More family pictures

A few more shots of our time with family in Oregon:

David eating Grandpa's apple:

David hanging out with the feet:

Is there anything better in the whole world than grandparents? We think not.

Coming in the next few days...the Oregon Aquarium, David's 8-month update, and a sewing project. Watch out, I'm on a roll!

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace

A few months ago, my talented sister-in-law, Elizabeth, created two calligraphy pieces for our home. The first is of Psalm 1, one of Billy's favorite scriptures.

The second piece is the "prayer of Assisi" which says:

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

I love this prayer, and want to be the kind of person who matches these ideals. Yet when I begin to pray, I can't get past the first line: Lord, make me an instrument of peace. In my home, in my church, in my friendships, in my extended family...I desire to be at peace--and to be one who imparts peace and love. I may never make it on to the second line of the prayer (especially when the weariness of caring for little kids gets the best of me)...but I will keep praying. What a blessing that it is God who does the changing, if I will just be changeable!

Cousins!

After our enjoyable and short visit in California, we flew up to Portland just in time for Bill's 50th birthday party. This was the first time for the kids to see their cousins since June 2008 (when Ezekiel was just a baby and David and Sophia were yet to exist).

Elizabeth and her kids stayed with us for the week, which gave all six kids plenty of time to play and make memories.

David and Sophia:

(Flashback to April, 2006, when Cambria and John were babies):

These kids had boundless energy. It took all five adults to keep the six kids (ages four and under!) safe and happy.

One of the funniest memories was when we took all the kids to the mall for a "cousins picture." The results were less than stunning but the process was quite funny.

Walking through the mall:

Billy took a few unauthorized photos inside the studio. This pretty much sums it up:

So you can see why no photos were purchased. (-:

I'm excited to see the cousins' relationships flourish in the years to come. They are all so close in age--and both Billy and I & Jason and Elizabeth value their relationships--so I know they will be friends. And partners in crime, no doubt.

We're already looking forward to our next time with the cousins--whenever that may be!

My little brother was married on March 20, 2010 in California. You can see hundreds of pictures on their photographer's website (jonathanandchelsea.opendoorweddings.com); below are a few that captured the beautiful setting, happy bride and groom, and darn good looking ring bearer and flower girl...

Movie star auntie with baby David:

I am so glad that we were part of Jonathan and Chelsea's wedding day. It was a happy day and very glorifying to God. Congratulations Jonathan and Chelsea--we love you!

thanks, Mom

My life lesson learned in March was "listen to Mom." She usually knows best about shopping early for a dress to wear to your brother's wedding, for example. She also knows a bit (or a lot) about everything else. So when she emailed me today and gently asked for a blog posting, I decided to listen to her (hey, it only took twenty-six and a half years!). In fact, I plan to put a little something on the blog every day this week because there is so much to catch up on. We were in California. There was an important--and gorgeous--wedding. We were in Oregon. There was much family time and even some Oregon sunshine. There has been sewing and crafting going on around here (after we recovered from the flu, which will not be mentioned on the blog again).

Until next time (tomorrow), I leave you with pictures of three stinkin' cute kids at Montavilla Park. Such a sweet place.

Papa's visit

Papa came for a short visit the last weekend of February. The kids soaked up the time with Papa, who didn't get a moment's rest. It was fun. (-:

We are looking forward to seeing him again later this month for his 50th birthday celebrations. We will have time with almost every family member--hooray!

Phoenix in springtime means baseball

We went to our first Spring Training game yesterday. The Mariners and Padres have their spring training facilities here in Peoria and we took advantage of the opportunity to take in a game for cheap. We only lasted for an hour and a half, but that was more than we expected. It was a perfect day to be outside, have family time, and watch a little baseball.

Ichiro Suzuki and Ken Griffey, Jr. (below) were both up to bat a couple of times. That was the best part for Billy.

The kids' favorite part was when a batter broke his bat while hitting the ball. They were amazed that he could splinter the bat. David slept through most of the game, in his Daddy's arms. That is, until Ichiro hit a triple and we became suddenly noisy. (-: