bubbles videos

(two tub time videos... sally with bubbles 14 months old)

so today was wonderful and interesting.

the church in Kentucky called- gow will have his 2nd phone interview this Friday at 10am and then the plan is for us to fly down the 2nd weekend of July for further interviews.

he also has an interview next monday am at a place about 1 hour north from here - the position is as a bilingual advocate. full time, ok pay (he would need to freelance and/or do worship at our church) with benefits.

then he got an email- and it looks like he may proceed with an interview with the production house in kansas city as well- we will see.

So PRAISE THE LORD for some action! Praise the Lord for some interviews! Praise the Lord for some possibilities! We are sooo ready to see what He has!

it is wonderful and interesting at the same time- hard to process as our feelings are complicated and mumbled jumbled about what we even want. as Sj and i were walking by the lake today (it was a sweet upper 60 degree day with thick rain clouds) i was praising God and just thanking Him for the action. then i quickly realized how very desperately we need Him to continue to open and shut these doors as we ourselves are not sure how to feel about this options. what is that verse that says something about "He knows what's best for us- even when we have no clue what's best." nice paraphrasing eh?

and then on top of that, we are going tomorrow with Neal and Cyndie to check out a few homes in the area.... they may buy and it is possible that we could rent from them.

ah- praise the Lord for action! and praise Him for promising to continue to go before us!

k- gonna call it quits for the evenin'- keep those prayers coming! and praise Him with us tonight for the action!

LOVE-

bubbles and respect

well happy monday to ya'll.
we are hoping and ready for God to work miracles this week!

trust is our gift back to God - b. manning (ruthless trust)

today i am so thankful for my amazing husband.
he is so steady in leading our fam thru this insane time.
he is ROOTED in God's truth/promises and he is so patient in waiting to see God move.
he is steady-eddy with me and my wacky/prego/just-being-a-woman emotions and has done a fantastic job of understanding, caring, praying, and sometimes just saying that we need to go to bed to get some sleep.

he has worn himself silly sending out resumes, demo reels and apps. - he continues to push on and try door after door when zillions of them are shut, will shut, or are currently shutting.
he has humbled himself and surrendered dreams/passions to just keep us moving forward.

he has/is willingly and happily fully submerged in "DEVRIES CULTURE" as we are living with and so near all of my family. he is open to "our" way of life and is being flex with us and i might add is rather enjoying us devries-isans. =)

he is determined to keep our relationship as intimate allies. best friends. partners.
he gives and gives and is open to hearing and understanding and learning more about me in the midst of this all.

so. i guess today's blog is a public acknowledgement of God's PROVISION and blessing to me, sally and gowanita #2 thru gow.
the man i respect beyond words and will follow until the end of time.

millers

the millers rolled thru town last week! it was super sweet to catch up and get a sneak peek of their lives. these guys were our co-bosses and mentors (co- with felips and e payne) in Quito and brad co-officiated our wedding. they have been a GREAT part of our lives and it was super fun for us to have them here and to meet lil sal!

since mom and dad have been back- we have had 2 rounds of quite competetive settlers! it has been fun- with mom showing some ruthless colors!

today is finally a break in the heat with cooler temps in the high 80's and some lovely breeze. i think we may do the park this afternoon with sj.

not much new to report- just enjoying a relaxing weekend. Gow worked sat. am and then has had the rest off... so nice ot just chill.

and lastly- something that we are holding tight to this week from Lam 3. 22-26

Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

taubes in town

the taubes came back to town! we had a peachy time together as they were able to come up and spend a night with us. mark is is now full time at his church and kors is looking to start her own grad school here in a few months-- we are loving living near enough to see them a few times a month. sally loves em too. that first pix of her smooching kors.... sally is becoming QUITE the kisser! =)
this morning she picked up a big green ball and kissed it. =)

well, a few weeks back i started reading Deuteronomy because that is where God starts preparing His people to LEAVE THE DESERT and head into the Promised Land. a few weeks back i was thinking- okay, we are READY to leave the desert.

yesterday... i skipped over about 15 verses of Deut. to get to Joshua where the Isrealites are actually ENTERING INTO THE PROMISED LAND.
As lovely as this time of transition and "desert" has been for us as a fam, i am soooo ready to LEAVE the desert and mana (yes, God has provided each day everything we need).
to know where we will be sleeping past a week or two, to know that we will have an income to have steady food, etc...... oh... yes, i am soo ready for that.
so onto Joshua I go!

it says "Be strong and courageous" THREE times in the first chapter of Joshua. i guess the peeps were as weary of the desert and worn out as i am feeling these days. i am still hoping that we will have our own place to be by July 1st. God can do miracles.... and that is looking like what we will need.

today sal and i went for an early morning walk. she has been getting up early and i haven't been walking lately as it has been WAY incredibly TOO hot by 9:30 when i used to head out walking. so we took a sweet jaunt around town. it felt great to move my legs and in the shade of many big and OLD trees down town- it was quite pleasant.

gow's working today- on the same freelance job he's been working on all week.
grandma and grandpa d will join us late afternoon for hang out and dinner.
and tomorrow is church and a day of rest.

toodles

two videos... getting the house ready for grandma and grandpa d

so check out these two videos! sally was helping us get ready for grandma and grandpa d's arrival yesterday. too hilarious- my fave is the way she shakes her toosh while dusting. and it is possible that at this rate, maybe she will be taking out the trash and mowing the lawn by the time she turns two. =)

grandma and grandpa d made it home yesterday in time for dinner and to soak up some sally jane. it is really fun to have them back!

they are sleeping at the clausons for a few weeks- but will be hanging out with us during the days. it is super fun to have them in our DAILY lives!

we are working out details like how to split meals/cooking etc and how to have room for all five of our stuff in this 2 bedroom condo. =) we are blessed, so blessed by their hospitality and PATIENCE as we are waiting to see what God has....... pray for to have sweet harmony as we share these walls for this season of life.

today i am 33 weeks prego. only 7 weeks to go! i am looking like i swallowed a beach ball and am feeling like this lil girl wants to split my belly down the middle and crawl out. =) pretty pix i just painted for ya'll eh? =) i think sally has no clue what's coming... pray for that k?

k- gonna rest a bit before the cousins come for pizza and a swim in the GLORIOUS pool! =) the pool is seriously the only way this prego girl can be happy outside these days as it is HOT and HUMID.

happy weekend!

placenta previa... we are in the clear!

Praise the Lord!
i had an ultra sound and a doc appt today and the best news of the week is that my placenta previa has corrected itself! we will proceed with normalacy! wahoo!
Praise God for this!
ah- it is really great!

these pix aren't anything special- just sal rolling around and hanging out.

she is a bit whiney these days- i am pretty sure that it is her molars bothering her. she is drooling, chewing on her fingers and sticking her fingers in her ears. poor thing. one molar is already showing itself and there is a whole lot of puffy gums going on where the others will soon appear. so we are doing our best to give her extra tlc and grace.

check out what she was doing today..... she was playing with grandma and grandpa d's "little people farm" (the one that my siblings and i played with as babies) and as she was removing each animal from the barn- she would give them each a kiss! first the little man, then the cow, then the pig and of course a smoochie for the tractor too! ha.

we had a sweet time with the millers... man it was great to talk youth world and quito and just catch up. we miss that part of our world.....

tomorrow- i am driving a friend to the airport... leaving our house at 4:40am. woot woot. can't wait for that! =) but i have really random sleep these days anyways so i figure we will just chalk this one up to preppin for those crazy night time hours with gowanita #2. =)

and then grandma and grandpa d will be in the house! wahoo!

k- am wrapping it up tonight. and thanks for praising God with us about the placenta previa!

dairy breakfast at the county fair grounds

sally has been waking up EARLY this past week... we are gonna blame it on her molars. one is poking out and the others are puffy.... she has been very "vocal" and somewhat crabby, but is making it.

since she was up early on Saturday, we decided head to the 33rd annual dairy breakfast in a nearby town.

we paid $6 for a tasty and LARGE breakfast (gow said they had the best sausages he's had) followed by free strawberries and ice cream, cow milking competition and sally got to meet some of the animals that we read about. you should have seen her face when the cows moo-ed like the ones in her books. fun family times and i LOVE local entertainment like this.

so- i blogged a few days ago about washing out sippy cups. (failure #1).. i am not sure what the deal is but this has been a BAD MOM WEEK for me. I am so super thankful that Sally Jane is teeny won't remember this week.

saturday at the pool (failure #2)- she was strutting her independance and was waltzing around the pool deck. she was more interested in the chairs, sidewalk cracks and bugs than the pool. then, in a split second she is running to the pool stairs. i yell- NO SALLY as i run towards her. she hits the stairs and is completely submerged with me about 4-5 feet away from her. i pull her out, she doesn't cough nor cry nor even make a peep. I am almost in tears and holding her tight and she wiggles a bit to get down to carry on with her play. amazing. she was perfectly fine - it was by far the scariest moment i have had since being a mom. THANK the LORD for His protection and you better believe that this prego momma no longer allows an inch of independance to lil sj by the pool.

sunday at breakfast (failure #3) - i often put cheerios or some munchie on her tray while i cook eggs and toast. i put some down- she didn't want them- not a big deal as she is being quite picky these days. so i pick up the cheerios and put them in my mouth to eat them. they were as chewy as bubble gum. seriously- OLD, stale and YUCKO. niiiice laura.

today at N and C's (failure #4) - we pull up, i take sj outta the car seat and set her down on the driveway. again, she likes her independance and likes to walk... however, it was 95 degrees and blazing sunshine. about 1 second after putting her on the driveway she starts to cry.... BLACK asphalt burning her feetsies. i scoop her up.... heart broken for even the 1 second of pain this non-thinking momma is causing.

good grief- can i blame this on the fact that i am in the my last trimester? hmm, not sure. but again, praise the Lord that sally is teeny and won't remember this week. =)

sally went down early tonight and we are headed to bed early too.... guess we are all worn out from the heat and just life in general.

tomorrow is brunch with brad and sandi miller! wahoo! can NOT wait to see them and catch up!

then i have an ultra sound and doc appt. in the afternoon- please pray as this is the ultra sound that will determine if my placenta previa has corrected itself or not (ie, if i will be able to have a "norm" delivery or c-section).

gow will have worship practice in the evening and we will get ready to have grandma and grandpa d home! they will arrive for dinner on thursday- can't wait to have them back!!!

gow had a phone interview today with a church in Kentucky.... will see what God has....

today sj is a year and two months -wow -

k - g'night ya'll.

free cycle JACKPOT

free cycle is amazing.
if you haven't discovered it yet, you need to check it out at freecycle

it is a way to recycle things that still have value, hand off stuff you no longer want but some one else might. these are our two winning items on freecycle this month...
a fisher price sandbox
and little tikes wagon (usually 50 some buckaroonies)

course- both of these items have alot of "character" as they have been played with by other kiddos... but they are out door toys that our girls will just give more "character" to as they play!
super fun!

the wagon has a busted wheel- so we are waiting for grandpa to come back to see if he can work some magic on it....
and the sand box is waiting until we unpack our boxes before it will land somewhere it can be filled. in the meantime, sal is just as happy if we plunk it in the back yard and throw a bucket of water in it. =)

so check out freecycle.net (NOT .com) it is pretty cool.
my sis got a brand new dish washer on it and we got a george foreman grill there! fun.

today gow, sally jane and mark and kors are soaking up the pool. it is a PERFECT day to just float and celebrate the sunshine of summer and great friends. we LOVE it that we have been able to see the taubes a few times a months since living up here. the taubes came up last night for a late lunch, a walk by the lake and some fun games..... today, big brunch, the pool and hopefully hanging out some more tonight.

i am soaking up some nieces and nephew time- while my sis and dave are doing more blood work in the city. we are praying that these tests will get to the bottom of what is going on with dave's liver. keep prayin' k?

gow has a phone interview set up for tomorrow with the big church in Kentucky (it was suppose to be last Friday- but didn't happen)... however, they said this morning that the 2nd interview won't be until August. so- only God knows about that... His timing is SOOOO SOOO different than mine. =)

and i want to leave you with one fun summer thrill... nectarines! i just had the juiciest, tastiest one of the season yet!

=)

getting ready to be a big sis

sally is learning a few things to get ready to be a big sis. we are now under the 2 month mark- until gowanita #2 is in our arms. amazing!

so, sal is learning...

1- to hold her own bottle and to be content drinking it by herself

2- when i say "let's go" she goes to the front door and then holds my hand and walks herself outside (she is a complete disaster on the steps... i am failing in teaching her that one! =))

3- today she helped put all her books "away"- by picking up the ones i pointed to and placing them in their little tubey.

she has a LOOONG way to go on sharing mommy. that will be interesting as often she will hollar in protest if i am giving one of her cousins or even daddy too much touch.
but she is young enough- i think she will deal fairly well.


a quick prayer list for those of you that are prayer warriors out there...

- my bro in law, sis and their family as last week's test did not identify dave's liver problem. therefore, they will have further tests this week and they wait longer to find out what is wrong and how to treat it.
sal and i went down for an over night stay to help with the 3 cousins, and looks like we will go down (about 40 minutes south of here) again on Monday to help out.
they are worn out, dave's feeling yucko and they really would like to just know what is going on with his liver. thanks for the prayers.

- my folks began their trip home from OR today- only to be hit by an old man in a truck about 40 minutes in to their 500 mile trek. they are totally fine, no one was hurt - only the back left side of their car had any damage- thank the Lord. yet, that made me realize that we need to be praying for their travels as well.

-gow's folks as they are transitioning to a new place of employment and housing in Guatemala with HCJB

-gow's sis and bro in law as 1) they are Prego! WAHOOO- and due in Dec!! 2) cuz of economy stuff, the private school they both teach at could potentially close down.

-and of course employment and a home for us (with my folks coming home this week, we will plan to overlap with them for a few weeks as we wait for some doors to close that are currently open)

-and lastly, for my last ultrasound that is this week. this is the last chance for my placenta previa to have "fixed itself"- allowing me to have a normal delivery.

yup, that's quite a bit to pray for- but that is what is going on in our world.

some praises today...

1) my bro and sis' Cali house CLOSED and is officially SOLD!
2) my siso is finishing up a 10 day mission trip to Alaska- and sounds like they had an incredible time
3) our sweet sal is definately our fave lil person in the world and she is strong and healthy.
4) only 8 more weeks to go for me of hot weather and being a hippo that has to wear support hose for her viens!
5) for the 2 freelance jobs that God provided this month for a bit of income
6) for a chance to see Brad and Sandi Miller and Mark and Kora Taube this week!

ok. this is long-o again.
but i guess that's the beauty of bloggin'- one can always scan and just read what one chooses. =)

headed to the pool after Sj's nap today... over n out.

wash your sippy cups daily

the lesson i learned yesterday, was to wash sally's sippy cups daily.
i have a "travel" sippy cup that goes in the diaper bag with us everywhere (thanks Auntie Karen).
i only keep water in it and occasionally wipe it down if sticky or dirty fingers have been holding it.
however, as it only has had water in it... i haven't taken it apart and suds it out.
riiiiiiiiiiiight.
i opened it yesterday to find BLACK, yes, that's right i said BLACK naste on the underside of the lid. at first i wondered if it was just part of the cup and then the horrible understanding that i am a bad bad mom came to me. =) ugh. yuck. poor sj.
morale of the story.... wash your sippy cups daily. =)

in the pix above sj is wearing a bathing suit that i wore when i was a little girl! fun!
also, you will notice in her hands two toys.... she is quite the parallel little player. she is often running around with a pretzel in each hand, a chicken and rooster in each hand, a princess plate in each hand, a veggie tale action figure in each hand. it's too cute- but makes for her wipe outs or trips to be scary on concrete when her fists are tightly clenched around a toy.

that's it for today. gow is busy with a freelance job (deadline tomorrow).
and please pray with us for my bro in law -(had a liver transplant a few years ago) is having complications and tests this week.

cuteness video

hey all.
here's a quick video showing a bit of sweet sj's personality these days.

had the blessing of a morning date with gow today.
(we are LOVING the kid swappage with Neal and Cyndie for dates- wahoo!)
we were able to sort of reconnect/recollect our thoughts and hopes and regroup.

this has for sure been the toughest times we have faced together.

so- with my folks coming home later next week, baby #2 coming in 8 weeks and still nothing solidified for neither home nor employment... we carry on. =)

we have this HOPE, this SURE and STEADFAST anchor of the soul. heb:19
the verse that i read to myself about 25 times a day as it is up on our wall in big permanant marker.

Gow has had 2 freelance jobs open up this week that have brought in some cash- Thank you Lord. and also have been an encouragement as the director has spoken highly of Gow's work and could possibly lead to more work.

at this point we are planning to overlap with my folks for a few weeks to allow some potential employment opportunities work themselves out....

one thing- gow has a phone interview on Friday with a church in Kentucky for a director of childrens media job.

another would be this company in KC that asked him to come interview... we are waiting for some answers to some q's that gow emailed them first...

there are few more options... will keep you posted as doors open further or close.

another highlight of the day was celebrating that Neal and Cyndie's house in Cali SOLD!!! GO GOD!!!! another encouragement to us that God indeed sees our needs and hears our prayers and is ACTIVE! Thank you Lord!

ok- am going to bed.
good night and mucho amor to ya'll.

fiesta dress

this is one of my fave lil dresses of sal! i call it the fiesta dress! as you can see in the pix- it is harder to get a good one of her these days as everytime i pull the camera out - she runs over to see it. oh well. so it goes.

tonight gow is in madison, wi doing a short freelance project (only a few hours or so). we are thankful as this one is NOT pro bono!

today was a fun dat at camp with our church peeps, a potluck and LOTS O sunshine. i was thankful for a chance to talk with some people that i normally do not get to connect with on a sunday morning as our church meets at the YMCA and is not super condusive to hanging out afterward....

then the pool this afternoon with cousins and a sourdough dinner for sally and i at the cousins' house.

tomorrow will be an aldi run for me and sj and pro bono for gow.

love to ya'll.

video- doing her share of the work around here

two more videos.... enjoy!

today was an early morning for us as we woke up our sleeping beauty to go to Neal and Cyndies for breakfast, then Cyndie and I hit a city-wide garage sale for the morning. We also were at the sale yesterday for a few hours.... great finds! and seriously, this part of the nation is AMAZING with garage sales! i was commenting to Cyndie that with enough planning ahead (and storage space) you honestly would not need stores like walmart and target if you faithfully hit the garage sales. =)

then the guys hit the movie theater for a early afternoon flick and this evening was the burger bash at Auntie Karen's. and let me say.... she baked some TASTEY PIES!!! my fave was the Rhubarb Strawberry!!! yummage!

on the job front.... we are really really needing God to provide. please keep praying.

tomorrow is church, potluck and church meeting at the camp on the lake. fun times! then we will rest and relax before hitting the job hunt hard again on Monday.

love-

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-larious

this video is by far the funniest we have captured of our lil sj.

it is so stinking funny and actually a wee bit sad too. lately, she has been soo pooped out from the morning's activities... she is not making it thru lunch. bless her lil bitty heart.

on the job front... gow got an email from a video company in KC- we'll see.

a few other doors have closed. he keeps plugging away.... only God knows how much longer we can do this, emotionally and financially..... please pray that He provides something soon.

on the sally front.... she has been kicking and throwing a ball and giggling the whole while. she also has begun pointing everywhere and really communicating lots with us.

k- love to ya'll - enjoy your weekend and bless you for your prayers.

at my sis's

today we are at my sis's house to help out with their kiddos while they take care of some meetings.
we drove down last night (40 min drive) had dinner, played in the sand pit with the kiddos and then after the wee ones went down- we watched a flick on their big screen theater.

i think ya'll are hearing a theme from me... we are really having a good time living near family!

i have not lived in the same state as anyone of my fam members (let alone withing easy driving distance) since i was 20. after leaving home (cali) at 18 to go to university (ar- where neal and cyndie were at JBU too for two years) i have always been on my own.

we are soaking up every chance we can to hang out with these guys and all three of us are loving it.

i wish i had a camera to show ya'll sally's face the other day when we drove up to Neal and Cyndies.... sj, cyndie and i were on the driveway talking and timmy and emma popped out of the bushes (they have woods bordering one side of their home that has many secret paths) - when they popped out, sally's jaw dropped, her eyes got huge and her mouth made the big OOOOOOOO. then she was giggling and swinging her legs and arms... just JOYED to see her cousins.

good times!

well- here are some pix from the LAST time we were hanging out here...



sally loving the swimming pool on the driveway


with Sally around- Kristi gets the chance to be the BIG kid- or older sibling/cousin


bubbles, bubbles, bubbles



my sis amy, is a reading specialist by profession, and a kiddo specialist by nature. =)



triple timing "the ladies ride" - a devries family favorite for the kiddos


ha- ems is pulling a "bible character" theme here...
so far we have had 2 or 3 sleepover movie nights at the casparis....


the famous homemade deep dish chicago style pizza by dave and gow
(just fyi- the reciepe calls for 2.5 POUNDS OF MOZERELLA PER PIZZA!!!!!!!)


setting up for the flick.

well- lately i have been writing some massively long blogs. guess i am just processing a bit as i go and also keeping ya'll up to date on some of the day to day things.
guess that's the beauty of a blog....

gow continues to plug away on resumes, demo reels and applications.
he has now applied to about everything imaginable.

one thought that we have- is that maybe he will do something like starbucks and then take on a few side or freelance jobs as they come.
starbucks is LOW pay, but has full benefits - which as you all know is a BIG HUMUNGO deal these days.
a starbucks about 15 minutes away is looking to hire a full timer.... he has applied and will probably set up an interview shortly.
then he could do wedding videos, freelance, maybe lead worship at the small church we are currently at, work on the ropes course at my dad's former camp, maybe do some tutoring... trusting God to continue providing as we need.
we have surrendered alot of our expectations and are thinking maybe that God has intended for us to take a massive pay cut and live a different lifestyle than we have known before. maybe it is part of what God has for us now?

another thought, hope, is that something may work out for a full time position with the church we are currently attending as it is going thru some big transitions.... will elaborate more on that if opportunites arise.....

gow continues to apply for full time positions all around the country and shorter term here in WI and Chicago.... so far, doors have been shut. and shut. and shut. and shut.
so... we proceed, doing our best to be very thankful and grateful for the "MANA" God has given us today and to trust that He will give us daily as we need.

a big huge heart's desire (that we are hoping and praying to not have to surrender) is that we would really really like to be in our own place with an income-even if it is smaller than we have known- by the time our 2nd baby girl comes.
really, it would be wonderful to be moving in around the 1st of July so that we can be settled and "nested" and also, my folks are planning to come home around that time frame too.

some of you have inquired about our health insurance during this time.... we are covered on Cobra thru my former work at the church. God has ROCKED us with that as it is pretty good coverage and has been thru sally's birth and this next birth and into November that we will be covered by it. PRAISE THE LORD FOR THAT!

ok- those are some of our thoughts.
maybe we are crazy in thinking them, i don't know.
but we continue to move forward, seeing many, many, many doors close - yet there are still open ones for us to proceed thru. so daily gow applies, drops off resumes, meets with peeps and investigates more options....
and daily we pray, surrender, sometimes cry, sometimes put it all on hold to BASK in the wonderful in our lives like family, a pool and just being together.

oh- and on the baby #2 homefront...
she is right on track with measurements, movement and heartrate. Wahoo-- and thank you Lord. i have gained about 20 pounds (yes, for the 2nd time in one year! my poor bod may never be the same agian) and have 9 weeks and 2 days to go.
i will have another ultra sound in about 2 weeks to determine my placenta previa... if i can have a normal delivery or a c-section... the doc is hopeful for a reg delivery and so am i. keep praying.


thanks for caring and praying with us on this journey.
soon, some time soon..... He will open just the right door for us, for now- however short or long term that may be.

this is laura from the blue couch at the casparis....
over n out.

ps 51:10-12

(video)


create in me a pure heart o God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.

last san diego pix - at the hotel

Auntie Katy and Sally were checking out the humungo gold fish in our hotel's lobby
see the lil raspberry on Sally's cheek bone? she took a major digger at the beach/park and the spot swole out super puffy. i was thinking she was going to get a black eye from it... but her lil raspberry was her only battle wound. it is gone now- but this morning in the church nursery, she took another dive and now has a bruise on her forehead! toddling is tough on the bod!
chilling out with Great Grandpa Gowan
sally's checking to see if GG Gowan has gotten his coffee for the day. happy to be free to roam in our hotel room.. sj did soo great at being flex and being contained in some places- so she really loved the freedom to toddle in our room and around the hotel atrium.
playing with my camera- she likes to look at the pix i take and then push buttons.
ha! what a mischievious face!
even a bobkit can provide 1/2 hour of fun. my fave is when she brushes her own teeth with our tooth brushes and takes my comb and pats her head with it. she is a lil smarty!
and to wrap up the san diego pix... this is a totally unplanned pix. gow and i were picking up, packing and preparing for our travels home and in the meantime....
toodsabella climbed in our suitcase. just was super cute and we wanted to share it with ya.

as for the weekend here...

we had a super fun time with the casparis on Friday in the pool, dinner, playtime and baths for the kiddos here. we are blessed to be only a 40 min. drive from them and blessed to have mom and dad's FANTASTIC pool here!

Saturday- was gow's day to sleep in. he has been working super hard on finding a job and this pro bono project... plus staying up late since our san diego trip with fam... he needed it. so i got up with sally and he slept in.
maybe the craziness of life caught up with all three of us as sally sat on my lap and we watched a veggies and then a 3-2-1 penguins... she didn't budge, didn't play with toys, just chilled on my lap and watched.
by the time gow got up around 11am... i was feeling ill.
so back to bed I went for an hour nap.

then got up, sallly napped and gow and i watched some more tv.
when sally woke up- i was feeling achy, head achy, sore throat and just zonked....
so he and sally headed off to meet up with my bro, his fam and the holtes who had been camping about 1/2 from here... they had dinner, fished and hung out around the camp fire and had a good time.

meanwhile, i watched legally blonde and three episodes of Gilmore Girls. I had 2 cups of tea, 1 of hot chocolate and 2 of cider. and raisen bran for dinner. then i went to bed.

nice that i could just crash and rest and that Gow and sally were able to enjoy the campsite with Neal, Cyndie and gang.

today- church, special treat of lunch out (gow filled out an online survey and we got a check for $10 in the mail) fun! we went to a local dinner (just like Lukes out of Gilmore Girls!) and had a great lunch for a great price.
then the playground, the lake (free fishing this weekend) where we met N & C $ kiddos, then Mc Ds for their $.49 cent cones!

ah- it was a full weekend.

i am feeling better, i think gow is rested up and sally is snuggled in her crib.
we are ready for another week!