Saturday, August 30, 2008

A Day at Zoo Atlanta







Today we spent the day at Zoo Atlanta with the King family. We were hoping the very-pregnant panda would pop today--no such luck. But we did have a great time!
*** UPDATE*** The baby Panda was born at 10:10pm...we JUST missed it!


The Kings have Addison, James and Isabel. James and Trevor are close in age, and Isabel and Aila are just 2 days apart. So the kids all had a lot of fun together! The babies seemed so excited to see someone their own size for a change...



By the end of the day, the kids were exhausted. Aila was out like a light in the front carrier, and we weren't even out of the parking lot before Trevor fell asleep in the car. Fun day!!



Friday, August 29, 2008

"October Funny-fourth"

Here's a video of Trevor sharing with us about his "upcoming" birthday (which isn't until October 24th--nearly two months away--but to a child, any birthday within 6 months is right around the corner)...

The end of summer ~SPLASH~


Today I took the kids to the pool for the last time this summer. Nobody was there since most kids were in school, and it was just so nice to have the whole pool to ourselves. Aila squealed and kicked her little legs around in the water. I had her in baby pool float while Trevor jumped in over and over. It was a really, really nice afternoon. I wish the pool would stay open past Labor Day since it doesn't get cold here until October. It's hard to believe that the next time we're in the pool, Aila will be a year and a half and Trevor will be three and a half! Time's just flying by...
In the meantime, we're all keeping our eyes wide open for the first leaves to turn colors. Hard to believe fall is just around the corner!

Lovely little girl



Our smiley Aila...

Goodbye, Lucky




Today we said goodbye to "Lucky," which is, for sure, the world's most ironic name for a car. On the drive home from buying this vehicle, we witnessed a terrible rollover accident. The following morning, "Lucky" wouldn't budge. She needed $1200 worth of work to get her fixed just 12 hours after we bought her. "Luckily," and I use that term loosely, the car dealership paid half of that. Woohoo!


"Woohoo" is how I felt watching the car head down the road on that flatbed truck. We donated it this morning, and the only hint of nostalgia I felt was knowing this was the car Trevor rode home in after he was born. I've included pictures of Aila and Trevor watching "Lucky" being loaded up onto the flatbed...
Can you say "Good riddance"?

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Rain, Rain, Go Away (Tornadoes too...)


This morning the weather was a little crazy. Lots of rain (which I know we really need), and then there was that familiar sound of the tornado siren. And since it wasn't Wednesday at noon when they normally test it, it was time to duck and cover. Thankfully, the worst of it didn't get too close, but the poor kids felt a little cooped up...



...So here's how Aila decided to pass the time:

What's funny to me is that when people hear I'm from California, they always ask me about the earthquakes there. I think I felt maybe 5 earthquakes in the 25 years I lived there (sure, one was pretty big), but it's nothing compared to getting buzzed by tornadoes every few months here in the south! :)

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The Napping House

Today after church this became the napping house where everyone (but Mom) is sleeping!! So I'm taking the opportunity to upload pictures and videos off our camera. Enjoy!

Friday, August 22, 2008

60 years together...and counting



This past week my grandparents celebrated their 60th anniversary. Their life together has been such an awesome example of laughter, friendship and love. Here's to many, many more, Grandpa and Grandma!

Some family pictures



















A family blessed

Well, we've finally got our own family blog! Since we have family and friends spread out all over the country, hopefully this will be a good place to update everyone.


I promise not to have all our posts be this lengthy, but here's the obligatory family update:



Justin just started his 6th year teaching at Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, GA and loves it. He teaches high school Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology, which means there's hope for Trevor and Aila to do well in science someday. :) He really loves what he does, and I think it shows. He's also coaching soccer this year, which keeps him busy. He went back to the Dominican Republic for a week this summer on a missions trip and loved it just as much as last year. He wants to take all of us in a few years down the road! Justin built a kayak this year, is having hiking withdrawals, and became a father for the second time in January.




I'm pretty busy but totally happy. You know how you hope and pray for the life you hope you'll live in the future? I'm living it. I hoped and prayed (a LOT) for my future husband--and I have a hilarious, kind, and good man in Justin. He is the real deal, and my best friend. Then, I get to raise these two children God has given us. I had Trevor in the middle of the school year in 2005--everyone told me it would get easier to be away from him. It just plain DIDN'T. I knew in my heart I just HAD to be at home. It's not been easy to pull that off, but I have no doubts that I'm right where I am supposed to be. And now that Aila is with us, I know it all the more. I tutor a few times a week, make meals for a few families every other week (considering I didn't cook at ALL before college it still blows my mind that people pay me to do this for them), and I just started with a company called Uppercase Living (http://theanelson.uppercaseliving.net/). I'm still writing, still trying to get out there to do some speaking, but mainly I just want to take care of my family.



Trevor is gearing up to turn three in October. He loves reading letters, singing (check out the video on this post of him singing his favorite song, "Everything Glorious"), playing with trains (I have to remember this when we are in a hurry but get stuck behind one), trucks, cars...he's all boy but also fights Aila to hold her doll and loves to push around the doll stroller. Not a big fan of bad weather and fears the "tornado siren"-- Too bad they test it by our house every Wednesday at noon!!!



Trevor keeps us laughing...I have to share some of his funny sayings: One day he announced to us that he has a brother. We asked, "Where does he live?" "Downtown Kennesaw," he told us. :) I also remember one day we were listening to a song with the word "Hallelujah" in it, and Trevor was in the back singing at the top of his lungs, "Halloweeeen-uh, Halloweeeeen-uh...."One day he shared with us his version of the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension--and this is pretty much word-for-word how he told it (in one long breath like little kids do): "So Jesus died on the cross and he got SO DEAD. Then he came alive again and came out of that cave, and when those guys saw him they said WHAT?!? and then Jesus went up...up...up... (and I prompted with "...into...." assuming he'd say Heaven)...into the airplane!" Trev also likes to put on Justin's "Yoda-rant" and say "I smell fresh and clean!" :) I think my favorite Trevor saying came when Justin and I were driving in the car with the kids and Trevor said, "There's a mountain over there." Then a few seconds later he quietly said, "Jesus moves mountains." We looked at each other, wondering if the other had told him that. We realized he got that from a song he listens to at night. I know he doesn't yet understand what that means, but someday I pray he will. And it doesn't matter where he heard it, just as long as he knows that to be true throughout his life.






Aila is almost seven months, which is hard to comprehend. She is a very easy-going little girl...very sweet personality. She crawls a lot, pulls up and loves to stand and cruise, and is keeping us guessing about her future hair color. There are days it looks almost orange, and other days not so much. But I think there's a good chance we're going to have a redhead! We're just really thankful for Aila Grace. It took some doing to get her here (I just realized how that must sound--oops--collective laugh), but she's here. Right after she was born, all I could say was "I am so grateful. I am so grateful." We love that little girl.


The bottom line is that we feel really, really blessed. God has been good.


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We are committed to walking through this life in a way that brings glory to our awesome God, making dents in this world in His name on our way home to Heaven.