Long Summer Days

I feel like I should be updating, but there's not a whole lot to update. As the long HOT summer drones on, I have sadly not been very creative, so our time inside is spent playing or watching TV, and if we dare go outside, it's to the pool.
Ellie went swimming for the first time last week and has been in a few times since. The doctor recommended not swimming until 6 months when John was born. It's just been so hot, I can't bear to see her miserable and sweating in the nasty heat. He had mentioned that it was due to body temperature regulation, and I imagine it's harder to regulate in the crazy hot air than the bath water in the pool. She really doesn't like it or dislike it so far as I can tell.
John still refuses to swim without his life jacket, although he can. We've got two water guns he's been drooling over, but not tempting enough to try for the dive sticks again. He's just got to make up his mind and he'll be unstopable (a little scary for me). I can't remember if I've mentioned Eve's swimming skill, but she's given swimming without a life jacket a shot. She hovers right about eye level in the pool and kind of spins around trying to swim. Her eyes are a little wide when she does it, but she isn't panicking, so I figure it's good for her to see that's OK and that we'll grab her before it gets too scary. For some reason she won't jump in anymore, even with her lifejacket. I feel like we've gotten some good momentum, though, so we'll definitely have to make a point to hit the pool at the Y once the neighborhood pool closes.
At home Eve is really testing the limits, per the 2-year-old requirement. She's really a little booger because she laughs through discipline and even asks "please" for it when she repeats the offense. She rarely gets upset, and if she does once, she makes sure she doesn't break the second time. On the fun side, she's become quite the solitaire hide and seek player. It goes like this...she hides under a blanket and says "1, 2, 3, 9, 10, not, here I come, I found me!".
John had a rotten week after Bible school, which makes me glad we didn't sign him up for 5-day preschool. I think he was just too tired. I was so proud of him yesterday, though. We were at my friend Claire's house in Charlotte. She made brownies for my birthday, which he ate on the porch. When he finished, he brought his dish inside, looked for Claire, and completely unprompted said "Miss Claire, the brownies were very yummy. Thank you for cooking them." Gosh, they make your heart melt sometimes!
Ellie is still such a sweet little thing. She's still sleeping a lot, screams in terror when she hears Eve's voice (can't say I blame her at this point), smiles her sweet little smile when she wakes up in the morning, and even sometimes lets me sleep through the night. If she wakes up, she eats just a little around 4 or 5 usually and is asleep before she finishes. Then she wakes up in the best mood. She really is a doll.
I did have a birthday this week. There's not much sweeter than 2 of 3 kids running in to wake you up in the morning saying "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!" John didn't even need a reminder.

Oregon - Part 2

Going through the pictures from the trip I'm realizing that mine are quite lacking. I did, however, manage to achieve to capture something I'm not sure any photographer has captured...Uncle Greg's eyes! What a sweet picture of the two of them.
Wednesday we took a train ride that started in the Columbia river gorge and went up toward Mt. Hood through all the orchards. We looked out the window some, but spent more time enjoying each other's company. We thought the kids would love riding on a train. John was having so much fun with his cousins, I'm not sure he noticed. Eve kept asking "ride train?" I think the train was so big she didn't realize she was actually on a train. Never the less, it was a lot of fun. We had an absolutely FREEZING picnic at the turnaround point (not just by my standards...they ran out of hot chocolate on the train!), and headed home to the station.

A special treat for me on this trip was meeting Grandpa Bucky's sisters Ida (from Argentina) and Zoe (from Connecticut - we met only briefly before). Of course, they were all born in Morocco, but have scattered quite a bit and have been living in their respective places for quite a while. It was fascinating to just sit and listen to them. They have such a soothing sing-song brittish accent, and an amazing life full of amazing stories to tell.

Choo choo! Cristina and John became special buddies during the trip. It was so fun to watch them together and see them become such great friends. John would do anything Cristina asked. I need her to move here!

A particularly sweet picture of Eve with Uncle Rob

I promise Aunt Sue and Uncle Rod had a fun time; although it sure doesn't look like it :) It was great that they were also able to make the trip and we got to spend a good bit of time catching up with them. They were also a wonderful help with the kids.

The train's rumbling kept Ellie asleep pretty much the whole trip...except when Uncle Greg woke her up to play.
We drove back to Portland through the Columbia river gorge. Most cars stopped at Multnomah Falls. It's beautiful, but I've seen it, so the camera and I stayed in the car with sleeping Ellie. John and Eve were in another car on the way back (we split the family between a rental car and Michelle's rather than renting a van to save money) so I'm not sure if they were awake to see it or not.

Thursday USA played somebody in the world cup. Clearly I'm a big soccer fan. Seeing as that the Buckinghams were raised on a soccer field, we headed up to Rob and Sharon's house in Longview to watch the game. It was good family time! After the game, we headed back to Portland. Mom and Michelle were gracious enough to take John and Eve back so Buck, Greg, Ellie and I could have a whirlwind tour of downtown. We took a trip through Powell's bookstore (covering an entire city block), and headed to Chinatown. On the way we found the 24 hour church of Elvis...complete with a sun visor (a little ironic for Portland, but we had to show it off). It was rather amusing, but unfortunately we didn't have a quarter for the slot.

We walked through Chinatown, peeped into the "windows" of the Chinese garden (it was already closed), walked along the waterfront some, and headed to "big pink" (a tall pink building with a bar/restaurant on the 20th floor). Our plans were to just get a drink at the bar since it's rather pricey, but Ellie forgot her ID and got kicked out of her first bar...seriously. We got a table to order drinks, but Ellie was upset she couldn't go in the bar, so I walked her around. We peeped over people's tables, and apologized of course, to see the view.

Friday began with a special treat. We took the kids to Voodoo doughnuts. There are 2 locations, and we went to the 2nd, not the original, but still yummy fun. They have a huge list of funky flavors and toppings. It was fun because they had a revolving dessert display case to show all the choices. So hard to choose. I think John chose the one with fruit loops on top, and Eve had one with purple sprinkles. She just ate the top. What we didn't realize is that it was VERY grape flavored.

John knows his way around a doughnut.

I never quite figured out what mine was. It was no Krispy Kreme, but certainly an experience not to be missed. We continued to downtown to ride the MAX, which is the tram in town. Fortunately there's a free zone. Even more exciting, the free zone crosses the river! No pictures, but it was fun. The kids loved it and crashed hard from their sugar high when we got back to Michelle's.

Eve woke up before letting us know and helped herself to some Oreos from the suitcase. Caught red handed. Do you have any idea how hard it is to say no to that face? Or not laugh while taking this picture??? Daddy's so mean!

Here are some more pictures from our trip to the beach. Looking back, I figure there are hardly any pictures of Buck and me...ever, but it's just easier for me to add to this post.

One last tickle before he shaved his beard

My, What a Difference!

My, what a difference 2 months make!Sweet Ellie in the hospital - 7lb. 15 oz., 20.5 in.

Sweet Ellie at 2 months - 12 lb 2.8 oz (77 percentile), 23.5 in (83 percentile), 15.25 in head (42 percentile).

Ellie had her 2 month well check today and did great. She smiled at the doctor and did everything she was supposed to. She checked out great. Unfortunately she had to get 3 shots and was not a fan (not that I blame her). She's sleeping soundly now, and I suppose she will for quite a while.

While we had access to a credible scale, I popped John and Eve on it. John weighed in at 43 lb. and Eve at 29.

He said He would...and He did

Most (well, all) of the posts on the blog are about the kids and what's going on. I feel like I need to take a step away, though, and reflect on a family saga. God told the Israelites not to forget from where they came, and the directive is also true for us. So in an effort to remember, here is our most recent story of God's provision.
Last October Buck's company foreclosed. Of course the economy is, or at least was then, in the worst downswing since the great depression. The company had been suffering for quite some time, and it wasn't a surprise, still it was a little scary. We learned that since the company was closed, there was no remaining insurance agaist which we could pay cobra, so he'd have to quickly get another job and jump to another group plan, or we'd have to get a private individual plan. Unfortunately, pregnancy is considered a preexisting condition...for both the expecting mother AND father. We ended up having to get 4 separate insurance policies, 2 being very pricey insurance through the state for essentially non-insurable people. We were very very blessed to start our marriage in a great financial position due to diligence and sacrifice of our parents. When I looked at our financial outlook in October, I saw a pinch coming. Through the downfall of the company and realization of our insurance issue, we kept reminding ourselves that God promises to provide, and has never failed. Buck was offered and negotiated a contract with the investors from his former company to help close out the business. Through the month of February he received regular pay checks. God provided. Buck made a number of contacts while selling off equpment and was able to drum up a lot of business on the side. He started his own consulting business and has kept busy and continued to draw regular income. Again, God provided. We didn't have to move. We were able to stay near Mom, who helped us immensely while I was pregnant with Ellie and after she was born (and all the time, actually). Since Buck was working from home and on his own schedule, he was able to help a lot more around the house during my pregnancy and after Ellie was born. Again, God provided. During the month when medical bills from the birth were coming in, families from church were providing dinners to us. It's typical for our church and group of friends and neighbors to do that when a baby is born, and I've always recognized it as a wonderful convenience...not having to think about what we'll eat, grocery shopping, preparing food, or cleaning. This time, it was all of that plus a much lower grocery budget for the tightest month. We've been able to pay all the bills, make a trip out to Oregon to visit family and attend Christopher and Kendra's wedding, and even eat out every now and then (OK, a good bit). Again, God provided. Through this we have learned a lot about ourselves as individuals, a couple, and a family. We have learned about faith, God's provision, His sovreignty, His love for us, and the way he honors leadership and submission. As of today, we have paid all but one (I think) of the medical bills and managed to get all of us back onto one medical insurance plan with a cost reduction of about 40%. I have been very blessed to never have been pinched financially. I quickly learned that it's easy to trust God when we aren't pinched, but we see our true heart when we are. When it all began, it was very much a financial situation. Now that we're officially over this hump, I feel like in retrospect it was much more of a situation of the heart, preaching God's faithfulness and provision to ourselves, letting go of control (not that we mastered this by any stretch of the imagination), and watching God do His thing. Not to diminish all of the hard work Buck has put forth to lead our family through this time, but I think he'd agree that a lot of people work hard. It is God that has brought us to where we are.
All of this being said, although finances and insurance have been a stressor for me over the past months, it has also been made clear to me that these are such minor things. In the scheme of life, they are pale in comparisson to the blessings God has given us in our family and friends. In the scheme of God's eternal story, our redemption and the saving Grace of God through his only son, Jesus, they are negligible.

Oregon - Part 1

We sort of had our hands full this trip, and I haven't hijacked everyone else's pictures yet, so I don't have the best picture representation of the trip. I'll just have to try to fill in the gaps with 1000 words here and there.
We arrived in Oregon Wednesday June 9 (Ellie's 1-month birthday). Fortunately Mom made the trip with us. We absolutely couldn't have done it without her! The kids did well in the airports and on the planes, and for the most part enjoyed it. All of us, and all of our bags arrived safely, and that's saying a lot!
Thursday was spent recovering from the trip, catching up, and hanging out. By Thursday evening almost everyone had arrived and Michelle hosted a dinner at her house. The kids LOVED LOVED LOVED hanging out with their cousins, and it only got better as the trip went on.
Friday we drove to Salem, then to the camp where Christopher and Kendra's wedding was, Silver Falls. It's absolutely beautiful there! After record-breaking rainfall in Portland/Salem, etc, the sun finally made an appearance on Friday for a beautiful day! Unfortunately Mom realized early in the morning she had gotten pink eye, so she stayed back in Portland to have some fun on her own. While Buck spent the afternoon rehearsing, we spent the afternoon in the pool at the hotel with Uncle Tom and Aunt Roe. The kids loved it. We made it out to the camp for the rehearsal dinner. It was freezing, but beautiful, and a great place for the kids to play. By this time Eve and David had become good friends. He was so good keeping up with her, helping her up the stairs (even though she didn't really need it), entertaining her, and keeping her out of trouble. They really were kindred spirits, and he was so so sweet to her.
Saturday was the wedding. Another sunny and cool day. Beautiful! Unfortunately John had a bit of a rough time adjusting to the time, different places, lots of people, etc. and wasn't in the best mood. We had so much help from family, but I was still a bit frazzled, so, no pictures from the wedding. I did get a few of the kids afterward, but nothing great.

The kids did have a great time at the reception dancing and playing with cousins, as did we all. Sunday was also spent at the camp enjoying the beauty. We also made it out to a great waterfall within the Silver Falls park. A short hike to walk under the falls was well worth it! Unfortunately, no pictures.

Monday we headed to Canon Beach. The sun said it's goodbyes, and it was FREEZING, but none-the-less, we had lots of fun!

John, Aunt Sue, Grandma, and Grandma Bucky. Only in the Pacific Northwest do people dress this way to head to the beach in June! We definitely needed every layer. John did manage to talk Grandma Bucky into buying him ice cream. Personally, I would've tried to talk her into some hot chocolate!

Sure the beach was cold, but the haystack is beautiful, and the sand is still fun.

Since it was the kids' first time to the Pacific ocean, we had to dip our feet in for a picture. To our surprise, John and Eve kept heading out into the waves! Crazy kids! As soon as we got the picture, we ran out of the water and John screamed "AGAIN!" Their pants were soaked and it started to rain, so we headed back toward the car to stay the night in some other beach (can't remember the name) about 30 minutes south. The overlooks along the drive are beautiful.
We couldn't justify pulling poor Ellie back into the cold.

At night Buck took the kids into the warm indoor pool, and Michelle, Mom, and I caught the sunset. A gorgeous end to a fun day.

Michelle, Tully (Michelle's dog), and me

When we got up Tuesday morning, the sun showed it's face, and so did Buck.

The last time he shaved was while we were dating...Halloween 8 years ago!

He decided to shave a little bit each day until it was all gone. It was great entertainment for the whole family. Believe it or not, this picture was in no way staged.

Here's proof that Ellie slept in the dresser drawer. They didn't have cribs at the hotel, but she slept just fine. Buck, Mom, John and Eve headed out for some more beach time while Ellie and I packed.

All bundled up for a better shot of her first trip to the Pacific ocean.

After checking out, we headed back up north, past Canon Beach to another beach (Seaside? oh well, can't remember the name of this one either...I'm blaming pregnant brain and the fog of traveling with 3 kids under the age of 4, one only one month old). Anyway, we saw the end of Lewis and Clark's trail, got a few pictures beside the beach, had a great lunch at a restaurant with a picture window out toward the beach (great entertainment for the kids while we waited for food).

Somehow we managed to get all 5 within the frame. At this point, I consider that a victory
When we finished lunch, we headed back into town to the arcade (hours of free fun...they don't know yet that money goes into the machine, and they still have a blast!)

Checkout that game face!

And my Harley girl with her redneck Daddy
There was also a carousel in town that John and Eve enjoyed. You would've thought Eve was on parade. She waved the entire time!

Grrrrr!

After that, we were all ready for a nap. We headed back to Portland for a nice relaxed dinner at Michelle's house.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

So Stinkin' Proud!

Today at the pool I was squealing with excitement. I'm pretty sure I was having more fun than any of the kids. John had his last of 8 swim lessons today, and I have to say his teachers have really managed an amazing transformation. He's been very independent in the water and pretty fearless with a life jacket on. Last Friday I tried to get him to touch the bottom with his feet in the shallow end, which would require him to go in without the life jacket and put his head under. He puts his head under all the time with no problem, but this was just a mental shift he wasn't ready for. Today we brought some new dive sticks to the pool. I dropped them in the pool (near the stairs) before John had a chance to play with them. He immediately dove toward one. I pushed him down to help him get to the bottom, and he popped right back up with it! Next, the stepped out of the pool and threw them a few lanes into the pool. He jumped in and swam to me (standing above the dive stick), held onto me to catch a breath, then dove for the stick and swam it back to the side! Holy cow! I was so surprised and excited and proud of him!!!! Of course after that he wanted to just drop them on the stairs where he could easily get them, but he enjoyed the game, and I can't wait to go to the pool with Buck and let him see what our new little fish can do! Of course, now I keep reminding him that since he doesn't have on a life jacket he needs to tell me before he jumps in. This newly found independence is so exciting to me, but I'm sure will add to my grey hairs.

In other news, Eve has been saying the names of colors for a while now, but has started to pretty consistently identify a handful of them. She's also got a layer of curls underneath her straight hair. It's only in the back, and can't quite decide what it wants to do. We'll see what becomes of it. When it's dry it's just a funky cowlick that looks goofy under her straight hair (it's shorter, too), but when it's wet it gathers into cute little ringlets.

July 4

We've had a really hot summer since we got back from Oregon, including July 4. So, we celebrated with any form of water we could find. Saturday we went downtown to enjoy the fountain. The kids loved it. The individual fountains turn on and off unexpectedly, and although John and Eve weren't surprised by it, it was fun to see them try to figure it out.

We also shared our watermelon with the ducks and pigeons in the Reedy River (just across the sidewalk). John and Eve enjoyed chasing them. John actually learned to make a pretty good pigeon sound, and Eve gave it a good try, too.

Sunday some friends of ours invited us on their boat in Lake Hartwell. We spent a lot more time in the water than on the boat. We had a super fun time!

All in the name of safety - poor thing.

Cool girl

John enjoys the wind in his hair.

John is a pretty impressive jumper! I thought he might be afraid to jump from the deck, 2 feet or so above the water. Silly me. He LOVED it!

Eve did it a couple of times, too! No fear!

Unfortunately, no fish either...at least not for us. Each time we walked away our friends caught 2 or 3, then the biting stopped when we got back. Hmmmm, maybe McElligot's Pool?

"If you sat fifty years with your worms and your wishes, you'd grow a long beard long before you'd catch fishes!" -Dr. Seuss

Seems fitting since Buck was just beginning to grow back his beard.

And when all was said and done, they were pretty tuckered out.

That night the neighbors were setting off fireworks, so we invited ourselves over. John was definitely not a fan. He was brave with his headphones on, sort of, but he certainly didn't like it and was more than happy to come back inside and watch fun TV.