Is this November?

We're a week into November. And the sun is shining. Really? Where's fall? I can't complain too much, since the colors in the trees are outstanding, but it would be nice to have to wear a jacket when I go out, and Rory has all these cute warm clothes that she needs to wear before she outgrows them (am I the only mom who gets stressed over making sure her baby wears all her cutest clothes as much as possible?). But what can one do but patiently await the first snow (we haven't even had a frost at our house!).

In other news, I'm decently pleased with the election results, but disappointed with voter turnout- we only had a 44% turnout, which is bad news;  it shows our leaders that there's a high level of apathy amongst the citizenry, and it lets them know that they can get away with quite a bit without being held responsible.

In even more news, I started babysitting a little newborn, which has been an adventure. Rory gets so jealous when I give Olivia her bottle, and it breaks my heart! She needs to get used to the idea that we'll have more kids one day though, so it's probably good. It's also good practice for me to juggle (not literally of course) two babies at once- so much work! Even though I never had the desire to watch any kids other than my own, I'm grateful that God's given me the chance to bring in a little income for our family from home, and I thin it's going to be okay.

Blake and I had a date night Saturday while our housemates and some friends were doing a Grand Canyon rim to rim (they're so awesome). We went to a movie (Mega Mind) and thoroughly enjoyed it; it was quite clever. We were then going to try Freddie's, the new burger place, but weren't hungry due to free popcorn. Instead, we hung out at home sans daughter and later got takeout from Wildflower Bread Co. They have this awesome fall sandwich: turkey, bacon, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. It was delicious, and got me all excited for Thanksgiving!

On Sunday I used some of my frozen pomegranate juice to make a ham for the first time in my life: pomegrante-jalapeno glazed ham, to be exact. It was amazingly good, and we all thought the glaze recipe was fantastic. It may show up on the Christmas table this year... here's a link to the recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pomegranate-jalapeno-glazed-ham
It was also the first time I made a recipe from Food and Wine magazine- usually they're too hoitytoityt gourmet for me, but since I have all this pomegranate...

Yesterday was the start of day light savings, which should not affect us here in AZ. Except, Blake's new alarm clock sets itself for the time change automatically, just like his old one did. So, we did inadvertently fall back. I was so proud that we had so much time to get ready for church, but I found that pride cometh before the fall (back) and we ended up getting there a good 40 minutes late. Yes, this happens to us every time.

Yesterday also marked Rory's five month birthday. Everyday is more fun than the last with this happy little creature- we are enjoying the person she is becoming, and are so proud of our smiley babycakes. Here are the last of her October pictures:

She was a doctor for Halloween

Good/Bad

Good- enjoying the autumnal aspens at Hart Prairie with my family.
Bad- a container of red enchilada sauce falling out of fridge and going everywhere, staining my clothes.
Good- God providing just the right amount at just the right time
Bad- being bedridden with a plugged milk duct...who would have thought such an innocuous sounding problem would be so debilitating?!
Good- a loving, concerned husband who came home from work early to take care of me and my duct,
Bad- a baby who found her mama's feverish shivers hilarious and entertaining.
Good- 24lbs of pomegranates that are forcing me into kitchen-creativity.
Bad- Vladimir's foster family renamed him Boomer! Boomer, of all awful names!
Good- Inlaws who answer my cry for ice cream late into the evening.

What can I say...I'm striving to enjoy the journey towards sanctification! 

A little something I wrote for the prolife newsletter at FCF

I remember the first time democracy disappointed me. I was in third grade, and my class was voting on which student-submitted design should become the cover of our class book. To my critical eye, only a couple choices could be taken seriously; the rest clearly would not do at all. I passionately campaigned for the picture I thought best fit the bill (a cartoonish face peeking out from behind a book). To my great disgust, the winning selection belonged to the most popular girl in the class, a hideous and unoriginal flower (all the girls were drawing variations of it) that had no correlation at all with our compilation of short stories.

                My eight year old self pondered the unsatisfactory outcome; it had been a fair vote as far as I could tell, and the only conclusion I came to was that the value of the results depended directly on the values of the voters. This is not meant to berate my classmates, most of whom probably did not consider the ramifications of their vote. They likely based their decision on one of several factors: name recognition, popular trends, and subtle pressure from classmates (or bad taste, but we won’t go there). Fifteen years later, the results of that vote could hardly matter less, but I’ve reconsidered my conclusion and think it has never been more relevant.

                Americans today are susceptible to the same influences that plagued my third grade class when it comes to election time. Maybe you’ve been skimming over your ballot and found your eyes drawn repeatedly to a comfortably familiar name. I know I am guilty of voting this way (“Oh, that guy…I really like the font he used on his signs, so I think I’ll vote for him”). Or you might let the trends determine your selections (it said on the news that so and so is a friend of the environment, and a friend of the environment is a friend of me!). You may receive pressure (obvious or not) to vote a particular way (from your union, the media, coworkers, and family, just to name a few). Ultimately though, each voter is responsible for every little bubble they fill in (or don’t fill in, for that matter).  Any election may have ramifications of death or life for countless unborn babies, and a vote squandered or flippantly cast can make a devastating difference: the value of the results depends directly on the values of the voters.

                Few of us are called to do radical things on behalf of the unborn, like organizing marches and starting crisis pregnancy centers. But every single American over the age of eighteen has the chance to make an enormous impact through the very small act of voting. Whether you care at all about bonds or the border does not matter in the least, you have been given a voice and God is not honored by your silence. If you choose not to vote, either out of laziness or principle, I beseech you to reconsider for the sake of the little ones who have no voice at all. You are not called to singlehandedly defeat the practice of abortion, but you can take ownership of your own little vote, which is just as valuable as the next guy’s.

Maybe his name is less than melodic and he cannot afford flashy signs. Maybe she is dismissed as old-fashioned and her beliefs are far from popular. Maybe they are mocked in the lunch room at your work and ripped into by the local newspaper. Prolife candidates need your vote.

I imagine my third grade class book is buried in a box in my parents’ basement right now, stupid flower and all, and the silly cover has ceased to offend (except perhaps in the opinion of a few particularly aesthetic dust mites). However, the results of our elections can influence for decades. And to think, the value of those results depends directly on the values of the voters. Please, if you value life, get out the vote.

It's a beautiful day, so....

I truly love the rain. I do, I do. I suppose I am a true Seattleite, because these days of gloom fill me with such joy and contentment that I walk around singing Les Miserables, usually with a hot beverage in hand.

Last weekend was the Women of Faith conference in Phoenix, which I enjoyed more than I was anticipating (most of my reticence was due to Rory- I wasn't sure how she'd do there, but she was a star!). She actually literally was a star- she made it on the jumbotron twice, and was even referenced from stage by one of the speakers! We couldn't go anywhere without her being adored by countless women. Rory's developing just the best little personality ever; she's so laid back and happy, and she's discovered her tongue recently, which is hilarious! A couple of the speakers touched on things I really needed to hear, which I'm still processing.

It's fall. Which means baking season has begun! This is the new favorite in the Thompson-Bowen household. You should make them, because they're awesome; snickerdoodles that don't get crunchy!

Snickerdoodle Blondies
this version of the recipe was found at Dozen Flours- I got it from My Own Sweet Thyme

2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and beat until well blended.
4. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
5. In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and cinnamon.
6. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the baking pan.
7. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently pressed. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on a wire rack. While still warm, cut into squares with a sharp knife...
8. Share with friends and family. Enjoy! 

What a happy girl!

Unsure about her first car

Cowboy booties!

Family

Waiting for the light rail.

My snuggler

Zonked out at WOF.

After pooping through all her spare outfits, Aurora left WOF clad in diaper, cowboy booties, and hair bow.

On Babies, Beards, and Other Things

It's Sunday night, my husband and housemates are upstairs watching Braveheart, and I'm wiping tears from my face as I fold all of Rory's three month clothes and put them in a box, where they'll stay until (if) another baby girl comes along. One outfit was especially hard to store; it's just a little onesie, but somehow it just is Aurora, and I'll always associate it with her babyhood:

Really, I can't believe how it wrenches my heart to put aside her little clothes and bring out her new size...who said she could grow up so fast? But at the same time, everyday is a new delight, and we're enjoying so much the little human she's becoming. Rory has learned to express herself vocally in ways other than crying; she now "yells" at us when upset and grunts and coos when pleased. She laughs when amused (most precious thing ever!) and "talks" to all her toys. Her personality is starting to shine, and she's an amiable, content, and observant little girl. Tonight will be Rory's first night in her own room (aka her first night not spent in our room, which is surprisingly difficult for me. I give it three hours before I bring her back). I'll post cute nursery (aka office) pictures soon.
I really don't want Rory to stay a baby forever, despite her cute cuddliness, and despite the fact that I cry when she outgrows her clothes, and despite the fact that I wish she would sleep in our room forever (well, for a little while longer anyway). I'm eager eager eager to watch her grow!

This morning Blake and I did a bad/good thing: we skipped church (oh my!) and had a date morning. Normally we have date nights, but there's no great chance for that soon. So, we packed up Babycakes, dropped her off at Nana and G-Pa's place, and went out for an awesome breakfast at Brandy's. Later in the afternoon we went for a hike on Mount Elden, where I got stung by a mean, mean bee! I was thoroughly upset, and I burst into tears and threw my cell phone and water bottle. A significant happening of date morning was the making of the yearly beard contract. Blake and I have very little conflict in our relationship, but there is one issue (regretfully overlooked in premarital counseling) that continues to cause us strife. Now, I am not entirely opposed to facial hair, except on women and handsome men. It makes sense for unfortunate looking men to grow beards, but on my husband, who has such a wonderful, fascinating face, it's truly a travesty. However, Blake disagrees heartily with my sentiments. He is of the belief that the bigger the beard, the better the man (or something like that). He's grow it as long and unruly as possible, and would keep it all year round, if he weren't espoused to me. So, since I feel that because Blake loves me he should be clean shaven, and he feels that because I love him I should embrace the beard, we settle on a compromise: Blake can have a beard (with stipulations) for roughly half the year. Since fall is here and the weather is (supposedly) becoming cool, it was time to draw up this season's contract (no, we don't literally write it down, but we do shake on it). Here are the terms: Blake is permitted to grow his beard starting Monday, October 1st, granted that he shaves everyday up until then. For every day that he does not shave during that period, the beard is delayed a day. The beard must be gone no later than my birthday, March 3rd (though it can be sooner). Finally, it must not exceed a certain length and must be kept trim and neat, with no stray hairs, as to my expectations. Yes, this may seem harsh, but I assure you it is for the good of our union. The following beard (two years ago) would be in breach of contract:

In other news, Blake and I had to make an exceedingly difficult decision last week; we decided to give our doggy Vladimir back to the Arizona Boston Terrier Rescue. When we got Vlad, we signed a contract with the rescue saying that if we ever had to get rid of him, we'd return him to them. We couldn't imagine giving him up, but when Babycakes was born, we anticipated it being an issue. I won't go into all the reasons, but we knew that this would be the best thing for us and him. While I grieved all last weekend (I definitely am one of those people who give human qualities to animals, and considered Vlad to have cognitive and emotive powers that he certainly lacks), I woke up the morning of his departure with a light heart and a real sense of peace. My father in law graciously offered to drive Vladimir to Phoenix to save Blake and I from the awful experience of actually doing the hand off, and when he related it to us, it sounds like it could not have gone better. We'll miss our goofy little buddy, but we know that he'll be put in a wonderful, childless new home. Happy trails, Bucko!

Get your own Boston at www.azbtrescue.org

Finally, tonight marks one week in our new home. We're still basically living out of boxes (funny how there's less of an urgency to unpack than to pack), but we're in! Pictures to come soon...

an alphabetical summary of our trip to seattle

A: airport adjustments- different check-in procedures and security line, dirty looks from passengers at our gate...

B: backpacking- Blake went on his first backpacking trip with my brother-in-law and dad.

C: clam chowder- gotta love pacific northwest seafood!

D: ducky- rory met grandma ducky, my longtime mentor and friend
E: enormous spiders- it's wolf spider season in washington, and we encountered a few saucer-sized ones (the biggest when the boys weren't home to kill it).
F: four generations- took pictures of rory, me, mom, and grammie.

G: grammie & grampie- they came from eastern wa to meet their first great granddaughter
H: home- we spent the trip in the house I grew up in, I walked to my elementary school for probably the thousandths time, and saw lifelong friends...I know how to be comfortable there.
I: intense guy movie night- linds and I let matt and blake pick the movie, and I spent half the evening with my face buried in blake's shoulder.

J: jetson- my bloodhound-lab adorable dog-nephew
K: krispie treats- 3 different varieties, made for a big bbq: strawberry white chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, and gummy bear. oh yeah, and original
L: louis l'amour- instead of reading for class, I enjoyed the first sackett novel.
M: macaroni and cheese- fried, from the cheesecake factory, with a good friend

N: new heights- rory visited the church I grew up in for the first time. 

O: overjoyed- mom and rory upon seeing each other

P: party- we had 40 some people over to see us and meet rory; it was an awesome time!

Q: quicker plane rides- taking care of a baby made the flight fly by (pun intended)
R: rain- 2 days of sun and 3 of glorious seattle rain!
S: snow- the boys got snowed on their last morning in the mountains

T: trout from trap lake- blake caught 5!

U: uncle matt & auntie lindsay- we got to hang out with my sister and her husband quite a bit!

V: verde- spanish for green, which is a prominent color in the emerald city.
W:warehouse shopping- costco: samples and matching shirts with lindsay
X: xanthan gum- found in many beauty products, and I spent an evening doing my toenails and taking a bubble bath.
Y: yards- people have grass in washington. I like it.
Z: zonked out- Vacation made aurora sleepy, and she napped so great!

A "New Year" Starts

Today is the first day of school, and although I'm not teaching, and the one class I'm taking at NAU hardly makes me a student, I'll probably always consider this event the start of the New Year. And how different this New Year is than all the previous ones! Instead of trying to make time to write in between class and grading papers and lesson plans, I have to coax my beautiful little baby to nap (sometimes it takes herculean effort) before I can sit down at the computer. And though Blake and I are involved in many of the same things we were before Rory's arrival, my days look so different! So how do I feel about being a stay at home mom and housewife? Like I finally know what I'm supposed to do with my life! Really, I glory in it. I love being there for my daughter, and I love managing our home to make things easier on my hardworking hubbycakes. We may be poor, but it is unquestionably worth it. Still, I'm realizing that intelligent, adult conversation is a crucial component of my sanity, and intellectual stimulation keeps me from feeling like I'm Aurora's peer instead of her God-appointed caregiver. So, these are my out-of-house involvements for the coming semester:

• MOPS! In entering the scary new world of motherhood, I get to join this elite company, and I am so looking forward to it!
• A book club! I love to read so much, and nursing Rory gives me ample reading time, and it's organized by some really cool women, and I'm pretty excited about it!
• Curves! Yes, I'm going to do it. I've always been a little skeptical of Curves, since the crowd it attracts seems rather, well, old, but I think it will allow me a chance to exercise without the intimidation that I feel at a regular gym, surrounded by real athletes! I don't want to be a supermodel, but I do want to be healthy.
• Grad Class! I'm taking one more class towards my masters at NAU, more than anything just to keep up with my academic Spanish and spend a bit of time in my field. It's just one evening a week, so it shouldn't be too taxing.
• Various political involvements! We're contemplating increasing our involvement with the Flagstaff Tea Party, though we cringe at the Tea Party stereotype. The Flag branch has a few different twists than the national one, and we think it's heading in a positive direction and that there are a lot of  neat opportunities coming up...it's been infiltrated by some awesome libertarian friends of ours, and we're working to convince people that parties are overrated and that individual and states' rights should be universally emphasized. I'm also hoping to help start a food co-op with some other members.
• Bible study! We go to two Bible studies, studying Matthew at the Millers', and young marrieds at the Korns' (which we've decided is more of a fellowship than a Bible study). They're both awesome and challenging and I learn a lot.

A New Year also means New Year's Resolutions, which I always make intentionally vague to allow me to reinterpret them as necessary. This year my focus is on self discipline. I need to have more discipline in just about every area of my life, so expanding on that would take far too long. Basically, I need to be more intentional about my actions, in everything from daily time in the Word to healthier eating and exercise habits to being more committed to staying within our budget. Pray for me if you think of it, and I'll post occasional reflections and updates.

I'll leave you with a recent picture of Rorykins, aka the most amazing baby in the world! I'm completely smitten with her!

Oh, and I made up a joke the other day! Here it is:
Q- What is ghost's favorite food?
A- Ghoulosh!
I feel like I should submit it to a Popsicle company to be printed on the sticks, along with all the eight and nine year olds!

our story.

Under the "pages" link at the right is Blake's and my story: how we met up through our wedding day. If you're bored sometime, check it out! I also have a printed version coming that I published through www.blurb.com if you'd rather not read it off the computer :-)

Summer

Beautiful Rory is nine weeks old today!

Going to a party a couple weeks ago

Playing with Dad at church on Sunday

• She has toe jam. Lots of it. I have no idea why, or if it is normal.
• She likes to sleep in...I assumed that when mama gets up, baby gets up. Apparently she disagrees.
• She has a favorite toy! It's her fun peacock, and she'll grab on to it and bring it to her mouth to suck on! She loves to watch her "friends" that hang above her bouncy seat too.
• I'm very impressed with the sun...it bleaches stained cloth diapers completely white!
• Everyday brings more smiles and new sounds...we have so much fun laughing with her!

What else (other than baby raising) have we been up to lately?

• With the primaries coming up the end of the month, we're re-involving ourselves in local politics, and are contemplating the best means of influence.
• We're packing and moving!
• I've been loving the rainy Seattley days...so beautiful! Perfect for cuddling with husband, baby, and pooch with books or a movie.
• Blake and I had an awesome date night on Saturday: dinner at the Himalayan Grill (lamb korma...mmmm), and home to watch Leap Year, which was an awesome movie...Blake even thought so!
• Speaking of movies, Toy Story III was so good...I'm impressed that they've kept the quality going through the whole trilogy!

For the past 20 years of life, this time of year meant getting ready to go back to school, as a student or a teacher. I still, in fact, consider Aug./Sep. as the start of the year, rather than January. It hasn't really sunk in yet that this is the first fall I am not going back. Well, that's not entirely true since I'm taking one class through NAU towards my masters (but that's just one evening a week so it doesn't seem to count!). While I won't really miss teaching and only sort of miss being a student, it's still very strange that this new stage of my life is starting...summer felt like, well, summer. We'll see what autumn as a housewife feels like.

New Home, New Adventures

After trying off and on for a year to sell our home, we got a large check on Saturday that closes the deal...our home has officially sold! God really did a fabulous work to bring us the perfect buyer, and now we are preparing to say goodbye to the first home we shared together.

Two wonderful years here...so many memories!

It was all decorated when  we drove up after our honeymoon!

The view from our deck was consistently gorgeous.

 

Our first Christmas was spent there...we had no tree so we decorated Apollo!

 

 

 

We smoked our First Thanksgiving turkey on its deck.

It was a humble house with a rich view.

It kept us warm during the winter

Our daughter won't remember her first home, but Vlad will never forge the little black poodle next door.

Thank you, House. Now, on to a new chapter!