Thursday, August 28, 2008

First Dollhouse

Olivia was delighted to find a new dollhouse (handed down from little girls who've enjoyed it in years past) and I thought she was starting to get into it...

I was impressed by how nicely and quietly she sat...

Playing with each piece, putting it where it might belong...

And then I saw this next picture, and thought "Now THATS my girl." She's trying to climb the stairs and get on top of the house like King Kong!

I think we need to wait a few more years before we play make believe. For now, we'll stick with climbing, jumping, running and smashing. Especially the smashing.

Tweet Tweet


I've found somethin' new that I dig. Have you heard of Twitter?

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Follow me: www.twitter.com/spirit1053sarah

Tweet!

Friday, August 22, 2008

And all is right with the world again


The opening lines from The Notebook read:

"I am no one special, just a common man with common thoughts. I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me, and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect, I've succeeded as gloriously as anyone who ever lived. I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and for me, that has always been enough."

I'm a fan of the film. Big Time. So when I found out that the two main characters were romantically linked in real life, I breathed a heavy, happy, romantic sigh. And then they broke up and I watched the film again and cried.

And then, today, I saw this picture. Taken recently. Friends, they're back together.

source: People Magazine (online)

Monday, August 18, 2008

Mama and Girly


This picture makes me think of what it will be like when Olivia is a teenager and I say something cheesy and she rolls her eyes and says "Aw, mom!"

Road Rash


Olivia bit the sidewalk over the weekend. She gets excited and runs too fast and trips over her own toes. Poor girl. We broke out the hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin. She's taking it like a champ.

The goose-egg lump on her forehead is going down, but the oily scab above her lip continues to ooze. (Too much?) I'm just tired of having to explain it to everyone we come across at the grocery store. "Whats that thing on her face?" they inquire.

I'm coming up with creative responses:

"Herseys Syrup"
"Birthmark"
or my favorite:
"Baby Mustache"

Olivia and Lilly



So, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no television for kids under the age of two. If that works for you and your household, I'm thrilled for you. In awe, actually.

See, in our house, the Backyardigans are a saving grace at the end of the day. Or at the beginning of the day. Or ANY time of the day.

Pictured: Olivia and Lilly at their finest.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Juicing for Life

Ok. So I admit it. I'm hooked.

And I never, ever, ever thought I'd be hooked.

I'm talking about juicing. My friend Channah got this hairbrained idea a few months ago to do a "vegetable juice detox thing" through the PCC of Seattle. She was slimming down for her wedding, and had ultra-motivation to lose just a few pounds. I was on board, too, but a little more skeptically. I'm not the biggest fan of vegetables. (Scratch that: I hate vegetables.)

But I wanted to lose some of the baby weight. (A year and a half later, mind you. Urgh.) More importantly, however, I wanted to feel healthy. Even if I didn't lose a pound, I just wanted to eat foods that were good for me and eat less junk. Sounds like a good plan, right? Less junk? I thought so, too. I was getting headaches everyday, and just felt sluggish. I was exhausted at the end of the day and short tempered. I was always tired.

So, I bought the juicer. The Juice Man. I went to Whole Foods and bought Organic produce and juiced my little heart out. I was so excited that I didn't follow the recipe, I just threw in EVERY piece of produce I bought. Carrots, beets, cucumbers, celery, grapefruit, lemons, apples and an entire root of ginger. Don't laugh. I didn't know. I didn't know you aren't supposed to put in all the ginger. I'm a rookie, remember?

Needless to say, the juice was horrific. It was spicy and sour and horrid. I dumped it out in the sink, washed the machine and put it away in the cabinet. Bye bye, Juice Man.

Fast forward a few months. I see Channah. Her skin is clear, she's healthy and radiant, and she says shes still "on the juice." (note: you don't drink just juice. You get to eat. You just eat live, raw foods and minimal refined flour, sugar, blah blah blah.)

I decided to give it another go. Only this time, I'd follow the recipes. Honestly, I wasn't fond of the taste at first (I chugged it down and then ran to brush my teeth) but thats only because I needed to "retrain my palate" if you will, after all these years of eating garbage. Sure enough, just like Channah said, you start to *seriously* actually like the juice. After a few weeks, I pretty much craved it.

My headaches are gone. I've been on the juice for a month. I'm down five pounds. And I'm soooooooooo much healthier. I even have Joel (hubby) and Olivia (baby) drinking the juice. No kidding. I put it in Olivias sippy cup, and she wolfs it down.

The gal that introduced Channah to the juice is a local nutritionist - Cherie Calbom. She is literally known as the Juice Lady, and she offers 75 juice recipes to help you do it. I've met her, and shes great. She's a Christian - and has spoken with me about the way God designed our bodies to live and eat and heal. She gave me a few copies of her latest book "Juicing, Fasting and Detoxing for Life" and I would love to pass on a copy to you. If you're interested, email me with your address. I'll put you in the drawing. My email is sarah@spirit1053.com.

Just don't put the whole root of ginger in the juicer. *wink.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Hot Summer Days

It's gonna be in the 90s tomorrow and Saturday, so it's a good thing Olivia has a baby pool at "Po-and-Nanni's" as she calls them, all one word.

She's also an expert bubble blower.

And to see a video to prove it, well, click play

Monday, August 11, 2008

Six Years Old

My nephew, Griffin, had a kickin' Dinosaur-in-the-park-with-homemade-cupcakes party on Saturday to ring in his 6th year. I think he had a good time.












Thanks to Jessica Valle for the photos. You can see more here: www.flickr.com/photos/jvalle

Saturday, August 9, 2008

A Gooooooood Vacation


A trip to Lynden to visit Grandpa was the highlight of our week. Pictured above: Joel and Olivia in my dads backyard. His lawn is as green and soft as a golf course. We walked barefoot and fed the ducks. We slept well until 4:45 am when the frogs started "ribbiting" (croaking?) and the ducks started quacking. The window was stuck open and we couldn't close it. Waking up in Lynden is like waking up on a farm. :-)
Olivia enjoyed watering the "fluuus" (flowers) and running at the City Park. And I was shocked at how well she did in the car for the hour-and-a-half drive.

It was a good trip. Well, that's tied with the start of the Olympics. Joel and I are huge Olympics fans. We love the stories behind each athlete - we get so emotionally invested! My favorite part is watching the reactions of the parents in the stands. They are so proud!
And speaking of proud mama's, as I'm typing this, I'm looking at pictures of my friend Angie's new baby girl. She was born on 8/8/08 - she hit the birthday jackpot. That was another highlight of the vacation: getting the text that said "She's here!" There is nothing like the anticipation of heading to the hospital to meet a newborn baby. I practically skipped down the hallway of the maternity ward to meet this new girl: Zoe Ella Burke. Welcome to the world, little love.

www.onethousandwordsphotography.com

Friday, August 1, 2008

Behind The Scenes


Ever finally met someone face-to-face when you'd previously only corresponded by phone? It's always interesting to meet someone when you know their voice only.

"I thought you'd be taller."
"I thought you'd be shorter."
"I thought you'd be blonde/brunette/etc."

How does one respond to these statements? "Um, thank you?" or "I'm sorry to disappoint you?"

Enter radio.

So, much like a high-school yearbook, here's some pictures we recently took (thank you, Ben!) so you can match the face to the voice.

This is my favorite of Scott.

Beautiful Sam.

And here they are together: Morning Friends Scott & Sam

Matt Case joins you in the middle of your day

Matt hard at work

Tom Pettijohn

Sarah Taylor

When I give Tom "The Look" in the afternoon.

Miss Martha Hadley (7pm - Midnight)

Larry Lomax holds down the Spirt Music Countdown
Saturday Mornings at 10, Sundays at Noon

Photography by www.benblood.com