I think I just about have it figured out. It's not how I would love for it to be but it is definitely a number of steps up from what it was. I am talking about the blog. From now on the pictures will be displayed within the post and will no longer continue adding to the massive column currently snaking down my blog page. In the near future (not tonight because I have already spent way too much time on this today), I will be adding pictures from two great weeks of fun with both grandmas and grandpas. As for now here she is decked out in all-girl pearls. Stay tuned for more fun.

We have not written since Christmas because I am quite frustrated with blogger. Since they switched to an update format I can't post pics the way i want. I talked to a friend about it and she says she posts her images through the post portion so I am now going to give it a try. Well it looks like the image uploads at the top of the post. Here is a pic of Maren and Spencer at our favorite little toy shop we peruse but don't buy at (a bit too expensive). Maren has a blast. I will try uploading another image. It wont let me load another image. So now I will publish it and see how it looks in the layout of the blog.

It has been nearly 8 months since I last posted a message and its about time. It is truly amazing how fleeting time is. Having a child makes that very apparent. Maren is our little toddler now. She definitely has a mind of her own and is a spunky, energetic, and lovable little sweetheart. We are amazed by her every day. She is my tiny dancer and Spencer's football (or as she calls it fuhball)watching partner. She loves to make us laugh which happens quite often. She has a special place for Jesus in her heart and loves to learn about Him. It is amazing what we learn from our 18 month old.

Since the last I wrote you can see a lot has happened from all the pictures posted. Ever since blogger changed its design I now have to post new pictures at the bottom of the page rather than at the top. I don't like this but I don't seem to have a choice. In short, the pictures are out of order. The change starts with Thanksgiving and will continue to be posted at the bottom. Around Thanksgiving, we moved down the street into Garden Grove to save a whole lot of money. We had a few challenges adjusting to the new place but are now enjoying it. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so many other student families. It makes it a lot of fun, especially for Maren to have lots of kids to play with.

I have to say I am ready for Spring to add a little color to the constant gray. I can feel it upon us. Spencer has been coming home lately excited to announce that the daffodils are about to pop up. All the rain is good for something, its just hard to remember in the dead of winter. It will become more apparent as the blossoms begin to appear on the bare trees. Life is good and we have much to be grateful for. I am grateful for the journey even if Spencer calls me the pessimist of the family.

This May we will already know where we will be going on rotations during our fourth year. We have discussed going to Germany if we get the luck of the draw (literally). We think it could be quite a fun adventure before it gets too hard to travel once kids are in school. Why not live a little right? It's still scary to think about but exciting as well. We shall see where life takes us.

The memories we create will be all we have in the end, so why not make the most of life and do it with the Lord on our side? Life will go as he has planned for us and we will grow and change. As Spencer says: "We just need to have faith." So we trudge forward with faith and hope that we can endure it well. Thanks for going the journey with us, even if its only through our blog! We love and miss you all!

Maren is walking!

Maren, who is now over 13 months old has been walking for a couple of weeks. We have footage of the night she first walked to us but cant seem to get it loaded on the computer, so for now you can see her walking after about a week and a half.

Pictures taken by a kind professional photographer in Seattle

 

This is Spencer. I just have to say that this is a pretty great blog. I might be biased, but I think that the two girls on here are the two cutest I've ever seen.

"We Are Family" My choreography for a wedding.

Trip to Cali

 

We just got back from a great trip to California to visit my family. It was the first time in a long time since my whole family had been together so it was time to take a family picture. Since the last family picture there has been 5 additions. Spencer, Ambers' kids, Gavin, Tatum and Colton, and our Maren. We celebrated a number of birthdays in the months of May, June, and July and enjoyed BBQ's and family dinners. Just how I envisioned it would be and just how it should be. Spencer and I were able to have a date night out to a movie and also to attend the temple. Thank goodness for grandmas! Thanks mom for watching Maren. My dad, the sweetheart he is, made sure we had a car that stays in good condition. The car needed a tune-up and replacements that we would have never known about if it wasn't for the handyman of a dad we have. Thanks dad! Every time I go home to visit I feel grateful for the wonderful family I have been given. Though we are imperfect, life's lessons are invaluable and can teach us a lot if we let them. It always comes back to love as love is a healing agent and will bring us back to what is most important. May we always have love.

Summer Has Begun!

Spencer had a successful first year of Op school and we are now ready to enjoy the summer sun. Can't say I've seen it too much as this week has been cold and rainy. We did get a bit of fun out of the last two weekends where we went to both Rockaway and Cannon Beach and had a fun day camp BBQ at Browns camp. Spencer started his new job at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course last week and lets just say the 4:30 wake-up time is kinda hard on him. I can't say that it hasn't been an adjustment for me too since my day revolves around when my husband gets home! We will get used to it and soon enough we will be on vacation as we have a couple planned for the summer. In a week we will go visit my family in California for a week. I am excited to have family pictures taken and to enjoy the family time by the pool and in the sun. It just sounds so relaxing just thinking about it. Maren just turned 10 months and we are realizing that she will always have something to say as her babble contains more of a variety of consonants and vowels and she looks at you as if she is really telling something important. It's fun. It's silly but I am excited because I bought her some jelly sandals like I had growing up and it makes me happy to think she will be walking around in them by the end of the summer. How they grow. Hope you enjoy the pics we post of our summer so far!

Can't seem to get the girl to smile at the camera anymore.

 

Time flies

I cannot believe that our first school year in Oregon is coming to a close. Spencer has only two finals left this next week and then the summer will begin. He got a job doing landscaping maintenance at a fancy golf course where the WPGA comes to play. It will be nice for him to labor physically and take a break from the mental labor. He will have pretty good hours working from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm. May not sound fun for people who hate getting up early, but for me, its exciting because then I have him home the rest of the day (as long as golf doesn't become his new favorite pastime!). I am looking forward to a fun summer with lots of beach time and family time. Maren is approaching a year in July which will provide for a lot of new exploration as she gets more and more curious with age. As usual we are enjoying the little girl she is becoming. We are always grateful for the abundance of blessings in our lives.

How time does fly.

How time does fly. Spencer is in the middle of mid-terms and is working hard and doing well. I am enjoying beautiful weather, good friends, and spending my days watching Maren grow. She is in the stage of life where it seems like you can see the mind-body connections happen right before your eyes. This may seem like an obvious statement if you understand the development that happens in the first year of a child's life, but when it happens to your own child, your own flesh and blood, you see the masterful power of God and the feel the special and specific love He has bestowed upon women to create and be nurturing teachers. Spencer also spends every spare moment he has, helping her explore the abilities of her growing body and mind. She has not shown too much interest in crawling yet but wants to skip ahead to walking. She loves to bounce in her jumperoo and gets excited when we show her how to walk. You can see how much she loves to learn. We have thoroughly enjoyed the journey of learning and growth that we have experienced with her in her first eight months of life. Though Valentine's Day has come and gone, we still wanted to post pictures of our little cupid as we like to treat this blog as our family journal. Hope you enjoy them as much as we have.

The weather here has seemed to take a turn -- a break from the never ending blanket of gray clouds that often loom overhead. It has allowed for some really beautiful walks, gatherings at the park and just a sign of renewal and change that brings a happy feeling. The trees around here are blossoming beautifully with pink and white flowers. It is fun to live in a new place to experience the vast array of God's creations through seasons of change. We are loving the new experiences we are having and recognize the hand of God in all we do. For His blessings we are eternally grateful.

Our last couple months-Double Click to view larger