Week One in Idaho. . .

Monday the 16th Papa, Gigi, the girls & I loaded up into their little Honda Civic for a 12 hour drive to Twin Falls, Idaho. The drive isn't usually that long but with 2 little girls who need to stop every once in awhile to get out & move around it was a bit longer than we expected! I'm putting some pictures up from the end of the week after we'd unloaded just about every box & even found some places for things on the walls. We were amazed at how much we got done, but then again Papa & Gigi were involved & when something needs to be done they don't dilly-dally about it! We had such an amazing time getting to see Will numerous times every single day! We all felt like it was a little piece of heaven. Will came home for lunch, something he hasn't been able to do since we were first married & living in Washington D.C. The girls just went crazy every time he walked through the door. Not only that but we got to see him for at least 3 hours every evening without staying up until midnight! That time is truly why we made this move & I'm so thankful that God is giving us all that time together. Of course it made it harder to leave the following Monday when we did. We all had a week of being spoiled! It's no fun having your heart in 2 places. The last time I felt like that was when Lilyanah was in the NICU & Will & I had to stay in a hotel across the street. That was no fun & neither is this! But it is for a short season & sooner than we know it we'll be in Idaho having left parts of our hearts here with family & friends. Anyway, it's late so the first house picture is of the front of the house which is a little too contemporary for me! I liked the inside & backyard enough to look past the contemporary house front. Anyway, the next pictures are of the great room, the first taken near the entry & the other taken in the dining room. The last one is of course the backyard, which we love. Things are still kinda a mess but at least it gives an idea of what it looks like. I'm also including a picture of our girls during one of their baths in their bathroom. Love you all! ~Wendy.

Aloha

What a month! We left May 11th for Maui and I was impressed at how well the girls did on the plane ride! Lilyanah was in heaven having Grandma on the plane & played almost the entire time! On the flights in order to get her to chew on take off & landing we take fruit snacks & jelly beans. She LOVES the jelly beans which I think account for her asking to go to the airport so much! We found some good beaches & I was so happy that the girls took to the water as well as they did.Lilyanah is only moderately a fan of the ocean, she loves the sand. She'd be playing in the sand & tell the ocean to 'stay'. One day at the beach we dug 2 deep holes. One was her little pool & the other was her little house. Mom took Lilyanah to the ocean to get her cleaned off a bit & a guy walked right through both of the holes knocking a bunch of sand in the holes. Mom said, "that was not a very nice man". Lilyanah out of the blue days later said "Not a nice man." So crazy & sad the things she is starting to remember! Ethne, loved the ocean & pools. We would put her in a little floatie & she'd smile & kick & splash. She'd also fall asleep in the water which was GREAT! I'd just cuddle with her in the ocean & sway with the waves & she would almost without fail fall asleep. Of course I think it had a lot to do with us being at the beach during her nap time! While we were on Maui Ethne's first tooth broke through her gums. The second one broke through about 2 weeks later. So now our 11 month old has 2 teeth!! We were all very careful about putting a lot of sunblock on & limiting our time in the sun. They have a Costco there & if any of you are heading to Hawaii check & see if there's one close. It's a serious money saver, the prices are the same or close to what they are here. Just a little tip! We sure missed Will while we were there! We were so happy to join up with him on the 18th in Kauai. We actually had a 9 hour layover on Oahu & went to see our relatives while we were there. My grandma Craig's niece who is now 92 years old (Lisa) was there & we got to visit with her a bit which was really nice, she reminded me of my grandma Craig. Anyway, even with that long layover we were still rushing to the airport afraid we may miss our plane. God took care of us, as He always does & we made it on time.Will picked us up in Kauai & all 3 of us girls were in heaven having him near again! Our week on Kauai was spent going to different beaches & playing at the pool. It's crazy that anything you may want to do costs more than $100 a person sometimes for only 1 hour of entertainment. We did pay that much to go to a luau which was worth the money. The hotel was beautiful, the food was great, the setting for the luau was gorgeous & the dancers were talented. We even saw a guy do a fire dance, yikes!!! Lilyanah wanted to get up & dance the whole time! The first picture is at a beach on Kauai that I can't spell or pronouce. It's where they shot the pilot for Gilligan's Island & it is one amazing, not well known beach! I think it was my favorite! We went back the next day, our last day on the island & there was a couple getting married there. It was a little bizarre because one of the guys there had a 2 1/2 year old daughter buck naked running free on the beach along with 2 little puppies. Randomly he was originally from Portland. We got to know Ava (his little girl) pretty well as she decided we were the most fun to play with! We had such a GREAT time & feel so blessed to have been able to spend 2 weeks in such a tropical paradise! I could write more but there's no way I'll get this posted anytime soon if I try! I hope you enjoy the pictures! Love you all! ~Wendy.

Kitchen Remodel

I know you all are amazed that I'm writing 2 times in one week, I guess twice in one month is impressive for me these days! Anyway, I was taking some pics for Will to send him (since he's in Idaho for the rest of the week) & thought I'd finally give you a little peek. Of course it still isn't finished but just so you can see the difference! Hopefully you think it looks better than before. We've doubled the amount of counter & cabinet space, added about 4 feet to the kitchen & made it a lot more open to the rest of the house. I really love it & can't wait to see it all together! The first two pictures are the same corner. The second two are also looking at the same wall. The open space on the left is for the dishwasher & the open space on the right is where the fridge will go. The 5th picture is looking from the new doorway (where the oven was in the first picture) down into the laundry room. The last picture is of the wall where the door use to be, the oven will go in the opening. That's all for now! Ethne is crawling around all over the place trying to keep from falling asleep. I hope you all have a great day! Love you all! ~Wendy.

Cinco De Mayo!

Hello faithful friends! I wish I had some updated pics of the house but I'm taking those today so maybe tomorrow! They're coming to make a template for the countertops this afternoon & when we get back from Hawaii the whole thing will be ALL done!!! YIPPEE! So, last night the Kronewitters & the Jr. Craig's came over to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with us! Mom made tacos & Kelsey made some yummy guacamole (or so I hear since it was gone when I got home!) The girls played outside a bit & I couldn't pass up putting a picture of them out on the swing! Can you tell who the sisters are? There's an over-abundance of hair on the one side & a serious lack-there-of on the other! It was making me crack up! So, let me answer in case any of you are wondering, the coat Ethne is wearing is Lilyanah's which is why it's 2 sizes too big! After dinner Corey requested a game of German pinocle & Troy & Laura were kind enough to oblige even though the girls were passed their bedtime. Dad made us all banana milkshakes & even the girls (minus Ethne) got a little cup full! Dad makes the BEST milkshakes! Anyway, I had the gang circle up for a quick photo op! I hope you all had a great 5th of May & ate as yummy of Mexican food as we did! Love you all! ~Wendy.

March & into April

Wow, I just skipped right over March! Thank you to all of you who still take the time to check this. . . I know updates are FEW & FAR BETWEEN! Also, before I forget, if any of you read the comments I have no idea who Adam Brown is. I think the 'telemarketing' has crossed over to blogs now!
In the last month SO much has happened! Our guy turned 29 on the 6th of April, so now he's really kissing 30! We're so thankful that God blessed us with this amazing man! Gigi was sweet enough to have our family over for a special birthday dinner & dad furnished the birthday cake! Time with Will is precious always but especially now because he's having to travel so much for work.They're hoping to have him make the transition to full-time at Twin Falls within the next 3 weeks. He's already out there so much! He was there last Monday through Wednesday & leaves again tomorrow until the following Monday. Tomorrow he should FINALLY find out what they're offering for a 'relocation incentive package'.This company has always gone above & beyond what we ask for so we feel confident that Twin Falls is inevitable. We've been so busy working on the house! Dad put in a lot of hours helping out until he went in for surgery on his back last Wednesday.
Papa's also been helping a GREAT deal! He's over all but one day a week helping on framing or drywall or whatever needs to be done. Corey has also been helping a GREAT deal & his help has been priceless! Will & I are so appreciative to all of them for helping out. Kelsey even made an appearance yesterday & tried her hand at a drill for the first time (way to go Kels!)You really can't tell much from the picture but it's been a pretty extensive remodel. Will installed the recessed lighting (& did a phenomenal job if I may add!) You can see them on the ceiling, everything else is down to the studs!The picture was taken looking through a new doorway to the left of the fireplace that use to be a wall where the piano sat! The kitchen is now a lot more open to the rest of the house which I love!!! Anyway, a thanks also to Gigi & mom who have watched the girls so that I can go over & help with whatever needs to be done at the house. I think we started the project about a month ago & since demo'ing the kitchen we've been living with Mom & Dad. We started the project pretty quickly & weren't expecting to move out so fast but there's so much dust & no kitchen so we really didn't have a choice. Mom & Dad have been so gracious & are letting us stay with them until the work on the house is done, though it looks like we may be making the transition around the same time.
Ethne is crawling & pulling herself up on everything she can, including her big sister. Lilyanah isn't the biggest fan of being a 'leaning post' but for the most part she's patient. I love the look Ethne gets on her face when she pulls herself up. She's so proud of herself! Before we know it she'll be walking & nothing will be safe!
I'm amazed that you all haven't given up on me updating this blog! I promise to write more once we make the transition to Idaho, I won't be so busy! Busy still I'm sure but not AS busy. Thank you for all your prayers for our family & all the decisions we have to make in these next couple of months. I'll keep you in the loop as things come together! Love you all! ~Wendy.

A month later. . .

I was looking at the ADORABLE (yes I am biased) picture of Ethne in the tub & wanted to try to find a picture of Lilyanah when she was the same age. Or as close as possible. In the pictures of the girls with Grandma, Ethne is one week younger than Lilyanah when the picture was taken. Can you even believe the size difference!!!!? Lilyanah was SO itty bitty! My apologies for the excessive absence of entries lately! Life being busy is no excuse because I suppose it always is! Let's see, I threw our annual Valentine's Day Party. I had a good time & hope everyone who attended did too. I truly love party planning. . . getting into all the details. Will gave me a budget that allowed me to rent some tables & chairs so everything even matched, which I LOVE! Someday I hope to own my own round tables so I can set them up whenever it's 'party time'. We had that party the 9th of February & the following weekend had our family 'work weekend' at our house. For Christmas instead of trying to figure out what to get each other, we did 'work weekends' where we all went to each other's home for a day to help with projects that needed to be done around the house. We started at Jeremy's house, followed by Corey & Kelsey & attacked our house on the 18th. Dad & I started demo on the second bathroom the Friday before everyone came over Saturday. It was a little more of a mess than we expected, so right now we're at the insulation & drywall stage. We made a good dent into some of our projects, so that was exciting & the best gift! Mom keeps putting off their weekend because she can't decide what she wants us to do! Too many projects to choose from I suppose. A couple of days after our workday we left for Twin Falls, Idaho.
This subject deserves its own paragraph. When Will accepted the job to work at Waste Connections, he was promoted to an Assistant Controller & told the interviewers that he would be willing to move if they needed him to in order to fill a Controller position. We weren't sure how long that would be, 6 to 24 months we thought (expecting the latter). As it is, they are looking for an Assistant Controller to move to Twin Falls as soon as possible & move into the Controller position in 6 to 12 months. They're hoping Will is their man. It's been a couple of months since it was first casually mentioned and it seems to be getting more & more serious as time passes by. Will went out there to help about a month ago & was pretty impressed with the office, the people & even the town. He especially has been praying very diligently for direction & discernment in making the best decision for our family. I've told him that as long as he is seeking God's will that I will go where He & he leads. We've listed out our pros & cons. The list of cons is very short but substantial. Number 1, of course, is moving away from family & friends. VERY BIG. And 2, most likely losing money on our house. Of course the landscape is a con, it is not a pretty place. I'm an Oregon girl & green is beautiful to me, not brown! The biggest pro though is that we would get another 3 hours with Will every single day! His commute would go from close to 90 minutes to less than 10. I would love for him not to have that stressful drive as much as I would love for all of us to get to see each other more! I don't pretend leaving family & friends wouldn't be extremely hard, I just can't rationalize sacrificing time with Will to have it with everyone else. It would be a 3 to 5 year committment. I admit I can swallow 3 years a lot better than 5! On our trip over, though, God was obviously the orchestrator! We had a great place to stay, we got to have lunch with Will almost every day, we met a wonderful lady, Tomi, a real estate agent who showed us nearly 20 homes so we could get an idea of the market & what's available. She was referred to me by the secretary of a church I found & wanted to visit. We thought so much of her & everyone else we met from the church that we hoped we would like the rest of the church as much. Let me just say, after visiting Sunday morning, that should we move to Twin Falls we have found a church family that we look forward to serving with & worshiping our Lord with! I was even pleasantly surprised with the town. Everything you need is there, so that's nice. As it stands, for the next 2 months Will is going to be traveling there for at least 1 week a month. They want to be sure that HE is sure he wants to move there. I guess they're pretty concerned that I would actually do it too. The way I look at it, no one is praying for Idaho to work. We're praying for God's will, & all of my family is praying God works something out for us to stay in Oregon, so if doors keep opening toward Idaho, then we can be confident that God is the one opening the doors. We would appreciate your prayers also. The picture of the girls playing is with what I would consider Lilyanah's favorite toy. Her Mema got her the village set for her birthday, it's so great! She almost always has to take one or two 'village people' with her when we go somewhere. For example, we visited Mom at work & Lilyanah sat down at her desk like it was her own. As you can see, the village characters she named Gigi & Papa are on the desk behind her. Mom can lock her computer keys, so it was great because Lilyanah could play. Hopefully this gives you a little idea of what's been going on the last month. I'll truly try to do better, but no promises! Thank you again to all of you faithful who still check up on our little family! We love you all! ~Wendy.

In an instant life can change can't it? All it takes is one phone call, one heartbeat, one moment to make the difference between life as usual or a car accident, a fire, illness, you know what I'm talking about. One moment life is great, normal;
"going as expected" & one breath later it's turned upside down. Friday I went outside to get the mail for my mom. When I walked back in the door she was on the phone crying & asking if she needed to come to where Corey & Kelsey were. They had gone to a routine check up appointment & the doctor's were unable to find their precious baby's heartbeat. After further tests they confirmed that their baby had quit growing at about 14 weeks. Without further testing they don't know why. Kelsey had surgery today (the 29th)& the doctor told them they had a little boy. Kelsey named him Nathaniel because it means 'gift from God' & as she says, he was their gift from God.

Those of you who have lost a baby know the sinking sensation that reaches into the pit of your stomach when you hear the news & the overwhelming sorrow that makes you think for an instant maybe you're lost in a nightmare & if pinched you'll wake up. You know because you've lived that so much more than flesh dies with an unborn baby. . . You are also letting go of so many hopes & dreams for a future that will not be. If you have lost a child you know exactly what I am talking about and it breaks my heart that 2 people I love are in the midst of this heartache. Please know not to worry if you do not know what to say to Corey or Kelsey. Losing a child never makes sense, so none of us has a chance of making it make sense for them. Truly the only things you can do to soften this blow is to let them know you are there, praying for & loving on them. Such simple things that make an entire world of difference. We love you all & cherish your thoughts & prayers. ~Wendy.

Our Anniversary & Christmas!

Thank you to all of you who remembered Will & my anniversary. . . Yes, we celebrated 5 years on the 21st! Of course we spent all of our time together in either the Portland or Seattle airport. This is actually the only picture we have of us together celebrating 5 years as a happily married couple. Traveling with 2 little girls is not exactly a walk in the park. But it's always nice to have our whole family together! We left PDX around 7:00pm & landed at Seattle an hour later for a 4 hour layover before we took off for DFW. I won't tell you how but we actually ended up on the wrong plane on our way to Seattle. Luckily we discovered it before take off & were able to grab all of our stuff & run to the correct plane before it took off too! Thank you God! We landed in Seattle at 5am the next day. Memaw & Aunt Michelle greeted us & the girls instantly took to them. We arrived in their hometown of Frisco & after visiting for a couple of hours we took to bed. It's safe to say we were all EXTREMELY exhausted! We had such a great visit with everyone. As always there were games late into the night. Lilyanah loved playing with her cousins Kaylyn & Chip! Ethne enjoyed chilling on Grandad's lap & being cuddled by her Memaw.
We are so blessed to have such loved little girls! I haven't written about Christmas yet because in my quest to remember EVERYTHING we needed to take I neglected to pack our camera. So I'm waiting on some pictures from our family in Texas. We were blessed to receive a visit from Will's best friend Jason & his wife Kimi & daughter Makenna. The visit was too short of course, but aren't most visits!? We flew out Christmas day. And while the flights were not much fun (Will & I weren't allowed to sit together because both of our girls are still 'lap children'. I guess there is only one extra 'air bag' in each row so only one 'lap child' is allowed per row.) Once I get those pictures I'll add them to this post! The one of Lilyanah is from a couple of days after we got back home. We surrounded her with all the gifts our family lavished on her. . . I know you'll think she's spoiled but we like to call it VERY LOVED! I hope you all are having a blessed day! ~Wendy.

Introducing Baby Craig!!

Hi, it's Kelsey...not Wendy...and I am PREGNANT!!...not Wendy! :) Corey and I are very excited. I am almost 14 weeks...my due date is July 3rd. I'm really excited that it's finally not a secret anymore! Boy was that one of the hardest things I've endured in my lifetime so far!

So Katie....oh Katie...I never heard this prediction you made, but if it is true like you say then your wisdom astounds me! And I have to admit, the pressure is on girlfriend! Sorry 'bout that! ;)

And for you, Mrs. Gina Kortan, I recall telling you to get pregnant again, to which you replied, "YOU FIRST"...well by the looks of it you better get busy! I'm 13.5 weeks ahead of you!

Well, that's all I have for now! Happy New Year everyone!

Tree Lighting

Last night Mom, Lilyanah, Ethne & I ventured out to the library to see Santa arrive on a firetruck & watch him light the tree. There were carolers singing, but it was WAY too loud to hear & we could only hear 1/4 of what Santa was saying whenever he would turn the megaphone our way to speak, but it was a good time. Lilyanah didn't say much while we were there. Whenever we're in situations around a lot of people or watching something she's usually very quite & looking around everywhere absorbing everything. When we got in the car she kept saying 'Santa' which was very sweet. . . I'm glad we went, I just wish Will could have come too. He has a terrible commute, I've probably told you that already. But we are lucky if he gets home at 7pm, it's no fun. Whenever the next promotion comes, if it means a move we will definitely find a house that is close to his work so we can see him more often! Lilyanah practically tackles him whenever he gets home & just wants to crawl all over him. And of course Ethne is all smiles & giggles when she gets to see Daddy. It's a very precious thing to see, watching them love on each other. We three girls are INCREDIBLY blessed! I hope God is showering you all with blessings too!! ~Wendy.