Happy Birthday Blake!

10 minutes away...in 10 minutes I will have known you (in the outside world that is) for 5 whole years.  Where did the time go!  What an amazing little boy you are turning out to be son-one that I have faith will turn into an amazing older boy, teenager, young man, and eventually man.  I am just a few minutes from seeing you wake up for the 1st time as a 5 year-old, and today is going to be fun!

When you wake up you will get to see that your dad and I decorated the dining room with one of your favorite characters this year-Spiderman-your cake for tonight is done and ready to be seen (eaten later).  After your breakfast of muffins and sausage (which you requested) we will go pick up your surprise gift from the airport-your Nana has flown into surprise you for your birthday and before Christmas:)

You get to celebrate with your preschool class in the afternoon AND put on a Christmas Concert:)  And tonight when dad gets home we will have a quite evening eating your favorite dinner (pizza) and opening gifts.

The funny thing is Blake, no matter how fun and great all of those things are to you (and I hope they are amazing), I (and your dad) already got the best gift today...you.  A gift we did nothing to receive, a blessing we didn't deserve, a gift we are forever thankful to Jesus for giving us.

Today I am thankful that Jesus gives good gifts...one of those being my son Blake Carter.

Glimpse into my life..

I think my kids are pretty funny on a regular basis but every once in awhile they "out do themselves."  Saturday morning was one of those times.  We are getting ready to eat breakfast and Claire says "Mommy?  Why you getting SOOOO big??"  Before I can even respond (due to Justin and I laughing)  Blake chimes in with "Because that baby is getting soo big, and I just have no idea how it is getting out of there!!!"

Oh my word! I am pretty sure Justin had to spit is coffee out in the sink-and I got a cramp in my leg due to the laughter.

Thought you might enjoy a glimpse into our world with Blake and Claire. :) The do fill our lives with much joy!

Advent #2 and #3

For Day #2 we decorated the tree-that process lasted about 10 minutes of chaos before it ended...but we got some pics and the kids had fun:)  I will be doing the rest during nap times to avoid breaking and ripping ornaments along the way:).  And that night we lit the 1st Advent Candle:)  Kids had fun!

 

Day #3-We took Christmas pictures by the tree.  Decided to do it early rather than later in the month-it was fun...they were goofy...but I think we got a couple of good ones! :)

Advent-Day #1

 Claire and her paper chain!

 Blake and his (cut out all by himself!)

 Timber!  By the tree we got:)

 My little runner!

Mom and kids:)

Dad and Claire at the Tree Lighting:)

 

Day #1 was a busy one! We went to a new tree farm-one in Moscow-about at 20 minute drive from our house in Pullman-we were a bit worried about the transport home as the tree farms we used to go to in Renton were about 5 minutes from our house;)  Tree made it home, we made chains to count down the days until Christmas, and then were off to the tree lighting in downtown Pullman-which began with a fun run for the kids:)  Enjoy some pics of our our fun day #1. :)

Advent 2011 Activities and Verses

Date	Activity	Verse
1-Dec	Make a paper chain to countdown	Isaiah 9:2-7
2-Dec	Decorate the tree	Isaiah 9:2-7
3-Dec	take a train ride	Luke 1:5-25
4-Dec	cut out paper snoflakes and tape to windows	Luke 1:26-38
5-Dec	put gel stickers on windows	Luke 1:26-38
6-Dec	make an ornament	Luke 1: 39-45
7-Dec	Read 7 christmas stories/books	Luke 1:46-56
8-Dec	bake cookies! (cranberry blondies)	Luke 1:57-80
9-Dec	make reindeer and angel art	Matthew 1:18-25
10-Dec	celebrate Blake!	Matthew 1:18-25
11-Dec	play outside in the cold	Matthew 1:18-25
12-Dec	build a fort in the den with pillows and blankets	Luke 2: 1-7
13-Dec	buy a present for a kid in need	Luke 2: 1-7
14-Dec	bake cookies! (popcorn balls)	Luke 2: 1-7
15-Dec	make an ornament	Luke 2: 1-7
16-Dec	family movie night	Luke 2: 1-7
17-Dec	ice skating	Luke 2: 8-20
18-Dec	make a Christmas sticker page	Luke 2: 8-20
19-Dec	stay up late and go look at lights	Luke 2: 8-20
20-Dec	make Christmas cards for family	Luke 2: 21-40
21-Dec	make sparkly juice for dinner (sparkling water and juice)	Matthew 2:1-12
22-Dec	bake cookies!	Matthew 2:1-12
23-Dec	family movie night	Matthew 2:1-12
24-Dec	sing songs at church tonight	Philipians 2:6-8
25-Dec	Christmas!

Fun lesson from being late:)

Here we  are 2 months into our life in Pullman-we turned the AC off about 3 weeks ago and this morning it was 21 degrees!  Not used to those quick and drastic weather changes!

We are settling in and getting used to our new home in Eastern WA-part of this settling has been watching our kids learn what it means to move and adjust.  In many ways they are better at it than we are-but in many I know they are longing for the same things we are-finding the comfort of home in a new place...and we are getting there...slowly. :)

Recently Blake has been processing how he has friends here but a lot of his friends are still in Seattle-we have been talking about how to make new friends, what friends he might want to invite to his new house, and how he will still get to see his old friends on special occasions:)

Thus bringing me to how being late gave me such joy today. If you know me well, you would know that being late is something I do not typically like-it is stressful to me and I often feel like I am letting people down when it happens.  One of the things I am adjusting to in a smaller town is time management-it is funny-on the Eastside of Seattle I knew that things could ALWAYS take more time than they should and would plan accordingly for an extra 10 minutes in traffic for every outing...being here I QUICKLY have come to enjoy that most everything in Pullman is 5-10 minutes away and if you avoid the few times of day with traffic (we do have some!) you are good to go...my issue is I have lost my need for a buffer time...forgetting that kids ALWAYS need a buffer time:)...

But anyway...we were late to preschool today, and the funnest, sweetest thing happened when we opened the doors. There stood 5 of Blake's classmates already at the sensory table, which was filled with soapy water for the day, and ALL 5 of them turned and said "Yeah Blake is here!"  Blake lit up-seeing that his presence was noticed and they were excited to see him.  I cried when I got back to the car-touched to see that my little boy in the few weeks here is finding his place:) and is being welcomed here.

Saying Goodbye....

This week we say good-bye to our home for the past 7 years...we say good-bye to the first house Justin and I bought...the 1st home to both of our kiddos...the home where I finished my Masters Degree to teach...and where 5 years later I would gladly give up that gig for a new one as stay-at-home mama to Blake and Claire...it is the home where Blake and Claire performed all of those "1st milestones" that a parent aches to see in the 1st 2 years of life...it is where I got to see my little boy go to school for the first time...it is where we "cut our teeth" on house projects and improvements (getting better with time I would say) ;)....it is where we found our church family...it is where we kept and maintained old friendships and cultivated new ones...it is where we have celebrated and cried....it is where we lived.

I have wondered when it would "hit me" that 16101 is no longer where we live, when I would understand that probably only Blake will remember this place in adulthood and only those will be faint memories ones that he will grasp on to mostly through the stories Justin and I tell.  It has been too busy up until now for me to really focus on, I thought maybe during packing-but even then it was busy...it happened as I was doing my final clean of this place-the last time I will mop these floors and vacuum this carpet is when I took a moment to be sad and to reflect on the life we have got to live here.

What a blessing this life has been-not without struggle or heartache but truly an amazing blessing and gift.  I will miss these walls and the comfort they brought to our family.  But I trust that as we move forward Jesus has good things planned for our family-there is a new home ready for us to make memories and messes in.

I leave with this thought.  Buying this home was is one of the decsions that Justin and I both together felt strongly like Jesus was telling us to do....and our life has been wonderful here-better than I could have imagined.  And now, leaving this home is another one of those times where both Justin and I know that Jesus is telling us to do this...it spurs me on and instills faith that what is to come will be wonderful...different yet wonderful.

A little discovery about the effects of DVR and Netflix/Hulu....

We got to get away for a few days a couple of weeks ago to Seaside OR.  It is a great little place to go with the kiddos-not too far of a drive and lots of things for the family to do.  It also doesn't have Netflix or DVR...while on this little trip Justin and I realized what these 2 seemingly innocent little "improvements" to our world of TV watching has created in our lovely kids. 

While both have been great for practical reasons-like saving money by cancelling cable and allowing us to watch favorite shows even if our small group night is Thursday :)...one of the subtle side effects in this next generation is lack of patience/understanding that you don't always get what you want.

I hope that Justin and I are parents that discuss these 2 things with our kids-not rewarding them for whining or allowing them to always get there way, but I learned that with TV watching they have gotten pretty accustom to, during there two 30 minute time slots, being able to simply tell me what they want to watch (now learning how to compromise) and if it is an approved show watching it without commercials.  Harmless...or so I thought...

This was not an option on vacation, during their time slots we had to watch what was on and a couple of times during the shows we had to watch commercials...it did get give me hope that our older kiddo was quickly able to understand that it was this or nothing-and that during commercials it was a good time to talk, go to the bathroom, grab something you wanted...it gave me hope that Claire too will learn the lesson of patience and not always getting to choose as she was a very UNHAPPY camper when "George" was not an option and during most commercial breaks she frantically was searching for the remote and saying "All done, All done!"

Funny how little changes in our lives....advances made to make life easier/better...have side effects that could often go un-noticed until they are taken away...

And I am back...a little info on where we went :)

The year of 2012 has started off with a bang for the Dobbins crew!  In January we survived the ice storm, with the help of friends Blake, Claire and I made it through the 3 days without power while Justin worked 4 overnight shifts to help make sure people weren't freezing to death!  Whew!

February brought some hard news that at 11 weeks we had our 2nd miscarriage.  I had one around 7 weeks in-between Blake and Claire and never thought that it would happen again...it did.  We were amazed at the love and support we had during that time and the love and comfort we found in Jesus in the midst of something so awful.  In the midst of this we got to celebrate our WONDERFUL Daughter's 2nd birthday! Where did the time go!  Celebrating Claire proved to be such a great reminder to me as to God's kindness and grace, I know with all of my heart that we were meant to have her as a daughter and even though I would have loved to get to have her without having a miscarriage...that wasn't how it worked...just her presence reminds me that Jesus has such a good plan for us and He will finish our family perfectly.

Then came March...we had worked through the initial sadness and were coming out of the fog when all of a sudden BAM!  The amazing church that we were lead to 5 years ago had announced in January that they would be planting a church the summer of 2013-who knew if we would go but 1 1/2 years away was such a safe distance that we didn't have to quite even think about it yet.  Well March changed that for sure!  Because that timeline was moved up to summer of 2012!  Justin and I independently felt like we were supposed to go....then God made it clearer and clearer that he was asking us to do this...risk our really good life here...and follow Him to Pullman...

In the beginning and even now I catch myself saying "I have to do this or I have to do that" because Jesus asked me to go.  But recently in quiet time I have realized that is not the truth.  I GET to do this-I GET to give up things I really love to strengthen my trust in with Jesus has planned for me and my family.  There are HARD things about this move-but I trust, even though at times it is hard, that this move IS good and will be good.  I GET to let go of things I probably have been clinging a little to tightly to and follow Jesus.

Practically speaking though Jesus IS taking care of us:)  I am excited to see how it all plays out...that is where we have been...sorry for our absences:)

I remember...

As people have been posting things on Facebook like "amazing Seattle weather in February...can't remember the last time it was like this then." I have been smiling because I do remember...it was February 2010...more towards the end of the month I guess...it is so clear in my mind even though it was 2 years ago. It is clear because I was waiting for Miss On her Own Time to arrive (5 days late is what she decided)...and I was SOOO thankful for the sunny days to take my then 26 month old little boy on walks and to the park.

I can't believe that we are about 2 weeks away from knowing Claire for 2 years...she is the almost the age that Blake was when she was born...

Time has this amazing way of disappearing once you have children...taking a moment today to try to remember and slow it down...

And the work continues....

Honesty....that is what this post is about....

Some days in the midst of my life I realize how much work is still to be done in me. Especially in the area of truly LOVING how my God created me... I came out of my teens and twenties, thankfully, without the scars that an eating disorder can leave...but I certainly did not escape the message of the world to young women without distrust and shame creeping in.

Now on most days I have a handle on it (and when I say I I really mean "we" as in me and Jesus), especially since having a girl, I strive to focus less on that for myself and her...

Then there are some days in the midst of not finding anything to wear (which is ridiculous as I have a full closet)....not loving what the mirror speaks back to me that I realize I am not fully done with this war...there is more for me to surrender to Jesus...

Especially when the truth of the day is that...I have a husband who adores me and 2 kids who could CARE LESS... and most importantly a GOD who DESIGNED how He wanted me to look...this is when it hits me...that this battle makes NO sense...

That unless this gets worked out fully by God in me...there it sits...because in all logical arguments I shouldn't struggle with this anymore...but I do...confirming that nothing can reverse the lies that this world told me other than Jesus...

As I put these thoughts down this little thought comes to my mind... "Comparison is an unfair way to look at the world, because we were never meant to be the person which we are comparing ourselves to...we were meant to be our self..."

What we really want as parents.....

There are soo many things I dream and wish for my kids. I hope for them probably a little more than I hope for myself these days, which is some ways could be thought of as sad, but in other ways I feel like it is where I am supposed to be right now. Not having forgotten what I hoped, not refusing to take care of myself and my marriage, but rather a choice that for this fleeting time I will think, and pray, and hope for them at least as much as myself. When I sit down, in a quiet moment, what I really hope for my kids is that someday (sooner than later) they will fall in love with Jesus and make a commitment to follow Him. That is the long term goal....on a day to day basis that goal is often forgotten in the midst of teaching the important lessons of being kind, listening, obeying...

My training as a special education teacher combined with my nature in which we parent (I say we because while I am writing this post Justin is a very involved and good dad) in a way that pairs consequences with reward. In our home it simply has looked like a bit of a star chart for Buddy. Very quickly though I wasn't satisfied with the typical star chart which focuses solely on the behavior. I want more for my kids. While in the moment I want Blake to stop refusing to share with his sister at times, but in the long term I want him to understand that Jesus wants that for him because he wants him to be KIND. In the moment while I am being asked for the 100th time when we are going to the park, I just want the questioning to stop, but in the long term I want him to know that what I am asking him to do is HAVE PATIENCE.

So in hopes of making sure that I talk about these things this is what I came up with, it forces me in the midst of praising him to discuss not just the behavior but the attitude and reason. In short it actively brings the the Bible into our discussions throughout the day. Using this has been such a help to me in discussing the fruits of the spirit in a way that a 4 year old can grasp. Some of the things on the chart are things he is already really good at others we are working on. ;)

What I long for I can't do...only the Holy Spirit can call my kids to respond to Jesus...but I can bring the scripture to my kids in a way they can understand and apply to their lives...this has helped me...and I thought I would share. :)

What I learned from 2 days without power... :)

10. I would take 5 days without power with no kids over 2 with kids. I have experienced both and it was WAY more bearable without two small children.
9. For some reason (totally within me) I feel guilty and bad when I am really in need of help.
8. Claire, Blake and I CAN sleep on an air mattress together pretty successfully-if you count Claire actually sleeping on the floor all night:).
7. Although being a single parent during storms is not ideal it is bearable with the help of friends....I just have to work on not feeling bad for needing the help (see number 9). :)
6. I didn't think about buying a home with a gas water heater or stove....but now I am sooo thankful that we did. At least we have warm water and can cook in the midst of the darkness and cold.
5. Almost 2 year olds will not keep any amount of covers, hats or gloves on NO MATTER what temp it is...
4. I am soo grateful for battery operated electronics to help keep Blake busy and under covers during rest times.
3. Someday a girl will be sleeping soundly and will get kicked in the face by her husband...Blake (that kid is a sound yet CRAZY sleeper).
2. My kids, although they love a routine, are really good kids I am proud of their ability to be flexible in the midst of chaos.
1. Our kids love there Daddy (and soo do I)....after nap number 2 in the cold we left for dinner and a night with friends...Blake was crying as he left "I will be cold if I can just stay with Dad."

Whew I hope ours stays on and I am praying for the safety of the guys working and those still without!

22nd-25th....a little late :)

How did advent end for us? Well with Christmas:) The 22nd we drove over to East Wenatchee to spend some time with Justin's family-celebrated 3 December birthdays and watched the cousins have a ball with each other. The morning of the 23rd the kids opened presents of which Claire LOVED a little purse she got and Blake upon opening some underwear exclaimed "Cars underwear?!?!? It is JUST what I wanted!!!!" On the afternoon of the 24th we drove back home-ever since adding Claire to our lives we have been doing Christmas morning at our home:) Probably my favorite memory this year is Blake sitting on my lap during Christmas Eve service and belting out every word of the Christmas Carols-through yawns and often when it was quiet:)-I loved it! And pray that his love of music and growing love of Jesus create a man who fully worships!

Christmas morning was quiet just the 4 of us... that was great...Claire made herself at home in her camp chair she got with her new Elmo doll and multiple suckers and was quiet happy. Blake loved his little speakers with his music and had fun talking about who's Birthday it was. :)

We ended our celelbration at my parents home for a couple of days-where it was sooo nice to spend time relaxing and enjoying each other-it was a bit of a whirlwind of a fall so I know we all were thankful for the time to rest.