Yikes, it's almost 2015

So nice to live right next to a pumpkin patch.

This family loves Fall.

This was his bed for awhile, then he tried the top drawer and broke it to pieces.

Plenty has happened since August and I thought I should try to get another blog post in before it's the New Year. We leave in two days for a nice long Christmas vacation to Wyoming to see family and we are more than excited for this trip. Koen is delighted he gets to stay in a "hotail". Just mention a hotel and he gets quite excited; he often brings ups random lodging experiences that are clearly etched in his memory. Ko is now 3 1/2 and cracks us up daily. He is happy go lucky and thinks just about everything is funny. He dotes on every baby he sees and he loves, I mean loves his friends... to the point that some of them come to me and ask for some space. I'll take all of that love I can get, so as long as he lets me, I will cuddle him til he cries. Wait, maybe that's where he gets it. He's an odd sleeper. He only sleeps in his bed for a little while at night, then he tries different places, like his clothes drawer, the couch, and our floor. Sometimes he snacks at 2 in the morning and we wake up to find bread and fruit shrapnel sprayed all over our living room. At this age Ko particularly adores Curious George, garbage trucks, seaweed snacks, babies, riding bikes, mud, grocery stores, the Ants go marching song, eggs and bacon, "hamburbers", hotails, playgroups, the list goes forever. He clearly dislikes tomatoes, cheese, loud noises, and dad going to work. I'm sure that list will grow once he gets into high school.

Justin and I are doing well, and it's been nice having him home a little more often now that it's winter. We enjoy talking about our future, trips we'll take, investments we'll make and what our family will look like in the next five years. One thing for certain is we are so blessed to be living where we are and to have such important friends and family in our lives. One major blessing we can't dismiss is that he was home with his family this year and not serving in Afghanistan. We're looking forward to what 2015 has in store for us and we hope the blessings continue.

He's one, two, three!

Sliding down the slide backwards, Aug '14

This little cutie is three and some change and I adore every minute of it, even when he's not being so adorable. I'm loving the more advanced level of communication and understanding that comes with being three. He's still a rather easy child who's only grumpy on rare occasions. While he has generally not been a risk taker in the past, lately I'm noticing a desire to push his boundaries and see how far he can go before getting hurt. He has a wonderful imagination so I get plenty of me time while he's playing with his toys. I've noticed little to no artistic capability or interest, but he's obsessed with numbers and letters, already sounding out 3-4 letter words and recognizing two digit number combinations like 67. He has a cute little lisp and is hard to understand at times, but he cracks us up on a regular basis with his remarks about life. Just yesterday he announced, "P is for penis. Koen has a penis and mom has a booty."Hmm, we'll cross that bridge at a later date. After months and months of enforcing manners, he's finally consistently being polite. If I ask him to put his pj's on for bed, he replies "um, no thank you."

Loving the ducks at the zoo, May 2014

This special gift

When life throws unexpected curve balls that literally brings you to your knees, sometimes in order to move forward it's vital to switch focus to the things that are important and present. Through gushing tears and agonizing heartache, the picture of a perfect child can ignite a tiny flicker of hope that otherwise was lost. It's a reminder that life has already been blessed a million times over. Today I focus on God's greatest gifts. I choose faith and love and gratitude. One day this will all make sense and until then we take it one day at a time.

AZ love.

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The never-ending eye color debate...

While most folks tell me what a handsome blue-eyed blondie I have, to which I simply say thank you, I have forever been struggling to determine if my son's eyes are hazel like his Dad's or just brown. Because they're clearly not one way or the other, guess I'll stick with hazel since it makes the most sense. Hmm, I may have too much time on my hands...

Arizona, my hero.

Boy, did I choose the right time to visit the parentals. 22 inches of snow in the Hood and I'm in flip flops. Arizona's retirement community did us proud and a big thank you goes to our hosts for allowing us to stay in their 30 foot trailer for 9 days. Not only that, but they stocked their fridge with all the foods we like best, and took us to all the things we wanted to go to. You know who you are, thanks a million!

Highlights: swimming every other day with my favorite water rat and his Omi, taking slow walks around the park while Ko "managed" the stroller, watching this kid thrive in 80 degree weather, late night with Jimmy Fallon, "watch Cars, eat popcorn" Friday night, drinking coffee in the morning and snuggling with Koen on our awesome air mattress with sun and warmth pouring through the windows, great food the entire trip, being transported to childhood on all the amazing playgrounds, Bloody Monika's and Darrel-tinis, watching M and D bust a move to their favorite Beattles songs, playing in the dirt across the road from our trailer, watching all the old ladies (and men) run to Koen because he was a real live boy just like they'd seen on TV! The list goes on...

Unfortunate downsides to the trip: falling ill the first week and dropping my new cell phone in Ko's bathtub rendering it useless. All that pales in comparison to a sweet escape to the land of sun.

Two point Five

My attempt at setting up a family pic from a windowsill in Leavenworth, WA

Yes, that is gorilla tape. No washer means no cloth diapers, which means getting every last bit of mileage out of those Huggies. They ripped from top to bottom when I went to secure the tab, cheap!

Now someone looks like his daddy. Minus the washboards in center field.

Thank you Grandma for this awesome snowsuit find.

It's a Corona Christmas 'round these parts.

Koen is 2 1/2 now which means a lot of things in our world. It means...

• Graduating from the nursery at church
• Speaking eloquently at times, yet indulging in his own made up language because it still sounds cool
• Playing intently by himself leaving plenty of time for me to relax or get things done
• It means being able to tell me exactly what hurts and why
• Readiness to potty train if only I could remember to put him on the toilet and let the magic happen
• It means hearing a faint "Bless you, Mama" coming from the kitchen after he's heard me sneeze in the bathroom
• Giving me the tightest hug and kiss on the cheek in appreciation for taking him swimming in a hotel pool, or rewarding his good behaviors with one tiny chocolate chip, or letting him watch Curious George during our one-hour drive to Portland
• It means he still has an appreciation for Elmo, but is welcoming Thomas the Train and Land Before Time into his life
• It means he's strong enough to damage his parents when he gets a wave of energy
• He can tell us he's sorry and mean it to avoid a dreaded one-way ticket to time out
• It means he's gentle to all animals while I'm watching
• Recognizing inconsistencies like "Mama's wearing a bra, but noooo bras for Koen"
• It means 2 1/2 years of pure blessing that we are lucky enough to have him in our lives