Happy Birthday Jesus!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families. This was the first year that we can remember in a LONG time where we were home for the holiday and while we did miss being with extended family, it was really nice to have a quiet weekend at home. We took advantage of the sunshine on Saturday and went on a family walk/bike ride, ate plenty of smoked turkey and chocolate peppermint brownies (resulting in Mr. Wagner and I each needing to go on an afternoon run to attempt to burn off a few of the extra calories), and enjoyed worshipping together at the Christmas Eve service. Christmas morning started off with Mr. Wagner reading to the Little Miss about Jesus' birth, present opening, cinnamon roll eating and relaxing before we joined the Booth family on an outing to find snow (we found a few patches but nothing sled-worthy). One of my favorite memories of the weekend relates to our new tradition of singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus; the Little Miss had been talking for days about how she wanted to sing to Jesus and add a birthday candle to our cinnamon rolls. Being the mindful mom that I always am, I of course completely forgot the plan until that night. She didn't waver for a bit though and went right ahead and made a birthday "cupcake" for Jesus out of her new Lincoln Logs. My heart melted at sharing the moment singing with our girl as she remembered Jesus as only a childlike faith can. Next year I'll do my best to remember the candle in the rolls but for this year, it was perfect!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Dress(es) 2011

If you'll remember from prior years one holiday tradition Yours Truly is taking advantage of while our girl is young involves finding just the right Christmas dress. This adventure is one that we often start early (to be more specific, this year's dress was actually purchased on clearance the day after Christmas 2010).

I love how the forest green color looks against the Little Miss' light complexion and dark hair. She likes the shiny taffeta, sparkle, soft velvet trim and bows. We had an adorable pair of gold ballet slipper style shoes to complement the dress but apparently our girl does not yet know one sometimes has to sacrifice comfort for fashion; she complained that they hurt so we stuck with basic black (can't blame her).

One dress was not enough as the Little Miss also ended up receiving a sweet hand-me-down silk dress from her cousins. The red, black and white was perfect for our Nutcracker outing.

Another tradition my good friend Joani and I both enjoy this time of year is to photograph our girls together in their Christmas dresses. We were able to get a few pictures of them last weekend during our annual Christmas caroling dinner party at the Curtis house.

Love these two girls! They sure had a good time playing. Joani also made our girl's day when she gave her super cute cutouts of all the Nutcracker characters. Pretty much one of the more creative gifts ever (not to mention the patience all that detailed cutting would require). Did I mention that Joani also quilts, sews, scrapbooks, crafts, decorates cakes, enjoys cooking, decorating her home and is a terrific mom and talented chemical engineer?! She seriously amazes me. I may not come close to her in artistic or intellectual talents but I have rubbed off on her with my Christmas and Easter dress hunt addiction. Her daughter Allison is actually wearing one of our girl's former holiday dresses and we will surely be sharing these other dresses in future years!

Nutcracker 2011

Since we enjoyed the Eugene Ballet Company's production of the Nutcracker so much last year, the Little Miss and I decided to take my aunt to the Oregon Ballet Company's production this year. We went to their opening performance last weekend and had a wonderful time. It was a perfect outing for the Little Miss and her great aunt since they share a love for wooden nutcrackers this time of year (my aunt has a three foot nutcracker in her Christmas decoration collection and our girl likes to pretend he is her prince). I just love watching the Little Miss take in the beauty of the ballerinas and their costumes. My favorite comment of the night was, "Mom, I sure like the Sugar Plum Fairy. She makes me smile." We didn't make the men join us (this year) but Mr. Wagner and my uncle met up with us afterwards for a delicious fondue dinner at the Melting Pot (yum!), a great way to kick off our Christmas celebrations.

Midwest Adventures 2011: Part 3

Those that know Mr. Wagner well understand there is one thing he truly needs. Any ideas? Here are a few hints: 1) has four wheels; 2) runs; 3) makes a lot of noise; 3) often green trimmed in yellow; 4) needs a lot of space. Have you guessed yet?

Yes, a John Deere tractor! Not just any JD tractor though. Mr. Wagner can tell you exactly which model of tractor he wants (depending on how much land he were to own. Larger lot = larger tractor needed of course). I would love to give him a tractor though first we would have to move to a different house with plenty of acreage. We can always dream, right?

For now Mr. Wagner has to get his tractor fix when we visit our family in WI. One of Mr. Wagner's favorite activities is to work outside on his parents' property helping his dad with whatever needs there are, especially those that require the use of a tractor. Thankfully between all of the extended family there are plenty of tractors to go around. Mr. Wagner happily fulfilled his tractor fix on our recent trip by helping his dad trim trees and vacuum leaves, driving no less than three different tractors for the activities.

You can literally see my hubby's eyes light up with his passion for heavy equipment and labor when he is back "home" working alongside his dad. It is a blessing to watch him and is even more wonderful to see him sharing his love for tractors with his daughter.

Love, love, love these two tractor fans!

Midwest Adventures 2011: Part 2

The day after Thanksgiving we headed south to Illinois to visit Mr. Wagner's brother and his family. They were moving to MO the following week so weren't able to make it to WI for the holiday. It ended up working out well for us to make the trip down over the weekend. Unfortunately we didn't realize that the Little Miss was coming down with a bad cold and fever until that Saturday so in addition to visiting, we also "shared" a nasty virus but the visit was still worth it!

The Little Miss sure enjoyed playing with her cousins. Elli and Jess will always have a special place in my heart since I got to live with their family for about two months after our girl was born (while she was still in the hospital) and they were 3 and 2 years-old...how time flies! This was the first time I've really noticed how much the Little Miss looks like her cousins, not a big surprise considering their daddies are identical twins. Speaking of the twins, they made sure to fit a visit to the John Deere Headquarters, which happened to be just a few miles away. Notice Mr. Wagner came prepared wearing his favorite JD sweatshirt.

Gr'ma joined us on the trip down and it was wonderful to get to spend the extra time with her. Here she is with the kiddos (Owen, the only boy cousin is such a little character and so much fun! He is exactly how I'd picture the twins when they were little, super loving but also mischievous at the same time!).
The whole crew...of course the kiddos were not cooperating with picture taking at this point so this was the best we could do.

The trip reminded me just how much I miss living near this family. I so wish we all lived closer but am excited for them as they start their new adventure in Missouri.

Midwest Adventures 2011: Part 1

We had a fun trip involving four states as we visited Mr. Wagner's side of our family over the Thanksgiving holiday. Within the span of one week we flew into Minnesota then headed to Wisconsin where we celebrated Thanksgiving with family. The next day we drove through part of Iowa on our way to Illinois where we spent a couple of days visiting Mr. Wagner's twin bro and his family. Then it was back through Iowa to return to Wisconsin to stay with Gr'pa and Gr'ma for the remainder of the week. Lots of travel but the family time was well worth it!

We first arrived at Gr'pa and Gr'ma's house the night before Thanksgiving and got to enjoy a short visit with Mr. Wagner's sister and her daughter before they returned to CO the day after Thanksgiving. It has been awhile since we had gotten to see them so the Little Miss had a great time getting reacquainted with her seven year-old cousin Savannah.
For the Thanksgiving feast we were also joined by Mr. Wagner's Aunt Donna and her son Ken's family as well as Great Gr'ma Wagner and Great Gr'pa Maves (the Little Miss insists he is just "Gr'pa Maves"). Mr. Wagner's family has a tradition of gathering to share what each person is thankful for and I will never forget what our girl said; she announced to everyone that she was thankful for (Great) "Gr'pa Maves". It was wonderful to see his glowing smile in response. You see, our girl still remembers visiting Gr'pa Maves over a year ago and has talked of him regularly since, having always held a special place in her heart for him.

So Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families from the West Coast Wagners! We sure are thankful for our wonderful family, friends and for all that God has given us.

We are having fun with Mr. Wagner's side of our family. We missed getting a family picture today but did get a lot of pictures of the Little Miss playing outside at Grandpa and Grandma's after our yummy meal. Great food, and most of all, great company.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

'Tis (Almost) The Season

Yes, this year I turned into one of THEM. You know, one of THOSE people who starts listening to Christmas music even before Thanksgiving. Not to mention {gasp!} putting up Christmas decorations early, oh my! There you have it folks, the first step in my recovery. I admitted it.

In my defense it was Mr. Wagner who came up with the idea. For the first time EVER he was actually looking forward to setting up our (fake) Christmas tree (side note: Yours Truly much prefers a real tree but my allergies don't agree). Out of the blue, he suggested we get out our decorations this weekend. Really?! Where did that come from?

I was certain that an alien had taken over my dear hubby's body but later learned that he had been in a store where there were decorations and Christmas music playing so it put him in the mood. I was certainly not going to let the opportunity slip by so quickly took him up on the offer (plus, I knew it would be a very fleeting thought and soon he would remember how much he dislikes setting up our tree). Up came the Christmas decorations, tree and interior lights on Saturday (even the West Coast Wagners are not silly enough to put outside lights up early lest our neighbors know that we are one of THEM). Please don't unfriend me, it (most likely) won't happen again.

We then continued with the winter welcoming festivities today joining good friends on an outing to a local "mountain" (not exactly a mountain but the highest peak around here) where we played in the snow. The Little Miss had a blast sledding with her daddy and playing with her good friends Allison and Logan. I'll let Joani write more about the day; we both agreed that we need to make these snow outings more regularly. Such fun!

'Tis (almost) the season!

Friendship

I was reminded (again) this past weekend how blessed I am to have a great group of close girlfriends, many of whom I have known since my college days, and are now more like family than friends. I spent last weekend in beautiful Central Oregon with six of these women on our second annual "Ladies Getaway" (Jennifer, Janelle, Joani, Lisa, Erin, and Anna Marie). We were also joined by two of my other favorite women who happen to live in Bend (Sam and Sharon). I must say, women's retreats at church are fun but it's even better when you are together with many of your closest friends! Let's just say there was a LOT of (non-stop)chatting as well as giggling, eating, praying, crying (good tears of course!), and shopping. We had a fruit-filled time listening to messages about finding our identify in Christ and I think each of us were blessed by the weekend. I'm sure hoping that we can keep this tradition alive as I came home feeling refreshed and filled to the brim with love for my great friends! (Maybe next year I'll even remember to take more pictures).

Future Action Hero

As I have briefly mentioned before, Yours Truly officially started P90X, an extreme form of torture...errrr...I mean exercise. Many of you have probably heard of this intensive 90 day workout program and some have likely even done it. I personally had been avoiding it because, well...I am a wimp. I am perfectly happy doing my elliptical and light weights at home where I can comfortably watch TV (most often The FoodNetwork. Counter intuitive I know but it keeps me occupied!). Recently I gave into peer pressure, having been convinced by my good friends Erin and Janelle (both of whom have done the program a couple of times in the past) that it would be "fun" to all do it at the same time and help encourage each other. I am now officially almost at the end of week 2 of the program (only 11 more weeks to go!) and here are a few things I've learned:

1. I really am a wimp. OK, so I already knew that but let me tell you, six straight days of Yoga, Kenpo (basically kick-boxing), strength training, ab work, and plyometics kicks my can!


2. I am as flexible as hardwood. This is a bit embarrassing to admit considering I used to do gymnastics and was a cheerleader but my flexible days are long gone. Have you seen the crazy, bending, twisted poses they have you do in yoga? Downward and Upward Dog, Spinal Twist, Crane, Royal Dancer, Tree...who thought of these names? My body just doesn't easily contort into those positions but thankfully I've seen improvement in even just the short time since I started.


3. You shouldn't trust anyone or anything associated with word "extreme" in the title. Actually, you should believe them but should AVOID them.


4. Did I mention I'm a wimp? Kenpo kicking and punching the way I do is about the same as watching Minnie Mouse. I like to pretend I am an action hero but truly am not intimidating in the slightest.


5. When friends say an exercise program is "fun" and they will do it with you, they are just setting you up. So this is a slight exaggeration as I know Erin and Janelle do honestly intend to do P90X with me and have just had a few snafoos that have gotten in the way (i.e., bad colds, busy at work, selling a house). Thus far, this P90X "newbie" has been the one trying to hold them accountable and motivated. Time to get it in gear ladies!


6. I am stubborn. I already knew that as well but in this case it may pay off. It's hard but I have no doubt that I am going to stick to it simply because I'm too stubborn (or proud?) to quit. This may come in extra handy considering #5 above.
   

All complaining aside, I am (mostly) enjoying this program. It's not easy but I have already seen improvement in both flexibility and strength. I'm motivated to keep going! Maybe by the end of the 90 days, I'll actually have the action hero moves down! Watch out Hollywood.

Harvest Carnival 2011

Oh the woes of a five year-old girl...Would it be Rapunzel? The Sugar Plum Fairy? That was the question of the day yesterday. By the time the late afternoon rolled around, the Little Miss made a final decision and landed on Sleeping Beauty (a.k.a., Princess Aurora). This is why Yours Truly has (thus far) avoided buying costumes and is sure thankful for dress-up clothes and hand-me-downs. As in years past, we enjoyed our evening at the Harvest Carnival our church puts on each year. The Little Miss had a lot of fun at the game booths, riding an old fire truck, a draft horse hay wagon ride, holding a guinea pig in the petting zoo, and visiting with her good friends (including Logan the Fireman and Sophie the Fairy below).Of course being the horse girl she is, her favorite part of the carnival was riding "Sparrow" the spotted appaloosa. She was even prepared with her pink sparkly cowboy boots (What? Didn't you know Sleeping Beauty wore cowboy boots?).


Thanks to all who helped with the Harvest Carnival! It is always such a blessing to see such a great turnout from across the community and to watch the light of Christ shine!

Oklahoma 2011

The Little Miss and Yours Truly made it home safely from our trip to Oklahoma City to visit my dad ("Papa") and stepmom ("Mimi") who are living there for the year. We really enjoyed the visit and had a great time site-seeing, visiting with Mimi's daughters and their families, and most of all, just spending time with Papa and Mimi. I made the mistake of not taking my good camera so I didn't get the best of pictures (lesson learned!).

A good friend from college, Laura, drove up from Dallas to visit one day when we were there. Laura and I spent the day catching up while we walked around downtown visiting the botanical gardens, Bricktown and the OKC Memorial. The next day the Little Miss and I took Papa to the children's part of the botanical gardens and then visited the Bass Pro Shop (making Mr. Wagner proud...and a bit jealous). We also made our final pumpkin patch visit of the year later in the week when the Little Miss and I took Papa to the Orr Family Farm. We enjoyed their carousel, train, tractor ride, pumpkin patch, petting zoo, play ground and pony rides (I admit I really didn't want to pay the extra $ for a pony ride being that our girl has a HORSE but what horse-loving mom can resist when their girl asks if they can ride?). We spent a couple of evenings with Mimi's side of the family and even had a pumpkin carving party where the Little Miss and her Papa carved our girl's very first pumpkin together. The Little Miss also had fun decorating a fancy tea hat and enjoyed having "warm chocolate" at a tea party with Mimi and her other grand daughters (twin girls the same age as our Little Miss).

Even with all of the fun activities, our girl's favorite memories are all of the time we spent just relaxing with Papa and Mimi. The Little Miss literally spent a whole day just sitting in Papa's lap where they had fun drawing together (a wonderful vision for this mom to watch since I have many memories drawing horses and boats with my dad as a young girl). She also made sure to help Papa with the dogs ("Buddy" is her new BFF) and enjoyed helping him make (and eat!) blueberry pancakes in the mornings.

Thanks for the fun visit Papa and Mimi! Enjoy your time in OK and we'll be looking forward to your return!

Pumpkin Patches 2011

As in years past, my favorite Fall tradition is to visit several local pumpkin patches with our girl. There is just something wonderful about the bright orange pumpkins, tractor rides, and hay bales (not to mention the freshly made hot apple cider and homemade cider doughnuts that several of the farms offer this time of year). We started off the pumpkin patch season by taking advantage of a warm, sunny day and made a family outing to Bauman Farms. It's a bit of a drive from where we live but well worth the time for the beautiful setting and the abundance of harvest festival activities.

The second pumpkin patch visit of the year came with the Little Miss' first school field trip. Yours Truly got to join in this adventure and had a lot of fun riding the school bus with our girl for her very first time. If you recall, I was anxious about the Little Miss starting school but I have to say, it has been such a blessing to see how much she enjoys it. Here she is with a few of her classmates and Mrs. Lang, her teacher (whom she adores). Elle, the other curly-haired girl in the picture is our girl's best school friend, also the daughter of one of my good friends. They have known each other from the time they were babes but their friendship is really blossoming now (I often pick both girls up from school and they don't stop chatting the whole way home!).
Finally, our last trip (thus far) was another family outing to our favorite "tractor ride" farm, Davis Family Farms. The Little Miss looks forward to driving the tractor each year with her daddy during this visit (second only to driving with her Grandpa when we visit Mr. Wagner's family in the Midwest). We met Allison and her dad there (her mom was away at a college reunion) and the girls had a lot of fun searching for the perfect pumpkin (along with their daddies!).



That completes the pumpkin patch outings for this year, at least in Oregon. The Little Miss and Yours Truly are getting ready to board a jet plane to Oklahoma and are hoping to take Papa on at least one pumpkin patch outing while we are there!

Habits of Health

We have gotten quite a few questions about how we shed the lbs and what we have learned through the process so I thought I'd share a little more. Again, we started Take Shape for Life (TSFL) in June and had the opportunity to work with an experienced Health Coach that we have known personally since our college days. It really helped to have someone to share hints, encourage us and hold us accountable. I have also been reading a book written by the physician who founded TSFL called "Dr. A's Habits of Health" and would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about reaching and maintaining optimal health. Now, for just a few hints that we learned along the way (all habits we hope to maintain):

1) Drink a LOT of water - I'd always heard this but had never been good about it. Now I can't do without. Water helps to clean out your system and flushes the toxins (and fat!) out. Needless to say, we now make a lot of potty breaks when we travel as a family and it is not because of our Little Miss.

2) Eat every three hours - Another recommendation I'd heard but had never been good about. I was a 3 meal-a-day sort of girl but now recognize that eating small meals regularly better helps to maintain your blood sugar levels and your metabolism.

3) Focus on lower-glycemic foods - Dr. A does a good job in his book explaining how lower glycemic foods help to better maintain our blood sugar and insulin levels (and thus our metabolism).

4) Keep active - We have always enjoyed being active and even like to exercise for the most part. Now being at healthier weights, we enjoy it even more. Mr. Wagner headed back to the gym (for the first time since his college days) and Yours Truly made good use of our elliptical and light weights. I am now getting ready to start P90X with some good girlfriends (I've heard it is really hard core so this may be mild torture...I'll keep you posted!).

4) Do it together - I truly believe that our success was in large part due to the fact that Mr. Wagner and I had each other to encourage and help hold accountable. Even if you don't have a spouse needing to lose weight (or wanting to start a new exercise program or other healthy habit), find a friend to partner with (see point above where I am going to be torturing myself...errr...I mean...starting a new exercise program with friends).

5) Stick with it! - When the going gets tough, recognize that it will get easier! The longer you stick with your healthy change, the more it becomes a "habit" and the less you have to think about it.

The "Big" Reveal

Actually, a more apropos title for this post may be the "Smaller" Reveal. Most of you who have seen the West Coast Wagners in the past few months already know but those that have not seen us for awhile may be a little shocked to see the transformation. You see, Mr. Wagner and I decided to Take Shape For Life starting this past June. We were skeptical at first but as you can tell below, it worked for us. I am proud to say that my handsome husband lost over 70 lbs and I shed over 33 lbs. We each surpassed our original goal weights. We both knew that we felt much better about ourselves (and have gone down multiple sizes in clothes) but did not realize just how drastic the change was until we looked back at our "before" pictures. It makes me so happy to see that we have taken seriously our goal to achieving, and now working on maintaining, optimal health.

5th Birthday Luau

Over a week late but better late than never right?! Our family had a great time celebrating our girl's 5th birthday with close family and friends with a birthday luau. Praise the Lord the weather was perfect for swimming and enjoying the sun. We ate a plate-style Hawaiian dinner and had plenty of tropical-themed activities for the kiddos. They crafted, played "hot" coconut (i.e., hot potato), had hula lessons, a fishy pinata and sugar galore. To those that were able to join, thanks for celebrating with us! To those that live too far away, here are a few pics from the day...

Horse Show Girl

This past weekend marked a big milestone for our girl; she showed in her first official horse show! I can't even begin to tell you how special it was for this mama to see my daughter riding Lucky, the same horse that I grew up showing. What a precious memory this will always be. The best part was that she loved every minute of it and even said afterwards, "Mom, I want to show Lucky all of the time just like you did when you were little". Sorry Daddy but you may have a future horse show girl in the making (just keep in mind that the cost is well-worth it to keep her focus off of the boys!).

The Little Miss did a great job holding the reins properly and practiced sitting up straight, keeping her heels down, and shoulders back. So much to think about! Here she is warming up for the class.

She was all smiles (her mommy was too!). I think she's going to be a future little hunter/jumper.

Here she is with the rest of the class, lined up after walking on the rail both directions a few rounds. I'm sure Lucky was thinking of the hundreds of times he'd been in this same position.

Talking to the judge, the Little Miss answered with her name and told her she'd just turned five years-old. Such a big girl!

Mission accomplished, her first horse show ribbon and it was even her favorite color...purple!

Great job to our Little Miss and "her" horse Lucky!

Happy 5th Birthday Little Miss!

Dear Little Miss ~ I cannot believe it has been 5 years since you made your remarkable entrance into this world. The memories of that day may eventually fade in our minds but now, even five years later, they are still as clear as having happened just yesterday. Such a reminder that we truly are blessed to have you, our sweet-spirited healthy girl with us today. God is so good. It has been such an honor to watch you grow into the little lady that you are today. Even at five we can see that God has filled you with His joy and kind heart towards others. Your sensitive and "cautious" nature has become more and more evident in the past year. You enjoy all things related to dance and have blossomed in your ballet class this year. You tend to expect a lot of yourself and can get frustrated if you don't do something "just right" (a little bit of a perfectionist maybe?). I have no idea where you get that trait (ha, ha). My prayer for you this year is based on the following verse that God often lays on my heart:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. " (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Little Miss, may you truly seek God with all of your heart throughout your life. May you grasp hold of the hope that He offers, regardless of the life circumstances that come your way. Jesus alone kept you on this earth when you were born five years ago. He allowed you to grow from the tiny 2 1/2 lbs baby into the beautiful young girl you are today. He chose to keep you here on this earth so never ever doubt that He loves you and has wonderful plans in store for your life. I look forward to watching you continue to blossom into the young lady He has designed you to be.

Love you always and forever,

Mom

Lots of Sparkles

I just love the things that kiddos say and have gotten a good laugh out of some of our girl's comments lately. My favorite random comment as of late happened while taking the Little Miss to school for her second official day. Out of no where she asked during our drive, "Mom, am I going to get hot at my wedding? Is my dress going to have long sleeves and will it make me get hot?" (you see, our girl is not a fan of the heat). I tried my best to explain when the time is right, she will get to shop for her own wedding dress and choose exactly what it looks like or if she wants, she's welcome to wear mine. The Little Miss immediately replied, "I want to buy my own and it has to have sparkles, LOTS of sparkles." Someday Little Miss, I would love to take you to buy your sparkly wedding gown....a long, LONG time from now.

First Day of School: We Did It!

Yes indeed, Dad and Mom survived our girl's first day of school...amazing! Seriously, we both lost a little sleep last night because we were anxious about how our girl would do. She had a "meet and greet" with her teacher earlier in the week and was so shy and unsure of herself. Praise the Lord that today on her first real day she walked right in and was all about being at school. The Little Miss takes after her mommy in that she may be shy at first but once she warms up, she's a chatterbox!

She insisted on wearing a dress today and was happy to finally be able to wear her new backpack.
We are so thankful for her teacher, Mrs. Lang, who also goes to our church and still remembers having prayed for our girl when she was born (JuRita, makes me miss having you around because I know how much you and your kiddos adore Mrs. Lang). It's still going to take some time to get used to this new "routine" but at least our girl is ready for it!

(please forgive the iPhone picture quality...of course my camera battery was dead on the first day of school!)

Season of Change

It is officially September and while it is not quite Fall, the feeling that we are entering into a season of change is upon our family. I admit that I am struggling with anticipation of entering into new life stages, as minor as the changes truly are. God has been reminding me, "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1). A time to be born, a time to heal...a time for our daughter to start school....and a time for Yours Truly to change jobs.

Our girl's first day of preschool is this week and while she has still not comprehended it is just days away, Yours Truly already has butterflies thinking about it. I am not sure what is bothering me the most: the change in our daily routine, the idea that she will be in {gulp!} school or the thought that it means even less time at home together. Pretty sure it's a combo of all three. Good thing it is only a few half days/week and we know the Little Miss is going to adore her pre-K teacher!

On top of the school transition, Yours Truly will be making a {much needed} job change. You see, back in May after clear prompting by God {and supporting confirmation from my hubby after yet another work-related emotional breakdown of his wife}, I approached my boss and asked to be moved out of my technically-part-time-but-often-requiring-lots-of-additional-hours-and-stress management position into a part-time project manager role. God showed favor and opened the doors for that to happen, officially beginning mid-September. While I am actually excited about THIS change, it does mean reporting to a new boss who will doing what I have been doing for years, and ensuring a humble spirit in the process. Having confidence that God directed this change will make the transition easier and I am very thankful for the opportunity. On top of everything else though, it is feeling like yet another ripple in the current.

While I normally think of myself as being a change-seeker and one who likes challenges, right now I am struggling with embracing the unknown and not worrying about the future. In the spirit of starting school, my own homework assignment for the week is to reflect on Luke 12 and Jesus' reminder, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes....Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?..But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." (Luke 12:22-31).

Yes, we are entering into a season of change but there is nothing to worry about or fear. These concerns are minor in comparison to what many of you are facing. Our upcoming changes will simply be "routine" before we know it. Who knows, by the end of next week, Yours Truly may even be fully embracing the change. Just maybe.

Annual Friends Trip 2011

We just completed our annual close family friends trip with the Booth, Bronson and Curtis families. Unlike recent years past, this year we actually did rough it and decided to spend the weekend camping at Diamond Lake. Having grown up spending countless weekends during both the winter and summer months in the area to camp, fish, water ski and snowmobile, I was excited to share the location with friends. I must admit that going into the weekend I was a bit anxious about everyone having a good time; thankfully those worries were unfounded! The bugs can be annoying but were completely tolerable. My biggest concern was the potential for thunderstorms. We had one that started rumbling over the lake but it blew over quickly...phew!

The view of Diamond Lake and Mt Bailey right from our camp spot

We enjoyed a day outing to Crater Lake National Park, a special location for our family since it's where my dear hubby proposed 6 1/2 years ago (he won points for choosing one of my favorite spots in the world!)

Unfortunately I neglected to get the group picture that I'd fully intended to take. The kiddos stole the show with the camera. It was such a blessing to watch them having so much fun together throughout the weekend: the giggling, chasing, rock skipping, bike riding and playing never stopped! The adults agreed that camping is something we want to keep doing with the kiddos as they grow because the memories will be invaluable.

Logan (almost 4), Emma (3 years) and Bekah (almost 5) enjoying the morning fire

Allison (2 years) and Bekah always have a good time together

The Bronson Family: Zeke (1 year), Robert, Samantha, Emma and future babe #3

Mr. Wagner sporting his stylin' camping hat. LOVE this man...hat and all.