Summer fun

I've been absent from this space for what feels like too long...

It's been difficult for me to update this little blog because I've been going through some "mama stuff" lately and I haven't been able to decide whether to share that here or just keep things light and airy. I suppose I choose the third option, which is just not write anything. =)

Not to go into anything too deeply, but I will say that this whole experience of motherhood, nothing surrounding the care of Brynn has ever been much of a challenge for me...obviously, she's only 6.5 months old and I have a long way to go...what has been challenging is everything else...family, my emotions, expectations I've putting on myself, letting go of Brynn...I'm blessed with many wise mama friends in my life and I'm so grateful for the encouragement they provide, even when I seem to hang on to the same struggles, week after week.

What I've realized during the last 6.5 months is that stepping into motherhood is just like starting a new job- I can't expect to be perfect at every aspect of it from the get-go, or ever for that matter. It will take time to fit into my new role- a lifetime, probably...and I shouldn't be so hard on myself when my timing of being ready for certain things doesn't match up with other people's wants or desires. So, that's the dark stuff. =)

Amid all of that, I have never been so content in my whole life. I love my days with Brynn and being able to soak in every stage she is growing through...and yes, I meant "growing", not "going". teehee. I'm amazed at hoe much she loves me, I mean REALLY loves me. She's always happy to see me, thinks I'm ridiculously funny, and is such a snuggle bug. Mark and I look at her every day and have to pinch each other to believe that she is really ours.

The last few weeks have been busy with a wedding at Semiahmoo that Mark and I were both in (his cousin's- super fun, beautiful weather, awesome time with family, amazing location!), lots of playdates, planning fall projects and taking a million pictures of Brynn!

This was the first week of school and I've been thinking about what I was doing last year at this time, greeting new students with their crisp new clothes and backpacks full of sharpened pencils, and explaining to every parent that inquired (which was every parent) what my plan for the year was since I was obviously pregnant. I do love teaching, but I wouldn't trade that huge paycheck (ha!) for what my days include now!

Brynn turned 6 months old in August- she's 14 lbs, 4.5 oz, 26 inches long, takes 2 great naps every day, eats 3 meals of solid food, sits up on her own, is so happy and smiley and giggly all the time- we sure do love her!

4th of July fun!

We had LOTS of fun this past weekend at our family cabins in Spokane. The weather wasn't great, but we were able to: have great chats with extended family, take naps with Brynn instead of doing chores, enjoy a mostly "media-fee" 5 days, eating delicious creations from my brother, who has become quite the bbq master, and relish in the fact that Brynn will now be able to enjoy this place that I have enjoyed since I was her age! So fun!

Brynn has now chowed down on several fruits and veggies and the girl loves to eat- she almost snarls as she tries to catch the spoon in her mouth before it quite reaches her.

Mark enjoyed playing around with the camera and captured some awesome night shots- he is so talented!

On the way home, we experienced the biggest, and I mean biggest, poop in the history of poops. I mean...it was all over Brynn, head to toe, all over the car seat AND even went ALLLLLLLLL the way down to the car seat base! How does that even happen?! Super gross and definitely a two-person job to clean up...and then we had the 6-hour drive home. =) Brynn must have been on a blow-out spree because that night when we arrived home, she had pooped again, and then the next day as I was walking through the store with her in the front pack, I realized she had pooped all over herself and it was all over the baby bjorn and my shirt. Awesome. Of course, as I had just begun my grocery shopping, I had to keep going...clearly I have my priorities straight: food first, poop second.

busy busy!

Things have been a bit crazy around here lately and with a full summer of little vacations and wedding events for Mark's cousin (we're both in the wedding party), I'm learning quickly how to balance everything in this new role of mine. Brynn continues to amaze us with her constant cuteness and we can hardly believe that she turned 4 months old on the 17th. We've been doing some sleep training with her since Friday (another post altogether)- she's doing really well and it's been a huge weight lifted off my shoulders because it will be much easier to leave her with others now that she can put herself to sleep on her own.

We started solid foods last week- her pediatrician recommended skipping rice cereal and moving on to a fiber-rich veggie since her poopin' schedule suggests the cereal could make her constipated. Sweet peas were her first bite and I've been amazed that she's been eating all we've been giving her and not just swirling it around in her mouth and spitting it out. She likes to eat, just like her parents! =) I received the Beaba Babycook for a gift and I can't wait to start putting it to use with all the awesome summer produce starting to become available!

Definitely feeling the itch of needing to commit to an exercise routine- feelin' reeeeeaaaal squishy lately. I had to stop running a few years ago because of a back issue that I suspect had more to do with me wearing high heels every day. Now that I don't do that anymore, I'm hoping to try running again with some success.

We tore down our upstairs deck and closed off the door that used to lead to it from one of our bedrooms upstairs- it was starting to rot and a future kid-bedroom with a door to a 2nd story deck didn't seem like the best idea. That's our awesome "can do it all" neighbor in the picture. He's great.

The photo of Mark and Brynn in the Bjorn is from a little hike we went on a few weeks ago- there are some fun little trails close to us that are perfect for the spontaneous "wanna go for a hike?" line that comes from our mouths often. Mark is totally addicted to the Bjorn- he loves wearing it. I don't blame him- Brynn is so sweet and content when she's in there...she loves to look around and hold hands while she's being carried in that thing.

We celebrated our 7th anniversary on the 28th- hard to believe it's been that long! Since we got married before the digital age, none of our pictures are super accessible, so not as easy to post on here- but just imagine us thinner, tanner, and still going gaga over each other and that's pretty much what we looked like back then. =)

Ok...so what I meant was...

...June 10th AND June 7th. After I wrote that last post, I was thinking about how I remember finding out I was pregnant on a Sunday, but if June 10th was a Thursday this year, that means it would have been a Wednesday last year.

Hmmm.

So, I looked back through iphoto, knowing that I had taken a picture of that test, and whaduyaknow?



If only I would have waited 3 more days to take that test...it would've made for a real good story. Ah, well.

June 10

June 10th has become a very good day for the Pearson family. Two big events have taken place on this day, the first being this was the day that Mark and I met.

Here's the story...

It was the summer after my sophomore year of college and I was home for the summer and singing in the choir at my home church. I had sworn off boys (which is typical for every girl at some point in their life) =) and was excited to be surrounded by all my old friends..."old" is being used as an adjective to describe their age, not relationship status...my church had a lot of old people. Just then, Mark and his dad walked in and sat down in the congregation...I immediately had a chat with the Lord. It went a little like this:

Me: "Lord, there is a really cute guy out there today...see him? Tall, dark, handsome? Ya, him. I'm just wondering if you'd like me to meet him? If so, I'll wait for you to create an opportunity...preferably right after the service."
God: "..."

Right after the service, Mark and his dad left...like, I've never seen two men walk so quickly out of a church service.

God has a sense of humor. Boy do I love that about Him. :)

I proceeded to tell just about anyone who would listen to me at church about the cute boy I saw that morning. So pretty much everyone knew that I was gaga over this guy.

That night, I was helping with a fundraiser dinner for a mission trip I was going on later that summer and guess who walked in...yup, Mark and his parents. Now, mind you, Mark swam competitively for the UW, so he had a body that could NOT be missed. I can say that because we're married now. Because of an afro that later on in the summer became a mullet (another story altogether), he also had hair that set him apart from the crowd. Picture this- right as he walked in, every eye, and I mean EVERY eye, was on me since I had told anyone and everyone about my crush and, like I said before, because of the majority of the congregation of my church, it was obvious THIS was the boy I had gushed about. Being the outgoing girl that I was (am?), I hid behind any large person I could find for a bit while gearing up to go talk to...gulp...him. When I finally did, he talked me up about how he wanted to become a professional windsurfer and a bunch of other stuff that I totally ate up. Later on, he showed up in my line to get spaghetti and I made a total fool of myself as I talked and didn't pay attention to how many scoops of spaghetti I gave him...needless to say, he was very full. As the evening was winding down, I was panicking trying to figure out how to get his number before he left, so I walked over to Mark and told him we had a great college-age bible study going on for the summer and that we should exchange numbers so I could let him know when it was happening. After I got his number, I walked over to my pastor and told him we needed to start a college-age bible study for the summer because I just told a really cute guy that we had one...hey, here we are about to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary, so I'd say I've made up for that little fib at this point.

Our courtship moved relatively quickly- after 3 weeks of hanging out, Mark told me he loved me- the first and only man to tell me so...we didn't kiss until we were together 6 months, most people in our lives thought that was weird, some thought it was cool. It was an amazing way to get to know someone and as a woman in this day in age, having a guy want to spend time with me and not go THERE is really rare, and so I cherished it, though it was difficult...remember...he was a swimmer. =) I'm so thankful for Mark- each day I love him more and we still have so much fun together, just today I almost fell over laughing during one of our conversations. He's still as handsome, charming, and thoughtful as he was while we were dating and I'm so excited to watch him treat Brynn with the same adoration he shows me every single day.



And now, the second reason June 10th is a good day: this girl.



Last year on June 10th, which was a Sunday I remember, I woke up, peed on a stick, went back to bed and waited for the longest 3 minutes of my life. I had taken many pregnancy tests before and so while I knew the drill, nothing could have prepared me for what I would feel as I realized that this time, there were TWO lines. I remember jumping back in bed with the stick to show Mark and we just sort of sat there in amazement...it's incredible and such a miracle that this little lady that has stolen our hearts began growing inside my womb only a year ago.

So...there it is...June 10th. I'm so thankful for this day- with each of these special events, my little family has been created.

A weekend in pictures...

I'm on mid-winter break this week (yahoo!) and have been enjoying checking off my to-do list, visiting with friends and family, and in general just loving being in charge of my own time.=) This past weekend we had a great time celebrating V-day and my birthday in Seattle. One of my dear friends got married Saturday morning, so that's what began our festivities. We stayed at the W hotel, a place we've always wanted to try, had a fabulous dinner at Palomino (thanks, mom and dad!), went to the aquarium, walked around Pike Place market, stood in line for what seemed like an hour at the original Starbucks (my americano was definitely worth the wait), watched the man at the Beecher's cheese shop stir a HUGE tub of cheese, and enjoyed great sunny weather the whole time. Ironically, as we drove home, it started to rain.

I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate another birthday. My mom always says that having another year to celebrate IS a reason to celebrate, and we did...with pizza brought by Mark's parents and a delish cake brought by mine...I've never felt more sure of myself, confident in who I am, and content with my life than I am right now. I have the knowledge of Christ as my Savior, a husband who is so amazing it's hard to describe in words, a beautiful house that is much to large for the 2 of us, a job that I love, the ability to have extra money to create goals with...a lot of people don't have half of what I have...and I know it could all be taken away in an instant. The Lord is SO good and I'm overcome with adoration and awe in Him.

Today I'm looking forward to checking a few more things off my list, getting to visit with some of the kiddos I used to nanny and their mama, and excited about bible study tonight! I hope you're all enjoying the day! xo

An evening walk in the snow...

Mark and I decided to explore our neighborhood this afternoon...boy did we get a lot of snow! I was about to walk out the door this morning when my district canceled school. I was glad since we live on a hill and my route to work is also full of hills. Mark stayed home too, so we had a fun day of relaxing, finishing my holiday baking from yesterday, and a nap. A GREAT nap. :)

I am sad we didn't have school today because we were going to have a party in class, my parents and Mark planned to come, my mom was going to teach my class a craft I did when I was in elementary school, and I had gifts for my students and staff. :( Oh well, I guess I can't complain about the early introduction to winter break!

So, back to the walk...it was peaceful out and a fun time with my hunk. :)

The MONSTROUS house being built up the street. The houses in our neighborhood were all built in the 40's, so this one really sticks out. Notice the roof line of the house next to it. Yup, it's THAT tall!

We were so amazed to see the UPS guys out, we just had to take their picture.


A little fuzzy, but this documents that we were actually out. :)


Our cozy house with my newly-painted red door!


Mark snowboarding...in front of our house. :)

I'm looking forward to another relaxing day tomorrow, getting laundry and cleaning done- hopefully I can get out at some point because I still have lots to finish before Christmas! Hope you are all staying warm!

What we've been up to...

It's been a while...hi, how are you? :) There has been a lot going on in the Pearson home that I should have been blogging about, but in the midst of the last month, which was full of school functions, conferences, report cards and the like, well...I've been tired. Sometimes, blogging just feels like work- maybe some of you agree. I do love sharing what our life is like, and peeking into yours as well, but sometimes we all need a break. But here I am, sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, enjoying the gift of time that has been given to me in the form of a late-start day because of the snow- I wanted to take this time to check in.

These are quite random pictures, but they all made me smile, so I wanted to share...




We've fallen in love with this little dog. My parents got him last summer and he's been a great companion. Here is Coco after his weekly bath. My dad treats him like a baby- this is the closet thing he has to a grandchild right now...we'll have to change that soon. :)


And just for kicks, this is me enjoying the last day of summer with Mark, dining at the Newcastle Golf Club. If you've never been, it is unbelievable. The view is out of this world.


This is some of my staff at our holiday party over the weekend. It was a blast! I love these people- God has truly blessed me with an amazing place to teach and friends in the faces here...

Having fun with the creepy moving hand that was a white elephant gift. It had a remote control and the fingers wiggled. egh.

A view of our tree from the front yard. We've really been taking a different perspective with Xmas this year, as are a lot of people I think. I love to shop, give and receive as much as anyone, but I really wanted this year to be more about Christ, and the family traditions we have. It's a gift alone to have this life, and to spend it with those we love, to live in a country where we can worship the Lord freely and to not live in fear of persecution...these are the gifts we receive each day of the year, and honestly, it's been a huge load-off to focus more on that than anything else. Also, with the remodel we're planning/hoping to do in 2009, we wanted to stay on budget with our gifts, and it's been fun to have to sit back and actually think about what would be great for each person, instead of rushing out and trying to buy as much as possible, as fat as possible. We've also had a lot of fun adopting kids to buy gifts for- it was one of my favorite memories this year so far...a great date night with Mark to do something meaningful for others. :) Thanks, honey, for doing that with me! I'm looking forward to a wonderful holiday season!

Also- I'd love to send Xmas cards to my blogging buddies! Email me your address at robincpearson at gmail dot com. :)

Hoping that December is treating you all well!