At One Year

Newborn Haven

At 1 Year Old, Haven is:
71 1/2 cm. long
7 kilos, with a head circumference of 44 cm
Pulling up to stand
Cruising along everything
Taking 2-3 sturdy steps in a row, once in a while
Babbling all the time

6 month Haven

At 1 Year Old, Haven says:
"Hi there!"
Hi
Bye-bye
Baby
Bye-bee (diaper)
Byla-byla (banana)
Papay (papaya)
Daddy
dahdee (doggy)
chickie
ba (bath)
dtaw (stop)
duh (done)
mama (although I think she uses daddy interchangeably for both of us)
bee-bee (peek-a-boo)
ja-eh (this is Thai peek-a-boo)

11 month Haven

At 1 Year Old, Haven:
Is starting to actually look through books
Gives hugs, kisses and high fives
Still nurses at least four times a day
Takes about three naps a day, and sleeps all night (7:30-6:30)
Enjoys playing with Hope
Loves nodding and shaking her head, especially when copying someone else
Imitates what others say, often quite clearly
Likes to sip out of a straw, although most liquid goes down her front
Is a snuggle-bug, and loves to roll around on beds and blankets while saying, "Aaaahhh."

Another newborn pic of Haven

We're so blessed to have had one year so far with our Haven Anne.

Haven's Skype 1st Birthday Party

For Haven's first birthday we decided to do a Skype family birthday party. So I sent out invitations over Facebook to our family members. I let them know not to bring gifts. I also told them that we'd be having carrot cupcakes, but they wouldn't be able to taste them. I did invite them to make their own carrot cake to eat along with us during the party.

It turned out very well. We chatted with family in Idaho and Texas, some simultaneously, and some one-on-one. Haven didn't have much of a clue what all the fuss was about but she enjoyed smushing her carrot cupcake all over the place.

Hope ate all her frosting and left her cupcake. There was some good thinking done before-hand so that Hope and Haven both got some homemade applesauce in their tummies before they loaded up on cupcakes and frosting.

All in all it turned out very well for a first birthday party. Happy Birthday to our little one!

Counting My Blessings... 121-130

121. Healing power through prayer
122. Skype!!!
123. Seeing my sister Kari's smiling face
124. Hugs and kisses from my girls
125. Haven's snuggles (she's been very snuggly this week)
126. Receiving packages
127. Scripture to meet every need and struggle
128. Realizing my need for Jesus
129. Struggles
130. Funny fruit faces

Cardboard Box Fun

We bought a countertop oven the other day. The box has become a toy for Hope. She's fixed it up as a home for her favorite stuffed animals and dolls.

She loves to pretend to sleep in the box along with her animals
and dolls.

They Grow Up So Fast

Our chickies on their first night as our pets.
They were falling asleep in my hands.

Our chickies about two weeks after becoming our pets.
We still have no names. We're waiting until we
are sure of gender. I think the two darker ones are male.

We love our little chicks, but if we have two males we'll get rid of one. We wouldn't want them fighting with each other. They've been growing so fast. So have our girls... Haven turns one in three days!!!

Take It From Me

Tomorrow will be our five year anniversary. I think that entitles me to give some advice. Especially to those who are not yet married, and those who are considering marriage, and those who are engaged but not yet married. As a woman, I feel that I especially can speak to other women from my five years of experience. This is especially for those women who are in the age group of 18-23 (since that is how old I was when I got married).




Our first five years of marriage have been wonderful, but challenging. We've experienced time apart (not separation, just a summer job that took me to France while pregnant with our oldest). We've experienced sorrow with the loss of our second baby (a miscarriage at 11 weeks, I still consider it a baby).

We've experienced joy with the births of our two girls, and watching them grow. We've also experienced our share of frustration, humor, excitement, anger, romance and adventure. Most of our first five years together were spent on American soil. Our next five will be spent mostly on foreign soil. I wouldn't trade life with Robbie for any earthly thing. He is my lover and my best friend.

With all of this said, I want to say something to those yet unmarried women out there...
TAKE YOUR TIME!!!
You don't need to rush into this. It's not a race to see how many friends you can beat to the altar.
Live your life before you get married. Go backpacking around the world. Spend a year as a student missionary. Work at an orphanage. Get a job. Finish college. Volunteer. Be a literature evangelist or a Bible worker. Let your life be a witness to those around you.
Life is about more than getting married. Marriage is about more than just sex.
Don't go searching. When it's God's timing, He'll arrange it perfectly.

I have no regrets about dating Robbie for only eleven months before pledging my life to him. I had spent two years in Thailand as a student missionary, been a literature evangelist, volunteered, and I had waited for God to make clear His will. I was not searching. I was waiting for God and He arranged it perfectly.

I pray for all those young women who are considering marriage, that they would wait on the Lord. Take it from me, it's worth it!

Counting My Blessings... 111-120

111. A husband
112. A patient husband
113. A husband who cooks dinner :)
114. A thoughtful husband
115. A husband who is forgiving, and doesn't hold a grudge
116. A faithful husband
117. A husband who does laundry
118. A sweet, kind, considerate husband
119. A husband who loves his children
120. Five great years of marriage so far...

Too Much

I have too much on my mind. Too many thoughts swirling around in my head.
There is too much I need changed in myself. Too many things wrong in this world.
There is too much confusion. Too many lost people.
I haven't been writing lately because there is too much to write about.
There are too many issues close to my heart that are private to other people.
I would love to write all about the things I'm thinking.
I would love to get things off my chest.
Lately my heart has been racing. I think too much.
I would love to share all my thoughts.
That would be too much information.
But I need to do something to ease my mind.
So I'll share it with God.
He is more than enough to handle what is too much for me.

What's a post without a picture? This was during a rough time a couple years ago.
See how tiny Hope was?

Counting My Blessings... 101-110

101. Electrical outages that help me remember what is really important
102. Gas stove tops
103. Having a family to cook for
104. Three little chicks, and numerous outdoor pets (frogs, slugs, snails, ants)
105. A camera to record the moments worth remembering
106. The patter of rain and freshness it brings
107. Flower buds opening into fragrant blooms
108. Sabbath stillness
109. Husband hugs
110. Marriage

Counting My Blessings... 91-100

91. A floor that has been swept and mopped

92. Bible stories on MP3
93. Rest
94. Clean dishes

95. A cool, fresh breeze on a muggy, sultry, stifling day
96. Fluffy clouds that soften the glare and heat of the sun

97. A forgiving family when I am having a really bad day
98. The knowledge that "this too shall pass"
99. Conquering my fear with the Lord's help
100. The presence of God's angels, and His Holy Spirit

Outdoor Fun!

We have a great yard for our girls to play in. The other day I went outside with Hope and Haven when it was starting to cool down a little, and I had some fun taking pictures of the girls playing sweetly together.

Crawling in sync

A hug from Hope

Sitting pretty

Something has their attention

Smiling adoringly at her little sister

What sweet girls. They are such a blessing to our family.

Making Tortilla Dough

Beginning the tortilla making process with a photo.

Dumping in some flour with a smile.

Adding the salt with a smirk.

Come on, Hope, put some muscle into it!

That's more like it...

Happy helper

Can't wait to make these into tortillas!

Yummm!!!

She just had to have a final snitch.

Marshmorgan the Snail

Hope loves to find animal friends in our yard.

Today she found a snail.

She let it slide itself slowly all over her arm. See the smile on her face?

She really loved this little snail friend.

And when I asked her what the snail's name is, she called him Marshmorgan.
I don't know where that came from...