a few Christmas memories: funky sweaters borrowed from friends, a wedding in Spokane where Troy was the best man

first family visit to the zoo

lots of walks in the neighborhood even though it's so cold!  Stella falls asleep to any motion, just like her mommy :)

her latest trick: whistling!  

Two disclaimers: 

1. I love my leopard print robe, as anyone who's ever lived with me would know!  

2. I'm impressed to get a video up on this blog, but don't have the energy to figure out how to turn it so you don't have to crank your neck to watch it....sorry :)

let the pictures speak

It's been 2 months of loveliness with Stella and we've had A LOT of changes.  

Stella wakes with JOY and is always smiling!  Her shirt says "i love daddy" and she DOES!

a visit to Nana and Poppy's house, hanging with Grandma Dorothy and Aunt Lori

discovery of the toes...yummy!

learning to sit up and play the piano...our whimsical worshipper

Ok, so instead of crawling to her toys, she loves to pull the blanket to bring them closer...I love her thinking faces...

pull the blanket....

got it!

delighted with her accomplishment :)

We celebrated 2 years of marriage with Stella at Narrows Park in Gig Harbor -- if you haven't been, it's worth the trip.  We collected rocks at the beach and later at dinner got to write down on the rocks all that the Lord has done in our lives, so we can remember.

WE MOVED

This is the first day in our new house which is right around the corner from where we used to live, but is much, much bigger - which means more room!  We went from a 1 bedroom apartment to a 4 bedroom house.  We are renting from our friends Morgan, Frederick and their daughter, Lili.  We've gotten to live with Morgan and Lili while Frederick has been in New Jersey preparing for their arrival this week.

Here's Stella in her new room with Lili (which used to be Lili's room).  As you can see, Stella just lights up whenever Lili is around!  They are great friends :)

Happy Harvest!  Here we are at Jubilee Farms in Seattle area.  Stella's first visit to the pumpkin patch.  We resisted putting her on the scale to weigh your pumpkins -- she is our "lil' pumpkin" after afterall!

Here are the 3 pumpkins we picked out: Stella, Melisa, and Troy

Well, if you look closely you can see Stella's 1 curl on top of her head.  It just continues to get longer and more spirally.  The rest of the hairs are trying to catch up.

Some of our best news: Troy got a new job at Columbia Bank about 2 months ago.  We are proud to be  with the Bank and are praying for quick advancement in the company.  God has been really faithful to us and has answered so many desires of our heart.

A few moments from the last month:

Look at me, I'm 5 months old!

Lunch with our beloved doctor - I cried, what a special woman.  We are so thankful for the care and love that this beautiful lady has given to Stella and our family before and during my entire pregnancy.  There are not enough words to describe the affection I have for this woman!
  Note: Stella is wearing a Coca-Cola bib (from Aunt Katie), but we are not endorsing any brands or advocating that babies should drink Coke!!

Stella's outgrown the kitchen sink, so we've upgraded to the orange tub...Stella is much more adorable in here than the soda bottles from our wedding.

Mainly, just an excuse to show off Stella's not so little body!  She has rolls - we praise God for that!

This is "Lulu in the Tutu", as named by the Lamaze brand.  Her skirt crinkles, so Stella likes to grab it and put it in her mouth, along with anything else....

I have a feeling ballet won't be enough for this little one - we may have to infuse some hip hop, too.  

I'm loving this light

When we named Stella, we were very intentional to seek God in what her name should be.  Stella means a star, which we knew she'd be our bright light -- in our family, our home, our community and the world.  Mae means loving or lovable, and well, she is.  Stella Mae is our lovable, loving light!!

As I get to do life with Stella, everyday it becomes more and more apparent to me that she is a light and love to so many people.  If you know me, you know that I take great delight in the things of the Lord.  I love getting to celebrate His creation through me and others.  Like, for instance, I am consistently in awe of the things that He creates through me.  I can't recall the number of times I've stumbled upon a note I've written to someone and read it thinking, "Wow...I wrote that?  That's good!".  Or, there's the times that after I've frantically whipped some meal together in the kitchen I'm authentically impressed with how good it tastes -- for a moment forgetting that I made it.  And then there's the countless events that I've put on and really been shocked out how good they turn out!

Now, I know myself well enough to be aware that this part of me that gets so excited about these things is the way God created me to celebrate...Him.  I just love Him so much....oh, my heart sighs just thinking about it.  I cry as I even type it.....He is SO GOOD...to all of us!  I can see that my amazement in the things I do and create is really just the realization that He is the one creating through me -- and I'm legitimately impressed.  I love watching what God can do through me and through His kiddos.  One of my favorite things is to see others come alive in their gifts and creativity.  This is the part of me that loved my career as a dance and art teacher to so many little lives!  It truly makes me smile to just watch people create and be who they were made to be.

That said, I think that's why I just love watching Stella Mae be the lovable, loving light that she is.  I am so impressed with how God made her...and this is only the beginning.  Everywhere we go, I see her bring light into the room.  When we're out and about I see people literally stop in their tracks and come over to meet Stella; and then she stares them in the eyes and gives them a very intentional, bright smile.  It's like she's shining love straight into their hearts!  Total strangers come alive by just being around her - I love watching it!  And it's not just strangers, she does it to Troy and I all the time, too.

You know, sometimes I teeter on the line of fear that I'm going to be too biased because I think that my kid is so cool.   Then I realize that I am created to do just that -- God has created me to celebrate His creation.  I do think Stella is the coolest.  I just feel so honored to get to watch her up close and get to know this little light of mine (yes, pun intended!).

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

It's my first "mom birthday", as my friend said to me the other day.  Oh wow, what does that even mean?  Well, I guess for me it means having a guaranteed 2 birthday fans for the day!  It was a hot one on July 25, so we went over to a friend's pool for the day and Stella experienced her first swim - yay!  We just might have to invest in some little swimmer diapers, but in the meantime we just let the diaper get incredibly full of water!!  

That night, we had a backyard barbecue with some friends and family.  I had a lot of fun decorating our yard with fun lights, paper lanterns and pretty fabric.

Troy took me on a birthday surprise the next day...I love the adventures that he plans!  It started with a ferry ride to Vashon Island.  My only complaint: the ferry ride is too quick.  There's so much beauty to take in, but by the time you start to enjoy it....you're there.  Oh well, at least we had the ride home, too.

For those of you who don't know, my husband is an incredible poet.  He surprised me with a beautiful poem called The Sound.  I don't know how he does it, but the poems are always perfectly themed to the day and have incredible metaphors about how he sees me!  My reaction is always predictable: surprised, wooed, teary, followed by a huge smile and request for him to read it again because they're THAT good!

Lunch at Snap Dragon, a vegetarian restaurant and rustic bakery.  It was totally my love language - yummy food, beautiful building, outdoor seating, and local art.

A visit to a park on the beach.  Stella got hungry, so she had her first waterfront dining experience...note the Boppy to my side.

Beautiful sunset on the way back home.

Thank you, Stella and Troy for a wonderful "mom birthday"!!!