Stuff from the Bluff: February 2009

Thursday, February 26, 2009

It's Official: Our boy is growing up...

I know everybody says this all the time about their kids, but they really do grow WAY too quickly! Owen is currently sound asleep for the very first time in his BIG BOY BED!!! (sniff, sniff) I moved a twin bed into his room today thinking maybe we would gradually get around to having him sleep in it...I was kinda assuming he would still prefer his crib, which we left in the room. Nope, not the case. He was VERY excited to sleep in his "new bed." Maybe that's because the bedding has trucks and cowboys on it, but whatever the case he likes it. Who knows? Ask me in a few weeks and we might be singing quite a different tune. For now, though, I am a bit surprised at how emotional it is for me to make this transition. Sometimes I wish life could go in slow motion and I could just bottle up every fun stage that he goes through!

On a different note, here are a couple of pictures of Owen riding his tricycle yesterday. I have taken very few pictures in the past couple weeks, but hopefully I'll start up again:

From Blog Photos

Monday, February 16, 2009

a GREAT man...

From Blog Photos

This weekend, we lost of GREAT man. My cousin and one of C.J.'s dearest friends, Justin, went to be with his Savior on Saturday as a result of a skiing accident. There is no way I can adequately describe in words what an absolutely amazing, kind, gentle, humble, funny, giving, and truly wonderful man Justin was. Nor can any words do justice in explaining how much he will be missed and how our hearts are aching in losing him. My heart breaks even further for his mom, his dad, his sisters, his wife! Shala, Justin's wife, is 7 months pregnant with their first child. Please, please, please pray for them. Pray for strength, peace, courage, rest. I know that God's plans reach way beyond our understanding, and I hold on to that hope...but that doesn't take away the moments of questioning "why? why Justin? why now?" ...and I can't help but feel, at times, "it's not fair. it's not right." He truly was one of the most amazing men I've ever met. The numbers of lives he touched and impacted through his classroom, his coaching, and in his friendships are immeasurable. We lost a good one, that's for sure. But Heaven gained an incredible man and I am pretty doggone sure that Justin is rejoicing in being in the arms of Jesus. Today, this is my prayer for Shala, Patty, Julie, and Natalie:

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

In the midst of all of this, we have had the privilege of having Justin's niece, Kyla, with us for a few days. Owen has loved having a play mate and we have truly enjoyed the spark this sweet little 4 year old carries with her. Today, she even let me take a few pictures of her! Is she not the cutest?

From Blog Photos

And finally, here are a few of Owen...

From Blog Photos

P.S. Just so you know, I didn't take the picture of Justin and Shala at the top. In fact, I'm not even really sure who took it...I just thought it was an incredibly beautiful picture and wanted to share it with you.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Oh dear...

I FINALLY had a breakthrough with Photoshop...partly because it's finally starting to make sense to me and partly because of actions. Enough said. Only problem is, now I want to buy the dang program which is WAY too much money (as in $700!) I am currently using the trial version C.J. downloaded for me...you know, the trial version that I won't let C.J. close at any time because once it closes I won't get access to it again! Ugghh....photography. I tell ya. Once you start, you can't stop. The amount of money you could put into this hobby is absurd. Anyway, here is a sample of my Photoshop experimenting. It's the same picture that is at the top of my last post, just edited differently. I personally like it better, but is the improvement in editing options really worth a ridiculous amount of money? That's my dilemma for today...and the reality is, I definitely don't NEED it but I sure do WANT it. Maybe I'll just keep dreaming for the time being...

Monday, February 9, 2009

Little Ryker...

Today I got to take a couple of pictures for a friend who has a little guy that just turned 2. Although Ryker was not too fond of having his picture taken, I had a blast visiting with Kim and managed to steal a few shots of the kiddo... Kim, there are more in the album if you clink on the link under the photos.

From Little Ryker

And lastly, I just had to throw this one in with the rest...because let's be honest, what 2 year old DOESN'T respond this way when it's picture time?

From Little Ryker

I need to vent...

There are very few things in my life that really get me riled up. I mean, seriously angry. However, I saw something on our way to church yesterday that literally made me want to vandalize the place: a new coffee shop called "Playmates Coffee"... you know, the kind that is apparently the new rage in our society where the baristas where lingerie or even less. Now people, this is the THIRD one that has gone up in Yakima within the last year and it makes me want to vomit. As if it isn't already hard enough to be a woman in our society and constantly be fighting the very unrealistic idea of women that our society idealizes, we now can't even get a cup of coffee without being bombarded by sex. More importantly, our husbands and sons can't even get a cup of coffee without naked women throwing themselves at them. Ok, they actually CAN avoid this by not going to these places and I am VERY thankful that I have a husband with enough integrity and love for me that he refuses to go, but still...think of all of the men out there who DO visit. Think of what that is doing to their wives, their daughters, and their own idea of what it means to cherish and value a woman. Even as a Christian woman it is hard, at times, to remember that our worth does not lie in what we look like or how sexually attractive we are...and it certainly doesn't help that everywhere you look that seems to be the message our society is sending. I guess Beth Moore's study of Esther could not be coming at a better time in my life...a time when my post-baby body is drastically different than the naked women who are constantly paraded around us. I mean, what woman, no matter how beautiful or self confident, doesn't need a reminder that our worth lies in the Lord and who He has made us....not in what our society seems to think women are good for. And on top of all of this, C.J. and I have a SON who we are trying to raise to be a man who desires God and whose character reflects his love for Jesus. It is SO daunting to think of raising him to properly value, respect, and cherish a woman in the times that he will grow up in. I am just thankful for prayer. Thankful that our God is "able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine." And I'm thankful for the example he has in his Dad.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Dude, the kid has a 6 pack!

Check it out. I know Owen has been getting taller and thinner as he gets older, but today I was looking through some pictures I took for the photography group I'm in and noticed that he actually has abs: