mostly just excited to share it with him. I didn't think I would actually love the city so much. Being a country girl at heart, I was surprised to find myself completely fascinated by the art and culture of DC. It really is a beautiful city. And everything about it boasts pride and significance...I'd even call it sentimental. Every artpiece, every architectural detail, every stroke of the brush seemed to have meaning and purpose - reinforcing the values and principles that our country was built on.


And, while we couldn't take pictures of this, one of our greatest highlights was sitting in on the House of Representatives and the Senate while they met. We actually got to watch them deliberate (the stimulus bill, in case you were wondering). Fascinating. Plus, Kevan couldn't have been more star struck if Mel Gibson had walked in.

Our first night there we ate at this AMAZING Brazilian BBQ place... you know where they keep bringing you different kinds of meat until you just can't handle it anymore. But it was fancy pants and the BEST food ever. I'd go back just for the salad bar.

Kevan and my dad walking back from dinner (so handsome in their trenches!)

Night #2: Kevan and I did a sunset walk around the white house and the monuments. My Marine husband kept on truckin' like it was nothing, but I was freezing and itchy (stupid long underwear!) and my feet hurt. But we ended up having such a great time, I will always remember it. Thanks for keeping me motivated, babe!


Outside the capital, after our tour. SO beautiful.

A visit to Arlington cemetery and the Marine Corp monument. Kevan has always wanted to see this in person.

Checking into our Bed and Breakfast in Gettysburg. We spent the last 2 days in this historical town at the cutest little place.

Dinner with mom and dad at this super cool restaurant that was converted from an 18th-century farm house. They even had an underground railroad room you could look at.

Such an awesome trip and fun time with Kevan and my parents. Thank you, mom and dad and Matthew and Alice!!!

Good Day/Bad Day

Today was a good day because we took the kids to the Irvine Park (LOVE that place, by the way) and OC Zoo. Family days like this are one of my very favorite things in life. Kevan and I usually get some sort of treat (Starbucks today!) and then we head out and watch the kids have a wonderful time. It brings us both so much joy to see them laughing at the goats, hear Bekah Jane screech with excitement at the ponies (she even balls up her little fists and shakes them when she's super excited), and watch as Ezekiel walks up to every animal saying "HI! HI!" as if they've been missing him. Yeah, they're adorable and we are absolute suckers for days like this.

But today was a BAD day, too, because when we got home we got a message from our realtor. Another offer rejected. Auuughhh...this home-buying process is proving to be brutal. It is exhausting and time-consuming and an emotional roller coaster. We've been depressed looking at so many dumpy houses in our price range, or decent houses in ghetto neighborhoods (I'm not kidding...one place even had a Mexican restaurant directly behind it blaring mariachi music 24-7!), and then excited when we find a nice place, and then hopeful, and then disappointed when they go with another offer. Yep, a roller coaster. We are confident, though, that the Lord will provide just the right place (we keep reminding each other of this, depending on who is least frustrated at the moment!). And if the sacrifice of me being a stay-at-home mom means finding a home we can afford is a little bit more challenging, it is TOTALLY worth it! So, the search goes on...

He makes me laugh...

Yesterday I had a pot of tulips next to Ezekiel in the car on our way to bible study. He looked at them and said "Flowers! I got flowers!" I told him "Those are for Aunt Heidi, it's her birthday today!" So he began to sing Happy Birthday. When he was done, I said "Great job, honey! Now, when you see Aunt Heidi, what do you say?" After a brief pause, he looked up at me with abosultely certainty and said "PLEASE!"

Isn't that always the right answer?!

Fun and funnies

A few fun pics of Bekah Jane making brownies with grandma! There are some definite perks of living with grandma and papa (yummy cooking and baking tops the list!)

Ezekiel and daddy coming down from their sugar high:

Ok, here are a few of the funny things our 2-year-old has said lately. I love hearing what is going on inside his head - he is cracking me up:

• I took him to Bergstroms to get some new clothes earlier this week. While we were trying them on, he kept looking at the tags, shaking his head, and saying quietly "Too much, too much..." Where does he get this from?!
• While I was on a business call a couple days ago, Ezekiel kept interrupting me saying "Mom? MAMA...I NEED COFFEE!!" Ummm...it's quite possible his mother drinks too much coffee.
• When we pick Ezekiel up from the nursery on Sundays, they give us a little take-home paper with a summary of the lesson. One Sunday, the paper had a picture of Jesus holding little kids. Ezekiel came running out of the classroom waving around his paper and yelling "I got Jesus! I got Jesus!" So do I, son. Isn't that great?!
  
  

Beautiful Girl

Have you ever had one of those moments when you just stare at your child, not really believing that she is yours? That is how I felt on this day... Bekah Jane was prancing around the front yard with this little teddy bear from my mom and I just couldn't take my eyes off her. She was so beautiful and full of life and joy - and I was completely enamored. How did I ever get such a beautiful girl?!

A few funny pictures!

Here are the crazies...enjoying a fun morning right before we moved out of our house (I know, mom, you are so disturbed by the dog on our bed!).