Jardons

Mentorship Through Blogs

2012-01-26T03:19:00.003-07:00

I have to extend my thankfulness to all the wonderful Christian women out there who have made blogging into a ministry. I was blessed by mentorship during my college years with my involvement in Campus Crusade for Christ. They very much emphasized the importance of younger women connecting with older women for the purpose of mentorship. If it wasn't for their vision and passion for this I would be a completely different woman than I am today and would find myself far more lost in this world than I am now. Since graduating college and moving to a state where we did not know a single person I have lost touch with that once so treasured aspect of my life. I tried to cast a little vision of mentorship to some of the church leaders at our church out here in the desert but 3 years later mentorship still does not have a place here... unfortunately. So I have found myself during the late night hours at work browsing different blogs and find myself receiving what I have been longing for through these blogs. These women have dedicated a lot of time to sharing the wisdom they've gained over the years in regards to being a wife and a mother and a daughter of the King; on how to be a housemaker and a homeschooler and a cook, etc., etc. All based on this verse: "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God." Titus 2:3-5 I know I have ventured into a new era of mentorship (at least until the Lord blesses me with another face to face mentor hopefully in the near future) through the internet (isn't that where we find everything nowadays!). I feel encouraged by seeing a glimpse of the type of woman I pray to become, I feel challenged in the areas of my life that I have been lazy with in becoming this woman and I just overall feel excited and relieved in a sense to find a new outlet for joy. Here are some of the blogs/websites I have purused...

http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/

http://www.myblessedhome.net/

http://www.holyspiritledhomeschooling.net/

http://lynnettekraft.com/blog

http://www.titus2atthewell.com/

The Next Step

2012-01-24T04:19:00.003-07:00

I think it's about time we update you all on the next step we will be taking with our lives. We have decided to move to Monte Vista Colorado at the end of March. Adam will be taking a job as the Assistant Pro at Cattails Golf Club in Alamosa Colorado http://www.alamosacattails.com/ . The job is a seasonal position from April through October. We will be right there with Adam's parents which will be so fun for Amelia and Joshua to be close to some of their family AND... I will be staying home with the kiddos! I am so excited for the opportunity to spend all day every day with my little stinkers and not to mention avoiding the temperatures being anywhere above 100 degrees!

We have been praying and wondering where God was going to take us after Q School this past Fall and all roads seem to be leading to Alamosa. We are praying and hoping God will use this opportunity to bring about a sponsor for us to continue our pursuit of him playing professionally. There is a lot of opportunity out in the San Luis Valley for sponsorships so please join us in prayer that God will provide! We do not know what will happen come October but that seems to be the path God always takes us and we are trusting Him to provide and direct our steps when October comes.

October will be a big month with whatever God brings us career wise and location wise as well as Amelia turning 3! Joshua turning 1! and Adam's sister Abbi will be getting married! So... we will keep you all posted!

Book Review: This Present Darkness

2012-01-24T03:31:00.005-07:00

http://www.goodreads.com/

I have been so slow on reading books now that Amelia is so active and taking less naps and now that I have another little kiddo! So it took me nearly 6 months to read this book but it definitely wasn't due to a lack of interest in the material.

This book was written by Frank E. Peretti in 1986 and is centered around a battle between Angels and Demons. It is set in a small town called Ashton where there are some strange things happening. A local reporter starts to notice that multiple people are being fired and replaced by a certain personality of people that is also showing up in different businesses and the local college. He starts investigating to find out these people are all linked together. In the meantime there is a new pastor at the local church who begins noticing strange things and people in the town and he begins praying intensively over the people and the town. In the background of the plot Peretti shows the angels and demons who are behind all of these strange happenings that the people are noticing. A set of demons are trying to take over the town through these people while in the meantime a set of angels are trying to use the Pastor and any other praying believers to ward off the attacks of the demons.

I found this book very interesting. I am not knowledgeable enough in spiritual warfare to know the accuracy of which Peretti portrays the angels and demons (i.e. fighting each other with swords, the physical appearance he describes, etc.). But there is one message Peretti sends that cannot be fictionalized... the power of prayer. He really emphasizes how much power God has given us as believers through prayer. There are times when the situation is enough out of our control and cannot be influenced by the physical that the only means it can be touched is through our praying and stirring up God to act.

I find this to be true in my own life especially with my children. I haven't had too many experiences at this point but I know that they are their own little individual people who can make their own choices and as much as I would like to control every aspect of their lives I cannot and will not be able to BUT I certainly can pray on their behalf to God for their protection and to make good decisions and to enter into their own relationship with Jesus, etc.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12

Jesus referring to a young boy possessed by an impure spirit: "This kind can only come out by prayer." Mark 9:29

I would definitely recommend this book for some fun reading that can definitely spark your prayer life and to remind you that there is a spiritual battle out there that we are fighting with.

Mr. Frosty

2012-01-03T21:20:00.005-07:00

It was too cold the whole week we were there to make a Snowman because the snow was too dry but the last day I became determined and we wet some snow and spent the next half hour making a snowman!

Tanko helped us find some arms for Mr. Frosty
Millie helping make Mr. Frosty's face

Millie following in the Gingerbread pattern and trying to eat the goodies!

Our little family! minus the littlest ... Josh had altitude sleepiness and slept like a zombie the whole week which was very inconvenient for picture taking!

Our White Christmas

2012-01-03T20:55:00.021-07:00

Because of the storm that blew through there was about 2 maybe 3 feet of snow and the temperatures stayed in the teens the whole time we were there so the snow never melted! It was so beautiful!

After scrounging all the thrift stores in Monte Vista we found Amelia a snowsuit for 10 bucks, borrowed her cousins jacket, found some goggle/sunglasses for 2 bucks, used her scooter helmet, her daddy's face mask, glovies from Wal-Mart and her little friend Rusch's snow boots and we were ready to go outside!

We cruised around the golf course on Adam's dad's snowmobile. They tied on this bobsled and Adam and Amelia went around and around and around... she loved it!
Weeeeeeee!

Millie and Beepa

Aunti Abbi took Amelia around for a ride

Even little Joshie made it out thanks to another local thrift store and supported the snowmobiling!

The ARJ's

And we needn't say how much Tanko love love loved the snow! He could've slept out there and it was negative degrees at night!

Millie stomping through the snow... it took her about 5 minutes to take 2 steps but it was so cute!

Playing with icicles

The icicles were almost the size of Amelia!

Icicle kiss!

Millie pulling Raelynn on the sled

Raelynn making a snow angel

So stinkin cute!

Daddy and Millie hanging out on the swing

Adam built a snow slide for Amelia to play in the backyard... she had so much fun going up and down

He was so creative he built steps up the side of the slide so she could climb up on her own...

... and slide back down!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2012-01-03T20:45:00.016-07:00

Joshie's first Christmas! He and his Beepa are matching so cutely!

Amelia and Raelynn dressed in Meema's cute outfits and both eating candy necklaces!
Christmas

Shoooooooooooooooooes!

And her favorite and best present... a princess scooter!

The GLJ's

Gigi Donna and Joshie

Gigi Betty and Beepa

Britt and Devi

The Jardon clan... Adam, Britt, Joshua, Devi, Gabe, Donna, me, Amelia, Abbi, Michelle and Raelynn

The Jardon ladies (Donna, Devi, Abbi, me, Amelia, Michelle and Raelynn)

The Jardon men (Adam, Britt, Joshua, Gabe)

Little Millie posing with her dolly in between our photo shoot!

Colorado

2012-01-03T20:31:00.013-07:00

We drove to Colorado for Christmas. We stopped in New Mexico to visit a few friends and got stuck because of a bad storm!

We got this picture of Amelia which is one of my favorites!

Our little cutie all bundled up for the car ride... the warmest weather we encountered was 34 degrees!
Little Joshie just hanging out...

We spent some time with Adam's old roomie Adam 2 : ) and his beautiful little girl Nya

Oh daddies you guys are crazy!

And after 2 days we made the snowy trip over to meema and beepa's house... we snacked on Chex Mix and Amelia was kind enough to share some with her dolly

SOOOOOO CUTTTTEEEEEEEEE! (and notice the Broncos sweatshirt)

Millie and her cousin Raelynn eating more Chex Mix!

Playing the piano together : )

Millie got her second haircut from Aunti Abbi (this time we used The Lion King as her distractor)

Playing with play dough she got for Christmas... she is completely concentrated notice the tongue!

Our little stinker so strong checking out this Penguin soap container : )

Celebrating Aunti Abbi's birthday... 28 !!!

Gingerbread Train

2012-01-03T16:41:00.006-07:00

This is a very belated post because we were so involved in our Christmas preparations this year that I didn't have any time to post all the fun we had!

Amelia made her first Gingerbread Train : ) She needed no instruction on what the main purpose behind making something out of Gingerbread was...

Decorating the train
And sneaking a little candy...

We also made salt dough ornaments for Christmas presents for the meemas and gigis... here's Amelia painting the ornaments, she had so much fun!

And I don't really have any caption for this... I was cleaning things up and next thing I knew she had gotten herself dressed up like this. The funniest part is that she is wearing her birthday suit on her bottom half underneath her apron!

Zoo Lights

2011-12-01T17:32:00.009-07:00

We also made it over to the Zoo Lights with the fam... this was the best year ever!

Aunti Abbi and Millie riding the carousel at the zoo

The incredible and amazing Moby Wrap... Joshua loves it just as much as Amelia did... he falls right asleep which frees my hands and it feels like I'm not carrying anything!

The Jardons at the Zoo Lights (me, Joshua, Abbi, Britt, devi, Adam and Amelia) - notice how cute Amelia's jacket is!!! I got it off craigslist for dirt cheap : )

We went light crazy and went to see the big tree lighting in Anthem the week before with our friends the Mortensens

And this is at the Tempe Festival of Lights Parade where the ended the parade with the lighting of their tree... Amelia LOVES "bismas lights"!

Amazing Jakes... again!

2011-12-01T17:26:00.007-07:00

While Britt, Devi and Abbi were here we all made another trip to the amazing Amazing Jake's!!

This time I could fit in the train now that Joshua is out of my belly...

Beepa and Millie with their matching stripes : )
Aunti Abbi took over the moby wrap and snuggled with Joshie for a bit

Adam and his dad racing on motorcycles

So cute how they're holding hands!

Adam has been teaching Amelia to squish spiders outside our house so she loved this Spider Stomping game!

The Jardons at Amazing Jakes... Devi, Amelia, Adam, me, Britt, Joshua and Abbi

Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T16:47:00.010-07:00

This Thanksgiving Adam's parents and sister came out from Colorado to meet their grandson and spend Thanksgiving with us! It was such a blessing to have them here.

Beepa Britt holding his grandson

Beepa with Millie
Meema Devi with the kiddos

Millie helping Meema make Christmas Tree bread for breakfast... Millie's first time helping with this Jardon tradition!

Jardon generations : )

Our Thanksgiving Dinner (Abbi, Tylor, Devi, Britt, Adam, me and Amelia - Joshua was sleeping upstairs)

Meema with Joshua outside with the fire pit in our side yard

Britt, Devi, Joshua, Amelia, me and Adam after lunch at Joe's Farm Grill!

Housebound to First Outings

2011-11-15T20:42:00.017-07:00

Here is a glimpse of the first 2 weeks of Josh's life and the Jardon household... here is pretty much what Josh does around the clock... sleep!
Sleeping again : ) Soooo cute!

Here was my spot for the first 2 weeks... Adam moved my recliner downstairs because it was so hard to get in and out of a sitting position so I camped out here around the clock...

A little tummy time in the morning

A little swedish outfit from Grandma Donna

Millie playing dress up too with her winter hat : ) now that it's 60 degrees in the evening it's time to pull it out!

And this was the final straw that told me we needed to get out of the house... Millie organizing and re-organizing the beverages in the pantry

So off to the mall we went... our first outing to take Millie to the play area and have lunch at Paradise Bakery!And the first time using the double stroller! Other than practicing with Amelia's Curious George of course!

The mall went so well that a few days later we ventured to the zoo and did a short walk around of the front section... beautiful tiger!

Amelia playing at the tree house

Amelia giving the stare down to the giant turtle!

I knew Amelia was tall but my goodness... Josh has a long ways to go to catch up!

One of the first pictures of our family of 4!

And a few days ago we went out to see The Lion King at the dollar theatre. I have rediscovered my love for the Moby Wrap (see the link on the right side of my blog) and especially more so now that I have a toddler to chase around... so we wrapped Josh up and he slept the whole movie!

Family & Big Sister

2011-11-15T20:23:00.009-07:00

We had the blessing of my mom staying with us for 3 weeks to help out with not only baby Josh but also Amelia and some housework : ) While she was here my dad and brother made a short trip out and came to visit the newest addition. Here is my dad holding his grandson.

My brother Kurt and my mom
We always teased Kurt growing up and called him Dirt... well Millie took to that quickly since she can't say her "K's" very well so she called him "Uncle Dirt" : ) the legacy lives on!

Adam, Josh, Uncle Dirt, me and Millie

Millie has taken her role as Big Sister very seriously... she was constantly practicing on her dolly on how to take care of a baby.

She's helping swaddle baby Josh

Giving him hugs : )

Snuggling next to him...

She gets so excited when he wakes up... she says "baby Josh wake up! baby Josh eyes open! woo hoo!" Tonight she got up from the couch and started walking upstairs, she didn't tell either of us what she was doing, when I got to the top of the stairs and asked her what she was doing she said "I wanna see baby Josh" it's so cute!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-02T20:50:00.011-07:00

This Halloween we carved pumpkins together for the first time as a family. Here are some pictures from our pumpkin carving and Halloween night.

Millie watching dada prepare the pumpkins

Baby Josh (notice his fuzzy hair from his bath so cute!) watching dada carve the pumpkins
Millie's pumpkin from the pumpkin patch she picked out a few weeks ago

She loved picking the lids off the pumpkins and putting the candles in

The finished product on Halloween night! There's the dada, mama, Millie and Josh pumpkin (notice Josh's on the front left doesn't have any teeth! Adam is so clever!)

The A-J Team

Our little punkin!

Our little ladybug!

She loved saying "trick or treat" and getting candy!

The final product... a huge bowl full of candy (for mama of course!)

And 1 package of Dots for little Josh one day...

Amelia Meets Josh

2011-10-31T09:19:00.015-07:00

We are so thankful to have my mom out here for 3 weeks! She came a couple days before Josh was born and was able to stay home with Amelia so Adam could stay in the hospital with me and Josh. Little did Amelia know when she woke up from her nap Tuesday afternoon that she'd come meet her baby brother!

Here she brought a balloon and some flowers

Holding her little brother for the first time
She wanted to get closer to him, I love how his hands are in her mouth like he's embracing her too

She kept saying "woah heavy!" when she'd hold him

My babies!

Meema's grandson

So tiny!

So precious!

Watching a movie with mama in the hospital

Millie pushing Josh around the halls

Dada hanging with his children!

Ready to go home!

Welcome baby Josh! We love you so much!

Joshua Adam Jardon

2011-10-31T09:01:00.015-07:00

We welcomed Joshua Adam Jardon into the world on October 25th at 1:18 PM. Baby Josh was breech (his bottom was set to come out first instead of his head) so we scheduled a "Version" for our Dr. to try to manually turn him while he was still in my belly. The version did not work as Josh's heart rate dropped really low during the process so we got set up and ready for a c-section. We started at 12:00 and he was born at 1:18. Here are some pictures of our last night before Josh was born.

Amelia's last night as an only child...

We went to Texas Roadhouse for my last meal until after Josh was born
Minutes before heading to the hospital

Meema and Millie in the waiting room during the "Version"

Millie visiting mama before they take me back for the c-section

Dada in his OR attire... they let him come in and videotape the entire c-section!

I have pictures of the whole c-section but thought for the stomachs of all our readers I would just post this one... IT'S A BOY!

It was a weird sensation to not really see what was going on or be able to touch him right away but I am thankful my eyes were working so I could see how handsome my little man was!

Dada and his son

He is a big boy weighing in at 8 lbs 4 oz (1 lb bigger than Amelia and he was born 1 week earlier than her!)

We finally all got to rendezvous in the recovery room together... it seemed like it took forever to get there but we did!

The handsome man getting a little bath (he looks like he's singing Elvis in his mind)

Finally some R & R for mama and baby

Punkin Patch

2011-10-23T16:50:00.010-07:00

We went to a local farm for Amelia to pick out her punkin for Halloween. She loves punkins and all Halloween decorations! Here her and dada riding on the hay ride around the farm.

Searching for her punkin...
They got to decorate their punkin with stickers... she kept picking punkin stickers to decorate!

The finished product!

There was even a corn maze... I was thinking if I were her height it would be a little scary but she just pushed through (with some help of course) and found her way to the end!

The maze came up to her shoulders

She bounced around in her first bounce house! We had a hard time getting her out!

One of the last pictures of us as a trio!

Halloween Cookies

2011-10-08T16:59:00.005-07:00

We are all into the Fall/Halloween/Pumpkin season this year. We had some unusually cool weather this week (70 degrees) and it sent us in an excitment for Fall to be here. Amelia helped me decorate these sugar cookies... the most I could figure she could do was put some sprinkles on. She thought it was fabulous!

Smile for the camera : ) I love baking with my little sweetie!

9 Months

2011-10-08T16:58:00.001-07:00

Here's one of the last and final pictures for this pregnancy! We will take one more the day of delivery... can you believe it's almost time!

Birthday Week: Party!

2011-10-08T16:45:00.013-07:00

And our final birthday week celebration was the party! We had a few friends over to the pool and enjoyed a monkey theme pool party. I am so proud of this cake being my first time decorating a cake! I sat down with her Curious George coloring book and my frosting with decorating tips and did this by hand! I was so proud I almost didn't want to cut into it!

2 Years Old!!
She started her birthday morning with a birthday smoothie from dada and opening some presents...

A new baby! She loves loves loves her baby dolls!

Pool party!

Hanging out in the shade...

So we taught her the happy birthday song the week before and she can sing it to a tee... little did we know that she would be singing more along the lines of the song "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to..." Once everyone started singing to her she just started balling and me getting the mom of the year award could not stop laughing : ) poor thing!

Yeah and the whole candle blowing thing didn't happen either ...

But there's nothing a little happy birthday cake and ice cream can't fix!

Opening some presents from her little friends!

Playing that night with the spray bubbles from Aaron and Stephanie... so fun!

Birthday Week: Amazing Jakes

2011-10-08T16:36:00.014-07:00

On our next big birthday adventure we headed to Amazing Jakes (an indoor fun center with arcade games, kiddy rides, bowling, mini golf, laser tag, go karts, bumper cars, all you can eat buffet, movie room, yup the list goes on and all for $15 unlimited all day!) We went anticipating going home to get her a nap and coming back but we ended up staying for 7 hours! She just kept going and going and going!

Riding the train ... choo choo
And her favorite the tea cups... hi mama

She stopped at toddler town and her and dada stacked blocks and knocked them back down... over and over and over

Playing a little mini golf... or picking up the ball and placing it where she wants it to go ... we call it toddler mulligans!

Mama helping Millie get her putting stroke set up

Whoa! I had to put this picture in because it took me totally off gaurd when I was flipping through our camera... watch out for the attack of the belly!!!!

And her new favorite thing is to jump off anything and everything...

watch out here I go...

woah, woah, watch me...

perfect gymnastics land!

We love you Amazing Jakes!!!!

Birthday Week: Zoo

2011-10-08T16:27:00.007-07:00

This year for Amelia's birthday we ended up celebrating for an entire week! I guess it will be good for her since Baby J #2 will be coming soon and she'll be splitting time!! We headed to the zoo to enjoy a little cooler weather (90 degrees). We thought she should get a feel for what the animals feel and put her behind bars : )

First time feeding the giraffes. She did great with the first batch of food but once the giraffe's tongue touched her she wanted nothing to do with it!

Look at that face... mama made me do it!

Moving on to the rhinos...

It was still a little toasty out so we ended the day at the splash pad at the zoo... it was her first time in the big cave so dada helped her warm up to it.

And the day before the zoo while I slept in between shifts Adam took Millie to her first movie! They went to Kung Fu Panda 2 at the Dollar theatre... she did pretty good (as long as she had some snacks in front of her) and once the movie ended she kept saying "more movie... more movie"

Sandoval Wedding

2011-10-07T17:35:00.016-07:00

We went on our last trip traveling with just one kiddo to Adam's friend Matt's wedding in Denver the last weekend of September. We found this little backpack for $5 off Craigslist the morning before our flight left and Amelia loved it! She put her Curious George, her baby, her coloring books and crayons and we put her to work carrying her own backpack!

She loves looking at airplanes even more than the last time we flew
Don't worry mama, I got my luggage too.

And time for dada to do the luggage carrying... she got a little tired carrying that backpack all by herself (not to mention we got tired of the slow down!)

While there it rained for a couple of days which was welcomed by us coming from the desert! Millie got to use an umbrella for the first time : )

We took a morning and went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This picture is a little dark but she loved looking at the amazing colored rocks.

And while she kept asking to go see the monkeys at the zoo... the bears gave her plenty of enjoyment at the museum... she would try to get as close to the window as possible and say "hugs"... little does she know how scary this bear really is!

And there is her and dada in front of the dinsoaurs

And the best part of our museum day... mac and cheese! I think this picture belongs on the front of the Kraft box!

Swinging like a big girl...

Hmmm... worms for dessert after mac and cheese? She would get an inch away then make a pretend bite and laugh saying "no no no yucky"

The A-team swinging in sync...

In front of city park in Denver...

The beautiful couple... Jodi and Matt Sandoval

And our Denver roomies who are always lending us their guest room : ) Brandon and Ashley

CLOTH DIAPERS!

2011-09-12T03:47:00.007-07:00

Yup... you read it right... cloth diapers! After 3 months of an internal debate and intense research and interviewing my friends I decided to start cloth diapers for Baby J #2. In the meantime I just decided to switch Amelia over as well. The results... I LOVE IT! I never thought I would be someone who would do it but the amount of money we are going to save is just crazy to fathom and it's a weird thing to describe but something about it just feels right to me... I feel satisfied and accomplished doing it.

There are a ton of different ways to do it and this is how I chose to do it based off my research... diaper covers with prefolds. I have been continually researching the most inexpensive way to do it and places to purchase and have found incredible deals on craigslist (people who purchased one type then chose to do another type so the diapers were never used) websites that sell factory seconds (basically a product where the stitching may not be perfectly straight but there is no difference in the quality of the product and you can purchase for almost 50% off the cost http://www.clothdiaper.com/ is where I found factory seconds prefolds for $1 a piece) and websites with free shipping! (my favorite is http://www.cottonbabies.com/ which is actually a Christian based company so I love supporting them).

Here is a cost analysis of what I've spent so far averaging laundry every 3 days with 20 soiled prefolds and 3 soiled diaper covers:
* 36 prefold diapers for Amelia ($50.88)
* 39 prefold diapers for Baby J #2 ($38.64)
* 10 preemie prefold diapers for the first 2 weeks with Baby J #2 ($10.00)
* 1 newborn diaper cover for the first 2 weeks with Baby J #2 ($8.95)
* 2 one size diaper covers for both babies ($18.95)
* 4 diaper covers for Baby J #2 ($22.97)
* 3 diaper covers for Amelia ($32.25)
* 1 large wet bag to hold soiled diapers ($20.80)
Grand Total: $203.44
I will have this paid off in the next 4 months with the cost of diapers for Amelia plus starting another round of diapers for Baby J #2. I would like a few more diaper covers (probably another $50-70 worth and possibly a large diaper pail and pail liner $28 so I can extend laundry to once a week instead of every 3 days) to complete my collection. So my estimated total is $250-300 which would only take an additional 2 more months or less before that is paid off. I will keep in mind that until Amelia is potty trained we would be spending approximately $80/month on disposable diapers and once she's potty trained it would be $45/month... that adds up! All in all... money will be staying in our pockets!!! And the best thing is all the diapers I have for Amelia will be used for Baby J #2. Stay tuned for a future post with some instructive pictures : )

Homemade Lotion

2011-09-12T02:50:00.003-07:00

I've been meaning to post this for some time now but keep forgetting. I have very sensitive skin and this pregnancy has made it incredibly worse so I was searching for some alternative lotions that may help with my legs constantly itching. I came across this ladies blog and she had a recipe for homemade moisturizer. I started making it and using it and noticed a significant difference... a difference in no itching at all! So I thought I'd share for any of you with sensitive skin or anyone looking to save some money as all those "natural" and "good for you" beauty products can add up and this one is very inexpensive and super easy to make. I will say it's not for everyone... it's a little oily and leaves a remnant on your skin until your skin absorbs the rest of it (for me about an hour or so) but once it does your skin is so smooth and feels so fabulous! So if you can handle the oiliness (is that a word?) then I would suggest it.

This recipe will fill a 16 oz. container:

1/2 cup coconut oil - I bought mine at Sprouts for $8 which lasted 3 rounds of lotion, here's the kind I bought, they recommend unrefined for beauty products: http://www.iherb.com/Spectrum-Essentials-Organic-Coconut-Oil-Unrefined-15-fl-oz-443-ml/21395?utm_source=acr&utm_medium=c
1 cup raw shea butter - There is a yellow based and a cream based shea butter, the yellow based will leave a slight yellow residue to your skin that can rub off so I recommend any cream based shea butter, this size will last a LONG time, I'm not halfway done with my 32 oz. container I purchased 5 months ago for $18 and I've made 3 rounds of lotion: http://www.amazon.com/African-Ivory-Shea-Butter-Ghana/dp/B003A1W770/ref=pd_sim_bt_3
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch (optional to thicken) - I do use this to thicken the lotion a bit and the arrowroot powder is very inexpensive

And that's it! You blend it all in a bowl and transfer to whatever container you want to use... simple and wonderful! I used to spend $20 on Aveeno Intense Repair Moisturizer that would barely last me one month and here I've spent $26 and I'm going on 6-7 months before I need to purchase anything more! Here's the original link for anyone who wants to see it and browse this blog as it is full of neat ideas.

http://www.myblessedhome.net/?p=8665

Beepa!

2011-09-10T21:46:00.003-07:00

My dad came to fix up his house a bit out here and we got to spend some time with him. Millie loves her visits from her grand-parents. Here's a cute snuggle picture... she kept kissing then hugging dada then beepa then dada then beepa it was so cute!

Meema's Visit

2011-09-10T21:25:00.015-07:00

My mom came out for a quick visit at the end of August before her next visit when Baby J #2 is due! Since we were in the middle of a crazy heat wave and breaking records we headed indoors to check out the Aquarium. Here's Millie and dada checking out the fish.

Dada holding Millie up the bubble thing to check out the fish
Checking out the view

Meema and Millie looking at the fish too

She was a little afraid to touch the starfish but it was cute anyways

I think this shark is very pretty actually

Checking herself out in the mirror... I think she thought that was more interesting than the fish!

Sea horses! They are cute!

Woah mom look out!

For Millie's b-day next month Meema got her a little table and chairs! She absolutely loves it! She put each of her stuffed animals in a chair to sit with her... I can't wait for future tea parties!

Reading her books at her new table!

Before taking Meema to the airport we stopped at Sweet Tomatoes... I filled Millie's plate with all sorts of goodies and she stuck with the Mac N Cheese and Ice Cream (my top 2 favorite choices too!)

Thanks Meema for all the fun and goodies... can't wait till next time!

8 Months

2011-09-10T21:06:00.002-07:00

8 Months . . . 7 weeks to go!

Amelia's Adventures

2011-08-20T21:20:00.013-07:00

The newest adventures of Amelia... she has learned to play the piano... or at least bang on the keyboard (with Pooh next to her of course)

Sliding down the stairs in the laundry basket ... to which she responds "more weeee more weeee more weeee" just like the carnival rides
Continuing to practice her golf game

And for the most exciting adventure... climbing out of her crib without making a peep to which all mama and dada hear is a tiny voice saying "mama" right at her door waiting for us to find her out of her crib... so here is her 5 step process of climbing out of her crib that Adam caught on secret videotape - Step 1: Check to make sure mama and dada aren't coming in

Step 2: Throw all blankets and stuffed animals out first

Step 3: Use the nearby changing table to gain leverage to swing body around side of crib

Step 4: Dangle like a monkey and as quiet as a mouse land perfectly on tiptoes (no one will ever know!)

Step 5: Throw all blankets and stuffed animals back in crib and pretend nothing every happened (surely mama and dada will think they just forgot to put me in the crib in the first place right?) ... needless to say, that next day we took off the crib side and put up the toddler bed side... she's a real big girl now!

And for the first time mama got brave and let her help make cookies! She loves eating them so why not learn how great it is to make them!

Her big job was pouring in the measured ingredients... she laughed and said "more" each time

"Now it's very important to measure all ingredients accurately" . . . this picture looks like she really is teaching the audience how to make the cookies!

Note the cute apron : )

Palm Springs

2011-08-20T20:56:00.022-07:00

Amelia and I got to travel with Adam this last golf trip over to Palm Springs, California. He played in the Pepsi Tour event at PGA West. He placed 8th which was great!

We got a great special at a Hilton Resort which featured complimentary hot breakfast, complimentary dinner one night and a King suite with a kitchen. It was the nicest hotel we've ever stayed at as a family... a true resort vacation for us!
Millie got to claim the closet for her bedroom. She has upgraded from the pack n play and she loved having her own little space!

It fit her tiny body, pillow, blanket and stuffed animals perfectly!

She woke up the first morning reading to her stuffed animals

We got to spend half of each day with dada so we celebrated with her first root beer float!

They had the best pool with a huge entryway perfect for Amelia to play around in and we didn't forget to do our water aerobic stretching!

Look at me dada!

She became very adventurous watching the other big kids swim and decided she wanted to jump off the side too... she did it over and over and over again

Swimming on dada's back

She was doing really good swimming and practicing kicking her legs

Palm Springs (La Quinta) is very similar to Mesa in weather but it was pretty because of the mountains surrounding it

Abbi drove over from San Diego to stay with us Saturday night so after we checked out of our hotel we drove back with her for a quick trip to the San Diego beach!

At first Millie was really scared but once dada put her on his shoulders and they ventured out to the waves she loved it and kept saying "more ocean more beach more beach"

Hi mama!

Millie and Aunti Abbi

The A-team (including Abbi!)

Silly family photo

This would make a good Christmas card : )

7 Months

2011-08-07T08:55:00.003-07:00

It's going to be a long third trimester... I feel like this is what I looked like during my last month with Amelia... yikes!

Stampede Carni

2011-08-07T08:48:00.008-07:00

We stayed an extra night and thankfully so because we made it to the Stampede carnival. We went last year http://thejardons.blogspot.com/2010/08/stampede.html I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into with Amelia and carnival rides. We went straight to the ducks because she enjoyed it last year but once she discovered the rides there was no going back!

Riding the dragon with dada
Spinning tea cup

Riding the bus with dada

Beepa with the girls... if you look close enough you can see Millie's little head to Beepa's right

She kept saying "more ride" "more ride" the second she'd get done with one

We finished our last night off with Funnel Cakes!!

2nd Annual Rock Creek Camping

2011-08-07T07:59:00.014-07:00

We made it back to Rock Creek for our 2nd annual camping trip. It was a lot more enjoyable than last year due to our large family size tent as opposed to our tiny backpacking tent. Amelia slept comfortably again in her pack n play.

http://thejardons.blogspot.com/2010/08/camping-at-rock-creek.html

We got the biggest campsite this time around : ) It's at the very end by the turnaround which is perfect for Tank to roam around and not disturb the other sites and the creek runs right by the sight which makes for wonderful white noise to sleep with!
Millie helping mama wash dishes in the creek

I had to put this picture in because she looks so grown up!

A kiss for mama!

We convinced the rest of the fam to join us for s'mores... maybe next year we can actually convince them to camp overnight with us!

It was a wee bit chilly which I LOVED for sleeping... we think it was low 40's when we woke up

I got mom of the year award and forgot to bring Amelia a blanket! Thankfully we had double pj's and a large warm jacket from her cousin Raelynn we borrowed... she slept like a rock!

But all in all a little snuggle time to warm up in the morning was just what we needed!

Waiting for breakfast by the campfire with dada

We went on a morning hike just past the campsite, here she is looking at the Aspens

Jumping off logs with dada

Hiking with mama a.k.a. a brisk walk through the woods

See ya next year Rock Creek with Baby J #2!

Denver and Springs

2011-08-07T07:42:00.010-07:00

While in Colorado we got to spend a few days in Denver and Colorado Springs to see some friends and visit Gigi Donna.

Gigi Donna, Millie and I went to the Denver Zoo (it was my first time and it is a beautiful zoo!). Gigi let Millie pick out a little monkey (her favorite animal) to take home for a souvenior

Millie watching the polar bear eating a bone. She was so cute at every place there was an animal she did not want to leave, she thought every time I was taking her away to see another animal she was leaving the zoo and then she'd realize we would see a new animal and get excited all over again : )
This gorilla looked like he could be the original model for the Planet of the Apes... he was so handsome!

Shhh... monkey sleeping

We had the blessing of staying with the Smiths... one of our highlights of our Springs trips. I have many friends sons who I would love for Amelia to marry later in life and Silas Smith is on the top of my list... matchmaker matchmaker : )

2nd annual summer tradition with the Smiths... ice cream at BJs!!

Thorin, Silas, Amelia and Iliana

Amelia, Iliana, Silas and Thorin... sooo cute!

The A-team

July in Colorado!

2011-08-06T12:07:00.011-07:00

We made it backat the end of July for our summer visit to Colorado to escape the heat here and see friends and family. Here are some pictures of Amelia enjoying Monte Vista at Meema and Beepa's house.

Millie with her cousin Raelynn

Swinging with dada at the local park
Meema pushing the girls!

I think this is the tallest slide she's gone down... she loved it

Presents for Meema's house, a trike for Millie to ride on and baby dolls for the girls to share (wait, what's sharing?)

Millie loved the trike so much she rode it all the way home from downtown (7 blocks give or take) our walk home was about 30 mins. as opposed to the normal 10 mins. to get there!

Have fun at your first day of school! That's what this picture looks like to me : ) she loves helping and of course mimicking mama so she carries her diaper bag around to contribute her part!

The Runyan's got to come down for a round of golf in Monte Vista. So good to see them on their visit from the Ukraine and meet Nyellie!

And Baby J #2 got their first round of golf! I required a few more mulligans this time around than I did with Amelia!

Gigi Toots sent matching dresses for the girls so we had them in it for their last night to take some pictures. Here's beepa and the girls and of course Tank and Snoopy needed a photo op

Raelynn and Millie... so cute! I love that they are so close in age

6 Months

2011-07-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

6 Months!

Sedona

2011-07-15T08:28:00.017-07:00

This past week Amelia and I had some time off from work and we travelled up to Sedona, AZ with Adam to be with him as he played in the Sedona Open. Sedona is a beautiful small town similar to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs but the whole town looks like it with huge red rocks all over the place. It's in the 90's this time of year which is much welcomed by Millie and me!

We shared a "suite" with our friends Grant & Jeree and their little boy Nathan (Grant also played in the tournament with Adam). Here is our little kitchenette area

The room was a little different than expected with a tiny tiny queen bed in the living room and the king "bedroom" with no door... so here was our modifications to make it a little more conducive for the little ones to take naps
This is Grant and Nathan (I realized not until we left that I didn't even take a picture with Jeree!)

Millie found all sorts of ways to entertain herself in this new place... here she's playing peek a boo with dada in the closet

She watched Jeree changing Nathan's diapers and later grabbed her George and laid him on the changing mat... then she came to me and said "wash... yucky.... wash..." so I gave her a wet wipe and a diaper and she took care of cleaning up George's poo poo

She thoroughly enjoyed taking a bath in a new tub... cute face!

She enjoyed it so much she put her head down and shook it back and forth when we told her it was time to go out... a cute quiet way of saying no : )

Since Millie doesn't use a pacifier or suck her thumb she has resorted to hanging on to her belly button to bring her comfort... weird but cute...

Watching dada tee off

Wearing their sunglassess : )

On this trip she got to experience her first candy bracelet! She loved it and tried to share it with every person who walked by... she'd hold out her hand and say "bite? bite?" and wait for some takers

I even got to sneak some bites!

Watching the view of the red rocks

This turned out a little dark but here we are!

First Haircut and First Potty!

2011-07-09T21:45:00.007-07:00

When Aunti Abbi (Attie) came to visit this week she gave Amelia her first haricut : ) We've been saving this day for the next time we would see her since she's the hairdresser for the family! So mama went first and she crawled into the chair after me like she knew it was her turn next and we set up Sesame Street and let Abbi work her magic!

She's doing good!
The first snips!

She only took about 1/2 an inch off and trimmed up the rest so it looks nice and even... no more rattail looking thing in the back : ) She looked so cute the whole time!

Also please note that on this big first haircut day Amelia used the potty for the first time!!! I was going to take a picture but thought it might be a bit embarassing so I held off : ) She followed me in the bathroom and said baby potty and started pulling down her diaper... I set her on and nothing happened : ( this incidence has ocurred about 5 other times recently. So she left diaperless to the living room and sat on her princess couch, about a minute later i see her lifting her legs and wondered what she was doing. I picked her up and there was a small streak mark on the couch so I took her right back to the potty and she went!!!!! She was so cute and smiling so big! I loved it! Although that was 2 days ago and she has refused to sit on since... in time it will happen : )

Small Group Camping Trip

2011-07-09T21:06:00.026-07:00

To wrap up the end of the bible study semester with our small group from church we decided to take a camping trip together. We drove 1 1/2 hours NE to Payson and traded the 113 weather for 95 (which is a huge difference believe it or not).

We kept telling her we were going camping in hopes she'll soon know what that means and get excited about it... she seemed excited on the way up...

... until it had been about 45 minutes and we were still in the car, she's thinking "what's so exciting about a car ride"...
... I guess I'll just sleep until we get there...

We went all out and bought a 2 room tent, it was a huge upgrade from out small 2 person backpacking tent (you can look at this old blog to see our last camping trip) http://thejardons.blogspot.com/2010/08/camping-at-rock-creek.html

This thing is massive! 2 rooms with a divider, you can see Millie's pack n play in 1 room and our blow up queen size bed in the other room... this is camping? we've been so used to the tiny sleeping bags and mattress pads for so many years we were so excited about this tent!

The campground was huge, perfect for 3 families, the small turqouise tent there was the kids play tent, it was so fun!

The backyard : ) pretty view of the sunset through the trees

Adam enjoying a taste of the Rockies... more or less... you can see in the background the screened in front porch a.k.a. Tanks room of our tent : ) I love this tent!

Millie and her friend Anna relaxing in camping chairs

Due to the Arizona fire restrictions we had no campfire... my first time camping without a campfire : ( so we made do with a propane grill for our night of s'mores

She dug right in... if only I can get her to do this with vegetables... maybe I need to coat them in marshmallows : )

In the morning we went for a short nature hike

Cute picture!

We found a creek about 10 minute drive away (the only creek in Arizona with water I'm sure)... Millie loved throwing sticks to Tank in the water

High fiving dada after throwing the stick to Tank

The creek had a small area for wading and walking... Millie just went back and forth back and forth

Hi dada!

Belly shot! We have to include Baby J #2 in here : )

Even with a dirty camping face she's still so precious!

Jardon family shot in front of our tent : )

Enjoying s'mores on the second night

She's becoming a s'mores eating pro... the whole chocolate face is a part of the experience

Reading books in the tent before bed

We had some more friends from the small group who didn't stay the night come up for the afternoon to hang out (Darla, Brynlea, me, Amelia, Adam, Anna, Jared, Mike, Kate, Eden, Mario, Katy, Emma, Lindsey, Jack, Hank and Tyler)

Spring Random Pictures

2011-07-09T11:34:00.012-07:00

Hmmmm... what's in that package there? Yup, in the diaper... can anyone say poo poo!

Lounging with dada in her princess bed
First trip to the zoo with dada

At the zoo with the Scarlet Macaw posing for the picture

Who needs a swing when you've got a bar... she's a gymnast I tell you!

Cute picture on the golf course

We took her to her first splash pad in Tempe... we didn't have her swimsuit but she's so cute anyway... she was a little timid at first and then warmed up to the splash pad

Lounging with dada on a Sunday golf day

When dada's out of town we sneak off to Panda Express : ) she didn't like it but mama sure did!

She loves when we push her down the hill in this little car

A quick visit from mima "Grandma Noreen" with a lot of pool time!

Big Sister

2011-07-09T11:28:00.005-07:00

Amelia has really taken onto her new role as big sister. Even though Baby isn't here yet she sure is practicing to help!

Here she is with her baby in the bath...

She's carefully placing her baby's pacifier in her mouth... And now covering her baby in the blanket...

And cradling the baby : ) She's going to be such a good big sister!

Donuts

2011-07-09T08:08:00.005-07:00

One question... is this what happens every morning after I go to sleep from working all night?

Dada demonstrating what to do with such a marvelous package...
Millie taking her first bite...

Mmmmm that's good!

More?

Rockies Game

2011-07-09T07:56:00.010-07:00

A couple months ago we went to a Rockies - DBacks game with Tyler & Ashley. Here are some pictures from the game.

Millie strolling along to the game

Cute pigtails!
Millie's first kiss! I guess you could consider it? It's just too bad it wasn't on the big screen when they do this Kissin Cam!

Learning how to use a camera on her own... all I can say is thank goodness for the delete button on digital cameras : ) can you imagine a polaroid!

Getting a little bored... maybe going to take a nap in the bleachers

Me and Adam in our somewhat Rockies gear

Adam with Millie and Tyler with Crew

Grace, Tyler, Crew, Ashley, Millie, me and Adam

The Scorpion vs. The Vacuum Cleaner

2011-07-06T04:12:00.004-07:00

My new best friend. My vaccum. Good for 120 lb. Great Pyrenees hair during 110 degree shedding weather. Good for Arizona desert dust that accumulates faster than my frequent bathroom trips 6 months pregnant. Good for sucking up infestations of flies so you don't look like an idiot trying to swat 20 flies in thin air with a dish towel. And good for sucking up Scorpions! I have replaced my old method of Scorpion killing with the boot on the bottom of a golf club (see this previous post link) http://thejardons.blogspot.com/2009/07/scorpions.html and upgraded to the vacuum cleaner. Read the story below to find out how fantastic of a machine this 6 year old vacuum really is.
This week Aunti Abbi (a.k.a. Attie as Amelia calls her) came to help watch Amelia while I worked and Adam played in a few golf tournaments out of state. My worry for our guests whenever they come is that those unsightly Arizona creatures we call Scorpions will make their appearance. Uck! Well... we haven't seen a Scorpion in our house in awhile (the last one was on Amelia's closet door that we saw as we got her ready for bed!). I guess I should have known the time was getting close, or that we're now in the 110's which is perfect Scorpion appearance weather. BUT I never would have thought poor Attie would have to suffer having a Scorpion crawl on her arm as she rested in my most beloved comfy chair in our living room. This ocurred at 10 AM on a day in between two of my shifts so I was upstairs sleeping. Attie brushed it off not knowing at first what it was and quickly realized what had happened. At this point the Scorpion disappeared! So... I woke up at 4 PM and came downstairs to find her and Millie sitting on the dining room chairs watching a movie. She explained why they weren't on the couch which resulted in our ultimate Scorpion hunt! We pulled the couch out and caught a glimpse of it quickly scurry back under the couch, we pushed the couch back in and couldn't find it... we got our running shoes on ready to stomp it and grabbed another pair of thick shoes in our hands in preparation. I had a revelation as we pulled the couch out and I realized I was 2 years overdue in vacuuming behind the couch so I got out the vacuum for after we killed the intruder and I wondered... we've been using our vacuum to suck up flies when we had our fly infestation last month, I wonder if we can suck up the Scorpion with the vacuum extension thus eliminating the need to get close to it to commit our murder. So we proceeded on the hunt, we removed the couch cushions one by one very carefully and after inspecting we saw it slowly crawling along one of the missing cushion areas and I did it... turned the power on the vacuum and aimed the extention right at it and it sucked right in! Success! But now what do we do with the vacuum canister? I'm sure the roller coaster ride through the vacuum wasn't powerful enough to kill it. My plan was to put the vacuum outside and let Adam deal with it next week when he got home (I can go 1 week without vacuuming right)... but Attie and I both knew she wouldn't rest well until she saw it dead. So we moved the vacuum outside, got our gloves and opened the canister and out it tried to scurry... good thing Attie planned ahead and had Millie's golf club in hand which we used to smash the Scorpion to it's death! Success! Victory! Scorpion hunters prevail again! And I have a new found love for my vacuum... this vacuum will never be replaced!

5 Months & Ultrasound

2011-06-14T07:58:00.005-07:00

We are 5 months along and counting... halfway down to Baby J #2's arrival to this world. We had our Ultrasound yesterday morning which we have decided we were not going to find out the sex of this baby. We still enjoyed seeing our second addition on the monitor screen, he/she is very photogenic and stayed still for most of the session to get some good shots!

4 Month Belly Shot

2011-05-14T07:43:00.004-07:00

Baby J #2 is making it's mark 2 months earlier than Amelia did inside my belly! Thank goodness this baby and Amelia were inside me during the same time of the year so I am already set with maternity clothes (not to mention it's hot 9 mos. out of the year so how much variety is there really)! This is taken at 4 months pregnant.

Easter

2011-05-14T07:28:00.012-07:00

Amelia's second Easter was a little more exciting for her than last years which she was too young to do anything... this year we went to church and followed with 2 easter egg hunts and dinner at our house with 3 other couples and their kids! It was a lot of fun!

Amelia was too fascinated by the 2 women waving at her that she wouldn't look at the camera but look how cute her smile is!
Wait mama and dada... I think there's something over here...

An easter egg hunt!

She knew right what to do...

We forgot a basket but this bag did the job!

Taking some time to investigate what's inside the eggs... CANDY! for mama of course : )

Wait a minute... where'd all the eggs go?

Phew... Round 2 of easter egg hunting... the fun has only just begun!

Amelia and her friend Anna egg hunting together in our front yard

Her new classic move... "where'd they go?" She loved egg hunting!

Mt Hood

2011-05-07T08:53:00.017-07:00

We also made the drive up to Mt. Hood and we pass by this little town for about 2 minutes on the way up!

Millie tried on Amy's glasses in the car (she reminds me of the cute girl in Hope Floats)

We stopped at my favorite mountain eats... the Zig Zag Restaurant where Millie devoured her Mac N Cheese

Posing with Sam for a picture

It was the end of April but Timberline Lodge was still open and there were lots of skiiers... we couldn't believe the amount of snow they had for the end of April... and it even flurried a little while we were there!

We bundled Millie up to walk around in the snow

She's a snow statue : )

And now she's all ready for her first skiing adventure... or maybe in a few more years! Here she is with Kyle

Wait a second... where'd she go?

Oh there she is!

Thankfully our little gymnast had a safe landing!Kyle and Amelia sliding down the slopes : )

The wind swept through and blew our faces all crooked! L to R back row: Uncle Albert, Kyle, Sam, Amy, my mom, Allen and the A-team in the front row

Cannon Beach

2011-05-07T08:00:00.010-07:00

We made a quick drive out to Cannon Beach while we were in Oregon. It was Millie's first time at the beach! Here is a picture of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach.

I had to use the bathroom and no one else was around so I had this guy watch Millie... he seemed nice enough!
Millie was FREEZING cold but she didn't want to be bundled up in the stroller, she just wanted to push the stroller in the sand...

My Uncle Albert (my mom's brother) and Millie

My cousins from London (Uncle Albert's kids) L to R: Sam, Kyle and Amy

The A-team at the coast

The Mirwald Family L to R: my mom Noreen, Sam, Amy, Uncle Albert, Kyle, Millie, me

I have no idea what they were laughing at but this is a Kodak picture if I've ever seen one! I love it!

On the drive home Millie truly indulged in her book... she's a bookworm!

Portland!

2011-05-07T07:48:00.010-07:00

At the end of April we headed out to Portland to see my family from London who was visiting my mom. We made the mistake of not bringing Benadryl for Amelia and thinking a late night flight would be perfect for her to sleep. She did not sleep except the very last 20 minutes of the 2 1/2 hour flight (and that after screaming for 10 minutes to the disturbance of everyone around us)! Mistakes in Parenting 101... bring Benadryl! This is her checking out all the airplanes...

We thought we'd expel some of her energy and she ran up and down these escalator things for about 30 minutes!`
My cousin Amy teaching Amelia how to use a camera... she especially loved that it was pink!

Uncle Kurtis...

My mom's bathroom is ginormous so Amelia would either look out the window every day (I'm not sure she knew what a real tree was prior to going) and this particular day she pulled up and picked out some books and read while I got ready

My cousin Sam gave her a Harrod's teddy bear named "Betty" so Amelia loved having Betty, George and her Didi (baby) with her every second...

Millie feeding her George goldfish... she just wonders why his mouth won't open!

Watching the NBA playoffs... good thing my mom has a big couch! L to R (Megan, Presley, Kurt, Sam, Kyle, Amy, Me, Adam)

THE LONDON FAM! L to R back row (Amy, Kurt, Kyle, Uncle Albert) L to R front row (my mom, Sam, Millie, me, Adam)

My Birthday

2011-05-07T07:42:00.008-07:00

For my birthday last month, Adam took the day off and we went for a little hike in the morning. Here's the troops ready to go...

Taking a little snack break...
On the way back we saw one of these horny back toad things (not sure what they're really called) but it stayed so still Adam actually touched it's back!

We went home from the hike, took naps, I got a massage and we concluded our day shopping! this is what Millie picked out for her to get on my birthday : )

I like the first pair better...

We ate dinner at Claim Jumpers (if you've never been you have to go!) and Millie helped me blow out the candle!

Springtime and the Adventures of Curious George

2011-04-07T16:50:00.012-07:00

Hangin at the pool with her friend Anna

Swimming when the Carlucci's came in town... we didn't bring Millie's swimsuit so she borrowed Isla's... it may be a teensy bit too small! At the park... how cute is her little ponytail!

Contemplating if it'll be worth it to go down the slide...

Hey somebody get me outta here!

On the big girl swings with Anna

On a little hike with mama... taking a rest in the shade

She loves the hiking pack so much she thought she should share the love with George...

He's all sturdy...

I'm ready to go!

Silliness and Lounging

2011-04-07T16:42:00.008-07:00

There is no explanation for this one... she refuses to wear hats but is happy to put a diaper on her head : )

Well maybe it's better she leaves the diaper on the head... where'd all that hair come from! The epitome of her silliness... she climbs up and lays on a step and says "night night"

She's finally learned the real way to lounge on a couch

She loves loves love her Curious George... she's drinkin water, snugglin with George and watchin Your Baby Can Read

Hangin with her friend Emma

Our Little Kidney Bean

2011-03-27T01:07:00.002-07:00

Meet our little kidney bean! We got to see baby J #2 on the monitor this past week. It's heartbeat was already beating strong at 181 bpm... can you believe their hearts develop and start beating at just 5 weeks! We're already 9 weeks along and baby J #2 is due October 31st! We can't wait to meet you!

Book Review: Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ

2011-02-27T01:27:00.006-07:00

(www.christianedification.org)

I pulled this book off my shelf about a month ago. Sunu (our friend who married us) gave everyone this book prior to one of our trips to Serbia a few summers back. I hesitated to begin it back then as it seemed beyond my years for comprehension (I definitely think this was a lie I believed back then). While this book was written in the late 1600s by Madame Jeanne Guyon in France it actually does not have a challenging vocabulary but at the same time the words she writes packs a depth of wisdom and understanding that have brought spiritual giants to their knees.

The book was previously entitled "A Short and Very Easy Method of Prayer". Guyon was passionate about sharing her passion for an intimate relationship with God. A relationship that was not based on outward works or even a persona to try to fit based on what society for the time would call a "Christian" but rather seeking Jesus Christ in the most center of your being, in the Holy of Holies where God's Spirit is. She constantly urges believers to turn inward to this place instead of focusing outward because that is where God is found and where God's power can change a person and bring them to a place of joy, peace and satisfaction.

Reading this book has really helped me to see my pursuit of God differently. I have still been stuck on thinking I need to right my wrongs and do something for God. I am tempted often to see God as my magic genie thinking if I pray 3 times today then maybe I will find favor in some area. I've known these are not ways God wants us to pursue Him but I've continued allowing my mind to go there. I even struggle down to my quiet times of always doing something for God and planning my time out instead of just sitting in His presence, praying to Him and waiting to see what He does.

"If you seek the Lord and yet are unwilling to stop your sinning, you shall not find Him. Why? Because you are seeking Him in a place where He is not." p. x

"The Lord is found only within your spirit, in the recesses of your being, in the Holy of Holies; this is where He dwells. The Lord once promised to come and make His home within you. (John 14:23)." p. 11

"The times of spiritual dryness will be the same to you as the times of spiritual abundance. You will treat them both the same. Why? Because you will have learned to ove God just because you love Him, not because of His gifts, nor even for His precious presence." p. 24

"Abandonment is being satisfied with the present moment, no matter what that moment contains. You are satisfied because you know that whatver that moment has, it contains - in that instant - God's eternal plan for you." p. 35

"All the prayers that proceed from your mind are merely preparations for bringing yout o a passive state; any and all active contemplation on your part is also just preparation for bringing you to a passive state. They are preparations. They are not the end. They are a way to the end. The end is union with God!" p. 125

There are so many excerpts I want to include in this book review but I'm afraid that would result in a re-typing of the book here so I suggest you pick up a copy on Amazon for yourself. It will change your entire pursuit of God to be more the way God intended in the first place. The book talks about distractions in prayer, putting to death the self and submitting to His Spirit, what to do in times of spiritual dryness, how to confess our sins and the spiritual discipline of silence. It is an incredible book!

Random Picture Time

2011-02-26T13:45:00.013-07:00

The little stinker decided the basket of her stroller was a good place to lounge... she climbed in all on her own and kicked her feet up and just hung out!

Speaking of loungin... she's taking a rest watching daddy take down the Christmas lights
And here we are again... lounging... doesn't she look like a beautiful toddler girl!

For a child who never stops moving she sure knows how to get comfy in quick time... she's on her Princess pull out bed watching her baby show with Tank's chain leash around her neck (it's her personal fashion statement... his leash or mommy's dish towel!)

Meeting daddy at the golf course with her new shades on!

Here daddy... I'll tend that flag!

Another golf course trip... this one ended up cooler than anticipated so Adam made a smock out of his sweater... good thing her beanie was in her diaper bag!

She just loves being at the golf course!

And for the winning picture... she finally discovered her nose is a great place to stick your finger in and just hang out there at the dinnertable! She just sat there giggling for about 5 minutes... it was hilarious!

Like daddy like daughter

Hmmm maybe my feet can help me eat!

First dunk with daddy!

Very Belated Snow Pictures!

2011-02-26T13:20:00.013-07:00

So... 2 months late isn't too late right? These are hilarious pictures of Amelia's first snow adventure back when we were in Colorado for Christmastime!

Here's daddy and Millie bundled up in the car

We took her sledding so her is the beginning of her snow bunny suit! (Note the 1 pigtail... she won't leave them in more than 2 minutes)
Okay... 1 step at a time. We had to put ziplock bags on her hands and feet because we didn't have snowboots or gloves : )

Mommy and Millie stopping for a quick pose

Grandpa getting ready to hit the hills! We took her portable high chair and buckled it onto this old school sled... good idea Britt!

It was about 5 degrees... count it 1,2,3,4... 5! But she was the warmest bundle out there... only her eyeballs were visible to the cold

We could hear her muffled giggle through the scarf as she sled down the hill and she topped off the freezing afternoon by making her first snow angel!

Okay mommy... let's go back to the heater

After the cold day we took a trip to Alamosa where Millie discovered the real purpose of a straw : )

And back at Grandma and Grandpa's to watch Daddy Day Care with her cousin Raelynn . . . we're having afternoon tea : ) and goldfish

On the way home we stopped at our favorite THE MALT SHOPPE!!! They have the best burgers, malts and breakfast!

Millie having her first malt!

Christmas in Colorado

2010-12-29T15:23:00.014-07:00

After our sunny Arizona Christmas we packed up the car and drove through the night on over to wintery Colorado for our second Christmas with the Jardon clan : )

Amelia and her cousin Raelynn are now having fun interacting with each other. Here Raelynn is showing Amelia just how to ride her horsey!

Good work cuzzy . . . you deserve a kiss!
On to riding something we can both fit on!

And back to the single ride on her new RadioFlyer scoot and move from Grandpa Britt!

Amelia was so funny every day picking up these pop bottles and moving them back and forth, rearranging and cleaning and doing it all over again... that's my girl!

The cousins . . . sharing the pink Princess chair Grandma & Grandpa got each of them for Christmas

The A-Team : )

The GLJ's : ) (Adam's brother Gabe and wife Michelle and Raelynn)

And the Jardon clan (Andrea, Britt, Abbi, Devi, Michelle - Adam, Betty, Donna, Gabe - Amelia, Raelynn)

Great-Grandma Donna

Grandma Devi

Aunti Abbi

Four Generations of Ihrke-Jardon Women!!!

Christmas in Arizona

2010-12-29T14:45:00.014-07:00

We were blessed to have 2 Christmases this year, 1 in Arizona and 1 in Colorado. My mom and her boyfriend Allen came to visit us for Christmas this year which was fun.

We started the week out enjoying the summery weather in Arizona at the park! Amelia is completely into "balls", she carries one everywhere she goes and constantly says "ball" to anything circular (a light, the moon, xmas decorations, etc., etc.)

And she LOVES THE SWING! She'll sit on this thing for hours and hours... so much fun!

And we made it to the zoo lights! Our friends Grant, Jeree and their newborn Nathan joined us!

Here is a picture of us at the Christmas Eve service at our church Mission Community Church.

Christmas morning... as usual the packaging in itself can be more exciting than the actual present!
I'll take this one for myself...

Doesn't this paper look good on me : )

In our PJ's ... wait a second is that a binkie in Amelia's mouth?...

... it's a bow! She is our present every year . . .

Daddy and Millie opening her big present from her parents . . .

An activity center! The tunnel and it connects to a tent : )

Once she figured out what to do she kept crawling in and out!

Going to get mommy!Eating Christmas dinner outside on our new patio!

Our 4th Christmas as "The Jardons" and our 2nd Christmas with Amelia!

In front of our tree... yup if you look hard enough it's back there!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Our New Patio

2010-12-29T10:45:00.014-07:00

For our Christmas present this year from my mom and dad we asked for a little help so we could put a little patio for eating in our tiny side yard : ) Here are pictures from our Christmas project!

Here is a complete before picture of the side yard (note how tiny all the bushes are on the sides when compared to the last picture at the bottom of this post)

The pile of supplies to complete the project
Adam dug out all the grass and here is the blank slate for the patio area
After many hours of pouring sand and meticulously leveling, the ground is prepared for the bricks!

Testing the bricks and the borders

The one week this year it decided to rain in Arizona was during the middle of our project so I was recruited to speed things along! (notice in this picture how HUGE our bushes are!)

And Millie couldn't hold out any longer and was recruited to sweep : )

Daddy and Millie sweeping together ... a family project!

Bum ba bum bah! The finished project! This was Christmas Eve and Adam lit up the place with the lights on our Bouganvilleas : )

Our patio serves as a multi-purpose place as we also got this little firepit to roast s'mores with! Just like in Colorado!

And we set a new Arizona tradition of eating Christmas dinner outside on our new patio... this was everyone's first time eating outside on Christmas day!

Thank you mom and dad for making this project possible! And thank you hubby for all your hard work!

Christmas Lights

2010-12-24T12:15:00.008-07:00

There's our little Millie bean with her cute hat! She's all ready for our Colorado trip and even got to try out her hat here in AZ on a few mornings when it was in the 40's brrrr!

Here's our lovely Christmas tree in the living room...

And this is Adam's masterpiece for our front yard... there's a few changes we'll make next year to include lights on the upper level!
And this is our garage (you can see Millie's pink tree lit in her room!)

And the pink tree I bought for $7 after Christmas last year and waited 11 months to put it up in her room!!! It's so stinkin cute!

Nothing like a pink winter wonderland!

Jardon Christmas 2010

2010-12-13T11:12:00.005-07:00

2010?!?! Can you believe it’s already the end of 2010? What a crazy ride this past year has been! We have been so blessed this year being our first full year as Amelia’s mom and dad ☺The joys of being a parent are so incredible it is hard to even put words to. We love Amelia so much! She has blown us away by her sweetness giving us hugs and puckering her lips for kisses and calling “mama” and “dada” when one of us is away. It’s hard to believe how much she has grown and developed in this past year as well. She started walking at 9 months and is now running (sometimes away from us!) at 14 months, she’s got 8 cute little baby teeth and she’s beginning the growth of her vocabulary to include “mama”, “dada”, “dog” haha!, “nana” which started at meaning banana and turned to mean any food, “hi” and “bye”. She loves going down the slide at the park as well as pushing her little baby in her little baby stroller all over our neighborhood! We love every minute with her!

We have been so thankful for our small group and our church, Mission Community Church. We are growing deeper in our friendships with our “New and Expecting Parents” group. We have been spoiled by our friendships and are thankful to finally have an established group we can fellowship with weekly. We recently began a study called “Protecting Your Family” by Charles Stanley which teaches about the role as a parent in understanding the spiritual battle over the family. There are so many destructive things out there today (drugs, violence, peer pressure, negative influences from the media, etc.) and it is imperative that we as parents help our children learn the truth of God’s Word to build them up to be strong in knowing who they are as God’s creation so they can withstand these negative influences. We find ourselves challenged and excited for this part of parenting always reminding ourselves that it’s not just the two of us but God is our helper and will guide Amelia down this path with us.

Work for me (Andrea) has been going well. I find myself exhausted from being stretched so thin at work not to mention the tear in my heart every time I leave Amelia at night but I am constantly thankful to have this job when so many people are unemployed. I continue to love being a nurse in spite of all these challenges and I know God has me exactly where He wants me. The past few months God has been showing Adam and I that He has a “Promised Land” for us in the near future that consists of a “place” where I will be staying at home with Amelia and Adam will be sponsored on tour. Deuteronomy Chapter 8 and Hebrews Chapters 3 and 4 talks about a Promised Land that God has for every believer. This is a place (not necessarily physically) where the believer experiences a closeness to God, answered prayers, abundant blessings and a peace and knowledge of being completely in God’s will and along the path He desires for you. This looks different for every believer but it is clear in the Bible that God desires this for every believer and it is up to us individually to believe Him to bring us there. He has taken us on a wild ride these past few months in challenging us to a deeper faith in Him and believing what the Bible says about this Promised Land and that it does exist for us. We are anxiously awaiting what this next year will bring as we venture closer to our Promised Land!

As for me (Adam) I have been playing the best golf since we’ve been out here. My scoring average in 2010 was 69.4 which is my lowest competitive average in my life! My eyes are on Qualifying School in September of 2011 to receive my PGA tour card. Until then I will continue to teach at View Point golf resort until the winter visitors flock back to their homes. I continue looking for a sponsor in creative ways and for the finances for Q School next year.

Christmas Picture Bloopers

2010-12-13T11:00:00.006-07:00

We went all out this year and took pictures at home : ) . . . like usual! Here is our dress rehearsal with the Millie Bean : )

She ran away from us when we tried to put her dress on ... although she is very very cute with her poochy belly!

We needed some way to keep her still so we brought out her favorite Princess chair
I don't think this is quite an appropriate pose for a Christmas picture . . . but like everything else it's cute nonetheless!

I LOVE THIS CAUGHT IN THE MOMEMT PICTURE! (she's trying to pull her bow out of her hair)

Most of the pictures with Tanko went well except this last one ... she got really freaked out when he finally got his bone and started frantically eating it!

Random Pictures

2010-12-01T07:56:00.010-07:00

I thought it was about time to update with some random pictures of Amelia we've taken over the past few months... enjoy!

Millie and daddy relaxing watching golf on a Sunday (equipment in hand... or mouth!)

She loves her bath time so much she sits in her tub while playing in the closet! It's so cute, her own little boat : )
Her own "my little pony" Tanko! She's been sitting on him like this in her spare time it's so cute!

And when Tanko is not being cooperative she'll ride her Mickey airplane! She's got that concentration face on

A couple of months ago it finally got cool enough we could play outside (115 is too hot to be outside!) so she took her clubs out and started swinging : )

Millie enjoying her birthday present from Grandpa V ... the Your Baby Can Read DVD! She loves standing in her little push car and watching it and if you look close enough you'll see...

... she's practicing her words! The cutest face!

Now that there's real shoes laying around the house (gone are the days of flip flops!!) she's taken a liking to testing them out!

Mommy's are a little bit more fashionable... and they match her outfit!

It's Christmastime

2010-11-27T12:21:00.006-07:00

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I absolutely love Christmastime! I think most people do. As I sit and reflect today on what it is that is so "magical" about Christmas, I remember my Christmas in 2002. This was the last Christmas I celebrated as a person not knowing what I was celebrating. I just remember being bothered that Christmas of thinking I know Christmas is something about Jesus and something that's supposed to be religious but I'm not "religious" I don't really believe in God or a god or whatever and who is this Jesus anyways so why do I even celebrate Christmas... for the presents, the tree, the good food, the snow, the lights, is this okay to celebrate these things when it really doesn't reflect the whole point in Christmas?

These thoughts were the very beginning of God introducing Himself to me. I set off from that Christmas forward to get to the bottom of who this God and Jesus from Christmas really was and God brought me from a place of confusion, desperation and emptiness into a relationship with Him that following April! Praise God for using the holiday season for what it was inteded for... to celebrate His Son Jesus coming to this earth as a human to live and breathe and walk among us (God... walking among us... that's crazy!) and then to be crucified on the cross so that we... everyone... I... YOU... can experience freedom from the power of sin... forever! What?!?!?! You mean I can be free? I don't have to be bogged down by shame, inadequacy, bitterness, anger, jealousy and so many other depressing captivating emotions and places that leave me wondering "is this all to life?" but instead I can be free! I can have peace that surpasses understanding; I can speak one to one with the creator of the universe and He wants to hear from me; I can trust my life to Him and know He will direct my path and everything will have a purpose and a reason. And the best of all is that when I leave this earth I WILL meet Him FACE to FACE in Heaven and spend eternity there instead of eternity in Hell amongst darkness and evil. That's what I'm celebrating this Christmas! That's what Christmas is all about. So I pray that this Christmas will be so incredibly life-changing and different for you. That if you don't know what it is you're celebrating that you would find out. Don't let another Christmas go by while decorating your tree, buying presents, baking and admiring the lights and not even think about wht is behind all of this... question it, investigate it and surrender your life to Him who is CHRIST-mas. He wants to bless you like crazy and He wants to give you the best gift anyone can get for Christmas... His salvation.

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God is Alive and Active... Today

2010-11-07T06:12:00.003-07:00

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." ~ Hebrews 13:8

God has been doing some INCREDIBLE things in our lives recently. As I reflect back on the things He has been doing and the place He is bringing us I realize that over the past 7 1/2 years that I have been a believer, my faith has steadily been declining to an ordinary, complacent, stagnant faith. I don't recall any specifics of how I got there but I know I was contentedly there up until 3 weeks ago when God began moving in some big ways in our lives.

I know today that I can say with full confidence that Jesus Christ IS the same yesterday, TODAY, and forever. I can believe God to be the same God who performed miracles in the Bible. He is a God who desires and WILL bring believers to a life filled with intense, intimate relationship with Him... a life filled with incredible blessings and joy that is beyond understanding. God is not a stagnant God that you read about in this storybook called the Bible. He isn't a passive God who desires us to be content with an ordinary life that doesn't even reflect a following and belief of Him. He wants us to live a radical life... a life that every decision we make and every experience we have is based off His leading and will bring glory and honor to Him.

I have been telling God for awhile that I have been wanting to live this life with Him but in my heart I haven't really been wanting to. I've been afraid of what He may ask of me; afraid of the changes I may need to make; afraid of the vulnerability He may require of me. So... do I really want it? God brought me to a place 3 weeks ago where I had to make a choice... complacency followed by disappointment and distance from God... or present and active faith followed by answered prayers, incredible blessings and miracles from the almighty God who created the heavens and the earth.

And I chose life. I chose to walk with Him wherever He may want me to go (yikes!) and I am so thankful I have because just in these past 3 weeks I have experienced a relationship with Him on a whole new level that I thought only existed in Biblical times or amongst a few friends of mine who are "different"; friends who live and walk intimately with their Creator, who model a walk that I have desired but never thought was possible for me. Well... it is possible for me and for you and for everyone... God desires this for us and asks us to believe Him for it. I pray that all of you may know "what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power" (Ephesians 11:19).

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." ~ Hebrews 11:6

"Therfore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the wil of God, you may receive the promise: 'For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.' " ~ Hebrews 10:35-38

"Then Jesus answered and said to her, 'O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.' And her daughter was healed from that very hour." Matthew 15:28

"So Jesus said to them, 'Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, "Move from Here to there", and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.' " ~ Matthew 17:20

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

"I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me." ~ Proverbs 8:17

"For we walk by faith, and not by sight." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7

Halloween

2010-11-04T17:31:00.013-07:00

For Halloween, we hung out with our long time Arizona Friends (one year). Friends Jared and Darla their girl Anna (3 years Old) and Brynlea (3 weeks old). . . As well as our new friends Mike and Kate and their 8 week old Eden. We did a short Trick-or-Treat and also collected can goods for the Arizona Hunger Campaign. These are the Pictures:

Kate and Eden (A Bumble Bee)
Jared and Brynlea

Anna (flower Gnome)

Millie (A butterfly girl, who drives a car, too young to fly)

Eden

First Trick or Treating house of the night

Millie's not afraid of anything. Not even a head coming out of the ground : )

Scary house

The group (left to right): Andrea, Millie, Anna, Jared, Darla, Brynlea, Mike, Kate and Eden

Amelia's First Birthday Pool Party!

2010-10-13T17:28:00.012-07:00

We had a little pool party at our house for Amelia's first birthday! A lot of her friends (mainly our friends ha!) from bible study and elsewhere came to celebrate with us. We had a lot of fun and it was a beautiful day in the low 90's : )

Millie in her princess chair with daddy

Auntie Abbi was able to come from San Diego to visit!
Birthday kiss for mama!! Nothing beats that!

Our friends at the pool

Eating burgers in the ramada area

We had so much fun!

She was a pro at the whole cake eating since her trial run the night before... she loved being in her princess chair!

"What?!?! Ice cream?!?! My parents have really been holding out!" What can I say she's a girl after my own heart : )

Happy Birthday Millie!

Amelia's First Birthday and Cake

2010-10-13T17:03:00.018-07:00

We were blessed last week to celebrate Amelia's first birthday! Can you believe she's already 1!!! She had a blast with all the new experiences: opening presents, birthday cake, princess tiara... she felt and acted just like a princess!

Reading her new book recorded by Grandma Noreen!

She didn't need any instruction on how to unwrap her gifts... and this one is...
... a lawn mower! just the perfect size for our 12 ft x 6 ft side yard!

She LOVES her new golf set from her mommy and daddy... just the perfect pint size : )

She deemed this to be her happy birthday face : ) at least she's ready to blow out the candle on her cake!

... before the candle just a quick swig of water... princess style nonetheless... pinkies up!

Grandma and Grandpa Jardon ready for the big show on Skype!

"Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you..."!!

There's that candle blowing face again : )

Time to dig in!

"Oh yeah... this is the good stuff!"

"Here dad... wanna try?"

"Okay mom... you can have some too... oops! I missed your mouth!"

"I can't believe they held out on me for this long on chocolate cake!"

"Happy Birthday to me... happy birthday to me!"

Christopher Creek

2010-10-08T15:38:00.016-07:00

About a month ago we were invited to stay with some friends at their family cabin in Christopher Creek by Payson, AZ. It was a lot of fun to escape from the heat for 1 day! Millie enjoyed her "rustic" cabin experience : )

Millie hugging her daddy good luck on his quick 9 hole round on his homemade wood golf course

Adam and Troy made a 9 hole par 3 golf course in the backyard woods of the cabin... Tank was their caddy : )
Woah! Watch out for that laundry drying over there!

Troy ... hmmm if I were Tank I'd watch out!

Is that Adam in the trees? Oh yeah, the whole course is in the trees! The guys had a blast!

Even mommy gave it a shot... and scored a hole in one on the last hole I might add!

And Millie gave the course a shot! She had quite a few "gimmes" ... much like I had when I was pregnant with her : )

Troy & Kristy Hunt!

The A-team + Tanko

Hmmm... everything she does is so stinkin cute!

Very interesting... she LOVES sitting in things!

Running away from bathtime....

... she wasn't quite fast enough!

Book Review: Abram's Daughters Series

2010-09-16T14:16:00.002-07:00

I have seen Beverly Lewis's books all over the Christian bookstore (she's written somewhere around 50 books) and I've always been interested in picking one up to explore Christian fiction but there just always seemed to be a different book on my reading list that looked a bit more appealing. Well, for only $1 on one of my frequent Goodwill runs I picked up the first book of her Abram's Daughters series... I had no idea what that put me in for! I quickly became hooked and got the rest of the series at our half-price bookstore down the street! Beverly Lewis writes fiction novels about the Amish. Her grandmother grew up Amish and married a Christian man and left the Amish culture behind her but carried on much of the lifestyle to her children and grandchildren. Beverly took her knowledge of the Amish culture from her family background as well as extensive research to ensure accuracy and has created multiple novels that throw a Christian twist into the mix.

Abram's Daughters series begins with 2 teenage Amish girls in the middle of rumschpringe (this is the few years when the teenagers are allowed to explore life to determine if they want to join the Amish church or not). Without giving any of the book away I'll just summarize to say that some decisions were made during that period that resulted in some enormous consequences to this Amish family... one such consequence centered around one of the daughters being "shunned" from the community. This means they have to leave the community and are not allowed to have any contact with the community and their family essentially forever unless there is a repentance that occurs. The series spans throughout the next 20 years of this family's life and shows from a long-term perspective the results of decisions we make in life.

Homecooked Meals. I absolutely loved learning about the Amish culture! I would have never thought I'd have any interest in this whatsoever but it really sparked in me an appreciation for their culture. They work so incredibly hard getting up every day before the sun rises to begin their "chores" with the men working the fields and with the animals and the women cooking and cleaning and selling their homegrown goods on their roadside stands. To think I complain sometimes of cooking a dinner that takes 20 mins. when I didn't cook either of the 2 nights before while these women cook 3 meals a day EVERY day and usually for a table full of 10 or more people, as well as all sorts of baked and canned goods. It really put me to shame and sparked in me a desire to start spending more time preparing fresh and healthy meals and snacks for my family. It is amazing how decadent their Amish feasts are considering most of what they cook they've grown there on their own land!

Family Fellowship. I also appreciate that the whole family does come in and sit down for 3 meals a day. It seems hard enough today to get everyone together for dinner but there is so much fellowship that occurs when you sit down and enjoy a good hearty homecooked meal together. I loved how each evening in the Amish culture after dinner and dessert is served and the dishes are washed, dried and put away they all sit down in their various "spots" and the husband of the family reads from the Bible. Now they read from the old Dutch Bible and in the old order Amish ordnungs there are only certain Scriptures they're allowed to read so I wouldn't say it is necessarily a time of "digging into the Word" and discussing Scripture but rather more of a tradition. I do like this concept however and in our lives we could incorporate this by instead of sitting down to watch NBC or whichever station you prefer we could read through the Bible book by book. Just the idea of coming together and relaxing in a way that does create intimacy and fellowship instead of just tuning out to the TV sounds appealing.

Community. That to me was what stood out the most in the Amish lifestyle. The Amish have thier own little communities. There is always someone right next door or in the upstairs room to lend a helping hand. I love how the adults would gather together while their children were out playing volleyball or at the barn for a time of singing. The only thing in my life today I can think of to relate is when Adam and I went on our summer projects to Serbia and 40 of us lived in a hotel together where we spent most of our time together in community. That community doesn't exist on a natural basis here. We've lived in our house for 1 year now and have just barely met a handful of our neighbors. I am probably the worse than most at closing up my blinds and choosing to be inside all day because I just feel like being introverted. But in my heart I often desire this type of community. Come over when you want and I'll serve you freshly baked bread and tea. The Amish communities have frequent "canning bees" and "quilting bees" where all the women get together to can and quilt while their children run around with each other... and sometimes there's as many as 20 women! This would be a huge event requiring lots of planning and most likely lots of declines on the RSVPs if we tried this today.

Not Worldly. I'm sure one of the first things that came to your mind when you heard the word Amish was the good ol' horse n buggy and no electricity! It's true in the setting of this book the family lived in a very old fashioned community without these fancy ammenities. But as I read this book I began to see more of the reasoning behind their decision and I came to respect it. Our society today as so much of an influence on the way we think and act. TV, magazines, books and billboards are plastered with sex and concepts of living that pierce and crush the very heart of God. Our society is creating an environment of destruction filled with lust, greed, envy, insecurity, and everything negative under the sun. Everything that is against God's desires for us and the peaceful fulfilled life He desires to bless on us. When I cut out TV and I listen to the Christian radio stations and I read my Bible instead of the latest best-seller I find my soul fulfilled, I find myself desiring a life of holiness and real depth and I find all the sexual exploits and trashy language and empty promises more and more repulsive. I appreciate the Amish community and their desire to rid their lives of the influence of the negative aspects of the world to maintain their purity as a community. It is a very interesting line that is drawn on how far is too far but I am thankful to have some insight into the rationale behind this.

There are of course a lot of negative things about the Amish culture. One such example being the concept of shunning a family member. Their concept of salvation is not accurate leaving them unsure of their salvation until they die and leaving their prayer life filled with pre-scripted prayers instead of praying from the heart. Their are some more Christian-Amish people out there... one such community being the Mennonites who follow accurate biblical truth on salvation. Good and bad... my life will be changed from reading this series and I am so thankful I have read it! I highly highly recommend it to anyone and everyone! Happy reading!

Portland's Greenery

2010-09-03T07:53:00.017-07:00

The weather was so beautiful while we were in Portland we spent the majority of our time outside. We went to Lake Oswego and had a little picnic and watched all the wealthy people spend the day on their lakes with their private boats and private docks : )

I love this goofy picture!
My mom and Millie overlooking Oswego Lake

Eating like a big girl on her first picnic!

She's so cute just walking around!

We had fun just walking around in the beautiful greenery!

My mom's beautiful backyard!

Hmmm... a soccer player?

She looks so tiny against the ginormous hedge my dad planted when we first moved in the house when I was 7 !!

She did the cutest thing while we were hanging in the backyard.... I was laying like this and she just came up to me, turned around, squatted down and plopped into my lap then she laid her head back and just rested : ) I loved it!

Our special moment : )

It was so nice to lay in soft green grass!

The A-Team!

Adam and I took a little date night and walked to the Riverfront of Portland in between all the bridges. We walked the dock (which was quite shaky) and got to see some of the bridges rise for large boats passing through... I miss the water!

Portland is such a beautiful city!

Oregon Zoo

2010-09-03T07:24:00.010-07:00

On our trip to Portland we took Millie to the Oregon Zoo for the first time! She actually loved it. She loved seeing all the large Tanks (the only animal she's known in her lifetime) and she really loved the big green field where the amphitheatre is... lots of room to walk around!

Walking around the zoo with daddy!
She just started giving us hugs and leaning in for kisses : ) One of the best joys in life!

We saw this cute baby monkey riding around on the mama monkey's back... sooo convenient! no need for a moby wrap or a baby bjorn carrier : )

Woah look at that giant fish!

She had no idea what this thing was...

We tried calling this giant lion "Tinka" after our kitty at home... there might be a slight difference in size but nontheless she enjoyed watching this one prowl around

I love the beauty of the zebra's stripes!

The Oregon Zoo has so much greenery and lots of beautiful waterfalls

Oh How He Loves Us

2010-09-03T06:27:00.004-07:00

God has been showing me lately some tremendous truths about the way He loves us. I have always known in my head that God's gift of salvation and the blessings He bestows upon us are free gifts from His mercy and grace. I have said this a million times but I have realized in these past few weeks that in my heart I still believe that it is performance based. Not necessarily salvation because I know without a doubt in my head and my heart that there is nothing we can do to earn and lose salvation but we just simply must confess that Jesus is our Lord and that if we believe in Him we will have eternal life. I am refering more to God's blessings once we have entered into a relationship with Him. I have realized that my thoughts have been that if I do so many things right and good then I in a way expect to get something in return and on the other hand if I think I am being disobedient and just not measuring up to God's desires for my character then I am expecting some sort of punishment or withdrawal of God's rewards. This is so not right! I do think there is a healthy knowledge and understanding of the results of obedience and disobedience in the sense of there being consequences to walking outside the will of God but to say in a black and white fashion that obedience = rewards and disobedience = withdrawal of rewards is just not in God's character. (I must clarify the meanings behind the word "blessings" and "rewards". Blessings can come through emotions, feelings, and physical things while when I refer to rewards here I am referring more to physcal things i.e. money, possessions, opportunities, etc.). I tend to pray with the position that I have done x, y and z this week therefore God should answer my requests and if I have missed on doing "y" then I must do "y" first before I think God will answer my requests. God is so much bigger than my doing x, y and z. He loves us so much that He blesses us simply because He loves us. period. He doesn't demand perfection before He walks alongside us and blesses us with His mercy, grace and love. God has blessed me in so many ways just this week while in the back of my mind I can count my many shortfalls of disobedience. Can God provide for us financially while I still struggle with doubt of the means through which He will provide? Yes. Can God bring salvation to my friends and family while I fail daily to display His love for them through my witness? Yes. Can God give me strength, hope and joy throughout this day while my first thoughts when I wake up are a sense of looming at the tasks ahead of me? Yes. I do not have to first be perfect and then God will show up. Why would I ever want to serve a God that requires this of me? I would always be 25 steps behind. I would always long to meet that perfection He would require of me yet I would know it was unattainable... a set up for defeat from the beginning. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." - 1 John 4:10. Marvel today in how much God loves you and be thankful that there is nothing you can do to "deserve" it but simply find peace knowing He loves you irregardless of your performance.