Neil and Kim

Sweetheart

2009-03-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

I need to take pictures of our house! It's 100% different.

I'll get right on that.

For now feel free to stare into these beautiful big blue eyes.

Grace's Amazing Hands

2009-03-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

Hello. It's been a while.

You may remember our sweet little angel that slept often and ate so well?

Well she's still there, just with a little fire.

She LOVES to read. She will sit for hours and read. Seriously.

She's into eating and drinking all by herself.
See the first photo if you want to know what happens when you try to help. :)

She adores her daddy.

(Although usually called daddy, he also goes by the name "mamama")

She's as sweet a sugar.

We took a hiatus for a few months.

It has just been a difficult season, a season with a lot of change and growth.

I'm sorry for those of you who have missed our words and pictures.

Sometimes it is just better to step away from everything and really work on ourselves.

Happy Birthday Fin!!!/ Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have been promising pictures for a while now.

Here's where we begin..

Tonight, Nov. 1:

Being this cute is nothing new to her. Infact it's really really easy.

Oct. 31. Also known as "Halloween".

Although it seems as if she was happy...

We should note these pictures were taken AFTER she figured out Halloween involved candy. :)

Here are the before pictures:

She was SO not convinced.

BIRTHDAY!! Oct. 5:

I'm one!

Reading Nana & Pop Pop's Card with Daddy

Loving on her favorite person... her daddy:

Pure Joy, yep she's ONE!

Birthday Pictures, we can hardly believe how big she is!:

Daddy

Birthday Party!

Cake!

Pre Birthday:

Happy Girl..

Sad Girl...

She loves to talk on the phone...

You should call her sometime.. :)

She's getting so BIG!

Fufilling My Resolution, Part I

2008-10-27T01:34:00.000-07:00

I haven't failed yet. Well maybe a little, but only by an hour and a half!

So it's 1:34am.
Neil and Fin are sound asleep.
I have an exam tomorrow, so for me I don't sleep, I study! FUN.

Life has been a little extra crazy and busy lately.
It's hard for me to love going to school when I am pulled in every other direction- not to mention the sleep loss.

I adore my family, I love our crazy life, but I feel exhausted and overwhelmed.

I know that this is where we're supposed to be in life.
But for me it's so weird to put school on the back burner.

I have ALWAYS been the crazy student that would freak out if my paper was late. I'm not kidding, anxiety attack included. I've always been so obsessive compulsive about it.

But you know what, I think writing this blog has made me realize it. I hadn't pointed it out to myself. My prayers have been answered. Lately I have been praying for my anxiety to be taken, Lord knows it's always been overwhelming. And he's taken it. He has. I am letting go. By releasing a late paper and not letting it eat me alive I have taken a bounding leap forward! This early morning/late night blog is beginning to be therapeutic. :)

In other news.. I'm sure the news you REALLY want :)

Fin is growing like a weed. She's the cutest weed ever. She loves to be tickled. And her favorite thing ever is Elmo. She's going to be a ballerina for Halloween! She LOVES to dance. She's running everywhere. And she still looks exactly like her daddy :). Those two are the most beautiful people I have ever laid eyes on, and they're all mine.
Fin's favorite person in the world is her "dada" she will search the entire house screaming soooo loud "daaaada! dada! daaaada!" with her arms up and hands pointed out like 'where is he'?? She adores him, and he absolutely adores her! She's taken quite a few falls in the past few weeks. She's getting to be quite the climber, and has the marks to prove her determination. :) I try to keep her away from the sharp, pointy, hard places, but when it comes down to it, climbing is great for her growth! (As long as mama's right behind you to soften the fall :)..)
She only feeds herself, anything off of a spoon she has to hold the spoon as it goes into her mouth. She's quite the independent one.
I could go on and on.. so I better leave some for our next midnight blog.

I hope you are all well, Grandma, Nana, PopPop.. we think about you often, you're never far from our minds, and we love talking about you with Fin. Family is our favorite, and we feel so blessed that you are OURS!

Oh and Next time I should promise some pictures :)

We are taken care of.

2008-10-17T22:47:00.000-07:00

These past weeks have been overwhelming.

I have always been one to worry. I hate that about myself. It constantly clouts the TRUTH.

I was reminded today:

Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; He lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, He burns the shields with fire."Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I have read this over and over.

HE is with me. I should not place my fears in the worries of the world.

The bills will be paid, eventually.

Dinner will be on the table, eventually.

Homework will be done, eventually.

Our house will be finished.... eventually.

But for now my family is LOVED.

There is plenty of food to be put on the table!

We are sheltered in our own beautiful home!

We are taken care of!

Oh yeah and..

2008-09-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

FIN'S WALKING!!!

How did I forget to mention it!? :)

And she says, "up", can point to her nose and hold up her hand when you ask! She points to everything, and when she wants something she'll say "this" which sounds more like "dis" and she can say "yes", she can say banana which is more like "bana".

Oh and for those of you planning a first birthday gift: She LOVES Elmo. And I do mean LOVES. Through no fault of my own we stumbled upon Elmo's world a 15 minute segment during Sesame Street, and she is hooked on Elmo, every time she sees anything Elmo she'll point to it. And you know when she points to something that means Daddy has to buy it ;).

She is so big, and so fun!

...And SO opinionated, we are quickly realizing she is officially a toddler!

The State of the Blog

2008-09-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

So we're failing miserably at this blog thing, I am now making a Finlee's First Birthday Resolution to blog at least once a week.

Expect the unexpected.

Nana and Pop Pop we think about you guys a lot, and miss you tons. We wish we were closer. Fin is getting so big, we can't wait for you guys to be able to give her big hugs and kisses! :)

Grandma, we've been so bad about coming to visit, we need to make a resolution to come see you at LEAST once a month! We need to make a plan!

I know, this is a pathetic way to talk to people, but I figured it was efficient :)

I'll be back soon with pictures- It's mid-terms week which has been a little stressful. How did I think school was diffucult without a one year old!?!

It's Late.. or Early??

2008-09-06T01:38:00.001-07:00

Hi, So it's 1:38AM, the only time I really get to spend alone doing school work, reading, you know real quality mama time. :) So I thought I'd give you a few more pictures to look at.

Just incase your only mama time is 1:38AM as well.

"Daddy, can I have this?"

She's a little bit rock and roll

"Oh hey, just eating some noodles, oh what's that.. there's one on my nose?"

Her favorite perch

She's a paci girl at heart.

Our little drummer girl

PICTURES!

2008-09-03T22:14:00.000-07:00

I promised pictures and I was not about to let you down.

... Does this picture need a caption? :)

Did you forget what we looked like?? Here's a reminder:

My new FAVORITE addition to the house. It was a wall and an old window previously.

They are absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

And remember when our house looked like THIS??:

Well if you drove by our house this is pretty much what you'd get..

And don't worry, Finlee's pulling her weight... she already knows how to use a tape measure.

NICE.

After a hard day of work assisting her grandpa with his tape measure she's EXHAUSTED.

She loves her grandpa :)

Well so I don't overwhelm your senses I'll hit you up with a few more pics later.

In the mean time, don't miss us too much.

Feel free to print off these pictures and carry them with you wherever you go..

7 Years

2008-08-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

So better late than never.. right?

7 years and 10 days ago the most amazing man I know decided he wanted me to be a special person in his life. The next day I told my mom I was going to marry him. 4.5 years later I did.

He has filled my life with unspeakable joy and love. Love that I pray my children will find someday.

The way he adores our little girl melts my heart.

Neil, My Sweetheart, thank you for loving me, thank you for choosing me.

Forever is will never be enough. 29,000 more days is much too short. I miss you already.

Thank you for her...

Ooooops.

2008-08-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

Oh hey,

So it's been what? 5 years since my last post? Sure. Welllll, Life has been SO unbelievably crazy. I don't have pictures to post (I know, what's a blog post without pictures??) BUT I do have some updates of the FINLEE variety :). She's 10.5 months old! (What really?) And she's soooo close to walking, she's a one handed walking FOOL. She says "dada" and "hidada" (all one word of course) and "mama" and "more" and "hi" and waves hi and bye. She LOVES milk and every food you could ever give her. And she loves the new house her daddy and grandpa are (re) building for her! :)

We have a few new windows, new french doors, a new front door, a new utility room/ master bathroom, and our guest bathroom is finished!! Our life is hectic and CRAZY and I start school NEXT WEEK! I can't believe it. I am so nervous to start a new school! Nana and PopPop Clear your schedules for my graduation in 2010 :). And for all of you that didn't attend my graduation from high school (yeah so pretty much all of my other family, ouch.. it still hurts) you better be there, The Pennsylvania State University. And no, it's not optional :).

So for those of you who have not been updated, via my doting parents or husband :). I switched schools and degrees. I'm attending Penn State Online (World Campus) and majoring in Psychology. My desire is to attend Penn State's Medical Program following graduation and to become a practicing Pediatrician specializing in Child Neurology (more on that later).

Neil has been working so hard for his two girls, long days, long evenings, long weekends! I can't wait to be done with the house! It's going to look so good, and Neil will finally have a break!

Well I'll be back to post a few more pictures. Fin's napping so I better get some reading done, or cleaning, or something productive :).

Peace.

My Clingy Little Booger

2008-07-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

Remember two posts ago

when I attempted to describe Fin's

Day of Clinginess ??

(assuming clinginess is a word... I highly doubt it)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PopPop!!

2008-07-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday PopPop!!

We love you, and miss you!

Thank you for being all that you are,

A Sweet, Smart, Loving, all around Wonderful Grand(and Great Grand)pa!

It took a few tries, but I think we've proven our determination! :)

Love-

Neil, Kim, and Finee

O...K

2008-07-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, I am exhausted.

I swear to you if I put my head down on a pillow I could guarantee you I would be asleep before you could say "Fin's awake you probably shouldn't be sleeping"

SO in an effort to be a responsible parent I am blogging.

And just so you can picture it Fin is laying in my lap not wanting to be put down.

To say that his is one of her clingy days would be an understatement.

So as I am beginning to realize that I will not be able to accomplish anything...at all... today, I guess I will just give in and enjoy being loved on, even if Fin's 'loves' consist of endless pinching, one toothed bites, punching, kicking, and hair pulling. Oh the unconditional love of a child :).

I think she may be teething, she so is not acting like herself, independence is usually her 'thing'.

Ok so here is our house update:

No, your eyes are not mistaken, that says 1865.

I am in history heaven. Literally half of the entire 'den' was covered in newspapers from 1865, I haven't had time to sit down and go through them yet, but you can bet that when I do you will be recieving a full report.

And just to top it all off, here are a few pictures of our sweet litle girl...

Friday Already???

2008-06-27T22:19:00.000-07:00

Seriously? It's Friday?

The weeks have been flying by.

We go to the house (no we're not moved in yet :( ) every evening and all day Saturday and Sunday. I can't wait to move in and just be there.. not have to commute home. :)

But seriously... I'm SO sorry I haven't updated!

Wellll....Today was a very warm day. Poor Fin was so tired and hot this evening, she was done by the time we got to the house.

She's just too sweet, here's a little video of Fin and her sippy cup to make you smile.

Be prepared.. it's adorable.

A few nice things...

2008-06-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

We had another late game last night.

One at 6 and one at 8:40. Awesome.

Finlee's so cute :)

Meet Joyanne, Fin's BFF, she's 20 days younger than Fin.

She enjoyed wearing one of Finlee's hats.

Meet James, Joyanne's twin brother.

He's a mama's boy, sure to be Fin's first broken heart. :)

Fin stole these keys from James. Girl Power.

Fin and Joyanne are SO sweet together.

(Fin's on the right, Joyanne's on the left)

They're so sweet.

One of Neil's double plays (yes multiple).

(he's the small one in the middle with his arm extended)

It was a long night.

I'd write more but Finlee's getting into the Carmex. YUM

Catch ya later.

Our Fathers Day

2008-06-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a looooong but very fun day.

It started with a trip to Alsea Falls where we pitched a picnic!

Fin loves crackers.

...and her daddy

She also loves water

She's getting SO big

THEN we went to our house to get a bit of work done before the weekend ended..

We managed to make it look like a real construction zone.

If you look closely you can see the hardwood we found, the linoleum we ripped up, the cement blocks we ripped up under the wood burning stove (to the left) we uninstalled, and down the the lower left hand corner is the old furnace that was attached to the wall that my father and Neil ripped off of the panelling we found instead of drywall (it had been textured and painted to look like drywall)--- you still with me?

This room I like to call the den. Here's the DISGUSTING carpet and carpet pad and linoleum we ripped up.

Here's our mess.

The men tearing down the panelling and the furnace.

Niiiiice.

And here's my favorite part of the day: Under the linoleum in the "den" (aka the original bedroom) we found some old Oregonians, their dates were March 16 and 17th and the 27th of February 1940. I am a HUGE history nerd, and if I could get a degree and get paid to travel around and look at old things I would, but I don't think you can get paid for that, so I figure I'll go with my fallback career as a Pediatrican.

Seriously Amazing.

I can't wait to see what other treasures our 118 year old house will bring us. We had so much fun today, we just wish Neil's PopPop were here to lend us his expertise.

PopPop, we miss you and wish you were here!

Happy Fathers Day!!

To the Person We Love the Most

2008-06-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

To the most amazing Husband and Father, our Papa Bear:

Happy Father's Day!!

We could never thank you enough for everthing you do for us.

We love you, love you

Rudolph the Red Nosed Lion

2008-06-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

Fin has a new toy

To be continued...

Old, and I do mean OLD man softball..

2008-06-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

So last night was Neil's 4th old man softball game of the season. And trust me, I do not in anyway use the term "old man" lightly. The plain and simple truth is that the the average age of the infield is somewhere around 67... the outfield? 45 (and only because Neil brings it down by 10 years).

Welllll... last night Finlee and I decided to brave the cold and rain (40 degrees AND rain in June? who knew) and attend the LATE night game. The game? 8:40 Fin's bedtime? 8:00. We already had that going against us.. Anyhoo, we braved the elements and pitched our little pink chair alongside the field.

It started out fine, around the 4th inning we were tied 8-8.... then the 5th inning happened. I don't want to say it was a waste of time... that would disrespect the 400 pound man who broke his ankle sliding into third, I think he forgot he-

A. Is no longer in college and

B. Since graduating college he has managed to gain 250 lbs....

I just wouldn't say it was our best use of time.

We lost... something like 19-8. Ouch.

I'll look on the bright side.. there's always next week.

Lets just hope the old men make it to next week.. we're already down a pitcher (RIP Darrell)

Sunday, Sunday.

2008-06-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll

So this past weekend was exhausting and passed by all to quickly. I really don't remember what we did Saturday- that's how exhausting it was. But I DO remember yesterday..vaguely. It involved A LOT of gardening... on the part of Neil, my mom, my dad and Neil's mama-- and little participation on my end. Finlee decided she was going to have an "only mommy is allowed to hold me" day and scream when it didn't go her way. Oh and did I mention she decided not to take a nap at all? Yep my little girl- who on a daily basis is the princess of schedule keeping-- Down for her usual first nap as I type-- did not take her usual 10 am 2 hour nap, nor did she take her 2:30 afternoon 1-2 hour nap. Nope no nap at all. So as you can imagine the evening was filled with exhaustion and ice cream-- it was hot out yesterday (for Oregon) YUM!

Here are a few of Fin's glazed over looks from last night:

*oh and on a side note: Fin has a mullet

Don't worry.. we'll nip it in the bud before it gets out of control.

Well.. I will try to remember what we did on Saturday and get back to you.

Happy Monday.

Cancer Hurts, Reflections

2008-06-05T20:45:00.001-07:00

I know so many of you have been praying and thinking of my family for the last few months and I cannot begin to tell you how strong those prayers have been felt.

If I could thank and hug each one of you a million times over I would.

Here are some pictures of my mom, Fin, and the newest member of our family Cindy.

Fin and Gram

Loves
Aunt Cindy

I'm sure most of you don't know who Cindy is, but if you ever meet her you will certainly make a friend. She has been a light and support for my mom throughout this entire process. I am certain God carefully placed her in our life- and we are forever grateful.

My mom and Cindy were diagnosed within days of one another, their chemo schedules were identical, and they were instant sisters.

Cindy if you ever read this no matter where you go I will forever think of you and pray for you. We have our friends and we have our family, and you, Chris, and your boys will always be my family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there for my mom the way I could not.

Thank you

KDboo, my sister, my best friend you know how it feels. You were there for those moments I can't describe but you understood-- I sound stupid just trying to put it in writing. You don't know what you mean to me, I wish I could pick up and move to where you are. Soon we will have houses next door to each other and we can raise our little ones together! You are the most amazing mother I know, and I love you, Theona, Jecoa, and Abe more than I can describe in one blog paragraph.

To my Bear, the love of my life, and the father of my precious, beautiful Finlee- you are my everything. I have never loved you more than I do in this moment. You know me like no one does, you are a constant in my life. My sweetheart. You were there to catch me those days and nights I couldn't stand, those nights that I cried all night you held me lovingly. Those days I could only scream you knew it wasn't at you. You've loved me through everything.

Bear, The words 'I love you' don't do my heart justice.

This has most certainly been the most frightening thing I have ever faced, but I have no doubt GOD IS GOOD. He has carried me through those times I literally had nothing to say to him, those moments I was SO angry and could only scream at Him. I know He can take it, He was always there to break my fall.

I could, and still can feel His hands on my heart, surrounding me.

Thank you for your prayers, your kind words, your love.

---Kim

The Joy of Parenting

2008-06-04T21:32:00.000-07:00

As Fin gets bigger she is quickly realizing how to take advantage of her new found freedoms-- crawling, standing, shreiking...

to name a few.

And tonight...

Nudity.

Oh how we love her.

"For I know the plans I have for You"

2008-06-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

As the anniversary of my high school graduation approaches I find it enjoyable to look back on all the "plans" I had in life and laugh (I'm sure at that point God was already giggling as I let him know where I was headed in life). If I remember correctly this the (close to) exact sentence given on my future plans:

"Kim will be attending Northern Arizona University where she will major in Law and Society. Following college she will attend Law School and then go on to become a Supreme Court Justice."

->>Fast forward 4 years and where are we at??

I have attended Oregon State University were I majored in Political Science (close?) and have one year left to completing my degree-- I have now transferred to Penn State University World Campus (Online) with an intended major in Psychology.

<<- Lets backtrack to the "plan" I had made on child rearing- I was to marry my high school sweetheart (CHECK) and have children only after establishing (whatever that means) my prestigious career in law (riiight)..

->> Back to Today

SURPRISE!!!!

Do I dare tell the current plans I have for my future?

I think I've learned my lesson.

Praise the Lord for everything he has planned for us! (Even if we don't see it coming!)

I am so grateful for everything He has blessed me with.

And Amazing Husband.

A Gorgeous Child.

And the most loving family in the World!

Who could ask (or plan) for anything more??

Jeremiah 29:11-14

"For I know the plans I have for you" declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you"

It was HOT

2008-06-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Just remember while looking at these pictures- it was 115 degrees out.

We spent most of our time with my sister (also known as my best friend) and my 11 month old nephew Jecoa, and 2.5 year old neice Theona.

The pool was the place to be.

Here are a few of my personal favorites.

Besties.

She LOOOOVES to swim.. (of course)

Fin and Theona- THE cutest girls ever.

Stay tuned...

Sweet Darlin'

2008-05-31T15:37:00.000-07:00

Fin's bedtime is usually around 8pm. Occasionally she is absolutely exhausted and hits it at 7:30pm.

Not tonight.

Tonight she has decided that she will NOT go to bed on time. She'd rather play with her daddy.

So it is 9:22 pm and Miss Finlee Genevieve is still WIDE awake.

Here's our sweet darlin' doing what she does best- being absolutely adorable.

Goodnight!

We're in love

2008-05-30T22:05:00.001-07:00

So we've fallen in love with our newest baby. We have officially signed on the dotted line as of 5/29/08 at 5:10pm PST.

We are homeowners.

Here's an introduction to Casa De Phoenix.

Welcome

Profile View

Some of the yard

Backside

We can't wait to share more.

She has a lot to give and a long way to go.

We're so excited to get our hands dirty.

Our Happy Baby

2008-05-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

A few pictures to brighten your day:

She LOVES to click her tongue.

Car rides are her favorite.

Who doesn't like playing in suitcases?

Pictures from my hood.

2008-05-28T17:09:00.001-07:00

So last week Fin and I hit up the BHC, AZ. We had sooo much fun. My sister travelled from OK, we hadn't spent time with Theona, Jecoa or Kathryn for months. We had SUCH a good time swimming in 115 degree weather. Yes 115 no joke. Here are a few picture highlights. A video of Finlee swimming will follow soon. Trust me, it's worth the wait.

First Plane Ride? Check.

Stay tuned.

Blog it out.

2008-05-28T17:06:00.001-07:00

So, my sister does it. I should join.

Can you keep up?