Bend Top Ten

As we are settling into our new routine I am realizing how happy we have been with our move.  What an incredible opportunity for me to spend the days at home with the girls and finding peace and joy in a new adventure.  So here are some pics.  I know that's why you came here...to sneak a peak at how our girls are growing.  This top picture is one of my favorites. 

I am amazed at how much time the girls spend in their room.  Quite honestly, we were very hesitant to have them share a room, but it's been such a delight.  Here they are in Elise's bed.  Lauren seems to be able to safely climb up and down, however, I am a little fearful we might have a fall from the top bunk.  None the less, Lauren is quite capable and they have many adventures from the top bunk.  And yes, they sleep wonderfully at night.

So here is a list I made about why we love Bend:

1. Proximity to Lakeview.  We have visitors, it's so wonderful to see our friends and family consistantly.  The girls love getting to spend time with their "Lakeview" friends who are so dear.  They also love our family that comes to stay with us.  Pictured below is the girls with Matthew and Alida Finetti.

2. Climate.  Although it's been a little chilly the past few weeks, we are loving the more warmer climate here and sunny afternoons.

3. Outdoor Recreation.  Rivers, skiing, hiking, biking....you name it.  Rarely a day passes where we are not outside enjoying the sun.

4. Food and Shopping.  Grocery shopping is such a wonderful endeavor.  I have found that I do most of my shopping at either Fred Meyers, Costco, Trader Joes, and Food 4 Less.  The options, prices, and availability is awesome.  

5. Recycling.  Yes!  It makes me so happy to send off our trash to be reused as opposed to the landfill.  Apparently, it's the little things.

6. Community Living.  As you have noticed in previous pictures we have ended up in such a wonderful sub-division.  There are great sidewalks and many kids for the girls to play with. As much as we miss our old neighbors in Lakeview, we are loving Sun Meadow (the area we live.)  Not to mention the 5 minute walk to the Pennocks home.

7. Parks.  Our girls are becoming park snobs.  "Mom, lets go to _______ park."  We have many opportunities to visit parks and are at the park across from our house almost daily.  They are getting to be experienced climbers, sliders, and adventurers.

8. Mountains Galore.  I need to snap a picture of the mountains. They provide a beautiful backdrop to the city and remind us of God's amazing strength.

9. Family Time.  Scott has 3 day weekends.  Although, he is currently traveling a lot, the days at home have been lovely.

10. God Opened Doors.  There is a reason we are here, and it's proven by God's provisions that this is where we need to be right now.

We enjoyed a quick morning trip to the High Desert Museum.  It was a 15 minute drive and I checked out free passes at our local library.  We are rolling like locals these days.  Opportunities like these are so greatly appreciated after moving from such an isolated community.

Keeping Up

It's been a month, yikes!  No excuses in my lack of blogging.  But honestly, I have been distracted.  I jumped onto the Becky Higgins Project Life bandwagon and that where my creative juices are going these days.  It's just simple scrapbooking that encourages you to journal and scrap the everyday events in your life.  I LOVE it and it's been a joy getting things in print to keep forever.  My pal Danica is my motivator and we scrap at least monthly for a couple of days.  I am trying really hard to keep up with this and do 2012 in the process.  More pictures to come...I promise.

Here is what the girls do when I craft.  Seriously, they love to create things.  I finally made room for their table in the kitchen.  Even though it's not an ideal spot it helps give them their own space and the do love to color.

Something else big happened...Lauren Grace turned 3.  Holy smokes, they are getting so big.  This is how I describe her:

Super Independent

Loves Riding Her *New* Bike

Adores Her Big Sister

Appreciates Chocolate (ha, she might look like Scott but she eats like her momma)

Smiles with Her Nose and Eyes

Favorite Thing to Wear:  Running Shoes

Determined and Stubborn

Enjoys Bath Time and Water

Brave when Climbing and Jumping

JOYFUL!

For her sister, Elise dictated a card.  It made me cry.

And alas, a typical afternoon.  Me on the computer for *momma's time* and Elise doing homework.  Today she is learning letter F.  She says she prefers writing A's.  Go figure.  We are a bit behind on the school work portion of life.  But we have 5 months of learning to get her ready.  It's been both challenging and rewarding but we are figuring it out.  

Right now Scott is in Salt Lake City for training.  He said is is crazy difficult and he is thankful for his college experience in computer science.  We will pick him up at the airport on Friday night.  It's such a blessing living in a large town.  We were able to shuttle Grammy and Papa from the airport last week while they went to Anchorage to visit Melissa and watch the Ididarod.  Even though this year will require Scott to be out of town frequently for training, it's such a breeze getting anywhere from here as opposed to Lakeview.  He is home much more.  Working 8-6 Monday to Thursday has been an absolute JOY.  It's like we are in college again, without the homework.  

So, until next time.  We will be exploring more of this new city.