not goodbye...just see you later

We had to say Aloha to one of our favorite people the other day. She's on her way to Hawaii for a fresh start. We wish her all the best and will miss her terribly. Even though the miles will separate us, you will never be far from our hearts. And now we have a very good reason to go to Hawaii!

Oh, and Mel and Jaz had some special moments in the goodbye as well.

very belated thank yous (like 8 months belated!)

This is, admittedly poor form. A nice hand-written note of thanks on a sweet card or pretty stationary is what I have been planning on...for 8 months. Finally, it occurred to me...an Aha moment, if you will...I'm never going to have the time to do that. At least not for a few years. With Cab keeping me busy most hours of the day and chores and errands eating up the rest of that time...then add into the mix this blessed pregnancy...it was time to get realistic.

In looking over this post before publishing, I have been awe-struck at how many wonderful friends and family we have taking care of us! We have been so abundantly blessed and have so many things to be thankful for...most importantly all of you!

So, in addition to the thanks, you have my apologies for a) the amount of time that has past and b) the nature of this thank you. Just another way I am humbled by this state called motherhood.

Without further ado:

A heartfelt thanks to all of those wonderful, dear ladies who made us delicious meals that first whirlwind month of parenthood. I apologize profusely if I missed anyone, please know that your gift was so appreciated. There is absolutely no way we would have come through that month as smoothly as we did without your generosity.

• Heather Peters - Yummy spaghetti bake, delivered to us on the day we brought Cab home along with everything else we could possibly need!
• Sara Morey - I am in love with your potato soup, meatballs and brownies...and probably everything else that you could ever make!
• Alyssa Moir - The chicken chili, corn bread, wine and fantastic company were awesome!
• Tanya Edwards - You are a star! The quiche, 4 kinds of soup, awesome bread and cookies...it was meal after meal of perfection!
• Elizabeth Dornay - Those butternut squash ravioli were little pillows of yum! The salad, peas and chocolate bread just made it a perfect meal!
• Lora Hoke - Seriously, the pepperoni spaghetti bake was SO good. It's one of those dishes that I think about now and then and get the urge to email you for the recipe! See, I'm thinking of it right now.
• Maureen Arpin - Our angel. On top of everything that you have done for us, the lasagna was awesome. One of my favorite comfort foods.
• Mary Jane Brooks - The strata that you made was DE-licious. I loved that it was frozen and all I had to do was thaw it, pour it in a pan and bake. I haven't forgotten that I asked for the recipe, I'll send you another email, because I'm remembering how good it was. :)
• Julie Thrasher - Is there anything more comforting than a homemade chicken pot pie? I can't think of one single thing! That pie was phenomenal. And, since you provided the recipe, I've made it for several other new families!
• Sarah Pearce - The turkey chili, salad and bread were great! I love a complete meal. :)
• Rebecca Miller - Homemade soups are one of my favorite things and the sausage and rice soup with salad and bread were fantastic.
• Anne Wilson - I need the recipe for your taco soup. It was such a lovely departure from anything we've ever had. I've looked online, but nothing looks quite right. You're on my email list too!
• Monica Magnan - I'm not kidding when I say how much I love homemade soup. The chicken soup with rustic noodles was yum-o!
• Sarah Naff - Again with homemade soup! What a treat to have such delicious varieties, pork and cabbage and a lamp soup! They were so good!
• Martha Ritter - The chop chop salad was one of the best things...ever. I wish I had the patience to chop everything so uniformly and make homemade dressing. It was the bomb. Oh, and to top it off the bread pudding with Yukon Jack sauce...shut up! I think I pretty much ate it all myself it was so good. (hmm, and I wonder how I put on 10 lbs in 3 months)

I would also like to thank (and re-thank for some) all of you who were so sweet to give us such wonderful gifts to welcome Cab into our family! She has enjoyed, wearing, chewing on, and playing with everything!

• Kerry & Steve - So much stuff I can't list it all. Thank you, thank you!
• Julie MacHale - The oh so sweet layette items.
• Peggy Martin - Again, how could I have gotten through those first days and weeks without the whole Target Baby section. You are such a generous and wonderful friend! I miss you and knowing that I can drive to the office to say hi.
• Nikki Mackey - The baby legs, shoes and tights...ridiculous cute.
• Sue & Brent Neu - Adorable Gap dress, hat and onesie outfit.
• Yvonne & Lynn Johnson - You are our surrogate family and we love you! All of the preemie clothes that you brought when I had nothing but "huge" sleepers were so perfect. The blanket and recovering the glider-rocker were two of the most special gifts. Thank you for being Cab's in-town-grandma!
• Janice Andre - Again, our angel. The sweet outfit that you brought to the hospital was so cute.
• Sally Crabtree - Homemade blankies...we use them ALL the time.
• Heather Peters - I know I said it above, but you really were a superstar. Sending Lance over with a crib, changing table, pack and play, awesome baby girl clothes and dinner. There's a very special place in heaven for people like you!
• Robin & Dave Betz - Your wonderful friendship, the visit at the hospital and the endless supply of clothes!
• Guy & Debby Puckett - Sweet baby t-shirts, bibs and the blanket that I fell in love with!
• Terry Disburg - We don't even know each other but you were so sweet to send the first tooth and first lock of hair keepsakes! Carol has such wonderful friends!
• Ann Rohlf - The silkie purple blankie is so stylish! We use it in Cab's stroller when we go to the chic and trendy shops! Another of Carol's sweet friends!
• Jenny Mesdag - The H&M onesies and hats...those stuck with us up until this month. They were so comfy cozy!
• Carrie McInelly - Goodnight Moon...a classic that we'll enjoy for years!
• Nicole Sarae - What a special gift! a bonnet for Cab's baptism that she can use at her wedding...and with a monogram! Such a personal and thoughtful gift.
• Margot & Kelly Sarae - Nicole has been our family over the years, thank you for letting us share in your life through her. The bibs, onesies and sleepers were such a surprise.
• Sarah Pearce - Love the Noah's arc cross, it's on a shelf in her nursery!
• Jen & Scott Johnson - So many cute clothes! You got us through the summer months in cute style!
• Ted & Jennifer - Target cards are ALWAYS appreciated!
• Grandma Carol - There is no way to thank someone enough for being a wonderful grandma! Giving so generously of you time and energy was invaluable. Thanks for being our mom!
• Glynnys & Mike - The play yard will be coming in handy when the crawling begins...which is really soon now!
• Tim & Amee Howard - Making the trek from Port Townsend to come to the shower was such a gift! The adorable onesies and outfits were the icing! Thanks for being one of my besties.
• Alyssa & Dave Moir - Such cuteness...especially the African-themed socks!
• Tanya & Will Edwards - The taggies blankie has definitely been a favorite! And I just loved the little onesie a la Francais.
• Sarah Spady - Yay for Genbo hand-me-downs! Loved them all!
• Jeff & Patti - The oh-so-sweet gift left on our door!
• Don & Laurel Bill - Cute, cute outfits from a wonderful great aunt and uncle!
• Bill & Helen Walker - More cute layette items, dress, pants, socks...again from a wonderful great aunt and uncle!
• Caroline Vo - Totally cute and stylin' outfits! What baby wouldn't love some Ralph Lauren?
• Trish Hackett - Super-cute outfits!
• Sarah Naff - Beatrix Potter collection...more classics that we'll be reading for years!
• Siobohn Nichols & Belinda - A beautiful outfit that we'll be wearing here in a very short time!
• Melanie from OR - Who would have thought that Baby Paper would give me so much happy baby time?! What an ingenious gift!
• Great-grandma Helen - That generous gift bought lots of formula for our sweet girl!
• Robin & Perry Keithley - It was so nice hearing from our distant (only geographically distant) family! Thank you for the generous gift!
• Chris Boster - We love the Arbonne Baby Care set and the sweet outfit too!
• Grandpa Rick & Grandma Mary Kay - Those sweet pink and brown sleepers were some of my faves. along with the blankies. I was oh-so touched by the gifts at the baptism too! So thoughtful! Thanks for being wonderful grandparents to our little peanut!
• Thom & Cyndi Spear - Another awesome Taggies blankie...seriously, those things are GREAT! And the cozy outfit, the ball popper toy and the stroller have been AWESOME!
• Pat Currid - My sweet adoration buddy! The handknit outfit is precious and such a wonderfully personal gift!
• Tiffany & Bob Piser - The praying angel and the cute clothes (thanks to Audrey as well)!
• Cindy Kunzler - LOVE the handknit hat with the flowers and there is no gift as precious as Mass said for our little saint-in-the-making!
• Olivia Johnson - Someday Cab will get to wear that beautiful necklace that you picked out for her...you're the best sister-cousin ever!
• Sara & Brian Morey - The Tale of 3 Trees brought tears to my eyes! With the Mass books (that will come in handy very soon) and the adorable outfit, what a generous baptism gift!
• TV & Kim Vu - Very sweet bunny, just in time for Easter!
• Nicole (E's first friend) - The clothes were so cute...and as stated above...what baby doesn't love to get a little Ralph Lauren?!
• Julie & Rob Flynn - The photo album with pictures from the shower was such a neat idea! Especially since I didn't get to take many, so I don't have many others! And, the hat that Joanclaire made is just about ready to fit as we get into the cold months!
• Elizabeth & Gellert Dornay - The precious blessed medals are such a wonderful and spiritual gift!
• Anne Wilson - The chicken mobile has proved to be a great gift. Positioned above the changing table, it gives mom and dad the minute or so necessary to change a diaper without too much squirming!
• Maureen Arpin - The beautiful Sacramental Life booklet and, of course, for throwing the most fabulous baby shower ever!
• Martha & Tom Ritter - The St. Cabrini wall plaque is perfect. It's hung right over her holy water font!
• Katie Dean - Another friend from afar who blessed us with well wishes and a beautiful little outfit!
• Katy Wilson - The newborn outfits were Cab's first "real" clothes that fit and they were so adorable!
• Jacob Piser - The beanie baby giraffe has become one of Cab's favorite toys!
• Heather Yancey - Love, love, love the little Dwell outfit and the hat that Grace made is so sweet!
• Tiffany & Bob - The clothes are awesome! Thank you for all of the wonderful girts, including the sweet "Cabrini" craft that you made!!
• Mom and Dad - Thank you, thank you for everything...in addition to the rest of the gifts, the rocker recliner has been our saving grace. It saved our necks and backs! Thanks for being such good grandparents
• Grandma P - Thank you for your gift and for making the trip down here for Cab's baptism. It was so special to have you here.

Each of you is the most precious gift that we have. Thank you for being such blessings in our lives!

Thank you again from the bottoms, sides and tippy-tops of our hearts!

e+a+c

prayers needed: not so jumbo jack

Little Jack Fanning is in the fight of his life right now. Born prematurely at just under 28 weeks, he's an itty-bitty boy. Please keep him and his parents, Mike and Trish, in your prayers. Get on your knees, pull out your rosaries, make your way to the Blessed Sacrament, offer some sacrifices, get your favorite Saint on the job, tell your friends...whatever you can do, it's time to storm heaven! We must be persistent in this prayer! You can read about Jack on his blog, www.thefannings.blogspot.com

Let us pray.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

God, our Father, Who are the giver of all life, we offer our prayers and petitions this day for little Jack Fanning. We trust that You know and love this family. We know that all things You ordain or allow will be for their eternal good and happiness. We beseech You, if it is in accord with Your Divine Will, that Jack will be blessed with full development, that he will be home in his parents' arms as soon as possible and that this family will have many happy years together watching Jack thrive and grow. We ask this through the Sacred Heart of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and through the immaculate heart of Mary, the mother of God. Amen.

Christmas Cheer!

Recently we spent a lovely evening catching up with friends at a good old fashioned gingerbread house party!

Some of the lovely friends

First things first, there were adorable babies present

Very adorable, and very new in this case

Our hostess, Kiki, had everything ready, including pre-cut walls and roof panels

and all of the fixin's to spruce up a home

No joke, this was CJ's fist taste of sugar...he was literally shaking and couldn't keep still

Ah, and then the competition began

That's my creation on the right, I ended up having to lighten the roof panels...in case you didn't know, necco wafers and spree are heavy

Here they are coming off

And here are a few shots of my finished creation, notice the architectural details, the skylight, marshmallow supports and licorice trim.

the pretzel rod and the unfortunate cookie-man are actually supporting the roof and wall...hey you use what you've got

home, sweet home

and here was one of the competition...mid-century trailer...or a purse, you decide.

Things that happened last Sunday

Our friends, the Flynns, loaned me their egg basket! It's the perfect size to collect eggs from our chickens. Thanks Flynns!

Later we had dinner with our friends, the Ritters and Dornays. Yes, the men cooked in very fetching aprons.

very fetching aprons

unknown talents were revealed

about half a second later one of those apples bounced and rolled over to my feet

I think she's trying to be nice to him...but it looks like she's poking his eye. :)

I couldn't resist adding this one

Thanksgiving - Part 3

Our final stop of the night was with our favorite B family! We ate, played cards, and games, and ran around with all the B kids and had just a great time all around.

R.B. vs. turkey...the turkey never had a chance.

E vs. the Ham...you can't tell from this angle, but he massacred that ham. :)

All of the kids got into the act, including the teens...but they could only help with foods that coordinated with their outfits.

You can't tell, but T.B. is wearing a mashed potato colored shirt under her jacket. Honest.

E with M.G.B.

T.B. with M.G.B.

G.B. (who wasn't eager to have her picture taken) and her aunt T

W.B....cutie-patootie

A sweet kiss from M.G.B.

And all smiles afterward

Thanksgiving - Part 2

The second stop on our progressive thanksgiving was with our my sister in-laws in-laws. They are always so gracious and make us feel very welcomed and loved!

The lovely guests at the lovely table

E and Row, one of them had just gotten up from his nap

Miss O playing peek-a-boo

Miss O likes to dress to-the-nines for all major holidays...and minor holidays...and banking holidays...and days that end in "y"

If you didn't guess before, Row was the nap-waker-upper...prematurely obviously. Poor guy, the holidays can be a very stressful time.

Thanksgiving - Part 1

Our thanksgiving was filled with fun, friends, food and lots to be thankful for! Rather than type lots and lots of words, I'll let the pictures (okay, and the captions) do most of the talking.

We started with our friends, the Wilsons, in Maple Valley.

We took a walk down to the Cedar River with Aiden, Cael, Anne, Katie, Roger, Sante (the black lab) & Melvin.

The rain held off all morning and we had a great walk down a very steep hill...that we had to walk back up...to a pretty view of the river.

Wet dogs are happy dogs

Lots of little fishing houses along the river, this statue was at one of them. I'm not sure which saint it is. This was pretty high up on a large tree and you can see water stains on the wood.

Cool things to look at

crooked trees...cool

swing made out of a tire that looks like a horse...cool

very sweet little bird house...cool

Aiden was not impressed with my picture taking. If I remember correctly his words were, "Dop taten piturs!" Then I showed him this one, he laughed and we didn't discuss it again.

Okay, the "safety doggles" were my favorite. :)

Aiden found a treasure!

No, wait, two treasures!

Cutie-patootie Cael...on the swing made from a tire that looks like a horse...still cool and now super-cute.

Ever see a picture of yourself from behind? My reaction was a quick scream followed by "really?!" Yeah, so where's the turkey, gravy, potatoes...and don't forget the pie.

And truly the strangest sight...a giant Keebler elf peeking out of a tree stump. I'll end with this, because what could possibly follow it?