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A few pictures from this Fall…

Thank you, Tess, for taking this lovely picture!

Evie is into wearing bows right now.

Loving the Christmas tree!

Vernal Falls in Yosemite

Family pic at the Vernal Falls bridge

Getting ready to rock Yosemite! Yeah!

Waiting for the Yosemite Valley shuttle.

Take me fishing, Daddy.

A trip to the pumpkin patch.

Evie liked rocks more than pumpkins. Oh well!

Letting Daddy pet the horse at the pumpkin patch.

And those were our adventures!

Around and About

I mentioned previously that Michael was trying to decide whether there were job opportunities with the National Park Service that would also be conducive to having a family life, and the general consensus between the two of us was, "not now, and we need to make some money." So in one of the quicker big decisions that we've ever made, we decided to seize an opportunity that came our way and buy a small business. The story went this way:

As Michael was perusing job postings, he came across an ad that a pool cleaning business was for sale--13 pools, translating to 1-2 days of work per week, and the price was right. "You know," I said," That's not a bad deal. You work 1-2 days each week and bring in the same amount of money you made working 5 days a week, we cut our childcare costs, have the potential to grow it, and pay ourselves back in a year." Something to think about. Upon contacting the seller, we came to learn that it was our friend who owned a pool cleaning business, trying to get ride of a few contracts since he had so many. Our friend promised Michael he'd help him learn how to do the work, both the pool part of it, and the business part of it. Who could turn that down? We didn't! So we now own Pure Hydro Pool Service, and my husband the pool boy can come sweep your pool and clean your pump any time. Now, the contracts Michael bought haven't paid us yet--that's coming in about a month, so we'll see how this all shakes down, but so far, the start-up cost has been low, and I think it's far less dangerous than looking for crazy people on drugs out in the wilderness. But that's just me.

And Evie has been up to being her sweet self. I went to a giant consignment sale not long ago, and while I had left to just buy her some clothes, she became very attached to the toy in the picture below, so I bought it. I still feel super indulgent, but she continues to put in many hours and miles pounding the pavement with her little letter carrier, so I think the joy was worth my $7.50. Here she is pictured in her dad's hat, all business.

Summer Draws to a Close

We had an interesting summer this year, as we found ourselves choosing to dive into a season of transition. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Michael quit his job at the Work Training Center here in Chico and set out in June to explore new options. When he took that job, we promised each other that it would not be a long-term solution for a number of reasons, namely that the wage was low and the work was excruciatingly boring. But life gets comfortable, and soon two years had gone by. Multiple job applications and rejections later (the unemployment rate in Chico hovers around 13% and close to 25% in surrounding areas), we decided to "just do it" and try something new. So National Park Ranger Academy became the theme of the summer, and although it was challenging, we are still contemplating the viability of such work for our family. It would require Michael to be away from us for days, weeks, or months at a time. It's dangerous work, too, and we're not really excited about that. So we are thinking about that kind of work as an option and looking at other, more local and less dangerous options as well. More on that later.

But after having been apart for the summer, we decided we needed some fun in our lives before we got down to business, so we went up to Anacortes for a week to get some cooler weather and refreshment...

I pushed us all to play tourist and get out on a ferry boat. We had amazing weather, and I got to capture this amazing image of Mount Baker hovering in a blanket of fog above Orcas Island.

Perhaps Evie should have been more impressed by the beauty. What a scowl. The best part about this ferry trip were the wild orca whales we saw from the ferry. Wow, what a show. The captain slowed waaay down so we could watch them swim, play, and jump in the water.

She did like the birds on the piling, though. She was pretty excited to watch them strut around and fight with each other.

Evie learned to walk this summer, toward the middle of July. Here she is practicing and enjoying herself immensely.

We took a day trip up to Mount Lassen on our 7th anniversary. There was so much snow! Our trip there last summer looked so much different just because there was virtually no snow at all. It was a wild and wet winter for Northern California, but the reservoirs are full for the first time in many years.

Here we are, posing in our nerdy hats in front of Broke-off Mountain!

Seven years of marriage--pretty cool!

Smokey the Who?

Well, it's official. We've either done something really dumb or really great.

I've had a lot of conversations with people lately about taking risks, which has perhaps helped me deal with the risk that our family recently took this summer. Generally, I prefer a quiet life in which I can enjoy my friends and family and have a reasonably good prediction of the near future. Why I prefer this type of life, I don't know, because I have rarely enjoyed such a luxury. Truth be told, do any of us truly get to enjoy such a luxury? I have learned in my teenage and adult years that when I am faced with a choice that presents itself as scary or unsettling, I should probably lean into that challenge and just do it. Those choices have typically resulted in being the most rewarding. What's the saying? With great risk comes great reward, I believe it is.

It so happens that I married a risk junkie, and that has probably been one of the best things for me. Because of him, I've:

• climbed steep mountain peaks (he doesn't think this is a big deal--poo on him)
• furthered my education
• frolicked amongst 1.5-ton elephant seals
• moved to a foreign country
• stood up to old men in a foreign country
• ridden a scooter in a foreign country
• flown down a country highway in China at midnight to who-knows-where in a taxi driven by a crazy Chinese guy who was passing cars with oncoming traffic staring us in the face
• eaten sushi, seaweed, jellyfish, and crab innards

So it should be no surprise to me that after several years of butting our heads against the job market, that we've decided to take another risk and side-step this lovely economy and hope to inject Michael into it another way. This summer, he is attending Ranger Academy to become a Law Enforcement Officer in our national parks. He quit his job and is spending the summer learning how to arrest people, shoot guns, take people down, and "employ tactical driving techniques," i.e. drive big trucks like they do on TV. Sounds like a fun summer camp for grown-ups, huh? We are hoping that despite the fact that he quit his job (gulp), this new set of skills will place him on a path that may allow him a career that moves somewhere and doesn't rot his brain. So far, even though we are spending the weekdays apart, he is feeling optimistic about his career for the first time in years and is really enjoying what he's learning. That's certainly something for a wife to be grateful for!

So pray for us; for Michael's ongoing safety and for the unfolding of the path ahead.

Here's a photo of Michael and Evie. They miss each other when they are apart but have a blast when they're back together. :-) Evie and I escaped the heat of Chico and met Michael in Marin for a weekend on the beach. It was so much fun. And speaking of Evelyn, I will proudly brag that she is standing by herself for long periods of time and threatening to walk sometime when we aren't looking.

Trip to Los Angeles

Our Trip to Disneyland

When I anticipate thinking back on this trip in the years to come, I imagine that National Lampoon's Vacation will come to mind as they braved the harrowing obstacles they encountered on their cursed way to Wallyworld. Evie and I encountered our own obstacles as we joined my in-laws on a trip to Disneyland and Venice Beach. She and I drove down to Vacaville to ride with Michael's parents on our drive down there. I had the joy of cleaning poop (not mine!) out of our car about 10 minutes into our trip. Then I did it again the next day. Then the day after that, all of Michael's family fell sick, and as they rolled in bed moaning on Friday night, it was up to Evie and me to make our own fun. We were good for a couple of hours before I began to go nuts.

However, we did make it to Disneyland, as well as to the Griffith Observatory, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica. The majority of the trip was great fun, but upset stomachs, vomit, and poor appetites peppered our trip throughout. My brother-in-law and I bonded in a new way when I pulled the car over for him on the busy L.A. I-5 freeway to allow him to hurl out the side of the car.

Here are pictures from the true beginning of our trip (at least in my book). We all went to Disneyland together on Sunday, 3 days into our vacation.

Her classic expression of excitement: "Yaaaay!" as she observed all the kids milling around.

Not sure what she thought of the carousel. She didn't end up liking it very much.

Evie loved her great-uncle, Jimmy. It was the second time she had met him, but she went right to him and wanted him to hold her. He works for Disneyland on the "It's a Small World" ride. He really gave us the hook up; we didn't have to wait in line at all, all day. Thank you, thank you!

The adults also had fun in Disneyland. Here we were in a very (!!) short line for the haunted mansion.

Grandpa Jack became Evie's new buddy. I did not have to hold her much during our trip because she always asked for him. :-)

Evie's ready to go swimming after our first day at Disneyland, a few hours before the vomit hit the toilet.

Evie and I on some caterpillar ride. We were both bored on that one.

Our hotel must have gotten their cribs on discount from Eastern Europe. Very glad I brought my own blankets for her. I always lean toward bringing less gear, but I think I'm gradually learning the bringing your own crib is just better all around. No judgment, please!

More photos to come, as things begin to look up for National Hanes Summer Vacation.

1st Birthday!

We had a 1st birthday celebration for Evie at our house. The weather couldn't have been more perfect; 75 degrees, sunny, and a light breeze. We barbecued hamburgers and hotdogs, enjoyed our friends, and celebrated our first year with Evie.

Evie got to have a banana bread cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Since bananas are hands-down her favorite food, I thought this was a healthy and appropriate first cake for her.

Everyone else got devils food cupcakes with chocolate sour cream frosting. Yum!

Evie likes to be in the middle of anything involving food, and we discovered it was a little tricky keeping her feet out of the candle flame. Quick song, blow out the candle, get on with the eating part.

"Come on, guys! I could totally eat that spread! One little cupcake is nothing. Keep it coming!"

Happy birthday, my sweet, friendly, enthusiastic, outgoing baby. We definitely think you are a wonderful addition to our lives. We're grateful that God chose you for us (and the rest of the world) out of all the possibilities.

10 Months, 11 Months...

Evelyn is growing fast; in fact she just turned one in real time. But I have not uploaded those photos, and there is a birthday party coming up, so I will save all those photos for another blog entry. To risk being incredibly cliche, it is amazing how fast Evie has grown, and how delightful it has been to have her in our lives. This little girl has a personality that is larger than life, and it's actually very hard to catch her in the camera because she is always moving and always talking, which makes for blurry pictures.

Here are some reasons why we love her:

• She loves to wave her arms in the air and say, "Yaaaay!"
• She loves to snuggle, as much as possible.
• She is friendly, and there are only about 2 people she doesn't really seem to like…sorry Mr. Chiropractor…
• She sleeps through the night now.
• She knows what she wants and has figured out how to ask for it; lots of signing and pointing.
• She dances to music whenever it comes on.
• She smiles and laughs, loves to play games, and is generally loving, fun-loving, and people-loving.
• She likes to ride on your shoulders, and she NEVER holds on. Never. She prefers to wave her arms in the air and bounce up and down.

Eyes that melt into black liquid, begging you to love her. More. Now.

First Easter. I didn't actually think she'd be able to tear the wrappers off the candy that the Easter obviously brought for Eryn and Michael.

I'm going to brag a little; I carried Evie 6 out of our 10-mile hike. I was very sore the next day. She's not that light.

A wild time at Stinson Beach. Evie just LOVED the wind.

Recent Projects

One year for Christmas, my mom presented me with a knitting basket and needles, announcing that we were going to learn (at least I was--she was going to relearn) to knit. I felt a bit dubious about this idea but over the years have come to love knitting. I find it relaxing and satisfying. My friend knit an absolutely scrumptious sweater for Evie last year, and I decided that my fall project would be to knit the same sweater for my friend's baby, due in February. I was very proud of my handiwork and now have the confidence to tackle the more daunting task of knitting myself a sweater.

Here is the "Duck Soup" sweater pattern manifesting itself for yet another sweet baby:

I also had to learn to crochet so I could make that little flower. When I chose the yarn, I could not find a decent color in the yarn I wanted, so I went with this great blue color. But my friend had a girl, so the sweater needed a little feminine touch.

Being a Good Baby

It's been with a grain of salt that I've fielded the many questions asked my about my baby's development. Actually, it's only ever been two questions, which I imagine most parents hear when they have an infant:

Is she walking yet?

How does she sleep? (as in, does she sleep through the night?)

When my infant was younger, both those questions were so laughable that that's exactly what I did! But the older my baby gets, the more appropriate to her development these questions become, and now the right answers (yes to both) seem almost reflective of my parenting skills. I was lamenting to my sister about a couple we met at church who said that they had successfully employed the "cry it out" method to get their 6-month-old son to sleep through the night in his crib. They both looked so bright-eyed and alert that I knew it had to be true. My sister wisely offered the perspective that they were probably either lying or exaggerating. I love her.

But truly, it has been so interesting to see the looks on people's faces when I admit to them that I've let my baby sleep in my bed with me as a means to get more sleep. The majority of the time, reactions seem to register on a Likhert scale of 1. (pity--for being so indulgent) to 5. (horror--we're going to roll over her and kill her accidentally). I've always had to remind people that sleeping with your young baby can be far more practical than marching down the hallway two or three times a night, thus becoming much more awake and getting even less sleep.

My real question is this: Why is it that a baby's ability to sleep through the night in his or her own crib is the hallmark, the pinnacle, the zenith of being a good baby and a good parent?

Here is some perspective for you. I work with families who have children with autism. Here are some things their babies and young children often do not do:

• make prolonged, purposeful, intentional eye contact
• engage in back-and-forth social exchanges, such as smile games, peek-a-boo, bang-bang on the table
• snuggle up to mommy's face and stare into her eyes for long periods of time
• intentionally babble at mommy or daddy
• look for their parents in a large room
• demand to be given attention constantly
• show stuff to their parents

(Massive disclaimer--your child does not have autism if he or she does not do one or all of these things some of the time. Consider it a point of concern if all of these problems exist together over time…)

I am simply grateful to have a healthy, robust baby who does

all the above things and much, much more. She is the favorite at the church nursery because she spends the whole hour laughing at all the other babies. She can take over an entire room with her larger than life personality. She laughs with us and at us and is so fun to be around. Now, I can teach her to sleep in her own crib (actually, we're already there, for the most part). I can be patient while she learns to sleep through the night. But she's already a great baby, and it's not because she sleeps well. I would be quite heartbroken to see her lack in the areas above. I have happily sacrificed my sleep, knowing that my daughter is ridiculously social. I am far happier to see how social and well-developing she is than to be able to brag that I am well-rested.

So, no. She doesn't consistently sleep through the night. This is developmentally appropriate.

And, no. She doesn't walk yet. She's only 10 months old. Also developmentally appropriate.

She awesome anyway! And her mom and dad are raising her well!

Nine Months

Evie has been busy in her ninth month! She can crawl, pull herself up, fall off of things (she has no respect for heights), say mama and dada if she cares, wave, and has enjoyed her first cold and ear infection. She loves to follow her mama around the house, unload things, scatter things, bang things, and sing. She is always ready with a smile, and is generally very fun. It's my opinion that she is an adrenaline junkie like her dad, but time will tell…

She's also quite beautiful, as you can see:

"Where are my bananas?"

Just to set the record straight that she is not ALWAYS happy.

But she is often happy.

Sweet thing.

It's only just begun!

What Have You Been Doing, Evie?

Evie was entertaining herself while I was doing my hair:

I really don't think she felt bad. This is called drama-queen.

That's more like it. Be proud of your accomplishments, honey.