A Place Where Friends and Family Can Be Updated

Well, it's been a fairly great week so far. The Lord has truly drawn near as we attempt to draw nearer to Him. . .Arielle still has her moments but I view them as the Lord giving me an opportunity to Bless Him and grow godliness and weed out the ugliness :). . Cheesy as that sounds. Arielle is getting so stinkin' big I cannot believe it. It is surreal to think she was ever Elly 's size. . .Elly can sit up without an assistance besides a blanket to catch her if she tips :). . . I know that just about everyone says that your second is nothing like the first. I cannot believe how true that is. I tickle Elly, Make faces at her and get a whopping nothing besides big, blue eyes and a thoughtful expression. If I did half of the antics to Arielle when she was her age she would've been gasping for breath laughing so hard. Not Elly, she's my peaceful, stoic one. . .On the flip side though she will be staring at something (dogs/arielle/us) and suddenly suck in a mouthful of air and LAUGH like she just witnessed the best played comedy EVER. Crazy kicking, wiggles and a few more laughter will happen and then it's back to the thoughtful expression. She cracks me up. Oh, yeah, and if you take notice of what made her laugh that time it WILL NOT work the next time - FYI. Maybe that'll be an advantage later and I won't have as many passionate ups and whining/depressed downs like I do with Arielle.



Well, not too much beyond that beyond my soap box rants that I am biting my tongue over regarding different situations I've been faced with lately. :)

Oh, Picasaweb was updated as well. .

Here's a Video - it's been awhile so I thought I'd throw a one together - nothing crazy this time.

First, let me say that my maternal grandmother is the best seamstress I know. I am not quite sure how I would even be able to convey the deep love, history and great expanse of knowledge this one women possesses in the field of sewing. That said, I am sure a good chunk of my artistic/creative skills come from her and that there is hope for my sewing skills if I have even an ounce of her genes. I would love to be able to make my own pattern for any ideas for clothes I might have. I KNOW that that will only come about through practicing, practicing and oh yeah - practicing. So, eager to see what my 'first attempts' beyond blankets comes out to be as well as to get beyond my first "Duh!" moments I set out last night to make my husband a pair of pajama pants. I hope you find the account amusing. . .

Grandma, if you're reading this, let me first say I thought of you when I was in "the zone" and finally thought to look up and ask what time it was. Found out I had worked well past the 9:30pm (2130) time when I usually wake/feed Elly. . matter of fact it was 10:20. I figured she was already asleep and I'll just keep going because I'm "so close" to being done. . .she finally woke up at 11:50 wondering where mommy was.

Ok, so this is what I learned from my first attempt:

1)The project always seems simpler than it is.
2)70's men (it was my grandma's old pattern) must be built differently.
3)Don't make your own changes to a pattern you've never tried before.
4)Even though it is a pattern I probably SHOULD measure my husband to see how it would fit on him
5)Never ever say "I'll be done soon" to the husband because it may soon become a "boy crying wolf" situation and he'll no longer believe you.
6)Only say "I'll be done soon" when you are on the last seam - only 4 more things can slow you down at that point - tops. okay, maybe more. . .
7)If the thought "Oh, I'll just make it work like this. . ." crosses your mind - that's great for experimentation but not for a professional look.
8)When making pants for Brandon to remember to account for his heritage evident in his "island man" rear. . . that's all I'm going to say about that . . . .

All in all, they are functional at the most and still super comfy soft BUT definitely do not fit the way my husband would like. Humorous lessons aside I did learn tricks/fine tuning through experimentation. Different ways to attack seaming, choosing different stitches, aligning the material, cutting the material, laying flat the seams and a few other things on when not to cut corners. Oh, this creative-free-thinking mind will have to make room for measurments, ironing and pins if I want it done right and be long lasting.

Thread: 5.00
Material: 4.50
Scissors: 20.00
The memory of my first attempt at sewing clothes: priceless

Next: A playdress for Arielle with matching leggings. I already learned a lesson with that one: Do NOT order the pattern for download online because it OBVIOUSLY (didn't think about this) will not have the tracing pattern with it. Which means, for those who "may" have thought the deal too good to pass up on downloading, that you have to look at the pattern explanation and pictures to try and figure out the tracings. . . .guess what I'll be doing this evening

I forgot to post a thought. .

Brandon and I often watch clips/sermons etc on GodTube. We came across an interesting character. I won't expound on why he was an 'interesting' person but he had some neat points. We clicked on him because of video title and ended up being surprised at his reasoning. Anyway, one point of his that I wanted to share is how God shortening our lifetime in the Flood was a gift. The man's point was it shortened our Sinning experience but for me it hit differently. I don't know about you but I often think "why does the Lord have us live so long if this is not what we were made for? Why doesn't He just shorten our lives and take us home?" Well, according to this thought, He already did. It's called the Flood and shortening our lives to 120 years. Against the backdrop of eternity or even Methusaleh's 900 years 80 or 120 years is basically just enough time for all personalities/walks of life to make their decison. Also, by default, to help others' to a simliar conclusion. Then it's done. God honors your decision and that's it. No second lives or chances, just the 120 you've been given. I've never thought of it in that light. . . The time at an airport can seem long but really is quite short. Essentially we all show up and wait. Some sit and read, others talk and still others are bent to use even those few moments in their life for a purpose. We all have to choose which flight to take - Hopefully it's the one going up instead of down. Short, Quick, Decide and Go. It is a small paradigm shift but for me it was big since I often have the "why not take us now?" thought. Essentially, He does. It's just the difference in a few short years, possibly decades - which is fractions of seconds in the scheme of things. Not even, because you can't break down eternity. Life's short. Make your choice and live it fully for it's purpose: Bringing God Glory and helping as many onto the right departing flight as possible.

I hope you like the changes on the page :) I was procrastinating and thought I would spend my time updating this page. Not that I believe anyone outside my immediate family and *immediate* friends sees it - still it's fun.

So, Today is the last day of the Feast of Trumpets and Brandon had to work right smack-dab in the middle of it. :( . . The Lord has allowed Brandon to have the other days we've requested off so far so I"m not sure what the difference of today is. It isn't for lack of prayer and petition :). I'm working on the 'rejoicing' part still as it is commanded.

Primary is going fabulous. The Lord has allowed Brandon to get amazing scores on his graded SIMS and flights so far. They are graded 1 - 5. 3 being your standard "Pass" with nothing spectacular. God has given Brandon 5's and 4's which is unusual at this point. 5's mean basically it was 'perfect'. One instructor was so impressed he actually printed out Brandon's results to keep! This really can only be because of God, though. Brandon and I frequently remark that it has to be since Brandon doesn't near put in the time or stress the world says is needed because we're applying the lessons learned in College. Basically it's God first, family second and then the work place (even as much as he loves physics and flying). Not that he DOESN't put effort in - he truly does. It's just when he's at work he'll go 100% keeping an eye out for where God might need him and then he comes home. When he's home, he's home. Some days he'll study at home simply because it's nicer than going in to study on base but it definitley is less than 50% of the time. . . The Lord has honored his efforts to not get sucked in - just as He did in College when we as a family first learned this balancing act. I am proud of Brandon for his efforts. Efforts towards not being sucked into the worrying and over-working pitfall that is Primary for so many and when he is home he really is home with us in mind and heart as well. . . That aside Brandon is a little confused in how come there isn't as much of a 'ministry' opportunity here as there usually is. Although we are thinking it is because of this whole Time-Balance thing along with a newborn. God might be cutting him a break and/or telling him to enjoy a season of relaxing with family instead of multiple friendships that are a challenge to his faith and an opportunity to witness. Not for lack of trying, mind you. Just nothing has panned out.
-I, on the other hand, have seemed to be hit with a lot of chances to witness. Some I've shirked - much to my shame - and others I've grasped and fumbled my out-of-practice-relying-on-God self through. . . Mainly it has been with Christine, our neighbor. She's been a good friend to me and one with a lot of questions. Some I've not had the answer to and had to come back. Keep her and I in your prayers - the flesh has so many excuses and twists to give.
-Brandon found out/read that "meditate on God's Word" means "to mutter" as in a verbal response throughout the day. Not too surprising since much of the prayers and such in the bible the literal word has a spoken connotation attatched with it. So he and I decided to do such a thing. We're taking a few verses each day and 'muttering' them as we remember. I tell you what, the 15th time around or so creates a different angle of thinking from the first cursory reading! We're taking Genesis and attempting to memorize as we mutter. We figure if young jewish boys can do it - why not us? The Creation is one wild event, let me tell you. . .
-Arielle has been fabulous as long as we are intentional to feed her heart attention. Unfortunately some days she feels she needs more than can be physically given. Those days are hard for both her and I but they happen. I still am attempting to figure out a schedule that works for all of us. Often that is hard with a husband whose schedule you do not know until 5 pm the night before - sometimes later. I shouldn't complain too much though - not many see their husband as much as the Navy allows me to. At this point in his Navy Career at least. I'm sure it's made up later in Deployments and Underways. Anywho Arielle continues to add words to her vocabulary and it's fun to try and get her to repeat things. She also is getting big. We've been checking craigslist and the stores for some fall/winter clothing as the season has changed
-Ellia is about 13 lbs and 25 and 1/2 inches long. It's the first time I've really measured her in awhile and it makes her in the 10th percentile for weight. That's a drop from her first month of life. It has me a mite worried but then again I've never denied her eating and actually am feeding her more at night than I was with Arielle at this time. In fact, with what we do with our version of "schdeuling" i'm often offering her feedings even before she whines to eat. I'll keep my eye on it and maybe - finally - take her to the doctor. It's just always such a hassle. I'll probably try and nurse her in a quieter area and see if she'll nurse longer without doggies, phones and an older sister distracting her curious mind. We'll see, sometimes that's just not possible. She'll still do a rudimentary crawl on all fours with her head balancing as she scoots. It's funny - I've been trying to get a pic but been in the wrong place usually to do so.
-Dogs (this is for you cai) they are still around. Sam is a model pup while Solo is often in his kennel or under a glaring eye. He is figuring it all out but taking a long time. I don't know that I would EVER get another puppy. I think 10 mos worked perfect for SAM. . . or maybe I just would never get another Kennel puppy like Solo who was never taught to go outside to go potty. . .at this point, though, Solo is Arielle's primary playmate. They will play together upwards of an hour wrestling together.

Ok, So I know it's been awhile. .. ok, so a really long 'while' - but here's the scoop for those that are curious. . .

-Feast of Trumpets and Day of Atonement have come and gone with their usual 'kick in the pants' to get our spiritual walks in gear and on the straight and narrow. Feast of Tabernacles is up and coming and we are thinking about going camping for that. No matter what we end up planning on it should be fun.

-Brandon has had 5 flights in a plane and 4 in a SIM (which are graded events and feel like flights because they are just as long as flights and use the same cockpit) The flights ROCKED in his estimation and only seem to fuel his passion. The SIMs have been stressful but rewarding both in knowledge and grading. Praise the Lord for that because it can definitely have gone differently according to the world's standards and what other pilots have said. 3 more SIMs and he'll be back in the air and getting closer and closer to being on a consistent track towards his Solo Flight. Brandon thinks it's awesome and incredible that he actually gets paid to do this.

-I'm doing great. I have been doing a bible study called "no other gods" and either I am in the right place in my life to read it right now or it is just that good. Probably a little of both. Basically it has challenged me to take a look at my life and get at the root of things I put before God. It's not necessarily another "priority" book which is nice. Other than that it is has been going well. Trying to get in the schedule and groove of school and other fun things but that's why we're struggling with it now when Arielle's 2 instead of 3 or 4.

-Arielle has lost her mind more often than not. That's been a struggle. She still is - at her core - sweet and helpful. Yet whining, testing and generally low tolerance to that which annoys her often gets the best of her. It is great that the Lord makes them otherwise stinkin' cute because it would make raising her quite difficult. . . Other than the now and again seasons of attitude she is adorable. Starting to Mimic. Like when we're in the car listening to music and I start to do my ridiculous dancing she'll copy my moves. TOO FUNNY. She also loves to help still no matter her attitude. She can be whining and I can mention helping me in someway and she'll get excited.

-Ellia is getting SO big. Interacts more and more. Lately she finds our dogs and anything they do more than hilarious. She will watch them contentedly for a long time. ANYTHING Arielle does with her (besides the discovery hair-pulls and face pokes) is always fun or funny. Arielle has always been able to get a big grin from her. She can sit up on her own for awhile - although not for extended periods of time. She can roll no problem from her front to her back and now and again from her back to her front. OH! She can do a rudimentary CRAWL!!! It's amazing. She can balance herself on all fours right now and can alternate pushing off of her knees. Granted, her face and arms are disjointed as she pushes herself forward from the knees but she can definitely slowly get from one place to another. She kind of looks like a slug when she does it.

Thats all for now