A Big Girl

Sadie Pearl - our almost two-year-old - has had a very exciting week! Early last week, we began the adventure of potty-training. I pulled out a package of pretty panties and said, "Sadie wears undies now! Sadie is a big girl. She goes potty in the potty!" We put away the diapers and made a fast transition. The first day was rough, as it seemed she couldn't quite relax on the potty chair, but by Tuesday evening, she was getting the hang of it. She has not had an accident since Friday, and has been going independently for the last two days, meaning she tells Mommy when it is time, rather than Mommy issuing reminders to stay dry every few minutes. I am so proud of her! We still are using our Bum Genius diapers at naps and bedtime, but she is very pleased with her panties, and Mommy is pleased too. So is big sister Elisa, who loved sharing in the prize M and Ms Sadie was earning during the process.

As part of being a big girl, Sadie decided she wanted to sleep in a big girl bed. I wasn't quite ready to make that transition, as Sadie is the easiest child to put down for bed. Literally, she falls asleep within 2 or 3 minutes every time. I wasn't sure how moving to a big girl bed would affect that. But - we decided to grant her wish, and on Sunday, our neighbors gave us a twin bed they had in storage. So we now have a potty-trained princess who no longer sleeps in a crib. Yeah, Sadie!





I love the girls' room. It is an absolute hodge-podge of hand-me-down furniture, and I think it's adorable. And I love the fact that the girls use the comforters Michelle and I had growing up, and that the only item we've purchased for their room is the bookshelf - which I bought for 20$ in college and painted last week with leftover paint from covering my kitchen chairs this summer. Oh, and the toddler rail on Sadie's bed. They love their room, too.




Sadie pulls up her pants by herself after going potty. She can't quite get the pants over her cute little bottom, though. :)

Catching Up

My friend Monica sent me a message the other day, reminding me I had not updated our family blog for over a month. It has been a full month! The girls and I were blessed to visit Washington for five days and spend time with my sister, my mama, little Ephraim, and my dear friend Ashley -- all on our way to spend a week in Alaska with Erik's parents. Erik joined us in Anchorage, and we had a wonderful, sunny week with Grandma and Grandpa Wachob. We camped for two nights on the bay in Seward. Erik and I saw porpoises from our sea kayak. So beautiful! The girls loved being with their grandparents, and adapted amazingly well to time and schedule changes.

We arrived at our house only minutes before our friends Erin and Karl pulled in from Colorado. They spent three nights with us before driving to Oregon and Washington for their own fall vacation. We were so thankful they included a stop at our house on their road trip itinerary. :)

Then, last weekend, Erik's brother and sister-in-law flew in from North Carolina. Kristen had planned a surprise trip to reunite the brothers. Due to a missed flight, they ended up hitchhiking from the airport, then stealing my hubby's car from the parking lot of the hospital and surprising him by pulling up in front of our OB/GYN office in his hijacked Land Cruiser. I had an ultrasound scheduled that morning, and they were about 14 hours later than planned. The surprise went off with different timing than Kristen and I had planned, but it was awesome! The boys hunted elk in 12-degree weather, and all of us enjoyed the adventure of wood-cutting and hot springs soaking with friends.


Okay, so we have a very basic scanner, and I realize these photos are terrible. But, meet our baby! We had not gone to the doctor yet, so this visit at 19 weeks was the first time we had heard the baby's heartbeat or seen him/her. Erik and I have been holding this precious life so lightly in our hearts as we realize it is a gift regardless of whether he or she is ours to keep. With my heart in that mode of both tender thankfulness and also recognition of life's fragility -- I was almost shocked to discover that our baby is beautiful and healthy and well. Praise God!

As we are parents of two girls, you can imagine the response of those whom we share our happy news with. "I bet you are hoping for a boy this time!" A friend in our Bible Study even went so far as to pray out loud that God would give us a boy. As I have taken in those (well-meant) comments, I have worried that Erik would feel similarly - that he would also have the mindset that our family "needs" a boy. But, as we have talked and shared our hearts, I have discovered that my amazing husband does not feel that way at all! Both of us will be thrilled regardless of who this child is. We are overwhelming thankful that the baby is growing well and seems healthy. Whay a joy! God is good. So, we decided together to let God keep His secrets and wait until the birth to find out the gender of our little bundle. And for those of you beloved friends and family who have been praying for a boy - you can stop! God's already made that decision, and we are thankful that He is the one who gets to! :)

I thought about posting a belly picture, but I don't show very much yet to the naked eye. Or perhaps, I show to the naked eye, but not the fully clothed one. :)

We are loving fall and the crisp air -- the way it can be frosty and frigid at dawn and then warm up to the 50s. Our favorite time of year!

Butterflies

Elisa and Sadie love butterflies. In fact, they think butterflies are absolutely exquisite. They love wearing the butterfly wings they got at a friend's recent birthday gathering. They love watching butterflies in the garden. They love reading stories about butterflies. And they love, love, love clothes bedecked in butterflies.

Yesterday, I found a box from Nana in the mail. Inside was an outfit for each girl. Elisa's pink shirt was smocked with, you guessed it, tiny butterflies! Sadie's, however, was striped, with an embroidered apple on the pocket. Elisa looked at the bounty and frowned. "Mommy, Sadie will be so, so sad, because mine has a butterfly and hers doesn't. Sadie, are you sad? It's okay. Even if it doesn't have a butterfly, you still just smile and say, "Thanks for the shirt, Nana.""

I love hearing the little lessons we teach Elisa come out when she is "mothering" her little sister. "Sadie," she said the other day, "When Mommy tells you to do something, you just say, 'Okay.' You don't argue." Or, "Sadie, you don't get to have dessert unless you eat all your dinner. You should eat your dinner, like me."

My little caterpillar is morphing into a very grown up, and exquisite, butterfly. :)

Ten Sisterchicks in San Antonio

On Thursday morning, my alarm went off at 5:00 AM. I showered, gathered my suitcase and purse, and kissed my sleeping daughters and drowsy husband good-bye as my friend Jenn's van pulled into our driveway. We boarded a plane to Dallas with seven other girls. One girl had taken an earlier flight; another would leave later that night. Jenn's 10-week-old daughter Zoe slept through my most of the flight, and we were able to chat over airplane cups of orange juice. Four days of girlish pampering and fellowship awaited us in San Antonio!

When the plane landed in Dallas, we discovered our connecting flight had been canceled. They had dispersed our group over three later flights, but with a bit of finagling and a lot of God's gracious intervention, we all landed in San Antonio - only three hours late. My friend Dancy's parents picked us up at the airport and drove us forty-five minutes to the riverfront resort they run as a business. We stowed our bags and explored the beautiful grounds. Chef Neals brought out plates of wontons and Dancy's mom poured chilled white wine for the non-pregnant ladies. Dinner was served - chef salads, cold blueberry soup, croissants, and decadent chocolate mousse. When we finished our opulent meal, we loaded back into the cars and headed out for evening pedicures. Ooh La La! Back at the house, we grabbed our unfinished desserts and headed down to the dock to enjoy the cool night.

In the morning, I awoke early (along with Dancy and Becca). Devotions outside in the early morning breeze, listening to the chatter of birds, a swim in the pool, and then breakfast poolside, still in our swimsuits. After eating our fill of eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, fried potatoes and Mexican pastires, we all headed to a nearby outlet mall. Some of the girls were on a shopping mission, while a few of us (the ones who get overwhelmed by places like Walmart, Target and malls) wandered slowly and made only a few purchases. We met for lunch and then dispersed again. When we arrived home, we swam for an hour, showered, and then dressed "up" for a night on the San Antonio riverwalk. A babysitter arrived for Blythe's six-month-old son Cade, and baby Zoe was again tucked in her carseat for a catnap. We parked downtown, walked to the famed Alamo, then took a street trolley to the Mexican market for dinner. All ten of us ordered the same green chile enchiladas, much to the amusement of our waiter. A mariachhi band serendaded us and we tried our best to sing along. With full tummies, we wandered back to the riverwalk and explored the touristy area of San Antonio. When the heat and crowds grew too much, we entered an air-conditioned restaurant for sopapillas and ice water.

The next morning, I again rose early and found a bench swing to sit and read my Bible while the day awakened. It was so warm and peaceful and still.... Breakfast was served poolside again - made-to-order omelets, cinnamon rolls, and fruit. We spent the morning lounging on the dock and swimming in the bathwater warm Guadelupe River. The ski boat wasn't working, so we just swam and floated and basked in the heat until Neals summoned us for lunch back up at the house. As I ate cold Thai noodles and chicken salad, followed by puff-pastries filled with strawberries and custard, I noticed a bouquet of roses on the table with my name on them! Erik had sent me flowers! I was feeling ridiculously pampered and spoiled, and a little bit guilty for this lavishness.... and then I remembered that "every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of heavenly lights." We bless our Father most when we simply recieve his precious gifts with grateful hearts. So I opened my heart, breathed deeply, and received His gifts.

By early evening, the boat was working, and we took turns water-skiing and wake-boarding on the smooth river. It was so fun! I had not skiied for three years, but I amazingly remembered how! :) It was awesome to see the two girls who had not skiied before get up on two skis.

Dinner was brought to us on the dock - an amazing Texas feast. Salad, coleslaw, texas toast, corn casserole, baked potatoes, green beans, ribs, and pecan pie -- all of this after appetizers of shrimp and chips with homemade guacamole, wine, cocktails and soda. We took one last putter downriver in the dark, and returned to the house for showers and bed.

Sunday morning, after quiet time by the pool, we were served another decadent meal of creme brulee french toast, eggs benedict, and fruit salad. We skiied until about 11:00, then returned to pack and head to the airport.

Our trip home was unenventful. We were all eager to see our little ones and husbands. What a delightful, blessed trip with some awesome and godly ladies. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong! Let's make it an annual excursion. :)



Our dinner buffet on the dock

The house and grounds

Jenn Green skiing with Dancy at the helm

Jessie doing yoga

Becca, Dancy and Jessie

At the Alamo -- me, Jessie, Janie, Jennifer, Blythe, Jen B, Dancy, Becca, Jenn G.(and baby Zoe), and Heidi

Brave Little Ethan

I know that many of you already check the Perciantes' blog and pray often for their valiant son Ethan. Please pray for him tomorrow! You can read Valerie's words on their blog, but precious Ethan is undergoing open heart surgery tomorrow that is likely to last 10-12 hours. Our Heavenly Father has taken such perfect care of this miracle baby... please pray for the surgeons to have wisdom and stamina and skill... and for Valerie and Craig's hearts as they wait and pray tomorrow and in the days to come. Thanks!

Another Blessing

We are so excited to share with you that we are anticipating the joy of another baby! Wachob blessing #3 is due to arrive in early March, and Erik and I (and the girls) are thrilled. Even as we hold lightly to this precious gift, we are thankful to the Lord that He has again allowed us to partner with Him in the creation of a life, a soul, a voice to praise His name. Elisa and Sadie both love to hug and kiss my yet un-rounded belly and talk to the baby. They think it will be a third girl, and so does Erik. I think it will be a boy. However, that information will remain blissfully in God's keeping until our son or daughter makes his or her appearance sometime around the fourth of March. :)

A Month Later

My sister sent me a capitalized email a few days ago - demanding a blog update. I felt a little sheepish as I realized how long it had been. I know some of you check often! (Emily, Amy, Melissa... sorry, guys!) For some reason, I have had had a hard time keeping up with chores and daily tasks lately, much less the weeding and reading and letter-writing, and, yes, blogging. Elisa's naps have been fewer lately, and it is hard to keep her "down" during prescribed rest times. Sometimes it takes two hours to get her to sleep, and then the day is gone! :) Any other mommys of almost-four-year-olds out there who can identify with this glitch in their daily quiet time? :)

We have been so blessed to have Michelle return for a month... working at my dad's orthopedic office here in town. It is fun to have my sweet sister occupying our guest room. The girls adore her, and I think that most of the time she adores them, too. :) We will miss her when she leaves in a week and a half.

I have been working a few weekend shifts a month on the OB unit at the local hospital... to maintain nursing skills and keep my license current. It has been fun and challenging... Erik has had some fun Saturdays with the girls!

Working a bit has also somewhat cramped our summer style, so that there has been less hiking, camping, canoeing and adventuring this year. We have squeezed in a few wonderful, warm days together. In mid-July, we camped by the Gros Ventre River with friends from church. John and Erik decided a four-wheeling exploration was in order, so we piled into our big-wheeled man-cars and took to some barely navigatable dirt trails. We forded rivers, crossed a rickety wooden bridge, and scaled steep, narrow, moutain paths. I think that if either of the couples had been alone, the adventure would not have happened, but there was an element of, "If Heather will let John do this, then I can let Erik...." :) Heather and John have four children. Their youngest is about six months older than Elisa. They are a fun, godly couple, and it was fun to share a campfire with them. We took Erik's two-man tent instead of our big family one, and it worked so much better. The girls were warm, squished and unable to move. They slept like two little rocks. I even slept better than usual because the sleeping pads were crammed so close together that no pebbles or hard earth poked my hips during the night. We are looking forward to another camping trip at the end of August -- this time in Steamboat Springs, CO while we attend a friend's wedding.



Around the campfire

Sharing cocoa

Crossing the river (John and Heather's Suburban)


Colder weather and a falling snowline seem to be heralding the end of summer. Erik and I both love fall above any other season, so we are excited for cool air, changing leaves, simmering soup, sweaters and school books. However, we would love a few more warm summer days, too.