Catch-up Post #3

At Lynn (Todd's mom) and Bobby's Wedding

A beautiful, casual, and intimate wedding in a little Inn that is also an art studio. I was either in the picture or managing Sarah so I didn't snap a whole lot of pictures, and will have to wait to post more until I get copies...

If you have been around Sarah for any length of time you know "Lovey." She made it into our family shot. I thought Lovey would help me calm Sarah since she didn't get a normal nap that day and, well, it worked!

Sarah in her "I'm Mary, you're Joseph" garb...

Catch-up Post #2

Christmas in Las Cruces, New Mexico

This is the gorgeous view out the windows of Todd's Granddad and Grandmom's place...
The mountains are the Organ Mountains... named presumably because they resemble the pipes of a pipe organ?

Hannah and Sarah in their chairs... Dressed as twins though Sarah is 8 months older. She also seems to have achieved "star cousin" status in Hannah's eyes...

If Sarah "got" opening presents last year, she was showing that she definitely remembered what to do... Thankfully, she also showed a greater understanding of the true meaning of Christmas with all the role-playing of the Nativity...

I was really lame at capturing all the family that came. It really was unbelievable how many extended family were around...both for Christmas and for Todd's mom's wedding.
Here is Alvy Smith and his partner Alison Gopnik,
Joy (Todd's sister), Granddad.

Stuart, Joy's husband, and me...

Catch-up Post...

Fun in the snow...

I just HAD to post this because normally my aim is embarrassingly poor, but this time I got Todd right on top of his head! Couldn't do it again in a million years...

Sarah being affectionate with her snow buddy...

Sarah said the taste of snow tasted like summer...
I guess that makes sense since she really enjoys popsicles!

Anyone see a resemblance to Ralphie's younger brother? Only difference (other than that Sarah's a girl) is that she could put her arms down...

Sarah gets stir crazy and discovers her headbands...

Snow that I grew up with from time to time in Spokane...
Maybe not "Montana" snow or "Colorado" snow,
but it sure isn't Seattle snow either...

Two feet and getting deeper...

Just out the sliding glass doors to my parents' back deck
where the roof stops and the snow begins...

Out the front door...

Out the side door to the side yard...

Further out the front door/Front walkway...

They make sure the birds are well fed...

More December Highlights...

Ho Ho Ho!

Sarah's 2nd Candy Cane...

I better watch her with her 3rd,
because they seem to be getting progressively more messy...

Women's Christmas Tea
(no pictures unfortunately)
BEAUTIFUL
Cozy YUMMY Entertaining
Fun JOY-FILLED Fancy
Festive!


My late at night inspired craft

(Thanks Paper Zone for the pattern!)
on the night we got about 3 inches of the real thing!

Grace's 2008 Christmas Program
Preschool class singing:
Twinkle Twinkle Christmas Star
and
Away in the Manger

Thanks Grandmom for the Christmas dress!

Amber and Roberta et al. did such a great job
with running and costuming the whole thing...
Congrats that it's also DONE! =)

Our daughter seems to clam up (HIGHLY unusual) and instead do interpretive dancing (toward the end) during Christmas programs... the little ham... Good thing we get to hear the full versions at home, in the car etc.

Thanks everyone... We are very excited and even though the world of "sisters" is foreign to me (as far as growing up with a biological one) I hope to follow the wonderful example so many of you have set so far in fostering the love between sisters in your children... I confess, my first thought of sisters is/was not a positive one (I was actually glad to not have a sister growing up because of all bad impressions I had of them being cruel to each other and always fighting...) and I am thankful to have such an amazing brother so I didn't have to deal with the negative side of sisterhood. But be assured, I'm not thinking that has to be the case, and will probably be probing you for wisdom and advice as the years go by! Sarah is just so excited and crazy for babies, I can't imagine (right now) that she will be anything but ga-ga over this new little lady... Sharing me, however, will be the challenge, and my hope is to really make sure I'm giving her as much "Mommy time" as I can spare so she doesn't feel abandoned or "replaced" so to speak...

On another note, last night we went to the Marysville Christmas parade in "downtown" Marysville... I would describe it as "cute" as far as small town parades go... The typical Scout troupes with leaders walking down a stretch of State street singing and waving, the mayor, hot rods all tricked out with neon lights and reving engines, the random tow trucks who were also advertising/decorated in lights, police, and to finish it off, Santa and Mrs. Claus in the bucket of the fire truck's ladder. Sarah loved it. She had her first candy cane and was sassy enough to tell me that she bit it off even though I had told her to just lick it! I think we lost one mitten, and had a good time... Forgot the camera - doh!

So we had our "big" ultrasound today,
and without further ado, we're having a....
Drum Roll Please.................................

GIRL!
And are now in the search for a girl name which we will be keeping as the surprise for after she's born... Sarah's suggestion of a name for her little sister is "Goose" - uh, yeah, so we won't be naming her that (or Hannah since there's already two as cousins), but "Goose" might just be a fun nickname...
(that is if Todd can disassociate it from Top Gun)

My Pregnancy This Month

Total Clutz +
Lightening Fast Reflexes =
Weird Combination

(and lots of self compliments of, "Wow, good catch Abbey!")

Something that's on my heart right now...

The Advent Conspiracy - Something that a friend of mine, Rich, has posted about, and his church is participating in... These two videos below are powerful, excellent, thought provoking, so I'm repeating them for anyone who hasn't seen them yet.

My Christmas "shopping" is done, and I planned the gift giving in a slightly different way. No, not giving money to organizations who are supporting the effort of making the world's water more drinkable...yet...(but man, wouldn't it be nice to be able to give a gift like that in someone's name and be confident that they'd be just as excited to know $__ went to that than them getting a gift to open that will eventually be taken for granted, ruined, donated, forgotten?)

I didn't spend nearly as much this year as in years past. There is the nagging thought in the back of my mind that wonders if the receivers will think my gifts are lame, inadequate, etc., but I know that's more my battling my pride (and love of giving gifts... I LOVE both giving and getting gifts, but when we're on a negative budget, you have to get creative. That, and we spend a HUGE amount on travel for the holidays to be with family). So it's a start...

It's hard to battle the "culture" of giving. Getting hints, giving hints, the desire to give our kids a super cool Christmas (or better) than we remember - but what for? Does a two year old really know what to expect? No. Not unless we're teaching our kids that it's all about getting - rather than getting them excited about giving.

Last year I donated and delivered some blankets to the Everett Gospel Mission and had Sarah with me. It was amazing how just having her with me brightened everyone's faces as we walked in the door... I pray that as she grows up she will get see us giving, get to participate in it, see the faces of those receiving, and just take for granted that that's what we do. It is humbling and challenging for me to think that she really learns that concept from us. What am I modeling?

I never want her to think that we always have to have the best, newest (or brand new) of anything. I actually started teaching her this when she was very young and still do it. Sometimes when I am at Target, we go down the toy aisles and just look. Just look. If she wants to touch something, I let her, but I say, "We're not buying that," or "We don't need that." (And like at my MOPS table group's discussion last month on "giving" brought up, I don't say, "We can't afford it," which would be lying because if we really did want it, we could make it happen.) Some might think that this is teasing, but so far it seems to be teaching Sarah that she doesn't need everything she sees. She doesn't throw tantrums because she's used to walking away even when she might rather have it - a discipline her mother still tries to practice regularly.

Sarah's been playing with her Little People nativity since the beginning of November (since it'll only be out two months I figure starting early is good - especially since the music mechanism broke...not having to listen to perpetual Away in the Manger is okay with me. =) She sings it instead!) and really knows that it's ALL about Jesus' birth and worshiping Him. Santa is still a new concept to her... We're not pretending that Santa doesn't exist, but we talk about how Jesus is real, Santa is pretend... I love how it feels when I get to see a concept really sink in when Sarah has no idea she's showing she understands... Case in point. I found this scene not too long ago. All the Little People in the nativity set on their faces - "bowing to Jesus" as Sarah put it...

Let's just say - not that I have any direct experience with this of course - that you decide to make some de-lish chocolate no-bake cookies and you find part way through mixing the ingredients that you've run out of vanilla extract.

You look a bit further on the shelf for a substitute and find that you have almond extract aplenty... So...being the improvising type, you exchange one yummy flavor for another and think, "This'll be my own little twist on this recipe!" and, "I LOVED it when Starbucks actually offered almond as a flavor..." and then put in 1 tsp. of almond rather than vanilla extract...

You will eventually discover that almond does NOT equal vanilla in power, potency, or pungency. No, my friend, it far exceeds it. What you thought might be a "whiff", "essence", or "Eau du Almonde" has now become the OVERWHELMING flavor - quite overpowering your cookies.

So you'll make a mental note to yourself that, unlike garlic, more is not always better - and to know the equivelancies of your extracts! And be thankful that your husband eats anything chocolate and sugary... (Clearing of the throat)

The Deliciousness of Autumn

Deep Reds Spicy Oranges Crunchy Browns Sunny Yellows Steaming Tea Christmas around the corner Talking about Baby Jesus Looking forward to knowing if we're having a boy or a girl Raking leaves Jumping in leaves Squeals of laughter

Sarah's friend Sam joins her in a horsey ride the other night when we had friends over for dinner...

November 1st

A family walk in the stunning colors of autumn...

Fun Times at the Lockwood Home...

Sarah in her Halloween practice dress up session...
Couldn't find a piece of straw, so a lollipop had to do...

No hesitating on the goopy stuff for Sarah!

"Pretending" to be afraid of Daddy's pumpkin that
she described as a "Big toothy monster"

Big Toothy Monster, Miss Fancy, Sweet Lil' Punkin

Have you ever wanted to go to bed/sleep just because you
wanted to stop sneezing? Yeah, I'm there.

Fall...

I got inspired yesterday looking at a magazine, but was definitely NOT going to pay the price listed. So...I ran out to JoAnn's, looked around at the clearance table, found a screaming deal on a sage suede fabric (trying to not default to red yet again...), ribbon, some clearance candle wreaths and a few vanilla candles... Voila! My fall decorating urge was satisfied...for now... It also helps that Sarah still takes 3 hour naps!

Introducing...
Baby Lockwood at 11 weeks 5 days and quite friendly as s/he gave us a wave! Even the doctor exclaimed, "Did you see that?!" when s/he waved... Very fun!

Catching up...

Two plus weeks without a post. It's the first thing that goes when I'm feeling uninspired, too busy, and/or sick, but now that I'm on the upswing, I'll attempt at the highlights...

Wedding Reception coordination prep
Ultrasound of baby who gave us a cute little hand wave... Measuring 11weeks 5 days as of Oct.14th.
Mom and Dad came into town for a week - what a blessing!
Wedding Reception coordination - including amazing "save" of wedding cake stand - Thanks Todd and Collin!
Discovering next morning my wallet was taken out of my purse at reception
Canceling all cards - thankfully without any weird unauthorized charges
Teaching Pre-schoolers about Noah
Sitting in Department of Licensing with Sarah for an hour to get a new license
Getting message that my wallet had been found in women's bathroom trash
Coming down with cold/sore throat
MOPS
Laundering table cloths from reception
Costco run
Taking kleenex box with me where ever I go, even in the car...
Making a cute fall table runner, getting candle wreaths, and candles for an awesome price! (Pics to follow)
Baseboards back on in the kitchen
Feeling much better as far as eating goes, but cauliflower is still
on the very bad list
Very fun Bible Studies
Getting three very cool books in the mail: Shepherding a Child's Heart, Practical Theology for Women, Grace Based Parenting -- Can't wait to read them!

So Thankful!

Woohoo! We now have a real floor! It's been since early July when we started our kitchen reno that we've had a floor to walk on, but this weekend (and ALL day yesterday) Todd put in the floor. Just baseboards to go and appliances to put back. I'm so thankful for this man I married who, when we bought our home, had relatively little "handyman" experience (yes, he did have the technical design aspects of his job, but that's different than wood working, plumbing etc.) and has really grown to be quite a, well, "handy" man! Each new skill he learns is outside of his comfort zone and he takes his time to research how it should be done, but when it IS done, it always looks great! God has shown me again and again how blessed I am to have Todd to provide for our family, not just with his Boeing job, but with his wisdom, patience, insight, humor, and yes, technical/organizational skills as well. Thanks Todd for all of your hard work!

...and we're back!

What a great trip!

Cousins squealing with delight
Meeting Pepaw
Hanging out with no agenda/naps
Good Food
Golf
Sprinklers
Heat
The Amazing Fort Worth Zoo
Golf Cart Rides to See Baby Deer
Sarah Loving Swimming
Ride (for fun) in a fire truck
Wedding Plans
Many, many pictures
Much Love!

(Since there were a LOT of pictures, here's the web album version if you like...)

Trip to Texas '08

Destination....

This Thursday we're traveling to Granbury, TX, home of Todd's mom, Lynn - a.k.a. Grandmom. We're getting to go there and meet up with Todd's sister, Joy and her family and hang out with Lynn's fiance, Bobby, and some of his family... 90 degree weather PEOPLE! I'm excited! I'm also stoked that we get a direct flight AND that Sarah's into listening to audiobooks, working 25 piece puzzles, and Larry Boy. I can't even imagine travelling internationally at this point. As of right now the agenda looks like: the Dallas Zoo, golf for the guys, taking it easy... LOVE IT! I'll have some fun family pics when I get back and am recovered enough to post.

Thankfully I "might" be getting past a bit of the queasyness, but don't want to get my hopes up too soon. It started earlier than with Sarah so maybe I'll get over it sooner too? Who knows. I feel blessed it's so mild compared to some. Still getting up in the middle of the night to eat a bowl of cereal or vanilla yogurt... I just wake up RAVENOUS and then can't go back to sleep. This kid is getting a lot of dairy and cereal!

Feeling a bit like I've eaten sour apples...

Yes, I'm pregnant! About 8-ish weeks right now,
so we're thinking the first part of May...I figured since we're off to camp, I'd go ahead and give the "answer"
Sorry if the riddle was a bit too English - Lit., but that's my background and the only "pregnant" poem I knew of that didn't spell it out so plainly. Unlike Slyvia Plath (she was both an artistic and troubled woman if you're not familiar with her), we're totally excited about this and for Sarah to be a big sister! Thanks for playing along with the riddle... Kuddos to Bridget and Erin who figured it out... I'm not surprised!

A Riddle

I gave this poem to my middle-schoolers a few years ago to figure out... Can you?


Metaphors

I'm a riddle in nine syllables
I'm an elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples.
I've boarded the train, there's no getting off.
~Sylvia Plath

I'm not someone who jumps on "causes" a whole lot, but I have a personal tie to this one. In high school I dated a guy for two years. His dad just happens to be one of the founders of the New Covenant Foundation and Dominion Trading. Mike Stemm is one of the most phenomenal men I've had the pleasure to know (if only for a brief period of time during high school). He and his wife, Vicki, were the most humble and loving shining lights to me and now, instead of kicking back and enjoying a very comfortable retirement from a very successful career, he's choosing to live way under his means and do God's work in Ethiopia. If you have ever wanted to switch from buying coffee from your current source to one that is wholly honoring God, building stustainable employment for those who need it, and producing great coffee. Check out Dominion Trading.

helloseptember!

Checking out the super new play equipment down at the Mukilteo Landing Park as we watch the ferries go in and out blowing their horns...

Huh? Sometimes the new equipment now days seems almost too open ended... A swing? A swinging platform? Good for divergent thinking though!

Sarah was a bit cautious around the seagulls (man can that kid do a great impression of them) while she was feeding them her beloved green grapes...