Changing Lives. One Heart at a Time.

Dear Mommy,

I have felt your tears, falling on my face. Someone else might think they are tears of sadness, because of what I can't do....

I KNOW DIFFERENT.
I know those tears pour from your heart out of gratitude for me, because of what I CAN do: I can love everyone in the purest form possible. Unconditionally. I can be judged, but will never judge in return. I know different because I feel, in your hugs and kisses, that I'm perfect just the way I am. I have seen you hang your head down in shame, when we go out on adventures. Someone else might think you are ashamed of having a child like me.

I KNOW DIFFERENT.
I know you are ashamed of the grown-ups who ignore me, yet talk happily to all the other children. The grown-ups who won't look you in the eye, but stare at me, when they think you don't see. I know different because I've seen the many, many more times you have raised your head up high, with pride, because I'm yours. I have heard you whispering desperate prayers at night. Someone else might think you are asking God to make me a typical kid.

I KNOW DIFFERENT.
I know you are thanking Him that I got to be here, with you, for another day- exactly how I am. I know different because I have heard you ask me never to leave you. And I have heard you cheer for me, every single day of my life-you tell me I don't need to be typical to be amazing, I just need to be here. I know you have a big job, taking care of me. I know your body hurts, because I'm getting so big. And I know you worry that you aren't good enough, and that you will fail me.

BUT I KNOW DIFFERENT MOMMY.
I know that even on your worst days, you will always be enough for me, and I will always love you more than you know.

Henry Porter Yeomans

This morning my best friend of nineteen years and her husband welcomed their first child into the world. He is absolutely adorable and I am counting down the days until I get to kiss his sweet cheeks! Congratulations, Lyndsey & Keith...you made one beautiful baby boy! The Gustafson family sends our love to the new Yeomans family of three.

Ella is Thirteen Months

Today our sweet munchkin is thirteen months!

Thirteen months means that Ella is walking all over the house and while her walk still looks a bit like the Bride of Frankenstein, she is getting much faster and more sure of herself. It also means that she is super curious about absolutely everything. She is mesmerized by the water in the toilet bowl and tries her best to life the lid up so she can see what is inside. She also loves to look in the garbage can and take things out. She also likes to put her toys in the garbage so we always have to be sure to check it before it goes out to the curb. She is also obsessed with chapstick and shoes and beelines it for either whenever she spots them.

She now has four upper teeth and her lower middle ones look like they might cut through her gums any day. She is wearing 12-18 month clothes, but the 18 month ones are still a bit big as she is long but rather skinny despite the large amount of food she consumes. She reaches her hands to be picked-up all the time and likes when her daddy tosses her in the air. She says a few words now: "What's that?" "Mom" "Dad" and "Hi" are the ones she says most frequently. She likes to climb up on her toy box now to get up on the sofa or computer desk. She can also climb off of the sofa, ottoman, and our bed (which is kind of scary because it is so high off the ground). We have an app on our iPad that she loves called Baby Finger. She touches the screen and shapes, numbers, and colors pop up with sounds. She thinks it is pretty great that she gets to use something that usually only brother or mommy handles. She still sleeps about twelve hours every night with a two-three hour nap every day.

She is such a delight and we truly enjoy being her parents. She makes us laugh all the time and brings so much joy to our life. We are beyond blessed to have our little Ellie Roo!

Sibling Love

Ellie now gives her brother (and mommy & daddy) kisses. It's the cutest thing ever! The kids have been enjoying baths together every morning now that Ella is big enough to sit in the bathtub without her bath chair. Nicholas loves having her in there to play with him. He never wants to get out anymore!
I absolutely love being mommy to these two precious souls. I can think of nothing better in the whole entire world that watching them interact with each other and love one another. They are becoming the best of friends. Nicholas constantly asks, "Where did Babe go?" as Ella toddles around the house and his eyes light up as she enters back into his line of sight again. He says, "Hi, Babe!" to her and she will often squeal and run over to him. She also likes to lie next to him on the sofa and will cuddle with him for short periods of time and watch a bit of a cartoon with him. Ella brings toys to Nicholas and likes to play with him. He is all smiles whenever she shows him any attention. They both smile all the time and have such sweet dispositions. They are the joys of our life and I thank God every single day for our two cherubs!

Welcoming Fall

A few posts ago I wrote about my desire to have summer stay a bit longer because of having to be indoors so much in the fall. After pondering this for a week or so, I have come to the conclusion that I really, truly do love fall for many reasons:

• Lazy days where the kids and I stay in our pajamas all day long


• Turning on our gas fireplace which fills our house with warmth and light on cold, rainy autumn days


• Lighting scented candles-pumpkin spice is my favorite right now


• Decorating the house for each holiday: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas


• Cuddling up in a warm blanket with a cup of tea and a good book or magazine


• Cozy sweaters and boots are back in fashion


• Family gatherings that bring everyone together for the holidays


• Teaching classes at work


• Saturday afternoon nap time for the whole family


• The beautiful colors outside: our grass is green again and the leaves on the trees are starting to turn yellow, red, and orange


• Visiting the pumpkin patch


• Watching movies during the kids' nap time on cold days


• Making yummy soups and crock pot meals for dinner

This is just a short list of some of my favorite things about autumn.

Now that the season has arrived, I am so glad it is here!

Anniversary Night Out

Every year Jeff and I like to get each other the traditional anniversary gift. This year it was flowers so Jeff had this beautiful bouquet delivered to me while he was at work. Later that evening, my mom came over to watch our kids so we could go out and celebrate. We had a delicious dinner in downtown Portland and they were so sweet to wish us a happy anniversary on our menus!

After dinner we met up with some good friends and had a lot of fun bowling...
It was a great way to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary!

Fourth Wedding Anniversary

It all started with two people who fell in love...

Jeff and I dated for two years before we got married and had a lot of fun going out for drinks,

going to the fair,

and riding quads.

After two years together, we were ready ready to make it official and at our wedding we promised our love to one another for the rest of our lives.

At that point in my life, our wedding day was the best day ever! We had a intimate ceremony and reception with our immediate families and it was a beautiful way to share our love with our loved ones.

Not too long after our wedding, we prepared for our first baby.

Nicholas arrived and our hearts were overflowing with joy and amazement that our love could create such a perfect little boy.

We were now a happy family of three.

Another couple years later, we again felt so blessed when our little family grew to four as we welcomed our sweet Elizabeth into the world.

Life couldn't get any better as a family of four!

Six years ago when I met Jeff, I knew right away that he was the one for me. I knew that his quiet, loving nature was the perfect compliment to my sometimes overbearing, bossy self. He has been my constant companion, my true love, and my best friend. We have endured heart break with Nicholas's diagnosis, financial stresses, and long hospital stays. Through it all we have been each others rock and salvation, a beacon of light to come home to when all the world seems dark. There is no other person I could imagine taking this journey with and I count my blessings every day that I have my amazing husband in my life.

Happy anniversary, honey! I love you more today than ever before. Cheers to many,many more years of this beautiful life together!

Wheelchair Donation

A couple of months ago when Nicholas got his new EasyS stroller, we realized that he didn't need his manual wheelchair anymore. His manual chair had become uncomfortable for him to travel in for long periods of time and, therefore, had been collecting dust in our garage for the past several months. So, two weeks ago when Nicholas's occupational therapist came to our home for his appointment, I asked her if there were children at Nicholas's elementary school who might be able to use his manual wheelchair. She said she was sure it would be put to good use and took it to school with her that afternoon. When she visited yesterday, she told us that two kindergartners are able to use it to get around at school every single day! It filled my heart with such joy to know that this useful piece medical equipment is now helping two little girls travel comfortably around their school! It was so nice to hear that the wheelchair is making such a huge impact on two children's' lives. It is also nice to know that other kids will be able to use it in the years to come!

Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce

Tonight I tried a new recipe that my husband and I thought was delicious so I had to share...Ingredients

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Four 3/4 inch thick bone-in pork chops

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons smooth or chunky peanut butter

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 cup each thinly sliced scallions, sliced red bell pepper, chopped cocktail peanuts, and fresh cilantro for garnish

1. In a shallow dish mix the flour, cumin, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and cayenne pepper. Lightly coat pork chops in mixture, shaking off excess.


2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook, turning once, 8 minutes total or until cooked through.


3. In a bowl, combine chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, honey, ground ginger, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt.


4. Remove pork from skillet, add broth mixture and cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour sauce over plated pork chops and garnish with chopped ingredients.


5. Serve with rice noodles and snow peas.

It was super easy to make a tastes absolutely divine!

Enjoy!

The Last Day of Summer

The kids and I went for a long walk around the neighborhood today on this last day of summer. It is a beautiful, warm afternoon and you would never guess that fall is just around the corner.

I have mixed feeling about the arrival of fall this year. There are many things I am looking forward to this fall: the arrival of my best friend's first baby in October & a trip to see them in early November, our fourth wedding anniversary at the end of the month, the red & orange colored leaves on the trees, all of the fun fall holidays, spiced cider, taking Nicholas to see Toy Story 3 on ice in late October, carving pumpkins, homemade soup, and quiet movie nights in front of the fireplace just to name a few.

There are also many things that make me wish that summer would hang around a bit longer. With all the rain that we get in Washington, it makes it difficult to go for walks or just play outside with the kids which is something that we have really loved doing this summer. It also means that the wading pool gets put away and which equals no more splashing and playing in the afternoon for Ella and Nicholas and no more quiet, lazy afternoons of lounging in that thing for me during the kids' nap time. It also means that we have to be very cautious about cold and flu germs. We don't get to have as many play dates or people over for socializing. We don't go out and about as much anymore. In fact, we are on a semi-lock down to keep Nicholas as healthy as possible. It means we all have to endure the painful prick of a needle when we get our flu shots, and it is tough to explain to young children why they have to be vaccinated in order to stay healthy.

All in all, mostly I would say we are looking forward to fall and all it brings. But, we will take advantage of this glorious summer weather as long as it is here!