Moving on up to a REAL blog!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I know it has been awhile since our last Kaiser update, and I apologize for that. I have held off sending one because now that we have two kids, I decided it would be easier to have a blog rather then send out all those weekly emails. That way, those of you who are not on Facebook can still see our pics and recent goings-on. I used to keep a running blog on MySpace, so in addition to keep it updated from now on, I have archived that below as well.

We had a wonderful, albeit fast Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve day as a family, opening gifts and stockings and then joined Wynter's family that evening at Randy's sister's house. We then spent the night in Eagle Creek and opened gifts with Wynter's parents Christmas morning. We were getting ready to leave for another family Christmas party at Rebecca's sister's house when we got a little worried about Adaya's belly button. After two hours in the ER, we found out she has something called a Granuloma, which apparently is totally normal, but our pediatrician can burn off at her two month appointment next week.

Our New Year's was fun, too. We had some friends over and rang in the new year with lots of champaigne, yummy treats and board games! Now it's back to the normal grind. Jon starts his new job in Salem next week, his mom is visiting us later this week and I will sadly be turning the big 3-0 in two weeks!


Hope you enjoy the blog!


November 22, 2009

Happy 2nd birthday Chloe!

One week ago, our sweet Adaya was born and five days later, this past sunday, Chloe turned 2. It has been a busy, but also a very great week. We went into labor in the late afternoon of our due date..how often does that happen, right? And only a few short hours later, Adaya was born naturally and gently into the water at our birthing center in Salem. It was a great experience, where we felt very in control of the birth and confident in our ability to do it ourselves. Who knows, maybe next time, we will do a home birth!
Grandma Shierman stayed with Chloe while we were at the birthing center and even got to visit us there on our first day. Chloe just loves the new baby and being a big sister and has made the transition from one baby to two very easy on us. We have only had a handful of visitors since being home, which has been nice as we try to limit the germs Adaya is exposed to. And on Sunday, we kept Chloe's Thomas-themed party very small for the same reason, but with all the attention and gifts she received, I know it was just as special for her if we had 100 people there to celebrate with her! She got many wonderful birthday gifts, but her absolute favorite was the cedar playhouse from Grandma and Grandpa Kaiser that Jon built for her. Thankfully the weather has been somewhat nice since so she can go out and play in it.
So, as we settle into our second week home with Adaya, our routine is getting easier, we are getting a bit more sleep and just enjoying family time. Jon will return to work on the 30th, and hopefully things will be even better by then. We still do not have an update about the job Jon was interviewing, so we ask you all to keep that in your prayers along with peace about whatever the decision is.
As we approach the Thanksgiving Holiday, God has given us much to be thankful for, and we pray that He continues to bless your lives as well!



November 17, 2009

Welcome Adaya James Kaiser!

Just wanted to send out a quick note to let you all know (if you didn't already!) that Tuesday, November 17th at 2:05 am, we welcomed our second daughter, Adaya, into the world at Bella Vie Gentle Birth Center in Salem, Oregon. It was a fairly quick labor and we were able to have a water birth, which made it a lot easier on mom and baby. She weighed in at 6 lbs 11 oz., is 18 3/4 inches long and is very healthy and happy. Our eldest daughter, Chloe, is loving being a big sister, and is very gentle and loving to her new little sister. We celebrated Chloe's 2nd birthday on Sunday, November 22nd, so while it has been a very busy week for the Kaisers, it has also been filled with much joy and love.

Thank you all for being a part of our lives and sharing in our joy!

Jon, Wynter, Chloe and Adaya Kaiser



October 29, 2009

Tick Tock...


That is the sound of the little time bomb in my belly, about to go off. We are now 37 weeks and officially "term" and while it still could be another 3-4 weeks, I think we are mostly ready! Chloe, by her own desire, is being potty-trained and she announces each day at least once an hour that she wants to sit on the potty. She is very good at it too, and never leaves the potty without a "tinkle" or two. Poopy is a little tougher and has yet to be mastered in the potty, though. Still, I am optimistic that if this continues, she may be fully potty-trained before the baby arrives (even though we still expect a regression after the baby is here!)
Last week, Jon and I got to get away together again to Seattle while Grandma and Poppa Shierman watched Chloe and Kodi. It was wonderful and I made sure to soak up every minute, knowing it could very well be our last chance at solitude for another year! We visited the Space Needle and ate dinner at the rotating restaurant at the top, snuggled up to cable tv before falling asleep, but my favorite was visiting the Crab Pot restaurant the next evening for dinner where they give you mallets to pound the hell out of seafood in shells...the crab legs were especially fun!
On Monday I had my prenatal where my midwife was just a tad concerned about the heart rate being a little high, so she ordered another ultrasound for the next day. The ultrasound also revealed a pretty fast heartbeat, as well as a VERY active baby (it NEVER stops kicking!) So my midwife's advise was to cut out all caffeine and try and keep my stress level low. My appointments will now be weekly until we deliver, so she will continue to monitor the heart and will take action accordingly. Overall, there is no real need to worry yet, so we are thankful for that. The ultrasound also confirmed with a degree more of certainty that the sex is what they predicted at my 20 week. I have done a wonderful job of keeping it a secret and plan to continue, ha ha ha!
For over a week now Jon and Chloe have had a very bad, flemmy cough and sore throat and we decided on Wednesday that we should probably take Chloe into the Pediatrician for it. I really didn't want to, because with all the H1N1 flu scare, I am very hesitant to take her (or myself, for that matter) anywhere the risk of exposure might be higher, but we made sure to wash our hands PLENTY. Our concerns turned out to be unmerited, too, as she had nothing in her throat, ears and nose - thank God! But we will continue to watch her and hope her little cough goes away soon. I have been fortunate enough not to have gotten anything and am hoping to keep it that way. We have decided not to get the H1N1 or the regular flu shot because of its many unknown risks associated with it in pregnant women and small children, so are counting on good nutrition, vitamins, hand washing and staying away from sickie places to keep us healthy. I even have been hesitant to go to our mom's group and church, but I detest living in fear!
The last weekend of deer hunting is almost here and we're hoping for good weather and better luck. I think Chloe is going to be a ballerina for Halloween, even though she could care less. We will probably just go to one or two houses of nearby friends and neighbors. How much trick or treating can you do with an 8pm bedtime anyway, right? We will probably spend the rest of the evening on the front porch, handing out candy, like we usually do.

October 18, 2009

It has been a whirlwind of a month in the Kaiser household! After a very successful harvest from our garden and a beautiful couple of sunshiney weeks, it appears that fall is now in full-swing in the Portland area. The rains came in early this week and have yet to stop while the colors of all the changing leaves remind us that it wont be long until Polliwog arrives! We are now 35 weeks pregnant, which gives us about one more month to prepare for our new arrival. Little by little we are getting more ready...we have Chloe-sitters lined up for when we go into labor, the baby room is move-in ready, we already have just about everything we need for the little one and we are starting to pack our "hospital bag."
Last week, Chloe, my mom and I visited a pumpkin patch in Sandy and this past Monday, Jon was able to join Chloe and I at a pumpkin patch near our home. It was a lot of fun! We also decorated the house for fall and have been doing lots of fall-themed cooking and baking.
Chloe is such a big girl, it amazes me every day! her vocabulary increases more each day and she often uses three or more word sentences. She also counts, is learning her colors and Jon is now even working on her alphabet. It's been a month and Chloe is still sleeping very well in her "big girl bed and bedroom" and just this week, we moved her out of the high chair into a booster seat at the table. She is definitely no longer my little baby and although her desire for more independence has led to a few frustrating "terrible two" incidents, she still remains a very mellow and sweet-spirited little girl who loves to read books and play with her baby doll.
Hunting season is here again, so Jon has been making the most of each weekend out in the woods, but unfortunately has yet to nab Bambie. We hope that he will have better luck before the season ends in early November, since elk hunting will be minimal with the expectation of our new arrival.
Jon and I were able to get away just the two of us to Seattle a week ago, while my parents watched Chloe and Kodi for three days. And even though Jon had to work, it was a wonderful "babymoon" for us. Grandma and Grandpa Shierman offered to take them both again this week while Jon and I go up there again and we are looking forward to another get-away.
Other than that, I am trying to cherish as much Chloe-time as I possibly can before she is no longer an only child. It is definitely a bitter-sweet time we are in! As we get closer to the due date, I will try and keep you updated on our status, so stay tuned!

September 16, 2009

Last Friday, while Portland had relatively hot weather, Chloe, Kodi and I headed to the Oregon Coast to spend the day with my parents who were there with their church group for the weekend. It was just beautiful weather and while mom and dad entertained Chloe, I had lots of time to soak up rays, stick my toes in the sand and throw the ball for Kodi. We all had a great time and was over way too fast!
On Saturday and Sunday, Jon and Chloe got to spend lots of father-daughter bonding time together while I hung out with some girlfriends and sold a bunch of stuff at a combined yard sale. We did pretty well and our garage is all the better for it! Jon and Chloe had fun as well, shopping, eating out and cleaning the house!
Tuesday, Chloe, my mom and I met a friend at the Oregon Zoo to see the newly opened Predators of the Serengeti Exhibit. Unfortunately construction is not quite completed, so we were only able to see the lions, but I look forward to visiting it again soon when we can see the cheetahs, laughing hyenas and meercats!
Today was much cooler and a great day to finish my fall harvest, so I took the rest of our pears and got about 4 1/2 quarts of pear sauce. I'm tired of canning tomatoes, so today I made pico de gallo with the plethora of tomatoes we still have and some of my onions - YUM! And I was going to can the sweet carrots we have for baby food next year, but I probably could only get 1-2 quarts and I figured it would be a waste of time to boot up the pressure canner for just that, so I vacuum-sealed and froze them instead. I think that will pretty much wrap up my canning for this year. Normally I would do pumpkin, too, but we only got 7 small to medium pumpkins this year and I still have 6 quarts in the pantry from last year, so I think I will wait until next year to can those again.
This weekend is a big weekend for us...Oktoberfest! We plan to go on Saturday morning and camp with my parents overnight and leave Sunday afternoon when it all ends. I have two very cute dirndls for Chloe to wear (one I made myself!) and so will have plenty of pics and stories to share next week. Stay tuned...!

9/9/9

Thank you to Heather for reminding me that I needed to send this out. I am not sure if it is preggo brain or just being overwhelmed by everything that has had to get done since we have been home, but it has been hard to remember to cross all my t's!
On Friday morning, we loaded up the truck and headed to Cove Palisades National Park for a nice, long camping trip along the Deschutes River and near Lake Billy Chinook (Central Oregon for those of you non-Oregonians!) Our friend Soume and his friend Brittany joined us as we camped, fished and even rented a boat. The weather was awesome, except for a few small showers on Saturday and it was a nice, relaxing time for all of us. We headed home early Monday afternoon and it was hard for Jon to go back to work yesterday.
Since being home, while unpacking and trying to get the campfire smoke out of EVERYTHING, I have been able to can another 6 quarts of tomatoes (10 total so far), 6 quarts of pears and one quart of apple/pear butter (YUM!). Before our garden is done for the season, I think I will be able to get in many more quarts of tomatoes, probably another 6 quarts of pears and hopefully 2 more quarts of cucumbers (I did another 2 a couple weeks ago). We have lots of pumpkins, green beans and corn, too, but probably won't be canning any of those this year.
Today was a big potty milestone for Chloe. Since many of my friends have told me that she will probably regress after the baby comes if I try and potty-train her now, I have not been pushing it. But today, she actually reached for the potty seat and said she wanted to sit on it. We sat and sat and sat and sat...for about a half an hour and although nothing ever came of it, I was very impressed that she brought up the idea. Being able to use "potty napkins" and wash her hand afterwards was such a thrill, I am sure we will be repeating this many more times in the coming days!
In other Kaiser news, Jon gets his cast off his thumb tomorrow, so please be praying for it to be healed, as our next step would have to be surgery if it isn't!

September 3, 2009

The last couple weeks have been big for Chloe. She has gotten a new bunk bed and her things are slowly being moved into the new room. We also decorated it very cute for her...and appropriately - barnyard of course! We have decided to keep the baby room with its current lamb theme for the new little one and it has been nice to have more room as we transition a lot of Chloe stuff into her new room. We hope to have her sleeping in her new bed by October at the latest. Grandma and Grandpa Shierman graciously agreed to take our guest bed on loan so now all guests must either sleep on the couch or top bunk - Sorry!
Chloe has also doubled, if not tripled her vocabulary and it amazes me every day just how smart she is. She loves to copy Mamma and Dadda and is always trying to learn new words and actions. Last week Jonathan taught her how to count to ten and every now and then I can hear her in the other room practising..."one, two, three - FIVE!" But my favorite is that she has mastered "please," "thank you," "bless you" and "excuse me" (which comes out "meep meep") and uses them often without even being asked! And while she still has a very laid-back and mellow personality, she is beginning to act like a typical two-year old, more active, loud and independent. Sometimes, I just cannot believe how fast time has gone since she was my little baby.
Speaking of, we are now almost 30 weeks along, which means down to the final 3 months. It seems crazy that another little Kaiser will be here in only 10 (okay, probably 11) weeks! My gestational diabetes test came out negative - PRAISE THE LORD! And although I do not feel "huge" yet, the baby is very active and I have already begun to feel braxton-hicks contractions. This morning I felt hiccups for the first time and yesterday I had my first sudden outburst of pregnancy hormone-induced tears...my mom and I were having lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and I dropped my full tray of food, shattering plates and food all over the restaurant floor! I was so terribly sorry that I created such a mess for the them to clean up, I burst into tears and ran to our booth. After 10 minutes to calm down and wipe my eyes, I was ready to start over again (sigh).
The last couple months, I have also been working on a contract to build a website for a friend's nonprofit organization, and this week I finally got all the content in. Even though I have been doing HTML and web design for several years, this was my very first contracted job and "from scratch" site. I still have some tweaking and upgrades to do, but overall, am very proud of how it turned out. You can visit the site at www.dbsaoregon.org
For the long holiday weekend, we are heading to Lake Billy Chinook to go camping with friends. We were going to stay close and camp, but Portland has decided to bring rain in for the holiday, so we are heading east of the Cascades where it will be dry and warmer during the day, but very cold at night. Brrrrr! Will send pics next week.

August 18, 2009

Unfortunately, the pain in Jon's thumb has not lessened, so we finally visited a doctor a couple weeks back and since the xrays showed no break, he was referred to an orthopedic office for an MRI and ligament assessment. The same day, Chloe came down with her first ear infection and thankfully the doctore was able to look at both of them. Then came the 2009 Crawfish Festival, where due to Jon's injured thumb, he took 2nd place, losing first by only 6-7 crawfish! We were prepared for the worst, and while we are sad that he couldn't win his third year in a row, we are nevertheless proud of how well he did. Our friend Soume joined in again this year and did very well also.
The next evening, Chloe came down with a fever and we took her back into the doctor, where we were told the ear infection was gone, but they couldn't find a reason for the fever. 2 days after the fever subsided, her skin broke out in a terrible rash all over her body and we brought her back in. But again they we unable to tell us exactly what the problem was...either Roseola or an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillian given for her ear infection. Jon's MRI results came back that he had a partially torn ligament and another strained ligament in his thumb, but thankfully not requiring surgery. Instead, they fixed him up with a nice, full cast on his right arm, that he will have to wear for a month. Poor guy! As you can probably guess, we are very sick of doctors right now!
Last week, my cousin Tracy visited for a couple days and we stayed out with my mom, picked blackberries and let the kids play together. Chloe and I stayed an extra day to get my mom's help on sewing Chloe's new Oktoberfest Dirndl. My parents had some out of town friends visiting and they took them and Chloe to the Mt. St. Helens visitors center and gave me a day off. Wow, a whole day without a husband and baby, I had no idea what to do with myself, so I took a nap, did a little shopping and got my hair done. It was nice!
After a nice cool down and some much-needed rain, Portland's summer heat has returned this week, but it has not stopped us from enjoying the season. This past weekend, we went to the Clark County Fair in Washington. Chloe loved the bouncy house and farm animals (except for the pigs and cows who's enormous size scared her!)

Summer 2009

We spent July 4th with Grandma and Grandpa Shierman and went with them to Corbett. Marine Corps Vet Grandpa was in the color guard of the parade in the morning, and Chloe enjoyed watching the parade and picking up (and eating) the candy that was thrown. The rest of the day was spent on the grass trying to stay cool and out of the sun before evening when there was live music and the fireworks began. Chloe enjoyed crawling all over a sleepy Dadda, dancing with the grandparents and finally exclaiming "oh" and "ah" and "wow" after each firework for the duration of the display. She was so wound up, she didn't fall asleep in the car on the way home until about 11 pm!
Later that week we had Jon's Aunt Faith, Uncle Mel and cousin Ashley visit. We haven't seen them in over a year, so it was nice to catch up and they enjoyed playing with Chloe.
Then we were off to California for a week and a half to visit Jon's parents, siblings and friends and attend the California Rodeo. Yee-haw! Chloe loved playing with all her cousins and walking around Grandpa's farm looking at the chickens, birds, bunnies, fish and of course, rocks!
When we returned, my brother and his family were here for two weeks and Chloe and I joined them on camping trips to Mt. St. Helens and Crater Lake. Chloe enjoyed playing with her three Shierman cousins, splashing in the lake and taking her first rides in her new backpack on hikes and in lava caves. Before they went back home this week, we managed a few more fun days at the beach, K's art studio and two family reunions!
In other Kaiser news, our laptop caught a virus when we got home from Cali and although we lost quite a few files, we were able to recover most of the important stuff, including most of our pictures. A couple days later, we purchased a new, better laptop and have really been enjoying its perks! Also, Chloe got her first ear infection this week, our garden has reached amazon-sized proportions, we got Kodi, our yellow lab, shaved to try and help her allergy-induced biting and scratching and this weekend is Jon's big Crawfish Eating Contest festival. Unfortunately, his thumb has still not fully healed from his rodeo accident three weeks ago and is still very painful to move, which will most likely affect his performance in the competition. This week, he has had an x-ray and MRI with two separate doctors, and while they have found no fracture, it may be slightly dislocated and perhaps have some ligament damage. Please continue to keep him in your prayers as he is very frustrated with the pain as well as the lack of definite answers.

July 3, 2009

Yesterday we had our ultrasound early in the morning and my mom, Jon and Chloe were able to attend. Everything looks really great with our little Polliwog and growing well. Mom, Jon and Chloe left the room when the tech looked at the sex and while she was not really clear what Polliwog is (other than a very modest baby), she made a guestimate. SO, if she was right, I think I know what to expect in 4 or so months! But don't try to get it out of me, because I am sworn to secrecy!

June 30, 2009

Jon's Birthday Weekend

It was a fast but fun weekend we had and full of excitement. Earlier in the week, Chloe was playing across the street with one of the older neighbor girls, when she skinned both her knees up pretty bad. We've been keeping band-aids on them to keep them from re-opening, but they are pretty slow in healing. The good thing that has come out of this is that she has learned to say "owie!"
Jon has been wanting to make his own beer for years and has much of the equipment. This week he decided he was really going to do it, so we visited a "brew store" near our home and got all the ingredients to make a hefeweizen. And on Friday he did it! It is now on its first fermenting stage in our pantry and will be ready for the next stage, in bottles, probably today or tomorrow. We hope it to be ready for drinking within a couple more weeks. We will keep you posted!
On Saturday we had Jon's birthday BBQ out at Hornings Hideout, near our house. It is several hundred acres of privately-owned campgrounds, day areas and a huge lake. They stock the lake with trout and allow people to fish and pay for what they catch. We rented our own covered picnic area right near the lake with a bbq pit, tables, a small play structure and horseshoes. Several of our friends made it and we enjoyed bbq foods and fun fellowship, but unfortunately, since it wasn't a very toddler-friendly area, I had to keep a close eye on Chloe and no time to snap any pictures to share! :(
On Sunday (Jon's real birthday), we slept in, skipped church, went out to brunch and walked around some outdoor shopping areas before heading home and playing outside a little. I made Jon a chocolate cake and we had that with ice cream after dinner. So, Jonathan had a great birthday weekend and thank you to all of you who called or emailed and made it even sweeter for him!
This week begins our busy busy month ahead, so I apologize in advance if you do not hear anything from us or get pics until August. We are now officially 20 weeks and half way through the pregnancy and our ultrasound is scheduled for Thursday, where I will find out the sex, but Jon will not. Please be praying that I can keep it a secret!!! Then, of course we have a busy holiday weekend planned. Next week, Jon's Aunt Faith and Uncle Mel will be visiting from California for one night on their way up to Washington and the next weekend we are off to Salinas for a week and a half. When we return, my brother, Ken and his family will be visiting for two weeks and we have plans to join them and my parents on several camping a sight-seeing trips. Then it will be August and Jon will be competing for his 4th year in a row at the Tualatin Crawfish Festival, where he hopes to hold his 2 year winning streak as 1st in the crawfish eating contest!
My, this summer will be over in no time! Hope you are all enjoying yours and that we get to visit with you really soon!

June 16, 2009

The best anniverary ever!

Our anniversary fell on Wednesday this year, and Grandma and Grandpa Shierman offered to take Chloe on Wednesday and Thursday for us. We had a very nice dinner at El Gaucho in Portland, then drinks and dancing at our favorite country bar, Bushwhackers. We got to sleep in until 9 the next morning since Jon took the day off work and then we had a leisurely brunch. We wanted to do something fun with our free day, so we headed to Bullwinkles Family Fun Center in Wilsonville, where we played miniature golf, rode go-carts, hit balls in the batting cages and played arcade games, where we won 745 tickets! We got some very nice prizes for our tickets: a slinky, tambourine and sidewalk chalk for Chloe and candy for us.
Afterwards, we walked around a nearby mall, had dinner at Fuddruckers...home of the BEST hamburgers ever...got starbucks and ice cream, before heading back home. Then we played cards on the front porch while listening to Louis Armstrong and Jon enjoyed a cigar and whiskey. Awww, just like life before kids!
Friday, Jon went back to work and I picked Chloe back up. We missed her terribly, but it sure was fun without her for two days!

June 6, 2009

For those of you who do not know, the Rose Festival is one of Portland's biggest annual events. It takes place downtown along the Columbia river and not only is a huge festival that lasts for 2 weeks (this year 3!), but also is famous for being Portland's "fleet week" as well as hosting three huge parades: the Starlight, the Kids' parade and finally the culminating Grand Floral. It is called the Rose Festival because Portland is the "city of roses" and each float in the parades is made only of petals and other foliage.

This year we decided to take Chloe since she is somewhat old enough to enjoy it, so last wednesday we watched the fleet ships come in and visited the waterfront festival, where we watched clowns, saw exotic animals, ate dinner and tried (and lost) some of the carnival games. It was swelteringly hot, but enjoyable nonetheless. Thankfully Saturday morning's parade was much cooler and we even had a few sprinkles! We sat with some friends from my mom's group right at the beginning of the parade. Chloe enjoyed it for the most part, but the most exciting was when the last float broke down and almost ran over some of the crowd! Jon jumped up to the rescue and helped the crew get it turned and hooked up to a tow truck for the rest of the parade route.

The rest of the weekend we worked on our yard and garden and on Sunday, we visited our old church to say hi.

May 26, 2009

On Friday afternoon we packed up and headed to the Tillamook State Forest to take Chloe on her first camping trip. Luckily, we found a spot in a little known camp that was very quiet and cozy for us and our friends Aaron and Gosia, who also joined us. Chloe absolutely loved camping and quickly took to her new best friend, Gosia! We stayed two relaxing nights and headed back home Sunday afternoon. Before we left, Jon took a tumble off a log and cut his leg up a bit and later that evening, he was making our dinner at home when he sliced his index finger on his right hand very badly and we spent the rest of the evening in the ER! A tetnis shot and compression bandage later, he is still in pain and not able to use that finger, but thankfully that marked the end of his painful weekend. :)
Monday morning, we headed to Hagg Lake and rented a boat for some fishing. Jon caught a nice sized trout early in the day and Chloe liked being on the water, but was a bit cranky because she had to wear a life vest, hat and sunblock. We had a blast, but were all considerably more tan when we left the lake around 5pm.
Overall, it was a wonderful weekend with gorgeous weather and was sad to send Jon back to work today, but we look forward to the rest of the nice week's weather and hope he can take some more time off next week.
This week's email includes camping pics (ER and fishing pics to come later): Jon and Wynter, Sittin fireside, Jon and Kodi, Bedtime in the tent, Camping girl, Corn on the cob, Our brownish campsite water, No NOT tomato soup but our campsite water when boiled (needless to say, we BOUGHT drinking water!) and Ending the camping trip with a bang.

April 19, 2009

Chloe had a fun Easter and looked very pretty in her new dress. She also had her very first Easter basket with eggs to play with and chocolate to eat! We spent the morning at church, where we got to hear a wonderful sermon and take communion while our pastor's wife watched Chloe downstairs. It was wonderful! Then we had Easter dinner with family on the Shierman side and Chloe had even more chocolate! Thank you to all the grandparents who send cards and gifts, Chloe enjoyed all of them!
Sunday was also a big day for us, because we were finally able to speak with our Pastor about leaving our church. It has been wearing on our hearts and minds for months now that we may need to find a church that supports our family needs better and the last several weeks, God has confirmed it even more. Without a regular Sunday school and nursery program, we are forced to either keep Chloe with us during service or take her downstairs, neither of which have been ideal. After speaking with our Pastor, we feel confident that this is in line with God's will and while we will miss our "family" there, we know it is time to move on. We have been attending another church off and on for about a year that is a little larger and we both feel very at home with. Chloe and I attend their mom's group and we feel that God is very present there. They meet on Saturday nights so there will be some adjustments, and we will most likely re-visit our old church often.
In other news, last week we purchased a truck! It is a 2003 Ford F150 with a large, extended cab, a long bed and is PERFECT for hunting and fishing. Jon was getting a little weary of having to constantly be working on the '76 and as much as I am ashamed to say that I love driving that old thing, I really like this new truck as well. The funny thing about it is that it is the same color as our Honda, so now we have "the silver twins" sitting in our driveway! We plan to sell the '76 as soon as possible.
Yesterday and today have been simply lovely outdoors and so we have gotten lots done, including getting our garden in and planning improvements to our backyard. I finally have my very own herb garden, which I have wanted for some time and have sown basil, chives, dill, parsley, cilantro, catnip, lavender, thyme and rosemary! The rest of our garden includes: beets, radishes, carrots, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, artichoke, beans, peas, potatoes, onion, leeks and watermelon, with some having several varieties. With the loss of our greenhouse from the great snows this past winter, we have had to sow directly into the beds, but plan to germinate almost all of our seeds separately in case some do not produce. However, since we added some great fertilizer to our old soil, we are very confident in a fine crop this year!
We put in some new, blue solar lights around the garden path and surrounding the Koi pond..WAY better than the eerie orange ones we had before! Some other plans we have for our backyard this spring include planting two new fruit trees (hopefully Bing cherry and nectarines) and ripping out our dying hedges along our garden line and replanting with new shrubs (any ideas?). We also have a few things we need to get out of pots and plant like our new Japanese maple and our climbing honeysuckle. So big plans ahead, but I cannot wait to see the finished product! Lots of backyard parties at the Kaiser's this summer!

April 8, 2009

It has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks! We celebrated my mom's 60th birthday on March 25th by going to the Oregon Zoo. It was Chloe's first trip to the zoo and even though it was very wet and she had several bruising falls, she still enjoyed most of it. Last week, Chloe, mom and I spent Wednesday through Sunday in Bend with my cousin Tracy and her two children. It was a great trip and thankfully Chloe did well on both 4 hour car rides. Her and 2 year old Noah had fun playing together and it seems as though she learned a lot from him, since while there she learned several new words, among them, "baby," "book," "ball" and "bottom." (what is with all the "b"s?!) She also had her first time-out, and I am relieved to say it was a success!
While we were in Bend, Jon had a visit from his brother Jim and his Dad. They spent the weekend fishing at Hagg Lake and the Clackamas and Columbia rivers. Jim was the only successful angler, catching a nice sized Salmon on Saturday, which we cooked and ate on Sunday afternoon when we returned from Bend. Jim and Terry did not have to leave until Monday morning, giving them time to spend with Chloe, which was nice.
Since Saturday, the weather has been fantastic and almost hot here, so we have spent much of it outdoors, mowing the lawns, getting our garden ready and playing with Chloe. Yesterday, Chloe and I took more advantage of the sun and visited the Children's Museum and the zoo again, too. We even rode the zoo train and had ice cream, Yum!
In other Chloe news, she is now eating peanut butter and I am glad to say there is no sign of allergies yet! As Easter nears, we are thinking of allowing her to have her first chocolate as well...exciting times!
This Friday Jon is scheduled to have a gum graft surgery to repair a receding gum line on his lower jaw. It is out-patient and so we are not expecting too difficult of a recovery, but unfortunately, his diet will have to change temporarily and he will have to give up cigars for a couple weeks until he is fully healed. Honestly, I think he will suffer withdrawals more from the cigars than the food! :) We will keep you updated on his progress, but please keep him in your prayers.
I am now 8 weeks pregnant, but other than an occasional bout with queasiness, it is rather uneventful, so I do not know why I even bother to mention it. I think that is about all for now. We wish you a wonderful week and a joyous Easter weekend. He is risen!

March 16, 2009

Chloe and I were sick last week, but just a little cold. It has actually been quite educational, though, as Chloe can now blow her nose! And although sometimes she blows all her snot before I can get the tissue to her, it is really cute to see her grab tissue or tp and put it up to her nose herself! Unfortunately, the excess in snot has made her tummy sick, too, as she threw up three times this week! Poor baby!
In other news, most of you have heard by now that we are pregnant! We took a test a week ago and it was negative, but I still had hope that it would turn positive since we took it early, and sure enough, it did! We are estimating that we are due around November 24 (yup, ANOTHER November baby, which means possibly ANOTHER Thanksgiving baby!) After all the trouble we had with our last Dr. office, we need to find a new OB/Midwife for me, so will not have our first prenatal visit for another couple weeks. We are thinking of interviewing several, 3 of which are water birthing centers and one is a family doctor clinic right here in Forest Grove. We will keep you updated on what we decide.
In other Chloe news, she loves to walk and run so much, she rarely wants to be carried or in a stroller anymore. Sometimes she will just take off in a store and its all we can do to keep up with her! She has also begun to smile these big huge grins and is so cute! And she loves to sit in a chair all by herself...she puts her hands on them and says "da da" so we got her very own REI camping chair to sit in.

February 23, 2009

February has been a fun month for our family and while we (okay, Wynter) is sad to see the winter season leave, the sunshine sure makes us excited for the spring and summer! We were able to get a little work done outside in the last couple weekends to prepare for the spring. We pruned our fruit trees and rose bushes in the backyard and cleaned and trimmed foliage in the front to prepare for spring blooms. Unfortunately, our greenhouse did not survive the weeks of snow, so we are thinking of how to replace it before its time to begin germinating our yearly garden. Another casualty from that was a large bag of tulip bulbs I had left inside a bucket were soaked as the bucket filled with rain and snow water. Amazingly, all the bulbs were sprouting and I think I was able to salvage most and get them into the ground. We'll see if they continue to come up, though!
We had a wonderful Valentine's Day. We got Chloe's pics taken, didn't they turn out cute?...Hopefully you all got them! Grandma and Grandpa Shierman took Chloe in the early afternoon and kept her overnight and we picked her up the next afternoon. It was our first night away without her and wasn't as hard as I thought it would be - on her or us! She slept and ate well for them and hardly fussed at all. And we had a nice evening together as well. I thought we would be able to sleep in, but I guess we forgot how!
Chloe seems like she is growing up so fast. She is madly in love with her Daddy and screams at the top of her lungs when he comes through the door after work or yells "Daa! Daa!" over and over again when he is one room and she is in another until he joins her. Last night, he was on the porch having a cigar and she stood up on the couch, pointing and yelling at him through the window. And when I took her outside to see him, she cried when I took her back in! She continues to toddle all over the place and it is so fun to watch her go. We got her first "build-a-bear" this weekend at the mall. She picked out a "scruffy dog," whom we aptly named as such and now she carries him around everywhere, points out where his eyes, ears and nose are and hugs him tight as she falls asleep. It's so cute! We continue to sit her on her potty seat and she has been going more and more in there. And, yesterday, she even signed "poop" when she went in her diaper, so we hope this means that she will potty train early, but only time will tell. We also spotted her first freckle! It is on her back, how did it get there?

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Our Toddler is finally a toddler!

On Sunday night, Chloe began taking more and more steps and it has only continued. You can see that her confidence is really improving and I am sure she will be running in no time! Needless to say, we got LOTS of pictures and videos. She's almost 15 months and we've sort of given up on her walking that to see her finally take 10 or more steps in a row all day long is so unbelievable! Our arms and back are screaming, "Thank you!"
On Saturday, we had beautiful weather and took advantage of it by heading to the beach for the last clam tide of the winter. Grandma and Grandpa Shierman went with us, and we had so much fun. Even though we only got 4 clams! :( Chloe had a blast playing in the sand and all of us enjoyed the sunshine.
Its back to snow now, but hopefully not too much as Chloe and I are supposed to meet my half-sister at her art studio tomorrow morning. I hope to take pictures of that and share them as well.


Friday, January 23, 2009

My 29th Birthday

I had a wonderdul 29th birthday overall. Jon suprised me by taking the day off work and making breakfast in bed! Then my parents came over and Chloe-sat while Jon took me to get my birthday present - a new tattoo! I decided to get Chloe's newborn footprint under my Kaiser tattoo and was very nervous having remembered the pain of it from when we got that done on our honeymoon. But even though it took longer than "Kaiser" and my snowflake on my ankle, it was not nearly as painful as I expected. Perhaps natural childbirth has raised my tolerance for pain! :) The plan is to get a footprint of each child that God blesses us with to look like footprints up my back.
After that, Jon took me to dinner at Portland City Grill on the 30th floor of one of Portland's highest buldings. We got a window seat and and I had several martinis, sushi and a steak! (me, a steak?!!) After eating, Jon wanted to take me out for more fun, but I chose to go home instead and watch American Idol and LOST (wahooo!) in my pjs! It was a wonderful day! I also got a cake from mom and dad, a couple dvds, a cd and a pair of Uggs. Thank you to you all who remembered and sent me sweets notes or phone calls. I love you!
My gift from Chloe was her first poop in the toilet with Grandma and Grandpa Shierman. And while she can sign "poop," I think it may have been purely coincidental, but I will keep my fingers crossed! In other Chloe news, she can now say and point to all parts of her face and most of the rest of her body as well!


Thursday, January 08, 2009

A Kaiser Christmas

Happy new year, friends and family!
We had a wonderful early Christmas with my family and a great Christmas and New Years holiday vacation in Salinas with Jon's family. After getting off to a 9 hour snow-delayed start, we enjoyed a long, but relaxing train trip to California. The scenery was fun to watch safely from our sleeping car and the food wasnt half bad! WAY better than airplane food! While in California, we visited with lots of friends and family, ate REALLY well and enjoyed watching Chloe bond with everyone. Jon got a chance to go on a charter fishing boat with his dad and brother. They caught over 700 pounds of humbolt/giant squid and over 40 dungeness/rock crab.
Chloe especially loved all the attention she received from her many cousins on our trip, all of whom were eager to take her off our hands so we could relax Chloe-free! She also learned several new things: where her nose, ears and eyes are, how grandpa loves her THAT much (arms open wide), how yummy mini-marshmallows are, to crawl up stairs (which she perfected on our two flights here at home!) and giving big hugs and kisses.
We had hoped that Chloe would take her first steps down there, but NOPE, she took three small steps this monday night and two yesterday but adamantly refuses to take anymore. I have hope, though that it will be soon, after all, she crawled late so it probably will be the same with walking.
This weekend we get to celebrate Christmas again, since my Aunt Alexis's party on Christmas Eve was rescheduled due to weather. Yea, eggnog! We plan to spend all day over on the east side to do a little shopping (solid baby gates on the stairs, for one!) And Jon is very excited to get a new scope for his rifle as one of his (late) Christmas presents.
As my birthday approaches, we had planned on going to Tahoe without Chloe, but have opted to save money and take that trip later, instead. And in exchange, I may finally get a pink blackberry, which Jonathan says I need to replace my clunky old dayplanner! Wahoo! Soon I will be sending these updates from my cell. ha ha ha!


Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Great Portland Snow of 2008!

Last Sunday morning started our big freeze. We received 3 inches of snow the first day and temperatures have remained below freezing since. Today, we got another 3 inches and while the temperature seems to be rising, our blizzard continues. Portland actually is having a lot less than we in Forest Grove.

It feels like I am back in Michigan with the biting wind and blowing powder! We continue to expect more snow tonight and the next couple days. Jon worked from home Monday and yesterday, but made it out today. Hopefully, it will not affect our travel to warmer climates for the holidays this weekend. We plan to stay with the Shiermans Friday night and take the train to Jon's hometown of Salinas, CA on Saturday afternoon. Thankfully, the trains are not as affected by this weather as planes. But even better, Friday and Saturday are supposed to be the only two days in the next week where it is sunny and not snowing. Thank you, God!

Despite our (or rather, my) typical Oregonian spaztic reactions to the weather, we had a lot of fun introducing Chloe to the snow. Decked out in snowpants, a warm coat, hat and mittens that she could barely move in, she made her first snowangel and enjoyed watching Kodi go crazy in the white powder. We have gotten out of the house a couple other times, as well, to visit friends in the neighborhood and as much as she protests to being bundled up, I think she likes walking around in it.


Monday, November 24, 2008

Chloe’s First Bday

The party was a huge success and so much fun! Thank you to all of you who came to our party or if you couldn't come, sent gifts. While Chloe was not much help at opening them, she really enjoyed playing with all her new toys and we cannot wait to dress her in all of her new clothes!
The day started off very early this morning. Chloe woke up at 6:20, which ironically was the time she was born! She was able to take almost a two hour nap at 10 and the party was at 2. And while she loved the attention from everyone, after a couple hours she was very exhausted and ready for a much-needed second nap.
As most of you know, we had a Barnyard theme and the house was decorated with fun barnyard decor, especially the cake, which thanks to Tracy for the idea, I made from scratch. Chloe absolutely LOVED it, first scraping the cream cheese frosting off with her fingers and licking them and then grabbing handfuls of cake and shoveling it into her mouth!
It was such a fun day and although she may not remember it, we certainly will. And believe me, I got enough pictures, none of us will forget it anytime soon!
Thank you all so much for making today special.


Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Long Overdue Update

...And we're back! After a week and a half of no internet, we decided to go ahead and get comcast for about $50 a month. We have had free wireless in our area for the last couple years but every now and then our computer cannot connect. It would usually only last for a day or two but this time it has been a week and a half! And being so dependant on the internet, I was beginning to feel isolated, so we checked out our options and comcast installed last week.
Well, it has been such a busy couple of weeks and full of new discoveries for Chloe. I have been just itching to share the news and pictures! She is crawling all over the place now and pulling herself up to stand and walk along anything and everything she can reach. It is so nice because now she entertains herself chasing after the cats and Kodi. But, on the other hand, we have had to start baby-proofing and watching her like a hawk. Chloe has also discovered pointing and now points at everything and waits for me to tell her what it is!
Hunting season ended and for the first time in 2 years, we did not get a deer. It was a rough season, but we know God will provide. And here's hoping for an elk this weekend when hunting resumes!
Grandma and Grandpa Shierman came to last weekend and brought the other two dogs, who Chloe enjoyed chasing after! It kept me chasing as well, to clean up dog hair before she ate it!

Today, Chloe's second tooth in one week came in...now she has both her top vampire teeth! And her mood is much better already! I think she didnt want to celebrate her first birthday this Saturday with only two baby teeth!
We're anxiously getting things ready for the party this weekend and getting the house cleaned for our guests. Jon's mom is coming in from Cali on Wednesday plus 20 or more other friends and family.

As of last Saturday night, Chloe is officially weaned! We started her on regular milk today and she much preferrs the taste of that to formula...Who wouldn't?! She still has a little bit of a cold, but nearly as bad as the one I have now. I think its my worst cold ever! I havent had a voice since Saturday (thanks, karaoke!)and my throat has been sore since Wednesday. :(
I hope to be all better by Saturday, but it is taking my body so long to heal!
Jon has been very busy at work for the past couple months and is looking forward to time off next week.

Thats all for now!


Friday, October 10, 2008

What a month!!!

Well, lets see, here is just a little bit that has been going on in our life:

Chloe turned 10 months and her 4-5 steps have turned into deliberate marching from room to room (with mom and dad's assistance, of course!) And now she can "cruise" along the couch, wall, bed or anything that she can grab on to. A couple weeks ago I noticed two more teeth coming in. This time, on the top, but not her two front teeth...the two on either side, like a little vampire! Apparently, according to my mom, my teeth came in the same way. Despite her incredible crankiness, they have still yet to cut through the gums!

We are starting to plan Chloe's upcoming first birthday party, a baryard theme, for Saturday, November 22nd (her actual birth day) so, if you would like to attend, please let me know and I will include you on the Evite. We have also noticed that Chloe is beginning to understand more and more of what we say, and have therefore been "cracking down" more and teaching her what is okay (gentle touch) and what is not okay (hitting mama). It is a slow process, but we know it will pay off later, when she is the most well-behaved child in Sunday school! :) In other Chloe news, she has mastered waving now and it is so adorable!

We are all adjusting to the colder fall weather, my favorite time of year! I decorated the house all fall-like yeterday and we are hoping to visit a pumpkin patch soon. Hunting season opened last week and Jonathan has been out every spare morning where they have bagged a deer for the past two years. He has been working constantly on the Ford truck, getting it all fixed up and what a great job he has done! He hasn't even spent all the money we budgeted for it, either. Wahoo!

On a more sad note, I would like to thank you all so much for your prayers and support regarding my dad. For those of you who don't know, long story short, my dad had a minor stroke while at the gym a week ago thursday and was in the hospital for six days. He is home, now and is doing SO MUCH BETTER! They are confident that he will make a full recovery, and in the meantime, he is able to walk better and better every day, mostly with the assistance of a walker. But he can now go up and down stairs and can even read a bit before feeling nauseas. They still cannot tell us the cause of the brain bleeding, which is very unerving about the possibility of it coming back. Most strokes occur in those who are overweight, heavy smokers or drinkers and who do not eat a good diet or excercise and if you know my dad, he is in better physical shape than most 20 years olds, is a vegan and rarely smokes or drinks. So, we hope and pray that we can keep it from happening again and are very thnkaful that he is recovering well and that it was not worse than it was!


Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Newsie News

Chloe turns 9 months, Our first trip to the ER and Sickie poo (again)
Chloe is now 9 months and that means she can eat almost anything adults can eat...almost. This week, she had chicken for the first time. VERY EXCITING, and she really liked it, too!
Two weekends ago we took her to the beach to escape the heat and it was her first real time in the sand and waves. She liked it better than the last time we took her in the cold and rain!
We are teaching her to use a sippy cup since rejecting the bottle. I think she is doing pretty well with that.
The biggest news, though, was our first really serious parental scare that earned us a trip to the ER. Chloe had a little tumble off the couch early last week and got a couple very large red bumps on her head. This has happened before and so that wasnt the scary part, until when I picked her up to soothe her, she projectile vomited all of her breakfast and lunch all over me. Chloe not ever being one to even spit up as a baby scared us so badly, as soon as we cleaned her up, we rushed off to the ER here in Forest Grove, even though her happy disposition returned within minutes. After an hour there, they sent us to the ER in Hillsboro for a CT just to make sure there was no head injury. Boy was that scary seeing our little one go through the CT scan machine! Thankfully, after a couple more hours, the results came back normal and we were allowed to feed her and take her home.
But yesterday she came down with a terrible cold. The poor little thing has a runny nose, eyes and can only breathe through her mouth! Now I feel like I am coming down with it, so we are canceling our Labor Day weekend trip to Bend now. Now what do we do with the long weekend?


Saturday, August 02, 2008

FIRE!

Jonathan has re-made the lyrics to "burning down the house" for me in honor of a week ago. It started as a nice cool, Friday morning. I had opened all the windows and our backyard door to get as much of the cool air in before it got hot. Chloe and I visited a friend from church down the street for awhile and we when we got back around 10 am, I decided to put the teakettle on to have some coffee when I put her down for her late-morning nap. I filled the kettle and set it on the back burner on HIGH (idiot!) and then I completely forgot about it and left the house for a HALF AN HOUR to visit a friend (double idiot!!!). When the water steamed out of it, the plastic handle caught fire and the flames went up the wall to the microwave. Thank God our sweet neighbor was in her back yard and heard our smoke detector and saw the smoke coming out of our kitchen window. She ran over to our house, into our unlocked door and put the fire out and turned off the stove while another neighbor called 911. By the time I realized what I had done, the firefighters were already in the house and all of our neighbors were in our front yard. It could have been so much worse and for that we praise our ever-watchful God. I also thank Him for the sense to leave our back door open so the cats could get out and for taking Kodi with me when I went down the street!
Anyway, we bought a lot of replacement stuff this weekend (mostly just the stove, microwave and some baby stuff that we had to toss because of smoke and soot damage). And the cleaners were over monday and tuesday to clean up the soot in the rest of the house...it was over everything! We wont have our stove until tomorrow but we set up our microwave for use on the counter until then. So atleast we can eat some warm things! Our insurance covered the purchase of everything plus more stuff that the cleaners through out that still needs to be replaced. What a relief that it is almost all over and a huge lesson learned. Hopefully I will never make that mistake again!


Thursday, July 24, 2008

Our California Vacation

We had a wonderful time in Salinas visiting family. We went to the beach in Monterrey, watched a parade, had a great time at the rodeo and lots of time to spend with family and relax. Chloe just loved being with all her doting family, especially her many cousins and while down there, she mastered clapping, rolling over and blowing bubbles. She even has started babbling a bit, which, when we arrived home, has turned to "ba ba" and "ma ma." (although I do not think she has made the connection yet with "Mama!")
The flight home was not as fun. When we go to the airport on Sunday, we learned our flight was delayed 4 hours and was overbooked, so we gave up our seats in exchange for 1st class tickets the next morning and spent one more night with Jon's fam. All was looking great on Monday until we were taxing away from the gate and they stopped, pulled us back in because of an electrical problem and then 15 minutes later, told us to get off because they ordered a part with no ETA. Another 15 minutes later, they cancelled the flight entirely! Things were looking pretty grim for getting another flight within 6 hours until all of a sudden he problem was fixed and our flight was UNcanceled! (Amazing what re-booting the system will do, eh?) We finally got out of San Jose two hours after our original departure time and the rest of the day was much less hectic!
Since we have been back, we have been working on getting life back to normal. Jon is busy at work and Chloe and I are busy at home. Chloe turned 8 months on Tuesday, which I just cannot believe has come so fast. And then Wednesday she started getting extremely antsy, like a switch went off in her, "Hmm, I am 8 months now, I better get moving on this crawling thing!" So we wiill keep you updated in that department.