passion

lilly is in gymnastics and up to this point has enjoyed it. however, yesterday i saw something come alive in her at the gym. for the first time yesterday she did a back flip on the trampoline. i had a perfect shot of her face just before she jumped and then as she landed on her feet. her whole body emitted this kind of new life and energy that is hard to describe. i told dave it was like watching passion being born. anyway, it got me thinking about where passion comes from and how it drives us to do things. it got me thinking about what i am passionate about and what i am actually doing to fulfill my passions, dreams and desires. kind of ethereal, i know, but something to think about....

luke duke

i got this great shot of luke a couple weeks ago when we were playing at our friends house. i know i have said this a million times but, it is so bitter-sweet to watch your kids grow up. thankfully we have cameras and photographs to help capture all of these precious moments.

hierarchy of swear words

kids ask A LOT of questions. it seems as though most of my conversations with each of my kids since they began talking was in response to one of their "why" questions. as the kids are getting older the questions have not ceased - however they have gotten much more intense, funny & significant. our oldest, caleb, is never shy of asking for a more thorough explanation for whatever is on his mind. at the ripe age of 8 we had a full blown trans-gender conversation. a few months ago we had the "sex" talk with him. and the other night we talked about swear words. he began this conversation, out of the blue, by asking, "what does the 'f' word mean?" and why is it SOO bad?" i took a deep breath and began in with my best answer. he than asked, "is one swear word worse than another... like, darn, dang, damn?" to this (with a slight giggle in my heart) we started talking about the hierarchy of swear words. it was so funny sitting there with my 9 year old talking about how the level of offensiveness determined how "bad" the swear word was....to be honest i hadn't ever thought about it like that before.

so, what kind of funny conversations have you had with your kids?

gap casting call....

so, i was looking for another way to waste time yesterday and entered the kids in the gap casting call contest. these are the pics i chose to enter. so, if you are looking to waste a few minutes (like me) CLICK HERE to vote for the kids (you can vote once a day if you are REALLY in to it!) and once you login you can also print out a 20% off gap coupon!!!

thanks!

all about caleb...

calebs first project this school year was to create an "all about me" poster. i had to share it. i love how creative he is and willing to think outside the box. i love that he wants to be a cartoonist when he grows up. i love that he drew a picture of a monkey taking a shower! seriously, you can't make this stuff up!

10 years

our wedding day - september 4, 1999

on september 4th dave and i celebrated our 10th anniversary. it's amazing how fast time has gone by and how much our lives have changed over the years. i thought it would be fun to highlight a few of the major events that have happened over the past 10 years

• had three babies and one miscarriage
  
• moved homes 5 times
• changed jobs 5 times
• planted a church
• lost 3 grand parents
• gained 5 new nieces & nephews
• moved to michigan
• turned 30
• family vacations
  
• the kids started school (all day!)
• vacations for just the two of us

as i sit here i am reminded of how privledged i am to be married to my best friend, team mate, and love of my life.dave and i soon after we got engaged! aren't we young!!

ten years later!

back 2 school

we are back into the full swing of school but i still wanted to post our first day of school pics!
our traditional pic of all three kids on the front steps. if you scroll back through previous years posts you can see how much they have all changed in the past few years.
caleb is 9 years old and started the 4th grade. he is happy to be "upper el". i feel like he is getting bigger and taller by the minute - it won't be too much longer until he is bigger than me! the other night he came and sat on my lap and told me that he missed being cuddled. he is precious, tender and so sweet.

luke is 7.5 and started 2nd grade. his teacher is the same one he had for kindergarten so the transition has been awesome! he is our one that tends to get nervous when he doesn't know exactly what to expect. it was answered prayer to find out who his teacher was! luke is loving school and is doing really, really well. i am so proud of him.

lilly is 6 and started 1st grade. which means she is at school all day! as dave and i walked away from school after dropping them off i felt a mix of emotions -- it is weird. lilly is a social butterfly and didn't skip a beat. she loves that she gets to eat lunch at school and see her friend "every day".

fun in chicago

this last trip to chicago was quite a whirlwind! we had so much fun going downtown to the museum of science and industry and seeing the harry potter exhibit and then going back down the following day to go to the bears family day!

can you spot the diller clowns?

they were SOOOO excited!

thank you papa & mimi!!

growing up before my eyes...

caleb turned nine last month. my baby...nine years old. i am still trying to wrap my brain around it. he is an amazing kid and it is so much fun to watch him grow up!

inked

all my boys got inked this last tuesday at the morg. dave got a "real" tat and the boys got matching henna ones.

storyville coffee company

i love coffee. i love the process of making it, the smell of it as i put each scoop into my coffee maker, the aroma of it brewing and of course, that first sip. so, when i found out that the coffee manufacturer storyville coffee company was donating 100% of whatever is purchased from them in the month of may to international justice mission, i had to take a second look. although, i haven't ever had their coffee before i found myself drawn to their story and their mission. i bought a $39 month pack and i can't wait to get it next week and brew it!

the gift of sight

about a month ago i got a letter in the mail from the health department telling me that caleb had failed his vision test and that i needed to take him to have his eyes checked by a professional. first, i was surprised. he hadn't EVER complained about not seeing something. he does very well in school and again had NEVER complained about not being able to see......
so, i arranged for an appointment at eye care one and took him to have his eyes tested. as soon as he found out that he was having his eyes checked i was overwhelmed by his sudden loss of vision and his many questions/statements about glasses and how cool they were. the more he spoke the more i convinced myself that he didn't need glasses but wanted them because he thought they were SO cool. before the appointment began i pulled the doc aside and told him to be on the look-out for any embellished reactions caleb might have for him. he assured me that he would be able to see beyond whatever caleb could throw at him in terms of how accurate his vision was. phew, i thought. until it came time for caleb to read the chart. he read the big "E" and then i watched as my son struggeled, i mean really struggeled, to read the second line. after the appointment the doctor pulled me aside and said, "you can't fake that...".
as caleb put on his new glasses there was a moment of sheer joy as he said, "AWESOME, that's what it looks like over there". for the rest of the day he kept making comments about how crisp everything looked. he loves his new glasses and i am thrilled that he has them and very embarressed that i never realized it earlier. it made me think about how much, as parents, we miss no matter how close we think we are. it was a reminder to be always praying for each of my kids and resting in the fact that they are in their Creators hands.

what a surprise!

last week wednesday i celebrated by 33rd birthday. dave and the kids planned out the entire afternoon and evening and we had such a blast!
the kids thought that since i LOVE coffee that it would be great to take me to get a cup of joe - they were so excited. i knew they had something up their sleeves. that and the fact that dave couldn't sit still for a minute. after i got my cup of coffee the kid working behind the counter handed me a birthday card. it was from dave and the kids and it had a sticker inside with the numbers on it. dave then proceeded to hand me my present..... it was a bike seat.......

we went outside the coffee shop and there chained to the tree was my new GREEN bike! the numbers inside the card were for the lock (very clever). the kids chased after me as we rode around downtown grand haven. we had a riot and laughed so hard!!! then.....

we went to K2 (upstairs to kirby) for dinner. the five of us sat around our table and began to order when all of a sudden friends started arriving one, two, three at a time. i wish i had more pics of the evening but, i was too surprised to remember to take pictures! needless to say it was such a fun evening and i LOVE my new bike!!! after we got home (about 11pm - on a school night) we had the kids put on their helmets and we took a quick bike ride up and down our street - it was awesome!

good-bye grandma

Grandmas 80th Birthday Party - Fall of 2004

my grandma sandoval passed away this week. today was her funeral and although i was unable to be there (salt lake city, ut) in person i was there in spirit. if you have a minute to spare read her obituary (scroll down) - my aunts and uncles did a great job writing out her life in just a few sentences. she was an amazing woman. she loved and prayed for her entire family every day. she was a wonderful testimony to one of Gods faithful servants here on earth. she will be missed.

visiting grandma & aunt ernestine last christmas in seattle

lilly & grandma coloring

all of the grand kids circa 1986

Juanita "Jennie" Sandoval 12/12/1924 ~ 2/22/2009 Grandma Jennie - "mother extraordinaire", beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend went to join her Lord and Savior and her beloved husband Max on Sunday, February 22, 2009.Born to Jesus M. and Jose O. Sanchez in Castlegate, Utah. She was blessed with a loving step-father, Louis Canchola whom she cherished as DAD. She inherited a strong work ethic from her mother which served her well later on in life. She married Max Sandoval on October 21, 1942 and they started their life together in Price, Utah, later moving to Salt Lake City in 1951. God blessed them with 21 children and she never tired of having a child around the house, even if they weren't her own. She worked endlessly, making sure her family (and anyone else who was lucky enough to be there) was well fed and taken care of. Everyone loved her hand-made tortillas and wonderful Mexican food! She spent countless hours cooking, cleaning, sewing, babysitting for others and still made time for her family. Flats of eggs, garbage cans full of flour, rice and beans were the norm - all of this without Costco! She played a big part in the upbringing of many of her grandchildren by babysitting them, as well as raising her beloved grandson Jeremy, until she suffered a stroke in 1989. Throughout her remaining years, her grandchildren continued to be the light of her life. Her Christian faith was her life and she used that influence to raise her children. She and Max were founding members of the Salt Lake Christian and Missionary Alliance Church where she selflessly served in various positions and made many long lasting friendships. It was her faith that gave her the endurance, energy and amazing strength to accomplish such a remarkable life. She was truly loved and admired by many! Survived by children: Ernestine, Gilbert (Becky), Carl, Max (Brenda), Anita (Mike), Peter (Phyllis), Jennie-Lee, Elaine, Duane (Lauri), Samuel, Nathan, Patsy (Elgin), Jacob (Julie), Andrew (Cynthea), Daniel (Karen), Becky (Paul), Jennifer (Stewart), Rosellen, 46 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Preceded in death by her loving husband Max, twin infants, Mary and Joseph, son Jerry, mother Jesus Canchola, step-father Luis Canchola and brother Fidel Sanchez.

one more under my belt

over the last year i delved into the art of web design. although i know virtually nothing about how to write code and all the ins and outs of how a website comes to be. i know what i like to look at and how i think a website should function... that's a plus, right? well, i have an INCREDIBLE cousin (pete) who, with his partner (cavan), have started their own company Adrogen and they are an amazing duo in all the web stuff they can do. so, i get to do all the fun design work and they do all the icky coding - we are becoming quite the team. well, i mention all of this because our latest site went live this past week and i wanted to share it with all of you. drum roll for, naperville covenant church. enjoy!

gym ritual

dave and i have started a new gym ritual. we (and a couple other friends) have started meeting at the gym at 4:45am to work out together. ok, i know that sounds insane to many of you - but, it is the best time for us. and, since nagel lives with us, we have an adult in the house to care for the kids. well, this past monday the alarm went off at 4:30 and dave and i hopped out of bed, got dressed, got in the car, drove to the gym, sat on the couches tying up our gym shoes (at the gym) and then looked at each other and decided that we NEEDED to go back to bed. i found myself back underneath my covers in a matter of minutes. it was SO worth it!!!

a thousand questions

this past week dave and i went to chicago for the annual mid-winter conference put on for our denomination. it was an amazing time of reconnecting and resting. below is about a 10 minute video produced by willow creek that we watched at the end of one of the sessions. it is very moving.....

in case you were wondering.....

1. 
   
   Choose a kiwano that is fully ripened. It'll have an orange rind with spikes. If you can't find a fully ripened fruit, wait for it to turn orange before eating it.
2. 

   
   
   Cut the fruit in half transversely (along the equator, as shown in the picture). Set one half aside.
3. 

   
   
   Hold the remaining half up to your mouth. Slowly, but firmly, squeeze the fruit from the lower end. Small, semi-slimy sacs of fruit, each containing a cucumber-like seed, should come to the cut surface of the fruit.
4. 

   
   
   Lick or suck up at least one sac of fruit and seed.
5. 
   Pinch the sac of fruit gently with your front teeth. The seed should be between your teeth and closed lips. Suck the sac of fruit through your top and bottom teeth. Your teeth should be pinching enough to hold the seed on the outside of your teeth, yet still allowing the sac of fruit to be sucked to the back of your mouth.
6. Don't spit the seed out into the bowl unless you don't want to eat it. They aren't toxic, by the way, they just don't have any taste.
7. Chew or suck on the sac of fruit, swallowing it once you have savoured the flavour. Repeat until you've had your fill of kiwano!

into lukes head

have you ever wished you could get into someones head in the hopes to better understand where they were coming from? lately, that is how i feel with our middle child, luke. i love my luke and yet find myself struggeling to understand him more times than not. as a parent you learn quickly that you cannot parent each of your children the same way - because they are each so different and in turn respond differently. for as confident as luke can appear on the outside i don't know what goes on his mind to make him incapable of doing certain things. for example, yesterday he woke up and told me that he had decided not to go to his friends birthday party because they were going to go and play laser tag. i was shocked. not only was this a very good friends birthday but his big brother was also going. however, luke had it in his head that he did not want to play and did not want to go. when i asked if it was because he had never played laser tag he said, "no, i just don't want to go....". i told him not going wasn't an option - however, if he got there and still didn't want to play that he didn't have to. sure enough, luke got to the laser tag play area and chose not to play and stood on the sidelines and watched on for the next hour and half as his friends and brother played their little hearts out. what is it...? what, as a parent, can i do to encourage him and help him with his anxiety?

any thoughts.....suggestions.......

what would you do for $10 dollars?

if you live in west michigan than nobody needs to tell you about all the snow we have gotten over the last several days. yesterday alone we got like 15 inches. thankfully the bitter cold has blown away and we are welcoming the 20+ degree weather (i can't believe i just said that....) the kids were able to go out and play in the winter wonderland - caleb and his friend z were out there for over 2 hours! you can get a perspective on how deep the snow is when you see the pic of lilly - she is standing straight up in the snow and it goes well above her knees! so, nagel bet dave ten dollars to run out in his bare feet around the play-set and back (probably 30 yards total). dave, in all his wisdom, said, "show me the money and i'll take the run." before we knew it dave had the money in his pocket and was running - it was pretty funny!

christmas plates

every year we talk about giving something more creative for christmas than another set of gloves, dvd or one more settlers of catan (i think we have given out at least 20 games to friends and family who NEED to have the game). so, this year we did it - we came up with a great idea and actually followed through...... we made plates! everyone got one, from my 6 month old niece to my brothers girlfriend, rita. dave and i had so much fun making them - i can't remember the last time we laughed quite so much.

dave drew each of the cartoons and then i scanned them in and did some digital touch-up work and colored them in and added the head shot. there is this great new paper out there called inkjet water-slide decal paper which allows you to print and then transfer the image to a solid object (plates in our case) and then bake the image on. it is a bit of a process - but so worth it!

good-bye nickelodeon

last night we sat our kids down and told them that we were canceling our cable. the first thing out of each of their mouths was, "will we still get nick?". it was a tough reality for each of them to swallow as they began to realize that sponge-bob and icarly would no longer be an option. caleb definitely took it the hardest. he cried crocodile tears as he reminisced about all the shows he loved and the time spent in front of "nicki", our tv, affectionately named after one of our favorite babysitters.

so, why are we getting rid of our cable? well, dave and i have been talking and praying for weeks about what things our family could do or possibly give up so we could do and give more with the resources we've been given. i guess you could say it is our new years resolution. our goal, with Gods help, is to become more creative with how we live our lives and in turn see God work and move in new and creative ways in each of our lives. because this is something we are passionately seeking i decided to start a new blog for the sole purpose of documenting our families journey to give more by living on less.

blessing to you in the new year!