Gazing into your eyes . . . . . . .

Welcome Baby Vera!

I love you!

Time To Go Home - Taking My Memories With Me

What a WONDERFUL WEEK we spent with Josh and Jayne (even though they kept beating us at Hand and Foot and Dutch Blitz!)  The memories are held in my heart and I will treasure them always.  Next time I come back it will be to meet my new granddaughter!  I am sooooo looking forward to that day.  I love you Josh and Jayne!  Thanks for the memories!

STP (Seattle to Portland)

Steve (and 10,000 other cyclists) rode from Seattle to Portland on their road bikes.  Some of the riders chose to ride it in two days, 100 miles each day.  But Steve along with some of his friends and 2500 others rode it in one day.  They left downtown Seattle at 4:45 a.m.  Vicky and I were the Support Posse.  We met them at the 100 mile mark for a brief stop then headed to Portland and the finish line.  Steve loves cycling and enjoys the competition.  I know he trains and is good but we were all surprised to see him come in #4 out of all those cyclists!  It was really exciting and he didn't even act tired when he got in.  WOO HOO good job Steve!

 

This was taken just as he finished the 204 miles . . . . . doesn't he look great!  As you can see behind him, there is no one else there yet except volunteers.  I still can't believe how far he was ahead of most of the people who rode.  I am proud of you!  

It's Ocean Time!!!!!

One of my most favorite things to do is go to the beach.  We walked down the coast, explored a tunnel from one beach to another, checked out a lighthouse and had a wonderful day!

It's About Time!

Josh and Jayne have lived in the Northwest for almost two years and we FINALLY made it to see them!  It was a fun week filled with reliving childhood memories, making new memories, sightseeing, games, laughing and lots of FUN! 

 Because of all the rain this year the strawberry crop was a couple weeks late . . . . . perfect timing for when we were there, yeah!  I remember picking strawberries when I was a child living in Oregon.  This brought back great memories, made fun new memories and we made great smoothies when we got home. 

 It was fun sharing this experience with Steve and well as Josh and Jayne!

Fun Weekend!

Every weekend spent with our grand-kids is full of fun!  We love you Ema and Bracken!

 

Ready to go hiking and exploring!  

Gracie Loves Her Voice

From ONE extreme to ANOTHER . . . .

Ema was holding her cute baby sister and she found a (not so welcome) surprise!

All up Gracie's back and on Ema's pants!  OOOPS!

Gracie's Daddy came to the rescue . . .

But little Gracie was not at all pleased with the process

Gracie says, "Why did this to happen to me?"









"Hang in there Gracie Mae Daddy will make it better!'
                                                 


                                   


         There is nothing like a nice warm bath to help you be happy!

Here's our happy little one, and Ema wasn't scared away from holding her after the blow out

She still LOVES to hold her baby sister!  And Gracie love her too!

Playing Hookie . . . . (from housework!)

 

ZIPLINE Woo Hoo!

Day #3 Started Out Rough

He found his smile AFTER he got sick!

Finally he is getting some good sleep

Moaning, groaning and throwing up is how the day started out in the wee hours of the morning.  Poor Bracken! He and I slept (if you can call it that) on the bathroom floor together.  Aren't sleepovers great!  After he got sick he went to sleep and slept until 11:00 a.m., since he woke up he has been going strong all day, not sick any more yeah!  

Let's play Uno!

              Bracken didn't win the game, his pouting reminds me of     someone else when he was young LOL!

                 Luckily Steve got home today and helped to put a smile back on his face

Puzzles are a favorite for Bracken

Today has brought lots of rain and cold, but that is perfect for playing games and having fun together.  As we come to the end of a fun weekend we look forward to more good times in the near future.  Actually we are painting Bracken and Ema's bedroom tomorrow afternoon, that will be a fun adventure . . . .!

Day #2

Our day started out being very lazy!  Bracken and I woke up at 9:30!  I don't think I have EVER slept in that long.  Wow was it nice!  After a relaxing morning we went outside and made some more fun memories together. . . . We started out looking at the beautiful Fall leaves.  There were deer everywhere we went, we counted 24 deer including 2 big bucks . . . . it was a lot of fun!

We decided to take the 4 wheeler for a spin which turned into quite an adventure.  We looked for deer, checked out the big metropolis of Pine Valley, and then went to our favorite place, the toilet bowl and jump which was as fun as ever.  Then I did something I haven't done before, I let Bracken drive . . . . that might have been a mistake because he LOVED it!  

Our next venture was hiking - Bracken was the hike leader taking me

straight up the hill to his "hideout" on top of the rocks clear up on top!

Here we are "on top of the world"  what a great accomplishment.  Bracken was so careful  

to make sure I watched out for cactus, stickers and pokey sticky, he was a great guide.

                                         We went a different way down which was fun.
               He took me over and through rocks around and trees until we were safely down the hill!

                Finally we played on the swings, then enjoyed the view of a beautiful sunset from the deck.
Two days gone by . . . one to go . . . . more to come!

HOT DATE!

I am enjoying a wonderful weekend with cute little Bracken.  He and I started our weekend out with a date to Fiesta Fun and then we went out to dinner.  He is great company and such a joy to be with!  After playing games he won a Chinese Fan.  At dinner he started fanning strangers.  They responded positively so it encouraged him to keep doing it.  Then he told me, "I love doing service for people and making them happy.  I feel so happy when I do service."  What a cute kid!

The first thing that Bracken chose to do was the go karts.  We rode together and had a really FUN time giggling the whole time, wheeeeeee!

Put on your seat belts, HERE WE GO!

Next on the agenda . . . . . minature golf.  Watch out . . . . . .  here comes Bracken!

More to come . . . . .

Sibling Torture Treatment - OUCH!

Justin ask Julie to torture him . . . but did he regret the request?  

Absolutely not, he LOVED the results of the torture treatment!

THANK YOU Alicia and Justin!

It's a GIRL!  

I am so grateful to Alicia and Justin
Thanks for letting me witness a glimpse of heaven in the birth of Gracie Mae!  It was an amazing day. 

The Big Event (Gracie's birth) started late Friday night . . . It was a LONG night for Justin and Alicia.  This picture was taken Saturday morning, before the birth but after a VERY long night.  The few minutes of shut eye must have done the job because they made it through the birth amazingly.  Alicia did GREAT, I am so proud of her and happy that she allowed me to witness this miracle.

 
Gracie Mae Moss
September 25, 2010
11:58 a.m.
6 lb. 13 oz
19 1/2 in.
SOOOOO CUTE!

 Ema is a VERY PROUD big sister!

 Bracken LOVES his new baby sister!

 My heart of open, my arms are full of a new little bundle from heaven. 

 Steve enjoys being a Grandpa!

 Words cannot express the feelings that are in a mother's heart and mind right after giving birth.  You are awesome  Alicia, I love you!

 Gracie Mae , just minutes after her birth.  She was so wide eyed and alert.  She just looked around and took everything and everyone in, what a precious experience.

What a proud Daddy admiring his tiny little girl.

Lunar Effect and Childbirth . . . Truth or Myth?

It's certainly a widely held belief. It goes back so far, it's unclear where it first took hold, but one thing is for sure: People around the world have a deep faith in the moon's ability to affect human physiology. Giving birth is just one human behavior said to be affected by the full moon.  It's called the lunar effect, and, as far as births are concerned, the primary explanation for the effect focuses on the moon's gravitational pull. It basically states that much the way the moon's gravity controls the tides, it can control a woman's body. The human body is 80 percent water, after all.

So whether this belief is true or not is an interesting topic of conversation.  It is something I have thought about quite a bit in the past and the last few days have brought even more evidence that there could be a lot of truth to this belief.

We have been enjoying an awesome full moon this week and in the past FOUR days there have been THREE babies born in the Moss family!  That's right 3 new babies this week, all before their due dates under this full moon.

First baby, Clara:  Born Sept. 22, 2010

        Second baby Mason:  Born Sept. 24, 2010






Third baby Gracie:  Born Sept. 25, 2010









So what do you think?  Myth or truth?  You have to admit it is interesting to say the least! 

I Choose Gratitude

With so many things going on in life that could give reason to be less than joyful, I choose to focus on what I am truly grateful for . . . . As I sit on the deck this morning enjoying the sunshine, peaceful scenery and savoring my herb tea I find myself pondering life and the things that are unfolding before me.  As I look inward, I recognize this time as a turning point in my earthly path.  Some of the things I am focusing on this month are:  Courage and confidence, prayer, experiencing the sweetness of life and acknowledging that my true identity is one of peace and joy, focus on service, faith in miracles, learning new knowledge and skills, getting plenty of fresh air, sunshine, water and healthy food. 
Some specific things I am grateful for are (there is much more):
G - Great relationship with Steve
R - Rest and Relaxation
A - Atonement
T - Temple
I - Ingmar, Ema, Bracken, and ??, and ?? and ?? and ?? . . . . .
T - Travel and Adventures
U - Unique love that I have for my children and their spouses
D - Departed loved ones who continue to love and support me from where they are
E - Every member of my wonderful family Mom, Lori, Kenny, Brent, Kelly and Kristi (and your families too!)