Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts

Thursday, February 20, 2014

The holidays - 2 months later

So I'm making an effort to post things sooner that 4 months after they happen! And so really I'm doing quite well since it's only been ALMOST 2 months.

For the holidays this year we went up to Oklahoma to spend time with Daniel's family the weekend before Christmas. It was a little different this year as his grandmother was in the hospital after a fall that broke her hip which led to the discovery of a blocked artery- both of which are now fixed thank God! She's home and got a lot of rehab and work to do so I'm sure she (and we) would cherish prayers for healing! We were glad to have some time to visit with Mumo and let Brooklyn keep her entertained with her yoga and ballet moves. Brooklyn even did PT with Mumo and the therapist one of the days we were up visiting. There was lots of toe tapping and marching going on in that hospital room!

All of the adults enjoyed helping and watching our littles eat make and decorate cookies together (minus  little Reid- he spent that time opening all the doors in BeBe & Grandad's house!). The kids seemed to enjoy it as well we think!  ;)
I love Hay-Hay and Brooklyn's "before and after cookie dough was taken away" faces. Priceless!


We opened gifts on Christmas eve-eve and then Christmas eve morning Brooklyn came downstairs at BeBe and Grandad's to discover that Santa had made an early stop for her at their house!





She was so excited to take her "Monies" to "H-E-B! H-E-B!"
(too many trips to the grocery store with mommy I suppose)
With tons of food in our bellies and a car with more gifts that we knew what to do with, we headed back to Texas on Christmas eve morning for Christmas round 2 with my family. Christmas Eve was just us and my parents and brother (his little was sick so she stayed home with my SIL). We enjoyed the Christmas eve service at my parents church and then had dinner at their house afterward before leaving Santa cookies and milk and putting B to sleep.
Who ate all the cookies?



Someone was excited about her new "PANT-O-WEEN!"

Christmas day brought a better feeling little niece, more presents and my big sister and her family all the way from Washington!! We spent the next few days enjoying museums, movies, games and watching the three cousins play together.




This. This is why we moved back to Texas. All of these pictures and memories and meals and conversations with Grandparents and parents and siblings and nieces and nephews. Showing Brooklyn God's great love through the importance we place on, the respect we have for, and the love and care that we show for our family. Celebrating the birth of our Savior and celebrating the special bond we all have as a family- that's what it's all about for this house!


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Happy 1st Birthday Brooklyn!

Holy moly cannoli!

How did this happen? How is it that 1 year ago I was in Corvallis meeting our sweet B in person for the first time? What a year it has been! Our little nug has completely and utterly stolen our hearts.


1st Bath given by her daddy
I'm 1!
She hasn't had her 12 month well-baby yet but according to our scale at the house she's about  21.5 pounds, is 30 inches long and has 5 teeth (and based on her clingy-ness and drool I'm thinking #6 is on it's way)!

I love watching her personality grow. She's a very determined little girl who will figure out a way to get what she wants (which in most cases is either your phone, the remote, or whatever you are eating). She's got a little but of rebellion in her (Wonder where she gets that from? he he!) She loooves to dance. She's been such a happy, easy baby. Sleeping through the night and napping like a rock star and is really only crabby when she's tired. I love the the way she takes everything in. If you hand her something she's never held before she will turn it and turn it inspecting every inch.

She's just now cruising a little along the furniture, and she likes to try to repeat everything you say even though it's always just one syllable. Football is "baa" Remote is "mOt" and donkey "kee".

She didn't want to sit.
still.
for pictures.
And then I lured her with the Peek-a-boo barn app
Best app when you are out of tricks...mommy FTW!
I remember before having B people always saying how once you have kiddos you view life differently. Boy is that the truth. All of the sudden you are responsible for this tiny person- and you are overwhelmed with how protective, and happy, and tired, and worried, and nervous and most of all how intensely you love this little human. So far the past 365 days we've experienced many lessons, a big health scare, several sleepless nights, and more laughs and smiles than we could ever count. Our hearts are full and we are still amazed and beyond thankful that God has entrusted you to us. Happy birthday Scooby, we love you sooooooo much!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Delayed turkey day update and my awesome niece

Our house has been decorated and we have been enjoying our lights and tree since a week or so before thanksgiving. And yes, I've been forcing anyone who is in my office, car, or home to listen to holiday music. All the time.

Daniel and I got to head up to Washington to spend thanksgiving with my sister, her husband and my niece. They recently moved from the metro DFW area up to a small town outside of Tacoma, Washington where they have 6 acres near Mt. Rainier, complete with hens. You can read all about their adventures in the woods on my sister Danielle's blog Mossy Trees. We enjoyed getting away for the night, spending time with family, and of course being entertained by my niece, Sabrina, who is 8.

Bri is unlike any other little girl I've ever known. In her exact words " I'm not really a girly-girl yet, I'm a sci-fi geek. I like star wars." She loves playing with legos, drawing, writing, painting anything where she can utilize her ginormous imagination. Don't get me wrong, she has her girly moments- she'll take out her american girl doll a few times a year, and likes to dress up now and then and even went to her first cheerleading clinic this year. She put on a holiday concert for us, complete with tickets, opening act, and a program.

In her "concert" attire

"jingle bells"







one of her dress up outfits!


I love that she's independent, she's not shy, and that she kind of doesn't care what you think is cool and not cool. I wish I were more like her when I was younger. I asked what was on her Christmas list and she brought out a list with 30 lines and only a few filled out. Her list consisted of the following:
  • a trampoline (I naturally assumed it was one of those huge ones for the backyard her reply..."no just a little one to go into my art studio, sometimes I just need to jump" she wants one of those exercise ones!)
  • a stuffed chicken (like a stuffed animal chicken, but it has to have curly feathers - good luck with that one Santa)
  • pendulum balls (upon further investigation I discovered she wants one of those contraptions you get at sharper image that goes on your desk with the metal balls that click back and forth...don't ask me why. See photo evidence below.)
  • photo www.officeplayground.com
  • clothes that are red - according to Bri while she likes pink and purple Nana gets her too much pink and purple stuff and her favorite color is red so she'd like more red in her wardrobe.
She cracks me up!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Gonna party like it's my birfday!

Cause it is!

While the initial thought of turning 30 and having to celebrate like a preschooler was a little off-putting, (cranberry juice spritzer anyone??) I have decided to look past the unopened champagne bottles to what exciting, difficult, and interesting nuggets getting to 30 has brought. So here's a list of 30 lessons I've learned along the way.

1.} I am blessed beyond what I deserve.

2.} Being able to drink more than the guy you are trying to impress does not, in fact, impress him.

3.} Any guy you think would be impressed by you drinking more than him is the first sign you are looking for the wrong kinda dude.

4.} God puts people in your life at certain times for a reason.

5.}  High school seems like the end-all be-all of life until you leave, then you realize it was on the 2nd rung on the 20 foot ladder of life's important moments.

6.} Botox can be your friend when used in moderation, just don't go all Heidi from "The Hills."

7.} Doing something purely because that's what everyone does is dumb. You will not have fun and people will wish they never invited you. Lots of people camp in Oregon, it's beautiful and the weather is cool, and I'm glad they enjoy mother nature. I camp too. In a Hilton. With a glass of wine. I will enjoy Oregon from my car window, stopping to take pics every once and a while.
 
8.} Having a tiny human growing inside your tummy is the scariest and coolest thing all at the same time.

9.} Liking the people you work with can make a world of difference at the office. I have been lucky to work with some amazing people.

10.} Traveling France and Italy with the man of your dreams is as fun and romantic as it sounds.

11.} I wish Dave Ramsey was around when I was in high school. If you get a chance, take his FPU course even if you think don't "need" it, it's a game changer.

12.} Marry someone who makes you laugh everyday. I can't remember the last time a day passed without laughter- and that. is. awesome.

13.} Just because an item is on Air Force One does not mean that it is indestructible.

14.} Never make decisions based on what others are doing, do what's right for you!

15.} That über tan you had in high school that you spent years fake baking to keep will come back to bite you in the arse.

16.} Having a loving family, who enjoys each others company, and prays for one another is a hard thing to come by. Having that in your in-laws family and your family is even harder. I hit the jackpot.

17.} If you haven't worn it in over a year- give it away. Someone else will love that dress, and no you won't wear it again.

18.} Lying to your parents is wrong. Unless you are holding a puppy trying to "explain"  to them where it came from so you can keep it. In this particular instance I say lie away. ;)

19.} At no point should dish soap be substituted for dishwasher detergent. Unless a foam party is what you were going for.

20.} Shorts with anything less than a 6 inch inseam do become ridiculously inappropriate and it happens earlier than you'd think.

21.} Where and how you spend your money is where your heart is. I apparently love my house, food and university foundations.

22.} As a Christian you are forgiven by the Creator, so don't beat yourself up about things from your past. Your sins are thrown as far as the east is from the west so take comfort and walk in freedom!

23.}Your parents actually do know a thing or 2 about life. Who woulda thunk?!?

24.} Turning out to be like your parents isn't all that bad either. Unless your parents are Casey Anthony or Adolf Hitler- in which case I suggest you just do the opposite of whatever they do.(Is that bad that I put her in the same category as Hitler? I couldn't think of any coo-coo-ca-choo chick villains)

25.}Gabby Gossiping about someone not only doesn't help the situation (or the person your gabbing about) but often makes you look like a big ole jerk face. (I still have to remind myself of this one weekly)

26.} Pray for things you need help with, hope for, care about, need guidance on but don't forget to offer prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of joy, prayers of gratitude and prayers of humility too. Often times I get greedy.

27.} Unless you are single, trips to places like Hawaii and Jamaica are not near as fun when your spouse is not there.

28.} Spazzing out about things that you can't change is a waste of energy.

29.} Not doing anything but yet complaining about things you can change is a waste of an opportunity.

30.} Knowing that you have not only married the love of your life and best friend but you also get to have a family together, is the single best feeling in the world.

Now I'm gonna go find some cake......

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

4th of July weekend (2 weeks later)

The 4th of July is a mega big deal in this little town of less than 10,000 people. It's essentially a 3 day festival of music in the park, craft and food vendors, pancake feeds, fun runs, parades, multiple fireworks displays and more food.

This year was the 1st year we went to the parade, and when I was told it was a big deal I thought "sure big deal for a small town."

I seriously underestimated the parade.

First of all, this parade starts on campus at WOU and goes down main street, through the entire town of Monmouth, crosses Hwy 99, (our small town equivalent of an Interstate) and continues into the neighboring town of Independence, down their Main Street to the friggin river. I'm sure if there wasn't a giant waterway blocking their path this parade would head on into Salem.

That's almost 3 miles! And 3 miles in a small town, well, runs into another town. This production is such a big deal that starting on July 2nd, you will start seeing tailgate chairs & lawn chairs appear along the sidewalks of the parade route. People start staking out their parade watching spots 48 hours prior to the event. It's like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade of Monmouth. 

The parade gets started at noon (that is of course, after the fun run and kiddie parade,which is decidedly shorter than the big kid parade due the smaller legs) with a B-52 bomber or C-130 flyover. I'm not sure which. My air force dad, who has spent the last 40 plus years working on military planes, would be ashamed of my dismal aircraft identification skills.

I swear this parade had like 200 entries, that's like the whole town. How there were thousands of people lining the 3 mile parade route is a mystery in itself. It's like the loaves and fishes but with humans. So here are some photos from a big, small town parade!









Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas Cards

So I'm having a bit of a Grinch moment. Well, an inadvertent Grinch moment. 

We didn't send out a Christmas card this year...actually, we never send out a Christmas card. I figure we don't have a kid, we don't have a dog, we don't even have a plant. Nobody wants to get a holiday card from our two ugly mugs. Not to mention the last good picture of the two of us was at our wedding.  

The past 2 weeks have been a Christmas card jackpot at our house. I open our little mail cubby (no individual mail boxes, it is clustered with 10 of your closest neighbors- P.O. box style) and Christmas cards and holiday greetings just shoot out. It's glorious!! I forgot what it's like to get a piece of mail that isn't a credit card offer, bill, or sale paper. 

I've really enjoyed seeing everyones family photos, and reading about how everyone is doing, especially since we can't see friends and family whenever we want. I mean most of this I already know/see on Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, Skype, etc., but there's something about opening that envelope! Which leads me to the point of my Grinch moment. Here I am enjoying these holiday greetings thinking "these are so great....Daniel, look how big Sar.....oh crap, I bet everyone thinks we're cranky holiday card haters." I realized that if I enjoy getting all these holiday cards maybe folks do wanna see our ugly mugs.

So I'm sorry for being a holiday card Grinch. Seeing as Christmas eve officially starts in 8 hours Pacific time, please accept this as the 2010 Hare Family Christmas card.....


(done in homage to my new favorite blog du jour, Hyperbole and a Half, that my co-worker Lisa got me hooked on!)


Merry Christmas everyone!
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