Me and My Sister

Crazy, Cooky, Silly, but most of all Loving are words that help describe my relationship with my baby sister Jenna. We always manage to have THE BEST time together. Honestly I think about it and realize how awesome it is that we are the BEST of Friends now in our adult years. As you can tell from some of the pictures, we absolutely love to ham it up and have a ton of fun in front of the camera together. Doing these "photo shoots" bring so much laughter and memories to tack onto our ever growing list. I love her so much and am so blessed to have her as my Sissy. I will always and forever do anything for her am realizing that she'll do the same for me. The thought ~ Sisters by Blood, Friends by Choice~ explains us to a tee.

Jenna and my Mom drove Breanna and I back home to Seattle after a little vacation in Spokane. On Sunday we all went downtown and enjoyed some time at Pike Street Market. What a wonderful time I had being with the people that I love the most. The weather was nice, the flowers smelled beautiful and the smiles are etched in my memory for a lifetime.

(Mom if you read this, I'll forever wish that I would have been able to catch the instant that the flying fish was an inch away from your head..... booooyy were you a lucky one.... that would have made for a bummer of a day.)

I love to be able to say that I ADORE MY FAMILY!! :o)

Frienships

Ok, so you know how I've mentioned before that I am so amazed with the friendships that we are making here in Seattle. Well today that feeling was reconfirmed even more as I had the opportunity to spend all day with Breanna and our next door neighbors at the Woodland Park Zoo here in Seattle.

As my friend Vanessa (the Mom/Wife) and I were chatting today I realized how important it is to extend yourself and meet new people within your surroundings as you may have more similarities then you ever originally would have imagined. The two of us chatted ALL DAY LONG about everything under the sun. I learned about her likes & dislikes, her extended family, all the way down to her decorating style at Christmas. So many of the things that she said were exactly how I do things, enjoy in life, or have experienced. And let me tell ya, we were so excited when we figured out that we both really like to "Do Things Up" at Christmas and have decided that our townhouse is going to be the most festive on the entire island that we live on.

Vanessa and her husband have 2 kids, 6 & 4 and as I watched them interact with my little Breanna today I was overwhelmed with joy, they not only get along very well, but are helpful and kind to one another. The oldest is extremely loving and nurturing and was always making sure that Breanna was alright and taken care of, and the younger one and Breanna really became buddies later in the day as they held hands and walked along the paths together. It was the cutest thing to watch as she would look up at him and smile to her hearts delight and he would act a little shy, but brush it off and keep on walking. Seeing those smiles on my daughter's face through out the day made me truely feel like building these friendships, and breaking down that ever so guarded "used to be" comfort zone is so completely worth it.

Friendships have always meant the world to me, the more I build, the stronger and more outgoing person I become, and I must say....I am extremely happy with that outcome. :o)

My little Angel

My little angel Breanna is growing up sooo fast. She is soo much fun, full of endless amounts of energy and laughter. I feel so blessed that I get to stay at home with her on a daily basis and teach her about all of the little things in life. She is talking so much and is to the point of saying complete sentences. Some of the things that she comes up with just blow me away. I can't believe what a smart little cookie she is. She loves to read any and all books with Mommy and has just this morning asked me to read the Bible to her. I know that it will be too advanced for her, but I feel like if she wants to hear it I will read to her a little bit each day.

She is such an amazing child. Sometimes I sit and think of how I could love another child as much as I love and adore her. But then I realize that my heart isn't stuck to just one love, it will be overflowing with love for all of my children someday.

I'm striving to be an elementary school teacher in the "near" future. But love the fact that I get to teach each and every day inside my home. I know that Breanna's only 2, but she is a little sponge. The amounts of things she absorbs on a daily basis are mind boggling to me. I have realized what an impact my actions make on her and that I have to work to be the best influence that I possibly can be every minute of the day. The second that I step off the "Good Mommy path" and slip with a word or action she soaks it in and repeats what ever I did. Moments like those are heart breaking as I hate the thought that she could look at me in a negative manner, or I could be a bad influence.

My Angel is my angel... growing so fast each and every day. I still can't believe my husband and I created such an amazing little human being. Being a parent is an amazing task. I love it's challenges and glories!!! :o) Look at that ADORABLE face, it all pays off.

Life in Seattle

From the day that we got married, even up until June of last year I would have never guessed that we would live anywhere else except for our home town of Spokane Washington. However after much prayer and answer, God gave us the opportunity to move to Seattle.

It was a challenge at first as we had to learn how to be us for once in our marriage. With the constant influence and support of all of the family that lived by us at "Home" we never fully relied on eachother for everything. Amazing after 5 years of marriage how eye opening that realization can be. We always thought and knew that we were strong, but didn't take into consideration the circumstances of life until we were on our own as our "own family".

Life over here in Seattle has been the best blessing ever given to us, well... aside from having our daughter of course. Chris's job is wonderful, he feels so at home, welcomed and secure. Kudos to him, he just got a promotion with a new position that he will be starting in July. He's so excited, some times I talk to him during the day and he sounds like a kid in a candy store. There is no doubt in my mind that he is loving what he is doing.

Aside from the wonderful job, we have also made some of most amazing friendships. We have been so blessed to make a great connection with another Christian family here in our area. They are some of the best people I have ever met. They welcomed us to their church about a month ago and we already feel a part of the congregation. How fabulous a feeling it is to be so welcomed and loved and build frienships with other strong Christians as ourselves. We thank the Lord EVERY DAY for what he is doing in our lives and for all of the fabulous people he has blessed us with. We feel so lucky to be in the position that we are and can't wait to see what the future brings.

(The pictures in the beginning are of the AMAZING view of Mt. Rainier from our back window, and then of us standing if front of our new house.)