Just add water and sunshine....

They say things grow faster with a little sunshine and lots of water - well, we have both of those in abundance here in Maui and look what happened!!!

We actually stopped at Wal-Mart to get some materiny shorts and they don't carry maternity clothes! So we found Old Navy had a good sale on shirts....no shorts. But I guess in a week I won't need them anyway!!
Thankfully I haven't been feeling too bad. Definitely feeling pregnant, and now looking like it too!!!

HAWAI'I!!!

We have just a few minues post a few photos. We're having a great time and looking forward to the laid back side of Maui!!

Baby's First Photo!!

Well, there is just one baby in there and it's looking healthy so far! Good, strong heartbeat and measuring right on cue for a mid-May entrance - or should I say exit? :)

Week 8 - Our Litle Kidney Bean

New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from our little baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. Although we may be daydreaming and wondering if it's a boy or girl (or both!), the external "proof" still hasn't developed enough to reveal whether we're having a boy or a girl. Either way, our baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though I still can't feel it.

We have some appointments scheduled for when we get back from vacation at which point we should know for sure if there's one or two babies! We'll keep you posted!

Week 7 - Our little blueberry!

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

And in true form, I did start getting a little bit of morning sickness. Just like with both girls, it starts out with what I called "car sickness". Although, "morning sickness" would be a dream instead of afternoon sickness, evening sickness, midnight sickness, morning sickness, mid-morning sickness, mid-afternoon sickness, early evening sickness, pre-meal and post-meal sickness....well, you get the idea. So far so good, considering I feel this way because I'm being used to create a life! How awesome is that!!!

Katelynn sharing with the world

we aren't sure who Katelynn has already told this to so we thought it was time to post it!
Sorry if you didn't hear in person!

Update on the Corn!!

There's so much we want to make sure it's all taken!

Yellow Sweet Corn: $1/dozen!!

Come to our house on Tuesday to get it. We get our bread delivery on Tuesdays after 4pm, so you can come after that if you want to get both! Otherwise, just let me know when you want to stop by how many you want! (bring some plastic bags, too, as I'll probably run out!!) :)

Passing the savings on to you - Tara style! :)

Interested in some fresh corn? My parents are coming over from Spokane tomorrow and just picked a ridiculous amount before they left (they have a farm and sell it locally). Some of it is smaller - great kid sized. It'd be nice to sell it in dozens if possible - 12/$3 and you'd probably get a few more than that of the smaller ones. Just call, e-mail or FB me and let me know if you're interested. You'll be able to pick it up at our house probably on Monday or Tuesday. -- And FYI - it can be frozen! Last year we froze it on the cob, but this year we're going to cut it off and freeze it as kernels.


Anyone interested in joining a few of us to buy parchment paper (for baking) in bulk? It is excellent for baking cookies, cakes, breads or pizza, making candy, frozen desserts, seafood, poultry and meats. It works great to cover foods in the microwave. Professional bakers and cooks use it all the time. They have it at Cash & Carry in a box of 1000 sheets - but they're "industrial cookie sheet size", so one sheet would cover 2 regular cookie sheets. (**see below for more details about using parchment I found on a great website**)

Check this out:

• Renyold's Wrap Parchment at the store (on sale!) $3 for 30 square feet = $.10/sf
• Cash & Carry Parchment $35 for 1000 sheets (approx. 17" x 25") 2772 square feet = $.01/sf.
  

Yeah, A PENNY A SQUARE FOOT compared to TEN CENTS A SQUARE FOOT for the stuff at the store!

But obviously, I'd never need 1000 sheets of the stuff, so I'm seeing if anyone else wants to go in with me and save a bunch of money!! I already have about 4 of us, but thought I'd throw it out there and see if there'd be any others? It's about 4 cents a sheet. (two cents per cookie sheet sure beats the heck out of scrubbing pans!!)

If you're interested in this please let me know. We're hoping to do it before Wednesday (9/9).

**What is baking/cooking parchment and why use it?**

Have you ever wondered how bakeries and restaurants manage their huge baking needs? They use this product because it doesn't stick (it's coated on both sides), it is economical (you don't need shortenings or sprays), it is labor friendly (just toss it away after an afternoon of baking) and flexible (cut it to your pan size). Each sheet is 16 3/8 x 24 3/8, large enough to cover two standard size cookie sheets.

Not only can you use it for baking, you can use it to provide a stick free surface when freezing meats (between hamburgers for example) or baked goods, or use it to line pans for messy jobs such as barbeque chicken.

It is an energy saver (yours and the utility's). Get an extra batch of cookies ready for the oven and do the old switcheroo when they come out of the oven.

Put a piece down on the countertop when cutting frozen or homemade pizza to catch the grease. Or use it to line your microwave to catch spills. You get the idea.

Our Big Preschooler's First Day of School

My, what a difference a year makes!! I didn't even realize she had the same sweater on!!

Has it really been a year?

Hard to believe a year has already flown by! Some moments it feels like just yesterday that we were taking a photo of the three of us just before we headed off to be induced. Yet, other moments seem like it was a lifetime away....well, I guess it really was. The external scars have healed for the most part and the internal ones still need plenty of tending to. We each do that differently, and everyday it looks a little different. But we know that God is faithful to complete the good work He has begun, it's just not on our timeline! :)

I wanted to thank everyone that has been contacting us one way or another this weekend. Whether through visits, calls, e-mails, facebook, cards or prayer, it is all appreciated. And thank you as well to those that have remembered throughout the year and have encouraged us to talk about Kristen and remind us that she's not forgotten (or nor are we and what we still feel everyday.)

We decided not to do anything "extravagant" to remember her on her first earthly birthday and her first heavenly birthday. We're planning on going to the ocean, just the three of us (and Libby!) and all of us are looking forward to that. I made the mistake of telling Katelynn we were going to the ocean for Kristen's birthday. She replied, "oh that will be so fun, and I'll hold her 'cuz she's so tiny!" I explained to her that Kristen was in Heaven now, "in the sky with God?" she asked, and I told her yes.

She has been extremely observant lately and it has been really interesting how she incorporates Kristen into her life. There is a hospital being remodeled in Puyallup and she always asks what the cranes are doing and we tell her they're building a hospital and for the most part that ends the topic. Sometimes she'll add something about how that's where babies are. Well, the other day we were driving within sight of the hospital and this was our conversation (more or less):

Out of no where she says, "hey Mommy, look there's a hospital....how come daddy cried at the hospital?"
"Well, he was sad about baby Kristen."
"Why?"
"Because she was really sick. We're sad when you get sick too."
"And she has owies?"
"Not anymore. Remember, she's in heaven with God now and doesn't have anymore owies, she's all better now."
"Oh." "Heaven up in the sky, with God?"
"Yep. Up high like the mountains." (sometimes she thinks if she jumps "high" that she'll be as high as heaven too. :) So I wanted to be sure I clarified that one!)
"And she's so cute." (that's when she makes the action of holding something the size of a quarter cupped in her hands.) "Oh Mommy! Look! There's a plane!" (If you've ever seen the movie "Up" these are total "SQUIRREL!" moments that happen with lots of things!) :)

I am so thankful for Katelynn and how it is never odd for her to talk about Kristen. We were told in the beginning when we were fearful of what to tell her, that she would ask questions according to her level of understanding and that we just need to answer her question, not give her more info that what she is asking for. It's been in the last few months that I have realized that we'll get the privilege of doing this for the rest of her life. A privilege I am honored to have! Not only do I enjoy telling Katelynn about her sister, but I love hearing Kristen's name spoken without reservation like she does.

Thank you again to everyone that reads our blog. Sorry it hasn't been updated in so long. I have tons of fun things to post here with great photos, just haven't made the time yet. I've been trying to work on my personal blog a bit and of course keep up with Facebook! :) But I hope to get more posted to our family blog soon. Until then.......
-Tara