Welcome 2011

We went to Winthrop Washington to welcome the new year. It was a fabulous few days with friends that are more like family, and five combined children seven and under! The weather was absolutely beautiful but VERY cold! Daytime highs were around 8 degrees and nighttime lows were -8 degrees and colder. They had two feet of snow on the ground and that made for some awesome sledding right outside our front door. The weather did make it difficult for Mikaia and Daniel to be outside for longer than just a few minutes but then they got to stay inside with Grampa Bud, so all was good. Early bedtimes allowed Karsten and I some much needed "adult" time.

On new years day Kaleb raced in his first cross country ski race. The starting line temperature was a toasty -4 degrees but it didn't faze the kids much. Kaleb finished the race and we were so proud of him since he has only been on skis a few times.



I was also so impressed with Kaleb's lack of fear while sledding. We had built a pretty steep run with a big drop-off, yet Kaleb wanted to go even higher up the hill. I indulged him and he went down the run at the speed of sound, barely missed a tree and a car bumper, and was ready to do it again. Needless to say, the preservationist in me came out and I closed down the higher run.



I spent many hours sledding with the boys one evening, and on my walk back God decided to give me a treat. I wish I had thought to get pictures but I could not peel myself away from the beauty of the sunset to get a camera. Behind me, above our sledding hill stood a huge tree full of bald eagles, there were six of them to be exact. That was more than amazing but when the sun started going down the blue sky turned an amazing color of turquoise. The wispy clouds swirled in the turquoise sky like a drop of paint mixed in a bucket of another color. As the sun fell from the sky it's radius turned a deeper and deeper rusty orange color with some sort of pink mixed in. I laid back in the snow transfixed by the beauty of the sky and felt a lump in my throat as the eagles, one by one, soared past me to the river valley below. If that is just a glimpse of what Heaven is like then I am more than excited to go there one day!
Life has been pretty busy here in Marysville and the opportunity to get away, even though it took ample work to prepare for, was just what this family needed. Mikaia has transition challenges that make leaving the security of her home very difficult for her, and in turn on the whole family. It was a relief that this time she could find a place to transition to and help her through a difficult time. We had meltdowns for sure but with both of her brothers helping her to find peace it was much easier to reach her. I thank God each day for what He has brought together in this small family of five. How we have all meshed in ways to become one great big net. Sometimes I feel like an acrobat getting ready to let go of one trapeze to grab the next, and I can tell you that knowing I have a big strong net under me makes letting go so much easier! That is what this family is becoming, a safe place to grow from and fall back to.

Full Circle

Most of you know that my mom and dad got divorced when I was very young. I saw my dad a few times in the years that followed but I did not see him after I was twelve. I grew up hating him and his ability to disown me when I wished that I too could disown him. It took until my early twenties to stop hating him and then I just tried to move on and forget him. By my thirties I had processed my dad into a category of non-existence, and that was working for me until I got married and then quickly pregnant. When my son was born I suddenly realized that something miraculous had happened to me and my life could never be the same again. I saw with new eyes the role God has in mind for all the men that become fathers, a role for them alone, and I became curious about the man that had helped to create me.

So, it wasn't like an overnight process of finding my dad at that point. I waited a few more years until I had a son and a daughter, and another baby on the way before I ever thought again about finding my dad. The curiosity grew and I prayed about what direction I should go. A few weeks later I was watching late night news when a story about a man that was building houses for humanity at a school south of here came on. I was intrigued and watched the whole story about a man dedicating his gift to others, and at the end of that show I sat in amazement as I read his name at the bottom of the screen, Ken Pierson.

A few internet searches and a call to my mom later and the mystery was solved. I had in my possession a phone number and an address. I decided to write one of the most generic letters of my life, it went something like this: Dear Sir, I think you might be my dad. Do you have a daughter and son named E and G? Were you married to a woman named T? If so I believe you could be my dad. If you would like to contact me please do so at the following address or e-mail.
It took about a week before I got the e-mail and so started the process of renewing my relationship with my dad. I will tell you that he was not the man on t.v. far from it, but he is my dad.

The most amazing thing about this whole process has been watching how Grace works in action. In my second e-mail to my dad I told him that I forgave him for all of the past, and that if we were to have a relationship that it would be from this point forward. I have now seen my dad reunited with my mom and brother and it is nothing short of amazing. I have been able to totally let go of the past and realize a future with a very important man in my life. Today I sit here absolutely full because a part of my heart that was left so barren has been filled by the love of my dad. There is something so critically important to a daughters heart to hear from her dad that he loves her and cherishes her. My dad does. He has faltered and has made some really poor decisions but he too has been given a gift that he knows he doesn't deserve, and that is me. All wrapped up in a package, forgiveness prevails and completeness ensues.

I want to challenge everyone of you to take out the trash. Find those unresolved parts of you and with God's help go about healing them. Offer forgiveness to others, not because they deserve it, but precisely because you do. This is my life and I am honored to share it with you.

Finished at Last

It only took about two months of work but I can finally exclaim, " It is done"!!!!! Karsten has worked his bottom off and grown in ways he is quite proud of. We drew a few plans in the beginning of planning but did most of the work without a plan. The coop has turned out better than perfect and I am just so proud of my husband! He used his whole "staycation" to finish the coop and my mom came for a visit for that same week. It meant Beppe time with the kids and Kar & Erika time sprinting to finish the coop. All went well.
The very best part of the experience has been how rewarded Karsten has been for his diligence. The girls settled into their new home with an array of new cluckings that sounded remarkably like full grown chicken clucks. The next day more of the same. Then, the clouds parted, and wham our first egg! I even called Karsten at work to let him know the great news. For Karsten it was like the ribbon on the whole project that the chickens waited until they had a proper home to lay their first eggs. So, for the past three days our one hen has been laying an egg every morning around ten. Today however, a different hen laid her first egg so the egg count now stands at four. What an amazing experience this has been for my family but mostly for my husband and I banding together to accomplish a task together!
Since it has been awhile since I wrote this post I must update the data. Three chickens are laying each day now. We have been able to consume the eggs so as not to have any extras yet. The very coolest part is that our one hen regularly lays the golden egg, a double yoker, can it get any better than that?

Chickens before the Coop

So, I started this blog with a story about our six new chicks and how excited I was to have FREE eggs. Today I want to update you on the folly of FREE eggs.
We did not have a coop before we got chickens and that was a huge mistake. For the past two months we have been spending every extra moment building our chicken coop. By every extra moment, I mean those kid free moments especially that come after bed time and at nap time. Consequently, many nights we are up until eleven at night working away. It has not all been bad by any means. Karsten and I are getting to work together to accomplish a task neither of us feels adequately equipped for, and the coop will be beautiful when it is done. However, this was about FREE eggs that I wanted to write about so back to that.
FREE EGGS =
1. Lumber and misc supplies for coop = $500.00
2. Chicks = $10.00
3. Feed = $25.00 every six weeks
4. Time and Water = Priceless
5. Washing chicken poop off children and out of cloths = 1 million dollars

So, FREE eggs cost us somewhere around two dollars a day! In trying to not be discouraged, I find comfort in knowing that the experience that I am giving my children is worth a whole lot more than two dollars a day.

Caution: May Cause Carsickness

Video by Kaleb, Enjoy!!

Sailing in the San Juan Islands

Did I mention that we took a five day vacation aboard our sailing vessel, Strait Walker? Karsten, the children, and I all living on 34 feet of wind powered fun. Some of the vacation was clouded by hyper-attentiveness to the wanderings of three little ones five and under, especially our fledgling climber who seems on the brink of self destruction! We moored off of Cypress Island in Eagle harbor. Oh man, would I recommend this spot a thousand times over. Pristine views of Mount Baker, no buildings, dark starry nights, hiking trails, a lake for swimming, and wildlife galore. It was so nice to be secluded and able to just focus on my husband and children. I am still amazed at how distracting day to day life is.



We had the privilege of getting help for an orphaned Harbor seal pup. The mortality rate for the poor things is 50 percent but after petting him and seeing those beautiful eyes I had to interfere. While "Pup Pup" was nursing on the side of our boat Kaleb said, "Momma, don't you think you could give him a bottle of your milk?" I could not fault the logic but after checking the boat there was nothing that would transport the milk from a container to Pup-pup's mouth, so I drew the line there. We hiked a four mile hike with the kids and found a wonderful way to get Mikaia to walk with us on her own. Karsten would walk in front of us and I in back with Mikaia in-between, then Karsten would hold a long stick back toward us and Mikaia would hold on to the end of it and follow. I think they do this technique with the blind but it really worked well for Mikaia.


The vacation left me feeling so thankful for some family time and yet longing for unmoving land. I ended up being sea sick for five days after returning home, now that sucked! However, Karsten and I grew so much closer and appreciative of each other, and anytime you do that, your vacation was truly a success!

Miracle Grow

This time of year just amazes me. The way things in Washington grow with just a little sun is incredible to say the least. Not only is this a time of year when weeds to grass and gardens to trees grow exponentially but so do my children. While outside today, enjoying the sun that finally broke through the clouds, I was mixing up just the right dirt to fill some pots I am planting beans in. A scoop of this and a shovel full of that, mix well, and bam you have just the perfect soil for growing mighty plants. I had filled all my pots when I realized that my young son was following me around, stick in hand, making big plants of his own. It is uncanny sometimes just how well my children can mimic me. Watching Daniel walking with his big stick made me see him for the toddler he now is. Not a baby, not a boy, but all the perfect makings to become in his own time. Summer here is special. For so long we are in the rain and sometimes it can shake your foundational knowledge that growth and sun are for real. When the sun does come out everything flourishes and moods lift by huge degrees. I am so excited to be starting this time of year so I can watch my children grow right before my eyes. I hope I have mixed the soil just right.....