The long weekend...

ended short. We did great and were surprised when Stephen arrived home a whole day early! I know it's been a couple of weeks so is this information really pertinent? Yes. Yes it is because I want you to know how great of a guy Stephen is. Stephen surprised us by coming home early and then he took us out to dinner and took the girls to Toys R Us to get a toy. We are loved!

a new record

Last Wednesday marked two things: Pike Henry turned 4 weeks old and Stephen set a new record. I was clueless that Stephen was embarking to set a record but somehow, he managed to do it without my help. It all began the day Pike was born. That first time he pooed, Stephen said "oh, here, you can change him. It's a great bonding time." I smiled as he came up with a cunning way to say that he didn't want to change his diaper. This is where the new record comes in. It was my turn to get out of the house. I picked Pike up after he woke from his nap and I knew his pants were messy. But, rather than changing him, I decided to feed him. So, I fed him. Then I put on my shoes, grabbed the keys and said, "I'm leaving, I'll be back in an hour! Oh, and Pike's poopy." To which Stephen responded, "Aw, really? Don't you want to change him before you go?" "No." I said, "The clocks ticking and I only have so much time before I have to be back to feed him again, you can do it." It wasn't until the next day that I found out about this new record. Stephen told me that he made it 4 weeks without changing a poopy diaper from Pike. It wasn't until I declined changing the poopy diaper which forced him to do it. That was his new record. I changed Pikes diaper- all 8 times a day, 7 days a week. This includes the days Stephen was home after Pike was born. It includes the days the following week that Stephen only worked half-days. It includes the 2 or 3 times in the middle of the night while Stephen sawed logs. Until last Wednesday. 4 weeks! That is a little over 200 poopy diapers that I changed and that he didn't. What a turkey!

these are the moments...

...that make life wonderful.

Flowers from Daddy...

Stephen is such a sweetie! He often surprises me with beautiful bouquets but the other day, he decided to surprise the girls at lunch time with lovely bundles of tulips. The girls were thrilled! What a wonderful daddy.

A day in Seattle...

For Stephen's birthday this year, I asked my parents if they would watch the girls so that Stephen and I could spend the day in Seattle. It was so nice to have a day away together. We started our morning off by going to Bakery Nouveau, (I think I've mentioned this bakery before.) We tried some of their fresh pizza which was delicious! Then we purchased some pastries and headed to Vivace, a coffee roaster on Capitol Hill in Seattle. There we got to sit and enjoy our coffees while devouring a raspberry almond pastry. The ambiance at this coffee shop is quite fun. We visited Stumptown in Queen Anne and then explored the area a bit. Of course, I was drawn towards the children's shops, bookstores and this divine chocolate shop- Chocolopolis. Although I enjoyed the Queen Anne area, I still prefer Ballard.
We also went to one of Stephen's favorite grocery stores, Uwajimaya. If you know Stephen, you know he loves Asian food and if you love to cook Asian food, there are certain ingredients required that you just can't find in a normal grocery store.

For dinner, we decided to venture past Tom Douglas, (owner of Dahlia Lounge, Lola's, Etta's, Serious Pie and Palace Kitchen- some of our favorite eats in Seattle,) and try Pasta Bella which serves authentic Italian food and handmade pastas in the middle of Queen Anne for a very reasonable price. We found their food to be good, authentic and worth the price. The service was good although it seemed to be a little like the cake shop comedy act. There was one man there to be host, waiter, answer phones and tend the bar. He came up to us several times only to run back to the counter to answer the phone. We found it entertaining. Oh, if you do ever go here I'd recommend you skip the dessert or at least don't get the canolli. The filling was so-so. The canolli shell, okay. But then they ruined it with fake whipped cream and Hershey's chocolate syrup. I have a big sweet tooth but Stephen and I left most of that dessert on the plate.
With satisfied stomachs we went to the Imax showing of Avatar in Southcenter. Stephen and I saw the preview to this movie several months ago and both agreed it looked extremely stupid. But, we gave into the hype everyone has given it and decided to trust the majority of reviews that this movie is great and to many, not just great but the best movie ever! We got there early which is not like us. We hardly ever go to the movies but if and when we do, we don't wait in line for hours before! How ridiculous. Yet, there we stood. The time finally arrived, we got our glasses and went to sit down and we actually got decent seats even though there were maybe 100 people in front of us in line. The movie was pathetic. Okay, maybe not horrible, but certainly not the greatest movie ever! I thought the story line was poor. The effects were cool. Although I wasn't amazed by the 3D experience, it was enjoyable. I don't know, I left thinking, "what? That's it?"

We had a wonderful time being us. I was Paige and Stephen was Stephen. We had a full day without being "mommy" and "daddy". Ah. A breath of fresh air.

Merry Christmas!

For a family who loves eating, baking, shopping, cooking, presents, decorating, crafts, hot chocolate, lattes, bundling up in the cold, reminiscing old times and gathering with family and friends, could there possibly be a more wonderful time of the year?

To say that we like food is an understatement. We love food! In our spare time, Stephen and I enjoy baking: a decadent chocolate cake with a creamy milk chocolate frosting or vanilla bean croissants (my new favorite) which take 3 days for the entire process. Stephen bakes Danish puff at least once a month and it makes it easier for Pear to go to bed if she knows she gets to partake in Danish puff in the morning. Stephen cooks up good food of all different ethnicities. He has a knack for melding herbs, spices and pairings within a meal. I don't especially enjoy Asian food, so any time I'm gone, that's what he makes for himself and the girls. I prefer to cook Italian, French, Mexican and of course American dishes. Stephen does all of these as well, (and usually better than I do, although he would never admit to it.) The bottom line is- we love food. We love having people over for meals. We love including our girls in the process of making food. We even enjoy watching geeky shows like Iron Chef America! The love for baking doesn't cease in this home. And we see this love for buttery goodness being passed down to the next generation. If you haven't been around Jovie recently- her cheeks do not lie. Her world revolves around food, especially sweet food. The excitement and joy seen on her face as a cookie appears in the room is enough to make everyone in the room stop and watch her enjoy the delectable bite she is about to take. Although Pear ingests half the quantity that Jovie does and is much more picky about the types of food she eats, her sweet tooth is almost as big and her desire to be in the kitchen baking, cooking and cleaning is very evident. It is a very familiar sight to see Pear pushing a chair up to the counter to help wash potatoes, make daddy a latte, mix a batch of cookies, frost a cupcake, salt the meat, smell the herbs, unload the dishwasher or whatever else we may be doing.

It's amazing to me that we've been in Olympia for 1 1/2 years now. Our duplex and the gift of owning a home continues to be a huge blessing, while at times causing us much grief. That may sound worse than it actually is. I guess a better way to put it is this: every time we start a new project or remodel another room, I begin to hear Pear saying words she normally wouldn't say. Words or phrases like: "piece of junk" or "freakin' dane-it". Stephen has done an amazing job remodeling, especially given the fact that he constantly has a little helper or two that he so graciously welcomes. Over the summer, he gutted our bathroom. Let's just say it was disgusting and now it is gorgeous, probably the nicest room in our house! We now have a nice front yard and an entry way with nice pavers. Our kitchen is halfway complete and we hope have it finished by spring. And the list goes on. The life of a homeowner!

Did I mention that Pear is a princess? If I didn't, take note. You may call her Pear or you may call her Princess Pear. If you mistake her for anyone else such as stinker, googly bear, pumpkin, cupcake, monkey, etc., you will get one of two things: a glare and short retort, "I'm not _____ I'm a pwincess!" or a devastated child that cries as if you are trying to shatter her beliefs and tell her that she might not be a princess, "but I thought I was a pwincess." And Pear seems to have it figured out, if she is a princess, Jovie is also a princess. Although we can get away with calling Jovie other endearing names, we will often hear the same remarks if Pear is in her complete princess mode, "but mom, Jovie is a pwincess, not a chunky monkey!"

Either I have been eating far too many doughnuts or I have a baby growing in my tummy! I think the latter to be true for two reasons: One- there isn't a good doughnut shop within a 15 minute radius. And two- I can feel the kicking of little feet right now. We are 18 weeks along and due May 13, 2010. We find out whether we'll have a little boy or a little girl on December 23rd.

Stephen and I are so blessed. We are happily married. We have 2 children (Pear will be 3 in February and Jovie just turned 1) and another on the way. We own a home (the rent from the other unit in our duplex sure does help out with the mortgage!). We upgraded Stephen's junky VW Jetta to a new Toyota van. Stephen has a great job as an Enterprise Technology Architect for DSHS. We have good health. We have wonderful parents, siblings, family and friends. As you may have guessed, having food on the table isn't a problem in this home. We have a God whose grace is sufficient and who sent his son as a baby so that we can be saved. And that same God chose us to be HIS children. Could we ask for anything more? I certainly don't think so but as the years go by the list just gets longer and longer.

Merry Christmas and may you too be blessed in Christ!

Paige, Stephen, Pear, Jovie, and baby.

A note from Stephen:

As I was reading Paige’s letter above, I kept wanting to interject my highlights and thoughts. So instead of mucking about in her sentences, I decided to throw in my notes as an addendum. Paige really did highlight the 3 major areas of our life: kids, food, and our house. Outside of that set, there were several activities that I would like to call attention to. I went on a fantastic backpacking trip in May with 12 good friends. We hiked to Toleak Point and camped on the beach. The weather was sunny in the low eighties with no wind, I had to keep reminding myself that I was sitting on a beach, on the Pacific Ocean, in Washington State, and I wasn’t wearing a parka and mittens or being pelted in the face with sand. It really was a special trip. If you want to see pictures of the trip you can visit my blog http://sbackholm.blogspot.com. Secondly, THE highlight of the year for me was going to Maui for 5 days in November with Paige. We left the kids with Paige’s parents, and did nothing but snorkel and lay on the beach the whole trip. I now see why people go to Hawaii.


Regards,
Stephen



Thanks to Michelle at Candid Reflections for the wonderful photographs.

Imagination vs. Reality

I imagine having dinner sitting on the table, the girls sitting patiently, Stephen walking through the door and greeting us and we have a wonderful dinner.
Real life situation: I'm scrambling with dinner, Pear is chanting "I'm hungry", Jovie's rubbing olive oil across the ENTIRE kitchen floor, Stephen walks through the door and greets us only to receive a harry eyeball from me, an "I'm hungry" from Pear and Jovie wants to give daddy a hug with her oiled hands but he's in his nice dress slacks.

During the girls' nap time I clean the kitchen, organize the toys in the family room, fold all of the laundry and am refreshed as the girls awake from their naps and we read a couple of our favorite children's books.
Real life situation: I get the dishes done. I fold most of the clothes Pear and Jovie wake up happy. They then decide that the freshly folded laundry is the perfect pile of leaves to jump in. I frantically try to put them away before they are all messed up only to come back to another pile of scattered "leaves" every trip back from the closet. 1 hour later- done. We didn't get to read those books. I'm not quite feeling completely rejuvenated.

Saturday morning arrives and we sleep until a leisurely hour, perhaps 6:00 am isn't too high of an expectation. We get ready and leave for a morning in Seattle at our favorite bakery, Cafe Besalu. Pear and Jovie enjoy their pastries and allow Stephen and myself to enjoy ours. We sip our coffee and cocoa and leave with a feeling of great satisfaction and there couldn't possibly be a happier family out there!
Real life situation: Jovie sleeps terribly. She decides that 4:00 am is a better hour to wake. We rush to get ready. Leave the house just a few minutes later than estimated and arrive at Besalu just in time to enjoy fresh quiche, pastries and cookies. Upon receiving our goodies, Jovie decides it's time to have a bowel movement. (For those of you who do not know Jovie, this is a HUGE ordeal.) I take my screaming child into the restroom to allow her a little privacy and 20 minutes later, cleaned, changed and much relieved, we return to our cold cocoa and finish our pastries. It could have been worse but let's just say upon leaving, I hardly felt I'd sat down and wasn't feeling ready to face the rest of the day.

I sit down to write a blog post. The girls play and I'm able to complete my writing within 30 minutes. I move on to do other things all while the girls play happily together.
Real life situation: I sat down 2 weeks ago to write this post. Pear and Jovie had a tizzy over a toy that I should have bought 2 of but only bought 1 and within minutes Jovie is crying on my lap. Once she stops crying, she begins banging on the keyboard. I then give up trying to write a post and move on to the next task. This repeats itself over the following days until I finally get the post done. (You'd think I might decide to give up blogging or decide to only do it during nap time. I guess maybe I'm crazy.)

The bottom line is, being married, having kids, serving God, living life- it isn't always a bowl full of cherries. In fact I often feel it's more like poop (you'd be surprised how literal this is for me at this point). But the fact of the matter is, for some strange reason I find satisfaction amongst the chaos. I enjoy these girls. I love my husband. And I revere God. At the end of the day as I'm laying in bed, I don't think of how terrible my day was. What comes to my mind makes me smile; I think about how I called Pear a stinker and in a devastated state she responded, "I'm not a stinker, I'm a pwincess." Or the way that Jovie lit up as I read Animal Sounds (currently her favorite book) and tried to repeat the animal sounds which in all actuality all sounded the same "uh-uh-uh". I think about how Stephen treasures me and saves a kiss for me before he leaves for work, when he comes home for lunch and again in the evening. I serve a great God who blessed me with a beautiful family. I take comfort in James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Knife Skills

For years, Stephen has been lecturing me on how to properly use a knife. I usually shrug off his advice with knives as overly cautious which is simply not my style. That is, until three weeks ago when I was preparing a wonderful chili dinner. I was so excited. Stephen was going to love it (he normally doesn't care too much for chili). I was taking advantage of the girls' nap-time. I chopped the onions and moved on to green peppers. This is where I went just a smidge too far and chopped my thumb instead of the pepper. That put a little damper on the chili dinner, actually, it put a stop to it. No chili dinner. Luckily, I didn't have to get stitches. It bled and throbbed for hours but a good bandage job was all it needed. Just this week the feeling returned to my thumb and I'm as good as new.

All this to say: take heed to your husband's advice. Proper knife skills are a must.

my story

It started as a crush. A crush that I wrestled with to not lift me in the clouds. Stephen was cute; he had big eyes, long eyelashes and adorable lips. He dressed like he was 25, already held a steady job, slicked his hair back and was stick skinny. It was hard to bottle up this crush. My purpose in life at the age of 15 was to honor God, serve my parents and family and to not get distracted or wrapped up in a boy, or a crush. I had my mind set that I was saving myself for the one that I would marry, if I weren't ready to get married, why get wrapped up in someone? Now, I don't write this to boast, or to say that if you do things differently than me that you're in the wrong. I say this to let you know my story and hopefully offer some encouragement to those of you who are not yet ready to get married but hope to in the future. God has been good to me. And I will say that if you choose to let God take over your life, in relationships and everything else, He will bless you whether you see it or feel it now, He will.

In addition to our families doing a lot together, Stephen and I shared the same group of friends. We did a lot together with a group that varied from 6-12 of us between the ages of 14-25. Game nights, youth group, movies, shopping trips; that's how our friendship began. It remained simply friendship for a couple of years. Neither of us had any idea the other possibly "liked" the other one. As I said before, I knew that I wasn't of an age to get married and so I made a lot of effort to not let this crush of mine show. I didn't want Stephen to know I liked him. Why? There was no reason to give a piece of my heart to any other man than the one that would be my husband. Because there was no reason to get emotionally entangled with a boy that might someday be somebody else's husband.

A crush is healthy and natural but when you begin revealing a crush, you may become emotionally attached and this is where trouble may come. A relationship can be a wonderful thing, in God's timing. I didn't want a relationship to come in the way of my relationship with God. It was hard to sit back and not be flirtatious. I saw other girls flirting with the boy I liked and of course any teenage girl likes attention from the boy she has a crush on but I held back. I wanted to help him be the man God called him to be. He was my friend and a true friend would want the best for him whether I would someday become his wife or not. It was also hard to accept the fact that God deals with us each individually; my job is to honor God. What others do, is not my business. As long as I am honoring God, seeking Him and trusting Him, I don't need to worry about my future. I don't need to worry about whether that boy I like will one day like me back or if he'll end up marrying that flirt down the road. God loves me and has a plan for me. I simply need to do my job and let Him do his.

I did spend time praying for Stephen. As a friend that I liked, I prayed that God would keep him, guard his heart, equip him perfectly for his wife, and help him keep his eyes on God until he was ready to marry someday. I have prayed this same prayer for my brother, sister and friends. This prayer was not me asking God to make him my husband but rather a prayer asking God to bless him and his future spouse.

Most of you know that my sister is 2 years older than I am. Therefore, she and Stephen are the same age. She was my best friend and therefore we did everything together. Around the time I was 17, Stephen seemed to be popping up more and more often. He'd show up at UPX (my dad's business that I worked at) and would buy ice cream or a Starbucks Frapuccino for whoever happened to be working. He would call and see if he and Shawn could come play cards or a game of Scrabble. This is the funny part, he began hanging around more which was a little indication that he may be interested in a girl at our house but there were 2 of us girls. Which did he like? He was so reserved that we couldn't tell if he liked me or Tara or maybe we were all just good friends having fun!

It was harder than it sounds to not let my emotions out. To not try to get Stephen's attention. To let him know that I liked him just as much as that other girl. So many times I wanted to say, "I like you too. Don't fall for her." But I didn't. I sat back and watched, and waited.

When I was 17 1/2 years old (I have to add that 1/2) Stephen met with my dad to discuss getting to know me better to see if he could win my heart and possibly marry me. I didn't know he met with my dad. At that point, I honestly still didn't know if he was seriously interested in me. That evening, after youth church (we were both part of the leadership team at that point) was theater on the lawn night. Everyone (families from the church) brought lawn chairs and watched a movie projected on the side of the building. Rocketman was the movie. I was sitting with some friends and Stephen seemed to be walking around aimlessly. He seemed to be approaching me and then he'd walk past. Here's a little blurb out of my journal: "...Stephen comes up to me and asks if he can have a word inside with me for a minute. Of course I say 'sure'. We get inside and now I can tell he is nervous, he just didn't seem the same and this is what he said, 'well, I met with your dad for lunch today...and I wanted to know if you would allow me to try and win your heart?' I replied, 'I would.'" To Stephen, this wasn't the ideal spot to ask a girl if he could pursue her but that day, when he spoke with my dad at Ocean Palace, a couple of ladies within the church (Alison W. & Sara G.) were at the very next table, possibly eaves dropping! Stephen said he didn't want a rumor to get started so he had to act quick. It was that night that I began to drift into the clouds. It was a little awkward at first because we had been nothing more than good friends for a long time. When he came over the first few times after that we sat on the opposite couches. We had a lot to figure out. We held hands for the first time a few weeks later and it was wonderful. All of those moments were so special to us because we'd never shared them with anyone else. This period, that many call courtship, was wonderful. We desired our parents and families to be a big part of this time. We didn't do anything alone, always with family and/or friends. It may seem odd but when we went places, we drove in separate cars. We wouldn't watch a movie unless somebody else was watching it with us. Certain rooms in our houses were off limits (such as bedrooms). We were friends trying to see if we were marriage material. We weren't lovers yet. We didn't want to go to far and we still wanted to make sure we didn't get too emotionally attached as we weren't engaged yet!

Over the next months we talked about life, our future, our goals, our dreams and 4 months later we were engaged. We shared our first kiss (neither of us had ever kissed anyone else before) after becoming engaged. Not even a year after he requested my permission to try to win my heart, I was all his, walking down the aisle at the Tivoli fountain in Olympia. I have no regrets over our relationship. I have no regrets over any boy-girl relationships I was in. I had friends and one of those friendships grew into love and Stephen became my husband.

It is by God's grace and faithfulness that my life and my story is so beautiful. My story wouldn't be the same without having wonderful parents who spoke wisdom and encouraged me throughout the years. I am so thankful that God chose to bless me. My life has faced very few hardships and I know it's not because I am good, or anywhere near perfect. It's because God's grace is sufficient and He loves me. He saw a young girl, with many faults, that wanted to see what would happen if she left her future in His hands rather than her own.

5 years down the road, I am still in the clouds. Stephen is so sweet to me. He is a perfect gentleman. He still has those handsome eyes and adorable lips. I've changed his hair do a little and fattened him up enough that he's no longer a stick. He holds a steady job, manages our duplex and still finds time for side jobs and projects here and there. He is a great daddy, a wonderful chef and extremely smart.

...for some reason he chose me. I am his happy wife.

five years ago...

It was 5 years ago that Stephen and I tied the knot. We've had so much fun together. Everyone says how hard marriage is the first couple of years and for us, that wasn't relevant at all. It was all natural for us. I truly love Stephen more now than ever before and I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life with him.

Praise the Lord!

Daddy...

Here are some reasons that I love my daddy:

He has fun ideas for birthday cakes and knows just what I like.

He holds my hand.

I am his big helper and he loves having me help!

He gets the best Christmas trees.

Daddy takes me outside on adventures!

He snuggles with me and sometimes (if mom lets him) he takes a nap with me.

I'm proud of my dad.

Dad lets me play computer games with him. Shhh. Don't tell mom!

He brings me special treats. I love doughnuts, ice cream and cookies!

My dad knows how to sympathize with me.

He always greets me when he comes home from work. Then we get to jump on the bed!

When I don't have a coat, daddy lets me snuggle in his. Daddy's is soft and warm.

Daddy loves Jovie too. She'll get to do all of these fun things and have her own special moments with daddy as well. Thank you, God, for such a wonderful daddy!

stockings hung on a mantle

I have always wanted a mantle to hang Christmas stockings on. It just doesn't seem right to hang them anywhere else. Stephen knows this as I've expressed many times how I wished to have one.

Stephen and his dad made this over the last few weeks in their spare time, (as if either of them have any spare time,) just for me and our Christmas stockings! Isn't it gorgeous?

a tale of a mouse...

As you read this, keep in mind that mice are my one BIG weak spot. As I've posted before, I can handle spiders, bugs, snakes, worms etc. Mice on the other hand, make me scream like a little girl and run for protection.

This story begins in the middle of July. Stephen told me he spotted a mouse or should I say a shrew in the garage. He was out there and it ran right in front of Pear. A week or so passed and I opened the door to go into the garage and sure enough, I spotted this mouse! I slammed the door and ran inside and told Stephen that I wasn't going anywhere until he got rid of that mouse. My hero ventured into the garage to find the mouse crawling along as if partially ran over by a car. Whoops. He scooped it up and threw it outside, where we hoped a cat might come and eat him up. A couple of weeks later, we began noticing a smell in the garage; a sort of rotting rodent smell. We assumed that he must have came back in the garage, died and started decaying. Once again, my hero went out to search but found nothing this time. We either became accustomed to the smell or it began to fade as the months lingered.

This last weekend Stephen, Pear and I set out to do some yard work. It was beautiful outside and we needed to get some final pruning, cutting and cleaning done. I got Pear all bundled up in play clothes and sent her out with daddy. I then got ready myself to go out. As you can imagine, being 37 weeks pregnant doesn't exactly make putting shoes, socks, or even pants on an easy task. So it took me a few minutes. I went out to the garage to get my grubby tennis shoes. I brought them in the house, plopped myself on the ground and held my breath for a second while trying to slip the shoe onto my foot only to be shocked by a little, dead, decaying mouse sliding out onto the floor in front of me. I jumped up faster than I imagined I could and ran out the door in a panicked state. I was so grossed out and scared that it was almost like one of those bad dreams that you try to scream but you can't...you know what I mean, right? I told Stephen of my discovery and that I needed him to go in the house and do something with that mouse as quickly as he possibly could. He laughed, went inside, got the mouse and told me to put my shoes on and come out. Can you believe that he expected me to wear the shoes again? There is no possible way I could ever put those shoes on again! I almost gag just thinking about it. I dug out some other shoes to wear and went outside to work.

And that is the tale of a mouse. The stench in the garage has dissipated and I will never keep anything outside or in the garage that I have to touch with bare hands or put on my feet again.

A wonderful husband and a great daddy

Stephen surprised Pear and I with treats today when he came home for lunch. He brought me a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers, and for Pear, the most scrumptious looking chocolate covered donut with sprinkles! What a wonderful husband I am blessed with and what a wonderful daddy Pear has. We love him so much! Pear loves to make daddy proud. She recently has really enjoyed putting on pretty dresses and then she wants to go "show daddy." When she gets her hair fixed, she wants to be adored by her daddy. She walks over to him and points to her hair. Stephen tells her what pretty hair she has and how beautiful she looks. Of course, Pear learned all of this from mommy, as I do the same thing and Stephen never seems to run out of admiring words.

Thank you God for blessing this family with such a wonderful husband and daddy!