The Daily Chase

Every time I change this guy's diaper - he takes off and "runs" away.

It's a good thing I find his little buns adorable, or I might get frustrated.

Some People Use A Walking Stick...

I use a Plunger.

Not What Grandpa Had In Mind

God Is Good, All the Time.

For the past few days I have been praying fervently for this little guy. He's currently in a hospital in Minnesota and his heart rate is in the mid 200's and has been for days. The doctors have been unable to slow it down to a normal rhythm. I look at his adorable little face and just want to cry - I can not imagine how his mom feels or what I would do if that were Ephraim.

Back in high school our youth pastor taught us this little saying - God is good, all the time and All the time, God is good. God's character is good and that is unchangeable. Regardless of what is going on in the world - God is who He says he is, and He is good. And even in the worst possible circumstances - God is good. I remember praying as hard as I ever have for God to heal my dad. God didn't answer my prayer the way I wanted him to - but even in that circumstance He is good.

I don't know what little Stellan's outcome is going to be. I do know that God wants me to continue to pray for him. I also know that regardless of the outcome, God is still good - even if it isn't the result that I have been praying for. Please pray for little Stellan and his family today. Thanks.

Hawaiian Haystacks

I saw this recipe on another blog and then for the life of me couldn't find it again so I had to google the recipe. It is rice covered with poached chicken that has been combined with cream of chicken soup. You can then add whatever toppings you like: we added bell peppers, green onions, shredded coconut and maraschino cherries. It was so simple and so delicious. I think it will become one of the recipes I turn to when I am in need of something quick and easy.

What I Know About Worms...

Let me start off by saying that I don't know a whole heck of a lot about worms - mine haven't arrived yet - but several people have asked me about my composter and I decided it would be easiest to blog about it to answer the questions.

I decided to go with a worm composter over regular composting simply because I am terrified of rodents. I am not that crazy about worms either, but they are way lower on the fear scale. The three oldest Forbes women have all decided to start composting with worms and each of us has purchased a different system. I chose this compost system. After researching online - I decided it fit best with my needs. I really like that it has a roof - which in my head again decreases the chance of rodents coming near my home - and living in Washington it makes sense to me to have a roof on my composter. Call me crazy.

My mom chose this compost system. It seems to be the most popular worm composting system. It is very similar to the one I have and has a lid, but not a roof. It has been featured on several television shows.

Colleen will use this system. Hers is by far the cheapest option, but does not have trays - the compost moves to the bottom of the bin as the worms move upward to eat the food. I really liked that the worms came with your purchase of the bin - I had to buy mine sepearately. It must be a popular system because Colleen ordered hers before I ordered mine and hers is backordered.

None of us have our worms yet. My mom is in California this week and didn't want to start until she returns. The company I ordered from sends the worms approximately a week after you get your bins so that you have time to get everything set up for them. I bought a small paint bucket and have already started collecting food scraps for my worms so they won't be hungry when they get here. Once I actually get going I will let those of you who are interested know how it is going.

A Weekend of Gardening

Frank and Lona came up this weekend to spend some time with Ephraim (and us - but we know who they really came for). They haven't seen him since New Year's so it was fun. I love being able to put Frank to work - so this weekend he and Forrest built raised garden beds for me.
The actual building of the beds didn't take long at all - but all of the shoveling and moving of the dirt and mulch piles was hard work.
In case you were wondering why there are red flags everywhere - they are to keep Wallis out. I am very excited and already have seeds growing in little pots in my basement. Everything is sprouting so far and I get really excited every morning when I go downstairs to water them.
In other exciting news - this is my worm composter that came in the mail on Friday. I have been wanting to compost for awhile - and looked at all sorts of compost bins. I am terrified of rodents and decided that worm composting decreased my chances of luring rodents to my back yard. My worms are coming next week and I already have food scraps ready for them to eat.

My Dad Would Be Proud

Today was a good day in ladies basketball. The Jackson Hole High School Broncs won the state championship! When I played my dad was our team doc and has a ball that says 6th man signed by all of us. The George Fox University Bruins also extended their undefeated streak and have made into the Final Four! My dad loved the Bruins and even though I only played on the team for a year, he was on the D3hoops website commenting and would even plan trips out to see us in the winter around the girls' home game schedule. I'm pretty sure Dad is doing a slam dunk in heaven this evening.

Things I Have Taken Out of Ephraim's Mouth This Week

~paper
~a rock
~a razor
~dog food
~dog bone
~toothpaste cap
~dirty socks
~bath salts
~metal spoon (he tries to gag himself with it)


I don't know if I am getting lazier or if he is just a way better finder.

First Haircut

Forrest has been saying for awhile that Ephraim needs a haircut. Today I finally took the plunge.
Sitting in the airplane.
He got a kick out of checking himself out in the big mirror.
Driving the airplane.
The spikes are a little too long.
Finished big boy haircut. I am really pleased with the result - although a little sad to see his curls go. (I love that his shirt says "I am a really big deal." - he sure thinks so.) We finished our big boy afternoon by having lunch at Panda Express

What's better than a drooly naked baby on your bed?

A drooly baby sticking his tongue out at you of course!

Things I Have Learned This Week:

~Ephraim likes grapefruit.
~ If you ignore the Great Cheerio Disaster of March 09 long enough - the dog will clean it up.
~ I hate throwing up as much as I always have (and am so thankful that morning sickness was never an issue when I was pregnant with Ephraim)
~ The above comment has renewed my efforts to always keep my kitchen sink clean.
~ Forrest is fantastic at taking care of me when I am sick (I have known this it was just reinforced this past week)
~When giving middle of the night instructions - one should be very specific. It is extremely difficult to read minds in the dark.
~If Forrest and I decide I shouldn't be eating dairy - that is all I will crave.
~When I am sick I revert back to 10 year old Amy and want to be taken care of while I lie in bed.
~Pack n plays make great baby jails when mom wants to take a nap.

Edited to add: I just learned that Bisquick should be refrigerated after opening. Um... who has room for a Costco sized box of Bisquick in their refrigerator?

Adding Insult to Injury

This week I took a quick trip down to Oregon. By the time I got home Wednesday night I was sick. Congested, sore throat, achy, headache, chilled. Thursday and Friday it was a bit rough watching Ephraim because all I wanted to do was lay down and he is super active. Friday I was smart enough to bring up his pack 'n' play and used to create a barricade so that he could not escape the living room. Ephraim thinks it is funny that I am sick as he laughs everytime I sneeze or cough. The worst part of this week though was Friday afternoon when I stepped barefoot in dog vomit. I can't tell you when the dog threw up - only that it was the icing on the cake to a really tiring day. We are praying that I will feel better soon.

11 Months

Sheesh! February flew by too quickly. Ephraim just keeps getting more fun. It is so enjoyable to watch him explore his surroundings and continue to figure things out. He is becoming braver with taking steps - but still only takes 3-5 at a time. Bear crawling is his preferred mode of transportation. His latest tricks include shaking his head no. I originally taught him how to shake his head to say "I don't know" but he now shakes his head no whenever I ask him a question or we tell him he is going to go to do something he doesn't want to do (go to bed). Speaking of going to bed - I didn't think it was possible for us to get worse in this area - but oh my goodness. For the past week he has been up a minimum of 6 times. I have been sick and not feeling up to battling him, but as soon as I get over this nastiness it will be a battle (and I will win... eventually... because someday he will move out of my house and his wife will have to deal with his sleep issues.)

He has several "words" that he says. Bye, uh-oh, and up (mup). He will not say them for you on command, but will surprise you every once in a while. His climbing skills have improved as he gets taller (he's completely in 18 month clothing.) He loves to help me unload the dishwasher and yesterday he climbed up in the dishwasher and was standing up on the door. I can't believe he will be 1 in a month - but it has been a entertaining journey thus far.