The Baughman Chronicles

Update

2011-02-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

We just wanted to give a little update on our efforts to get overseas. Dave has his resume out to several schools in Europe who are in the beginning stages of hiring. He recently went to a recruitment fair for an organization that connects teachers with international schools. He did get the opportunity to interview with a couple schools. Unfortunately, there were not many schools there that were hiring in his area or that were in regions in which we were interested in moving. He still has applications out to several schools to which he applied independently. It is still early in the hiring season. We will continue to wait and see what develops over the next couple months and keep you posted on anything new. Thanks for your prayers and support!

Christmas

2011-02-19T18:28:00.000-08:00

We had a relaxing Christmas. We spent a quiet morning at home with Amanda's parents watching the kids open their gifts and stockings. they had so much fun. Thanks to everyone who gave so generously to the kids this year!

Finally...

2010-10-19T23:08:00.000-07:00

It's been a LONG while since we've posted an update. So here are a few pics of a day at the park:)

Settling In and Saying Goodbye

2010-08-16T12:29:00.001-07:00

We recently moved into a house in a new city a few miles away from our former home. And while it was hard to leave the familiar surroundings, it has been so easy to enjoy our new space. The kids have a yard to play in. We have our own walls. There are no worries about how loud Willow screams, except for our ears, or the kids running around and jumping inside. There is no coin op washer that may or may not be being used for 6 hours straight and I don't have to lug baskets of laundry up and down a rickety set of stairs. But there is no courtyard here. There is no next door neighbor to keep an eye on your kid while you run to the store real quick or from whom to borrow some organic milk and eggs. It is an adjustment going from such intimate and intense community, where everyone knows your comings and goings, helps parent your children, can tell just by your facial expressions if you're having a good day or a bad one to a more private and quiet life within your own walls. We have definitely been grateful for the years of community that have taught us how to be better neighbors, friends, believers and human beings. But we are equally grateful for a respite of sorts. Some time to be reclusive. Some time to not answer questions or deal with other people's kids. Time for our kids to play outside, just the two of them. Time for us to listen to music as loud as we want. Time to come home and just relax together as a family. Yet, the quiet can be eery. The kids get bored. We get bored. So there are play dates, and trips to the park and walks around our nice, new little town. All things to help fill that need for community that is missing when you live "alone". It has definitely been an adjustment for all of us. The kids miss their friends. We miss our friends too. Saying goodbye to those whom we have grown to care about so deeply, is hard no matter if the move is down the road or hundreds or miles away. Because no matter what, distance means more work, more intentionality. But the relationships that have been developed in our community experience are not ones that will quickly fade. They are relationships that changed us, challenged us and made us better people. So we will be intentional. But it doesn't make saying good bye any easier. And no matter how many times we have had to do this over the last 7 years here, it never gets any easier.

But for now we are slowing getting used to this new set up, finding a balance between family and community, alone and together, reclusive and hospitable. I imagine by the time we really discover how to achieve that balance, it will be time to move on to something else. But I guess it's more about the journey, learning along the way. And I hope that we will all come away better and wiser than when we arrived.

2 is the new 4

2010-06-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

And boy does our newly branded 2 year old think so! Our days are filled with "I do it", "No", "That way", "Mine" and many repeated attempts to redirect her from taking toys from Mason, using toys as weapons against Mason, throwing toys at Mason. In between all of this are moments of laughter, smiles, and silliness that make all the rest bearable of course. But our 2 year old definitely thinks thinks that she is 4, or older! She insists on picking out her clothes and dressing herself and doing just about everything else by herself as well.

So it was only fitting that for her second birthday she pick out the cake and theme of the party. Her world right now revolves around her brother, Elmo and Dora the Explorer. It was a toss up but I put my money on Elmo. I lost. She chose Dora! So on June 6th, a few days after her birthday Willow had a birthday party complete with her Dora cake and Dora party supplies. I still don't think that she got that the party was for her. But she had fun playing with her friends and eating her yummy cake and opening her presents.

On her actual birthday we celebrated at DisneyLand. We visited her favorite places and rides. Then we had a special birthday party with Mickey and Minnie where she got to decorate her own cake and take pictures with Mickey and Minnie after they sang to her. We all had a fun day celebrating her birthday at the happiest place on earth.

The Big 3-0

2010-05-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

I guess a little late is better than not at all, right? So here is a tribute to Dave's big day and only about 2 months tardy! Dave joined the ranks of the rest of us cool people in March when he turned 30. After the great birthday surprise Dave pulled off for me on my 30th, I felt a lot of pressure to do something grand and memorable and unexpected. This was not an easy task. After several ideas and attempts at planning adventures, I finally settled on a plan. Since Dave loves outdoors, good food and scotch I figured a day of skiing at one our local mountains would be fun. We haven't been skiing at any SoCal mountains since we moved here- unbelievable, right? I knew he would love that. And once we finished a day on the slopes I made reservations for us at a local restaurant with an extensive selection of single malt scotches, Dave's drink of choice. So early Saturday morning we dropped the kids off at a friend's house and took off for the day to enjoy our child-free adventures!

On his actual birthday the kids wanted to surprise him with a birthday party. So while Dave was at work, Mason and I made him a chocolate chip cookie cake, picked out some balloons and set up the house for a party. When Dave walked in the door he was greeted by Mason yelling "Happy Birthday Daddy. We made you a surprise, it's a big cookie!" He still hasn't gotten the whole surprise thing down yet. We're working on it:) Here are a few pics from that party!

Here is the big balloon that Mason and Willow picked out for their dada.

The cookie cake before it was devoured.

Mason's chocolate hands after helping Dave eat his cake.

Dave enjoying some cookie with a nice big glass of RAW milk:)

Willow's green frosting goatee.

Easter vacation

2010-04-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

Since it had been about a year and a half since we'd been back to the Midwest to visit our family, we thought Easter would be a good time to get back and say hello. To be honest, it mostly had to do with the fact that Dave had Spring Break and Willow would still be free to fly (it's expensive to fly with 2 kids now). We were able to spend a week in Michigan visiting both sides of the family briefly followed by a week in Wisconsin with my folks. All in all it was a great trip visiting with and meeting new cousins (nieces/nephews) and catching up with grandparents and siblings. Here are just a few pictures from our trip.

Mason and Willow with great grandma Martin.

The kids with their cousins on Easter day opening their baskets from Grandma and Grandpa Baughman.

The kids opening their basket Easter morning with us.

Mason warmed up quickly to my former roommate Kate and her youngest daughter after a much too quick breakfast.

Mason with his cousins after a fun morning at the park and local ice cream parlor, though I forgot to get pics with Aunt Karla who joined us for the fun times. Willow was feeling a little camera shy!

The kids playing at the lake with Grandma in Wisconsin.

Mason flying a cool Nasa space shuttle kite with Papa.

Fun with the Phone

2010-02-20T10:40:00.000-08:00

Dave and I both got iPhones for each other for Christmas. Well, actually a few days before Christmas but who's counting? We've had a lot of fun playing with them, figuring out all the features and downloading new aps. You can definitely tell which parent is the one who stays home with the kids. I'll give you a hint. It is the one whose phone has an equal amount of apps for children as apps for adults. So now the kids are getting used to using the iPhone. But I have to say that my favorite feature is the nice camera. Our old phones had cameras but they were not as good. So, it has really come in handy in numerous situations. For example:

When you're so excited that it is your last day somewhere that you think you should capture a moment that has happened a million times before. Or...

On your Nth trip to an amusement park and forgot your camera, AGAIN. Or....

When you're at your neighbor's home for a children's Valentine's tea party and you're too lazy to run up the stairs to get your camera. Or....

When you're somewhere with your kids and you see someone famous but you don't want to look so obvious when trying to photograph them (Jennifer Garner with her daughter Violet). Or.....

You just want to document how much your significant other actually uses their iPhone!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

Dave had a nice 4 day weekend and I had no births. It was a great way to spend Valentine's Day- together as a family. We're not usually into this holiday because it is so commercial and contrived in so many ways. But I think Dave and I were just both excited to go out on a date- without the kids as well as to have some down time to just do whatever we felt like doing. So we went out one night and celebrated a friend's birthday with her and her family and friends. And the rest of the weekend we had fun as a family. We made it down to the beach since it was about 85 degrees out this weekend. We let the kids play in the sand, walk the pier and then ate dinner at the end of the pier. They had so much fun. And so did we! On a side note, I am very excited that Mason seems to love the beach as much as I do. So now I have a beach buddy and Dave can't say no to both of us:)

Mason's first day of preschool

2010-02-17T13:37:00.001-08:00

Today is Mason's first day of preschool. I can't believe the time has come. He has been wanting to go for months now and we weren't getting anywhere on the waiting lists. But we finally found a school where he could start immediately and that we liked. So we got all his school supplies and his uniform and he went today for the first day. He got all ready this morning and we drove over. As soon as we got in the door, he took off and started playing right away. He didn't even look back! I on the other hand balled as soon as we hit the door and all the way home. It may sound silly but he's my baby and has never spent a whole day away from me like this before. I was definitely more nervous than him! Willow and I stayed for about 15 minutes to watch him and talk with his teacher before kissing him goodbye. He hugged us and said see you later. He was fine! So we'll see him later this afternoon and see how it all went! He are a couple picks of him in his uniform and playing at school.

The Secret of Raw Milk

2010-02-04T09:15:00.001-08:00

Last night I listened to a presentation by local organic farmer entitled "The secret of raw milk". And it is literally a secret because the FDA won't let him and don't want him to share this information. Did you know that numerous research studies have been done (one by Yale U that will be coming out soon) showing that raw milk is better for you than pasteurized milk?

Here's a tidbit: the current autism rate in the US is 1 in 90. That number was 1 in 2,500 just 18 years ago. And for the Amish in our midst, the current rate is 1 in 15,000. Maybe they know something we don't about the importance of living close to the land, minimizing chemicals, and trying to breathe smog free air?

It was an amazing description of the process of pasteurization and how it actually strips away or nullifies all of the good nutrients, immunities, etc that are in the milk. If you think about all the reasons that breast milk is the best thing for a baby and how artificial milk just can't quite meet up with what nature has created- it's kind of the same for cow's milk. Here are all these really good things in the milk in its natural state but we get rid of it all during pasteurization process. I have got some great info if anyone else is interested. I can email it to you as it's too long to put here. But something to think about....why mess with what God has created?

The Holiday Season

2010-01-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

I guess that we have been so preoccupied with all the holiday festivities this season that we forgot to post anything new in a couple months. So I will just give a synopsis of what things looked like around here for the holidays. I promise to try to keep it short and sweet.

For Thanksgiving, we spent the day at our good friends, The Pace's. Another couple with kids around the same ages as ours joined us as well. WIth each of us bringing a few dishes to share, it made the cooking light for each family. We were all very thankful that we could eat an nice meal together outside in the sunshine.

Christmas Eve was spent with good friends as well. Our friends, the Pace's, were staying at a beautiful home in Altadena. With an amazing kitchen to cook in, I was happy to pitch in for the evening feast. With two other couples joining us, we decided that potluck was the way to go. However, with a beautiful professional kitchen, I was happy to come early and help cook. We enjoyed a nice spread of food, drinks and dessert. We also enjoyed fellowship with good friends.

In keeping with tradition, we let each kid pick out one present from under the tree to open up Christmas Eve. Mason chose a gift from Aunt Nichole and Uncle Aaron. Willow chose a gift from Gramma and Papa. Mason was excited to open his ornament and hang it on the tree. He really got into the whole decorating the tree this year. He is definitely my christmas spirit child. Willow opened up an owl pillow for her bed. She was quite excited and carried it around with her for quite a while that evening.

Christmas day was busy to say the least. We spent the morning opening gifts with the kids, which of course was their favorite part. They both really got into it. After opening each item, Mason would yell the name of the gift. "Wow, it a book!!!" or "Look Dad, it's a shirt!" He was very excited. Willow, unlike most 1 year olds, was also very excited about all her gifts. SHe would open them, with a little help from her big brother, and say "Ohhhhhh". I have to say that I think she got the most excited about her new shoes. Man, that girl loves her some shoes! Thanks AUnt Krysta- you got a "Ohhhhhh, shooooooooes!!!!"

We have spent a number of Christmas' now with our great friends and former neighbors and that was the plan again this year. They were bringing some turkey, carrots and dessert. Dave was going to grill a good sized, organic beef tenderloin and I was going to make green bean casserole, twice baked potatoes and salad. Well, after all the excitement of gift opening and eating a big breakfast, we all took a little nap. I was woken up by a message on my phone. It was the mother of one of my clients telling me that she was at the hospital and in labor- nearly 4 weeks early! I don't think any of us were prepared for a Christmas Day birth. So I rushed out the door to the hospital, leaving the kids and Christmas dinner in Dave's hands. Fortunately, Grandma Beatriz and the fam came over early for back up! The birth went well and really fast. Dinner was made- not quite like how I would have done it- but it was done and delicious. I actually made it home in time to eat dinner with everyone! I couldn't believe it. After stuffing ourselves with yummy food and cheesecake, we called it a night. The kids crashed and Dave and I cleaned up a bit. Overall, it was a pretty crazy day! We had a lot of fun though- and I didn't have to do any cooking:)

Opening gifts with Krystle.

Opening the stockings.

Willow trying out the new bongos.

Mason and Willow checking out the new kitchen from Grandma & Grandpa B.

Dave earned some props!

2009-11-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

Dave earned some serious props for pulling off a big birthday surprise! While I am not always the best at waiting for a surprise, I do love that moment when it all comes together and the surprise is revealed. I honestly had no idea what to expect but knew that it would be something fun. As we were driving to the secret location I kept trying to figure out where we were going. As we would pass a particular landmark I would shout out a destination, sure that I had figured it out, only to be met with a sly grin and clear no. After several guesses and several failures, we finally arrived at out destination. Even then, I was still unsure where we were and what to expect. We parked and walked in to the lobby level of a building in the LA's art district. Dave waves at someone but I don't see who. People are walking around sipping wine, nibbling on appetizers and enjoying the art. As we turned a corner I see an old friend- the friend that Dave waved to earlier. Now it all made sense. This friend works for this amazing catering company called Room Forty. We were there to attend one of their "Wine Maker Dinners". After some pretty amazing appetizers in the lobby, we headed up to the 22nd floor to begin the rest of our 6 course meal. The bare bones industrial styled room was set up with large tables and benches and lit only by candle light. There were a few pieces of art hanging on a couple walls and simple vases and flowers adorning the tables. And the best part of all was the amazing panoramic views of the Hollywood HIlls all lit up in the night sky. It was just amazing! We sat down and met the people at our table. A couple with one small child who recently moved from the DC area. Another older couple who are well versed in these types of dinner engagements. The owner's wife, a friends of theirs from church and another couple with 4 kids and a lot of interesting stories. The conversations were as great as the atmosphere and food. And speaking of food, I have never had anything like it. Scallops with a new white wine, duck with a great white, rabbit with smooth red and steak with an amazing red with a little kick followed up by a delicious dessert. While it sounds like a lot of food, the portion sizes were much smaller and few people ate everything on the plate. It was the perfect amount of food and wine. It was amazing! All of this wonderful food, while conversing with some pretty amazing people we just met and the soft sounds of the acoustic guitar being payed by an amazing musician. It was unique and distinctly LA. In a million years, I could not have imagined or planned a better way to spend my 30th birthday. Dave did an amazing job planning and executing a truly special night all the while keeping it a secret from me!! It is quite an accomplishment. My hats of you Dave! And, thanks for an amazing birthday celebration that I will ALWAYS remember!

I miss you Gina!

2009-11-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

We actually had to got to a generic portrait studio yesterday for our family photos. Usually this time of year, we'd be meeting up with Gina and she's take pictures of Mason for his birthday and of the family for our Christmas card. Not only is she a great photographer who would meet us anywhere to shoot, she also gave us a great price! Yesterday we sat in the studio with the generic holiday backgrounds and took our posed family pictures. Don't get me wrong, the people were nice and the photos came out nice. But it just wasn't the same! I miss you Gina!! We'll have to make a yearly date to do photos so we never have to go through this again! Here is one little preview...you'll have to wait for the rest:)

A Little Getaway

2009-11-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

Once bitten by the travel bug, it is really hard to pass up a great travel deal. So when we saw ridiculously cheap flights to San Francisco, how could we not buy them? We took off Wednesday for a short trip to visit the city and relax. We didn't rent a car or anything because SF has such great public transportation. I think in the back of our heads, we were thinking that this would give a little idea of what it'd be like to travel in Spain with kiddos. I think we did end up utilizing every form of public transport at our disposal. The only one that we'd never do again is the buses because the kids were horrible! But they did pretty good on the trains. trolleys, and cable cars! It was definitely a little more difficult with two kids than when we went with just Mason but it was still fun- still an adventure! We enjoyed the cloudy, drizzly, cool weather. A nice change of pace from the constant warmth of SoCal. I know for all of you sitting in snow or freezing weather that doesn't sound so bad. But after a while, you miss the cooler weather, the rainy days. Although I must admit, neither of us miss the snow! With that said, here are a few pics from our little exploration of SF. We walked a lot of the city (stopping by cool places like TCHO chocolate) and took a cool little boat tour of the bridge and Alcatraz. We also visited the aquarium when the rain got a little heavier. The kids loved that! Mason also got his first taste of cotton candy. I don't think that we'll do that again! He went nuts as soon as the sugar hit his bloodstream! All in all, it was a fun trip despite it's hectic moments with the kids. But if you ever get a chance to visit, you really should! SF is an awesome city with so much to see!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

This year, we found a cute bumble bee costume for Willow online. We tried it on and liked it so we bought it. When I showed Mason that his sister was going to be a bee, he immediately told me that he was going to be a fly for Halloween. Not wanting to sound like a judgmental mom, I asked about other possible animals that he could dress up as for Halloween. But he had his mind made up. Willow would be a bee and he would be a fly. OK. Now, try to find a fly costume for a toddler (for a reasonable price). Nearly impossible. We'll have to just make one, I decided. We tried and we failed. I think Dave and I both suck at making costumes. The wings just wouldn't come together right. So for Harvest Festival at Fuller (the week before Halloween) he wore his Spiderman costume from last year. Still bug related! So I had one week to pull out something else for him in time for trick or treating. He said he wanted to be a spider. A few alterations to the fly set up and I think we'll be set. Yeah, more technical difficulties and a broken sewing machine. Well, Spidy is close enough to the insect world that our bug theme isn't ruined. And he loves Spiderman. So Spiderman he was-again!

All the neighborhood kids getting ready for trick or treating.

Willow enjoying her first sugar cookie at Harvest Festival.

Mason riding the ponies by himself- for the first time in 3 years!

Siblings

2009-10-31T20:35:00.000-07:00

Mason really wanted to hold Willow. Not being a real "cuddle bug", I wasn't optimistic. But it actually wasn't too bad. Here are a few photos.

doula training

2009-10-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, I attended my official CAPPA (Chilldbirth and Postpartum Association) doula training. Since I decided to pursue this goal, I have been blessed to be at 10 births, supporting women and their partners through one of the most intimate, amazing and miraculous moments of their lives. I do consider it a blessing and privilege to be asked into someone's birth and do my best to support them through those hours of uncertainty and intensity. My attendance at this training this weekend makes me an official doula-in-training with CAPPA and puts me on the path of certification, which I am hoping to complete by January or February 2010. The training was a weekend training that started early and went to about dinner time. Additionally, it was about 40 minutes away. Those of you that know me, know that I am not a morning person. So it definitely has to be something important to get me out of bed that early on a weekend! On a side note, I must say though that there were other women who traveled much further than I did to attend this training. Cudos to you all! Back on topic, I learned so much this weekend about how to better support women in labor. I was reaffirmed that this is the career for me. And I was reminded again of the awesomeness of God in allowing humanity to participate in creation and designing our bodies to work and to birth! I am convinced that women know how to birth their babies. It is a deep, innate part of femaleness. Unfortunately, our culture and society has made women doubt this truth and doubt themselves. I think there is a growing number of women (and their partners) that are being to listen to their bodies and trust their instincts. They are asking questions and making informed decisions about what is best for them and for their baby. I hope that this trend continues. Pregnancy and birth are not medical conditions. Pregnant women are not sick.

Listen, I know that not every woman wants to feel labor. I know that not every couple wants to have a natural birth. That is fine. That is each couple's choice. But at least know your options before making a decision. Know the risks and benefits of each procedure and medication. Read up on them for yourself. Don't just trust someone else to tell you the whole truth. Ask your doctor about their attitudes toward labor and letting things progress in their own time. Ask about their c-section rates, etc. Get information. Whether or not you agree or choose to have birth in a natural way, just make an INFORMED decision. Ok, I will get off my soap box now:) In an effort to pursue my passion to educate, here is some information for you to think through.

I know that most typical Americans don't really understand natural or normal childbirth and don't even know the word doula. I think that is a shame! In fact, that is part of the passion that I have developed over the last few years- a passion to educate people about birth choices. Did you know that most couples spend more time researching what car they want to buy than how they want to bring their child into the world? To that end, here are a few facts about the benefits of having a doula present at birth:

(1) It reduces the likelihood of c-sections by 50%
(2) It decreases the length of labor by 25%
(3) Reduces the use of oxytocin (pitocin) by 40%
(4) It reduces the use of narcotics by 30%
There are many more advantages but these give you an idea of the significance of a doula's presence!

Some of the long term benefits include:

(1) Improved breastfeeding
(2) Increased time spent with baby
(3) Decreased postpartum depression

Here are some great resources to learn more about normal/natural birth, it's benefits for mom and baby and doulas in your area:

Childbirth and Postpartum Association www.cappa.net- Find a doula
Doulas of Southern California www.dascdoulas.org- Find a doula in SoCal
The Business of Being Born www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com-Watch the documentary, links to other great resources
Giving Birth Naturally www.givingbirthnaturally.com-Everything you ever wanted to know about the risks of medical interventions, medications and how to do it all naturally
Dr. Sears www.askdrsears.com- Great information on childbirth and newborn health and care(and much more) from the the Sears family of doctors

Playing and Baking

2009-10-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

Helping mommy make brownies!

I AM a big girl, see?!!

Look at me after "baking" outside!

In the process of making mud pie.

Oprah

2009-09-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

If you didn't get a chance to check out the Oprah show today, you can see it online. Our good friends, Vanessa and Rolondo and their daughter Raven, were on the show briefly today. The topic was about women and their hair, particularly African-American women. Chris Rock was the guest. He was talking about his new documentary coming out next week entitled Good Hair. It was a great show that was applicable to women of all ethnicities. Chris Rock made a great statement in the end of the show. He said, don't wear your hair for her, or him or because it is what other people are doing. Wear your hair for yourself, because you like it. My friend looked at me and said, that could be said of most things women do in America. We are a culture of image. It is hard, especially for women, to achieve the image that is set out as "ideal" or even normal! I am very conscious now that I have children of what I say about myself in front of them. I want my daughter to have as an example a mom who is happy in her own skin, who cherishes herself and who is confident in how God made her. I want my son to see the same so that one day he will desire to find a secure and healthy women to spend his life with. As a Christian, I am reminded that my worth does not come from what I wear, how I look, what my hair looks like or who likes me. But my worth comes from my identity in Jesus Christ! I have to say that I have been wearing my natural hair for a few years now. First, because I couldn't afford to color it. Recently, by choice. I can finally say that I like my hair and my hair color. And for those of you that watched the show, I'm a proud natural NON-BLONDE brunette!

Thanks Mom!

2009-09-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

My mom recently spent two weeks with us, taking care of the kids so I could finish all my work for my practicum With Dave back to work, there is no way I could have done it without her! Thanks for playing with the kids, feeding them, and generally spoiling them with love, attention and toys! I miss her already! The kids did really well with her and she brought all kinds of fun things for them to do and play with. They did crafts, made cookies, played in the dirt, colored and all kinds of other things! Once I finished my work, we tried to spend a couple days having fun. We went to Amy's Playground, an indoor playground in South Pasadena. I know what you're thinking- why do you need an indoor playground in Southern California? Well, when it's 101 degrees outside, you don't really want to play in that heat. So the indoor playgrounds are nice! My mom had fun watching the kids run around and play with all the different attractions.

Family Time

2009-09-22T22:36:00.001-07:00

The anatomy of the daddy jump.

Followed by some family squeeze time.

Or should I say family shove time?

The End is Here

2009-09-19T20:18:00.000-07:00

So after all the pomp and circumstance of graduation in June, I didn't officially graduate. I had to complete my practicum this summer in order to finish my program requirements. So I did some work for an organization in Pasadena called the U.S. Center for World Mission, founded by Dr. Ralph Winter. I worked on a couple projects for them and one project for a woman affiliated with the center. I really enjoyed my time there and am going to keep volunteering there in the future. All of that to say yesterday I finished all my work for the practicum and turned in my very last and FINAL paper to Fuller! I am very excited and relieved to finally be done. It is a bit anti-climatic but it's over!

So maybe it's a little cheesy, as Dave commented, but here's a pic of me handing in my very last paper!

I think we've created a monster

2009-09-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know that I love my coffee. And while I love to support local, I often end up at Starbucks because, well, they're everywhere! It's so convenient. Dave started getting frappacinos lately because he always felt a little left out on my coffee runs. So now he can have a little drink while I have my coffee. And Mason usually gets a little Horizon's chocolate milk (his coffee) so that he is not left out either. Well, on the way back from the beach, we stopped at Starbucks before we got on the freeway home. I got my latte, Dave got his chocolate frap and Mason got his milk. Well someone else in the car noticed that she was the only one without a drink. And boy did we hear about it! Mason was nice enough to share his chocolate milk with her when he was done drinking what he wanted. You would have thought that she had never had a drink before in her life and was never going to get another one! She sucked that straw for like 30 minutes, long after all the milk was gone! Mason then set his eyes on Dave's frap with whipped cream. Dave let him have a couple turns which basically consisted of Mason trying to eat the whipped cream and get as much chocolate out as possible. So now, Willow has tasted the good stuff and there is no going back. Our family trips to Starbucks just got a little more expensive!

This is Willow's serious face. She is really going after that milk!

Mason enjoying a taste of daddy's treat!

Just had to

2009-09-04T22:04:00.003-07:00

Of course Mason loves everything Willow has and Willow always wants everything Mason has. So, here ya go!

Fire Update

2009-09-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

As of today, the Station Fire, which is the one burning near us, is still less than 50% contained. It has burned over 150,000 acres and is still going. We got a little break in Pasadena today with a shift in the winds. This means the smoke wasn't blowing our direction for a change. I read today that they are getting smoke all the way in Louisiana! The fires did get down pretty close to the city again the past couple days but the fire crews did an awesome job keeping it at bay. They set some backfires to try and stop the flames from spreading in Arcadia and Sierra Madre, both cities east of Pasadena. The air quality is still pretty crappy so we've been keeping the kids indoors. I try to get at least get them out of the house for a little while in the morning before I go to work. But looks like they are starting to get a handle on this thing and hope for full containment by the 15th or so. Hopefully sooner so the air clears out and the kids can get back outside to play!

Happy Anniversary

2009-08-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dave and I have known each other for 13 years now. We met our junior year of high school, starting dating our senior year and got married after our senior year of college. 7 years, 3 moves (including 1 cross country), 4 degrees and 2 beautiful children later, and I love him even more today than I did on the day I married him. Dave, I love you for the man that you are and that you continue to grow to be. I feel so blessed to be on this journey with you. You are my soul mate, my partner, the one who gets me, my best friend. Thank you for 7 wonderful years!

Update on the fire

2009-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

It definitely smells worse this morning than it did yesterday. Over night the fire spread from 35,000 acres to nearly 90,000. It is making a steady march to Mt Wilson, where firefighters have been set up and using as a control center. It also homes all the local radio and television communication towers. It also has a beautiful old observatory. They are prepared to defend it but recognize that they may not be able to. So we'll see what the day holds.

This is Mt. Wilson observatory before on a normal day.

The antennas of Mt. Wilson.

Fires

2009-08-30T23:20:00.001-07:00

In southern California, August is one of the hottest months of the year and the beginning of fire season. LIke all of nature, the fires are part of the natural cycle of the forests. But the fire that is currently burning near us is a little different. The area of La Canada and Pasadena/Altadena hasn't seen a fire in about 60 years. Needless to say, there is a lot of growth available for the burn. Because of this the fire has spread rapidly and in all directions. While we are pretty safe because we are about 10 miles south of the mountains with plenty of concrete between us, our neighbors north of us are not so fortunate. Thousands of homes have been evacuated (including our pastors'). From it's start on Thursday it has burned over 35,000 acres and is only about 5% contained at the moment. Amazingly though only 3 structures have burned. Those firefighters are amazing! Because of how rare it is to see such a big fire in this area, people are pretty curious and going out to look out areas to get a view of the flames. Dave and I are no different. It is a little mesmerizing. We've been taking photos every day I guess in an effort to document it. We actually have a pretty good view just from our own front lawn. The lack of winds have kept it from spreading any faster and kept it from blowing ash our way as well. That is definitely good! But we're still staying indoors because there are a lot of particulate matter in the air that can cause health issues. We'll keep you updated but know that we are ok and not really in harms way. The biggest problem for us will be the air quality. You can also check out for more information. Here are some pics of what we have seen so far.

The view from our street. All the white above the mountain is smoke-not clouds.

The fire at night from our viewpoint in Pasadena.

The fire just above Nasa's Jet Propulsion Lab, in Pasadena.

The view from above the Rose Bowl.

Cloudy and Green

2009-08-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

Our family recently visited Portland, OR for the first time. Up to this point, I have been told by numerous people that I would love the city because there is great food, great scenery, great public transit and because it is a "green" city. I was starting to think that all the hype about Portland was only going to leave me disappointed because it had been so built up in my head. But after about a week in the city, I have to say that I really did like it. I was impressed with how beautiful it was- so many big green trees, mountains and parks everywhere. The public transit was great and the kids loved riding the trains and buses.

The food- delicious. The food carts lined up and down the downtown streets let you eat basically any kind of food you want. Could there be anything better than that?

And green indeed! I know that "green" has become hip or trendy and some even equate it with a "left wing" agenda. But I was concerned about "green" issues before we ever moved to California and have found much more support for these concerns here than I did anywhere else I have ever lived. But I have never seen a whole city committed to living a simpler and cleaner life- until I went to Portland. Evidence of this could be found in the public recycle bin next to every public trash bin throughout the city, the countless bikers and bike lanes throughout the city, the readily available composting bins, and ample vegetarian and vegan food! Oh yeah, did I mention the lack of box stores and chains? In every neighborhood, you could see something new and unique- a value that is so important to Portlanders. They pride themselves in doing it themselves whether it means growing their own food, maintaining gardens with indigenous plants and flowers, or making their own crafty things instead of buying them. I do admire this though having a black thumb I'm not sure how well I would fair;) The pace of life is slower, calmer, and definitely more natural. They grow local and buy local. They are friendly and generous, though not too fond of the wealthy Californians who keep moving up and driving up the cost of real estate. Glad we don't have to worry about that since we're so NOT wealthy! But most of all, I just felt it refreshing to be in a city, large and vibrant, that was clean and committed to changing the impact that cities have on resources and the environment.

This was a bike and beer festival on the river downtown. They actually had these "compost offices" with three bins for your trash. One was labeled 'landfill', another 'recycle" and the last 'compost'. How many cities offer that in public spaces?

This guy actually won a contest in which the prize was a brand new tricked out bike. The contest- give up your car and get a new bike. So this guy won (yes, others, many others, entered this contest) the contest by signing the title of his car over to them and in turn received a new and lighter mode of transportation!

Now I know that this was our first visit and that we don't live there with the day to day, season to season feel. And I am ok with that. For now it will remain in our heads a haven for progressive city living and all around beautiful city.

Bumps, bruises and boxer eyes

2009-08-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

Willow is, uhm how should we say, adventurous. She is now 14 months old and already has a chipped tooth. She often has bumps and bruises, some from her brother or neighbor and many more from her own actions. For example, a couple months ago she got a sizable bruise on her head because she wanted to run around with a towel on her head after bath time. But she got going to fast with the towel over her head (and eyes) that she ran right into the dining room chair. She has some nice scraps on the knees and elbows from trips and falls. She even got a scab on her head when she fell outside and face planted on the sidewalk. But the most recent "injury" was what Dave and I affectionately termed her boxer eye. We still haven't figured out exactly what happened- whether she fell (or was pushed down) or if her pink eye spread- but she ended up with a swollen eye that looked like she was in a boxing match the night before.

As you can see, it was pretty dramatic. She has those big beautiful eyes like her brother and to see one of them only open about half as much as the other was so pathetic. It didn't seem to really bother her too much but we did have to keep a close eye on it. The girl just doesn't really let anything slow her down. Bleeding, crying, eye swelled closed- she just keeps moving. I think she gets that from her dad:)

Concerts and Cars

2009-07-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

The two most popular things in our home this summer are concerts and cars. Mason has taken to performing numerous songs on his guitar while sitting on the toy box in the living room. These songs usually include some aspect of his day, incorporating some exciting and recent event that has happened and then a series of what we like to call "Mason words". These songs last anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes and usually immediately followed by another original piece. Occasionally, we get his version of Coldplay or Weezer. After destroying the one pick he had by chewing it, he began strumming with his hands. Well, he's been playing so much that he started getting blisters on his thumb and finger. When we told him that all guitars players get this, he stopped whining and almost adopted a look of pride-like he had joined a elite group or something. It was pretty amusing! But we decided that picks would be helpful. So Mason and I had a little special mommy-son time at "The Guitar Center". It was like watching a kid in a candy store. He just went from one side to another, touching everything, playing as many instruments as he could and of course asking to buy everything! One very helpful associate showed Mason the mini guitars (which were still as big as him) and got a couple down for him to play. He sat on the ground and played, strumming his little heart out! I wish I had my camera with me!

Now, Willow likes to get in on the concert action too. Sometimes she tries to strum the guitar while Mason is playing. She usually gets a swift kick or push away from her brother. The tears ensue until I can distract her with another instrument that is just as appealing as the guitar. Those of you with two kids know that no toy is as appealing as the one the sibling has! So it usually takes some convincing that the shaker or drum or any other instrument will be just as fun as the guitar. Sometimes, Mason has a streak of selflessness and gives up his "special" and lets her play with it, trying to teach her how to strum it the right way. Watching that is pretty amusing! But once she gets going with another the instrument, the two of them make a pretty good duo, a LOUD duo, but pretty good.

Cars are the other big hit this summer, as has been for the past year. As is his custom, Mason dumps his bucket of die cast cars out on the floor and either singles out a few that he wants to play with (all the "Cars" cars) or takes all of them and lines them up on his town scene play mat. This option is the choice du jour most days. Willow of course loves to come in and pick up, i.e. destroy his neat lined up cars. The scene is not very different from the guitar. I try to convince Mason to share. He says no. I then try to convince him to pick out a couple cars that she can play with next to him. He says she can have the cars but can't play in his room. "She's gonna mess up my cars!" I try to let Willow play next to him anyways. She gets bored with her two cars when she sees the hundreds of other options nicely lined up next to her. She goes for them, he screams and cries while hitting her arms away. She begins to scream too. Before you know it, everyone is crying and pushing around fighting for the cars. Needless to say, I end up taking Willow out of Mason's room with her two cars while Mason slams the door closed and desperately tries to reassemble his nicely ordered rows of cars. We recently bought Willow her own car to play with. That was pointless- Mason hijacked it already and she still goes for the car that he has! Who knows, maybe in a couple years they'll be able to play together a little more civilly.

Summer Swim Class

2009-07-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

My dreams of having a little surfer boy have been given new hope once again. Normally Mason doesn't like to play in water. Water that shoots up from the ground scares him, water splashed on him is scary, waves crashing up near him scared him...well, you get the picture. But we've seen signs of serious improvement this summer. We signed him up for two weeks of swim classes through our local parks and rec. So he started last week in the beginner class. He was a little skeptical and I had to go in the water with him on the first day. But once he got it, he warmed up to it pretty quickly. From day two on, it was just him and the the teachers- his favorite was the guy teacher:) Week one he was still a little clingy and reluctant to get his head in the water. But by the end of week two, I couldn't get him out of the water when class was over. And today, at his final class, he was going completely under water, blowing bubbles and kicking those little legs! He was so excited and I was proud of him. He told me "I'm so proud of me in swim class. It was so much fun!" Who knows, maybe we'll get a water baby yet?! Hey, as long as he's not afraid of the water, we're good!

Mason looking pretty darn cute after a good frog jump across the pool!

Mason working on his kicks on his tummy.

Kicks on his back...trying to keep his head above water, little shorty!

Swimming with his favorite teacher.

A Week of Art

2009-07-18T23:38:00.001-07:00

Mason took a one week intensive art class this week. The local armory center offers one week classes that meet every day for an hour and half during the summer. They offer all sorts of fun and creative classes for all ages. So we asked Mason if he wanted to take an art class or continue his music class this summer. He chose art class...guess he wanted something new! So we then looked through the classes available for his age and gave Mason a few choices. He chose "Up, Up and Away", a class about the sky and things that are found in the sky. He was super excited about going to art class every day and I was excited to see how he would do in a new place. He's never been somewhere where he didn't know anyone by himself. So on Monday, I stuck around for a while after they were checked in and sent off to their classes. As soon as he said goodbye, it was like I didn't even exist. He went straight to the table, sat down and starting talking to the other kids and coloring. The rest of the week when I took him in he'd say good bye and take off to his seat at the table. He did so well- I think I was more nervous than he was. Is this how school is going to be? Mason running off to see his friends and me lingering behind to make sure everything is ok? Oh, I can't even think about that. So here are some pictures of the art Mason came home with this week- each with their own silly Mason story.

Monday Mason made a blue sky with an orange helicopter. I think he got a little carried away with the watercolors and ripped the paper.

Tuesday he brought this home. He said it was a mask. We're still trying to figure it out.

Wednesday they talked about night skies. He made this night time sky with glowing stars and LOTS of sparkles.

This is an owl he made on Thursday. The glue was still wet when he brought it home so it took a while to figure out what it was.

Friday's project was by far his favorite. It's a rocket and is what we call usable art. Basically it flies all around the house and probably won't last too long.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2009-07-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

The value of a father in the life of a child cannot be underestimated. I know that I would not be who I am today without the love. nurturing and influence of my own father. While he was raised in a time when men were less involved with the children and women did a majority of the work, my dad was still a pretty involved father. He played with us and read with us when we were young. He coached our track teams, was co-president of the local youth sports association we were a part of and even helped us with our homework. He may not have always said with words how much he loved us, but he demonstrated with his actions that he valued being a part of our lives. (when I say our I mean my brother and I) I will never forget the times that I cuddled up to my dad on the couch while watching a movie, asked questions about penalties when watching a Michigan football game or laughed and rolled my eyes at one of his many cheesy jokes. Most importantly, my dad gave me an example of loving relationship between a husband and wife. I am not saying he was perfect, but I have never heard my father speak an unkind word to or about my mother. He understands who she is and how she ticks and communicates with her accordingly. It was only fitting that when I found my own husband that he had many of the same qualities as my own father. Loving, patient, kind, funny and married to high maintenance woman:) And now that we have two kids of our own I see what an amazing father my husband is. I see what a healthy attachment he has created with both kids and how much they love and need that. Dave is one of the most involved fathers that I know. He changes diapers, he baths, he puts them down for bed, he plays outside, runs errands with them and lovingly disciplines them when needed. He is not afraid to be the caregiver. He willingly and confidently cares for both kids on his own to give me a break or let me go study. He has even gone out of the state by himself with one of the kids. I don't know a whole lot of other men who would do that! I am so thankful that my own children will have a great example of a loving, caring and involved father and husband. I can only pray that my son is as great a husband and father someday and that my daughter will marry a man as great as her dad!

Happy Birthday Willow

2009-07-03T11:00:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the day that Willow came into our lives. Her birth was amazing with such a sweet ending! And her first year has been just as amazing. We have all laughed so much this past year as we have watched her learning and attempting many things and just being silly. Her husky little laugh is enough to bring us to tears most nights! She is a smart and attentive little girl who can't wait to join the big kids on their many adventures in the courtyard. She is active, not so much a cuddler like her brother, so we take the cuddles whenever we can get them. She definitely has a mind of her own and has been determined from the beginning to do things for herself. She loves her brother and follows him around all day...often to the point of annoying him. She is an adventurer, already trying to climb up and leap off couches, tables and slides. So as we celebrated this first year of her life, we thought it fitting to also dedicate her life and our efforts as parents to raise her to the Lord. Our neighbor Jeff was gracious enough to do the service for us. SInce we live life in this wonderful community of people who open their hearts and homes to us all on a daily basis, we thought it most appropriate to dedicate her here, among our community. So we did and all the people who see Willow everyday and have a part in helping guide her committed to guiding her toward Jesus and things of His heart. It was such a sweet moment! We are truly grateful for such a sweet little girl and for such an amazing community to help us along in this journey of parenthood. It really does take a village!!

Update

2009-06-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

So we have been really bad about updating the blog in the past few months. I guess now that we are on FB, we haven't been as committed to the blog. We'll try to be better about keeping this up to date. So here is what is going on with us this summer.

Dave- is finishing up his last class for his credential program until the end of July. He has had one session already and seems to think it will be fairly manageable. He also has to take a reading instruction test in August (this is the last hurdle for his credential). He is also teaching summer school. He only is teaching one class which means he is usually home by lunch everyday, which the kids love! He's got a group of mostly juniors (soon to be seniors) for 2.5 hours teaching Economics. And lastly, he has almost single handedly polished off his bottled of Macallan 10 year single malt scotch!

Amanda- walked in the graduation ceremonies at Fuller a couple weeks ago. I am however not graduating until summer or fall. I am currently doing my practicum here locally since we were not able to coordinate all our schedules to make it to Spain this summer. I am doing some research, book editing, cirriculum development and volunteer work in addition to my reading and language learning. So I will definitely have a full plate this summer! I am not taking on any new doula clients for the summer so that I can focus on completing my practicum. However, once I am done with that in September, I hope to dive in to my certification process and be complete with that by Jan or Feb at the latest. You can check out if you want to know more about doulas and what they do. This is the organization that I'm working with on my certification.

Mason- is growing everyday. He is still a skinny kid but is getting taller. He finished his fourth quarter of music classes last month and is still showing a tremendous interest in all things musical. He is currently really into Coldplay's "Rush of Blood to the Head" album, with the "Miss you song" (otherwise known as Warning Sign) as his favorite single. Sometimes I hear him singing it while playing with his cars in his room during quiet time! He decided he wanted to take an art class this summer instead of music. So he will be participating in a one week class at the local armory center this summer. He is also going to be in swim lessons again this summer- we're not giving up on our hope of having a surfer:) Most likely, he'll be home with me and Willow again this fall and start preschool next fall. He is still pretty low on the waiting list at the one we really want him to go to! I'm fine having him to myself one more year!

Willow- just turned one and is quite a handful. She started walking before her birthday and is practically running everywhere now. She tries to scale the stairs- which for those of you who have been here know how scary our stairs are! She says "mama", "dada", "bye-bye" , a version of "thank you" and "all done". She can wave good bye and hello and blow kisses. She is a great imitator and has been especially pleased to copy Daddy's loud cough/throat clearing this week! She is our little dancer. Whenever Mason or someone else puts music on, she immediately stops and starts dancing and clapping. It's pretty cute. She's still pretty bald but what hair is there is a strawberry blonde. We'll see as it comes in what color it'll be.

So that is basically the latest with us. We are most likely not going to be traveling back to the midwest this summer because of money and some other obligations we have with our class work. But we welcome visitors anytime!

How to eat peas

2009-06-02T22:00:00.001-07:00

Willow is going to be one year old tomorrow. I can't believe how fast the last year has gone. One thing we can say now about her is she sure enjoys her food. She was slow to warm up to solid foods but has come around now. She likes to feed herself and is moving on to more solid and textural food and eating more meals a day.

Spring Break at Sea World

2009-04-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

I think that I (Amanda) was more excited to go to Sea World than Mason. I haven't been in years and was looking forward to seeing the shows. However, my great expectations were quickly dashed after entering the park. We immediately saw stables with Clydesdale horses and thought, uhm, that's weird to have at SEAworld. Turns out that Anheiser Busch owns Sea World now too. They had booths all over the place selling beer and beer paraphernalia. It was so weird! And for every exhibit, there were 2 gift shops! Luckily Mason is still young enough to be a little oblivious to all the marketing being thrown at them! I could go on a whole tangent about consumerism and how these parks try to bleed you dry but that is another post for another blog! Just wanted to tell you all how much the kids loved the park. Mason loved the sharks the most and can't wait to see them again. Willow mostly just liked watching Mason enjoy the animals.

I'm Done!

2009-03-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I have officially completed my last class at Fuller! And I couldn't be happier. I have to finish my practicum this summer but I will walk in graduation in June! Just have to say, 5 years and 2 kids later, it is good to be done. Thanks to all who supported me so I could finish-couldn't have done it without you!!!

Who says boys can't play with dolls?

2009-03-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

Dave and I are not scared to let our son play with dolls. We aren't afraid that it will make him soft or effeminate. We don't think it makes him less boyish. We let him play with dolls if he wants as much as he plays with scooters or soccer balls or dirt. In fact, we believe that letting him play with dolls with help him foster his daddy skills as much as letting Willow do so will help her foster mommy skills. Why shouldn't he learn to care for a baby and be tender? He loves to have picnics, feed them, sling them and even nurse his baby. I am happy that he has such a sweet and nurturing side and we both want to foster that, not shame him for that. The idea that boys must act and behave one way and girls another has only perpetuated false stereotypes of who boys and girls should be, and often they have been unhealthy ones. Children should be free to express themselves in whatever way feels natural to them. Dave and I feel that our job is to encourage them in being themselves, fostering those budding personalities and talents and love them unconditionally. We strive to develop strong and healthy attachments now so that we will have strong relationships with them later in life. So if Mason likes to play with dolls, we let him play. It allows him to use his imagination, play creatively and learn to nurture.

Why I am not buying nice furniture until my kids are grown

2009-03-05T23:34:00.001-08:00

1. So I won't have millions of fork tong marks in my dining room chairs
2. So I won't have red crayon across the back of my sofa
3. So I won't have smeared peanut butter or yogurt on my chairs from an escapee toddler climbing head first up the furniture trying to get away
4. So I won't have mysterious nicks and chips in my console table
5. So I can actually use the bottom shelf of my coffee table to keep books or games on
6. So I can actually use candles and their respective holders for their intended purposes

VALENTINE'S DAY

2009-03-05T23:15:00.000-08:00

We didn't do much for Valentine's DAy for a couple reasons. (1) We're broke, (2) Dave thinks it's too much of a Hallmark holiday to give it any credence....which would be a valid argument if he actually got me flowers or anything other days of the year! But that is a whole other entry in and of itself. But Mason and I did have a fun time making his and Willow's gift for their dad. I think Mason ate more than cooked, but hey, I can't say I blame him!

p.s. Just to avoid a follow up from Dave, I did get chocolates and a couple other things!

Whoever coined the phrase "sleep like a baby" must be crazy!

2009-02-17T13:53:00.000-08:00

Who on earth would want to sleep like a baby? Babies don't sleep long although they do sleep often. Maybe this is what that infamous person meant by the phrase. Undoubtedly, it was a man! While I get so much support from my spouse in night parenting, I know there are a lot of women who don't. There are so many different approaches to sleep and babies. In keeping with our philosophies of parenting, we have chosen to bedshare/cosleep. And with exclusively breastfeeding, it just seemed natural to us. Mason slept with us off and on (mostly on) for the first couple years of his life. When he moved to his own bed in his own room before Willow was born, it was so weird not having him with us! I think the transition was harder for me than it was for him. Now that Willow is 9 months old, we are finding her preferences are like her brother's were at that age...she only wants our bed. I can't say I blame her. Have you felt how hard those crib mattresses are? While most nights this arrangement works, we wanted to make the eventual transition to her own bed a little easier by starting some different habits with her than we did with Mason. (ah, the advantage of experience)

My neighbor suggested to us using her crib like a co-sleeper so that she was still right next to me and able to nurse on demand but not actually in our bed. So, we decided to give it a go. We are now in night 5 of our transition from bedsharing to co-sleeping. So far, it is actually going smoothly. The first couple nights she kept trying to roll over into bed or crawl over me to get in between Dave and I. But I would just nurse her and roll her back over into her crib. She still tries to roll into my bed but not as often. I am hopeful that this strategy is going to work once she is used to it. I'm just glad we all get what we want, she gets to sleep snug and close to mama, I get to have her close too and Dave and I can spread out in our bed once again!

Back in the saddle again

2009-02-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

Quite unexpectedly, I am getting back in the saddle and preparing for a return to doula work. I wasn't planning to resume work of this nature again until after Willow's first birthday. However, one of the couples I worked with in the past contacted me after news of their second pregnancy. How could I say no? They were the most amazing couple and I loved working with them. We remained in touch over the past year and it seemed only natural to work with them again. So just like that, I was looking at the unpredictable world of doula-ing. It seems that without any warning from that point on I began getting several references. Man, word gets out fast. Because I am not officially certified, I charge substantially less money than certified doulas. This apparently makes me desirable in this tight economy. I have had several interviews and three offers. So it seems that I really am back in the saddle. Because I love helping couples welcome their babies into the world, I love this job and am very excited to get back to it. I am, however, a little nervous about leaving Willow. Because the nature of the job is so unpredictable, I don't know what my "hours" will be. So, if you think of it please pray that I would find a great on call sitter that Willow and Mason would both be great with and that I won't have to leave Willow during the night. We'll see how it all goes soon as I have my first birth in April. YEAH!! Well, that is my big news for now. More posts to come....

A family update

2009-02-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

So since I have gotten a facebook account, I have totally neglected the blog. Apologies to the 3 of you that actually read this for updates on the family. What has been going on with us?? A lot so here we go:

Mason: is now a full blown three year old who wants to do everything by himself. He likes to dress himself, brush his own teeth, get his food out by himself and wash himself in the bathtub. He loves to play at his friend Raven's new house, he is obessesed with cars, especially Cars movie items, play outside and make mud. He is in his 3rd quarter of music class , which he still really enjoys. He likes his new game Diggity Dog and playing with his friend Noah. (This is dictated by Mason-told you he likes to do things himself)

Willow: at 8 months is rolling, scooting, rocking and pulling up on objects but not crawling yet. She is very vocal and lets her feelings be known. She loves watching her big brother and playing with his toys, which he doesn't always appreciate. She is happiest when she is with other kids who are playing. She loves nursing and is showing little interest in wanting to eat solid food. We're trying a little here and there anyway. She loves to do things herself. So we just follow her lead as far as what she is ready to do. She's still bald and toothless...much like Mason at this age. Except for this similarity, she is definitely her own kid and not like Mason personality wise at all. Dave says she's feisty. Don't know where she gets that from:)

Dave: is busy as all get out. Teaching full time, in school part time and being a great dad when he's at home. He is pretty much gone all day everyday and two nights a week. So his time with the kids is limited to a few hours in the early evening before they go to bed. He is a couple short quarters away from completing his credential program. He is doing a great job teaching and has gotten very positive feedback from this administrators as well as from the people observing him from his program. He should finish up this summer and get his preliminary credential. He would eventually like to get his credential in regular ed math and maybe history too.

Amanda: is taking her final class at Fuller and will complete my program this summer after doing her practicum. I will walk in June though. I am also getting some more clients again for my work as a doula. I hope to pursue that full time once I am completely done with Fuller in the fall. I am still able to stay home with the kids full time. They keep me pretty busy and frustrated at times but I wouldn't trade it for any other job in the world. I am learning a lot about myself through parenthood as well as learning about my kids. It is so much fun to see who they are becoming and trying to let them be themselves without imposing my dreams or even my insecurities on them. It is definitely the hardest job I've had in my life- raising two little people to be great adults.

Well, that is it for now. I will try to keep this updated more often in the future.

Will there ever be peace?

2009-02-06T15:06:00.001-08:00

I guess it all depends on your theology and disposition as to how you will answer this question. I for one refuse to accept that there must always be war and that peace can not exist. I will continue to keep the hope alive that peace can and will prevail in Israel and Palestine! I hope that this prayer for peace is on the lips of all Christians. May peace be upon ALL my brothers and sisters. Check out the following link for more info and a perspective you may not have heard before http://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/

God Hates You

2009-01-01T11:32:00.000-08:00

In the midst of all the noise makers, chatter, screaming babies and toddlers, and excitement for the Rose Parade came a bizarre and frankly disturbing message. Along the edge of the street where all were gathered to see the floats and celebrate and new year walked a family holding signs proclaiming that God kills people and yelling rather confidently "You have to believe the Bible or God will destroy you". Now as a missiology student, this is one evangelistic method that is frowned upon at my school. As a Christian, it is a method and a theology that is not only disheartening but disturbing. There have always been (and I reckon will always be) the hell fire and brimstone preachers with their megaphones preaching repentance. But to claim that God killed thousands of people, all innocent bystanders of a terrorist attack, because they didn't believe the Bible is not only presumptuous but is dangerous theology. It conjures up images of Job and his friends' assessment of his plight, their speaking for God. In the end, they were the ones whom God condemned. Obviously, punishment and discipline is a part of life and often a result or natural consequence of our choices, but nowhere in the Bible do we EVER see God taking pleasure in it. This message of hate and condemnation is not only a disservice and misrepresentation of Christians but is also a misrepresentation of God and his message. The message of Jesus was one of hope, love, forgiveness, peace and acceptance. This doesn't mean that there is not room for punishment or discipline because there certainly is and we know that earthly and eternal punishment are realities. However, when a "Christians" only message is condemnation and hate, who is ever going to want to follow that God? If they do, what is the motivation? Fear, pure and simple. That is not the relationship that God wants to have with humanity-all you have to do is read the Bible to see that. I certainly don't believe he would have sent an incarnate part of himself to earth to suffer and die if all he wanted was for humanity to be afraid of him. That could have been done so many other ways that did not require sacrifice. He came to draw humanity into a relationship, a fellowship with himself. While spiritual fear is healthy, is doesn't come because God may send you to hell. It comes from the awe of YHWH, who God is and what He has done. It is a fear and respect for the authority and power of God. This fear does please God because it can only come from those who truly know God. Rather than hate and condemnation, shouldn't we be telling people that despite all the things that people hate about themselves, all the things that bring them down, despite all those things that make people feel bad and guilty, God LOVES them. Sin destroys but GOD heals! SIn kills but God gives life! Is this not the message that people need to hear. Is this not the call of God into the hearts of his creation. Come to me, my burden is light! I pray for those people with the signs. I hope that they can experience the same love and joy and peace of God that I have and so many others have so they can in turn share this with others!

Turning 3

2008-12-21T11:19:00.001-08:00

Mason officially turned three this weekend even though we already celebrated his birthday. Our experience with the three's so far has instilled a deep and penetrating fear into both Dave and I. We had always heard that two's were the hard age. The terrible two's, ya know. But his two's weren't that bad. But toward the end and now the beginning of the three's...oh my! If this is only the beginning, I am afraid. There are temper tantrums, talking back and complete refusal to listen or do anything we ask. Now if I just had to deal with him and these behaviors that would be one thing. But it is much harder with a six month screaming every time I put her down to go deal with him. So some days, I have both kids screaming at the same time for various reasons. After talking to a friend of mine with some kids a little bit older than ours, she said, "Oh yeah, haven't you heard of the tantrum three's?" No, no I hadn't. But I understand now. In Mason's quest for independence, autonomy and control, parenting becomes even more delicate and important. Dave and I certainly don't want to "break his will" or his spirit but also want to set clear limits and boundaries to keep him safe and keep us sane! Hey, being a stay at home parent is not an easy job...and certainly doesn't pay monetarily. DOn't get me wrong, I love staying home with my kids and am so thankful that I am able to do so. But it is challenging and only getting more challenging. I'm already praying for this year and for my patience and Mason's good attitude! We'll see how it all turns out!

3 years and 6 months

2008-12-07T22:41:00.000-08:00

We've all been a little busy here in the land of the Boston's. Sorry for no updates. Since we last wrote, Willow has been rolling around all over the apartment, sitting up and staring down all our food. And Mason has been writing some letters in his name, wearing underwear all day long with very few accidents, and become quite assertive with the neighbor kids (and his parents)! So, we've had our hands full. In 6 days we'll celebrate Mason's 3rd birthday (a week early) and this past week Willow turned 6 months! I can't believe how fast it is all going by. It's like we blinked and she was rolling around and "talking". Mason is still all over her, giving her kisses, hugs, tugging on her ears, and generally just being in her face a lot! As you can see from the picture, Willow is not always a big fan of the closeness. This picture is one from our new family photos Gina did for us. I'll send them out to everyone soon. But for now, this is the update. We'll try to do more after the quarter ends!!

2008-11-18T05:45:00.001-08:00

Free Counter

The lesser of two evils???

2008-10-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

As we draw ever nearer to the elections in November, people of all faiths and no faiths have to make a decision as to who will be the best man to lead our country. Many are pinning this election as the most important election of the decade. I don't know that I would buy into all the hype and elevation of this election the way the media wants me to but I will say that I think it is ALWAYS important to vote. In talking with several Christian friends lately, I know many people are struggling with who to vote for and with what weight to give particular issues. Many do not want to be a single issue voter but find some issues tend to mean more to them than others. Some take a "bigger picture" look at the candidates to assess who will be better in an all around way where as some look at who will defend a certain cause or two that are important to them. I'm certainly not in a position to tell anyone how to vote or how to measure what the most important issues are because those are personal issues that must be worked out between the individual and their God, moral system or whatever guides them. But I take heart in knowing that we Protestants are not the only ones who struggle with this decision. Take a glance at this article if you have time and see if any of it sounds familiar to you. Catholics struggle with vote! I take peace in knowing that when I pray to God and ask for guidance in how to vote next month, I am not alone. The pleas to God for redemption seem to be coming from many directions. It is my prayer that we all as Christians will seek out the best candidate for the job and not judge each other for how we vote. I know that some friends and family disagree with Dave and I about our politics and our theology and we with them. But in the end, we who are Christians are part of one body, one Church and are ultimately working toward the same end. One last note, Sojourners has an excellent voter's guide for Christians. Click on the link on our blog to check it out.

Why do men look so stupid???

2008-10-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

I was reading my friend Tony's blog a few weeks ago and he had a post about his frustration with how the media portrays women and women's seeming obsession with celebrity and superficiality. This got me thinking. While I agreed with most of his post, I think he did hit a big stereotype. Obviously not all women are catty and only interested in looking good. But that is not always what you would assume if you only watched tv or looked at other forms of media. But if we go that route, what can we then say about men? This is one frustration Dave and I have shared over the past few years as we watch TV or movies. Men are portrayed as creatures who are only driven by sex and food, who are so stupid they put whole avocados in the blender expecting to get guacamole and are obsessed with getting more hair and a six pack. One of my biggest frustrations is the way that all men are portrayed sexually. I can't even count how many television shows, movies, songs etc in which men talk opening about pornography and three ways. Ok, not EVERY guy in the world likes to watch porn or is turned on by the idea of a three way or two women together. Why then do these shows imply that these sorts of things are normal for men? Why do we make men look so stupid? I know plenty of good men who love and respect women and their place in home, work and church. I know plenty of men who choose not to objectify women. I know plenty of men who can cook for themselves, or at least get decent food. I know plenty of men who are fine with the hair they have and the body they have. If we are going to talk about why women act the way they do in our celebrity, beauty, image obsessed culture, we can not do it without looking at the men too for the two are inextricably connected. I could go on for pages about my frustrations with our celebrity and beauty obsessed culture, but I will refer you to my friend Tony's bog because he has so eloquently written on this in his blog. Look for "this stupid country" on Omnis sub ratione Dei.

Probably overreacting

2008-10-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

I watched Law & Order: SVU, one of my favorite shows, the other night. Well, it completely freaked me out like no other show ever has before. It came with a parental advisory, should have been my first clue that I shouldn't watch it. It was all about pedophiles, not completely uncommon for a show like this. But what freaked me out was that the main "perp" was not quite a "perp" yet because he had only fantasized. But he went to this website where he could look at photos of kids. The photos were taken from online resources, people uploading them, people taking them themselves. But the pictures were simple, kids on the swings at a park, playing with other kids, close up shots, etc. But these perverted people twisted the innocent pictures by making them a object of fantasy for their deviant thoughts and behavior. It freaked me out because I thought what if sights like this really do exist. I have pictures of my kids all over my blog, which is easily accessible to anyone on the Internet. I thought about it all night and the next day. And so last night, I began removing all the photos of the kids off the blog. Now, maybe I am overreacting a bit and maybe I'll go back and add some pictures back later. But for now, I still have this sick feeling in my gut that keeps me from doing that. I will continue to keep sharing photo albums through a more secure network with family. If you would like to be added to this, just email me and I can send you the photos. However, for now, I don't think that I will be posting too many pics of the kids.

I do

2008-09-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the famous words spoken by brides and grooms for centuries. We got to hear these lovely words recited as we watched our friends Dave and Lisa get married this past weekend. They had a beautiful ceremony at their church, of which they are members. This was followed by a gorgeous reception at the Altadena country club. The room they rented had beautiful views of the country club and the mountains. It was decorated nicely and the dinner was AMAZING! It was so nice for Dave and I to celebrate with them and get out and have a nice meal and a glass of wine! I have to say though the coolest thing by far was their guest book. They had a regular 5x7 scrapbook and a photo booth! Yes, a photo booth. So you got to go take a couple crazy pictures and stick it in the scrapbook with a few words for the new married couple. Is that not the coolest guest book idea ever??? I loved the idea, as you can tell because I've said so several times already. Well, while we were living it up with Willow at the reception, Mason was shopping it up with Raven at the mall. He had so much fun with her. They rode the carousel and ate dinner together. Man, those two are virtually inseparable. We had to have him dropped off at our house after his long day otherwise we knew we'd never get him home! We all had a fun night and I will leave you with our photo booth shots!

p.s. if you know anyone getting married, I highly suggest this guest book alternative. It is fun for the guests and bride/room alike!

Michigan, Hot Michigan

2008-09-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Living in California for nearly 5 years will almost erase the memory of the hot and humid days of summer in the mid-west. That is until you step of an airplane and get smacked in the face with the muggy heat! And this time, we all got to experience it together. It was our first family trip to Michigan in a couple years and Willow's first trip ever. We were a little leery about flying with her so young but knew it was now or never, so to speak. So we tucked her in the maya wrap, nursed her a lot and prayed for the best. We spent a week in Michigan visiting various family members and only one friend. As much as we tried to limit the amount of driving all over the metro-Detroit area as we could, we still ended up driving around a ton. But that's ok, we were just trying to help G & G Brightwell hit 50,000 on their odometer (after 8 years of ownership)! Even though it was a brief trip, we got to see all our nieces and nephews, several extended family members and one friend. Of course we would have loved to see more people, but there is just only so much you can do in 6 days. What were the highlights and lowlights, you ask? Well, as our Spain team will fondly remember, we'll play the high/low game. The high for me was by far the night Mason broke out some new dance moves for Dan and Krysta for like 25 minutes straight. I laughed so hard I cried! The low was driving to Howell and beyond 3 times in one week. (this is not to say AT ALL that it wasn't worth it because it certainly was!) Willow to this point is not super fond of being in a car seat and cried most of the time we were in the car. I think Mason's high would be either getting to play guitar and Wii with his cousin Alex or watching his cousins Natalie and Robby at Karate class. Oh, and of course the dancing! On a side note, we were in the car the other day and Mason was getting all whiny. I said "Hey buddy, what's wrong?" And he looked at me in the rear view mirror and said, "Mommy, I want to dance!" Oh goodness, I just never stop laughing with him around. Anyway, back to MIchigan. Willow's high was probably seeing her cousins and meeting a couple new ones. She loved Veronica!! Her low, probably the car rides. If I had to guess what Dave's high would be getting beat by a 5 year old at several games on the Wii. Oh sorry, that was my high point:) I guess I should probably check with him to see what he wants to say before I write for the hundreds of thousands of you who read this blog! So, look for that update later. All in all, it was a good trip, hot and humid but we did get one thunderstorm. That was very exciting! Mason and Willow got to see their cousins, we ate more coney Island than we should have and we all survived the plane rides.

Olympic Frenzy

2008-08-10T22:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you but we have gotten very caught up in the Olympics this year. I don't think that we would call ourselves overly patriotic people but right now we are all about the red, white and blue! We stayed up Friday night to watch ALL the teams march into the stadium after the amazing opening ceremonies. Even Mason got excited by all the fireworks (or fireworkins as he calls them), drums and lights. It was the most amazing show I have ever seen. Even Dave, who admittedly usually skips the opening ceremonies and opts for the events only, immensely enjoyed the opening show. No doubt China is trying to win the world over with their impressive artistic displays and hospitality. What this Olympic showing will do for Beijing and China's future is yet to be seen. But for now, we are enjoying the show and rooting for our teams! GO U.S.A.

Potty Training

2008-07-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have to say without a doubt this day has been my most dreaded by far...the day we begin potty training. I don't really know why I feel SO anxious about it other than I really don't want to damage Mason by being too tough or too easy. You know, the whole anal-retentive or anal-expulsive thing! But when your 2 year and 7 month old says "I pooping" and then kicks you out of his room and then comes out asking to have his diaper changed, you know it may be time to start the potty training. I must admit that I am also nervous because I have researched way less for this event than I have for anything else we've done as parents. But we have delved head first into this thing. We took Mason yesterday to pick out a potty chair and big boy underwear. He choose the Elmo potty and Sesame Street undies. He was very excited when we got home to sit on the potty chair and press the Elmo face to hear him talk. But he didn't really "use" it as much as he did explore it. But today he sat down with a book on the potty chair and pooped in the potty for the first time! We were all very excited! We had told him that if he used the potty that he would get a piece of candy (a total bribe, I know). So once we cleaned it all up, he picked out a lemon sucker as his candy choice (thanks Uncle Dan and Aunt Krysta). We are hoping to have him using the potty regularly in a few weeks-basically incorporating it into his routine. So you can pray for us that we get this done soon without too much hassle. Not only will he feel better, it will save us a lot of money on washes and diapers!!

Visitors, visitors, visitors

2008-07-26T13:58:00.001-07:00

Apparently the birth of a new baby makes people want to jump on a plane and come visit:) And we had a steady stream of family in to meet Willow, play with Mason and catch up with Dave and I. It was so great to visit with everyone and it sure has gotten quite since they all left. My parents were here when Willow was born and stayed for about 10 days after her birth. The last weekend they were here my brother and his family drove in from Vegas to visit for the weekend. It was so much fun having all the family together, even if it was just for a couple days. We hung out and ate together, let the kids play and had some family photos taken. Then they all left and it was quiet for a couple weeks. Then Dave's mom, sister and niece flew out for about 10 days in early July. Dave and I were so excited because we haven't seen Ellie since she was a baby! She is big one year old now and had lots of fun with her cousin Mason. Of course, they fought over toys every so often. Mason tried to open her birthday gifts and then wanted to play with them even though it was for younger kids! But overall they played well together and had fun getting to know one another. We spent most of our time here at the apartment or at the hotel but did make it to the beach one day. It was a good visit, a good time of catching up. So they flew out Tuesday night and Dave's brother and sister-in-law flew in Wednesday morning. They stayed for a week. We had a blast with them and Mason couldn't have been more in his glory than he was with his Uncle Dan. They took him all over the place and spoiled him with attention and love. They went to the zoo, the kids museum, the park and the mall/farmer's market. It was great for us as I had an appointment with my midwife and the dentist while they were here. All in all, our time with the family was fun and helpful. Now, we get to travel to Michigan to see all of them. It should be interesting to see how we're going to see everyone in 6 days. I can't wait to see ALL my nieces and nephews and I know they're excited to see their cousins. That is it for now. Hope to see you Michiganders in a few weeks!

More about our daughter

2008-07-04T14:01:00.001-07:00

Thought that we'd throw a few new pictures up of the bigger and badder Boston's. We have a friend who is a great photographer and she did some family and newborn pictures for us. My parents and my brother and his family were all out visiting us and the new baby. It was the perfect time to have some family photos taken so I will include one of my beautiful family as well. Look how big my niece and nephew are getting! The only ones missing are my older niece and nephew, who were in MI. So, without further ado, here they are.

Our Birth Story

2008-06-30T00:12:00.000-07:00

As I sit and type this I am looking at my new daughter in amazement that my body did that. No matter how many times I give birth or witness a birth, it never ceases to amaze me how well the female body is designed and works to give life! And as I process through Willow’s birth, I couldn’t be happier with how she was brought into this world. I struggled to get what I wanted in my birth with Mason and ended up having to make a lot of compromises. This time around, we had the complete opposite experience. I credit that to having more experience, hiring a doula and answers to prayer!

After having contractions all night Sunday, I thought for sure that Monday was the day this baby would be born. But as I went about my morning, the contractions stopped and I was back to the beginning. So when contractions started Tuesday morning as I woke up, I didn’t really think much of it. My parents came by to get Mason and take him to music class. While they were gone, I had time to myself as Dave was at work. My contractions got stronger and started coming closer together. It was a good time for me to prepare myself mentally and physically for the fact that today was going to be the day I would meet my new baby! I called Dave and our doula, who advised that Dave come home from work since I seemed to be progressing quickly. After a few hours at home, we decided to head to the hospital. When they checked me in around 12:30pm, I was dilated to about 5 cm and completely effaced. The baby was at about 0 station.

With the exception of our first nurse, the staff were pretty accommodating of our birth requests. I think the first nurse thought we were crazy and quickly handed us off to a new nurse, which was fine with me! Our birth requests were basically to be checked on periodically but mostly left alone to labor without IV’s, medication, constant monitoring and being asked that stupid pain scale question. (Hello, I’m having a baby, of course it hurts!) We were able to do just that. We labored with the help of our doula, who gave me some great tools to manage the pain naturally. I got to transition (8-10 cm) pretty quickly and at that point had my water broken so that the baby’s head could come down to where it needed to be to progress. Once that happened, it was only about an hour before I began pushing. I was empowered to push in whatever position felt good and I had no one telling me to push or counting, just encouraging me. It felt so good to push through the contractions! What a relief! After about 20 minutes, my midwife caught Willow’s head and said “Amanda, reach down and grab your baby”. So at 6:59 pm, I did. I actually got to pull Willow out myself. It was so amazing! She lay on my chest and I just looked at this beautiful baby, still not knowing if it was a boy or girl. Finally I lifted her up and told Dave to look and see what she was. He said, “We have a girl!” We had about an hour of cuddle time together where she nursed and stared at me and me at her before the nurses took her to weigh her and do all the official stuff. It was some great bonding time!

I have to say that the birth of my daughter was an amazing, empowering, joyful and profoundly spiritual event. I have never felt closer to God than I have at the birth of my children. The strength and love that I feel during labor and delivery are a confirmation to me that God has given me and each woman the ability to birth naturally. I know that we made the right choice in choosing to have a medication and intervention free birth. I am so thankful for the experience and hope that other women have the chance (or create the opportunity) to feel this way about their births.

Willow Shae

2008-06-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Willow was born on June 3rd (Tuesday) at 6:59pm. She weighed 8 lbs and was 20 inches long. Here are some pictures and when Amanda is back in control of this blog - she will fill you in on all the labor details.

Doula

2008-05-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

As I get closer to the birth of my second child, I am wrapping up my time serving as a doula. I hope to come back to this role after the baby is old enough for me to be away for a few hours at a time. Meanwhile, I will be working on getting my childbirth education certification. But many people have been asking what a doula is and does. So I thought that I would give a brief description and explain why I have chosen to pursue this work.

According to Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association, “The doula serves as an advocate, labor coach, and information source to give the mother and her partner the added comfort of additional support throughout the entire labor.” (www.cappa.net). I have had the privilege of working with 3 couples now. I was able to meet with them before their birth to go over their expectations, preferences and relaxation techniques. I was then with them through their labor, usually meeting them at the hospital after they had labored at home for a while. I try to keep in contact with the couples once the labor actually begins, whether they are at home, hospital or out running errands. All of the couples that I have worked with have chosen to have natural childbirths, using natural alternatives to medication for dealing with pain and tension. My role is to support and assist the couple in their choices as well as being an advocate for them with the medical staff. Eventually, I plan to return to doula work and get my certification. But because it requires hours away from home and being on call, I can’t work in this role once the baby arrives.

When Mason was born, Dave and I did things pretty much by ourselves. Although we had a very in depth childbirth education course, we were not prepared for how long labor would go and how tired we would become. Looking back on the experience, we regret not hiring a doula to be with us. I believe wholeheartedly that my birth experience would have been very different if we had a professional with us. This is not to say that I am unhappy with my experience with Mason’s birth. On the contrary, I am very proud of Dave and myself for doing things naturally for as long as we did. It was a very empowering experience! However, there are things that I know now that I didn’t then that could have helped us have a shorter and more effective labor. All of this is to say that after his birth I began talking with other women about their stories. I was amazed at the number of women who were not satisfied with their births or who felt they didn’t have any choices in their births. Coupled with my own experience, I began to feel more passionate about childbirth education and advocacy for women in labor. After meeting with several professionals from midwives to lactation consultants, I decided education and doula work was the most appropriate fit for my passions. I found natural childbirth such a rewarding, empowering and profoundly spiritual experience and hope to help other women have a similar experience as well. I feel personally that birthing is something that should be experienced, not numbed. In America we have instilled such fear and doubt in women’s ability to birth that women have become mentally incapable of birthing outside a hospital and without medication. But the reality is, the female body is amazing in its’ design and capacity to cope and birth. The design is not flawed. For the majority of women who have uncomplicated (non-high risk) births, there is no need for the snowball of interventions that the hospital performs. I hope that more women start to ask questions about what is being done to them and why. I hope that more women make decisions based on through information from both sides of the issue. I hope that women stop blindly doing what others tell them to do simply because the doctor is the professional. Read, investigate, research, pray and make an informed decision. You have choices and options, exercise them! Have the kind of birth that YOU want, not the kind that you are told to have. This is my hope for every woman!

The Latest Word

2008-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had a check with the midwife on Friday. Everything still looks good with the baby. I have dropped even more. I don't know how much lower I can get before this baby comes! But I have been having waves of contractions for the last couple weeks which we are all confident are working. Baby's heart rate is good and the head is down and locked in now, which means s/he is very low and ready to come. We are really hoping for this Tuesday as our midwife is in the hospital that day. It's also a full moon that day, so you never know!

We have now had our refresher childbirth class, met with our doula, installed the car seat and set up the crib and swing. We are ready for this baby to come. We are all super excited to meet this new little one. And Mason can't wait to play with all his or her stuff! He is already trying to crawl in the baby's crib and swing. Well, that is it for now. We will let you know as there is more to report!

Cloth Diapers

2008-04-23T20:25:00.000-07:00

Many of you who know us know that we used cloth diapers almost exclusively with Mason until we moved this past Sept. Once we moved, our living expenses increased and the cost of our diaper service went up as well. The rising cost of energy caused them to have to raise their prices. With these factors in place, we switched over to the Seventh Generation disposables. We chose those diapers because they are bleach free and chlorine free, which are a little better for their skin than typical disposables. However, after 6 months of using the disposables we found that we were spending A LOT of money of diapers and Mason was getting a substantial amount of diaper rashes and his first ever yeast infection. So when a friend of ours decided to sell her cloth diapers, we began looking at the possibility of switching back to cloth. Since our washer and dryer cost about half of what they did at our old building, we were more willing to buy some "wash 'em yourself" cloth diapers. After much research and talking with others, we decided on Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers. We have been using the Fuzzi Bunz with Mason for 2 weeks now and have loved having him back in cloth. He has not had a single rash since we have switched back. Now, I know many people chose not to use the cloth because it is not as convenient or easy as a disposable. However, we have to consider the bigger picture when we make choices even as simple as what kinds of diaper to put our children in. With landfills filling up, energy costs increasing and environmental issues at the forefront of societal debates, we can't ignore the impact of disposable diapers on the environment. Cloth diapers may take a little more effort, but they save in the long run. They save money, energy, skin and the environment. There are several websites that discuss the benefits of cloth diapers so I won't go into all the details here. I will just mention a few of the big reasons why cloth are beneficial and then refer you some websites for more information.

Some of the biggest benefits of cloth diapers are their minimal impact of the environment because they are reusable and have a long shelf life so to speak. Because of their reusable nature, they are much cheaper than buying disposables. You pay more upfront to purchase them, but in the long run the cost of washing and maintaining them is much cheaper than disposables. You can also use them with more than one child. Additionally, cloth diapers are much gentler on babies and toddlers sensitive skin. Because they are usually made of high quality cotton, they breath and wick away moisture naturally as opposed to chemically. So children are less likely to get diaper rash or other skin irritations. Additionally, who knows the long term effects of all those gels and chemicals in disposable diapers on our children's long term health. These are just a few benefits of using cloth. We certainly have found them to be accurate and are hoping that using them will also help with potty training. We urge you to look into it for yourself. Here are a few websites that may help:

www.eartheasy.com
www.dy-dee.com
www.realdiaperassociation.org

Obviously, people have opinions on both sides of the issue. As usual, we simply ask people to look into the debate for themselves and make their own educated decision. We made our choice based on what we felt was best for our family and based on our convictions.

Mason and Mud

2008-04-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Mason is one of the younger kids in our community. Its funny to watch him watch the older kids as they run by him and climb all over the toys in the play area. He is constantly giggling and laughing and trying so hard to imitate them. One day - after it had rained, the kids were out playing with the mud that had formed. And so Mason decided to do this as well - except that he wasn't as careful as the other kids and before you know it - he had mud all over his face and clothes. Enjoy the pictures and see if you can guess what he is doing in the picture with all the kids. (Hint - there was music playing).

brief update

2008-04-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

this is just a quick update on baby b. i saw the doctor yesterday and i gained 4 more pounds, which is great. as of today, i am 33 weeks and have gained 14 pounds total. the baby was measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule at my last appointment but measured right on track yesterday. the heartbeat is strong. so, everything looks good so far and we're counting down the days till be get to meet our new son or daughter. just fyi, our neighbors here are throwing a baby shower for us in may, which we are very excited about! that's that for now.

Spring Break-part three

2008-04-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

On Friday we said goodbye to our amazing suite in Cambria and headed further north for Big Sur and Monterey. We stopped along to way to check out the famous elephant seals about 10 miles north of Cambria. The female and baby seals come ashore once a year to molt and sleep. They have been an endangered animal before and so they are pretty well protected now that they are coming back to the shores. You can see them from the boardwalk but are not allowed to go onto the beach where they rest. But Mason had fun looking at them and imitating their noises.

From there we hit the road again, driving up the curvy coast line to get to Big Sur. By the time we got there, Mason was sound asleep and we didn't dare wake him. So instead of stopping there for an ocean front lunch, we just got out and stretched our legs before forging ahead to Monterey. Once we finally got into Monterey, we had some lunch and went to the Aquarium. We had heard that this is one of the best in the country. It was amazing and Mason loved the kids section. However, there were a couple things that he did not like, like the simulated waves crashing overhead on the see through roof. He clung tight to daddy and waited for it all to end. But he did like the children's tunnels, touch pools, jump and play area, penguins and the giant orca whale replicas hanging from the ceiling. After that, we were going to visit Pebble Beach golf course, but nixed the idea when we realized you had to pay $10 just to drive through the neighborhood to get to the course. We ended up eating out at CPK and then went to bed early because we had a long day of driving/entertaining Mason ahead of us.

Spring Break-part two

2008-04-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: This is Dave writing for the installment of Spring Break - part two.

Today, we woke up early because Amanda wanted to go whale watching off the coast of Santa Barbara. The humpback whale is in full migration right now, but I forget if they are headed north or south. But the important point (especially to Amanda) was that they were in the channel between Santa Barbara and the channel islands. We set out on the Condor Express and right before we left, a whole bunch of loud and . . . . annoying kids boarded the boat. Yes - it was a middle school field trip. Mason immediately wanted to follow these kids wherever they ran, which was fun to deal with because after the boat started moving, Mason started walking like he had gone wine taste testing all night beforehand. And of course, he wanted to exert his independence at the same time and did not want any help from me - so, he fell a lot. Amanda took a ton of pictures as we saw 8 humpback whales and the pictures really don't do it justice. They are huge creatures. Mason, between his periodic interest in the whales - ate an apple, tried to run away from me countless of times, and said hi to all the middle school students (who in their social awkwardness had no idea how to respond). Before I continue with the recap of the day - let me apologize to my brother and brother-in-law who work with middle school students. And may God give you both an inordinate amount of patience because I was ready to 'feed' some of them to the whales. Seriously, anyone who works with middle school students - you deserve a lot of vacation time.

After whale watching, we jumped back into the car and headed further north along Highway 101 and Highway 1. The Central Coast is beautiful during this time of the year as everything is green and there are lots of rolling hills. We stopped in Cambria, which is a favorite little town of Amanda and I. We were going to stay in the city when a helpful store owner told us that during this time of the year, the ocean side resorts have good deals. So we checked it out - and found this incredible deal. We are staying in an oceanfront suite for half the price. It is originally over $350 - but thanks to it being a weekday in the off season and that we were a walk-in - we got it at a tremendously reduced price. Later that night we ate our favorite Cambria restaurant - Robin's. It has all organic foods and Mason did a great job, as it is not exactly toddler-friendly. The older couple sitting next to us (the tables are close together) commented on how well-behaved Mason was. That was nice to hear and I think our going out to eat way too much in his young life has helped (huge weakness of mine). That's it for now and as I close this blog, sitting in our luxury suite, watching the ocean - I hope that the snow has finally left you all in the Midwest.:)

Stay tuned . . . .

Spring Break-part one

2008-04-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

We took off Wednesday afternoon for our "spring break" vacation. One last hooray before baby #2 comes!! We made it to Santa Barbara on Wednesday and stayed there for the night. We found this nice little (and inexpensive) hotel off the beach a little ways called the Mason Beach Inn (nice name!). After getting unloaded, we hit the town. We rented a surrey bike and the three of us took off in the rain for a little coastal ride. Mason was a little apprehensive at first but once we got moving and he heard the bell ring, he loved it. And of course he looked hilarious in his helmet! We rode for about an hour until the rain started coming down heavier. We went for some pizza at a local place where Mason played arcade games and then called it a night. Took Mason a while to go to sleep as he was pretty excited by all the novelty of the day. That's it for now...stay tuned for more installments!

Latest baby news

2008-03-02T23:08:00.000-08:00

I saw my midwife this past week. I got to drink the lovely glucose drink for my diabetes test, always a treat. Since I don't drink soda, I feel like I am drinking liquified sugar (which I guess I basically am). My midwife saw me and did a quick check to make sure the baby is doing good. Baby measured right on track with my due date. S/he was quite active during the check and so had a strong and fast heartbeat. But all in all the baby sounded and appeared to be doing good. My midwife is great and does all the checks with minimal technology. She uses her hands to feel the baby's position, who has completely flipped around since a couple weeks prior. And she only uses a doppler to listen for the heartbeat. It is really so much nicer than when I was pregnant with Mason. Until I switched over to my midwife in my 8th month with Mason, I saw a TEAM of doctors who always wanted to use the ultrasound and do more invasive check ups. It is such a relief to not have to deal with that this time around at all! I wish that midwifery care was utilized more in this country. I think we would have healthier and happier moms and babies!

Moving on, the baby is good. But I still didn't gain any weight. I was very disappointed because I was confident that I was going to tip the scales this time around. But, I did not. Not sure what is going on other than I'm just not getting enough calories in. So I am bumping up the snacks, all the while trying to keep it healthy. I am feeling a bit frustrated about the whole thing but trying not to worry. It is a weird problem to have I suppose, needing to gain weight. So, I ask you all to pray that I stay healthy and start putting some pounds on. From this point on, if I am not getting enough calories, the effects may start showing up with the baby and that is the LAST thing that we want. So, we'll keep you posted and we'd appreciate your prayers in the meantime.

Grandma's trip to Cali

2008-02-24T11:50:00.000-08:00

After a 2 week stay in California, Mason's Grandma flew back to Wisconsin yesterday. I think that he understood that she went bye bye but he still woke up this morning looking for her. He opened the bathroom door and said, "Gramma?" and went into his room and looked for her there. We reminded him that she went home and he said, "Gramma on airplane". But they had so much fin together while she was here. Originally she planned to come out to help because Dave had finals and Amanda had midterms. But since Amanda dropped classes, she was able to spend some time catching up on errands, cleaning and work while mom played with Mason. While she was here, we all took a trip to the Wild Animal Park just outside of San Diego. Last time we went, Mason was still pretty young and slept a good chunk of the time. He really got into this time, naming the animals and telling us the noises they make. He really liked the monkeys and gorillas and giraffes. Additionally, Mason spent countless hours playing, reading and singing with Gramma. I think they both equally loved spending time together. We all look forward to her return (with papa this time) in May!

Preparing to be a big brother

2008-02-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

So Mason (or Mafin as he calls himself) is finally starting to figure out that change is a comin! Now that Amanda is 6 months pregnant and really showing, he is realizing that things are changing. He can't sit on mommy's lap that way he used to, he can only rough house with daddy, he has to be gentle with mommy's tummy. We already see some signs of jealousy, especially when he can't do something with mommy because of the baby. But for the most part, we are anticipating that he will be a good big brother. Several of our neighbors have younger children and babies. Mason is always drawn to them and is very gentle and sweet. As the next few months pass we will be taking some trips to the library to read books about becoming a big brother and preparing him for his special role with the new baby.

Meanwhile, we are trying to spend some special time with him. He is really excited that his long time friend Raven has moved back to Pasadena. We recently went to their new home for an art project. As you may know, we do have quite a little artisan on our hands. He loves music and dancing and painting (triple threat, watch out). But he has only ever painted on paper on an easel. This time, our friend provided a real canvas and some various brushes to provide different textures. He had a lot of fun! He has also been enjoying some quality time with his Gramma Martin, who is visiting for a couple weeks. We'll post some pictures from that trip in another blog.

As for the rest of us, Amanda is getting healthier everyday, praise God. Mason has not been sick once since she dropped classes either! Dave has been warding off a cold with 2-3 Emergen-C a day and a glass of OJ with liquid echineccea every morning! We are all working the vitamins and supplements pretty hard in this house. Dave is almost done with his first year of credential program and has been running some IEP's by himself now. He is still quite busy with work and school and trying to balance family time in with everything else he has to do. But, he does a great job! Amanda just finished her second doula gig and will be starting a certification process in the next couple of months. She will be certified as a birth educator and eventually licenced as a doula. So, that is exciting. Well, I think that is it for now. We'll try to post some more later.

Update on baby Baughman

2008-01-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

I went in for the long awaited and twice rescheduled ultrasound appointment this past Thursday. Unfortunately, because of all the rescheduling, Dave was not able to make it so I had to go alone. But it was ok. The technician did all the measurements and technical stuff before turning the screen to give me a look at the baby. I haven't had a peek since my first doctor's appointment when they did a brief ultrasound to date me. So it was nice to see how big the baby has gotten. Everything looks really good and I am right on track for a late May delivery. The baby's heart is strong and beating well, the growth looks good and s/he is moving around quite a bit...now that I can feel it all! So, my midwife is pleased with the results although she continues to be concerned about my string of illnesses and lack of weight gain. As I type this I am on bed rest with a case of acute gastritis. I went into the hospital early Friday morning after waking with labor type pains. After monitoring the baby for a while, they determined that I was not in labor but having uteral disturbances from the gastritis. Because the colon is completely wrapped around the uterus at this point, as it flared and contracted it made the uterus tight thus giving me the feeling of a contraction. So, praise God it was not pre-term labor. But I have been placed on bed rest until Tuesday (4-5 days total).

It has been a difficult few months for Mason and myself. We just can't seem to get and stay healthy and it is taking its' toll on all of us. My midwife is wanting me to gain some significant weight as I have only gained 3 pounds thus far and am just over 21 weeks along. The physical and emotional stresses of the last couple months have not helped my immune system get any stronger. So after much discussion with my midwife and family, I decided to drop my classes this quarter in order to focus on getting healthy and taking care of this baby inside as well as my 2 year old baby! So, please keep us in your prayers as we focus on our health and getting stronger over the next month or so. Pray for Dave too who has been absolutely amazing in taking care of us both while working and going to school! He has managed to stay pretty healthy so far but we would love to see it stay that way. We will keep you posted on any further updates or info. I'll try to scan one of the ultrasound pictures soon to add to the post:)

It's been a while

2007-12-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since we have posted. Just thought we would give you all a brief update. Mason is turning 2 on Thursday, if you can believe it! We will have a little party for him on Friday night with a few of his friends that are still in town. We will be celebrating Christmas at home as a family. I (Amanda) actually have my first doula gig for a neighbor who is due on Christmas day. So I'll also be "on call" until that baby comes! I am very excited to get to help in the labor as a doula, for the first time. This is what I hope to be doing a lot more of in the future. We will probably walk down the street to watch the Rose Parade on New Year's Day. Then, hopefully we'll take off for SF for a short vacation after that. Dave and I both return to school/work the second week of January. To be honest, I think we are both just really looking forward to some down time together. Things have been so busy and Mason and I have been so sick, that we haven't had any good, quality family time.

As for the newest baby, we will go in a few weeks for our big ultrasound to make sure the baby is developing normally. I am about 1 weeks along already! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by. We will NOT be finding out the sex of the baby. Sorry to those of you that are dying to know! We just really don't see the need to find out nor do we really want to spoil the surprise. We really liked the suspense of waiting to the big day with Mason and are looking forward to that once again. I have felt the baby fluttering and am definitely starting to show. So far I am carrying high like I did with Mason, not that that means anything specific. We are looking forward to seeing him or her on the screen in a few weeks. We'll give an update once that happens. Meanwhile, we'll be around if you want to give us a call!

It's Christmas Time

2007-11-24T00:36:00.000-08:00

So the holiday season is upon us. We have already seen a million commercials telling us what we need, how and where to spend our money and what to buy to make ourselves and others happy. I don't know about you but in our house, we are already annoyed. The constant barrage of consumeristic propaganda can be hard to ignore, hard not to succumb to. The rush of shoppers out to save money and buy, buy, buy is all that has been on the news. But where does our money go? Who is really making the products that we are buying? Who are we giving to? Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make anyone feel bad or get on a soap box. We are simply trying to get others to think about what they buy before they buy it instead of just blindly consuming. As in many decisions in life, there are always choices. We don't have to be slaves to the industries trying to sell us our their stuff. We can inform ourselves about what we buy, where it is made, how it's made, who gets the proceeds, etc.

So, in our home this year we are making an even more concerted effort than in years past to buy responsibly and ethically. We are trying to buy items that are organic, fair trade, PVC free, and safe for everyone. We want to make sure that the products we are consuming are actually giving back to the people that are making them. This means that we don't want our money going to sweatshops, child labor, items that contain potentially harmful chemicals, or anything that depletes or harms the ecosystem. Maybe this sounds crazy to some of you, right in tune to others. But over the last few years we have come to see how what we buy reflects our values, ethics and beliefs as followers of Jesus.

Yes, fair trade and organic usually cost significantly more than other items. But what is the real cost? If we in America, one of the richest nations in the world, aren't paying, who is? At whose expense are we saving? It is really ethical for us to pay less for something to save a few bucks if it means that the man, woman or child who made it only gets a penny? Is it not better to forfeit one (insert coffee shop here) coffee a day to shell out a few extra dollars on a product where you know the people making it receive a living wage and work in a safe enviornment?

Again, this is an issue we as a couple still wrestle with and are certainly not perfect. It is hard to resist the consumeristic tendencies of our culture. (Although Dave struggles much less than me with wanting to buy things!) It is hard to find places to shop when everyone outsources to someone else. But what we can do is make informed decisions. We can look into retailers before we shop. We can ask quesitons, look for places that sell fairly traded and organic products and give them our business. As we have become more informed about the issues surrounding consumerism, labor and responsible shopping, we have found a few helpful resources. As I said before, this is still something that we are learning more about, seeking to implement in more holistic ways and wrestle with ourselves. So if any of you have resources to add to the list, PLEASE do! But for now, here are a few places to check out.

www.coopamerica.org - a ton of information on products, businesses, responsible shopping, etc
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com - Skin Deep cosmetic safety database
www.fairtradeusa.org- Information on Fair Trade products and where to find them
www.heifer.org- alternatives gifts that really give back
www.tenthousandvillages.com- fairly traded products produced around the world
www.purehomeproducts.com- a great online store with organic, non-toxic items for home and family

Harvest Time

2007-11-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Thought we'd share a few photos of Mason, the Lion, from Fuller's Harvest Festival and from Halloween. This year Mason and Krystle (our former neighbor) actually went trick or treating in a neighborhood by our new place. They had fun going door to door. Mason only got scared once when he saw a kid coming toward him with a "Scary Movie" mask on. He said, "no, no, no" and wimpered a bit. He got over it pretty quickly though!

San Francisco

2007-10-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

We took a little vacation this past weekend to celebrate our 5 year anniversary . . . and Mason came, too. We have been trying to visit San Francisco for the past 2 years and it always seemed to never work out. Well, we finally made it and it was worth the wait. The city was incredible, much like an European city, as it was close and compact and had awesome public transportation. The next time we visit, we are not even going to bother renting a car. So, we flew up to Oakland on Thursday night and stayed in Berkeley (home of the Cal Bears). Our friend Mark got us tickets to the Cal game on Saturday and Mason had a great time (but we forgot the camera at the game). Around our time visiting Mark and going to a football game, we hit up San Fran. Friday was nothing but rain and we enjoyed it.:) Saturday was crystal clear and in the 70s. Enjoy the pictures. The first one is the view from our hotel in Berkeley (you can see the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Fran if you click on it). The second one is the view of the famous Lombard St. (the crookedest street in the world) and the last picture is the view from the top of Lombard St. Oh - and walking the city was quite the workout . . . but we are going back as soon as we can.

Good News

2007-10-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

Dave got his unofficial test results from his CSET exam and he passed all three sub-tests. For those of you who don't know, he needed to pass this test so that he can get his intern credential. This is turn will allow him to be officially hired as a special ed. teacher by the district. This is great for all of us as he will be making much more money and we could use that with another baby on the way! We are still waiting for the official results to come in but this is pretty good confirmation of his results. YEAH!

Baby 2 is on the way

2007-09-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well, to add one more transition to our lives, we are expecting our second child. We found out this week that Amanda is pregnant. This baby will be coming in May/June 2008. We can't wait to welcome another baby to the family. Mason will be so excited to have a baby all his own. Currently, he calls all babies Elli because of his cousin. So we may have to work on some other names:) We'll keep you all posted as we learn more!

Painting Frenzy

2007-09-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

We picked up the key to our new place on Friday. Ah, the space of a 2 bedroom apartment! We had a painting party on Sunday and got Mason's room, our room and almost all of the living room painted. We couldn't finish the living room and kitchen until Thur and Fri. I am happy to say now that it is all painted!! We started moving our stuff in over the weekend and got all the big stuff and most of the essentials over. We will finish up moving the rest of the stuff over this weekend. It is mostly just stuff that sits high in the closet that we only use a handful of times. We are starting to get settled in and feel like this new place is home. Mason is sleeping better now. The first few nights he had a hard time falling asleep and just kept looking around like "Where am I?' I hope to post some pictures soon!

Future Baby Model

2007-09-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

So after hundreds of comments over the last year about how we should get Mason in modeling, we did...sort of. As you know, we use cloth diapers with him and we have a service that picks up the dirty and delivers the clean. It's very nice. Well, they are looking for cute babies for their advertising campaign. We thought, why not enter Mason. It would be a good way of easing him and us into this whole baby model thing. If he gets picked, it will give us all a little taste of what it would be like. Maybe we could move forward from there or decide that was enough. So, for now, we wait and see whether or not he will be chosen as the next cloth diaper baby!! We'll keep you posted!

We're Moving

2007-09-01T17:31:00.000-07:00

So things have been really up in the air the last month or so regarding what was next for our family. This past week some of those questions have been answered for us. We will serving as Community Coordinators for a new community for Fuller. We had been waiting to move into this new community because there were no apartments available. Well, a few people moved out and so we are finally moving in! So, in two weeks we will start moving in to our nice new 2 bedroom. We are excited for Mason to have his own space now to keep his toys, books and play. Plus there are some really cool people in our new community...a lot of PhD students. We'll send out an email to everyone soon with our new address and any other new info.

The next big change is with Dave. After a couple months of searching for a new job, change came where we least expected it (our plan C or D). He is going to be the Special Education teacher at South Pasadena High School, the same school he's been an assistant at for the last 3 years. He got hired on Thursday and started training on Friday. The hire is conditional on Dave getting his credential. So he will also be heading back to school...again! On Tuesday he will begin his credential program at Point Loma Nazarene Unv. He will begin teaching on Thursday. So, this is a 2 year committment for him, which means we'll be in Cali for at least another 2 years. While it was not our first choice, we are all really excited and this is the best option in the long run for us.

Amanda is working on setting up an internship/practicum for the fall. There are a couple options at this point but nothing is set in stone. If this all works out, will do that in the fall, take 2 classes in the winter and be done!! For sure, graduation in June will happen!

Mason may start day care in the fall, depending on Amanda's internship. If so, we have a place picked out with no waiting list right now. It is close to home and a good environment. He recently went for a check up and got a good report. He is in the 10th percentile for weight, 25th for height and 90% for his head size. He is growing nicely...his bell curve looks great! He is also recently been going through a growth spurt and eating us out of house and home! He is definately a toddler now...getting more strong willed and independent. We'll post some new pictures for you all soon! (Our friend Gina will be doing his photos soon!)

Mason's first baseball game

2007-09-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Mason went to his first Detroit Tigers game while we were back in Michigan. He was more interested in the LCD screens and lights than the game. But he made it through the whole game with no problems! And the Tigers won!

A Day at the Beapch

2007-08-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Before you email us, no we did not make a spelling error. We did go to the beach, which Mason affectionately calls the "BEEPSH". He seems to really like going to the beach and playing in the sand. He is not crazy about the ocean, especially if there are big waves. He likes to hold onto us as we walk SLOWLY into the water. He mostly likes to watch the waves crash on shore, dabble his feet in the water and play in the sand. It was really windy when we went to Seal Beach a week ago. Mason has this little parachute guy that he loves to throw in the air. Needless to say, he got good air at the beach Saturday. We went with Noah and his parents (Jennifer and Kerry) and his aunt and uncle (Chris and Jamie). Mason and Noah played in their tent, destroyed sand castles, poured sand all over themselves and each other. It was good day for the beach and we all had a good time. The pictures show Mason and Noah helping build and destroy some sand castles and just having fun!

Taco Night Mixed With Carrots

2007-08-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

So, we had taco night. And as we were making the tacos, we gave Mason carrots to eat and ranch sauce to dip them in. As a disclaimer, I (Dave) do not like Mason getting messy when he eats. It's just more work for me to clean up. So I end up feeding him. Amanda likes to let Mason feed himself and thus, create a huge mess. With both of us making the dinner, Mason had a free-for-all with the ranch sauce and carrots. After that, we just let him continue making a mess with the tacos. Needless to say, his bath was immediately after dinner. Enjoy the photos. Oh - and Amanda cleaned up the mess while I gave Mason a bath. Yes, it took both of our efforts for this clean-up job.

I'm a Big Boy Now

2007-07-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally did it. We finally had Mason's hair cut...by a professional. Yes, Mason got his first real haircut today. We took him this afternoon to Little Kuts in Pasadena as they specialize in children's hair styling. He did a great job as Karen cut his hair. He plaed with toys and occasionally wathced the DVD playing on the flat screen tv in the middle of the place! Dave tried to keep his mind off the fact that he had a gown strapped around his neck...he hates having anything around his neck! So, all in all it was a good first hair cut. I can't believe how much a simple hair cut can change how he looks. But he looks like such a little boy now!

Midwest Extraveganza

2007-07-17T20:25:00.000-07:00

So Mason and I recently took off for a 10 day adventure through the midwest. We flew into Chicago on July 4th and drove down to Odgen Dunes, In from there. We spent about 5 days there for my family reunion. It was fun hanging out at the beach and catching up with the family. Mason had fun seeing all his cousins! From there we drove to Grand Rapids to visit friends for a day. Then we drove down to Detroit area to visit a day with the Baughman's and a day with the Thomas'. We had a little family get together at both places. Mason got to meet his brand new cousin, Elliana, and visit some more with his other cousins at the Thomas gathering. Finally, we drove back to Wisconsin to see my parents new place and relax for a couple days. We flew out early Saturday morning. It really went by fast and we certainly did not get to see everyone we wanted to but we tried to squeeze in as much as we could in a short time. I know Dave is looking forward to his turn to travel solo with Mason. Have fun on the plane Dave!

We have a new niece

2007-06-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to say that we have a brand new baby niece and cousin for Mason! She was born Friday, June 29th and weighed 6 pounds, 1 ounce and 19 inches long. She is doing really well. Jenni and Brian are doing well too and happy to meet their brand new baby girl. We are all excited to meet her this summer! Congratulations on the birth of little Elliana Grace!

Mason's Best Buddy

2007-06-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned Mason's new friend Noah before. But I thought I would tell you a little about him as he and Mason spend so much time together. Every time we get in the car, Mason calls his name, "Nonah, Nonah, Nonah". He always thinks we are going to visit him if we get in the car. It is really cute. Jennifer, Noah's mom, is in my child care co-op and keeps Mason while I am in class. In return, I watch Noah while she is studying or teaching. So, the boys see each other quite a bit. They have really learned to play well together. They chase each other, play and ocassionally get cranky with each other. Overall, they play pretty well. They're only one month apart although you wouldn't know by looking at them. Noah is much bigger than skinny Mason. He only runs and is an amazing climber. Mason, on the other hand, prefers to be cautious and would rather talk, sing and dance. Noah is a real boys' boy. Mason, while he likes to play and get dirty, is not quite as adventurous. I guess that is good for us moms though! So, that's the scoop on Mason's new best bud. Enjoy the pictures.

Moving On...sort of

2007-06-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well, the good news is that Dave and I did get rehired to be Community Coordinators for Fuller residential community. The bad news is that they do not have an apartment for us to move into in our new community that we are supposed to be coordinating. So we are not officially coordinators in our current apartment building, but we'll be sticking around until a 2 bedroom place opens in the new place. So, for now we live in limbo! We'll be remote CC's, commuting to our new residents. But we are excited to meet some new people and build new community!

Moving on from South Pasadena...maybe? Dave has applied at a, get this, private Christian high school. Mr. Cynical himself could be working at a place he thought he'd finally gotten rid of. Seriously, it would be a great opportunity and we are praying that he gets an interview. He applied to be a math teacher. They have several positions available because they have a large incoming freshman class. Keep him your prayers!

Amanda has summer classes...good times! After the summer, I only have 2 classes left to take. Then my practicum...then graduation!! So for me, the big question now is what to do for my practicum. I have several options. I could stay in LA, try to do an internship in CHicago or Boston, come back to Michigan. So we are talking as a family what the best option would be. Time will tell.

Lastly, Mason is moving on too. He is moving on through toddlerhood rather smoothly. He now has 11 teeth and working on the 12th. He is adding words to his vocabulary daily. He is a little charmer, especially with the ladies! He has been spending a lot of time with another little boy named Noah, which he affectionately refers to as Nonah. He is growing leaps and bounds but is still the littlest kid in my co-op. We have so much fun watching him try to do things and say new things! He keeps us on our toes but keeps us laughing too! We just got our camera fixed so I can finally post some new pics!!

Graduation Day

2007-06-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

The day has come. Dave is officially a Seminary graduate! This year's class was the largest graduating class in Fuller's history. The service was about 3 hours long... thank goodness for free childcare! The service was held at Lake Avenue Church, just aorund the corner from school. Dave was one of about 100 student from the School of Intercultural Studies to graduate Saturday. Total there were about 500 students graduating. It was a great service and Dr. Mouw gave a great charge to the graduating class! Afterward, we were able to celebrate with our good friend Gina, who also graduated Saturday!

Sunday we had a party to celebrate the end of the quarter and Dave's graduation. We all had a good time barbequing and catching up with everyone! Thanks to everyone who came to support Dave! We all had fun!

We're Done!

2007-06-08T23:46:00.000-07:00

We are officially done! Dave turned in the last paper of his life this afternoon. While not confident that it was the best paper he's written, knowing it was his last eased the pressure of making it an A. Tonight we will relax and get ready for graduation tomorrow. We will post some pictures as soon as we can. For now, WE ARE DONE!! YEAH!!

Nearing the End

2007-05-27T21:20:00.000-07:00

2 weeks and counting. That is what is left of the Spring quarter at Fuller. For Amanda it will signify the end of the most hectic quarter ever and for Dave it will be the end of his seminary experience. Needless to say, we are both excited for the end of the 2 weeks to arrive. Meanwhile, we have a ton of school work to complete on top of work, co-op stuff and caring for Mason. So, in the words of Jim Halpert, "Lord, beer me the strength!" We are planning an end of the quarter/graduation blow out on Sunday, June 10. It will be a great way to celebrate the end of the quarter as well as the end of our time in our community. Many of the Fuller people in our building will be moving out and moving on, including us. We will be serving as Community Coordinators in a new Fuller community about 3 miles away. We are still awaiting the details and official offer though. It'll be weird living somewhere new after being in this apartment for 3 1/2 years. But I think we are all ready for a change.

Meanwhile, Mason is plugging along oblivious to the stress of his parents. He has popped yet another tooth and we think working on some more. He is adding words to his vocab pretty consistently now. He says "more", "please", "drink", "up" on top of the words he's been using for a while. It's fun to hear his cute, high pitched voice try to say all these words. He is still singing and dancing away. We are starting to recognize that his draw toward music goes beyond that of other 18 month olds. Perhaps, we'll have a musician? Meanwhile, we are just trying to encourage him in his music without being pushy.

We'll post some new pictures and video as soon as our camera is repaired!

Mother's Day

2007-05-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

So our camera broke and we haven't been able to take pictures or videos or upload the ones that were on the camera already. I was pretty bummed to think that another Mother's Day may go by without any pictures. So our friend Gina graciously agreed to take some photos of me and Mason. He and Dave made me breakfast in bed, went to church with me and got me my YMCA membership with a iPod shuffle to listen to while I'm there. It was a really nice day and I am so grateful to have two such wonderful guys in my life. Here are a few pictures courtesy of Gina!

New Chompers

2007-05-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

So, Mason cut 2 new teeth. He is now up to the grand total of 8 teeth. He has four on top and now with the 2 new ones, four on the bottom. Once they come in more, we'll get a nice picture with a teethy smile!

Mason is also trying to climb up and down stairs by himself now. As you know, he never did learn to crawl. So as most kids his age crawl up and down the stairs carefully, Mason tried to walk up and down like an adult! It is quite funny to watch actually. I don't think I have ever seen another kid climb quite the way he does! He is determined to do it by himself...even if he falls and bumps his head like he did Friday. He was with a friend while we were in class/at work, and he bit it off the stairs going head first into a flower pot. He has a nice black and blue knot on the upper left side of his forehead to show for it. He was fine, just a little sore. That's our son, doing it his own way!

Will post some videos soon (once I figure out how to) of a dancing Mason!

Disneyland or bust!

2007-04-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

So once again, we tried to go to DisneyLand and once again we were denied! Some of you may recall that we tried to go to Disney on New Year's Eve to celebrate. They do a big fireworks show and parades and all of the over the top things you'd expect from Disney. By the time we decided to go, the park was sold out. So we hung around the "Downtown Disney" area for a while before heading home to watch the ball drop on tv. So this past week I was given 3 tickets to DisneyLand for free. Mason and I decided to take our neighbors who have an 11 month little boy. They had never been so we thought it'd be fun to experience Disney with the kids for the first time. So after we spent the evening preparing the diaper bags, snack, lunches and waking early to hit the road, we finally made it to Disney about 20 minutes after they opened. We got parked in the massive (and expensive) parking garage, took the tram to the park, went trough security and finally made it to the gate. This was it! We were going to finally see the pure joy in our children's face walking through those gates into the happiest place on earth. The moment to hand over our tickets only to hear the ticket collector say, "Oh, this ticket is expired. You'll have to go back to the ticketing counter." What?! Expired? It said valid until 4/26 and it was 4/26. We proceeded to the ticket counter where we were informed that the ticket had indeed expired because the first trip of the "2fer" ticket had been used more than 30 days prior, voiding the ticket. Once again, our plans had been thwarted and we were so disappointed! Buying a new ticket was our only option but that was $63 per person and my neighbors didn't have the money, nor did we. So once again, we visited Downtown Disney. The kids still had fun looking at the fountains, stores and people walking around. We went inside the Rainforest Cafe to see the fish tanks and hear the storms. Needless to say, it was exciting for the boys and that is all that really matters. But, we are not giving up on DisneyLand. One day, we will make it in!

Can you believe it?

2007-04-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

All I have to say is YEAH, SANJAYA IS GONE!!!

A Late Addition

2007-04-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

Just in case any of you are curious about what we are learning at Fuller, we wanted to give you some information. We have gotten questions from family members about our program and Fuller's theology. So we will give a few brief summaries and then refer you to the website.

Regarding our program, it is a Master's in Cross-cultural Studies and is designed for people who have less than 3 years of service in the mission filed. It requires 96 units including a practicum project. The practicum is a trip, domestic or international, in the field of interest/study that ties together and puts into practice all of the theories and applications learned from classes. It is usually about a 4-week intensive trip, 2000 pages of reading and a paper anywhere from 2500 words upward. The point of the practicum is to give the student a practical experience in mission, whatever the nature of the trip may be. Dave completed his project when we lead a team to Spain in the summer of 2005. He concentrated on team dynamics and leadership. Amanda still has to complete her practicum. Lastly, you can elect to have a concentration area if you so desire. Doing so allows you to learn more about one particular dimension of cross-cultural study and missiology. If you choose not to have a concentration, you are on a general track meaning that you have several elective courses. Dave choose to do the general track because there were several areas he was interested in and did not want to be confined to one particular area of study. He took several classes in church growth/emerging church as well as anthropology. Amanda chose the Islamic Studies program because she desired to know more about Muslim theology and culture.

Regarding Fuller and their theology, there is no single theology that all the staff adhere to outside of the basic doctrines stated in Fuller's Statement of Faith. These include ten central affirmations which we "hold to be essential" to our ministry: 1) the existence, perfection and triune nature of God; 2) the revelation of God in creation, history and in Jesus Christ; 3) the inspiration and authority of the Scriptures; 4) God's creation of the world and humankind, with humanity's rebellion and subsequent depravity; 5) the person and work of Jesus Christ, including his deity, virgin birth, true humanity, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, and ascension to heaven; 6) the Holy Spirit's work in regeneration and justification; 7) growth in the knowledge of God and Christian obedience; 8) the church as the creation of the Holy Spirit; 9) the worship, mission and service of the church; 10) the return of Christ to raise the dead and to judge the world.

Fuller faculty, just like the student body, comes from various denominations and cultures. This allows for a variety of perspectives and Biblical interpretations to be presented. Fuller is unique in that it does not present one uniform theology that all students must subscribe to but rather teaches the various Biblical interpretations, debates and theories currently taking place. By doing so, the staff encourage students to think for themselves, encouraging them to wrestle with the issues through prayer, Biblical study and scholarly research. This approach appealed to us and is a major reason why we chose to study at Fuller. Over the last three years we have come to appreciate this position and have truly been challenged and encouraged in our faith.

If you have more questions, or concerns, about Fuller, our degree, theology, we will refer you to the Fuller website. It is www.fuller.edu. Here you can find their Statement of Faith, mission statement, etc. If you have any questions for us, feel free to post a comment, shoot us an email or give us a call.

So what does one do with a degree like this?

2007-04-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Dave and I have been fielding many questions recently about our program and the degree that we will be receiving, most likely prompted by Dave's pending graduation. Most questions go something like this..."So, what exactly is your degree in? Intercultural studies, uh. What do you do with a degree like that?" Well, the short answer is mission work. But to limit it to just "mission work" would not be fair. In fact, Fuller's School of Intercultural Studies is quite well known throughout the world and is one of the best of its' kind in the States and around the globe. There are people from all over world representing over 100 denominations. Such diversity creates a rich environment for learning. Over the last 3 years, Dave and I have learned so much not only from our classes and professors, who are amazing, but from our classmates. The experiences and wisdom that comes from the Fuller student body has been pleasantly surprising. We have made some good friends and seen many of them come and go by now. So where are these graduates going? Many go into the "mission field" with traditional mission agencies. Some have gone home and began working with or for their church's mission department. One friend is going to work at a Christian college training students going to serve or learn overseas. Others go to work for agencies like World Vision in stateside offices. And some teach. Needless to say, there are many options for someone graduating with a degree like ours. So now the questions becomes, "Well, what are you two planning to do?" This is the question of the hour, one that we have been thinking and praying over for a long time. The answer is not short but I'll try to summarize our tentative plan.

First, we will be here in California until at least next summer until Amanda finishes her degree and we complete our job with Fuller. Then, more than likely we will return to Michigan to work for a while and pay off some loans. At the same time we hope to be reconnecting with Mars Hill and raising support to return to Spain. At this point, that is the plan but we are not ruling out the possibility of staying in California for a while or moving to another part of the world. As mentioned earlier, this plan is tentative. So, that was a long answer to a short question and that was the condensed version! I hope it helps clarify things a bit.