Visiting Caleb's Birth Family

Yesterday we all piled into the van and headed northwest to visit Caleb's birth family and celebrate the graduation of his birthmother, Mariah. It was a very short trip, but it was great to see everyone.

Caleb with his birthmother, Mariah

 Caleb with his birthfamily: Monica, Judy, Ray, Mariah and Rande

 Caleb with Mariah & birth-grandmother, Rande

 Caleb with Mariah & birth-great-grandmother, Judy

No More Training Wheels :)

Elyse informed Nate and I a few weeks ago that she wanted to try to ride her bike without her training wheels.  Her coordination isn't the greatest so I was very hesitant at first.  Well she tried on Sunday with Nate for a short time but got very frustrated (does not like help, especially from Dad and/or Mom).  Wednesday we thought we'd try again.  She again proceeded to get upset and told us she wanted to do it herself.  We did some reverse psychology on her and said, "No way; but if you can, we will give you an M&M."  She agreed, put her feet on her petals and instantly took off.  As you can see from the video, she is riding great and not missing her training wheels!


DSC 6491 from NSquared on Vimeo.

Ian Turns 5 Months Old

Today the littlest man of our house turns 5 months old.  To celebrate Ian turning 5 months, I have come up with 5 things that I believe describes him best right now.
1. Happy
2. Unpredictable
3. Drooling machine
4. Cuddly
5. Active- LOVES to jump, bounce and kick

Happy 5 Month Birthday, Ian!

Ian's Dedication

As stated in the previous post, our morning involved attending a special event at church, Ian's dedication.  For those of you that have never heard of a dedication, it means that we presented Ian in front of our church family saying that we as parents will raise him up in a home dedicated to the Lord.  According to the bible, a child is not saved by being baptized as an infant.  Therefore, we promised God that we will teach Ian about Him; in return Ian will hopefully make the decision to commit himself to God and choose to be baptized.  Just like the other three's, dedicating Ian was a very honoring experience for Nate and I.

We were asked to pick a verse for Ian.  We chose, Proverbs 3:5-6:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,    

    and he will make straight your paths."

Mother's Day 2014

So my Mother's Day wasn't the most relaxing in the morning thanks to unusual early risers and trying to rush off to a special occasion at church (post to come).  However, once church and naps were all done the day was wonderful and relaxing.

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Thanks to the idea and help from my mom, the kids gave me beautiful and personally made coasters.

After those gifts were opened, I was given another wonderful surprise by Nate.  He had the kids and I decorate and of course eat chocolate covered strawberries.

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I hope all you mothers out there had a relaxing, loving and memorable Mother's Day.  


I want to send out a special belated Mother's Day blessing to my mom!  I love you so much and even though I don't always express my gratitude and affection to you, I could not imagine life without you.  I am so blessed to have you as a daughter, mother-in-law to my husband and Nana to my children!  Thank you for all you do and for loving me unconditionally.  Happy belated Mother's Day!  I love you and always will.

Awana Cubbies Graduate

Last night Elyse graduated from Awana's Cubbies and will officially be in Sparks next year.  She LOVED being a Cubbie and is so bummed it is done, but super excited to become a Spark.  The night started with her happily crossing the stage to receive her Cubbie graduation award.  Then we left and she got to celebrate the night with fun activities and lots of candy.  Her joy, desire and passion to attend makes me speechless and I hope it never dies.  

Side note...The thing that hit me the most while watching her cross the stage was the thought that Nate and I will be watching both her and Caleb cross next year, crazy!  Where does the time go?!?!

Grandpa and Grandma Visit

On Saturday we got a special treat, Nate's parents came to visit.  They attended an award ceremony Friday and figured instead of heading back home on Saturday they would drive a little more north to visit us.  We are so glad they did.  Even though the visit was less than 24 hours, it was still great to see them, especially for the kids.  A special thanks to you both for choosing our home instead of yours on Saturday.