Marelize's Blog

Malone's first day of Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:03:00 +0000

Malone is one smart cookie. She's been looking forward to going to school since she was in utero. I mean, what 2 year old do you know that begs with puppy eyes to learn how to read?

So this Fall after much searching, much research and much discussion, we decided that it was time to enroll her in preschool. She was sooo excited but also quite nervous.

On the morning of the first day, she was NOT as excited. We dropped her off, along with many other first time schooling parents, all a bit nervous. It did not go like we had hoped. As the teacher peeled a hysterical Malone off of Cameron's body, I had to turn away not to get a little hysterical myself. Judah, on the other hand, was all ready stay and go to school himself.

As the days and weeks went by, she got better and better and the day we could drop her off without her crying was a celebration day. Now she has even been asking to go to school everyday (she only goes two days a week.) She LOVES the art station and will always choose to do crafts over playing with anything else. We are quickly becoming dealers of great preschool art in massive quantities. I think she's making friends although sometimes its hard to tell who are friends of the "real" category and who are friends of the "make believe" category. But either way, she is enjoying it and we are loving it for her.

Here's some pictures of the first day of Preschool.

She has been waiting for months to be able to use her DORA lunchbox.

Malone and Daddy. She looks very excited.

Malone and her Mommy. She looks a bit less excited and maybe slightly embarrassed to have to take so many pictures.

After school we took her to her favorite restaurant, Chili's, for a special mac & cheese lunch.

I think Judah was still a little upset that he didn't get to go to school.

Mommy and Judah. Again, Judah not very impressed with having to take a picture with mom.

Thinking...

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Dangerous words, I know.

Today, I'm thinking about these words:

THOUGHTFUL,

INTENTIONAL,

HEARTFELT,

MOTHERING (or parenting.)

What does it mean? What does it mean practically? How do I implement it in our everyday lives?

Ok, readers, mothers, fathers, non-parents,

what does this mean to you?

Leave me a comment or send me an email if you have any thoughts on the subject.

* And a couple of pictures for your entertainment.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you!

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:21:00 +0000

It is true, folks! I am updating you on our crazy little family...emphasis on CRAAAAYYYZY. So here's what's happened in the last 6 months.

- We left Washington. In a snowstorm. In an ice-storm. One of the marking moments in our marriage. We still love each other though (Ya

y! for loving each other.) We were so sad to leave.

- Along the way, both kiddos got ear & sinus infections. Hoooray for driving long distances with sick kids. Clearly, this was also very memorable or else I would not mention it.

- We finally saw Portland (on a historically cold day), spent a couple of days recuperating in Boise, on to see our coolest friends, the Cronks in Salt Lake City, and recuperated some more with Grandma & Grandpa in Laramie, WY. Yes, the Cronks were sooo cool that we needed to recuperate after their coolness. Then we headed to Colorado for a couple of days which was magical. Then for a lovely visit to Albuquerque with Cameron's aunt Evelyn and uncle Don (and cousins) and FINALLY we arrived in Alamogordo, New Mexico where Cameron trained in his new aircraft from March until June.

Isn't New Mexico pretty?

- In April, I loaded up my friend Leigh Anna and the kids and we made our trek to Las Vegas sans Cameron. Boo. We arrived at our new home, got a look around and welcomed the movers. It was the first time that I saw our new house and must say Cameron has good taste. It is the second house he has picked out without me seeing it. While Cameron was still in New Mexico, we got moved in and mostly unpacked. Of course, we left a couple of projects for him. Wouldn't want to leave him out, would we?

Here's Malone and Leigh Anna at the Hoover Dam.

This is what we do when there is no toys and an empty house.

- FINALLY, at the beginning of June, we were reunited as a family of four! Hip Hip HOoray!

- Shortly after Cameron arrived, we celebrated our 5 year anniversary by going on a mini vacation on the Strip for 3 days...WITHOUT the kids. First time ever. And thanks to my awesome big sister, Lydia, the kids didn't even know we were gone. Cameron and I literally laid by the pool, ate lots of awesome food and slept. It was pretty great.

Cameron and I at Comme Ca, a French restaurant at the Cosmopolitan. Amazing!

- Then in July my little sister, Christelle came for a visit. We sooo enjoyed having her here. And I was terribly sad when she left. Come back, Christelle, come back!!!!!!

- My dad also came partly while Christelle was here. Oooh how Malone and Judah loved having their Oupa here. Malone just wanted to show Oupa her new swimming skills and Judah just wanted Oupa to wrestle and throw him around.

- Then a couple days later Cameron's dad and stepmom came for a visit as well. We had such a wonderful time with them going to the pool, visiting and seeing the Elvis Cirque du Soleil. Malone only had her eye on grandma as her new playmate and Judah had a special understanding and communication with grandpa. Judah is, of course, the little Jay Schaefer.

And here we are. Phew!

Now you know what we've been up to. We love it here in Las Vegas and we are fine tuning our friends and family tour. So come on out for a visit!!!

So now I leave you with a little something to brighten your day.

Our new home

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:13:00 +0000

Can't write much. Too much to do. Boxes EVERYWHERE. But we made it. And its sunny. And its beautiful. "Really?", you ask. Really. Come visit and you'll see.

White Sands

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:32:00 +0000

The kids and I (and the wonderful Leigh Anna) are leaving for Las Vegas this week. So, we thought we should have at least one last "family" activity before we left New Mexico. We decided to go to White Sands National Park...a must see apparently for this area.

It was nice. It was sandy. It was white. BUT we picked the WINDIEST day of the year of our sandy adventure. I don't think the consequences of that needs more of an explanation. We saw, we came and we got pelted by tiny, white sand...and Malone enjoyed it, so that's good.

Introducing....

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Friends and loved ones,

I've been working on something the last couple of days that has me so excited I don't even know how to introduce it to you. It is no mystery that I love to cook (and eat, maybe? Maybe.) I love finding new recipes to make for my family and share with my friends. If any of you know me (bible study, girls?) you know that this is true.

So I've decided to start a food blog called, "Not Without My Mom." This new venture is deeply personal for me. You see, my mom taught me how to cook and despite how much I miss her every day, I somehow feel her in my cooking adventures.

I'll be sharing recipes from my own collection, some from my mom's, some that I find from other food bloggers and giving helpful tips for people still growing in their own cooking adventures (hi Dad!) How fun, right?

So head over to www.notwithoutmymom.com and visit me for a little bit. :)

PS: Don't worry, I'll still blog over here about our crazy family adventures.

All my love,

Marelize

Something new

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:08:00 +0000

I'm working on something exciting.

Something new.

Something fun.

For me, anyways.

You're dying of suspense,

Aren't you?

Real food: Homemade Tortillas

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:12:00 +0000

When my children started eating real food (as in when the world became alive to them :), it became pretty important to me that they eat "REAL" food. Not food that could sit out on the counter for 20 years and still be ok to eat. (Is that ever ok to eat?)

Yes, my children still eat boxed crackers sometimes, in fact, Judah eats his weight in Graham Crackers every day. And yes, Malone could eat Easy Mac for every meal of her life, if only I would relent and let her. But as much as I can, I try to make sure the food they (and we) consume is made of REAL ingredients. I know this probably comes easier to me than most, since I particularly enjoy making things from scratch, have the time to do so and more resources than many. I wish (fist of fury in the air) that as a community we would make it easier and cheaper to eat REAL food. I could go on long enough to make Michael Pollan proud, but I won't.

I will, however, share with you my latest conquest in this journey to real, homemade food, HOMEMADE TORTILLAS. UH- mazing! That's all. This is how tortillas were meant to be eaten. I got this recipe from Petit Elefant. Thank you, Allison. Thank you. She has more step by step pictures to help you along if you are a rule follower, like me, and need to make sure your dough looks like hers. Its so easy, and fairly quick. Do it. Make them. Now!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Courtesy of Petit Elefant

Makes 9-10 tortillas, depending on size

2 C. All-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vegetable oil

3/4 C. hot water

1. Mix together the dry ingredients. Mix well.

2. Add oil to the water. Mix together well...ha ha

3. Add water mixture to dry ingredients one teaspoon at a time. Mix, mix, mix. Until a dough forms.

4. On a very well floured surface, knead the dough until smooth

5. Cut and roll into 9-10 small balls

6. Cover with a damp/wet kitchen towel for 20 minutes. Knead little balls and cover again for 10 minutes.

7. Roll out as thin as you can (I like them not too

thin because then they got a bit crispy. I like

them a little thicker and soft)

8. Cook in a greased (BUTTER!) pan until tortilla bubbles, turn over and cook until golden brown.

9. EAT!

I made some for Buffalo Chicken Tacos. Divine. But then I also made a couple extra for dessert, which meant I sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar. Ahhhh.

Recipe: Mexican Lasagna

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:48:00 +0000

Neither Cameron nor I care a ton for traditional lasagna, so this Mexican version is right up our alley. And since we're in New Mexico, I thought I'd share with you with wonderful readers (Hi dad! Hi Laura!) Hope you enjoy!

Mexican Lasagna- thought up in the recesses of my mind...

3 cooked Chicken breast, shredded
Corn chips
1 c. Sour Cream
1 can Green Enchilada Sauce
Half an onion, sliced

1 Yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 c. Cilantro
2 small cans of Green Chilies, chopped
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
2 c. Cheddar cheese (or whatever kind)
salt
pepper
cumin

1. Preheat the oven to 375, & grease a 9x13” baking dish

2. Cook onion and peppers until just softened. Take off heat and throw in Cilantro

3. In a bowl, mix sour cream and Enchilada sauce until combined

4. Start building the lasagna: chips, veggies, chicken (then sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin), sour cream sauce, chilies, beans, cheese, and repeat.

5. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until its bubbling and the cheese has slightly browned.

** A couple thoughts:

- This is such a forgiving, easy recipe. You can add whatever vegetables you like. Some that I have added in the past includes corn, zucchini, tomatoes, leeks, asparagus.

- Also, you can make your own corn chips if you like by baking some cut up tortillas (with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, red pepper if you like a little heat) 375, until golden.

- If you're from New Mexico you do not have to used canned anything, but rather fresh, amazing chilies and green enchilada sauce. Anyone from New Mexico: Where can I find this? I've heard rumors.

Now, go sit on the porch with a nice cold, Mexican coke (in the glass bottle) or Negro Modelo in hand. Enjoy.

Where in the World are the Schaefers?

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:19:00 +0000

Here's some clues:

1. Its warm

2. Its dry and desert-y (we're bathing in lotion....ok, not really, but maybe we should)

3. Close to another country

4. Cameron is in training. Again.

5. We've travelled through 7 states.

6. We've survived 3 kids ear infections (out of 4 ears) and I'm pretty sure 2 sinus infections too. So this is not a clue to anything, but I just wanted to let you know an overarching theme to our road trip.

7. This state has THE BEST green chili burgers EVER.

Where are we?

Why, yes. We are in New Mexico!

In. a. hurry.

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 17:21:00 +0000

We leave this week.

If you were at my house, it would not look as if we are moving this week.

Thank the Lord for governmental moves.
They literally come and take stuff off of the walls and drawers and pack them up.

BUT, we are going to be in New Mexico/on the road/without our stuff for the next 3 months so I have to pack up that stuff before the packers and movers come....MONDAY!

How does one pack for 3 months on the road, for a family of 4? I'll let you know in a couple of days.

Did I mention we are going on a 2 week road trip? With a very chatty 3 year old and a pathetically sick 1 year old? Any advice for car activities?

We're swimming in paperwork.

Closing on our Vegas home, finding renters for our WA home, moving docs, its nuts and not very environmentally friendly. How very Pacific Northwest of me.
I love Seattle.

I'm so sad to leave here.

Cameron and I went on one last Seattle date last night. This was our view as we were walking back to our car.

Beautiful.

I want to come back and live here again-- with all their tech-savvy people that makes me feel like I still live in the cave-era, granola parents, environmentalists, even the liberals (that one is for you, Dad)...I'll miss them all.

Lets not even talk about my Bible Study girls.

Tear.

Tear.

But Las Vegas is sunny, right?

OK, gotta go wipe a runny nose and figure out what I want to wear for the next 3 months.

One last funny story before I go?

Ok.

We were driving the other day, and Malone said, "Dad, what do Panda Bears eat?"

Cameron replied, "They eat Bamboo."

She quickly replied with a disgusted look on her face, "EWWWW!"

We couldn't figure out why she was so grossed out by bamboo.

Later her and I were talking about panda bears and I said, "Well, daddy told you what they eat, right?"

She said, "Yes, they eat Panda Poo!"

Ahahahaha! She thought Cameron said, "Panda Poo" instead of "Bamboo!" We laughed sooo hard.

Had to be there?

Ok, I'm out. Wish me luck.

Dear Broncos

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Dear Broncos,

I'm not a huge football fan, but others in my house are. And apparently, you didn't do so well this last season. You think you could try a little harder next season, for this kid?

Thanks.

All our love and support,

The Schaefer family

Favorite things

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:35:00 +0000

Here in the Schaefer household, we are preparing to move, be in transition for a couple of months and finally, set up home in Las Vegas, sometime this Spring. (PS: Our offer got accepted on a house there! Woo-hoo! We are on our way to owning a home in Las Vegas!) All that to let you know that we are in the midst of CHANGE, oh glorious change. But I'll try to keep you up to date on everything.

Since I've been back home now for a little while, I've been finding all kinds of inspiring and lovely things. So here is a couple of them in no particular order:

1. Pumpkin Nutella Snack Cake from Twopeasandtheirpod. Make it. You won't regret it. I can literally eat an entire pan. But I won't. Because I can't make them anymore or else I will. Its a vicious cycle.

2. I've become a little obsessed with Etsy lately. I also have been searching for some unique things to put in our new house. Practical or just beautiful. This falls under the practical category and I just love this dry erase daily wall decal.

3. My particular obsession with Etsy has been artwork. Check out some of these for our reading/music room.

Reading is Cool

Our House

Keep Calm

4. And while I'm searching on Etsy, I take a break to eat this. Key Lime Pie, also from Twopeasandtheirpod. So refreshing, so easy, so delicious. This is going in my recipe favorites folder.

5. And then I go back to finding these treasures. But this time I look for things for the kids' rooms.

Here's some for Judah:

Take Flight

I love cars

Here's some for Malone:

Believe it

Adventures Awaits

6. Speaking of kids, check out these kids learning kits, called Time for Tots. People are so inventive. They are themed learning kits for kids. For instance, I just saw a February kit, or a shapes kit, and then it includes all the tools you need for the kit and a list of activities to utilize the kits with. Uh-mazing! I definitely plan on getting some of these for the kids in the HOT summer days in Las Vegas when we can't go outside. Hmmm....that will be an entire year of us not being able to go outside...Winter here, Summer there. Yikes.

7. My friend, Melanie introduced me to these. Its a website called File Folder Fun and they have free, download-able games for kids of all ages. You print off the pictures and glue the various parts to a file folder. Super easy, cute and free. I know my description of it stinks, but you HAVE TO check it out.

8. Gray. The color. I want to paint every room in my new house a variation of gray. Who am I? What happened to my obsession with bright colors? I guess its bright colors with gray walls.

Alright friends, I'm off for a little weekend fun with some girls. Cameron is graciously playing Mr. Mom, so I can go to Seattle for a couple of days, reboot, and hopefully come back a better mommy and wife. But more on that later.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:51:00 +0000

I have news: I no longer have a baby girl. All of a sudden, I blinked my eyes and she is a full-fledged little girl, complete with LOTS of emotions (that we're learning to control), and opinions about what to wear AND eat (WHAT? This is new for me) and a love for all things grown-up. The best part is that she can conversations with me about her day. She can randomly come up to me and say, "Mom, I like you" or "Wow, I like your socks." Yep, folks, she's three. Where did the time go?

In our house, we celebrate birthdays for days, weeks, months at a time. Since its hard to understand why we have our birthday parties on one day, but our actual birthday isn't until the next, we just keep celebrating. And that's what we did this past weekend. It started a couple of months ago, when someone...ahemm.....ahemm.....Leigh Anna...planted the idea in Malone's head of a princess birthday party. We had been talking about it literally for months and by "we" I mean, Malone and Leigh Anna. So, of course, I could not just give her a crown and call it a day.

So we made it a Princess Fest.

But first, the Birthday Girl had to open her presents from family. Oh how she loves her baby dolls and needed furniture for her dolls. We take our babies' needs very seriously around here.

Then it was busy, busy, busy getting ready for her party. We had a crown decorating station.

and lots of food. We also had a cake. Oh the cake. It took me 2 whole days to make. But it came out UH.MA.ZING (if I have to say so myself.)

I don't think she quite knew what to do when she saw it. She knew what I was doing, but hadn't seen it completed yet. I think she was more concerned that her new Barbie was stuck in the cake. Ha Ha Ha.

We opened presents. And by "we", I mean, me, Malone, Judah and some of her friends who wanted to help. It was a group activity. I'm always blown away by people's generosity.

One of her gifts, from our dear friends, Leigh Anna and Sara was a box full of princess dress-up outfits. Here's Snow White in all her glory.

What a great party! It was my favorite Malone party to date and I'm pretty sure Malone LOVED it. So, here's to you, three year old, Malula! We love you so much and can't wait to see what lays ahead in this journey of guiding and teaching your little heart.

As a PS: Look what a handsome boy this fella is. Can you believe that he will be one on Sunday? I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:42:00 +0000

I've been thinking a lot lately about seasons. As long, warm summer evenings faded into shorter, cooler days with the beautiful colors of autumn everywhere, then as autumn froze into a very wet, cold, Washington winter, I couldn't help but feel a much deeper connection to the season's change. In some ways, this year's physical seasons has mirrored the emotional and spiritual seasons in the life of my family and myself.

The year started off with making preparations for the leap from being a family of 3 to a family of 4, celebrating the 2nd birthday of Malone, and not even a week later, celebrating the new life of Judah. We were so excited for this new phase in our family's life and so grateful that the Lord gave us two healthy, wonderfully unique and beautiful children. Bliss. Summer.

As the months continued on, Cameron started travelling again (he went on his first trip when Judah was 3 weeks old. Sink or swim?) and we realized that this is not the life we wanted for our family. Adjusting to having 2 children and being a single mom most of the time, proved to be pretty difficult. But we were still trucking along, doing our every day activities, just with a newborn now in tow, but looking forward to an opportunity for our little family to make some changes. And an opportunity did, indeed, come our way. We also visited my family in June, where we really realized the gravity of my mom's health, cancer. It was one of the sweetest family times I can remember, despite starting to see glimpses of what lays ahead for us. Beautiful leaves changing colors and starting to fall to the ground. Autumn.

Then as the temperatures started to drop a little in the fall months, the kids and I headed to Alabama to stay with my family for a while to spend some time with my mom, and help in whatever way we could. By then, her disease was progressing fairly quickly. We spent our time enjoying my mom, each other and tried to hold onto the faithfulness of God, even if at times only by a finger or two. An aweful (both terrible and full of awe) winter blizzard. September turned to October, October turned to November and soon we were at the time we were all dreading, but at the same time looking SO forward to for my mom's sake. She passed away on November 20. One of my favorite lines from her obituary reads as follows: "Despite fantastic accomplishments in her life, her greatest ambition was to be with her Heavenly Father, a passion now realized." There is a quiet beauty amidst a cold and terrible snowstorm. Winter.

I am reminded of the purpose of winter in nature. In order for a tree to grow, "the seeds of each plant have certain conditions that need to happen before the seed will break open so the young embryo can begin a new life cycle. These conditions often include a long period of freezing." A time of cold rest, maybe? Perhaps winter's wrath is time for the seeds of new life to be protected from a warm summer's insect infestation? Maybe winter's purpose is not for winter itself. Rather, the culmination of winter is for Spring.

So as I sit here on this cold, wet, winter morning, in every sense of the word, I long for Spring. Luckily its right around the corner.

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced

Teaching us to breathe

What was frozen through is newly purposed

Turning all things green

So it is with You

And how You make me new

With every season’s change

And so it will be

As You are re-creating me

Summer, autumn, winter, spring

From one of my all time favorite songs, Seasons by Nichole Nordeman, the video you see above.

Malone's many faces

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:00:00 +0000

Happy

Sad

Excited

Mad

A little confused

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:30:00 +0000

Family

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:38:00 +0000

I recently came across this little quote about family:

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

I love my family. I even like them. They are truth tellers. They are beautiful, each person in their own way. The are always additions to my life and never subtractors. And I like spending time with them.

At the beginning of June, Cameron took some leave and we headed to Alabama to see my family for a little visit. Ahhh, it was glorious! We took a C-17 to Charleston, SC and then drove to Tuscaloosa the next day. It was a bit of a long trip, gotta love the speediness and reliability of a military flight, but hey, at least its free. We arrived and immediately I knew it was going to be a good trip. It had been a couple of years since my whole immediate family had been together, and we were all pretty excited to be there.

It was such a sweet time. I think that when I think about what family means, this trip will always stand out in my mind. As some of you might know, my mom has been diagnosed with gastro-intestinal tumorous cancer. Although she is weak and sick in her body, her mind, sense of humor and spirit is as strong as ever (and she's as beautiful as ever.) To be with one another, talking each other through uncharted territory has shown me how lucky we are...especially because we got to have those conversations by the pool. :) Our whole vacation was filled with swimming, laying by the pool, eating great food and just visiting with one another.

Malone was spoiled by the whole family. Who gave her that ice cream?

I'm such a good wife, I cook, clean, and even carry my husband when he's on vacation and tired.

Lydia, Joel, Cameron, Christelly and my dad went to the lake for a little kayak trip.

Lydia bought Malone a little tea set. Oh she loved playing with her aunties.

My mom even made it into the pool a couple of times. Apparently, Cameron is REALLY excited about this. Oh, and lets talk about how the pool water was 90 degrees. Magical!

Yeah, boooiii! Christelle and my little ghetto thug

All the pretty ladies of the family. My mom is ready for her margharita...and the pool boys feeding her grapes and fanning her with big leaves. Oh the life.

We also had some other members of our "family" come visit with us. We have known the Engelbrecht family since...I don't even know. They are also from South Africa and now the sons and their families live in Atlanta. Oh how we love them. They are truly a part of our family.

I heart family.

A change of scenery

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:59:00 +0000

We love the Pacific Northwest. We love the friends we've made here. We even (GASP) like the weather. But we do not love Cameron's schedule. Last year, he was gone over 2oo days. That means he was gone more than he was home. With the arrival of Judah, both Cameron and I started praying for something different for our family. Alas, an opportunity became available and I'm excited to say that we will be moving to Las Vegas sometime this fall/winter/spring (yeah, you like that Air Force timeline?) Cameron will have a new job that will allow him to sleep in our bed, at our house, even if its at strange hours. We are sooooo relieved and excited.

So we took a week at the beginning of August to go to Vegas, survey the area and maybe even find a house. Here's the discoveries of our trip in order of how they happened:

1) Flying with 2 kids and a mom AND A DAD, is great.

2) In-n-Out- Ahhhh, delicious animal-style cheeseburger and the best milkshake I've ever

tasted.

Here's Malone before:

Here's Malone after.

3. Judah was not impressed by the Strip or the beautiful houses we saw

4. It is hot! A pool is a must. Luckily for us, we found a neighborhood that we

love with a community pool nearby. Here we are at the pool at the hotel.

And glamorous Malone is ready for her new life by the pool. "Mom, where's my virgin margarita?!"

5. Vegas' housing market has crashed in an unbelievable way. But, we found a house. Its a long story, and for now we're just waiting.

6. Vegas has some of the best restaurants. To celebrate a successful trip, we went to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Lovely. Delicious. Amazing. Favorite. Delectable. Wonderful.

7. Although being separated this much is difficult, it has also allowed for some beautiful growth in our family, in every way. But I can't lie, this trip highlighted for me how much I love spending time together. My family is so beautiful and they bring life to my soul.

So for now, we just wait. Wanna come visit Las Vegas?

OY! Its been a while...

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:27:00 +0000

Its been a while.

Lots has happened.

Cameron gone for the whole month of May.

A family trip to see my family in Alabama for most of June.

Cameron gone in July.

A little trip to Las Vegas the first couple of weeks in August.

A broken computer.

FINALLY, a new computer.

Little boy sitting up and now crawling!!!!

Little girl so big and so funny and SOOOO independent.

One lucky/happy/tired/reading/loving mama.

Ok, so here goes....are you ready for all the updates?

Mother's day

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 00:17:00 +0000

a girl

+

a boy
=

a most adorable little #1

&
a ridiculously scrumptious little #2

But sadly said boy was gone on Mother's day. But it was ok, because girl and her kiddos has great friends. Friends who love her kids.

Friends who make incredible Mother's day lunches.
Not to mention dessert...the best pound cake I've ever had.

And then they play batche ball with us.
Don't we look athletic?

And they look pretty strong

And beautiful
No words.

LOVE. Can't you tell?

Then the girl tried to take a nice Mother's day picture with her children.

They are

clearly having

a hard

time.

She's still one lucky girl.

Spring is back with a vengeance!

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:30:00 +0000

I love the Pacific Northwest. I love it most in late Spring/early Summer. Not too hot, not too cold, a slight breeze, sunlight until after 9pm...ahhh, I love it all. When Spring hits it takes me a couple of good "Spring" days for the Northwest to win my heart back. And this weekend was exactly what I needed to resume my love affair.

Friday was Malone's special day. A day we celebrated her and all that she is and all (kinda) that she wants. We started off the day with a little trip to the Tacoma Children's Museum. It was pretty packed because it was Free Friday, but we enjoyed it nonetheless. She played her little heart out. Her favorite was the art room as usual. She drew on an easel, was very sad that there was no paint, learned how to use scissors, drew on the windows, colored and much, much more. Judah was fast asleep in my Sakura Bloom sling/carrier the entire 2 hours!

Then we met Becca and Brittany for lunch at the cutest cafe, where they had the doors and windows wide open. Fresh air, people! Malone got a special treat of apple juice with her lunch. Sadly, she spilled it, but I think I cared more than she did. She also got a new little toy, a kaleidoscope. Oh how she loves it. She even tries to get Judah to look at the beautiful colors. He doesn't seem as thrilled.

Saturday morning, we went to the Farmer's Market, one of my most favorite things of Spring and Summer. The fresh veggies, flowers, homemade pasta, bread and cheese. I even like all the crafts, ok "like" might not be the appropriate term, but I can appreciate them. Sara joined us for this wonderful morning outing. Then we came home, because the weather was so INCREDIBLE and had our first picnic outside. It was pure bliss. If I could have taken a nap out there I would have. Unfortunately, my children did not have the same plan as me.Here's Malone and Sara. Malone looks thrilled.

Malone and Judah getting ready for the festivities. Yes, Judah is wearing Malone's hat. Yes, its for a girl. And yes, it is way to big for him. I will be buying him a boy's hat soon, so that his dad doesn't have to worry about him wearing girl's clothes.

Me and Judah. Malone actually took this pictures. Judah's giving you all a hat tip.

The picnic feast: veggies, sheep's milk cheese, sour cream dip, watermelon, artichoke basil bread.

Malone taking a rest in between playing.

My sweet, sweet, summer boy!

Summer Dreams realized

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Sun, 09 May 2010 21:00:00 +0000

FINALLY....we got our patio finished. Yes, we now have a patio to fulfill all of our summer entertaining dreams.

We had a little patio christening a couple of weeks ago which included a fire pit, perfect spring evening, wine, s'mores and friends. Ahhh! So good, that we had another the next weekend. Only the beginning, friends. Only the beginning. This is when the night was still young. And before we busted out everything for s'mores. That's when things got crazy....oh the crazy life we lead in the suburbs :)Now, we only need patio furniture so we don't have to make our parties "Bring Your Own Chair."

10 things you should know about 3 month-old Judah

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:05:00 +0000

10. He's ridiculously cute

9. He is pretty smiley

8. He laughs now, usually with his tongue hanging out.

7. He smells like a man because he uses Head & Shoulders shampoo and Old Spice aftershave...just kidding about the aftershave...maybe..

6. He secretly loves his sister's tickles, kisses and hugs. But to keep up appearances of being a little brother, he kicks her.

5. I think he's the strong quiet type.
4. He told me that he is never going to throw a temper tantrum- true story!

3. He also told me that chocolate chip cookies and braised beef tacos (weird combo, but who am I to argue with a talking 3 month old?) smell really good. He's kinda worried that he's being skimped out on when everyone eats yummy things and he has to drink weird milk. But for now, he's enjoying his hands.
2. He's a bit of a puker. I think I've gotten used to it. The other night, my dear friend, Leigh Anna (Whoop! Shout out to you, friend!) was graciously watching our kids while we went on a fabulous date. She texted me half-way through the night and asked where she could find some more baby clothes. Uh-oh, I thought, one of 2 things happened, both which are fairly common in our house, big spit-up or big diaper blow out. Well, when we got home, I found Judah and Leigh Anna like this:

Leigh explained that she was expecting the spit up, but wasn't expecting round 2 and the consequential rounds after that. So after she changed him numerous times she thought it was just better to leave him in his pudgy, natural state. Sooooo cute. I'm so grateful for a wonderful friend who we can leave our spitter- up with and she still loves us and him.

1. He's just plain delightful.

I have a new body

noreply@blogger.com (Marelize) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 17:00:00 +0000

Can we just be real for a minute? There's something I need to get off my chest. Ok, maybe not in a confession sort of way, but more like a complaining kind of way.

PS: Dad, Dad-in-law, and anyone else who probably doesn't really want to read about post-baby body issues, here's your out to read no more today. It is G-rated, but don't say I didn't warn you!

So here's the good news: I only have 4 more pounds to lose before I'm back at my pre-Judah weight. Hooray! I've been trying really hard (with the exception of bible- study-People Make Too Good of Food -Thursday nights and special occasions) to make wise and healthy food choices. I've even been working out pretty faithfully at home (my gym's childcare won't take babies under 3 months) with my good friend, Jillian Michaels, trainer of the Biggest Loser. Ok, so I don't really know her, but I feel like I do, because we've shared some pretty embarrassing workout moments in my living room (Jiggling Jump-squats...ahem....I mean...Jump squats, anyone?) Coincidentally, every time she yells,"Don't you quit on me!", I feel like she's yelling right at me because usually that is at the exact moment when I desperately want to quit, and I don't want to let her down because I'm afraid she's gonna come into my home and beat me up. But maybe since I've been doing a BAZILLION traveling push-ups, I could take her? I don't know, I'm just saying. Anyways, I'm pretty proud of myself because I feel like I've been working pretty hard AND it took me 9 months to a year to get where I am now with Malone's pregnancy. So yay! for me!

But here's the bad news: I have a new body. I made the discovery as I was cleaning out my closet (Cameron would be proud) the other day, and tried on some of my old and favorite Lucky jeans. I was pretty excited considering my weight and thought that although they should be a little snug, they should at least fit. Oh no, no, no, my friends. While I could at least get them over my hips (barely!) that's all I could do. Did my hips move? Are all 4 lbs in each thigh or maybe just right where you would button your jeans? I'll spare you the details of how my body continued to betray me that day.

Someone please tell me that with continued diligence, which I am willing to do, I will one day be able to fit into my favorite pair of straight leg, Lucky jeans. Someone please tell me that my body just went through something major, growing a human being inside of it for 9 months and then birthing it into the world, and that its tired and just needs a little time to get back to normal.

Ok, my complaining & confession is over.