Overloaded on the Uploads!

So it's been awhile since I've posted... but I'm out of web space.  Apparently, I've maxed out my photo usage on this blog, and I'm too cheap to pay for more storage space annually.  So, I think I'm going to create a new blog.  Needless to say, we've been a little busy since my last post!  Rob & I have run 2 1/2 marathons, Mya turned 4 and Kylie turned 1.  We did the Run for Children's Hospital, and were able to raise $675 for the uncompesated care program at Seattle Children's Hospital.  Another great thing we've been able to do is to invest in a bike trailer & a bike for me.  We've totally enjoyed getting out and riding as a family, it's been great!  We've really enjoyed our summer and are a bit disappointed its winding down, but we still have a little time off ahead of us, so it'll be nice to get away! Thanks for checking in on us.

So here's to a: no photo post, and a future blog!

A Heartwarming Play Date
One of Mya's first best friends, Kayla, moved to California a little over a year ago.   We were all bummed to see their family leave the area, but new jobs had created another opportunity for them in the sunny state.  About 3 months after they'd moved away, Kayla was diagnosed with ALL leukemia.  We were so shocked to hear of the news and just felt horrible for the difficult journey they're whole family was about to embark upon.  We've continued to stay in touch with their family, though Skype, and Mya prays for her regularly before bed.  She's had a long year of nasty treatment, losing her hair, and the ups and downs of chemotherapy.  She's finally coming out on the other end, and she's now on maintenance chemo.  Since her diagnosis, she's not had much interaction with kids, at all.  Mya continues to be one of her few friends, since she didn't have much time to meet new kids in California before having to be secluded from kid germs. We had the wonderful opportunity to re-connect with them today.  They did a road trip to visit relatives, and they stopped for lunch and a play-date with us, on their way home.  This is the first time Kayla has been away from her zip code in over a year.  It was wonderful to catch up with her parents, and Kayla just beamed the whole time, playing on the playground and running like a normal kid.  She was very excited to share that she'd recently be given the green light to go swimming for a 1/2 hour at a time, and to start gymnastics soon.  It's a wonderful time for their entire family to start becoming "normal" again.  They still have to go back for treatments, but it's not as hard core.  Please pray for continued healing for her little body.  She's a pretty special friend, and we were reminded today, that we sure miss their family!

 I took this photo last night of Miss Kylie enjoying her strawberry.  I started thinking that I had a similar photo of Mya eating one as well.  I didn't remember that she still had the tube in her nose at the time.  What a blessing it is to have two healthy little girls!

Kylie- 9 Months

Mya- 14 Months

 Mya suggested that we play dress up after dinner last night.  I told her that I had a dress up for me that she hadn't seen yet.  So I made her wait in the living room, and I put on my wedding dress.  Luckily it was a corset back and will pretty much fit me for life, but she was pretty excited to see it for the first time.  She wanted to dance, and she knew just how to hold my train.  "I'll help carry it Mom!"  I let her try on my vail... she was very excited.  She had to put on a white dress too.  I love the excitement of this age!!!

 Many thanks to Grandma Sawyer for making a beautiful quilt for Kylie.  We love it, thanks Mom!  Such a treat to have personalized quilts for each of our girls.

Prayer Please!
We just returned from our Memorial Day weekend, visiting my family.  We decided to make the trip (although something we swore we'd never do on a 3 day weekend again due to the awful traffic), mostly to visit with my Dad, who was just diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma Cancer.  That is cancer of the bone marrow.  It's been quite a shock for our family.  He is just finishing his 2nd week of chemotherapy, but is having a tough time with the dosage, as it's keeping him from eating and has wiped him out physically.  We would love your prayers, my Mom is keeping a blog of his current situation if you'd like to stay abreast of his recent status.  supportsawyer.wordpress.com
During our stay, we got to see all of our neices and nephews, never a dull moment when all 8 of the grand kids are around.  The girls LOVE their cousins, they are always so wiped out from a big weekend of playing and fun, it's time that we all cherish.  We are so amazingly blessed with our family!

9 Months

Our little Kylie has just turned 9 months old, and is a busy little baby.  She is very close to crawling, she rocks on her hands and knees, and rolls to get where she wants to go.  She's eating more foods, loving toys, but her very favorite thing is watching her big sister.  It is so much fun to watch them together!  Kylie's little giggle is darling, we all try to get her to do her little belly laugh, since it's so addictive.  She's so sweet.  Last night we went in for her well check, and she weighed in at a whopping 24 lbs (99%) and 29.5" (97%).  We grow them pretty big here!  She's a very healthy girl, and we couldn't be more thrilled with her sweet progression. 

We recently got a Strawberry Shortcake book that tells the story of Strawberry finding a nest with an egg in it.  She takes care of it by keeping it warm under a light, and then decides to take it to school for show and tell.  Once she gets to school, she opens the box to share with her class what she brought for her item, and the egg had hatched, and there was a baby bird to share.  She was "berry" excited!  However, she decided that the baby bird needed a Mommy, so she released it to the wild, where a Mommy found the bird right away.  Okay, I realize that I should read every book that I purchase (even from the thrift store)... as this one wasn't exactly sending the most nature friendly storyline.

Recently we found an empty bird nest outside our house on the ground.  Immediately Mya said, "We need to put the egg under a light!"  Thanks to Stawberry's teaching, it reminded me quickly of my own childhood memory of the same situation.  I remember very clearly finding a nest with a blue robins egg when I was young.  I of course put it under my desk light with a thermometer to make sure it was warm enough.  For some reason I didn't need Strawberry's poor example to execute the same situation myself.  Needless to say, the light was not exactly a "warming" light.  I cooked the crap out of that little egg... and broke the thermometer due to the high heat.  Luckily I didn't burn our house down & get mercury poisoning in the mean time! 

I just went back outside tonight to look at the nest and found an egg there.  I'm a little afraid for my daughter to find it, thanks to the poor teaching by Strawberry!!!  We might as well scramble the thing tomorrow for breakfast!  We don't need our place to be burned down!  Amazing how we tend to all do the same things.  I love seeing what our little girls do, as it reminds me often of my own childhood memories.  What a blessing to be a parent!

Vacation to Paradise! 

We just returned from a wonderful 10 day vacation to Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  We had such a fun time, just hanging out with our girls.  Vacation agendas have changed pretty dramatically for us adding another little one to our brood, but we had a great time hanging out at an all-inclusive resort right on the Caribbean.  That turquoise water is addictive!  We swam, played on the beach and ate... pretty simple, but just what we all needed as a break away.  Kylie got to experience the beach for the first time, and loved it!  Mya likes both pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris- she's not picky.  Rob got a little time to lay in the sun, and I didn't get burned!

This is 1/4 monkeys we saw in some trees

Playa del Carmen

Easter Traditions

Happy St Patrick's Day!