Extra Extra

Yesterday I was a real live bonafide extra on a movie set(k it was a short movie) but the set was real! My brother was the director so it was a little actors nepotism. I was the total envy of all the extras because I got to go up to watch production when we were not needed in the filming. It was fascinating watching the whole process and seeing Big Bro in action. No photos as the set has confidentiality clauses and all that but it was a really cool thing. I think I will look for some acting classes this summer....watch out Hollywood...

Spring Falls

Yesterday we spent the entire afternoon well from 3ish till 7 at Silver Creek Falls (one of my favorite places on earth).
We went with a few gals while all of our husbands went to IKEA to pick up a bed....the ladies hiked while the men went to IKEA... well we had a great time even if it was a little backwards.


The greeness (not sure if that is a word) of this place is out of this world. The smell there is what heaven must smell like...damp and mossy like earth and rain... and...well... green.

We hiked...Owen hiked almost the whole way on his own.


We rested.


We blazed our own trail...Which led us to the very edge of a huge waterfall!!


We goofed around and took fun photos


We celebrated having happy kiddos...Lydia is always such a cutie.


All the ladies loved on my sweet little.


To prove I was indeed there

Owen and the ladies.


Owen has been talking about his "real adventure at the waterfalls" to anyone who will listen all day long. He was truly in awe of the massive "towers of water". It is so cool to watch him be aware of beauty and greatness.

Early Start

Today started at 5:30 am at my Moms house In Dallas,OR(we are house sitting) when Owen decided not to fall back to sleep. I got up and found some books for him then hobbled up to shower. Owen followed me up there and played a toy drum-for what I am sure he thought was my benefit-while I showered.
At 6:30 we colored for an hour then took MG into Salem for work.
7:45 Starbucks drive through venti unsweetened ice coffee.
At 8 am we considered running but decided not to do until later.
By 9 am I felt like it should be noon.
At10:30 play date at park...such a beautiful day almost forgot to be tired...
11am Finished coffee
1pm Owen finding a way not to sleep during nap time! How is he not dead tired right now?
2:27 grateful to have a running Buddie date, for a sweet natured little boy, for the sunshine,that I don't have to cook dinner tonight, for enough to get through, for the fact that hard days can still be good ones.

especially when you find pictures like these.

WOW

Me:Owen you are so big now your not a little baby any more what are we going to do?
Owen: get a new baby!
Me: Oh...we should grow a new baby?
Owen: yeah ya!
Me: where do babies grow?
Owen: out in the back yard?
Me: Laughing too hard to talk....
Owen: oh no tummies babies grow in tummies right momma?
Me: yes!
Owen: papa grow me in his tummy.
Me: no... papas don't grow babies in their tummies... who grows babies in their tummies?
Owen: Miss Lisa
Me: !!!!!LOL!!!!!
Me: yes Miss Lisa just had baby Judah.. but mommies grow babies in their tummies.
Owen: you grow me a new baby momma?
Me: well...OK...at some point... what kind do you want a girl or a boy?
Owen: a Girl one.
Me: OK
Owen: could it be Lydia? (a little one year old friend of Owens)
Me: well...no...not really Lydia is already here...
Owen: OK a girl one.
WOW... that just made my day!

Mothers Day

Mothers day went off with out a hitch! I slept in (well slept longer than the guys anyway),Then was showered with love and given some nice little prizes-one of which is this nifty little device you stick in your shoe and then it magically tracks your distance and speed while you run and gives you encouragement via your i-pod, then it loads all on to the inter-webs and keeps record of all your runs!!! So impressed I cant even tell you-then we went to church and had MGs family over for deseret. All in all a rather nice little day.

Mostly all day I kept being super grateful for Owen. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be this person I am today...I wouldn't be a momma and wouldn't have anyone showering me with love and prizes. But most of all I wouldn't know how it feels to love someone so fiercely it hurts sometimes and I would even be aware that My own Momma loves me this way(funny how having a child makes you see your own parents so differently). It is a great realization. Being a mom is a wonderful gift(not always the easiest)the best gift I think.

His hair will grow,it will grow,it will grow...

A Day with Friends.

This weekend M.G was at the mens version of the "cru retreat" I went to last weekend. SO Owen and I were flyin solo. Last night a couple of nice ladies came over for dinner and stayed till Owen went down for bed. That's always the hardest time for me to be alone. I was really grateful they were able to stick around.



When M.G is gone its always hard to get up the motivation to do anything fun on my own, so this time a friend and I planned a park play-date in advance. Such a relief to have some fun outside time planned to break up the day.


We went to the park and ate a picnic lunch with Miss Lisa, Maddie, Nathan, Melanie, and Tiny Judah.


Maddie and Nathan got on top of the crooked house thing and stayed up there for a long time watching and filming squirrels.

We let the kids play for 2.5 hours It was perfect weather for the park. Then we took the kiddos for ice cream. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday with out the Papa.



Papa will be home late tonight... in time to let me sleep in a little on Mothers Day! Yay!

Owen has been asking after Papas where-a-bouts all day. This boy misses the big man a lot!

Running Update

I realized that I haven't given and update on the running recently so I thought I would let you all know how its going.

I am still running any where from 2-4 times a week. I can run 3miles without stopping but rarely do since I always have a small person demanding one thing or another from his front row seat.



An sometimes we run with friends so that makes the stopping even more frequent. But it makes the running way more fun!



I have realized that running is a super stress relief for me. I know lots of people who run for health(which is awesome) or weight loss (which lets face it, if that were to happen I would be stoked) but for me its seriously about sanity. Maybe its something in the steady intake of breath and the rhythm of my feet hitting the ground. Or it could be the extra vitamin D. I don't know what it is but its like therapy for me.

So... that's the update. Running is a part of my life now. I may set goals to run farther distances or to speed up the pace a little but for now I am just glad that doing it brings me joy.

Funk

SO I have been in a funk all day. I have a bad attitude and I feel tired and grumpy. I am unmotivated to do much of anything. I need some help. What do you do when you just cant seem to get out of the funk? Any bible verses that are encouraging to you? Or any songs that lift your head? Seriously friends I could use any practical advice that you have.
Thanks.

RETREAT: ark, asylum, cell, cloister, convent, cover, covert, defense, den, habitat, harbor, haunt, haven, hermitage, hideaway, hiding place,

This weekend I went on a retreat with the ladies from Campus Crusade(aka Cru)and the some of the ladies from West Valley(my church). It was AMAZING.

We left our shoes and our inhibitions at the door....


We did a little funky decoupage....

the green and orange one is mine... not the best at decoupage.

We cooked together.

We had fun just hearing each others stories and meeting new friends.

We worshiped our great God!



We held barn kittens.

More worship for our Loving Maker!

There were beautiful testimonies of redemption.

And even some really fun and ridiculous games.

Sometimes you just gotta be a ninja.



We celebrated the new lives of Judah and Max. Just in case you boys don't know it you were loved on and awed at by about 40 ladies this weekend!

In the end we were all closer and more familiar. We had prayed for each other and cried on each others shoulders. We rejoiced as a new sister grabbed hold of her savior for the very first time! Then we left tired and excited.
I love you ladies you really are super rad!