MARRRRCH Madness

Well, we did not pick the winner for the college tourney. We did however host some pretty awesome guests in March!

Jonah staring at the wonder that is Hyfte. 

Uncle Hyfte came to visit from Minnesota. Matt and Berkely also joined us. We enjoyed some beers from the fancy beer store and Jonah logged his first Geo Cash in the cemetery behind our house. I think it may become a great hobby for Jonah in the future. For now his favorite hobby is putting everything in his mouth and screeching like a teradactyl (not at the same time thankfully). He spends a lot of time on his tummy and rolls over from time to time. Really his favorite thing in the whole world these days is getting ready for bed time with Dad. Kyle really works some magic with him because all I hear from the other room is gales of laughter from Jonah. I figure it is a guy thing going on in there so I don't interrupt, but it sure sounds fun.

Auntie Courtney and Jonah 

My dearest childhood friend Courtney came to meet Jonah after being delayed by a terrible cold when she had planned her first visit back in December. Jonah discovered how fun it was to have a auntie around to make everything merry.  Auntie Courtney just so happens to love the baby bjorn (even if she does wish a giant was carrying her instead of her carrying the baby.) We spent the weekend showing off the coast and enjoying our favorite salt water taffy.
Later in March we were lucky to have my Grandma Frances and my dad come for a visit.

The comfort of Grandma's arms 

Grandma and Jonah have a very special bond. They spent hours enjoying the each other's company, singing, laughing, and cuddling. Grandma was able to calm him so easily when he was upset and he spent many an evening sleeping in her safe warm arms. She even made a song for him. . . "Jonah, Jonah eyes of blue. Jonah, Jonah I love you."

We celebrated my Dad's birthday while they were here.  He got to have a blackberry and banana cream pie and he was even willing to share. On Dad's birthday we also had a very rainy picnic at a tulip farm in the area. Sir (my Dad) offered to babysit while Jessie and Grandma and I went shopping. He was the one to discover Jonah can now hold his own bottle.
My Dad in addition to falling deeper in love with Jonah (as if that were possible) captained the garden project. He is a green thumb of the highest degree and poured out his heart and expertise to us as we designed, purchased seeds, prepped the soil, and planted. He also climbed up and down our ladder about a million times to put up a great frame for the tomato plants to grow on. I am already seeing seeds popping up from the radish, peas, and lettuce that we planted. So, with a little help from mother nature we are off to a great start.
The update from the mama front as I continue on this excellent adventure is  . . .  I decided to give up micromanaging for lent. I was just trying to control everything and that is not healthy for me and it is pretty annoying for those around me. It has gone well so far.
Kyle continues to work his tail off. He has also found an ultimate frizbee game he can join on Sundays and he is able to ride his bike to work most days. Both of these things along with spending time with family and friends help to make his free time enjoyable.
April is here and I look forward to what this month will bring.

Happy Birthday Sir!

Granny and Sir . . . yeah!!!!

Granny giving Jonah a bottle.

 At the end of Feb my parents came to Oregon for a visit. 
We spent the first part of the visit at the coast where we hunkered down for a pretty big storm with 70+ mile per hour winds. Needless to say that put Jonah's sleeping through the night to an end, but it is worth it to be on the coast. 
The rest of the time was spent enjoying and getting to know Salem. I also cooked my first turkey dinner with a lot of help from my mom. It turned out great!
My dad and I attended an infant  massage class together and Jonah has been reaping the rewards ever since.
I think the highlight for all of us was hearing Jonah's laughter. He giggles so much when you change his diaper. 
Thanks for the visit mom and dad (granny and sir to Jonah). 
We love you!

Sir and Jonah waiting out the storm.

Jonah and Granny

Our lunch with the Erkkila's in Corvallis

Out for a walk at a park in Salem

Sunshine on our back deck (we can't wait for summer).

I get by with a little help from my friends

Reading Jonah's favorite book "What Snowmen do at Night"

We have moved to our new house! I can't say thank you enough to all of the wonderful friends and family who helped make the move go as smoothly as it did. I sure needed the help because Kyle had the opportunity to ski at a backcountry lodge in Canada during our move. He could not pass up the knee deep untouched powder, fantastic lodging, company of friends, and a long overdue dose of adventure for his playful soul.
Watch a sweet little video by Brian Niles  documenting the trip by clicking here. 
Kyle is wearing a bright blue coat and a helmet. He also had our camera on the trip so I don't have pics of the move.

So, needless to say our community stepped up huge to help out big time with the move. 

Kyle's mom Ellie pretty much hit a grand slam in my book by doing everything from babysitting to unpacking and organizing the entire kitchen. Many times I was ready to hit the showers, but she just kept on trucking.
A special thank you to Kyle's sister Kelsi who came to help with the unpacking.  She worked wonders on Jonah's room and helped me to stay focused. As wonderful as all that help was what was priceless was her  saving me from a pit of lonesomeness in a new town and a new house.
My cousin Jessie and her husband Braedon came over (they live in Salem too!) and they helped so much with finishing touches and watching Jonah.

A little bear in the woods

Our friends have been fantastic throughout the moving process. Sandy came by in the middle of her busy week to come over and play with Jonah while I cleaned our old house. Beckah and the Widmer's our fantastic neighbors opened their homes to Jonah so that he was not home during all the dust and chaos of the move.
We are grateful to all who helped make our move go well. I can honestly say that for me our new house really does feel like a home.
As for Jonah- today he turns 4 months old. All I can say is EVERY day I get to share this big ol' world with him has been a joy beyond words. As all moms will tell you  . . . . he is just amazing.

Jonah's second nordic ski adventure

Kyle continues to work as hard if not harder than he did when he was in school (I did not think that it would be possible to work harder than in his PA program). I am so proud of him and how brilliant and brave he is to be taking on a profession that leaves him humble everyday. As the Grateful Dead would tell you . . . "The first days are the hardest days" that is probably Kyle's theme song for now but he keeps on moving forward even if it is just inch by inch.
As for me I have recently learned how great it is to have help to the car with my groceries or that sometimes the second time is a charm at the post office when you leave your wallet at home on the first try, and the seriously great benefits of exercise released endorphins to fight off the grey days that sometimes come my way.

                                                                                                                            

Inspiration Point Mt. Hood 

We might not have blue sky very often, but these blue eyes more than make up for it. 

The joy of February!

The month of February does not get much love even though it is supposed to be the month where love is celebrated. I have always liked February one because it is  a winter month and I love winter.  Two I think it is amazing we have a holiday that is devoted to love- so much of what our culture is about is frankly not love. It doesn't have to be about romantic love- just love in general. Third I celebrate February because that is the month that Kyle was born!!!! We celebrated this year by taking Jonah to his first hockey game. He really loved it! I think he liked looking at all the lights and spending time with his dad. We got him little noise canceling head phones so the noise of the arena would not hurt his ears and he tolerates them. Although the first time we put them on him we was truly horrified as you can see in the photo below.
We will be moving this Wednesday to our NEW HOUSE in Salem and WE HAVE MOVERS!!!! The only move that was easier was when we had almost no belongings after the house burned down.

Escargot

This week we start on two new adventures.
First Kyle starts his job at an orthopedic physician assistant at HOPE Orthopedics in Salem, OR.
It is amazing to think that after a long road of late nights studying, hands on training all over the state of Oregon, and passing his boards that he is starting his new career this week.
Kyle looked high and low for jobs in family practice in Bend, Tahoe, and Portland. There were simply none to be found or they were not willing to hire a new graduate. We are so thankful and fortunate that HOPE Orthopedics was hiring and willing to take on a new graduate. As a result of Kyle taking this job we will be moving to Salem. This is where the escargot comes in  . . . at first glance Salem seems like a bit of a snail. It is far from the mountains and the snow that Kyle and I both love dearly. It is a hard working town in the middle of a giant rainy valley. So, it's going to need some butter and garlic to become a place we feel at home fulfilled.
The butter and garlic so far are  . . . Kyle's parents live about 30-40 min from Salem and this will ensure that Jonah will know them well. My cousin Jessie and her husband live in Salem and we will get to see them much more than we do now. Kyle has a job there and I will not have to go back to work. We are in escrow on a beautiful home that matches pretty much our description of the perfect home.
 Here is a link to the listing for our new home. (We are still in escrow so I guess it is not officially ours yet).
http://192ruralave.com/

So, the second adventure is the start of my 31st year on this planet. As I look back over being 30 I realize just how much 30 really was the year of the baby. Bringing Jonah into this world was such an honor and beautiful process (with a few bumps along the way) I feel certain that my 30th year was well spent. So, what does that leave for 31? As I walked through the forest of Central Oregon yesterday the answer was clear to me  . . .
31 is the year of the mother.
For starters I am letting go of worry a.k.a fear and embracing love.  This is an excellent opportunity to practice living in this moment and bringing my light to those moments.
I am looking forward to shaping who I am as a mother and seeing what lies naturally within and I have to say so far so good.

 Jonah wearing his little sheriff outfit from Uncle Hyfte and Auntie Danielle on New Year's Eve.
Below, Jonah is starting to really enjoy looking at new his toys and sometimes he reaches out for them.

 I think he would sleep for 24 hours if someone was holding him . . . sleeping on his own . . . not so much.

~Emily

Christmas Memories

Uncle Ty, Papa Mark, Jonah, and Dad posing like Jonah

Papa Mark, Mama, Dad, Jonah, and Granny

Jonah and his smile: priceless

Before the memories begin to fade as we are propelled into 2011 I want to share some thoughts and photographs from Jonah's first Christmas. We visited Arizona to spend Christmas with my family. It was a really big treat to be there as both of my grandmothers were there as well as my brother and his girlfriend who moved to New Zealand last year. It was perfect timing for them to meet Jonah as they met during the week that Jonah had mastered a heart melting smile. It was so great to see Jonah and our family bond so deeply. We marveled over and over again at our fortune as we spent time with so many generations of our family.
Jonah continues to be as easy going, charming, and delightful as a baby could possibly be. As mentioned previously he has started to smile and suck on his hands. He is also sleeping longer at night (sometimes more than 5 hours at a time).
Tyler and Jonah took many a "walk around the house" and we all would laugh at how small Jonah looked in his arms.
Tyler, Kyle, and Mark transformed back into kids again as they flew thier remote control helecopters all around the house.
His Auntie Mae figured out that if you squeeze Jonah's cheeks when in the right mood he will smile on que!
Grandma Joyce (GiGi to Jonah) spent hours on the couch holding Jonah when he slept. Grandma Frances comforted him when he was extra fussy at night humming and singing in his ear and telling him she hoped he sings better than she does.
His Granny was quoted saying, "Jonah, that is the sun!" as he had his first sun bath near the window. (We don't get much sun in Oregon this time of year).
His Papa Mark (aka Sir) gave Jonah his first baby massage and bounced him on his knee pretending that he was riding a buckin' bull.
We ate like Kings, visited with my cousin Bear and his family, and reconnected with friends.
Christmas can be about so many things. This year for me Christmas was about new beginnings and that ever awe inspiring way that love continues to expand and change if we allow it to. We are looking forward to being as present as possible to that love in 2012.

Grandma Frances, Papa Mark (aka Sir), Jonah, and Mama

Our Holiday Newsletter

“This bridge will only take you halfway there, to those mysterious lands you long to see. Through gypsy camps and swirling Arab fair, and moonlit woods where unicorns run free. So come and walk awhile with me and share the twisting trails and wonderous worlds Ive known. But this bridge will only take you halfway there. The last few steps you have to take alone.”
Shel Silverstein

In so many ways for us 2010 has been the year of the bridge. So many things that at the start of 2010 were just ideas have become reality. In the year of the bridge I feel we have learned many things and thought that may be a good way share our experiences with you. 


This year we learned  . . .


the feeling of terrified excitement when you find out you are having a baby. 
accomplishment as Kyle walked across the stage at graduation officially becoming a Physician Assistant.
confidence as Kyle passed his certification exam to become a Certified Physician Assistant. 
sorrow as we said goodbye to Emily's Grandfather, Allen King. 
about inner tranquility surfing on the Oregon coast. 
an inner "cool" as Emily enjoyed Phoenix in August with girlfriends from Yellowstone. 
to savor the taste of deep fried pickles, deep fried cheese curd, and Sweet Martha's hot out of the oven chocolate chip cookies at the Minnesota State Fair. (Thank you Hyfte!)
peace as we hold our brand new son tightly in our arms and hearts and prepare ourselves to be our best for him.
the true meaning of being thankful for the medical staff that cared for Jonah after he was born and not breathing. 
surrender as we pick up from where things are instead of where we want them to be. 
connection when things get hard in life  . . .  there are so very many people who are there for you to lean on. 
to laugh at all the funny little things you do when sleep deprivation really sets in . . . 
fortitude as we learn to be a mother and a father.
patience as we apply and interview for jobs for Kyle. 
how huge the Anderson side of Kyle's family is as we all gathered for a family reunion in Minnesota over Labor Day Weekend. 
excitement as Emily turned 30 years old and celebrated with friends in South Lake Tahoe. 
to pause and look up at the stars on our many camping trips this summer. 
thrill of riding a vintage Honda motorcycle that Kyle and Emily's dad and many friends along the way helped to restore. 


We are looking forward to 2011 and all that it has in store for us. We hope that your year has been as full of learning and amazing experiences as ours has been. Happy Holidays and we hope that the "Holiday Spirit" has a good hold on you!!!!