Jehle Haus

2011-07-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

something tragic happened today
to a friend.
it was a gut-wrenching reminder that
*we can never assume someone is 'okay'
*we can never assume someone is 'doing better'
*we can never minimize Christ's power in our everyday interactions
*it is always worth saying something....even if that something is that we don't know what to say

2011-06-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

i love the way they smell
fresh out of the bath, their hair scented with honey shampoo.

but i REALLY love the way they smell the rest of the time:
this earthy combination of dirt and grass and campfires. it's really my favorite smell in the world

...and now you're four

2011-06-05T13:43:00.000-07:00

here we go again....

another late post about you, my boy

who is growing faster than i ever thought,

causing every blink to turn into a new chapter

without me even realizing it.

but it's so interesting to me

to see how my strong memories of you at every age

are just as present in you now in new ways, at four.

like as a baby, you would jump in your crib for up to half an hour...

i think about that sometimes as i watch you soar on your bike and

find the highest thing possible to climb up and fling yourself off of.

of how your first word was a very enthusiastic YEAH!,

so indicadive of the personality unfolding in you.

in the year leading up to four

you started preschool a couple of days a week,

started writing letters, your name, other words,

played even harder and more daringly,

and i didn't know that was even possible.

your teacher summed you up so perfectly when

she told me what a unique combination you are:

so physical in your play, but with a very gentle heart

and personality. so true, and so much like your dad.

i am so thankful for you,

for your spirit, your heart,

and that God chose me to be your mom.

what a lucky gal i am.

a NeW SEAson

2011-04-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

april is the cruesllest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain -t.s. eliot, the waste land

did i really miss a whole season blogging? i did, didn't i? we had a great winter, we really did. tons of snow, skiing, sledding, and snowshoeing with the kids which was intoxicating. having never been a winter person, i fully embraced it this year. maybe because the kids were a bit older and lasted longer outside than last year. i just kept shaking my head this winter thinking that i can't believe my kids will grow up thinking this is normal. they will have such a different childhood outdoor experience than me.

i would show you lots of pictures, of our winter adventures and our time in texas (katie, promise those pics are coming) but the battery is dead on my camera and i am charging it right now. so, later. but the fact that i'm even posting at all counts for something, right?

and now it is spring. this is where i get antsy. it's warmer-ish, but we've seen a little more snow than i would like, and haven't seen the sun in a month. yikes. i could probably (and kind of will) rant and rave right now, as i pine for the blue skies and warm weather the summer will bring, allowing us to discard the many layers it currently requires to get the kids out the door, but i am trying to stray from the negative and focus on the positive: the layers aren't quite so many right now, and ice no longer is a permenant fixture on our driveway and sidewalks, allowing for the uninhibited biking and scootering the mini-jehles love so much.

and it is Lent. i actually have grown to love lent, something i know i would not have said 10 years ago. but although i love it, lent is hard for me. for most people, i think. this year, i have given up speaking negative words and gossip. even the people magazine-celebrity infused gossip, which is really the main source of my kryptonite, anyway. because any negative word i have been tempted speak, and scandalous story i tell, has usually been rooted in the fact that i want to feel a little better, a little more normal about myself. and i've failed some this lenten season, but i've been thankful for the covering of grace, and that my falls this season have marintated a little more, caused me to reflect on my words much more, making me desire to have a permenant change in the way i speak.

to change tones completely, i leave you with this. my boy turned four a month ago, and his birthday post is #1 on my to-do list. so, as a tribute to him, here is a video we watched a LOT in Hutch Year Three, one that inspired his soul and imagination. it really is beautiful, and worth a watch. **note: you need to enlarge the screen to see the full frame**

birTHDAy CIRcle*

2011-02-15T18:36:00.000-08:00

so, not much action on here lately. i'll get there, i promise.
but i had to write this, because i know the day may come
when the paper is gone, and this was so cute, i wanted to
make sure it was recorded.
hutch turns four on thursday (gulp), and
his preschool class has a birthday ritual.
his teacher traces his body on a piece of butcher paper, and writes
kind words from his classmates in the outline.
some of these made me laugh out loud, because
kids this age say such pure and funny things:

hutch's birthday circle

'i like to play with you a lot hutch and we are friends. Love will be there together and i know we will be friends. i like playing ice cream" -isabella

"i play with you on the slide and we go outside"-janey

"happy birthday and i like playing with you"-larkin

"i like hutch because he was sitting next to me at lunchtime. i'm his best friend. i like to play with him outside and school."-silas g.

"i like you, hutch, because we play outside. i like playing on the slide with you and going outside. hutch, you always play outside. you are my best friend."-silas s.

" silas might love you and happy birthday and i luv you. hug hug."-sparrow

"hutch, i think you are neat. i learn a lot about airplanes, dirt bikes, and race cars from you.'-lesa

"happy birthday. i have lots of fun talking with you about crazy cats, motorbikes, and airplanes."-diane

"i like airplanes. i think that's all."-hutch

our (not so) little ladybug

2011-01-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

i just realized today

that elsa is the same age

hutch was when we moved here.

that can't be right,

except it is right.

two things....

2010-10-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

..have happened recently in my daily outings/dialouge with h and e.
the first a little embarrasing, the second a little scary.

scene 1
hutch and i had a donut date, so we headed to safeway together to pick some up.
as we entered the store, hutch yelled several times "SECURITY!"
he is most certainly a spawn of alex jehle.
i really thought the gals stacking at the display nearby would never stop laughing.

scene 2
the scary one. one of the deals at our house is using sweet words. it great to express your opinion and be assertive, but be kind in your choice of words.

and when i ask them to do something, i give a reason, and saying no is not an option.
so today, i asked elsa to put her shoes on to leave and she said,

"NO!"..her eyes widened, a brief pause, then the recovery "...my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me." she sang "i know my ABC's" once more, as if to drive home the point that she wasn't saying no, she was just picking up on the tail end of the alphabet.

we are in. for. it, ya'll.

tHe "NeW" jeHLemoBILE

2010-09-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

this is our 'investment in the family' as we like to call it.
it's a 1969 airstream land yacht.
we've used it every weekend since we got it.
we named it clifford.

if you can get there, get there (part 1)

2010-09-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

we love where we live. we know this is where we are supposed to be.
but, as those of you know who don't live near family/old friends,
there is always a bit of heartache that comes with the decision to
live any great distance from those you love.
virginia was a great expereince, but also pretty rattling time for us, fellowship-wise.
and we feel at home here in big sky country, and are making friends,
but very much look forward to not just knowing people, but truly being known,
and truly knowing those we are friends with. it all takes time.
i am so thankful for the friends and family that make the trek to montana, and so happy my folks bought a summer home here. these visits are such a gift.

all that so say, although it seems more often than not plans don't work out,
if the opportunity to see people we are close to pops up, if we can get there, we get there.
we had that chance yesterday with a longtime friend of alex's, chris creighton.
he coaches the iowa drake bulldogs, and is an all-around cool person.
you can hear an interview he did recently on npr here.
his team played montana state yesterday, so we drove to bozeman friday,
camped, and had the honor to support and watch a good friend, who we do not see...ever, really.

and let me tell you this: i was blown away. i know so few people who truly love and believe in every aspect of their job, and this guy does. and to get to sit on the front row and watch someone in their element really is inspiring. the integrity with which he coaches, the encouragement he gives to his players, he was born to be a college football coach, alex and i both left pumped up, ready to take on any challenge. and hutch woke up this a.m. asking to play football. and elsa just asked for fruit snacks the whole time. can't disagree, they are tasty.

40

2010-09-19T13:47:00.001-07:00

my handsome birthday boy.

i love him.

for alex's big 40 weekend, we took these jokers:

to this place: glacier national park.

there is no place like it, pure magic.

we saw lots of stunning scenery like this:

and a lot of wild animals like this one, who was kind

enough to allow me to get a close up.

and the kids were most excited about this:

a pica mouse at our campsite. hutch named him 'horsepower'

and elsa tried to give him a million rocks and sticks to eat.

buggy is two!

2010-09-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

elsa, ladybug, buggy, bugs, bugga...
you turned two almost two weeks ago.
and i can't believe it. i also can't wrap my brain
around all of the things i want to say to you.

you are buttermilk pie doused in hot sauce,
sweet to the core with a very liberal dose of spice.
you make us laugh, give us love, confuse us,
and we marvel at the girl God made just for our family. you are a perfect fit with your many, many personality traits. we love them all.

bugs, i love your tough, feisty exterior.
you play it lauren bacall-cool with others, studying them,
offering little more than a mona lisa smile at their efforts to win you over
until you really, really know them.
and even then you still play hard to get.
but when you open up, you are a chatterbox, grinning, giggling girl.

you don't walk, you strut. in your red cowgirl boots, because
what else would you possibly want to wear?
my elsa, you love babies, animals, books, singing, and dancing, dancing, dancing.

i love seeing you with your brother, you absolutely love him.
you call him 'my hutchy,' or 'my bubba,'
and shower him with hugs and pats, kiss his boo-boo's
and are absolutely agitated if you
wake up first and have to wait for hutch to come downstairs.

bugga, we are so thankful for you.
you are so unique, yet i see so much great-grandmommy in you.
i remember reading that much of one's personality is developed
by age two. if that is the case, we need to buckle up,
because you are going to be one wild ride. and we can't wait to see the
beautiful person you will continue to become.

sEt mE frEE

2010-08-17T06:57:00.001-07:00

while i was in texas meeting cute babies,
alex took superb care of the kids. lucky for him,
the x games were on, and hutch was able to see
all the motorsport/bmx events
he could handle.
they must have rubbed off, because last monday he declared he wanted
his training wheels off. he prepared by drawing a mustache and goatee
on his face, waited until dad got home, and went to work.
and he was ready. and i have never seen such joy on his face,
and watching his face made the whole event awesome for me.
that night, he hugged me and said,
"mommy, thank you so much for watching me ride tonight. i love you."
man, i love that kid.
the first picture is him riding at home,
the second is of him "off-roading" into the distance in idaho,
with elsa desperate to keep up.

new LOVE

2010-08-17T06:48:00.000-07:00

a couple of weeks ago, i finally got to meet my
nephew and niece, daniel timothy mcguire,
and emmeline kay mcguire.
after gazing at multiple pictures of them for two months,
it was just so lovely to meet them. i'm always surprised,
even though i should know by now, at how much love God creates
in our hearts for new life in our family and close friends. it's like my heart has to grow
bigger every time, because here comes more love than i know
what to do with.
i miss them, and feel so honored to be their aunt,
and so honored to be their godmother! such a wonderful
cherry on top.

2010-07-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

someone was the lucky recipient of an
all-purpose helmet courtesy of some friends
with three boys...

which means someone else couldn't WAIT
to get her hands on the one hutch has been using
for pretend play.

there are definitely two winners. and both winners have worn the

respective helmets two days straight...and counting

hAPPy 4th

2010-07-05T20:53:00.001-07:00

new camera or not, you can only get kids to sit so still...

kOOteNaI cREek

2010-06-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

did a little hikey-hike with some friends this weekend,
about a half hour up bitteroot valley from missoula.
montana in the summer is the best.

helLO PHotOs...

2010-06-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

well, my constant sighs of wanting a digital slr has paid off
(katie, your awesome pics put me over the top),
because alex surprised me with a new camera for my birthday!
an added surprise is that if purchased online from costco,
the prized possession will not arrive until
four weeks after ordering.
but i digress.
my new 'ra (as i like to call it)
arrived today, and i have done nothing productive since,
and am feeling a little overwhelmed by all of these options
i now have at my disposal.
so, expect a lot of slide shows like this one.
random photos of my kids who need their faces and noses wiped,
while hutch is pretending to cry in several,
a few glamour shots of alex,
and some garden and weed pictures. enjoy!

three (as of a few months ago)

2010-06-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

hutch, i have really stuggled in writing this post. not because i don't have a million things to say about you, because talking to you/about you is easy as pie, but more because i'm in denial you're getting older. three sounds so old to me. i think all the time about how God is so wonderful to us to make each year with you and elsa better and better to counteract with the heartache of how fast time flies with our babies.
and it's not just time that flies, bubbs, you fly. this has been a pivitol year for you as far as finding things you love, and what you love is to go fast. your ultimate goal is a dirt-bike, but until then you will be satifsied flying around the skate park on your scooter, flying down the bunny slope on your skis, jumping off things so high they make me cringe, and practicing your motocross stunts. i spend a lot of time covering my eyes with you, and i am so thankful for your balance and confidence, because every day your attempts get bigger.
you make everyday life so fun. your enthusiasm is contagious, and there is plenty to go around. throwing rocks in the river, catching bugs, all the simple pleasures are met with "oh, man, that sounds AWESOME!" when suggested. seeing the world through your eyes is a beautiful thing, and i enjoy you enjoying life, and enjoy you wanting to confirm that any fun thing we have done that day will also be available in heaven.
but the thing i love the most about year 2-3, something i pray won't ever change, is how vocal you are in your love for us. thank you, hutch, for telling us you love us as often as you do. daddy, elsa, and myself are so blessed by those three words, and your inablility to keep your 'i love you's' and huge hugs contained is indescribeably perfect.
in short, hutch, we celebrate you, delight in you, and are so, so thankful for you and the boy you are.

two beautiful things spotted last night...

2010-04-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

this double rainbow off our front porch,
and elsa's face when she saw it.

merry merry 2009

2010-01-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

no post in awhile, no pictures in awhile,
so here's about 5 billion of our trip to texas.
our time there was wonderful, grandmommy
was celebrated and missed, hutch and elsa
basked in the affection of ada, mcmomma,
unc and ra-ra,
alex wasn't there long enough,
and it's really nice to be home.

johnnie

2009-12-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

we lost my grandmommy yesterday.
my grandmommy, johnnie hutchison,
whose frame is teeny-tiny
but voice is big and strong.
i was so lucky to have her as a kindered spirit.
we don't get many of those in life.
i am infinitely thankful for her for multiple reasons,
for the excellent job she did raising my
beautiful mom and jack,
and how devoted she was to my grandaddy,
for spending so much time with sean and me growing up,
for the countless hours i spent at her house in college,
not even including our weekly lunch dates,
for her kind heart,
for her tough exterior,
for her magnetic personality,
excellent cooking,
for her elegant style,
and how so many of my friends considered her their grandmommy as well,
for her support of any adventure my brain could come up with,
for her delight in hutch and elsa,
loving them,
giving them attention and always engaging them even though
she couldn't hear the majority of what they were saying.
..and the list goes on and on.

Grandmommy loves Jesus, and i can't imagine how amazing this Christmas will be for her.
But we miss you, gmommy, and hutch was really looking forward to showing you the two newest monster trucks in his arsenal, team suzuki and batman, so that will be tough to explain.

And mom, thank you, thank you, thank you for your perfect care of her.

Raul

2009-11-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

we have a black bear, raul,
that has routinely visited us this fall.
he's a cute fella, big but cute,
but nocturnal, so it's hard to get a good picture of him.
this is the only one we have. and i just realized you can't
really see raul at all.
i feel like a crazy lady insisting i see
the profile of Mary on my toast or something,
but i promise if you look closely,
and probably for a long time,
you can see raul's silhouette.
or maybe you'll just have to take my word for it.

flashback friday...farm party style

2009-11-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

so, the other day,

elsa pushed a couple of keys on the keyboard,

and erased all pictures from the past six months.

she managed to do something in one second

that would take me a year (minimum) to figure out how to do.

and to know me is to know it would never occur

to me to back pictures up on an external hard drive,

so all i have left are pictures i hadn't deleted from my camera yet.

hence, a flashback post.

right before elsa's bday and

while all grandparents were in town,

the farm behind our house, peas farm,

threw one wonderful party.

they grew all of the yummy eats served that night,

along with wine and beer from the vineyard up the road

and the brewery downtown.

it was a really, really beautiful event.

everyone there was smiling,

and hal said he felt like he had been teleported back to

boulder in the sixties. great day, great day.

just look at this cute couple! i think this is my favorite picture

of my parents.

grEEtINgS EaRTHliNGS....

2009-11-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

happy halloween from our little astronaut and his martian sidekick.

2009-10-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

our section of our neighborhood
was built within an apple orchard,
so everyone gets together annually,
picks apples, and presses all of them into
cider.
this year there was an unusual
cold snap (so they say),
so the apples were frozen, turning a
3-hour process into more like a
10-hour process, but it was oh so yummy
and we have plowed through four gallons in
two weeks.
hutch thinks the coors made it, which is funny
because he was apart of the whole process,
but after every sip he gives kudos to aunt rebecca,
uncle shane, acey and the big boys, and jb. (i am not exaggerating)
all that to say we have one gallon remaining,
in our freezer, and it will be thawed just in time
for turkey day because
THE TROTTERS ARE COMING FOR THANKSGIVING!!!!!!

we like to move it, move it

2009-10-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty sure alex is brainwashing hutch,
because the only music he claims to like is
guns 'n' roses and kings of leon.
however, give he and elsa an up-tempo pop song,
and they are both ready to groove.
we've started having nightly dinner dance parties...
i'm not gonna lie, it's a good time.

four years ago....

2009-09-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

lots have happened in the following days:
two kiddos, three different states, three different houses.
hutch captured my feelings on alex perfectly today when he said
out of nowhere:
"i love my daddy. he's a nice and good man."
such a wise sage that boy is to speak such true words.

tonight, our ritual anniversary dinner: wings and beer. yum yum.

the day hutch's life changed forever

2009-09-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

all it took
was one trip
to the missoula county fair's
demolition derby/motocross event
while cotter was in town
for hutch to see his true calling.

i wasn't able to get a good, un-fuzzy picture of him,
because he was far too busy cheering and
clapping with his hands above his head.
and now, all he does is talk about/play with motorcycles.

i was also suprised how much elsa loved dancing to the arena rock and
playing peek-a-boo with unsavory characters. that's my girl.

for the record, i am not comfortable with
how fearless hutch is on his scooter now,
let alone any potential motocross antics.

first visitor: kelly cotter in the house!

2009-09-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

about a month ago, i think,
we were lucky to have cotter,
or Miss Kelly the Kayaker as she's known in our house,
in town for a visit, making her our first
official visitor
to sleep on our comfy air mattress
in an otherwise empty guest room.

cotter's great, up for any outdoor activity,
and fully able to laugh at nuances
in any situation.
Miss K.T.K was also willing to
spend quite a bit of time
figuring out what
smitty is up to these days,
an important quality in any friend of mine.
we definitely
got off to a great house guest start.

in the words of warren g....

2009-09-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

'back up, back up, 'cause it's on.'

hmmm..guess it's time to play catch up.
we finally had our internets hooked up on monday.
prior to that, we were, ahem, borrowing from an unsecured
network in the area (thank you, dogsbreath, whoever you are),
making our connection spotty at best, and making uploading more than
one picture at a time nothing short of impossible.

so here we are. i present to you a misceallaneous slideshow of our happenings
in the past few months. there are more to follow of our slew of visitors: cotter, our parents, the coors, as well as other standout events, but i figured this would be the easiest way to get a glimpse of our life here, at least prior to alex starting work a couple of weeks ago.

i am in love with missoula. every day has involved hiking, biking, throwing rocks in the river, visiting the local farm, and going to the farmer's market. the beauty of it all? the farmer's market is the only thing not within walking distance, and even that is just a fifteen minute bike ride downtown. our time here has been great. we have found a church, found new friends, and hutch starts saying,
"today has been a great day" or "sure is a pretty day today," every day around dinnertime.

reality set in a bit when alex started work, and i'm sure january-march/april will prove to be a strong dose of it as well, but it is so fun to get settled in a place where you know you won't be moving in a couple of years. and even more fun that i have a view of the mountains out of every window in our house.

happy birthday to this guy

2009-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

off we go
to glacier
this weekend
to celebrate the birth
of one
alexander brockman jehle.

LADybUG....

2009-08-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

when i asked your daddy
what phrase he thought best described you,
he instantly replied,
'sweet firecracker.'
i couldn't agree more.
i should have known you would have
such a zest for life
when you came on the scene so unexpectedly.
you operate with the 'ta-da!' mentality
and work with a fast and furious pace to keep up
with your brother. you WILL NOT BE LEFT OUT!!
you are so illuminated with happiness
and excitement that you look like a glo-worm,
just bursting with light.
you love to be around others, other kids, babies, to the point you have made other little ones a little guarded (freaked out)
from your exuberence.
however, you *usually* win them over with your lovely, loving self.
and, boy, can you dance, mama. if a good tune comes on, the rythym is going to get you, and i love all of the moves in your arsenal.
sweet e, your enthusiasm is greatly balanced with your cuddly, loving nature, and although you are a go, go, go kind of kid, you also equally go with the flow. it is very rare you are anything but joyful and good-natured.
i can't believe i am lucky enough to have you call me mama, i marvel at you every day and what an example you are of God's grace in my life. i cannot wait to see you, our little spitfire, grow, and to see what Christ has in store for you.

2009-08-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

i am very far behind.
there are many things to post
from our first dreamy month in missoula,
but there is a far more pressing event at hand...
tomorrow our elsa is 1!

happy birthday to our sweet, sweet surprise.

2009-08-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

so, we know probably three people in montana,
and i confess that one is our real estate agent,
and another is the selling agent who now lives across the street from us.
the third is a man named richard beighle,
who is also one of the nicest people i've ever met.
dr. beighle also happens to live on a cherry orchard on flathead lake.
last week we were invited (mostly by ourselves) to pick cherries
as the market is flooded and he wasn't going to be harvesting and selling them this year.
so away we went for a magical day of sun, water and picking. i really think i could have lived on that deck.

lunch at the lake

time to pick

signs of a successful day

tHe ROAd HoMe

2009-08-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

while i have no real interest in doing it again soon,
our cross-country road trip
can actually go in the books as fun,
and we suffered no mechanical, physical, or emotional breakdowns to speak of.
elsa wasn't super-pumped about having to be in a rear-facing car seat
but was for the most part her usual
go with the flow self.
i think hutch had the best time of all, either observing all of the landscape
or farm animals/machinery, or being brainwashed by our little dvd player, so he was all good.
devo and tilly, well, they survived, with the help of happy yellow pills.
team jehle was able to see a real slice of americana and take in
the beautiful scenery from sea to real close to shining sea.
we saw God's creation across the u.s. of a, from the outer banks to visiting good friends and
babies we needed to meet to the AWESOMELY CUTE PUPPY LEWIS!! to pearl street to the mountains to our new residence.
and, as of two weeks ago, we made it. not a bad trek for a week's time.

tEXaS favE FiveS

2009-08-03T09:56:00.001-07:00

every trip home is the best trip home.
not sure why all of my pics are uploading blurry, hmmmm.

kansas city trip '09- FAve fiVeS

2009-08-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

excellent as usual,
made even more so by the addition of mr. chase london jehle

cue the deer

2009-07-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

the moment we pulled up into the driveway of our new home, this little family of deer was waiting in our yard (also known as dirt/a little grass)to greet us. at first i thought they had been planted a la funny farm, but no, they and dozens of others just roam our neighborhood all day. good stuff.

i was a little worried devo would chase after them, but he just comes outside with is usual if-i-didn't-know-better-i'd-swear-that-dog-smoked-pot demeanor, not giving the deer 10 feet in front of him a second glance.

hutch and elsa, on the other hand, are much more impressed by their 'neighbors.'

For Er &meR (& anYOnE eLSe)

2009-07-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

a few shots. you'll have to come visit to see the rest....

...and just a few more

2009-07-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

best vacay ever part 3

2009-07-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

best vacay ever part 2

2009-07-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

best. vacay. ever.

2009-07-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

sigh. i wish i could have frozen time.

the two carlisles

2009-07-17T14:11:00.001-07:00

elsa carlisle jehle with one of her namesakes,

alex's great uncle al carlisle.

to say he is a ray of sunshine would be an understatement.

go west young man

2009-07-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

...and we're still driving.
to recap, the summer started with two excellent trips
to see family in kansas and texas while alex finished up work products/
took care of movers/closing on our house in charlottesville. **pics to follow
the kids and i then flew back to richmond and spent
the fourth in williamsburg, followed by
a week-long trip with special, special friends
to the outer banks (rodanthe, to be exact)
to celebrate alex's completion of training. **again, pics to follow
the vacay could only be described as magical.
from there, we began our journey, aka the Big Move.
we stopped in charlottesville, louisville, kansas city,
and now denver. tomorrow we are off to jackson hole,
and by sunday we will officially be considered montanans.
within the past months, we have taken the kids through twelve states,
and managed to see the trotters in three of them.
we are tired,
the pets are tired,
and hutch asked to 'just walk to kentucky'
on our second day of driving.
however, the trip has not been too bad at all,
and it is just so nice to spend an afternoon in d-town before we begin again.
here are some pictures of western kansas,
a road we traveled often until two years ago.
i was obsessed with both the wind turbines
and the rags alex bought for us outside of salina.

SUMMER!!!

2009-06-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

it's here, and we are out!
thursday we head to kansas,
then texas,
then back to virginia,
where we will drive towards the
north carolina coast line
for a trip to the outer banks!!!
waaaahaha, i can't wait!
for now, i refuse to think about the actual moving road trip.
it makes my brain hurt way too much,
so it is all about the vacays right now.

...and he's DONE!!

2009-06-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

not long after i started working in child protection, a co-worker was quizzing me about life, if i was dating anyone, etc. (because with we social work types, it's all about full disclosure).
i told mary i did in fact have a boyfriend, and she asked where he worked, and i told her that he was at a hospital in town. she asked what his last name was, as her father had been to that emergency room numerous times before passing away. when i told her his name, her face softened and she said,
"i know him. my father saw him once, and he was so kind and loving towards my father when he was not easy to love."

while packing and sorting and sorting and packing over the past month, i have come across several cards and books given to alex from patients, and love seeing how quickly they came to know the heart of my husband. so many thank you's for helping them to heal not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. notes saying they could tell right away he was a follower of Christ, and of course, invitations to go fishing or hunting on their private land.

it really hits home just how incredible my man is.

last night was alex's final graduation (?-still don't know if you call it that). it has been over thirteen years of study from med school at KU med to residency, one year in internal medicine, and general cardiology fellowship at colorado, to his cardiac imaging fellowship here at uva med. now, my i-changed-my-major-five-times-in-college brain cannot even begin to comprehend that kind of career dedication. i am just. so. proud.

i am proud of his dedication, and proud that the root of it is his desire to serve others. even last night, around faculty that have known him for two years or less, i was pulled aside three times to have someone tell me how special alex is as a person.

alex said last night it felt strange to be done and strange that we weren't in denver for this final farewell to being a student of sorts. if we had been in d-town, there would have been a great party at lincoln's road house with meatloaf cheeseburgers, pot roast burritos, and abita flowing, but in charlottesville we will celebrate just as loudly again tonight.

here's alex in front of the rotunda on the lawn last night. thomas jefferson would be pleased.

saying goodbye

2009-05-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

"if we're under nuclear attack, we're following burt. she's a survivor." -alex

i first spent quality time with burt about six years ago.
alex and i had just started dating, and he
was skiing and needed me to watch her.
i thought she was sweet as could be
and wanted to take burt on a walk to er and mer's house.
i wasn't a fan of the medieval choke collar alex used on her,
so i put it on inside out so as not to 'hurt' her.
we set out, and i don't feel i am exaggerating when i say
there were moments i was being dragged at what felt like horizontally along the ground.
burt barged into the hayes' home and proceeded
to lick the entire contents of their oven.
on the way home, she ate roadkill twice.
in short, she lived up to her reputation.

alex inherited burt from a roommate, and has been with her
since she was four weeks old. frank wanted to get rid of her after
she chewed through the cable wire for the second time, and alex
was more than happy to take her.
she made that whole 'marely and me' book seem like child's play .
if you came from home from work and left again,
be prepared to find her head buried in a bag of flour with flour dust billowing everywhere,
or better yet, she'll eat the fabric off your couch.
want to leave burt in the backyard?
that's fine, but she'll eat through the fence and be waiting for you on the front porch.

but for all of the humor and frustration she gave us in her almost fourteen years of life,
she also gave us love and steadfast companionship a million times more.
alex spent his entire adult life with burt as his partner in crime,
gazing at him in admiration.
when he left for work,
burt stood by the front door with her head cocked to the side until he returned.
she was the eternal optimist, always convinced adventure lay ahead. she loved being by the water,
was an excellent fishing and hunting partner,
and just wanted to be by our side.

we said goodbye to burt on monday,
and heartbreaking doesn't even begin to cover it.
the pineapple and bell pepper hutch dropped during lunch today is still there,
a reminder she's gone, since that would never happen with her here.
i didn't realize how much presence and noise she was responsible for in the house until now,
it is far too quiet. we just miss her. a lot.
i know not everyone is a dog fan, but if you are, you know how
difficult this grief can be. she gave alex, myself, hutch, and elsa, so much love,
and devo owes any canine confidence he has obtained to her.

we had her cremated, because if any of you knew burt at all, you know she wouldn't want to be left behind, and we want to put her to rest in montana after we move.

so, raise a glass to our gal. burt is one-of-a-kind, cannot be replicated, and i trust she is now alternating the activities of running through streams and frequenting all-you-can-eat-buffets. because that's who she is.

2009-05-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

i already am sad thinking of hutch's little verbal -isms,

knowing he won't always have 'me' and 'you' confused, refer to himself in third person,

and things of that nature. it is for that reason i feel the need to document his sayings as of late.

**before he could really express himself, he used to leave the room if he was doing something he knew he shouldn't, believing i wouldn't notice if he happened to continue that behavior in the dining room as opposed to the kitchen. now, however, he has started adding 'just' before describing any behavior that could result in consequences, as if to diminish the severity of his actions.

for example:

me: "hutch, what are you playing with?"

h: "just da computer." replace computer with any hands-off item to get the idea.

**rather than saying yes or 'no, 'thank you,' he has begun saying 'probably,' or 'probably not' when offering his preference on things.

**and then there are the conversations like this one today,:

me:sure is sunny today...

h:uhhhh, no, it's not.

me: hmm, really? is it raining?

h: oh, no, no, you think it's not.

me: oh, then what is the weather?

h: pants.

hmmmm.

there are many, many more, but you get the idea. two really is a wonderful, strange age.

aLwaYS sMILing (and up to something)

2009-04-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

tuesday evening**
hutch (watching elsa eat carrots, etc.): elsa baby's face a mess.
alex: is your face a mess?
h: uhhh, no
a: is daddy's face a mess?
h: uhh, no
a: is mama's face a mess?
h: ummmm..sometimes
great. nothing gets by this kid. and he's right.

calamity jane

2009-04-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

our dear friend heather,
creator of bebe and alice,
sent elsa this adorable cowgirl pinafore to
celebrate our move west to montana
as well as my texas roots.
she made cute pants and a hat for hutch,
but he wasn't in the mood for a photo shoot today.
anyetsy, heather creates beautiful clothes, aprons, scarves, bags, you
name it, out of recycled fabric, thus renewing its purpose in fashionable ways.
today, elsa rocked the cowgirl look which was finished perfectly with her
wranglers denim diaper cover.
go now, people, to the bebe and alice etsy shop.
you can thank me later.

haPPy boY and Girl

2009-04-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

busy, busy, busy,
we feel very busy right now.
our trip to missoula was divine,
and there are ample pics of hutch throwing rocks in the river to prove it
as well as lovely scenic views.
one day soon i'll get 'em on here i hope.
but for now, the kiddos:

home sweet home

2009-04-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

we just got back last night
from a house-hunting/mini-vacation in missoula,
and the for sale sign was finally up at our home.
that's a bittersweet feeling,
made ever more so by hutch's content exclamation of
'HOME...our house' when we pulled in the driveway.
it has been a cozy abode for our kids
to grow up in thus far,
filled to the brim with a lot of sweat equity.
i sure will miss our little cape cod.

my nephew

2009-04-20T17:36:00.001-07:00

so, almost two weeks later,
here is a picture of the handsome chase london,
son to my brother in law, chris, and his lovely wife tammi.
isn't he a looker? i can't tell you how happy his hair makes me.
sure can't wait to meet sweet chase in june, we all feel very blessed by his arrival.

happy good friday and easter to all

2009-04-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

-beautiful, scandalous night...robbie seay

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
Be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified
Follow Christ to the holy mountain
Sinner sorry and wrecked by the fall
Cleanse your heart and your soul
In the fountain that flows
For you and for me and for all

At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious tree
On that beautiful, scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by
His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful, scandalous night

On the hillside, you will be delivered
At the foot of the cross justified
And your spirit restored
By the river that pours
From our blessed Savior's side

BIG NEWS

2009-04-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

i'm an aunt!!!!! congrats to chris and tammi!!!
details and pics to follow
we love you so much and have prayed for you, new baby jehle!

**heather, if you have the time, i'm gonna need your creative genius!

SERIOus bedHEAd

2009-04-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

we have yet to move elsa into
the room with hutch,
so she continues to sleep
in our room in a pack & play
(trotters...you have no idea how helpful this gift has been over the past 2+ years).
she is a hard sleeper as a result,
but every couple of weeks she wakes up as we (and devo) come in for the night.
glad she woke up this night, as she was rockin' a pretty sweet lid.
she looks like the zeds in that dr. seuss book.
our buggy:

waTCH out DYRdeK

2009-03-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

today we took a break
from our mad dash to get everything ready
to sell our casa to hit up the
charlottesville skate park.
hutch always notes the fire station, baseball field, and skate park
whenever we are out running errands.
after we saw signs of skaters out
of winter hibernation today and 'shredding' as the kids call it,
hutch was sold on taking his mad scooter skills to the park.
so much so that after naptime he got in the car, sat in the car seat,
and waited patiently for fifteen minutes as we got ready to go.
the kid loved it, made some skater friends,
and proved that for better or for worse, he has no fear.
there was a small ramp alex let him go down by himself,
so we mainly watched him do that a billion times.
when alex put him in bed tonight, we did the usual 'i love you's',
and turned around to walk out.
as he was leaving hutch said 'daddy?'
'yeah buddy?'
'i went down ramp by self.'

before, scoping out the scene

after, showing off his dirty hands from a fall

his biggest fan,
who literally screamed with delight when he rode past
(while wearing her stylish bebe and alice gnome hat)

and the evidence of it all:

latest and greatest

2009-03-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

the happenings of late:
*alex had knee surgery last week.
he's doing well and was outfitted with
a cane and vicodin,
prompting many impersonations of dr. house.
even more fortunate for us, the cane is adjustable,
making it hutch-height. since h is at the age where
he acts like he's taking vicodin, it's like we have
two dr. houses scampering around.

*sweet, sweet elsa is scooting around like an inchworm
slowly but surely, and is constantly luminous with
bright smiles and babbles. and she has a rat tail to compliment her
mohawk. she is so yummy it's tempting to just eat her up. but i won't.

*hutch is officially making embarrassing proclamations in public.
one of the less humiliating ones involves a shirt alex has with
a long-haired, goateed johnny damon on the front. hutch is convinced it's a picture of me and
talks about daddy's 'shirt wif mama on it.' loudly, since he is a loud talker.
it probably goes without saying alex wears this shirt more often now.

*we're two weeks away from putting our house on the market, finishing the
million projects that have been 3/4 of the way done for almost two years now.
i'll have to post some before/after pictures. i will really miss this cozy little house and the cozy, hip town of charlottesville.

*this brings me to the final big bullet for the day. as most of you know,
we have prayed and prayed and prayed some more about where we will be moving this summer.
while we are sad to not be closer to family and friends,
God has given us equal parts excitement and peace about where we are headed next:

missoula, montana.
we head there next month to find a house and move in mid-july.
we are so happy to be moving to a place where we can hunker down
and plant some roots.
and now for a shameless plug:
we want visitors! missoula is less than
three hours from yellowstone and glacier national park,
a day's drive from vancouver.
consider this an open invitation for you and your family to have
a home base in big sky country.
so please. come stay awhile.

hIGh

2009-03-09T06:09:00.001-07:00

teXAS oUR TEXas

2009-03-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

a little over a week ago
our family headed to the
lone star state for a little r&r.
i think trips to see either sets of family in texas or kansas
just get sweeter and sweeter as the kids get older
and close bonds are formed.
the weather was exquisite in lake jackson
for the entire week, allowing hutch to wear his favorite outfit (which is none at all)
every day. we could be outside all day with the excpetion of naps and bedtime,
and feasted on wine, mojitos, my dad's smoked ribs and fresh seafood from my favorite place
on the beach that reopened post-hurricane ike, complete with the wooden sailor
alex feared ike had castaway forever. (for you surfside fans, kitty's purple cow also opened, and you can read about it on my folks site..the link is on the right)
eva, the wonderful woman who helps care for my grandmommy,
even made us some of her famous mole and allowed me to be her apprentice.
she calls me mija. come on people, how does it get any better?
sadly, my camera batteries died prior to my brother and tara coming,
which is a shame, because they are so wonderful and
so wonderful with their godchildren.
hutch is so closeknit to his mcmomma and ada and loved all of the time with them.
what made me happiest was the bond he feels with his great-grandmommy.
she was the first thing he wanted to see post-nap and spent a lot of time
carefully selecting leaves, grass, and flowers to bring to her room. it was very special
to witness.
it i make this all sound dramatically dreamy and magical, it was. any time the family, food and the beach can be in constant rotation, i am there. it makes me so excited to go to kansas city in june as well.
we were welcomed back to charlottesville with snow, but as i sit here typing it's already 70 outside, the windows and doors are open, and birds are chirping, so there you go. spring is coming.

birthday boy pictures

2009-03-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

this is really for the grandparents...

six months

2009-03-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

my baby enjoys all things baby:

eating, sleeping, playing, sitting.

she thinks her big brother is pretty great,

and has thighs so fabulous

she now wears the same size diaper

as hutch.

she's a happy little thing

who gives big smiles freely

oh how time does fly

oPen POst to My boy

2009-02-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

yesterday we celebrated your second birthday,
and i sit in disbelief that it has already been that long
since you arrived five weeks early at five pounds even.

you stole our hearts right away and showed your dad and me
what it meant to love a child. we are closer to God because of you.

hutch, you are a man on the move and a man of many (loud) words.
your scooter and your feet are your favorite modes of transportation,
you prefer being outside far more than inside,
and love playing catch and making touchdowns.
in other words, you are all boy.

when the need for discipline arises,
you don't get flustered. you play it cool,
often saying, "well, then bye-bye,"
before sneaking around the corner
in an effort
to continue doing whatever action
is being called out.

you make us laugh every day with your sweet, silly antics,
your sense of adventure is contagious,
and we marvel as you strive to get your rambling run-on sentences out in one breath,
often leaving you with a beet-red face as you conclude your monolouges.

i am always reminded of you when i think of a chapter in anne lamott's 'grace (eventually)'.
anne is leading a pre-school sunday school class and begins every class by having each child come up individually and announcing to them in front of the others, "you are SO loved, and SO chosen,' as the child hugs themselves with delight. you, my boy, have the same sheepish excitement when surrounded by your friends and family, and it warms my heart to see how loved you feel as evidenced by the huge, humble grin on your face.

we love you, bean.

jUSt beCAUse...

2009-01-27T05:58:00.001-08:00

my, aren't i the avid blogger these days

wATChdOGs

2009-01-26T05:28:00.000-08:00

hutch is at a very fun age
where he is a little talking sponge,
soaking up everything we say
and causing us great amusement as he
uses his constantly expanding verbal arsenal.
some special nuggets include, but are by no means limited to, "peace out,"
"hey, homey," and "babe, come here for a second, please."

on a different note, alex purchased some bird feeders
over dudes weekend. he's a fan of birds,
and thought the little man would take an interest.
we did see some beauties like these:

but , mostly we saw these:

which leads to the real thing hutch loves about the birdfeeders.
in an effort to keep the squirrels away, alex began to
"wreak havoc" on them by chasing them around with the hot tub net.
that in itself is entertaining, but it is amplified by hutch's delight in taking part
in the activity, constantly looking outside and asking if we can,
"wreak havoc on the squirrels, please."

our loud little girl

2009-01-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

poor oliver. he was trying to rest.

2009-01-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

last weekend
elsa and i traveled to nashville
to meet our new friend,
oliver.
back at the ranch, alex and hutch
had a 'dudes weekend'.
hutch liked it so much he asked
if there was another on this weekend.
our nashvegas time was filled with
babies, liz and patrick, linds
and lin (all the way from atl), and two silly pugs.
oh, and guitar hero.
that's a dangerous, dangerous game.
glad we don't have a wii,
i would become a very unproductive person.
anywii, oliver is spectacular.

when did almost two happen? aaak!

2009-01-23T11:40:00.000-08:00

2008-12-29T10:01:00.000-08:00

with winter in virginia
proving once again to be nothing
but very cold weather and ice,
we signed up for little gym classes
for hutch since we weren't
out and about with his usual playmates.
it was chaos,
and i was crying i was laughing so hard
at the weirdness of it all.
hutch loved it, so we will continue doing it,
but the class was really one of those things
that makes you realize you are truly a initiated
into parenthood.
this photo of another parent infatuated with the springboard
says it all.
and you KNOW alex had a lot to say
about this
when she came flying past him.

qUIet TIme witH ElsA

2008-12-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

in an effort to have one-on-one time
with the kiddoes every day,
elsa goes to bed a couple of hours after hutch.
that way, we get time with her in the evenings,
and some qt with hutch in the morning.
our gal is four months old, sweet and cuddly,
and marvels at the lights of our tree.

Goin' oN a TRee HUNt

2008-12-14T06:24:00.000-08:00

while living in colorado,
we usually cut our own tree down
outside of winter park.
this year we found our tree virginia-style.
at james monroe's 3500-acre estate, ash-lawn highlands,
you're allowed to hike in and cut down your own tree.
so armed with a saw, a toddler, and an infant,
we drove the fifteen minutes with the usual
family combo of enthusiasm and poor-planning,
and hiked and scouted this year's Jehle Christmas Tree.
there were a couple of hitches-
we didn't realize how much walking would be involved,
and forgot the hiking backpack to carry hutch
(find the picture of him bawling),
and his need to be held made for a couple of
safety hazards in the actual cutting of the tree.
however, it was the first beautiful day
we've had in weeks, and it was great to be outside.
just making commonwealth memories, people.

i've been tagged...

2008-12-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged!
Here are the instructions:
1. Go to your pictures
2. Upload the fourth picture in the fourth file
3. Post the pic
4. Tag four friends

hmm..i tag mer, katie, annie, heather

hutch snooping in a gift bag and rocking
his wrist bands...he still wears all 6 of them at once
almost every day.

haPPy gOBBLe '08

2008-11-30T07:26:00.001-08:00

this year we decided to stay put in charlottesville,
and have thanksgiving with our neighbors, the robles
(aka 'the family with five'...soon to be six!).
our childrens' age to states visited ratio
is ridiculously high (hutch-15, elsa-5),
and after a stressful few months of
a newborn, interviewing, and test-taking,
thanksgiving proved be a peaceful
time of healing for our little family.
the strains have been and will be worth it
for our the upcoming chapter of our lives,
but i can't tell you how happy i am they are behind us.
here's a combined look at our turkey day and
our beautiful elsa's 3-month pictures.
she's a rollin' over, giggling, smiling, cuddling ball of joy, with
a healthy dose of tears mixed in when the situation calls for it.
we are so thankful.....

AdA

2008-11-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

i felt compelled to post this picture
because there is a little boy
who asks about his ada
not once in awhile,
not daily,
but hourly.
ada's visit a couple of weeks ago
is vivid in his memory,
and he talks often of ada
going bye-bye on the airplane
to go home to mcmomma.
hutch lists his relatives several times a day,
and post colorado,
although pretty shy around the colonel and hayes,
has worked the 'corn and ayes' into his list of peeps.
but that ada, he's the man of the moment.

rocky mountain high

2008-11-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

our final stop
on the interview tour 2008
was ft collins over this
past weekend.
friday and saturday
were spent in denver at
er and mer's house,
sunday at the coors
for a reunion with the coors,
bakers, and trotters,
and monday and tuesday we were
in ft collins where alex interviewed and
we lollygagged around the charming town.
we loved, loved, loved seeing everyone and being
back in that great state.
sadly, my camera was out of batteries and i didn't get to capture
all i wanted to, like addy's killer smile (happiest baby ever),
and miles and hutch reuniting.
this photo, taken by liz,
is the only one, but what a pic it is.
**WARNING**: you are about to see an extreme overload
of CUTE kids, and one cute alex (and minus one cute johanna blake).

of course, my kids aren't even close to looking at the camera.
thanks for the good times as always, folks. miss you already.

bRanDY sTATion

2008-11-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

with alex tied up with the Big Test last week
(thanks for all of your prayers)
and a convention this week,
my dad cashed in his free plane ticket
to come keep us company.
it was finally a visit that didn't involve
to-do projects or having babies,
we were able to visit some civil war battlefields.
the weather has been amazing
and brandy station proved to be a little boy wonderland:
lots of open space to run, grass to uproot, and most importantly,
the culpepper county airport was across the dirt road,
so "airpins" were abundant in the sky.

2008-11-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

the big halloween deal in charlottesville
is to take your kids trick or treating
on the lawn at uva campus.
whilst we didn't give hutch
the opportunity to actually
obtain candy,
he had a blast taking in the sensory overload.
it was such a beautiful day, and uva
is one of the most amazing campuses i've
ever seen.
in spite of the kids' nasty colds,
we had a great time.

63 Ax hANdLES HiGH

2008-10-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

happy halloween from paul bunyan...

...and his blue ox, babe

Marine Corps Marathon

2008-10-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

this past weekend my good friend erin
ran the marine corps marathon in dc.
the kids and i went to root her on
while alex continued cramming sessions
for the big test.
erin did an amazing job,
making 26.2 miles look like the easiest thing,
and the race had such a fun, 'proud to be an american'
energy to it that i found myself getting misty-eyed.
the kids were great sports about it all with the exception
of crying on almost the entire drive there and back.
hutch endured being in a stroller
way longer than any toddler should be expected to,
and i am eternally grateful to all of
the low-flying airplanes and helicopters
for keeping him entertained.
the only time he got upset involved
trying to exit the metro at the marathon stops.
it took over an hour to get out because of
all of the people. everyone was pushing
everyone else and the h man got
a little freaked out.
it was like a herd of cattle
and reminded me of a similar situation boarding a ferry to
vieques, puerto rico that prompted
eric to say, "pretty much don't like kids anywhere."
in short, was it a lot of fun? yes
will i go on a road trip just the kids and i anytime soon?
ummmm, no thank you.

yAy FaLL**

2008-10-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

strolling along the rivanna path

GoinG PrIVaTE

2008-10-23T06:23:00.001-07:00

we've decided to
make our blog
private starting next week,
which just means
we need your email
registered
in order for you to view it. (don't worry, your email will remain private as well)
we're adding all the family
and friends we
think like to look at the site,
but aren't sure if
there's other folks we may miss in the process.
if so, just email alex or i or leave a comment here and we'll add you on.
thanks for checking on our family.
love to you all.

i LOVE tHiS GUy!

2008-10-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

looks like a mcguire,
acts like a jehle

TwO MONths**

2008-10-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

our sweet bug elsa
is two months old!
lots of smiles and adoring gazes
radiate from her,
and she is a fabulous cuddler.
elsa is just
a perfect addition to our little family.
hutch constantly wants to know
where she is and is always
offering commentary of her actions:
'baby eat, baby cry, night-night baby,
eye off (her eyes are closed), etc.'
he certainly has moments of jealousy
(i don't think the baby hair bows i found in the
toilet this morning got there on their own),
but hutch seems to bond with her more every day.
we love our ladybug!

COOLEST GIFT EVER

2008-10-22T19:38:00.001-07:00

courtesy of the bakers.
(a beautiful bebe and alice toy and a blanket were also included
but are in the room of a sleeping baby,
so i dare not go in to take a picture of them)

sUNdAY bESt

2008-10-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

since we are living
in the land
where dressing up for church
is essential,
i couldn't resist posting
pics of the kids in their
finest.
forgive the deodorant in the picture of hutch.
the only way i can get him
to pose these days is
by bribing him with such phrases as,
"show mama the cool deodorant you have."

20 months and on the go

2008-10-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

thanks to the coors
for introducing us to the
micro-scooter.
the kid
is in love with it and
won't stop
(until he hits the curb).
as our neighbor karen said,
"he's so young it looks unnatural,
like those talking baby commercials."

tx In REviEW

2008-10-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

while alex worked and studied and studied and worked, the kids and i spent the past few weeks in texas. as i mentioned before, we came right after ike hit, so the first week and a half were spent with sean and tara in college station while waiting for power to be restored in lake jackson. they welcomed our brood open-armed and ready to entertain, and we love them to bits for it. tara captures it all quite creatively here. it was so wonderful to spend time with sean and tara since we don't get to see them as often as we'd like.
lake jackson greeted us with easy, breezy, cloudless days. our schedule involved lots of time outside, cocktails on the porch in the afternoon, and plenty of exploration time for hutch. between my parents' huge yard, shrimp boats, the zoo and mini-train, and the envoys of utility trucks in town, the kid had the best day of his life every day. it only would have been better if daddy were there.
now that we're back, hutch is seriously missing all of the attention he received in the weeks after elsa's birth from both sides of the family. he'll do roll call of every name he knows and constantly asks where everyone is. he has two adaptations of names that are the best and most appropriate i've heard in awhile. in trying to call my mom 'grandmommy', he says "McMomma," and our dog burt is officially "Burp." he's even been bringing me the camera and requesting the person he'd like to see a picture of. the kid's a people-person.
sweet elsa began smiling while we were gone and really hasn't stopped whenever she's awake. she's sleeping through the night, bless her soul, and continues to think her car seat is a torture device.
we had a great, great trip, and it was a huge chance for alex to focus on his test, which takes place in two weeks time--hey-o!

wE miSs DaddY..

2008-10-03T23:15:00.001-07:00

..and both look a little freaked out

sweet elsa

2008-10-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

SHivERs

2008-10-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

the best snowcone place on earth + unc and aunt rara - (dietary restrictions) =
one happy boy

wHeN NOse MeeTS ConcRETE

2008-10-03T22:24:00.001-07:00

scene- dr.'s office, two and a half weeks ago

dr: does hutch have a helmet?
me: yeah, and he loves it, actually.
dr: good. this kid's gonna need it

**awesome**

nana and 'ampa' j

2008-10-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

this post was delayed due to technical difficulties,
so forgive me nana and grandpa.
alex's parents came in town three weeks ago, one week
before the texas trip.
they showered the kids and ourselves with love and attention
and gave me the ultimate household chore gift:
clean and folded laundry. ahhh.
we went to carter mountain apple orchard
for our annual apple-picking,
giving fall permission to arrive.
elsa put on a great apple picking dress
but proceeded to nap throughout the hoopla.
hutch just couldn't figure out why we
bothered taking apples off the trees when
there were so many perfect brown and rotting
apples on the ground to pick up. yummy.
thanks for the wonderful company, folks.
you've given us more great memories.

2008-09-22T20:29:00.000-07:00

there are many pictures to post,
as nana and grandpa j were in town,
but i had to get this one out while i had ahold
of my sister-in-law's camera.
with alex
at a test review in rochester
and needing some quiet time to study,
the kids and i headed to texas to give him some
leeway.
what i DIDN'T plan was
arriving on the heels
of hurricane ike.
while my parent's home is thankfully undamaged,
their home and much of the town is still without
electricity,
so we're hunkered down in college station with the
fabulous, understanding sean and tara.
our family is blessed to have a home intact
and a place to stay as things unfold.
it has been and unconventional and unexpected family reunion,
minus my hubby.
and clearly, hutch loves aunt tara's whirlpool tub,
or as he calls it, the big bath (bi-baff).

fEliz CUmpLEaNos a Ti (manana)

2008-09-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

tomorrow we will celebrate
alex and his 30-something years of l-i-v-i-n.

happy birthday. so glad you were born.

oUr lADyBug

2008-09-09T16:58:00.001-07:00

thANk yOU, GraCIAs, mERci

2008-09-09T16:47:00.001-07:00

a huge shout out goes to my folks,
who spent several weeks at our house
loving and helping our family.
thank you for doting on hutch and elsa,
cooking fantastic meals,
and helping with those never-ending
home improvement projects.
based on hutch's adoring glances,
grandmommy can care for him anytime
and grandaddy is most likely
an undercover super hero.
so thank you, thank you, thank you

2008-09-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

the newborn fog is
still pretty thick,
but we've been able to
emerge from the sleepless haze
enough to have some good
mini-adventures.
hutch is pretty smitten with elsa.
he calls her baby (bay-bay)
and is constantly patting her head
and offering her snacks and toys.
he's only tried to shove her off my lap once,
so that's a victory in my book.
some recent pics:

oNe WeeK bDaY

2008-08-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

tHe MeeTiNG

2008-08-22T16:27:00.000-07:00

yesterday hutch was more of a fan
of elsa than today,
now that he knows
she's here for awhile.
however,
he was undoubtedly enamored
with the toddler-sized closet in the hospital room
as well as the peek-a-boo possibilities behind the
bed.
we're gonna have to work a bit on the whole
little sister thing.