Small Joys...1

As much as I dislike the tantrums that come with this age...I love the small joys and excitement it brings.

This week I am going to focus on the small joys.

One thing she loves to do is clean with me.
She's best at cleaning the bathtub.

Spray bottle, check. Washcloth, check.

Check out that focus. She is very serious about her job. It's very important!

Come What May

In the next 2 months we will have 3 life changing events happen:

*May: Move to Boise, Idaho (and pay rent in a HOUSE...that's right, no more apartment for us)

*June: Doug graduates with his Master's in Urban and Regional Planning (and hopefully gets a real life job)

*Hopefully June: Have a baby

I am one who loves change. It's a time to re-evaluate, start over, organize, have excitement, etc. But there is so much anxiety that comes with it. It may just be that I'm pregnant but I'm freaking out about every little thing. I cannot wait to move and I know I will regret that someday because I'm not enjoying the here and now.

I. am. going. crazy. Waiting is not my strong point. Maybe we'll move this weekend instead, that will help.

And I can't make a post without a picture...she has no idea what will be happening and look how much fun she's having! I think she might help me relax and enjoy.

Grandma June

It was so nice to see my Grandma June. She is so fun and spunky. We love her so much!

One of my favorite things...4 Generations of Junes

Love you Grams!

Look at that smile :) That dress was so pretty on her and she found it at a second hand store. I need to learn how to shop from her!

Always Remember...

...my dear, sweet grandpa, Everett Goff
June 10, 1922-April 21, 2010

A smile that always warmed my soul

Such a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather

Loved his sound effects, crosswords, stamps

Love and miss you dearly Gramps. We know you are happy where you are.

1st Visitors

We are SO lucky. The month of April is packed with fun visitors!

First to come...My Mom and Dad.
The weather was perfect so we went out walking and throwing rocks.
We ate some great grub.
We played some mean Rook games.
Allie made them read books to her over and over again.
We made the best chocolate walnut cookies.
They gave us loads of advice and listened to us talk about everything.
To sum it up...we had a blast!
The next time we see them we'll have a new baby and be in a new place!

Allie couldn't get enough of Nan's fun green high heels

Like I said...books, books, books

Throwing rocks into Lake Coeur d'Alene

I just couldn't resist this one!

2nd Year Photos

I know the most talented people.

My wonderful friend Krista took Allie's 2nd year pictures. Click here to see her 1st year pictures. {She has grown up so much in one year.} Krista is amazing and very patient with our feisty little toddler. It was a pretty chilly day and the wind was blowing, but she managed to get some wonderful shots, because she's wonderful! Plus we have such an adorable girl, so that helps! :)

Here are some of our favorites!

This "BIG" girl is:
23 pounds...7% of kids her age are smaller
31 inches...2% of kids her age are smaller
SOOO...she is a little munchkin and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Favorite things:
BUNNIES
Making piles
Bubbles
Drawing
Painting
Running
Being outside
Her Nan's and Pa's
Books
Helping mom cook (especially cookies), do laundry, and clean
Animals
Flowers
Singing
Dancing

She is very expressive...just like her daddy!

Some things she says that we just love:
Wallet for WATER (don't ask me where she came up with this one)
Zeeny for Magazine
Bessick for Breakfast
Thankyouwelcome for Thank you
She leaves off the S at the beginning of words

Allie loves to dance and work out with mom and dad. She has some great moves. She must get it from her Great Grandmas.

She is very creative, imaginative and has her own mind {both a good and a bad thing}!

Most of all she is just a silly, playful, 2 year old. What a goober! :)

A Favorite Recipe

Today it is cold and rainy so I made a favorite...

SIMPLE TURKEY CHILI

1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 C water
1 (28 oz.) canned crushed tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can kidney beans- drained and rinsed
1 (8 oz.) can black beans- drained and rinsed
1 T garlic, minced
2 T chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Dash of cinnamon
I also add frozen corn

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion and cook until tender. Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, beans and garlic. Season with all the spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. 8 servings.

That is a lot of chili for the 3 of us so I do this.
DAY 1: Chili with rolls
DAY 2: Baked potatoes with chili
DAY 3: Chili Nachos

Now that's good cookin!
ENJOY! :)

Jesus

Allie and I were painting the other day. She made a little place mat...one side is painted and the other is colored. Afterward we were just painting on scratch paper. I had some leftover paper from a church sharing time. So we started talking about Jesus.

ME: "What do you think of when you think about Jesus?"
ALLIE: "Bright"
(So I put some yellow on the page and she painted.)
ALLIE: "Grass"
(So I put some green on the page and she painted.)
ALLIE: "Sky"
(So I put some blue on the page and she painted.)

This is her end result...I did not paint anything. She knows who Jesus is, she knows He is bright and He is around us on Earth and that He is in the sky. I love the tender mercies of the Lord and that is what I needed that day!

She looks at her painting and knows it's Jesus. She will say it every time.

Keen Shoes

I'm horrible at shopping. I never find good deals and I only have a limited patience to look around for stuff. But I finally found what I've been looking for.

I LOVE KEEN SHOES.
They have Keen's for toddlers........for $40.
I'm not spending that much on shoes for a 2 year old.

There is a wonderful trade-in store called, "Once Upon a Child."
The thought of used shoes makes me want to just curl up and die (if you know my foot issues this will make perfect sense). However I thought I'd see if they had any Keen's because you can actually wash those.

They had some just the right size and for only $12 (which is still a lot for toddler shoes, but they will hold up great). I love them. Allie loves them. She calls them cute. She wants to wear them all day. Is she my girl or what!?

Easter Weekend

We fooled a few of you...

I LOVE DR. PEPPER but I would never drive around in that van!! We'll focus on getting a job before any big purchases. :)

Do we have to take this picture!?

We loved the fact that General Conference was this weekend. It was the perfect way to spend Easter, all cuddled up together inside our house. We feel more determined to be better people and most of all better parents, to teach our girls and love them in righteousness. We walked around the temple today and Allie was just fascinated with the Angel Moroni. She just couldn't stop pointing at him and saying over and over (because that's what she does at this age) "Angel." Children are so pure and precious and learn so much...I'm constantly amazed by her.


Yesterday we did the Easter basket thing. Here are a few pictures. She loved it. Who doesn't!?

Waiting patiently for Dad to hide the eggs

Easter basket equipped with microphone, books, and a jacket (Thanks Nan and Pa)

Oh the joy of finding eggs!

New Van!!

I am sure you all know that we will be increasing our family size here in the near future. In anticipation of that wonderful event. we thought it would be nice to have a little more room while on the road. Yes, we could fit the car seat in our current car, but we couldn't accommodate all that extra cargo that comes with each additional child. We found a really good deal on it and all the maintenance records are squeaky clean. I would say this is our best purchase as a couple and we are just so excited about it that we thought we'd share the news. If any of you really know Mar, you will know why this is the perfect family car for her. Here is the pic.

Spring is wonderful...

BECAUSE OF...

rainstorms

surprise blossoms

Easter Egg hunts with friends

She found every egg by herself and knew just what to do!

Mini-Vacation

Doug's parents came to watch Allie for a few days so we could have a pre-baby getaway.
It was incredible. We went and stayed in a lodge at Schweitzer Resort. We went to "Alice in Wonderland," ate wonderful meals, went skiing on the most beautiful day with brand new snow from the night before, and enjoyed the outdoor hot tub.

Go ahead...judge me...I'm 26 weeks pregnant and did two things I probably shouldn't have...SKIING and HOT TUBBING. But it was perfect and I'm just perfectly wonderful after both. I'm converted to a yearly getaway now.

The beach at Sandpoint, ID




Thank you so much to Larry and Luanne for this special opportunity for us. Allie had the best time with them.

She's already TWO!

Our little Allie turned 2 and it was a great day for her!
She woke up and we ate breakfast in her bedroom.
She walked out to see a Happy Birthday banner and all her presents on the table. When she saw it she smiled so big and said, "WOW, WHOA!"
She was so loved by all her family and friends. Thanks for all the fun gifts, phone calls, and texts.

We played at the Children's Museum that morning and then had some family over the night after for cake.

Her birthday surprise...spoiled girl huh!?

The many excited and happy looks from the day! What a little goober!

Allie LOVES making piles. So after she opened a present it went into her little pile on the couch. She was so happy to have it all in one place! :)

Grammy and Papa and the little bunny they brought for Allie.

Allie making piles around Nan and Pa. Allie had them all to herself because they came to babysit for 2 days while we went away to Sandpoint.

THE CAKE. Seriously folks, this cake was incredible. My great friend Valerie offered to make a cake for Allie. I told her that Allie loves the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" books. She looked through some of the books and found a picture and made a cake identical to it. Allie wanted the mouse all day and kept pointing to it saying, "Cake, Mouse, Eat." It was so hard to cut it up, however it tasted pretty darn good!

25 weeks and other news

This little girl is growing and kicking. I love knowing she's in there. We can't wait to meet her and see her personality. I'm nesting in a big way! Nothing can be out of place and everything must be clean. It's probably driving Doug and Allie crazy, but oh well. I've been spring cleaning which will help when we move so I don't mind.

Doug is done with the quarter which also means he's done with classes FOREVER! Next quarter he will be working on his thesis and doing an internship. It's crazy to see the end in sight but we are thrilled!

Allie turned 2 yesterday! We will post pictures soon, but there are so many to go through. She was definitely showing her true 2 year old colors yesterday as well. But we are happy to just enjoy this time we have with her before life gets crazy. She's so smart and talking our ears off! So keep checking for pictures.

Great Green's!

Allie finally met her Grammy and Papa Green!
They were sweet enough to meet us in Tacoma, WA for breakfast last weekend.
It was such a great visit and so nice to see them again.
Allie loved the puppy they gave her!

Unexpected Find

One of the best things about living in Spokane is being close to Coeur d' Alene.
1. Doug's grandma and grandpa live there
2. Gorgeous lake
3. Beautiful beach
4. Fun hiking
5. Great restaurants
6. Resort town makes us feel like we can get away from life for a bit

On our hike yesterday we stumbled upon this jewel. The morning fog lifted and the sun started peeking through. We found a perfect pebble beach and Allie threw rocks in the lake for about an hour. It was much needed especially before FINALS WEEK!


Having a blast. About 20 dogs (with their owners) found the same beach and Allie couldn't keep her eyes off them.

Check out that throw! You can see her handful of rocks flying through the air!

Such an awesome morning! It's pretty gorgeous here.

In other news...
We have started the "real" job search. SO, if you know of any GIS, Cartography, or Planning jobs, please let us know. It's all about who you know right??

Allie turns 2 this month.

I'm almost 25 weeks along. I feel great and it's so fun to feel the little munchkin kicking and moving in there.