Here She Is!

Welcome to our sweet, new addition, Gabriella (Ella, for short)! This year, she has been the best Mother's day, Father's day, and Karlie's Birthday presents all rolled into one. We are so grateful she has joined our family, and simply adore her. We are grateful to Ella's birth-mother for her bravery! We love her and pray for her every day.

Sam is a proud big brother. He simply adores his new baby sister! (She can't break his toys yet.)

Have a look at these amazing pictures taken by Jen at Green Apple Photography! Ella was 10 days old here.

Who's Excited for a Gi?

Sam has been taking a martial arts class for a couple of months now. Last week, after class, he asked me about the 'white suits' many of the other kids and adults wear. So we talked to his Sensei about a gi for him. He's been excited all week for it, and last night he got to wear it for the first time.

As I was helping him into it, I noticed he was rubbing his hands and taking deep breaths and generally just ancy. I said, "Sam, are you excited about your gi?" He couldn't even speak-he just nodded and gave me a big bear hug! It was fun to see him so excited about something! And he looks so cute in his new gi!

Pie, Anyone?!

For most of my life I have been opposed to 'cooked fruit'. So pie wasn't really something I partook of very often. Then several years ago, we started hosting a 'Pie Night' before Thanksgiving. The purpose was to get both sides of our families together and share pies because after you eat a delicious and giant Thanksgiving dinner, you usually don't have room to eat as much pie as you would really like to.

This caused me to start trying my hand at making different types of pie. The result was a growing appreciation for some 'cooked fruit'. I also realized that pie crust is truly an art form! One of the pies I tried 2 years ago was a Strawberry, Rhubarb pie (even though it was November), and I loved it!! I have been working on the recipe for the last couple of years and I think I almost have it the way I want it.

In February, when all the strawberries appeard in the grocery stores, it gave me a craving for some of that Strawberry, Rhubarb pie! And, oh, it was delicious! I was particularly excited with how this one turned out! YUM!

A Desert Tortoise Named Fred

She was a birthday or Christmas (I can't remember which) gift for my little brother in 1989! That's right, folks our Desert Tortoise named Fred is an old lady! She survived our dog trying to chew her like a chew toy 2 times when I was in high school. Luckily, the parts of her shell and toes that were chewed off have grown back! But when Mom and Dad got a new dog a few years ago, that dog tried to chew her too, and so Fred was handed down to our Sam. I couldn't ask for an easier pet...she hibernates 6-8 months of the year. She curls up in a corner of the house and sleeps for 6-8 months! A part-time pet! She has two different 'habitats'. Jared and Sam built this one outside for her to chill in during the summer when she is outside - complete with 2 entrances!

For her 'Winter Quarters', they built this handy place for her. She seems to be happy there-she hasn't come out to complain!

Sam was so excited when she came to live with us! He simply adores her! And who can blame him? How cool is that to have a pet that is four times your age!

Tennis Shoes are for Running!

In Feb. of 2008, Jared's friend invited him to run a full marathon with him in May of 2008. Jared laughed out loud to his friend, then said, "Maybe next year!" And so it began.


Jared decided to train for a full marathon, and I decided to join him. Up to that point, I had only dabbled in running a little here and there before Sam was born, but I was looking for an outlet for the stress I was feeling in my life.


Training went well for a while. At the suggestion from our neighbor, we followed the James Galloway method of running, and we liked it. I had 2 great running buddies - Jared and my girlfriend, Lachelle. Two days a week, Lachelle loaded up her daughter, and I loaded up Sam in jogging strollers and off we went. I was surprised by how much I loved it!

Due to some injuries and fertility treatments, I didn't run that first full marathon with Jared; I ran a 5k that day instead and I was disappointed. So I became determined to run a longer race, and continued my training. Unfortunately, I continued to have issues with my IT band injury. Jared, being the awesome and supportive husband he is, found me a running coach. Bill Wilson with Camelback Coaching in Scottsdale. So Wonderful! He and his wife, Ann train triathletes. He analyzed my running and taught me how to run properly, and for 7 months gave me training schedules to get me to my first half marathon. It was so fantastic!

Three weeks before that first half marathon, I injured my foot...chipped a bone in it to be exact!!! I freaked out! I had been working so hard for this moment of redemption, and now I thought I was going to have to give up on it again. Bill assured me it would be OK, and had me train on a stationary bike for 2 weeks. The week of the race, I ran two short, easy runs. The night before the race, I panicked because I hadn't run the distance ever before, and I worried I wouldn't make it. I worried my foot would start hurting too much, I worried that I wouldn't have enough or the right kind of fuel for the miles. But, I had done everything Bill had told me to do, and so I just trusted that an elite athlete like him who also trains other elite athletes knows what he is talking about and it would all work out. And it did! I made it through, and even made my time goal that I had made before I hurt my foot! I passed people for the last 3 miles of the race, and when I crossed the finish line, Jared was there to meet me and I hugged him and all of the emotions and hard work, and fear and anger of the previous year just came flooding out in sobs. I felt cleansed and lighter and stronger. And I was hooked-I was a runner!

Jared is also a runner now, and it is really fun to be able to encourage each other and compare notes and to race together. Interestingly, even though it's a sport we took up together, we don't actually run together. It didn't take long before we realized that Jared was much faster than me, and so we sometimes run at the same time, but we don't stay together. Maybe one of these days I will catch up with him...

Our Tricycle Path...

We have a tricycle path! It was Jared's idea, and as with most of his home improvement ideas, I love it!! It is essentially a sidewalk that circumnavigates (I love using that word!) our backyard. We designed it to be wide enough for a tricycle and other kid-sized people-movers that are reminiscent of the Flinstone's foot-powered car. It is really fun to watch the Little Man race around as fast as he can. He loves it when I time his laps. Tricycle path...great idea Jared!