One More Thing.....

I can't believe I forgot to say that I have been a HUGE fan of The Biggest Loser this season. It's the only thing I really watch (okay, except for Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Tigger & Pooh) and it's the first time I've watched the whole season. I LOVED it and was hooked! I liked all the finalist (except for Kelly maybe) and they all worked so hard and looked great, but when it came down to Mark or Roger, I voted for Roger.....I really liked him! Anyhow, my sister spotted him at Disneyland and I spent about 30-40 min starring at every tall skinny guy that walked by me. No luck. =( I was so bummed. And then my sister ran into him again and stopped to talk to him. AUGH! I couldn't believe it.....and I couldn't believe I missed him. But she said he looked even thinner in person and was just as nice in person as he was on TV...along with his sweet wife and son. So, DeAnne, I'm living vicariously through you in this picture!

The Canadians Are Coming!

Well....that should actually say, the Canadians Came! For about a week and a half, my entire family was able to come out to California and stay with us. It was great! My sister lives with her family (hubby and 3 kids) in Canada and my parents live in Kansas City. I haven't seen my sister's family in almost 2 years and it was definitely overdue. They haven't been out to Cali since right after my wedding over 5 years ago too. Her kids (8, 5, 3) have never been to the beach, so that was a huge "must do" as well as Sea World and Disneyland.

The day after they got here, we went to Ventura for family beach pictures and it was such a beautiful day. My sister lives in a place where it's cold, cold, cold and they still had snow back at home. The weather was a nice change for them! We also went down to San Diego for 3 days (which, by the way, was HOT) and went to Balboa park, Sea World, took a harbor tour and played in the water on Coronado Island. Then we went to Disneyland and spent the night there for 2 days of exhausting fun! It was a great time and so hard to say good-by. All the cousins had a great time playing with each other and Emma was a champ too because it left little time for naps. As a side note, Emma is on the brink of crawling and has 2 bottom teeth that have broken through.

I have a ton of pictures and haven't uploaded all of them, but here are some...




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Happy

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my amazing parents for surviving 39 years with each other!! Wow, that is incredible and I'm so proud of them for lasting (even when we all know marriage can be hard) and for being such a great example to my sister and I. LOVE YOU!

Little Miss Emma is 7 months old today. I was a bad mommy and didn't get a picture taken, but she had her 6 month check up (yep, we're behind) this past Monday and she is doing well, growing fast and weighs about 16 1/2 lbs. She's pretty much average on all things, except I think her height was in the 75th %tile...I think. And thankfully the hamengioma by her eye has not grown...in fact, I think it maybe a teeny bit lighter in color. She's a joy...most of the time anyway!

I've recently been turned on to a new blog that is an amazing, amazing story and I'm addicted to reading it....Check it out under my links....it's Nathan & Tricia

And just a little note to John....LOVE YOU. Thanks for being a great husband and father.

Precious

I love my family. You all are so precious to me and I'm sorry for the times I fail to show you how wonderful you are. I love you.

The Tongue

Tonight Davis and I were outside practicing his pedaling a bike. He usually doesn't have the time to learn such nonsense....he can just use his feet to push his hot wheels around and he's pretty darn fast. But tonight he was focused. Determined. And so proud. I was proud! He'd ride off and then look back as if to say "You still watchin' these moves mom?!" You can see by his tongue that he was in deep concentration in keeping those feet moving and pedaling.






Maddy & Daddy had Awana tonight and it was crazy hair night. Fun excuse to break out a wig and Maddy picked a blue one I've had forever. Madelyn couldn't wait for Daddy to get home and join in on the fun! Here she is posin' for me! Guess she's not too camera shy anymore. =)

Name Game

How Rare Is Your Name?

Go to this web site called http://www.howmanyofme.com

Put in your first and last name and see how many people in the USA have
your name as well.

There's only 1 Julie Quakenbush and I don't think it's me, since I'm not technically a Q anymore.

6 months!

Little Emma girl turns 6 months today! She is all sweetness and is in love with her big sister and brother. Maddy can get her to smile when she's super cranky...it's pretty cute. Actually, I need to record Maddy talking to Emma because it would melt your heart. Nothing but sincere love for her baby sister.

Swiper No Swipping!

Have you ever seen Mr. Deeds? "Sneaky, sneaky....."

That's Davis. He's sneaky. He's Swiper from Dora. He's got a quick draw. One second there are cookies. Next second, they're missing. Anyone know why Davis has crumbs on his face? He's quick, he's fast, he's sneaky...

So the other day I made muffins for the kids. Lemon Poppy Seed with a bit of icing on them. There were 12. We ate 4 for breakfast. That gives us 8 (I'm so good at math, aren't I!?). I was on the phone for a bit. I should have known it was too quite. When I hung up the phone, the muffins somehow had walked all around the house. 2 here, 2 there. They looked strange though.....what was it? Strangely, somehow all the tops were missing from the muffins! LOL....sneaky, sneaky that swiper Davis!

I have a feeling that this is only the beginning.....

Hume Lake

This weekend some families from our Sunday School class went up to Hume Lake for a quick little getaway. We went last year and had a blast and couldn't wait to go again. Maddy & Davis had such a good time playing in the snow and Emma loved making silly faces when I was trying to take her picture! =)

5 Months!

Emma turned 5 months yesterday and she's definitely changing! Our usually quiet and happy girl has been an unhappy camper the last 2 weeks. =( We're trying to figure out what's wrong with her and will hopefully figure things out. And we're hoping it's not the case of being "high maintenance!" But when she is happy and smiling, she can light up a room!

Another Story for Moms

I remember when I was a new mom, so many emotions and changes come with it that are unexpected and talked little about. Maybe they aren't the norm, but I'm trying to learn how to speak out about how I feel, even if it means I'm the only one who feels that way or will be looked down on or, whatever....

I remember holding my sweet new little baby, knowing I was in the right place but, at the same time, feeling like I had no identity and that I...the "me" in Me...was somehow lost. It's hard to explain. Anyhow, I still occasionally feel it, but the liked the following story. It's kinda long but hopefully you can hang in there to read it.....

I'm Invisible

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the
way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and
ask to be taken to the store.

Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not; no
one can see if I'm on the phone,or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or
even standing on my head  in the corner,because no one can see me at
all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more:  Can you fix this?
Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a
clock to ask, 'What time is it?'

I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is theDisney Channel?' I'm
a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the
eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude -
but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen
again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip,
and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting
there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was
hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my
out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could  find that was clean.
My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could
actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling  pretty pathetic, when
Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I
brought you this.'

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure
why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte ,
with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one
sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would
discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after
which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of
their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would
never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of
God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny
bird on the inside of a beam.  He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why
are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be
covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.'

And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was
almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see
the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No
act of kindness you 've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake
you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are
building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will
become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction . But it is not a
disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my
own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.
I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As
one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see
finished, to work on something that their name will  never be on. The
writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be
built in our lifetime, because there are so few people willing to
sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend
he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My mom gets up at 4
in the morning and bakes homemadepies, and then she hand bastes a turkey
for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would
mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself.

I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything
more to say to his friend, to add, 'You're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're
doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will
marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been
added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM! 

Picture Updates

The ones that move the least get more pictures...... =)