From Seattle to Colville

In December, seven months ago, we moved from Seattle and went to the cozy little town of Colville, WA for six months, while Kevin did a rotation to finish up his dental school experience.   We lived in a cute two bedroom apartment that overlooked the intersection of First and Main.  Our apartment was situated over the top of a shoe store.   From our kitchen windows we could view the cafe across the street and the cupcake store on the opposite corner.  It was a nostalgic place to live, especially right when we moved in since  it was just before Christmas.   The difficult part of living in this home was that there was no back yard for the kids to play in.  So we felt a bit caged up during those winter months but we pulled through.  Colville had no place to go indoors to play, not even a McDonalds play area.  Walmart was the only option.  

 

Colville is beautiful.   It had a population I am guessing about 5,000. It's main industry is logging/lumber.  The lumber yard is huge there.   When the wind blows the right way and especially when it is wet the smell in town is just like a Christmas tree.  The terrain is gorgeous.  It is up close to the Canadian border in Eastern Washington.

One of the fun things about going from big city Seattle to small town Colville is the contrast of the difference in the people.  For example while in Coville it was typical to see alot of camouflage, Carhart and hunter orange.  While there I witnessed a man strolling down main street with his hunting rifle, no big deal in Colville.  If a man walked down the middle of Seattle with his hunting rifle, it would cause alot of attention and problems.  I really enjoyed experiencing the stark contrast going from the crowded streets of Seattle to the laid back town of Colville.  The most important similarity however was that  we found and enjoyed great people in both places.

We have finally setted in to our new home in Gainesvill Flordia.  Below is a picture of our new home here.  It is a lot bigger then any home we have lived in.  We are enjoying the sunshine here down south.  Stay tooned: The next post will be about our sweet newest family edition and about the crazy hastle of the move across country.

"Well this seals the deal!"

So Kevin and I have been talking lately about selling our Caravan when we move to Florida and get a new car there. Well an occurance happend this week that sealed the deal. I got in my first car accident. And it was entirely MY fault. I was on my way home after picking Maycie up from school and I was distracted by the screaming kiddies in the back. I turned while at a stop and I am not sure if my foot slipped off the break or if I just didn't push hard enough on the break but none the less I rear-ended the gal in front of me. The good news is that she had her spare tire mounted on the back of her car and so there was no damage detected to her car but for our minivan that was also the bad news. That spare tire did a number on our front end. I wish I had pictures. (still haven't found the charger for our camera) Our hood was totally scrunched up. It looked like it was a more serious accident then it was from looking at our car.

Anyhow, my dad, as always, came to the rescue, with one of his 'salvage cars' a 1993 Toyota Prism that he is so proud of because he only paid $700 for it. Anyhow my dad is fixing the Caravan up to sell and in the mean time we are driving the beauty you see below. Imagine this picture but add twenty years. I am so gratiful for a dad that knows how to do these things and is willing to help. I am also gratiful for our insurrance that was so great in the process. And I am gratiful for my oldest who reminds me "Don't crash this car Mom, Grandpa will be mad at you."

I am however looking forward to purchasing another car when we are in Florida. One that doesn't require full body effort to open and close the door.

This is the deal...

I should be posting on a few other events that are past due but this is what has been on my mind lately. Most of you who read this blog already know we are expecting.

We are very excited that we are expecting our next addition to our family. I feel baby hungry when I see little babies these days. I always look forward with anticipation to the day when we get to meet the new little addition.

However, pregnancy is a time of refining for me. Refining? Yes refining. Pregnancy hormones have always been tough on me. I feel like not only are the ligaments and muscles being relaxed but so is my brain, my motivation and my ability to cope.

I get the typical morning sickness that many women get and the tiredness that is felt by many in my same position, nothing that isn't par for the course. However, I feel like my ability to cope with it all has been severly compromised. My brain tells me 'ok kerrie this doesn't feel good but you can push thru this, get up and vacumn the living room' . My non-pregnant self more often then not would then get up and push forward. However, my pregnant self more often then not continues to sit and think about all that I need to do but can't seem to pull myself together to do. I then do what many women are good at, I get down on myself and think 'come on kerrie, what is wrong with you, you can do this'

Now this may seem like too much information but I feel the need to get this out there. I then find myself in a position of humility. I then realize my inability to do it all. All the things that I would typically be able to do without much difficulty or thought suddenly feel like mountains in my day. It is in these moments that I find I have to turn to the Lord for help and strength to do very simple things in my day.

These little people we invite into our lives teach us so many things. The whole process teaches me so much about my Father in Heaven and his relationship with me. I am gratiful for all that I learn in these experiences. That said I am also looking forward to hopefully having things level out a bit in the second trimester.

Maycie is Six!

It has been well over a month ago, but that is how I roll these days. Maycie turned 6! She invited a few girlfriends over and they had a great time.

We made gingerbread castles, again, it is always a hit.
Six cupcakes, six candles and one six year old girl!
Maycie is a busy little thing. She is into projects and has a great need for variety, constant variety. She loves kindergarten, which I am often gratiful for. She is learning the typical kindergarten things, like simple math and how to write full sentences and how to be a good friend. She is a true leader and oldest with her brother and sister. Lately they have been playing house together alot, taking turns being the mom.

As a baby Maycie was a ham. Kevin and I called her "our excess of laughter girl" She did full on belly giggles as a one month old. It was strange to witness. She is the same even still, alway up for a good laugh.

We love her and are so happy for the variety she brings to our family. She is such a bright and fun girl!!!

Nelson is Four!

On the 21st of November Nelson turned four. He has been talking about this day for a long time. On his birthday Nelson had some of his buddies over for cupcakes and games. It was very fun for me to see these little guys play games and interact. Whenever asked what he wanted for his birthday Nelson would reply " A Yo-Yo".

It is fun for me to think back on Nelson's four years. As a baby Nelson cried alot. I don't think he was initially too happy about being here. But he mellowed out and his dimples came out. He is very much so a mama's boy. He frequently comes to me for a snuggle or a hug. This morning I asked him if he was happy. He said he was. I asked him why he was happy. He said "Cause I wuv wu Mom." Made my heart melt.

Nelson is a big story teller. I only understand about 25% of the words he is saying in his stories. But he gets so animated and into what he is saying that I love watching him tell his tales. He is into heros and bad guys. He is into jumping high and moving fast. A typical four year old! We love him and are so happy he is in our family.

"I Two"

This last week on the 17th Jane turned two, in her words "I two" (said while holding up four fingers). We did a little family birthday party for her. Two year olds like to keep it simple, more accurately they don't know the difference yet.
Below is a picture of the kids with the books that Gabrielle, our surrogate grandma, brought over for Jane's present. Jane loves books, she can't get enough of them. She often will retrieve my attention by whirling a book at me and saying oh so sweetly "Book please." It is difficult to stay upset about being hit by a book after her sweet request to read the offending book. Jane is also great at her letters she knows most if not all of her letters and likes to point them out where ever we go.
We don't own many stuffed animals, they seem a bit useless to me. However Nelson loves his teddy bear and lately Jane has been loving on his teddy bear so I figured it was time for her to have her own stuffed animal. A little stuffed kitty pillow pet. She now sleeps with this cat along with her blankie and beloved binkie. (it is time to omit the binkie from that line up)
Jane is a joy. She has these beautiful blue eyes and long eye lashes. She is often content to just cuddle. She loves being sung too. She will often stop in the middle of a full blown cry session to a song being sung. She loves animals, as long as they are not too close. She looks out the windows through out the day to find squirrels and dogs. She is typically a good eater. She loves new people and loves to climb. Oh boy does she love to climb. No seatbelt is too tight for her to wiggle out of. Keeping her in the grocery cart is near impossible.
Here is a true shot of Jane in action. She loves to dress like her older siblings like she is going to school, she is so cute and I enjoy her a great deal. It is a good thing I enjoy her so much because she is my constant shaddow, following me from room to room. Never a dull moment. Love this girl! HAPPY 2 year old JANE!!!!

Summer Installment No. 2

I made an effort this summer to get the kids out and about alot. One place we went to often was the beach. We checked out a few of the different beaches here in the Seattle area. The hard part of this is hauling the kids to and from the car with all that we need while we are there. Also Jane is Miss Friendly and had no problem wandering to other peoples areas and going through their things and taking what she wanted. It was a task all of itself to keep her out of trouble. But the reward to all this work is seen in the pics below....especially the first one!

btw- Nelson is now fully potty trained, much to my relief!


For my birthday my mother got me a campfire pit. As per my request. We had alot of fun roasting hot dogs and marshmellows.

At the beginning of the summer Nelson took swim lessons with his cousin Travis. They were so cute together.

This is doing fire crackers on the Forth of July! I vow in the future to plan ahead and order my fire crackers online in advance. Vendors make a mint on these sort of things, I was surprised at the price.