Stellas Birthday Weekend Part 1

Canopy Tour at mt Hermon with Nates 82 year old Gramma, Mom and Uncle.

classic 2 year old

I love this video.

Stella's birth was a fast one. I started having contractions around 9 pm. I wasn't even sure they were contractions. Nate and I watched a movie, I made some cookie dough ( of course) and then about half way through the movie I thought I should try to get some sleep because this was going to happen soon. I laid in bed for an hour or so timing my contractions. Around 11:30 We called Nate's mom to come to the house because we thought we should go in. The worst that could happen is they send us home. By the time Nate's mom got to our house, 20 min later, I could hardly move without a contraction. I remember pausing by the kitchen sink on the way out the door. Breathe Breathe.

I hope I make it to the hospital. I realized then, I WAS IN LABOR. It was the longest car ride I had ever been on. I had no way of getting comfortable. I could not move. Pain was taking over. I was breathing. one two three. deep breath.

We got to the hospital 12:30 am. Left the keys in the car, I barely was able to walk in. I had to pause 3 or 4 times. Got to the front desk and they treated me like I was there to pick a book up at the library.

We finally got to the room, they checked me. I was at 8 centimeters. The nurses couldn't believe it. I knew it. An 2:30 am Stella was staring up at us.

I will never forget the pushing and the indescribable moment when she was out and there she lay with my chin, pink beautiful skin and eyes gazing back and forth between Nate and I. What a moment.

We love our Stella so much. She has added so much laughter and joy to our lives. She is the funniest kid I know. She loves to laugh, be silly, snuggle, get dirty, eats any and everything. She truly is a shining star in our life. Happy Birthday sweet girl.

2 years ago today

Whoa momma!! This was me exactly 2 years ago today. We went for a walk around a garden hoping to get some things going in the Labor department. Stella was due the next day, May 23rd. I was feeling and looking ready to pop! I was really big. It is so weird that we can walk around with a baby protruding out from us so far. Pretty amazing.
I remember this day. I was so excited to meet our little girl. To see what she would look like. To see what she would be like. The anticipation of God's creation. The hours and days leading up to birth are such precious times. That evening brought many contractions.......... until tomorrow.

Everywhere I go with Stella at least one person will comment on "what a talker' she is. Today 4 people at the grocery store said something to me. She loves to talk. She talks all the time and narrates everything. 99 % odf the time I love her comments on life. 1 % of the time it gets really exhausting. She also has been playing mocking bird. She says phrases that we use. The latest is 'Oh my Goodness'. She is turnign two on Sunday. I can hardly believe it. Stella always leaves us smiling.

Lunch

We have been spending a lot of time outside. Actually most of our days. My mom bought the girls this cute little table. They love it. What great buds those two girls are. They are loving playing together outside, exploring everything and getting dirtier than I have ever seen them. I am so tired of the dirt. Really done with it. We all have been as dirty as you get when you go camping and you rely on wet wipes to get clean, except we have sinks and showers! The area where the girls play the most is pretty much all dirt. So their feet are black, there face is smudged with dirt and their fingernails scream for scrubbing. Hopefully the dirt quota for the day will shrink. We are in the works to get some gravel down. I have been and still will be sticking to my motto that ' a dirty kid always tells you they have been having fun!' . So even though we will be seeing less dirt, I still expect to see a dirt ring in the bath tub at the end of the day.

SUN!

We are so lucky to have a yard here that gets sun. Living in the Redwoods means lots of shade. The redwoods are so tall that they leave little room for anything underneath to grow. But we have sun in our front yard and our backyard.

I have been wanting a garden for a couple of years now. We were getting ready to do a front yard garden in Portland before we moved. I was so excited to see our new backyard and all the sun that it got. Here is the start to the raised beds. I love having a husband who can build just about anything.

Nate is putting gopher wire down. We really are not sure what we will attract with our garden. Hopefully it will just bring over friends for dinner.

mothers day

My mom and ken came for a visit for mothers day and to check out the great place we get to live. We had a great time exploring and being together. I had envisioned a great photo with my mom and the girls. It is a very true to life photo!

Trying to get a shot of everyone was pretty funny, But I think it shows all our personalities best!

I am the luckiest mom around!