Bridge Troll. Beach. Boards.

We finally found it. The Fremont Troll.

We'd heard a lot about him, but never seen him for ourselves until last Sunday. We went for a drive and there he was under the bridge...

Lainy wasn't sure about him. (I think she saw the real-life car he is crushing in his left hand.)


But in the end, she decided he was pretty cool too. She even sat on his car-crushing hand (tentatively).

We also went to the beach. (Last week with some friends, and yesterday just ourselves.) We love Seattle.

Here's Lainy with her buddy Jackson. Aren't they cute?

My friend has a pretty awesome camera and she was nice enough to take a picture of us. Didn't it turn out awesome?

Our big news this week is Brad takes his Boards on Saturday. He's nervous. If you'd keep him in your prayers, we would really appreciate it! I happen to know he's going to rock it (there's no way he can study for 14 hours a day for 6 weeks and not do well), but still, pray for him! We can't wait for this hurdle to be over!

My heart is heavy.

Remember that little girl I asked you to pray for? She passed away today.

I hurt for her family.

Even though I've never met little Preslee and I haven't talked to her parents in a long time, their story has touched me and overwhelmed me in unexpected ways.

I can't imagine what they're going through. I've been praying for a miracle for them. I've been hoping and praying that they wouldn't have to walk out of that hospital and go home without their baby girl in their arms. I think that would just be too hard.

They must be stronger than me.

I admire their courage for sharing their story with so many. I admire their faith in God's plan for them and their little girl.

As I've followed their story this week, I've been reminded of what is really important in my life. I've held my girls a little closer and tried to treasure my time with them more. It's felt more urgent this week to make sure they know how much I love and cherish them. Their little lives feel more precious to me right now.

I hate the way it came, but I'm thankful for the reminder. I am so blessed.

 I'll continue to pray for Preslee's family and hope you will too. She has touched my life.

Mariners vs. Yankees

Last week we finally made it to a Mariners game. The med school buys a section of seats and sells them to students at a discounted price (Thank you UWSOM). When we learned the M's were playing the Yankees, we decided we couldn't miss it. Brad even put aside his studying for the night. I think he needed the break, and we were thrilled to have him around for an evening.

Our game happened to fall on the hottest night of the year. It was 95 degrees outside and 91 degrees inside our apartment. Needless to say, we were excited to get out of the house. 

When we got in the car to go to the game, we discovered our AC had broken. It was awful. I was sure Leah was going to get heat stroke. I sat in the back of the car between her and Lainy wiping them with cool wipes, giving them water to drink and ice to hold as we made our way through the rush hour traffic to the game. I'm sure we looked like a hot, sticky mess when we finally arrived. We were just happy to be there!

We had a great time. Though our hot dogs cost more than our tickets, we felt like we had a true all-American experience at a baseball game. The Mariners were even ahead until the top of the 9th inning when A Rod hit a triple and scored the winning run. Then the Yanks brought in their star closing pitcher, Rivera, which brought the game to an end very quickly. A bit of a bummer, but we had fun anyway!

Look at poor Leah. Can you tell she was hot?

Lainy might have had more fun watching the mascot than the actual game...

Leah finally fell asleep around the 7th inning when temps dropped into the 80's.

There's A Rod right before he hit his triple. I guess they keep him around for a reason...

We finished our night by getting fresh Krispy Kreme donuts with cold milk. Mmmmm.

Thanks for a fun night Mariners and Safeco Field!

Prayers for Preslee

I just found out about a tragic accident that happened last weekend to a couple I know in Rexburg. Their little 18-month-old baby girl fell into a canal. Two miles downstream, a farmer pulled her out of the water and started CPR. Amazingly, she's still alive. They're in Salt Lake City at Primary Children's Hospital waiting to see if she'll pull through.

So, if you would, pray for little Preslee and her family.

They are posting updates about her progress on their blog if you'd like stop by:
patrickandashley.blogspot.com

6 Months?

I cannot believe that this:

Has turned into this:

C-R-A-Z-Y

Isn't she the cutest baby ever?

People say she looks like me. Secretly, I'm thrilled.

I love her big brown eyes and the way they almost close shut when she smiles big (which is very often). I love that she smiles at anyone and everyone (even the scary looking homeless guy we saw yesterday). I love her cute little voice. I love that she sings/yells whenever she's excited. I love that she's sitting up all by herself. I love that she's eating bananas, sweet potatoes, and rice cereal (which means she's sleeping better too). I love that she is fascinated by her big sister and I'm excited for them to be good friends. Basically, I love everything about my little baby girl.

Except for the fact that she's growing way too fast!!

Happy half birthday Leah Girl! We love you to pieces!

Here We Have Idaho

Last week the girls and I returned from our trip to Idaho. We missed Brad a lot, but we sure had fun being with family.

This is what I will remember most about our trip. Aren't these little girls darling?!

We spent most of our time with my brother and his family. We hadn't seen them in almost a year, and that was WAY too long. We live on opposite sides of the country, but wish we lived next door. (Yes, we love them that much.) 

Our sweet little girls played their hearts out together. They learned to ride bikes, played with bubble wands, danced the hula, jumped on the tramp, and played in the hot tub, among many other things. It was the cutest thing I've ever seen. 

I cried as I watched those sweet little girls hug each other when it was time to say good bye. They talked and giggled in their sweet little sing-song voices right up until Kayt and Ella were both buckled in their car and  driving away. So sweet. I can't wait to get them all together again. Then Leah will be old enough to join the party too. (Though she did enjoy being held by Kayt.)

Some other memorable events of the trip were: 

-Seeing my mom's beautiful remodeled basement

-Staying up in the middle of the night with my mom and a baby who refused to sleep well

-Spending a couple of days at a cabin in Island park

-Sitting with Cass and watching Lainy as she saw Beauty and the Beast at the Playmill Theater in West Yellowstone

-Going to Cassi's softball game and keeping a running commentary with Scott, Kris, and Hayley (we can be pretty hilarious)

-Surprising my dad with a luau birthday party

-Praying for Brad's mom as she went in for foot surgery

-Then praying for Grandma Hansen as she went in for surgery after suffering a fall (she's 93, and we must have more to learn from her because she pulled through the surgery and is recovering amazingly well)

-Meeting my new niece Sadie Lou (and seeing her cute parents dote on her)

-Chatting with Leslie while Lainy played with David and Sarah Jane

-Seeing the Rexburg Farmers Market and Jessica's beautiful quilts

-Having a picnic with Hayley and Stuart at Smith Park

-Sunday dinner with Hansens

-Fishing with my dad (and catching a fish! I haven't lost my touch)

-Helping Lainy catch two fish

-Watching Leah smile at anyone and everyone but refuse to giggle no matter how hard anyone tried

 

We had a fabulous trip. It was a little hard to leave. If we didn't have Brad waiting on the other end of our flight, we might not have gotten on the plane.

As it was, we did get on the plane, the girls traveled great, and Brad was waiting for us with flowers and balloons when we got into Seattle. Oh I love that man! 

And it is good to be home now that we're here.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great trip!

A couple more little things I want to remember:

-Lainy walked right up to my parents huge chocolate lab, stuck her little finger in his face, and said: "Just take a deep breath, Gunther!" after he barked at her.

-Leah started sitting up all by herself.

-Kayt asked her parents why Lainy likes to play with rocks and dirt.