Rasmusen Family

rasmusenfamily.com

2010-07-12T08:59:00.003-06:00

Ben got us a domain a couple years ago, but I have been too lazy to get the blog moved over there. After seeing a couple friends make the long and obnoxious move from Blogger, I have decided to move our blog also.

You can find us at:
RasmusenFamily.com

For family especially, who don't have Facebook, please sign up at our new site so you can receive email updates whenever there is a new post.

Sorry for the inconvenience with RSS feeds and such.

Thanks!

They've grown!

2010-07-07T12:13:00.002-06:00

I took Noah and Ezra to the pediatrician yesterday, and my little one's are healthy and strong.

Noah's 3 year check up:
-39 1/2 inches tall (90th percentile)
-32 lbs. (50th percentile)
-Passed eye test. (One of the pictures was a hand, and when she pointed at it, he said "5") :)
-Passed all three year tests including knowing his name, age, birthday, colors, etc.
-Passed all three year physical tests including crazy jumps and walking skills. (She said he is in the 5 year old range!)
-She said he needs to get rid of the thumb. (UH-OH)

Ezra's 2 month check up:
-23.8 inches long (90th percentile)
-11.1 lbs. (70th percentile) She definitely has some fat rolls Noah didn't have.
-Passed all movement and facial expression tests with flying colors. (She is doing things expected at a 4 month check!)

I love well baby exams! They are always so encouraging. Noah is set for another year, but will be getting shots at his next visit. Ezra is due at 4 months with another round of shots... poor girl.

The second month

2010-07-01T20:51:00.005-06:00

Most of June was spent searching for houses, slowly packing things up, and finally moving into a new rental. Our big reason for moving was for the extra space. We have four bedrooms now, three on the upper level, and one (Ben's office) in the basement. We also have a fenced backyard with grass for Noah to run around in. I am very excited to get things going here now.

Unfortunately, the house was a huge mess after we signed the lease. We were told a walk through had been done, and that it looked good... wrong. I was crying hysterically when we first saw it, and realized that there was no way out. I filled out a report, and we got someone in to clean two days later. For three days we had people in here cleaning. It is finally "move in ready." The main level carpet has been shampooed three times, and still looks bad. The paint job is awful, and there are holes, scratches, and stains everywhere! Oh yeah, and we have about 10 outstanding work orders for random things that need fixed.

So now, after a week of being here, I can finally say I have unpacked our things, and it is beginning to feel like home. Hopefully everything will get taken care of soon, and we won't have to communicate with our Property Management Company until the end of our lease. Based on the state of what we came into, and the lack of communication on the Property Management's part, I would not recommend using Clemente Real Estate Services to anyone.

On to some better things now.

Summer is here, and it is busy. Most of our friends are out of town! It has been hard to find people to hangout with. Not that we could anyway. Noah has been sick. Horribly sick for almost two weeks now. I feel so bad for him, and I am not sure how much more vomit and poo I can clean up! Because of this, we have been trying really hard to keep him away from Ezra. I am terrified to feed him because I worry he will throw it up, and now he is taking advantage of that because he can get my attention immediately if he says his tummy hurts. He has been good the last few days, so hopefully we are one the mend!

Now for little Ezra :)

Milestones:
-Cooing, squeaking and smiling
-Found her thumb
-Rolling from tummy to back
-Interested in toys
-More aware of her hands. She is bringing them to her mouth, close to chewing on them I think.
-Sleeping through the night!!

Exciting stuff!

Baby Photos

2010-06-16T19:09:00.003-06:00

I have been able to post lots of newborn shots of little Ezra, thanks to our wonderful photographer and great friend, Rachel. I am so thankful for the beautiful photos she has captured. For the latest photos, please visit our Flickr stream here.

You can also visit Rachel's website (C'est Joli Photography) to see some of her work. In addition to newborn and children's sessions, she is also excellent with engagement, wedding, maternity, family and self portraits.

Become a fan on her Facebook page, and keep updated by following her blog!

Thanks again Rachel for the great photos!

Updates

2010-06-14T14:19:00.005-06:00

As I write this post, I am putting off a huge list of cleaning and packing I have to get done in the next two weeks before we move. It's hard to know where to begin for the packing, and I am just not in the mood to dust the blinds and fans, or clean the walls.

So for the last hour, I have been browsing Zillow for homes in Tennessee. (Ange and Jordan, if you read this, Tennessee is beautiful!) I was shocked to see how big the lots were! Almost every interior had dark hard wood floors, bay windows, formal living and dining rooms... amazing!

We had a nice, but busy weekend. The worst of it was our trip to the ER for Ben. He is fine... but had really sharp abdominal pain most of Sunday, and we were worried it was his appendix. A CT scan showed his appendix was just fine, and the pain was probably just some sort of virus. He feels much better today.

Saturday night we went to a Rockies game, and had a great time! It was the first big block of time away from little Ezra. We sent bottles and jammies over to my parents, and they had a blast watching both kids for the first time.

Noah and Ezra are both doing well. Ezra slept almost 9 hours last night minus a brief crying spree (yes, I let her cry) that on and off lasted about an hour. We are getting there!

Other than that... we are getting excited for our new house, I am really ready for the sun to come back out, and our trip is only 6 weeks away.

Here are a few photos of the kids.

Mr. Noah

Smiling while sleeping

This is how she sleeps

Smile or frown?

2010-06-08T18:22:00.002-06:00

She is still getting the hang of this whole smiling thing.

Noah's Imaginary Friend

2010-06-01T18:06:00.002-06:00

His name is Googock, and Noah loves playing with him! This is something I will never forget. It is so cute to listen to Noah talking to him and bossing him around. How he came up with the name... no idea!

The first month

2010-05-30T13:50:00.003-06:00

I can't believe in a few days Ezra will be one month old. Part of me is thrilled because that means we (and by that I mean 'I') are closer to sleeping through the night again! Another part of me is shocked at how fast this month went, and how quickly this little girl is going to grow.

This adjustment has been fairly easy. I'm just getting used to dirty diapers, burping, rocking, and changing far too many clothes (for both of us) in one day again. I am up two times at night... one late evening feeding (10:30-11pm), and a middle of the night feeding (2-4am). The day time isn't terrible, but I find myself surprised by where all the time went. Ezra eats every three hours during the day, and is still trying to get solid naps in. She is finally becoming a little more content in the swing and bouncer, and is getting pretty good at putting herself to sleep (if only she would stay asleep).

As for Noah, he is doing good. His attitude is getting better. He adores her! He gets mad if she isn't looking at him, he constantly wants to kiss her, and hold her. He is concerned for her when she cries, helps her with a pacifier, makes sure she isn't cold... the list goes on. What an amazing big brother!

I have got a new routine pretty much down, and am feeling more and more rested as time goes on. Okay, I am still in bed at 8pm, barely able to keep my eyes open, but I haven't stayed up past 8pm since before I was married! :)

Ben is back to his usual routine with the addition of getting Noah up in the morning and getting breakfast for him. (What an amazing help! Who knows where I would be right now without him!) He is absolutely crazy about her though! His life has changed a lot too because now we both have one kid to look after... so he is definitely adjusting to a bigger responsibility. :)

For our family... we are moving out of the townhouse anywhere from mid to late June. We are going to rent a house. Something with a fenced yard so Noah can run around outside, a 4th bedroom in the basement for Ben's office, larger living room to accomodate friends, futon and full bath in the basement for visitors (hint hint). We are really excited!

Ezra's milestones:
-Lifts her head and looks around when on her tummy.
-Facial expressions are changing. Creasing her eyebrows, playing with her tongue and mouth.
-More alert and definitely knows how to let me know when she is mad!
-Trying to smile... still a little goofy.
-Scoots herself. (She is always at the top of the crib when I go to get her, and was only inches away from the edge of my bed when I checked on her once!)

We hope everyone is doing well. Happy Memorial Day Weekend! We are headed to Fox Run Park this afternoon for food and fun with friends!

Videos

2010-05-20T18:33:00.004-06:00

Here are a couple of Noah that I have been meaning to post for a while, and one of little Ezra trying to wake up.

Enjoy!

Our Birth Story

2010-05-12T15:30:00.003-06:00

As everyone probably knows, Ezra was perfectly content hanging out in there. I was scheduled for an ultrasound/monitoring session at my 41 week appointment, and Ezra checked out just fine, so they scheduled another session in another week. I guess I was about 41 weeks 3 days at the next appointment, Ezra still checked out just fine, but an induction date was set.

My OB scraped my membranes hoping that labor would start naturally as I was already 4 cm dilated. That evening, as I got into bed I began feeling pretty intense contractions... but they were 20 minutes apart! They got a little closer about an hour later, but they were still 10 minutes apart. After another hour, when they were about 8 minutes apart, I knew we needed to go to the hospital. The contractions were no where near as close as I knew they needed to be, but the pain was very intense.

Before we left I told Ben my birth plan was being thrown out the window. I was all about some pain relief at that point. When we checked in, my contractions were around 5 minutes apart and I was 6 cm dilated. They told me I had to walk around for an hour! That was the worst because when I was up and moving, contractions were coming every 2 minutes or less and were crazy! I think I made it 45 minutes before I wasn't able to walk anymore, so we got into a room. The anesthesiologist was there about 30 minutes later and I was 8 cm dilated. The medication took effect within 20 minutes or so, and it was really nice. Ben and I were able to sleep a bit, and take it easy before the little one came. Unfortunately (as I suspected) my labor slowed way down because of the Epidural, so three hours later when I was still only 8 cm, I was given Pitocin to start it up again. In just over an hour I was ready to push, and Ezra was here 15 minutes after that!

So, how has it been since we've been home?

Overall, not too bad. I have been preparing myself for a break down and thankfully it hasn't come... yet. :) She actually allows us a decent amount of sleep. Usually I get about 4-5 hours at the beginning of the night, then a couple two hour stretches. She will usually have at least one 6 hour stretch between the night feedings, but since we don't get to bed right when she does, we don't get that amount of sleep. The nights haven't been that hard. The day time is what is getting me. Noah is extremely challenging right now with attitude and disobedience, then with trying to schedule feedings for her... makes me feel like I am going crazy sometimes. She also doesn't like the swing, or just laying flat... pretty much wants to be held all the time, and that is difficult too. So we are working on that, but I am getting a little run down with so much crying.

I know this is such a short time in her life, and I am trying really hard to enjoy the middle of the night feedings while they're here. However, I am also excited for solid night time sleep, stable naps, and a content baby too.

Busy Weekend

2010-04-05T14:27:00.003-06:00

This is the first year Noah's birthday has fallen on Easter, and chaos is what it brought.

Noah turned 3 on Friday, April 2nd. He received his gift from Mom and Dad on Friday along with a lot of attention, and pretty much anything he wanted... which I am sure I will pay for later.

Saturday, we spent at my parents house coloring Easter eggs, and hanging out. He received his gifts from Uncle Aram and Grandma and Papa in addition to his Easter basket.

Sunday, we went to church and then to brunch. After nap, was his birthday party at Lil' Biggs where he received even more gifts and lots of play time.

Needless to say, he was rather spoiled, and hasn't enjoyed not getting the amount of attention he received over the weekend anymore.

I can't believe my little guy is 3!

Funny or Sad?

2010-03-21T10:17:00.003-06:00

Is it a bad thing we find this hilarious?!

This is Noah reacting after having been vaccinated earlier that day. It wasn't as bad as he made it seem!

Our last Oregon trip

2010-02-16T09:03:00.004-07:00

I have been thinking about our family in Oregon lately, and thought some pictures of our last trip might be fun.

Love you all and miss you!

The little dancer

2010-02-12T11:26:00.001-07:00

Who knew my son would like The Beach Boys... :)

UGH winter...

2010-02-11T08:07:00.002-07:00

I have always disliked winter. I don't like the cold, the wind, and definitely can't stand the snow! It has never bothered me as much as it has this year, and I have been thinking about why it has changed so much.

I guess the gist of it is that I love the sun and hot/warm weather. I could take sunny skies and great weather everyday of the year.

Now, I get a lot of sunny days in CO, which is nice... but it's not like I can go out and sit on my porch when it is 20 degrees and sunny. I think that has been the big change this year. I see the sun and want to be outside, or have the windows open in my house, but I can't... and that is frustrating!

I will say that the day after we get snow, when the sun is out again, it is pretty beautiful to look at, but are the ocean and palm trees not beautiful as well? Snow makes driving awful, keeps you stuck indoors, and miserable when you have to make a run to the store. All you get (with me at least) is a miserable woman with soaked shoes/pants and messy hair.

So, I am ready to move into Spring! This is usually my favorite time of year. When the snow is finally moving on, and we begin having more nice days then cold. This year however, I look at the 5 day forecast, and I see three days of mild weather (40's) and then snow for two (20's) and I get SO mad! We just got done with a snow storm that lasted two days and now we have it in the forecast for Sunday.

Does anyone relate?

Noah remembers Grandma Leta & Opa

2010-01-28T08:49:00.003-07:00

Grandma Leta always makes sure to give Noah lots of attention when they are in Colorado, so that little Noah will remember her. Well, today I heard a precious surprise that consisted of Noah saying "Mommy, I need to go see Grandma Leta and Opa." I grabbed the camera and got it on video.

(Just so you know Grandma and Papa in Oregon... when daddy came home after work yesterday, he walked right to him and said "Daddy, I need to go to Oregon and see Grandma and Papa." He has actually been bringing that up over that last week randomly. He talks about his uncle Shaun's cars and getting to play with Tasha. It makes him very excited! We miss you guys!)

It's snowy here in CO, so everyone enjoy the warmer weather for me!

Ahh Labor...

2010-01-20T08:40:00.005-07:00

As I sit here watching Noah recreate the movie Cars on our dining room table, I start thinking about how exciting it is going to be with a little infant here with us. I continue to have mixed feelings about the arrival of Ezra. Sometimes I am ready for her to be here now, and other times I think... another three months isn't that far away and EVERYTHING is going to change once she's here.

I am beginning the scary journey of mentally preparing for labor again! I got the old Bradley Method book out, and I am reading about the lovely pleasures of my baby moving her way down and making her presentation into the world. "The pain is good" they keep reminding me... "It just means she is closer and closer to being here!" I completely trust and believe this process is true. If not, I wouldn't have made it through Noah's labor!

This time around is VERY different! For one, I know exactly what it is going to feel like! So I can't just pretend that maybe, miraculously it will be entirely pain-free like I hoped for with Noah. Secondly, chances are that it is going to be faster than Noah's birth. SWEET! However, discussing this with a woman that is going on her third all natural delivery, I can't help but worry now since I see that even after having two, she still stresses about the labor.

I have started the process of pondering all of this in the middle of the night when I can't sleep... not so good. BUT I am starting to think about it again, and preparing myself for it. No use in waiting for labor and hope it goes well. Labor takes a lot of mental preparation! So I read about First Stage Labor yesterday... and I CAN do it. I will use my relaxation techniques and keep myself under control. Ben is an amazing coach, and now that we both know what it is going to be like, we can make improvements to our birth plan and it will be SO sweet when she does arrive.

Here is our little Noah right after his birth... there is nothing sweeter in life!

Next post... my fears on having a hospital birth after the home birth.

My Monday Morning

2010-01-11T08:38:00.002-07:00

I know it is only 9:00 a.m. right now, but I am writing about my Monday morning from 12:00 a.m. on so it has already been quite a bit of time!

Ben and I have been watching bits and pieces of Evita in bed with our laptop occasionally, and that is what we did last night until about 9:30 before I was out. I don't know if it is normal to have scary dreams during pregnancy, but that is exactly what it has been for me. At least 3 times a week, I wake up with a racing heart terrified about what I was dreaming about. It ranges with a lot of things from Ezra and complications to last night's example about my brother and me losing teeth!

Unfortunately or fortunately maybe, I always wake up from these dreams, and it is so hard to get back to sleep because all these new issues come into play... like "oh! yes I have to pee as well" or "baby, I can't fall asleep if you are going crazy in there!" My biggest issue is that when I do have to pee, I need to check the time because if it is within a couple hours of Ben having to get up for the day. If I wake him up by going, and he can't get back to sleep right away... I get Mr. Grouch! Now, in his defense, he tells me I should absolutely go if I need to and not hold it just because of him, but he tells me that once he's had his full nights sleep and some tea/coffee in the morning. What would he be saying at 3 in the morning huh??

So, I woke up to a messy head of hair, ready for some coffee! Thankfully Noah slept in an extra hour and I am very thankful for that!

I am excited to start my week! I start bible study and exercising again! I will leave everyone with Noah pretended to sleep. Have a great week everyone!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa in Oregon

2010-01-04T10:31:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas/Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T08:00:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful holiday season this year! Ben was blessed to get two weeks off from work, so we really took advantage of spending that time together. We had a lot of friends in town for Christmas and the New Year, so we also spent some quality time with them.

We missed our family in Oregon though... we hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year! Thank you all for the cards and gifts! Noah loves his truck Grandma and Grandpa. He especially likes that he can make it move all by himself! He really enjoys watching it make its way across the hardwood floor.

We didn't realize how many of our friends live out of town until just recently! It was great to see all of you, to catch up a bit, and to show you how much our little Noah is growing up.

Christmas day was great! We have spent the last two of our Christmases living with my parents. (Not that I regret that mom and dad!) But since this was Noah's third Christmas, it was the first time we got to spend it as a family! It was amazing! Noah was thoroughly excited for the first time, and we really enjoyed spending that time with him. Between gifts from his Oregon family, Colorado Springs family, and mom and dad, this kid wasn't bored for days!

More big news... we got to celebrate our other family coming 'home' to CO. Tom and Rachel have been our BFF's for... 6 years now! WOW! We have watched each other get married, have kids, change jobs, and grow. We love 'em. The kids play really well together, and it has been really fun to watch them interact. Welcome home friends!

Our New Year was great too! We had dinner with said BFF's, Ben and I took Noah to spend the night with Grandma and Papa, Ben and I went to the Sherlock Holmes movie, and watched the ball drop in our jammies while drinking sparkling cider. I must say, usually our New Year's parties flop, so this year we didn't want to do anything big... just hang out.

Updates on the family:

Ben enjoyed his time off work! He greatly enjoyed having friends in town over the past few weeks. He is still a web-developer for House Party, and we are very grateful for that. He is still working away at MB, and to be honest... not quite sure how all that is going. You'll have to ask him. :) He has been reading like crazy, and his big gift this year was the Kindle. We'll see how quickly I lose time with him once that gets here!

Noah is doing great. He is growing so fast, I can hardly keep up. I am dearly holding on to his baby phase, but he is running away from it fast! He is testing me ALL the time, but I just have to keep telling myself that it will pass, and I am so thankful that he is healthy and 'normal'. Right now we are working on his new clock puzzle. Learning the shapes for each number, and familiarizing him with recognizing those numbers when he sees them.

I am doing good too. Right now, I am associated with this little baby growing inside, and that's okay with me. I had a partial placenta previa at my 20 week ultrasound that could have been dangerous, so I spent that last 4 weeks a little stressed. Right after Christmas, I had another ultrasound to see if it corrected itself, and praise the Lord, it did! I am healthy, she is healthy, and I will most likely have the natural delivery I wanted! She is growing fast now. She weighs over a pound, and I am feeling kicks now! This pregnancy has been a stressful one, but God has truly blessed us with a healthy baby and healthy mommy. We can't wait for our little Ezra Raye.

As for ME me... I am doing good. I am trying to spend as much time as I can with my Noah. I am going to miss this one on one time I have with him now. I am trying to eat healthy, take my vitamins, exercise, and get rest along with cleaning the house, doing laundry, entertaining Noah, and giving myself some personal quiet time! Life is busy, but good!

Happy New Year everyone!

Harry Potter/Twilight

2009-11-20T15:50:00.002-07:00

I'll go ahead and say I enjoy reading teenage fantasy books. This originally started about 5 years ago when Ben introduced me to Harry Potter. The second movie was about to come out, and he wanted to see it. I honestly thought Harry Potter was a kids movie, and that I wouldn't really enjoy it. Well, before we went to see The Chamber of Secrets, we rented The Sorcerer's Stone. My heart was changed! I loved being brought back into childhood. I loved how the movie made you believe you could light a fire with the flick of a wand, or food would just show up right in front of your face. The story line was good, and I instantly cared about Harry.

After the first two movies were released, I decided to go back and read the books. The fifth book was about to come out as I began that journey, and it was just as wonderful to read the books. I was the big fan then... I wanted to get there opening night for the movie, and wait in line for two hours, then see it again the next day... and buy the DVD when it came out, and watch all of them when I stayed home sick. Then, it was my turn to do some convincing. We had multiple friends that had never seen any of the HP movies... so I coordinated multiple HP marathons! I have to say, those friends did find themselves enjoying HP too. I was in line two hours early for The Half Blood Prince a few months ago, and I intend to do so for the remaining films.

The next series that I got into was The Twilight Saga. Now other than being total fantasies... these two series have nothing in common. Harry is about the constant battle of defeating You Know You, and Twilight is a love story. A very powerful love story! I'm finding it hard to be as crazy about Twilight as I was about HP... here's why.

After I read the series once, I read it again and again! Those books draw us (women particularly) in. A totally selfless, gorgeous man that would fight for you, and would die if you weren't with him...WOW! I fell into the mania, and I was in line for Twilight opening night! However, I was a tad disappointed when they portrayed perfect Edward as not being totally perfect like he should be. Overall, if you like the books, you are forced to enjoy the movie even if the acting was disappointing and it looked totally cheesy. That is why for New Moon the 12:00a.m. showings grossed $26 million in over 3500 sold out shows nation wide. If there are fans of Stephanie's amazingly desirable books... then those fans will support it no matter what!

I am really excited to see New Moon! But as the hype of it coming out has been crazy, I began thinking about a weird feeling of sadness that has overcome me about the series. To start... I am a little embarrassed that I like it. I mean come on, I am a married woman with children! So I didn't want to be with the "silly" girls waiting in line freaking out about how Taylor Lautner's and Robert Pattinson's bare chests are going to make them go crazy. I didn't want to be jam packed in the theater, listening to the giggles, and ooohs and ahhhs every time he did something romantic. I just didn't want to associate myself as one of the millions of girls who is crazy about these 'men'. That is honestly what it is about. Like I said earlier, it is a love story. That is why it is so desirable for women. I love romance movies! I know I will love New Moon even if the acting is sub par again, and if there are cheesy effects. I'm a romantic.

The worst part for me is the little girls that will get their hopes up that if maybe someday... they could just meet Robert or Taylor, they (the boys) will for sure fall in love with them! It brings back many memories of teenie bopper days when I swore that if I could only meet Justin Timberlake, he would marry me. I kid you not, I was 100% serious about marrying that guy! I entered sweepstakes, called radio ads, and did everything I possibly could (at 13) to meet him. Well, it never happened! I read an article about Robert, he was saying when he was signing autographs at the premiere, some girl begged him saying, "What do I have to do to get your attention?!" He said, (jokingly) "Take off your clothes." AND SHE DID IT! She got kicked out of the premiere, and I guarantee you it still didn't get his attention. He probably has no idea what she looks like. 13 year old girls screaming "Robert is my life!"

I know that if I had a 13 year old girl, I don't think I would let her read the books. The problem is, when you put something like that into a movie... all her hopes of Edward turned into Robert. And she will forever be disappointed when no man will ever meet that standard for her. She is too young to even fathom that her future won't/can't consist of Robert Pattinson. I know they are feeling it, because I started to question my husband. I began to set a standard that was ridiculous and I needed to take a giant step out of the fantasy and back into reality where my husband meets expectations for an amazing husband and then some. And it isn't just Robert or Taylor, but any movie that portrays a love story. This stuff is bad for women!

Like I said, now that I have gone through this craziness, I feel better about watching a romance movie, and knowing it is fake. I can separate myself from the fiction, and get back to reality. I hope the mania calms down, but there are still two movies to go, and I know it will be crazy. I just need to keep these thoughts in mind, and hope mom's tell their daughters it is fake, and for the mom's to remember it is too!

Our crazy day

2009-10-21T18:25:00.003-06:00

Sorry for the long post!

Yesterday started off just like every other day. We got up, ate breakfast, bathroom time for Noah, got dressed, and Noah and I got to go to church for my weekly bible study. As the day went on, everything changed!

We haven't had Noah in the church nursery for months because he would get sick almost every time we had him in there. Yesterday was his second week in there, and I was really worried he was going to react like he did the first week. (The first week, after only being in there a short time, he began to cry and cried on and off the entire time!) So I told his teacher that I would check in on him more often just in case he did it again. He was fine for the first hour, but when I peeked in at that point, he was crying. The teacher saw me at the window and told me not to worry about getting him, so I went to class. When I picked him up, he was playing just fine. She told me that right when I saw him was the only time he cried and it was for a short time. I was so thankful he adjusted that quickly to it again. He obviously needs more time away from mommy! :)

Noah and I enjoyed lunch at the church afterward, came home, and I put him down for a nap. I ran to the store and was back about an hour into his nap. He usually sleeps for 3 hours, so I was preparing it to be a while before he was up again.

All of a sudden, Ben heard him saying "Ouch, ouch!" He started coughing a couple days ago, so I thought his cough was bothering him. I went in with some medicine with antihistamine to hopefully help him sleep. He pointed to his back saying "Ouch mommy! Back hurts" He had a tight fitting shirt on, so I thought maybe that was hurting him when it twisted as he slept. So I took the shirt off and told him to lay down. About 15 minutes after that, he started crying which turned into wailing.

I went to check on him, and he was still pointing to his back and complaining that it hurt. He was pointing right to his kidney area, so it really worried me. I stood him up and he was toppling over because of pain. He began touching his stomach, and just couldn't get in a comfortable position. Noah has never had stomach or gas problems, so to see him in that amount of pain was so difficult for me to even think of diagnosing. I called the doctor and since we couldn't get him comfortable and he was sore on his back, she told me to bring him in right away.

On the way to the doctor, Noah seemed to calm down in the car. I thought maybe it was just a stomach ache, but once we got to the doctor, he showed signs of sensitivity still. By the time the doctor came in, he was feeling fine. She checked his urine anyway, to make sure nothing serious was wrong. (Everything came back negative thankfully!) She did say that Strep symptoms are usually cough, sore throat, and stomach pains. So even though she didn't test him for it, she saw a pustule on the back of his throat, and thought this was the issue.

It's so frustrating that he ended up sick right after we introduced him to the nursery again, but I am prepared to deal with it because I am really excited about being apart of the bible study, and I know it is really important for Noah to interact with other kids.

After two hours at the doctor, Walgreens had an hour and a half wait time for prescriptions... so after that huge wait, we get home for dinner at about 7. We get Noah fed, and into the tub because he was playing with dirty toys at the doctor, and I also thought it might make him feel better. Well, I had a lot to do, so while he was in the tub, I was taking care of things here and there. Backing up a tad, before I put him in the tub, I told him to go poopie on the toilet because he hadn't gone yet that afternoon. He said he didn't need to go, so I put him in the bath, only to hear him say "Mommy, I poopied!" Sure enough, we had some floaters in the bath. That was a first!

Is it crazy that I made it two and a half years before any crazy situations happened to me? Is it normal to dump on you all in one day? Aww, the beauty of children. So precious and so challenging at the same time.

Oregon Trip

2009-10-12T14:42:00.002-06:00

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Oregon. I updated our Flickr page with some photos.

It was full of family time which was the point of the trip, so it was perfect! Noah enjoyed seeing everyone, and it is exciting to see that he is old enough now to remember his family out in Oregon.

Now that we're back though, I have loads of laundry, grocery shopping to do, and house cleaning... I guess we're back to the real world. Always kind of sad.

Here is an adorable video of Noah playing with Grandma's train.

Lotion mess...

2009-09-28T08:42:00.003-06:00

I was giving Noah "room time" the other day, and what I found afterward was a mess!

We try to do room time every day, and he usually does really well. Sometimes toys just don't cut it though, so he will find other things to get into.

I was checking my email, when I noticed I hadn't heard a peep from Noah for at least 15 minutes. Finally, a few minutes later I hear Noah say something. I called up to him, "Noah, what did you say?" He responded, "Lotion." I was up the stairs in a second, but of course, I was too late... he had it everywhere. I think he thought it was similar to his shampoo/body soap, because his main target was his hair. Clumps and clumps of lotion all over his hair, face, legs, and arms.

I didn't know where to begin! First I called Ben out to just sit and stare with me. I tried to rub the excess into his arms, legs and face... but what to do with the crazy hair. I tried to use wipes, but it was too thick with lotion. He ended up in the tub, and after 3 washes of his hair, it was still greasy.

Lesson learned! Make sure to check the diaper bag after a night over at grandma's. Put the soap, lotion and toothpaste away before leaving him alone!

We're expecting!

2009-09-16T09:52:00.002-06:00

Ben and I are expecting our second child!

As most of you know, we had a miscarriage about 6 months ago. This time around has brought feelings of anxiety and fear. We met with our OB at around 6 weeks. She did an ultrasound, and there was nothing yet... I was still just too early along. She said that everything looked good though. We had to wait three weeks for our next ultrasound, which we had this past Monday.

She immediately found a heartbeat!

I have been sick the last three weeks, so I had a very strong feeling that everything was just fine. Seeing the heartbeat and our little baby blob there was so reassuring though, and I feel so much better now!

The heart rate was 162. They measured me at 8 weeks 4 days. My due date is April 24. The sickness is getting a bit better because I know what and how often I need to eat to minimize that.

Other than that, we start our pregnancy journey again. Next doctor visit is 4 weeks!

Not much going on...

2009-08-18T08:32:00.002-06:00

Thinking of things to write has become more of a challenge over the last 6 months. We have been up to things... but I just don't take the time to write it down. Well, I will write another 'update' post, and then I will work on posting things as they happen next time.

Hmm... how far back to go?

I'll start with moving into a place of our own. As you know, Ben got a full time job that provides a steady income and health benefits, which has been absolutely amazing! We can finally budget again, and are working towards being debt free... again! Our townhome is wonderful. We bought the minimum amount of stuff that was needed to move us in, but there is still a lot of stuff we need! As we get debt paid off, and save some extra money, we'll fill it in. For now, it is just fine. We spend so much more time as a family, and that is something we haven't been able to do in a long time!

I have been working towards potty training Noah. That has been a nightmare. It is probably just me... I just don't have patience for this kind of thing. You work and work and work, and they still mess up their underwear/pull-up/diaper. It has been the most challenging part of parenthood so far. Anyway, we are far from trained... and I am at a loss for more ideas.

The summer went way too fast! It was pretty fun though. We went to a Rockies game on the 4th of July. That was a blast! We went to the Zoo for the first time with Noah. He loved it. We spent time with extended family at a couple family reunions. We watched Noah grow up even more... he loves the park and the big kid jungle gym. We are going to Glenwood Springs this coming weekend for some pool time. We are going to another Rockies game... oh and it is football season again... the start of fall.

That's where we are. Our daily routine is pretty set now. Our exciting news for the fall is our trip to Oregon in October. I am definitely not ready for winter or cold weather, but alas, it will come and I will get through it. :)

Blue Mesa

2009-07-13T13:27:00.005-06:00

I enjoyed a fabulous trip to Blue Mesa for a family reunion this weekend. It was filled with lots of food, trips to the lake, splashing around in the swimming pool, and of course, my favorite... playing card games with grandma!

It was also amazing to take Noah and experience the joy of watching him having a blast! He loved the swimming pool. He was throwing around the beach balls, and jumping off the edge of the pool into mommy and daddy's arms. He ran around outside with such delight. The boy was dirty the entire time, and it was awesome! He got to experience riding in the boat... which included seeing some ducks, learning what everything was, waving at people in the other boats, and fishing!

We had some quality family time. We enjoyed laughing and catching up with everyone. Playing with all the kids, and getting to experience another generation. For as long as I can remember, I was the youngest generation... and we had 14 kids there this time! It is so amazing to see how family will always continue to grow.

LONGEST WEEK EVER!

2009-07-03T21:14:00.002-06:00

This week has been crazy!

Ben left for San Francisco last Saturday the 27th for a week. The 26th we signed a lease to our new place. So I decided that while Ben was gone, I could keep myself busy by moving everything over, and getting it all set up. I didn't realize how much we actually had! I thought that we had sold pretty much everything before Hawaii, but when I started going through the storage room and the garage... I came up with mounds of stuff!

I slowly took loads over, came back and realized that I had another entire car full of stuff to go. I had about 7 car loads, plus my dad and my brother each had a truck full. I started Sunday the 28th, and just spent a few hours there during Noah's nap. As the week continued, I knew I needed to spend more time there, or it was going to take forever to get it all set up.

Meanwhile, my grandpa was in town, so I gave up my room for him, and slept on a mattress in the family room. I kept feeling like spiders were all over me, and the clock kept dinging... I did that for two nights, and slept pretty poorly. That didn't help at all for my energy level.

Alas, I have one more load to take over, and then I am all done! I thought that moving things over slowly would be nice because I wouldn't have to rush, but I kind of think that it is worse because I felt like I was never making any progress.

Pictures soon to follow!

Happy 4th!

Growth Chart

2009-06-13T21:44:00.005-06:00

Before I went to bed last night, I went in to check on Noah. After readjusting him into a normal position, I noticed how much he has grown since those very first moments he spent in the crib.

We recently got a growth chart from Uncle Aram, but we have already missed the first two years. When I looked back at some pictures we had taken of him sleeping, I realized we have growth chart right there.

Here is our little baby... who is now just a little boy. So big! I measured him at 3 feet tall yesterday!

Here he is right after he was born: (Notice he is probably half the size of the nursing blanket below him)

Probably around 9 months:

Here is the precious now at 2 years: (the crib is probably 6 inches from his head and feet)

Softball

2009-06-07T10:52:00.003-06:00

Ben just got his first baseball glove, so we played catch for... geez, I would say 2 hours yesterday! Playing catch is a lot of fun. I haven't 'played' in the yard for a long time. My throwing arm is really sore today. However, I sustained worse injuries during our time playing ball, which I felt is important enough to share.

My brother agreed to play with us a little bit, and he also has a bat, so we thought it would be nice to go to the park's baseball diamond and play some softball. We rotated playing outfield, pitcher and batter.

I was first up to bat with Ben pitching. He couldn't get his underhand pitches right over the plate, so he wanted to try a pitch overhand. I misunderstood him thinking he wanted to use a baseball instead of a softball. So I turned to look for the baseball and by the time I looked back up, Ben had thrown the pitch, which wasn't very accurate either because it hit me right in the head. The force of the hit threw my head sideways into the bat. My whole head felt like it was shaking. I knelt to the ground crying hysterically while Ben ran to see if I was okay. Overall, I was just really scared. I didn't have a headache, and other than some throbbing at the injury site, I felt okay. So I decided to continue playing.

A little while later, Aram was up to bat while I was pitching. I have been practicing throwing with both hands, so when my left hand throws weren't looking very good, I switched to throwing right handed. I don't have a right handed glove though, so I was playing without one... not that I would have caught the ball if I did have one. Anyway, most of his hits went straight into right field, so I wasn't being extra cautious. So I threw a pitch and he hit it as hard as he could. It was coming straight for me, and I couldn't do anything about it. I turned to the side, and it hit me smack in the elbow. I thought my arm was broken! I could still move my fingers and squeeze my fist, so I knew it wasn't broken, but I was in some intense pain. Aram came running over and tried to encourage me to just breathe for a few minutes. Once Ben was there, I had lost it again. I was sobbing, and there was no stopping it.

We ended the game there.

Now I understand why men and women play sports separately. I won't play softball again with boys! They are just too aggressive and rough.

I am pretty bruised, but overall not in any serious danger. My head hurts with just a tiny bit of pressure on the wound, but no headache or anything. My arm only hurts in one position, and again only if the wound is touched.

Whew!

A little bit of Noah

2009-05-12T16:37:00.004-06:00

I have three videos that are pretty adorable. I just wanted to post some things that Noah is doing lately, and give everyone a little treat of Noah! (I was just informed that the video's are pretty boring... sorry! I will try to get better ones up.)

Have a great day!

New Job

2009-05-10T20:09:00.003-06:00

Ben and I have been living life for 4 months now without any income at all. We decided that it would be good for Ben to stop working on all side projects and work solely on a personal project at the beginning of January. That was to go on for three months, and then he would get back into free lance work.

We saved up enough money to get us through March, and with the help of my parents 'for allowing us to live with them rent free' it was possible for us to do this. Because of that we only had to pay a small amount in bills each month. Ben began looking for work in March hoping that we would have a paying job by the end of the month.

Unfortunately, we had some big things come up that took the already depleted savings account into absolutely nothing! The biggest set backs were medical bills from my surgery in January, our trip to Oregon, and taxes! All of a sudden we were coming quickly into April with no means to pay our bills. Some bills went unpaid for a couple weeks, and we truly couldn't spend anything! No eating out, definitely no shopping... we were having difficulty buying things that were necessity.

Ben did get some jobs lined up at the beginning of April. We are just now receiving small payments from those. Though the little bit really does count right now, I was thrilled to hear about this new opportunity for Ben.

I don't know much about the actual job... I was mainly focused on the money and how often we would be receiving the money! :) It is awesome! The company wanted to hire him on as a full-time salaried employee instead of doing contract work for them, which is great because we get extra benefits with that. They are going to be providing health benefits, 401K plan, paid vacation... oh and that little thing called "Guaranteed Income!" Just having health benefits through them will save us so much money!

It is definitely an answer to prayer. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us through this situation. We are a little behind now, but at least we are heading in the right direction. We just need to stay disciplined and smart with out finances so we can get out of the mess we got ourselves into.

Memories

2009-04-14T10:20:00.003-06:00

I was going through some video's of Noah when he was younger, and I just fell in love with these two all over again.

He used to make this noise all the time! It was hilarious...

I just love how he tries to read me a story. It sounds like he is really into it.

I hope you all enjoy these. Have a good day!

Happy Birthday Noah!

2009-04-08T14:35:00.004-06:00

Our little Noah just turned two! This year we were able to celebrate with both sides of the family, which was amazing.

We had cupcakes with the Rasmusen family the morning before we came back to Colorado. It was awesome because Noah kept licking the cupcake like he would with an ice cream cone. We actually just taught him how to eat an ice cream cone when we went to the beach in Oregon. He has gotten lots of treats lately.

I was able to throw a party together in just a couple days once we got back to Colorado. We had friends and family over for pizza and cupcakes. His party theme this year was "Cars". He is crazy about them! He got some really nice gifts... luckily some cars were included.

He got a remote control car, and was absolutely amazed with it. He was so funny! He would push the button on the remote and it would move, but it also shocked him when it did, so he would scream! I love this video.

Happy Wednesday!

Our Trip

2009-04-06T09:44:00.002-06:00

We spent 10 days in Oregon with Ben's family, and had a fabulous time! The plane ride went well. Noah slept during the flight, which was wonderful! We were able to spend quality time with everyone.

We pretty much didn't stop the whole time we were there. We got to celebrate Enok and Sarah's marriage, visit with extended family, took a trip to the beach, took multiple trips downtown, and had a great time just playing games at the house. I posted pictures of our trip on our Flickr page.

I want to let everyone in Oregon (and Washington) know that we miss you all, and had a wonderful time visiting. We hope to see you all again soon!

Oregon

2009-03-29T16:43:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone!

I have been internet starved for the last week! We have been enjoying our time with family out here in Portland, and are excited for the upcoming week as well. I am taking lots of pictures, which I will post after we get back. But to keep you busy for now... check up with Ben via Facebook or Twitter to see some of what we have been up to.

Hope everyone is well!
Amber

Videos

2009-03-16T13:32:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone!

I have a few videos of Noah doing his normal daily activities. The biggest accomplishment is that he can count to ten! That has been fun working with him on. He also found a stick outside and enjoyed playing with that... you can also see how well he listens! :) The last one is of Noah just talking to me and running around. I love how he says... "Well..." Too cute!

That is all for now. Have a great week!

What the heck?!

2009-03-02T16:36:00.004-07:00

The other night we went out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants... On The Border! We were all coming down with colds, so after our 20 minute wait we were pretty excited to eat and get out of there!

After our order was placed, the balloon man came walking around near our table. Noah had his little toy Elmo with him at the table, so he walked by us and subtlety said "Oh... I could make an Elmo hat!" When none of the adults acknowledged this, he politely moved on to the next table. Whew!

Uncle Aram spoke up and said, "Hey, why don't you get him a balloon? I have some money." Sure enough, he came back to the table after the other kids were satisfied and said to Noah "Would you like an Elmo hat?"

We gave the guy the go ahead and he began his incredibly tough task of making an Elmo hat... a whole three balloons! Two of which I could have blown up. He drew a couple of eyes and handed it to us.

Well all of a sudden Uncle Aram didn't have that cash he thought he did. So Ben checks his wallet only to see a $1 or $10 bill. Yes... that is right folks, the balloon man got a $10 tip for making us an amazing piece of art! HaHa! It is weird how $10 doesn't seem like that much until it is given away in that kind of situation... the kind where you are thinking "What just happened?"

But hey, we got a happy child out of the whole thing. That makes it okay right? :)

Just a little something extra... I got a video of Noah singing the ABC's. He has this puzzle he does and whenever he finishes it, he sings the song.

Happy Monday to everyone!

Elmo's Song

2009-02-23T08:34:00.002-07:00

Noah's favorite song is Elmo's song. Uncle Aram found it on YouTube, and now everytime anyone has a computer open Noah runs over shouting "Elmo's Song's!"

I got a video of him singing it. I had to split it up though because it is a 3 minute song! I love it when he tries to sing Snuffy's part. You'll see why :)

Hope everyone is doing well!

Funny Story

2009-02-03T09:07:00.002-07:00

So we had some friends over to watch the Superbowl, and Noah got to play with one of his little friends!

Reagan just turned one and she was cruising around playing, and Noah couldn't get enough of her. She had a little monkey toy the two of them were playing with, and all of a sudden Noah runs over to her and says "monkey". So I told Noah that the monkey toy was on the floor, and then I asked him... "Noah where is the monkey?" He looks right at Reagan, pointed at her and said "Monkey!" We were laughing so hard! I have no idea where it came from and why he starting calling her monkey. But the entire night, every time he saw her, or was trying to get her attention, he called her monkey.

So later on that night, we put Noah's sunglasses on her. She was stealing the attention of all the adults... and Noah runs over and says "Oh baby... nice!" WOW! Now, just so you know, he calls any little person a baby even if they are 4 years old, so he was just calling her a baby, but it sounded sooo different when it came out like that. Her daddy says Noah is not allowed anywhere near her when they get older. :) Ben said that we would try to teach Noah not to call her a monkey... to her face anyway! Oh the joys of parenthood!

So the next day, I am driving with Noah and all of a sudden he says "Where did Monkey go?" I told him "REAGAN went Bye-Bye." So all the way home he was saying "Monkey Bye-Bye" over and over again.

He is too adorable!

How many bruises can the kid get?!

2009-01-20T18:43:00.003-07:00

This past week Noah has had a rough time with balance and has multiple face injuries to prove it!

It started with him falling off the stairs. He does this fairly often, but usually ends up fine. This time he fell right into the baby gate and got a pretty big gash in his lower lip. It took a while to heal because he wouldn't stop biting at it.

The following day we were playing outside, and he was running around the grass and the stairs. He was doing just fine. All of a sudden he tried to walk up one stair and missed his step which left him with the bruise/scratch on his left eyebrow, along with two more scratches down the left side of his face.

Today he was in the nursery at church, and when I picked him up he had the big red lump right in the middle of his forehead! Probably rug burn from running and biffing it!

Poor little man! How do you keep a two year old boy from getting injuries if that kid is bound and determined to constantly run at full speed, and challenge himself with things that are way above his age level?

Incredibly bored!

2009-01-15T08:47:00.002-07:00

Does anyone ever go through internet boredom? Sometimes I get so frustrated surfing the internet! I usually get on my computer after Noah has eaten his breakfast, and I can usually spend a good amount of time doing my routine.

My routine consists of checking email and rss feeds, checking good ol' Facebook, a couple of sites I am too embarrassed to talk about (don't say a word BEN!), and lastly Flickr. Now I know if Ben or Ryan are reading this they are probably thinking... "Is that ALL you do on the internet?!" For the most part... yes! I only have 11 rss feeds, of which only about 7 update, and I rarely get emails!

So if that keeps me busy for a while, I usually stop there, read a book, or play with Noah and get back on a little later. If it only takes me a couple minutes to get through my routine, I will usually hit up Craigslist, check the bank account, hop on Chat, or just sit there trying to think of something to search.

When I currently don't have anything I am reading, I usually start getting super bored. I try to occupy my time with the internet... so I will hit up YouTube, Hulu, or I start online shopping! All of this is just to pacify me... I don't plan on buying anything, and I rarely watch a show all the way through.

By the time... oh let's say 10 minutes goes by, I am ready to pull out my hair. I close the computer and just sit there... trying to think of something to do. Then when I am bored sitting, I will get back on hoping that something cool has happened during my away time, and usually I end up disappointed. I carry on this frustrating pattern ALL day! How lame!

So here is what needs to happen... I need you all to post to your blogs more often so I have interesting stuff to read and do everytime I get online. Sound good? :)

I hope you all have a nice day. Thanks for listening to my rant about online boredom.

My first surgery

2009-01-13T07:16:00.003-07:00

I was hospitalized for the first time in my life yesterday. (Okay, not the first time, but I was only 5 the last time and I hardly remember anything.) It was outpatient surgery, so I was in and out in about 4 hours. Even though the circumstances weren't very nice, (how often are they ever nice though?) I am proud to say I have experienced and gone through a successful surgery.

Ben and I got there and checked in, and almost immediately the nurse called me back for preparations. I answered some questions about medical history and allergies to anything. The anesthesiologist walked me through everything that was going to happen on his end. I wasn't too thrilled about the tube down my throat, but it would all go down while I was under... wouldn't even know it was there! Then I had to change into the gown and lay down on the bed! I was pretty nervous the entire time... sweaty palms and shaking. The next nurse came in and put my iv in. I have never had an iv. I really didn't like that part! The next thing I know, I am saying goodbye to Ben and they are wheelin' me to the O.R. By the time I am in the O.R., I am really panicking... they got me on the operating table and within seconds my anesthesia is going... the next thing I remember I was waking up in the recovery room. The pain was about a 5-6 on the pain scale, so they gave me something for that through the iv. I had two shots in my arm, blood drawn, an iv, anesthesia, plus the actual surgery. There was a lot that went down during that very short amount of time I was there.

They wheeled me back to a room that Ben could come in. I had to eat, drink, and use the restroom before I was allowed to leave. I had that done in no time. Ben and I were discussing how neither of us have experienced anything like this in our lives. You always see stuff like this in movies, but the actual experience is crazy! So now I have done it!

Sad News

2009-01-09T08:43:00.002-07:00

Ben and I learned yesterday that our baby stopped growing at about 6 weeks. They were also unable to find a heartbeat. Sorry to give such terrible news. I know we told a lot of people that we were expecting, so we wanted to let everyone know the easiest way.

This has really shown us how truly blessed we are to have one amazingly healthy little boy. Children are such miracles. Noah is doing great. He is talking all the time, and exploring anything new to his little eyes. We are so proud of him!

We love and care about you all!

New backpack!

2008-12-30T15:36:00.004-07:00

When we were living in Hawaii, Noah's friend Eden had a backpack that had all her coloring books, crayons and basic big girl toys in it. Noah always wanted to play with her back pack along with all of Eden's purse's and baby doll gear. I thought it was about time to get something that Noah could store all his cars, books and boy toys in. So for Christmas this year, I got him a "Cars" themed backpack. "Cars" is his favorite movie to watch, and Hot Wheels are some of his favorite toys to play with. So when he saw it, he said "Cars Cars Cars!"

After he got done with his stocking, I loaded his backpack with all his new stuff. He got some socks, Hot Wheels, and some candy. When I went to put it on him, he got it all the way on and when I let go of him... down he went! I guess the weight of the backpack was too much, or he just wasn't used to it and fell over. It was the funniest thing! We were laughing forever at that. Luckily daddy was filming at the perfect time. We got it on video! I hope you all enjoy.

Have a fabulous New Years Eve and New Years Day!

NO!

2008-12-18T09:22:00.003-07:00

It's official! My sweet charming little baby is long gone, replaced with the lovely attitude of a two year old. I love the fact Noah is learning, growing and changing, but at times I miss that innocent baby that loved me no matter what.

Noah is learning that he doesn't want hugs and kisses all the time anymore. He also doesn't want to have anything to do with snuggling with mommy if anyone else is around. He wants to snuggle with everyone but ME. He is throwing fits if he can't feed himself entirely. He complains about what I am giving him to eat. Throwing tantrums when he doesn't get to do something he wants... like falling to the ground and rolling around! He doesn't want to hold my hand if we are walking around in public. Anything and everything is that he wants his INDEPENDENCE!

The hardest part of all of this is that he tells me "NO!" A full blown No! from his precious mouth! I hear him yelling No when he is in his bed right before or after his nap. He is screaming No at his Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, and especially mom and dad. He is growing rapidly and is still so lovable and sweet... but there are those times (and they are far more often than I like) I think "What has happened to my baby? How can he being so nasty?"

I am moving into a very different stage of parenthood, and ready or not... IT IS HERE!

Amber... No Mama!

2008-12-12T16:44:00.004-07:00

Noah has learned my name and enjoys calling me Amber instead of Mama. It is so funny! Now I just need to teach him he still needs to call me mama. It is such a joy to watch Noah observe things, and put into play what he sees and hears. AWESOME!

Seasons Greetings!

2008-12-08T15:59:00.002-07:00

Well first things first... Ben and I would like to share with everyone that we are expecting a baby! We have known for a few weeks now, and having been telling people randomly, but I thought it would be appropriate to officially announce it. I haven't seen a doctor yet, so I am not sure the status of everything. I am only guessing the baby should be here sometime this coming summer. I will update everyone once I have seen the doctor.

The season is in full swing! I can't believe it is December already. This year flew by, and I am already thinking about next year.

The tree and decorations are up, my brother and I hung the lights on the house this year, my shopping is about half done, and it seems to be snowing here every few days! I have also done some Christmas festivities that have been really fun!

First Ben and I went to the Nutcracker with our friends. I love ballet so I had a blast! Every time I see the Nutcracker, I enjoy it more and more. It is so much fun to listen to an orchestra and watch dancers portray it so beautifully! I think I am going to have to keep up my annual trip to the Pikes Peak Center.

Our church also does a Lady's Dessert Tea each year. There were probably 50 tables! Each table has a host who decorates it with whatever they would like. Ours this year was decorated with holly. My mom, my sister, and I went together and had a wonderful time talking with ladies we had never met before. The speaker was amazing and they had a musician there who sang beautifully! It was an awesome evening of talking, eating, and worshiping!

We also went to the Parade of Lights in Downtown Colorado Springs. I have never done this before, but a girlfriend of mine invited me to come along. Ben and I enjoyed spending that time with friends, and Noah was excited about all the lights and music! We had a bit of trouble finding parking, and we didn't leave ourselves enough time to get there and set up, so we missed a good portion of the parade. I am not sure if I would have been able to stand the cold much longer than we did though, so I am not too disappointed.

We have a Christmas potluck, gift exchange, and movie night coming up this Friday with our bible study that I am super excited about. Not to mention the Christmas movies, and the food to enjoy with our family! I love this time of year!

A little side note... Noah has learned to burp (make the sound of a burp) and excuse himself! I am pretty sure he learned it from everyone in the household at one time, but it is hilarious to see him do it. He mimics everything now!

I hope everyone is doing great! I also hope that you all are enjoying the local festivities in your area as well. Have a wonderful and relaxing week!

It's time to catch up again!

2008-11-24T16:33:00.005-07:00

For some reason it has been difficult for me to thing of things to post about, and if I have something to write about, I am too lazy to take the time to write it out. I don't know why that is, but let me just say, that I will do my best to keep everyone posted a little more often. That being said...

We got back to Colorado Springs just in time for Halloween. So I carved a pumpkin with my mom and sister this year. There is a little back history when it comes to me and pumpkin carving... last year I tried to carve a spider, but instead of just cutting out the spider, I cut a square in the pumpkin and tried to carve out the pumpkin around the spider, so the spider is what would be left. It was the more challenging way to do it, and I am not talented in the arts at all, so I ended up with a pumpkin that had an entire square hole in it. Clearly this isn't mine, but this is what is was supposed to look like.

So this time around, I went for the simple face. But I cut the top out really cool. It was pretty fun. I figure I will just stick to the easier things until I am better at it. Overall it was a nice Halloween. We just stayed home and relaxed!

We also bought a new car. We were originally planning on buying something cheap that would get us around, but since we don't have plans to move off the mainland again, we thought a nice car that we could have for a long time that will be a good family car would be nice. I have been car searching for a year or two now... so I finally got the car I was dreaming of. Honda Pilot! It is super nice. Leather seats, (with heated front seats) third row seating, and it rides nice and smooth. I really like it!

Noah news: My family and I have been rubbing Noah's back here and there when he is tired or wants to snuggle, and he LOVES it! Now he wants it all the time. When he is laying there or when he is in the middle of playing with his toys. He will look at you and touch his back and say "Back! Back!" It is so adorable. I got a video of it so you all can see too.

That is about it. We are happy to be back in Colorado, and thrilled to be spending time with our friends and family again. We hope everyone is doing well! Have a great week!

He looks like Daddy!

2008-11-11T15:41:00.002-07:00

I can't deny how much Noah really looks like Ben! It is pretty exciting to see how he has changed from his baby face to his more big boy face. And I am very proud to say that this handsome boy looks like his father. I love you both so much!

Aloha Hawaii

2008-11-04T08:54:00.003-07:00

Ben and I have moved back to Colorado! I know it seems incredibly short lived, but let me explain.

After 4 months of Island living... we realized that Hawaii is an amazing vacation spot! Now there was a lot that happened those first few weeks that really soured our opinion of Hawaii and because of that we main have judged Hawaii too quickly.

Here are those early unpleasant experiences... Hawaii does not have national banks. We had to open a new bank account with a Hawaiian bank, which normally wouldn't have been a big deal, but for some reason Hawaii made it difficult. Maybe we just chose the wrong bank? The problem was that we couldn't get our money into the account. Ben would get paid with Business Checks, and they wouldn't deposit them without a 6 day hold since it was a "mainland check" whatever that means? We also purchased a car we thought had working A/C and it didn't. The worst part was our living situation was... we thought that the most desirable area to live in Kona was right on the coast, so we rented a condo on the main drive along the coast. It was so HOT where we lived, I couldn't walk from the couch to the kitchen without breaking a sweat. I couldn't cook dinner without feeling like I was going to pass out from the heat. We had 4 ceiling fans, two window fans, and two floor fans going on high speed 24 hours a day! And it was still over 85 degrees in our condo almost the entire time. Our 'normal' utility bill was $350 every month... and that is just for electricity. It was also extremely expensive... with gas and groceries plus bills... pretty crazy. We wonder if we would have liked it more if we hadn't started out with so many negatives... like we lived where ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift was a little cooler, or if we had a car with A/C. I am not sure, but I can say that I do NOT regret the move and the time we spent there.

The amazing things about Hawaii... the beauty! We were able to make it around the entire island before moving back and it is almost indescribable. Each part of the island is so unique. The northern part of the island has amazing blue skies, beautiful ocean views, lush rolling hills and cliffs that just fall into the ocean. The west side (Kona) has the amazing water! The most beautiful turquoise colored water and a pretty decent city. The east has all the rain so it is so overgrown with trees and plants and waterfalls. Parks and gardens galore. The southern part of the island has the volcano and lava fields all over the place. Please visit our flickr page to view all of our photos during our time in Hawaii.

Someday I would love to visit Oahu... I am more of a city girl, so I might enjoy that kind of island living more than the big island.

So I am excited to be back to Colorado, but I am glad to look back and remember the wonderful times we spent together as a family in beautiful Hawaii!

Blog Tag

2008-10-21T14:00:00.002-06:00

So I guess there's this new game out there called blog tag. I was tagged and I have to write 6 random facts about myself. So, here goes:

1. I am a HUGE Bronco fan! It started because of my family, but as I have gotten older, I have truly become a fan of football in general. I enjoy learning about what is going on in the league and different players and teams... and it is really fun and exciting to get into each season... even when my home team isn't doing their best.

2. I had a home birth when I delivered Noah, and it was AMAZING! The experience was crazy... we had a birthing tub in our bedroom, and we in the privacy of our own home without pressure. We were able to have Noah smoothly and easily. Our friends and family waited for us downstairs, and we got to go straight to our own bed that night!

3. I met my husband when I was 16 years old, started dating him when I was 17, and married him when I was 18!

4. We have had people living with us, or we were living with people for half of our marriage! 2 years out of 4...

5. I was born and raised in Colorado Springs... the same house! I was in the same city for 22 out of my 23 years.

6. I am a big Harry Potter fan! I check up on a fan news website on a daily basis to see what news comes from the Harry Potter world!

That's it! 6 random facts. I tag Rachel Havel, Lea Hartman, Amanda Crooks, Katie Bauch, Mindy Vaupel, and Annie Easterling!

Not much going on...

2008-10-16T16:00:00.003-06:00

I didn't know if I had enough to say about this subject to write an entire post, but since I don't have much else to talk about, I figured I would.

The Ironman Triathlon was in Kona this past weekend. It was pretty crazy during the week leading up to it because we had all kinds of advertising signs everywhere... mainly Ford and Gatorade banners up and down the streets where the athlete's would be running/biking. We also had WAY more people in town! The traffic was unbelievable! We had so many competitors training all week long as well, so there were cyclists everywhere! It was interesting to watch them training, and we knew it was going to be a crazy day in Kona the day of the competition.

We woke up to the sound of a helicopter, and were scared to even think about leaving our condo. We got online to see what part of the competition they were in. The first few swimmers had completed their swim at that point and were beginning their bike journey. It was pretty cool to watch a big group of people get out of the ocean, run to find their bikes, hydrate a bit, and head on their way.

The Triathlon starts with a swim just over 2 miles, then they begin a 112 mile bike ride, and the finish the race with a 26 mile run! The best can complete it in just under 9 hours!

We knew that the athlete's would be running along Alii Drive, so they were going to run right in front of our condo. I walked down in the afternoon the catch a glimpse of the athlete's running by and it was pretty crazy. At that point, they were still near the beginning on their run if they were heading South and almost finished if they were heading North. The majority of runners were still running south when I went to watch.

One man caught me off guard... he was almost to the water section (where volunteers hand out water as they are running) and he stopped and started dry heaving! I think he would have barfed everywhere if there was food in his stomach. But I just watched in awe. I felt sick just thinking about how exhausted he must have felt at that moment... and to think about how much he still had left to go made me feel even worse! A few seconds later, he got it under control and began again while people in the sidelines cheered him on. It was so sticking HOT outside. I wasn't even moving... just standing there sweating. I couldn't imagine how dehydrated and hot they must be!

I started to think... why in the world would anyone put themselves through so much physical pain?! I know it is about achieving a goal of some kind, and doing something huge, but geez... this is obviously not good for the body at all! I was glad I got to see it, but more than anything I just felt bad for the people... they looked miserable. I guess at that point they might look that way. I didn't see their faces near the finish line, I bet they didn't look so bad then! :)

Eventful Weekend...

2008-10-06T13:14:00.005-06:00

We have two pretty funny stories from this weekend that I would like to share.

The first is actually crazy and down right stupid if you ask me. I honestly don't know how it got as crazy as it did, but one minute I think I am going to just enjoy an evening sweet, and the next thing I know I have a disaster on my hands... and my arms, legs and feet!

A popular snack or dessert item in Hawaii is shaved ice... or also know as a sno-cone. I wanted to have one before we move back to Colorado and this weekend we decided we would indulge in this tasty treat! I have seen them before and they looked simple enough to me. So it began... we enter the store and learn that in order to use a debit card we have to spend a minimum of $8. So I decided to buy our friends shaved ice as well so that I can make that minimum balance. We also had to order the large because the medium and small were too cheap. (Looking back I could have just paid for the large and had them make me a small... oh well). So the process began... and before I knew it, I was way in over my head.

As it got larger and larger I was thinking "How in the world am I going to eat all this?" Then I asked... "Has anyone ever finished one of these?" Her response "No, not that I have seen." Alright so I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it. She finally got all the ice on and began putting syrup on... unbelievable amounts of syrup into this thing. When she finally completed it, she almost dropped it herself!

So we had to figure out our plan... Ben would carry Noah and Michael so that Rachel and I could each carry our abnormally large shaved ice. As we made our way out of the store, passers by are in awe! Commenting things like... "Oh my GOSH!" and "That is unbelievable." Yes, by that time I was super embarrassed... what was I thinking. It literally weighed about 7 lbs. I felt like I was holding a bowling ball. We walked a short distance and before I knew it, the syrup was starting to spill over the edges... melting rapidly over onto my hands and down my arms... then splashing onto my legs and running down my feet. Ugh... I hadn't even started trying to eat it yet!

We made our way to a little coffee shop where Ben was getting his dessert from and it was there that I realized this was a hopeless effort. There was no way I was going to be able to eat ANY of it successfully. I tried to hold onto the top and pour out the extra syrup, but it was just slushy. It continued to melt and slosh all over the place... destroying the coffee shops clean tiled floors. A lady in the coffee shop brought us a plastic plate/bowl so that we could catch the spills and so on, but again this didn't work either. I finally decided that I would save as much as I could and throw the rest away. I successfully got some saved, but it was all slush now... too much syrup to actually enjoy the icy part. After only a few moments, I just threw the rest of it away... $8 down the drain and a heck of a mess to clean up.

Do I dare try another one?

Next event... this was actually pretty fun. We took a trip to a beach! We had to use our 4 wheel drive because the road was pretty nasty. I couldn't believe how many people actually drive it just for the beach. Well, it is mainly for the surfers... Tom and Ben wanted to surf and it is one of the better spots to go in Kona. The time there was enjoyable, but the best part was the actual drive! Not for me... but for Noah! He was loving it! Every time we went over some crazy bumps that would throw his carseat around... he would laugh and laugh! He was cracking up... it was a thrill for him. I was so excited to see how happy it made him. Then I realized... daddy has a partner anytime he wants to go 4 wheeling. Noah would for sure be there... super excited.

I got some video of it... sorry for the shaking, I couldn't help it, but at least you get to see what Noah thought of it. I hope you all enjoy!

Have a great week!

Shocking!

2008-09-30T12:33:00.003-06:00

I saw the stars for the first time in three months!!

Our car is broken down, so for the last three days Ben and I have been in the house. It hasn't been terrible but we had no idea what we were missing those few days of being indoors... the vog is mysteriously gone in Kona?!

From our first step onto the Big Island, Kona has been nothing but vog and clouds with the rare morning sunshine. We never realized the amount of haze in the air until we drove up to the Northern part of the island and actually saw true blue sky... something that we always have in Colorado. So then we began to notice just how bad the vog really was. Driving south into Kona was depressing after leaving the sunny northern tip. As we drove in, we could just see ugly haze and didn't know what we were doing in Kona. We have never seen the top of the mountain that is directly east of us.

Yesterday we went to spend time with our friends and they said "Have you guys taken a look around?" The vog was gone! There were rain clouds in the sky here and there, but when we looked up we could actually see bright blue sky! Then we looked straight for the mountain to see if we could truly see definition and most importantly the top of the mountain, and sure enough... we saw it clearly! Then we looked for the ocean to see if we could see the horizon line without a big blur, and sure enough we could see a clear horizon. Beautiful deep blue of the ocean in the distance along with bright baby blue lined up next to it in a crisp line. It was unbelievable. Who would have known the truly beautiful place we actually lived in? It is so sad to me that we have only seen Hawaii, Kona, our home... clearly after three months of living here.

We got home after dark and as we were walking through our apartment complex, I looked up and saw the stars! Perfectly clear sky, with bright stars above us. We haven't even been able to see the stars because of the constant haze! It was amazing!

This morning is just the same as yesterday... I can actually see the mountain clearly, we can see the ocean from our lanai along with that crisp line along the horizon. Has the vog gone from Kona? Or has the lava flow tapered off for a time... waiting until it is time to keep the beauty away from Kona yet again in the future?

(BEFORE: the mountain with vog)

(AFTER: this is not Kona, but this is what it looks like without vog)

Regardless, I am thankful we were able to see Kona for what everybody said it was... beautiful!

Videos, videos and more videos...

2008-09-26T13:48:00.002-06:00

I have been trying to get everything on video so that all our friends and family can see what Noah is up to. Here are the most recent crazy and funny things Noah has been doing...

Flips: Noah learned to do somersault's from his friend Eden I believe... he just randomly did it and Ben said "Amber, Noah just did a somersault." So here it is!

Flips so soon?! from Amber Rasmusen on Vimeo.

The Hop: Has anyone seen Saved By The Bell? Well, this reminds me of the episode when Lisa sprained her ankle and has to try to dance and Screech helps her... they call her dance "The Sprain"... well if you haven't seen it, it looked a bit like this video does. It is hilarious!!

The Hop! from Amber Rasmusen on Vimeo.

Singing/Dancing: What can I say... he enjoys clapping and dancing and I love watching him do it! He brings so much joy to me to see that he is having a good time.

Noah Dancing from Amber Rasmusen on Vimeo.

I have more... I just haven't gotten them off of the camera yet. I will post more when I get around to it. For now, I hope you all enjoy watching our sweet baby having fun!

Let's just say I am an... enthusiastic Bronco Fan!

2008-09-16T12:47:00.005-06:00

For those of you who don't know, now you know. I am an enthusiastic Bronco fan... alright alright, I am a maniac!

I only got to see the last quarter of the Broncos most recent game and let me tell you I was freaking out!!

Please check out The Havel's Blog for my... enthusiastic reactions near the very end of that game.

I wish I could watch all of them. Alas, I can only see a few. Who knows, it might be better for me to just talk with my family 3-4 times instead of watching them. As you can see, it stresses me out just a bit.

I just thought it was kind of funny. Make sure to go into her photo stream as well... there are more embarrassing photos where this one comes from.

So... GO BRONCOS!

Date Night

2008-09-13T11:09:00.003-06:00

Ben took me on a date last night! This is the second time we have gone out without Noah since we have been here. So it was nice to go to a restaurant and not have to worry about Noah crying and whining because he has to sit in the highchair for an extended period of time. We went to dinner and then a movie... and here is how it went.

At about 5 p.m. we dropped Noah off at our friends house. Noah didn't cry when we left, so success there! We wanted to try a restaurant we heard some of our friends liked in downtown Kona. The restaurant is called "Rios" and they serve steaks/seafood... kind of a fancy place. When we got there, no one was inside so we thought, "Are they open for the evening?" Turns out the place closed down... no wonder Ben couldn't get the phone to connect to set up a reservation. :( This isn't the only place on the main strip of downtown Kona that has closed... right next door to Rios, Hard Rock Cafe closed. What is going on? So we took a little walk up the street to another restaurant we have been wanting to try. It is called Huggo's and it is supposed to be a pretty nice restaurant too... so I walk in casually and go to the hostess stand, and she asks for my name. I tell her my name and she asks "what is your reservation under?" Oops... can we put our names on a list? She tells me she can't seat us until 8 p.m. WOW! Okay, thanks anyway! So we make our way back to the car deciding to try yet another recommended restaurant that is at the opposite end of downtown. Luckily we got in right away. It is a small Italian restaurant called Basil's that does pizza by the slice, full pizzas, pastas, salads and so on. It was actually really good and not too expensive. It was a small place, the service was good and they were very friendly. We ordered a loaf of Garlic Bread and a Pizza. Oh yeah... and a $3 iced tea! Geez...so dinner was down, and now we just needed to get to our movie.

We went to see Burn After Reading. You know... the new Clooney/Pitt movie! Well we decided to get there early since it is opening night! We got there only 30 minutes early and this is what we see when we walk into the theater...

WOW! The theaters in Colorado Springs NEVER look like this on opening night of a movie with these two actors. Unless I thought the movie looked better than it was supposed to be. Anyway... Ben and I couldn't stop laughing. But I have to say... It was weird!

Then it was off to pick up Noah... and we learned that he cried... wait no, screamed when Aunt Rachie put him in the pack'n'play to play and also ran away from her when he learned that it was time for jammies and bed. Poor guy... for some reason he is terrified to go to sleep in the pack'n'play over there. Oh well, I guess this is the way to get him more used to it.

Overall, it was a good date. It was casual and it was nice to enjoy some one on one time with Ben.

When did clothes shopping become so difficult?

2008-09-11T21:54:00.002-06:00

I received money and gift cards this year for my birthday since we are so far away, and I have decided to put it towards some new clothes. I had to get rid of a lot of my clothes when we moved because I couldn't fit them all in the suit cases. Had I known then that the only shopping here is Walmart, Kmart and Macy's, I would have chosen to force more clothes into those suit cases.

Since Walmart clothes practically fall apart once you buy them, I decided to shop at Macy's. Let me take you back 5 years... I have never had a hard time shopping for clothes. Everything always fit right when I tried it on. Nothing looked bad or awkward and I was literally in and out of the store once I found something I liked.

Well... ever since that wonderful little thing called 'Pregnancy' happened, my life has just not been the same. I struggle to find clothes that fit properly and look good. I am only 23, so I still like certain parts of the Juniors section more than the Women's section. I don't like the tees that have slogans all over them, or the super high belly shirts anymore, but I do like this look of jeans/shorts and some solid colored tops. Well for some reason they just don't fit right anymore. The jeans are way too low and the tops are way too tight. So I say... "okay Amber, you had a baby, so your body has curves now. Junior size jeans won't look as good because they are meant to fit bodies that aren't that curvy."

So... I take a trip over to the scary Women's section. All I find are high top jeans and extremely dressy outfits. I am not saying that it would be bad to look like this, but lets face it... how often does a stay at home mom need clothes like that? Rarely! I am just an average lady that would like to have jeans/tops look good without over dressing and/or popping out at the seams.

I have also realized two things... I have to wear the huge sizes in Juniors and the smaller sizes in women's, and the women's items are almost double in price as the juniors! What?! I spent probably 45 minutes walking around the store and left with nothing. How frustrating! If only we had the GAP! I also liked Target clothes too, but we don't have that either.

To finish it all off, I only have a small amount of clothes and can't seem to find any that I like... what to do?

GO BRONCOS!

2008-09-09T16:59:00.003-06:00

The Broncos laid the smack down against the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football, and it was such a joy to see!

Although it makes me miss being home, this season should be extra fun because Noah is a little more involved this time around. Last year Noah would just cry when we were all screaming and yelling praises because he got scared. Well yesterday I taught him to say "GO!" He seems to like the chanting because I couldn't get him to stop and it may have upset the neighbors because he was definitely loud! Super adorable though...

Go-Go-Go-GO! from Amber Rasmusen on Vimeo.

Is he a fan or what?! :)

AAARRRGGG!!!

2008-09-08T12:48:00.003-06:00

This is the third or fourth time we have been PROMISED a payment from Ben's client and we haven't gotten it!

This is how it goes every time... Ben will invoice his hours and say that we need to be paid by a certain date. His client says "No problem." The week before the chosen date, Ben checks in and is told everything is on schedule. Then pay day comes and we have no money! Ben asks the client what happened? He responds "Sorry I had to make sure my checks cleared my account, you should have it in your account tomorrow." Then tomorrow comes and we still have no money! He responds again by saying "Sorry my wife didn't make it to the bank... she is going today. You should have your money tomorrow." OKAY...it better be here tomorrow or I am going to be really upset! Tomorrow comes and still no money! He responds "Oh let me look into what may have happened. Oh sorry my wife didn't have to correct information to wire the money to you." UGH... so we ask him to at least make sure it is in our account by Friday so that we don't go the whole weekend without money. He responds "I will make sure of it." So... we wait an entire business week for him to work out his issues and sure enough, there is no money in the account on Friday or Saturday. Just so you know, we have the money wired into our account because of previous check issues. Wired money is like cash, so it should go in immediately! So then Ben finally talks to him on Monday of the following week, and the client finally admits "I am waiting on clients to pay me and I don't have money to pay you." THANKS A LOT for telling us!

Geez, I would rather know he wasn't planning on paying us at all then lying and saying that it should be in our account soon. What kind of work ethic is that? He owns a business and won't even let us know the truth about our payments. We originally planned on bi-weekly payments and we only get one payment a month! It is frustrating because Ben has been extremely trustworthy with the hours he is billing. It would be so easy to just bill him 8 hours a day like a normal job, but if Ben takes breaks or checks email or something, he doesn't bill him for that. We can't get the same respect?

What should we do? If we quit then we won't have any money at all! If we stay then the client knows we are willing to accept his poor work ethic and he will continue to handle the situation poorly.

Any comments?

A mixture of everything on my mind!

2008-09-05T13:53:00.010-06:00

I have had a lot on my mind lately, but discussing it individually wasn't enough to write an entire post about, so I decided to write a post about a bunch of stuff.

Lets start with the very tasty dinner we had last night...

This was the very first time Noah had McDonald's. 18 months old...not too bad right? I am not the kind of person that feeds their kid McDonald's because it is easy, but the last few days I haven't wanted to cook AT ALL. So we decided, regrettably, to get some drive-thru McDonald's last night. It is so tasty when you are eating it, but then you always get the fast food stomach ache afterwards... and Noah is paying for it too. He has been super gassy today! Plus he got some weird Star Wars toy in his Happy Meal that looks pretty scary. So... no more McDonald's! At least for a long time, but I figured we would document the 1st for Noah.

This is just a small side note... when we were at Waipio Valley, Noah was running and face planted. We were lucky enough that Rachel got a picture of it. Haha!

Noah has also been putting on our shoes and trying to walk around. He loves it! It is super cute too.

Since I am able to post videos now, I am doing my best to get lots of them. This one is just adorable. It is just a video of a normal day with Noah. Lots of energy as you will see.

Just a normal day w/Noah from Amber Rasmusen on Vimeo.

Last of all, Football season is here and I am really bummed about not being able to watch the games! Luckily I will be able to see the Broncos season opener since it is a prime time game on ESPN. It will be one of only a few I will get to watch... so it has bummed me out a lot! And on the bummerish note... the weather in Kona has been kind of dreary. It is keeping the house cooler since it is cloudy all day, but it has also brought me into feelings of missing "home" so much!

Time to make lunch for Noah... until next time, I hope you all have a great weekend!

Reading Time

2008-09-01T14:10:00.004-06:00

Noah likes to read stories. I love listening to him talk. It is so funny. Soon these will all be understandable words... for now it is just awesome to see him learning. I hope you all enjoy!

Story Time from Amber Rasmusen on Vimeo.

Birthday Gift!

2008-08-30T19:55:00.005-06:00

I want to start by saying that I love my husband very much and that he is an amazing man! However, he lost his desires to be romantic a few months after we got married. Since then I have had to gently tell him that I do appreciate getting something a little more than a package of gum and a card on my birthday since he usually receives... oh I don't know... a snowboard, $100 shoes and an iPhone just to name a few.

Well, this year he got me something I had been talking about for a while, but I didn't even think that he would have gotten it for me... and I love it! He got me a digital camera. We have a camera that works just fine, but it doesn't take video and I wanted an easy way to take short video's of Noah and post them online without using the big video camera we have. I also didn't want just a portable video camera... it had to be a still shot camera and video camera in one so that I wouldn't have to carry two cameras around. We want to get a really nice camera sometime in the future, so this was kind of an unnecessary purchase since we do have a working camera already. I feel so special that he thought of my feelings even though we could have done it another way and saved some money. So... thank you darling for your thoughtfulness not just for getting me a gift for once, but for making it super special. I love you very much!

Here is the first video from our new camera... Noah just talking away, and there will be many more to come.

Noah Talking from Amber Rasmusen on Vimeo.

The "Poo" Story

2008-08-28T13:03:00.004-06:00

I would like to warn everyone before you read this and get grossed out... this post is about poo, and it is pretty disgusting. The only reason I am telling you is actually because it is stinkin' hilarious!

Noah pooed on the floor the other night! If this was the first time he did it, I wouldn't be writing about it, but since he seems to enjoy doing this, I thought I would bring it up.

Lets start from the beginning... a few months back when Ben and I were living with my parents, Noah decided to poo on the floor. Here is how it happened; I just got Noah out of the bath and he had a small rash that I was trying to help heal. So I let Noah run around naked for a little bit to dry his bottom. He usually goes potty in the tub and I thought that if he needed to poo, I would be aware he was trying to go and would catch him before he did it. Right?? So he ran down the hallway into the bathroom and I was standing at the top of the stairs talking to my mom and brother. A few seconds later I smell this awful stink... and I am thinking what in the world is that?! Then Noah comes walking out of the bathroom sliding all over the wood floor. "What is that he is sliding in?" You guess it... he squatted a pooed all over the floor. Then he proceeded to stand in it and in doing so he got it everywhere! I didn't even know where to begin. I just said "OH WOW!" My mom and brother were curious and I said "He just pooed all over the floor, what do I do?!" Luckily I had some help... my mom took him back to the tub to wash him again while I cleaned up the sick, squished poo that was all over the bathroom and hallway floor. Never again... would he walk around without a diaper.

Well... it happened again! Noah just got out of the bath again, and I sent him out with Ben but told Ben to wait on getting him dressed because I wanted to put lotion on him. So Ben held him in his towel for a while. I was doing some things around the room before I attended to Noah. During this time, Ben put Noah down to run around. Here we go again... letting our naked boy run around. I should have known! So I was in the bathroom and Ben was on the computer. All of a sudden, Noah walked into the bathroom and looked up at me with poo in his belly button, all over his hands, arms and legs! Ewww... "Ben! What happened? Noah just pooed on the floor again!" Sure enough, I walked to where he was playing and he squatted and pooed onto the base on the fan this time. Instead of walking in it, he decided to play with it with his hands! So we had to put him back into the bath and rewash. I had to clean up the mess again! That is the worst part... it is super stinky and just all around nasty.

In conclusion... I think that Noah just enjoys pooing without a diaper! From now on, I should sit him on the toilet and let him do it there! The kid will probably do this anytime he has the chance. Now we know that he can't walk around without a diaper.

I hope you all got a good chuckle out of that!

Cupcakes

2008-08-27T16:22:00.004-06:00

After experiencing the awesomeness of 'The Shoppe' in Denver before we left for Hawaii, I was left with a desire for cupcakes that I've never felt before. This desire has stayed with me and I felt I needed to satiate it for time being. So I convinced Amber to help me make some Maple Carrot Cupcakes. They turned out amazing and we consumed them all the night they were baked (we had two extra helpers so it was not just Amber and me), fortunate it was enough to curb my hunger for cupcakes for now. We'll see how long is is before we make another batch, something different next time.

And for anyone within 100 miles of Denver, if you love cupcakes you MUST check out 'The Shoppe', it's the perfect blend of ultra-pop and cupcake goodness, sure to leave you satisfied. If you find yourself outside of that radius, check out the recipe below and let me know how they turn out.

More Complaints!

2008-08-25T16:45:00.006-06:00

As I told everyone before, our neighbors below us complained only two days after we moved in about the 'loud banging' coming from us. Well... I thought I would update everyone on that situation.

Ben and I thought everything was fine, so we went about our business as usual while we encouraged Noah not to run and fall during the evening hours. At the beginning of August, however, we received a note on our door from our neighbors below explaining that the banging was so loud it was shaking the photos on their walls! She also said that "she hopes we can continue to have a good relationship", but also explained (though not in her words)that if things didn't change it was going to become sour. Well great! Here we go... I was worried at this point because not only was Noah loud enough, Tom and Rachel got here that day... bringing with them two more children! So I wrote her a note back telling her that I understood her frustrations, and that we are trying to keep Noah's noise at a minimum. I also asked her to understand that Noah is only 1 and likes to run, jump, climb and fall. I told her we would try extra hard in the evenings to take the bulky toys away so they wouldn't fall and would do my best to keep Noah from running and falling. That was the end of that... or so we thought!

About two weeks later, we received another letter. Not from our neighbors, but from the complex we live in. The letter states that there was a complaint about noise "loud crying" coming from our unit between the hours of 4-8 p.m. They explained that they consider this type of noise "acceptable daily noise" but that we should consider closing our door and windows in respect for others during these times. (How are we supposed to do that when it is hotter than hot and the utility bill is $350 without running the air conditioner?) They also said that they told the complainers to close their door and windows to block it out for themselves. We are allowed "acceptable daily noise" everyday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Noah is only awake from 8-8 with a 2-3 hour nap during the day, so we fall right into those acceptable hours. So we think "ok, we will try to not let the crying annoy them". That was the end of that... or so we thought!

Only a few days after that, someone from our realtor's office calls Ben. (A little back story... our neighbor from below works in the same building as our realtor, so it is super easy to complain.) The lady on the phone told Ben that they are received almost daily complaints from our neighbors below about the "loud banding" again. They are upset because after dinner they like to watch a movie and they can't hear the movie because of the noise. So that lady was asking Ben what was going on. Ben said listen... we have tried and tried to help the situation. We take loud toys away, we don't let them run or jump in the evenings, we try to get out of the house in the evenings, all so that we can give them a rest. We can't control when our child cries or falls or screams in excitement. The lady said she understood and that she is sorry they are complaining all the time. There is no chance for eviction because we aren't doing anything wrong. She is glad to hear we are trying our best and is prepared to tell the lady to drop it. So hopefully that is that!

I am willing to tell our realtor that if our neighbors want us gone bad enough, we will break our lease at their expense! Then they won't have to deal with us and we won't have to worry about letting our child be a child anymore. I am done with apartment living!! There is no way this little man could make you that upset! Right?

Alright, I am done venting! Next post I will try and make a little less bummerish.

I love sleeping babies!

2008-08-21T18:14:00.004-06:00

One of the biggest joys of being a mom is when you can comfort your baby! Noah had a rough morning... he was just tired and fussy and all around grumpy. He wouldn't drink his milk because he wanted more cookies, so I told him he couldn't have any more cookies until he had some milk. He threw a fit in the highchair (which isn't ok) so I told him that he was all done with lunch. So then he was REALLY upset. I was able to calm him down and explain to him that he needs to eat what mommy gives him and if he fights me, then he doesn't get any! After he told daddy what happened (which was hilarious because you could hear the upset tone in his voice as he was gibbering randomness to daddy) he allowed me to 'uggle' with him.

He was so tired and upset he fell asleep right in my arms! He rarely does this because he is such a big boy now and he actually likes falling asleep in his bed by himself. This melts my heart! I love watching his eyes as he begins to drift off to sleep. He sits there squirming for a while, then all of a sudden his eyes start to get heavy... and each blink becomes more difficult. Then he shuts his eyes completely, but every little noise wakes him again, and he starts the long blinks over again, until he can't hold it any longer and just falls asleep. I could sit there forever watching him as he sleeps. It is so precious, so pure... what a special time between a parent and a child. It makes me want another baby!!

Anyway, I just thought this would put a smile on some faces. I hope you all enjoy and have a great Friday & Weekend!

Amber

Face Plant!

2008-08-17T01:10:00.003-06:00

I knew this would happen! Noah has been testing his "listening to mom" skills along with his "I can do this all by myself" mentality, and that led to a fat lip and bruised body parts.

Noah understands how to go up and down the stairs, but he hasn't used a stair case in a couple months because we have a one level apartment. We are on the upper unit, so we either carry Noah up and down, or hold his hand and he kind of jumps down them. Anytime he approached the stair case outside of our unit, he turned around, got on his hands and knees and went down backwards. Because of this I usually let him walk out of the house by himself while I locked the door. He previously waited for me or would start climbing down the correct way.

Well the other day at the park, he walked up to a step and just walked right off of it. He landed just fine! Then he did it again and fell down and repeated this a few times over again... So I guess he thought he had this walking off of stairs face forward thing under control? NOPE!

Today we were about to take a trip to Walmart and Noah walked out of the house like normal, walked up to the step and I knew he was going for it! I am yelling Noah...Noah...STOP...Noah NO!! Off he went down the first step... and the next and the next! He face planted after falling just three steps. How do you discipline a poor child for being disobedient when they just hurt themselves so badly? :( Poor guy! He cut his lip in two spots. Right on the outside where I am sure the ground cut it, and the inside where I think his tooth dug in. It was bleeding and swollen at first, and now it is a nasty shade of blue/purple and I am sure it is very uncomfortable. I'll tell you what... It led to a day of fussing and complaining! He was way more reserved near the stairs this afternoon when we went out for a walk!

Hapuna Beach

2008-08-09T17:57:00.008-06:00

We took a trip north to Hapuna Beach. This is known for being one of the best beaches in the U.S. Unfortunately, we went in the late afternoon and experienced some clouds, but it was a truly beautiful sandy beach.

Noah was having a blast! Right when we got there, he was in the water. He was incredibly brave with the ocean. He would run up the sand and play with the sand then turn and charge down to the ocean again. We got in a way and Noah was splashing like crazy. The only issue we had was that he was scared of the snorkel dad was using. So anytime Ben came around with it in his hand and especially on, Noah was terrified. While the kids were playing on the beach, Ben and I got to go snorkel a bit. This water wasn't the best snorkel spot... so I am excited to check out some other beaches. But overall, it was an awesome trip.

Have a Great Weekend!

All about Noah!

2008-08-01T11:35:00.007-06:00

This post is dedicated to Noah. I thought I would let everyone know what the little man is up to lately. He is a very busy kid! I hope you enjoy...

Update on swimming lessons~
I took Noah to the pool again a couple days ago and he dunked his face multiple times again! He keeps his mouth open though, so I think he is swallowing lots of pool water. I am trying to think of a technique to get him to close his mouth. He also allowed me to tip him sideways and submerge his ears, and I laid him on my shoulder trying to get him comfortable with the floating position. He usually just says "up" anytime I try to get him to float, but he was actually laughing when I was practicing this step with him. We went to the beach yesterday, and the last time he was at the beach he was terrified! Well this time he was screaming with joy every time the water came up to him. He laughed and splashed and had a great time... until I wasn't watching carefully enough and a wave came up and hit him straight in the face. He wasn't into the water after that one. Oops!

Noah Falling~
Uncle Shaun this is all your fault! :) When we were back in Colorado right before we left, we were spending time with the parents and Noah was very interested in something uncle Shaun kept doing. I will try to explain it... Shaun would run super fast onto the hardwood flooring, and would sit down and slide across the floor. Over and over and over again! Little did I know that my son was watching Shaun very carefully! Ever since we have been here, Noah runs across the room as fast as he can and just falls... purposefully! He face plants on the floor and laughs and does it again! The noise he causes the neighbors below to deal with I am not sure, but he has come close to some major injuries! Oh-No!

Climbing~
He loves to climb on everything now. So far he has climbed onto the dining room chair and fell off head first. He climbs onto the couch, stands up and tries to run across it. He brings his clothing basket out, flips it over, and stands on top of that. He flips his toy box over and stands on that. He tries to climb onto the coffee table and side table. He runs across mom and dad's bed and falls off. I have pretty much covered most of the surfaces in the house. Yikes! I can already see the injuries happening.

Words~
Noah is using more and more words as the days continue! It is still baby talk... you know the kind that only mom and dad understand? It is pretty funny though. The highlight is Noah's bird sound. Unfortunately there is no way for me to give it justice by trying to explain it. I am doing my best to get it on video and posted, but I thought I would bring it up quickly. He taught himself the sound... we have loud tropical birds that make lots of noise in the morning, and one particular morning this bird started chirping and all of a sudden, I heard this shrill scream coming from the baby monitor! Seconds later the bird chirped again and then Noah yelled back. It was hilarious! So now he says "Bir" and screams his bird sound. I also taught him to say his name. When I ask him "What is your name" he replies "Nana". Way to go Noah! My personal favorite... right before bedtime when I get him in jammies, I give him his blanket to snuggle with right before bedtime. He will walk around with his blanket and go to daddy and say "aggle" for "snuggle" and will just lay there with him. Ohhh it is the cutest thing! I love it. Every Monday/Wednesday morning the trash man comes, and the dumpster is right in front of our condo, so Noah will run to the window when he hears him coming and watches the truck and looks at me screaming "uck" and laughs! Yes Noah, the truck! I can think of lots more, but those are the highlights!

I hope everyone feels a little closer to Noah now that you can see what he is up to. We miss everyone so much! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Amber

Gecko took a ride with us!

2008-07-29T12:01:00.001-06:00

Gecko on the car!
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Ben and I were driving to church last Sunday, and a couple miles into our trip, we found this gecko on the hood of the car. Poor guy! The windshield wiper was his safe place... it helped block the wind I think. Anyway, he would try to move a little and the wind would grab one of his legs and he almost blew off a couple times. Haha... awesome! Just another average day in Hawaii!

Aloha!

Teaching Noah to swim

2008-07-25T15:39:00.004-06:00

The Keiki pool
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

I have always wanted Noah to feel safe and comfortable in the water, so now that we have a pool in our townhome complex, I have been getting him into the water as much as possible.

I grew up with someone terrified of the water, and it was a challenge because I wanted to enjoy the water with her and I couldn't help her feel more comfortable with it. My little sis (sorry Ashley) would get into the swimming pools shallow end, and would play on the beach at the lake, but would never attempt deep bodies of water in fear of drowning. We even took swimming lessons together as children, and she never progressed to the next level, because she would not jump in and swim to the teacher. So because of that, I really want Noah to get used to the water so he can save himself from drowning if he fell in, and so that he can have fun and feel safe when swimming.

He is 16 months old, so I thought that bringing him in with me, and helping him to feel safe in a different environment was pretty much all I could do to get him started. When we go to to pool, we usually bring a floating device that he sits in and he just floats on top comfortably and for a short time during our pool time, I would get him out of the float and swim around the pool with him. He is very comfortable with me holding him. I can put him in up to his neck and he is fine. Well one day, Ben and I saw this couple with a young child, and the kid was actually swimming by himself. The child would submerge his whole head in the water and bob around kicking his legs and moving around. I thought it was amazing! We began talking to the parents and learned that the child just turned two! I never thought a child could do something at such a young age. When we got home, I looked up infant swimming lessons online, and found out that children as young as 6 months can learn how to swim. They can learn techniques to save their life if they fell into a pool. So I read about teaching your child basic swimming skills, and I have started teaching Noah these basic steps.

Day 1: Today we worked on closing his mouth and holding his breath under water. Our goal was to encourage him to dip his face into the water, hold his breath and come back out not choking on pool water. At first his mouth was wide open and he sucked a whole bunch of water down, but we encouraged him and said make a "mmmm" sound and he dipped his own face in without us doing anything. He came up not choking at all. He did it again and again! It lasted a total of a couple minutes of the same step before he was done with it, but I am so excited that he understood that when your head is in the water, you don't inhale. He naturally learned how to hold his breath underneath!

I can't wait to see him learn more and more. I am really excited he is feeling comfortable with it already!

Check this video out to see what our ultimate goal is...

http://www.infantswim.com/home.html

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

My lovely pedicure!

2008-07-21T18:30:00.004-06:00

Sweet pedicure
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Please forgive my gargantuan looking toes... that isn't what this post is all about. My feet do look better than that in person btw. Anyway, I have been waiting for the chance to get a pedicure and I finally did it. Just so everyone knows, there are two (sometimes three) things that I need to do to pamper myself every few months. Those include the rare professional massage, eye brow wax, and getting a professional pedicure. I hate doing my toes! I love to have a beverage, read a magazine, sit in a massage chair and have someone else deal with the nastiness of my feet. I am in pure bliss during these spa pedicures. Typically it costs me $25 plus tip for one of these, and I don't need another one for a couple months. Worth it! Today I decided to indulge in a design, which costs an extra $3 per toe. I got a little jewel in the middle of the flower. I wanted share my joyful experience and recommend that if you have never had a spa pedicure... then try it! I hope you are all having a great Monday!

Hawaii Time

2008-07-13T19:18:00.002-06:00

I'm sure you all have heard that things go a little slower over here on the Islands... well they do! Not that I mind the occasional relaxed setting, but some things I was content with doing on schedule. At first I thought, it isn't really because people in Hawaii like to move slow, they are just kind of 'forced' to. First let me explain what it is like to drive in Hawaii. The drivers here are usually really polite and don't fret about the occasional cut-off and actually let people in ahead of them most of the time. However, right after we got here, I heard on the news of a deadly shooting over road rage?! So we have both ends of the spectrum here, but my opinion as to why everyone drives a little slower is because of this crazy thing called the Speed Limit! The highest speed limit I have seen here is 35 MPH and that is on the Highway. Most roads range from 15-30 MPH. That is really slow... at least for me. Plus all police drive in their unmarked personal vehicles. So you never really know what to look for when you want to speed. So... everyone just takes it nice a slow. I have also noticed that the fast food lines take forever. I decided to get some fast food one day, and thought that I would pretty much be done within 5-10 minutes, which is long for most drive-thru lanes. It ended up taking 40 minutes! No way out after I sat there for 10 not moving. Was it worth it?? Come on, it is always worth it for Taco Bell ;)

News:
We got a floor fan that is really powerful and we blow the air in from outside to get some breeze, and it actually brought the temperature in our house down about 4-5 degrees! I can really tell the difference. Plus Ben read online that by opening our room window, leaving our bedroom door open, and putting the fan out in the hallway allows some area of low pressure somewhere and the fan will pull the cool air from our window out to the living area... anyway, the point of the story is that we actually had to use blankets last night! First time we were cold since we have been here!!
We went to church today. The first decent social interaction we have had since we have been here. Calvary Chapel Kona Coast. It was good. I met a few mom's. We are looking forward to meeting new people, but it is really small and unfortunately there is only one other person in our age group that attends right now :( Bummer...

I hope everyone is doing great!
Take care,
Aloha

Happy July 4th!

2008-07-04T18:55:00.002-06:00

We want to wish everyone a Happy 4th of July! I hope you all have a great day.

A couple days ago Ben got a call from Ron (the guy that did the lease on our unit) and was told that our neighbors below us complained about noise. BUMMER! We try to be quiet and courteous because we know what it is like to live near loud and obnoxious people. Now we are those people?! When Ben told me this, we tried to think of everything we may have done to cause an issue. Maybe it was when we were building the cabinet that holds the TV at 8:30 p.m., or if we were playing our movies too loud, or when Ben sat out on the lanai taking phone calls in the evening, or maybe it is our small little one year old that doesn't walk, but RUNS everywhere and falls all the time! So Ben thought the good thing to do would be go down and introduce ourselves and apologize for the noise, and to let them know we will try extra hard to keep quiet. I have seen the guy that lives down there, he is huge and scary looking! And Ben didn't understand why I was nervous to go over. Well, we went down and guess who opened the door? Yes the husband... well he was super nice. His wife wasn't able to come to the door, so we just talked with the husband. After that I felt better about the situation. The next day, the wife came over and gave us these flowers. How nice! She told Ben that the noise was loud walking? I am still not sure if it is Noah just running around or if Ben and I were walking to hard. Anyway, now we know and they know we are not trying to be rude. People are indeed friendlier in Hawaii.

News:
~I forgot to tell everyone this, but the very first time we drove into town, Ben let this guy turn in front of us and he threw out the Shaka sign! For those that don't know, Shaka is the hand gesture where the thumb and pinkie finger are out and the other three are curled down. It is a sign of greeting, or just to say 'Hey', but this situation, he was like "Hey dude, thanks!" Anyway, it was pretty exciting. What a way to get greeted the first time here.
~We went to a black sands beach yesterday with Noah. He was terrified of the water. This is odd because he usually loves the water. I sat on the beach with him on my lap, and as the water would come up and hit us he would cry. After 5 minutes or so, he got used to the fact that the water moved more than what he was used to and calmed down. He even let me take him into the water for a bit. He wouldn't let Ben hold him though, maybe because in the swimming pool, Ben always lets him fall in submerging his whole face.

That's all for now!
Aloha.

The sun is out!

2008-07-02T14:40:00.002-06:00

The sun is out today in Kona! It has been 4 days since we have had sunshine. Talk about depressing! This morning I went to an urgent care facility to be seen about my sinus infection. The doctor said that it wouldn't go away alone, and that I needed antibiotics. I am glad for this though, because if I went in and paid $140 for him to tell me to keep up my home treatments, I would have been upset. I am looking forward to feeling better!

I am here at the coffee shop again looking out at the ocean, and it looks beautiful! I can see para sailer's, a huge cruise ship, people jet skiing... really something to see. The ocean is a baby blue/green color. The waves are mild, the water is pretty calm.

News:
The DMV is amazing! Extremely efficient. I guess anything is better than the awful line in Colorado Springs. Just so you know, you need to have vehicle inspections in Hawaii. We needed to go to the DMV to transfer the title of our new car into our name. So the line had about 5 people ahead of us... it goes so fast they don't even have seats for you to sit in. We get to our turn, and all we need is proof on inspection, and $5 to transfer the title! We get to keep the plates that were already on the car, and we didn't have to pay to re-register the car! Doesn't that make sense?

Until next time,
Aloha!

Aloha from Hawaii

2008-07-01T13:55:00.002-06:00

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

We have finally made the move! After months and months of changing our minds, we decided on a place. I am still unsure if this was the wisest place to start, but I am glad to say we did it anyway. My first opinions of Hawaii are... hot, hot, and very hot, the ocean is beautiful, I sweat like crazy, people are friendly, we have a nice condo to live in, we got a car, there is an awesome coffee shop right on the ocean w/ free wifi, air conditioners are life savers, it is constantly overcast (or what the locals call 'vog', volcanic fog) which I wasn't expecting (some say it is because of the last volcanic eruption... who knows when that was), bugs, gecko's, little crabs, mountains, lava rock, few beach's... Overall I must say Hawaii has been... kind of a disappointment though :( I guess I should say it is just different than I thought. I am not saying I don't like Hawaii, because it truly is beautiful. I was just expecting something different and that has been the disappointment. This may be because I have had a sinus infection since we got here that won't go away, and we haven't been able to do anything fun yet. So far, our time here has been... hotel rooms, eating out, applying for a lease on a place, buying a car, buying household items, opening a bank account, no internet except at Denny's and the coffee shop, millions of trips to walmart, kmart and costco, trying to handle Noah's attitude problems, and trying to rest so that I can feel better. No trips to the beach yet! Doesn't that seem crazy?!

We haven't been able to get out and meet anybody yet because I have been sick. So that has also been hard. Ben and I feel like we don't have anyone to talk to but each other. Not that that is a bad thing, but it would be nice to meet some people.
It is starting to sink in that I am very far away from all my friends and family. Every night around 7:30 I have an emotional break down with lots of crying... Ben has been here to comfort me and we are constantly praying for strength and comfort. I knew it would be hard, but I could never have prepared myself for how hard it actually is. It is so hard to not be able to hug my parents. I miss the wonderful time I had spending with my friends. Sometimes I think, what is more important... the place you live, or the people you live near? I want to think I will be able to make some new friends, but I can't ever replace those friends that are so dear to me in Colorado. I truly hope everyone knows how special you are to me, and how much I miss you all. Please come a visit if you can/want to. We have a bed and place you can stay! We will try to visit as much as possible too.

For now, that is all I can think of. I will try to update everyone as much as possible on what is happening here, and I appreciate emails and pictures of what is happening in all your lives. Anything that will help me stay connected to you is wonderful. I pray the Lord is blessing your lives. Please take care!

Until next time,
Aloha!

It's happening...

2008-06-21T18:13:00.003-06:00

Well, just as I knew it would, the time has come to start saying goodbye to our family and close friends. It is extremely difficult to do this. Since we only have two days left, our days are full of sad encounters with our friends and family. I have gotten to say goodbye to some people here and there, but today I had to say goodbye to my father-in-law, brother-in-law and my sister. Why does it hurt so bad? Lord willing, it isn't the last time I will ever see them. I will be back in a few months to visit... I am praying for the Lord's comfort and thankfully I have an amazingly supportive husband with an amazing shoulder I am sure I will be using a lot in the next few weeks. Tomorrow I have to say goodbye to my grandma and opa and all of our dear friends from our bible study. I will need so much strength to get through that... and then I have to turn around and say goodbye to my mom and dad. This is I hope the hardest part of our move! Until next time...

A kite as a life lesson

2008-06-12T07:04:00.003-06:00

"What's going on? What's new?" We've all been asked these questions or some variation of them, and our response is often "Nothing" or "Not much". I understand that a lot of times we're just responding out of habit and aren't really spending much time really thinking through our answer. But if you stop and ask yourself that question and really put some thought into it, does the answer change, or is there really nothing new going on in your life?

I often use a kite as an analogy for life. For a kite to fly it needs two things, wind pushing against it and an anchor. Without the wind constantly pushing against it, the kite won't fly. It's only through being under consistent stress from the wind that it's able to soar, and the harder the wind blows the higher it soars. The other side of that is the anchor; if it's not tied to anything it will float around aimlessly. If a kite is properly anchored and the wind is strong the kite will soar as high as the line will allow.

I think this is true for our lives. As I've spent time thinking about how God has called us as believers to live I don't see living a comfortable life as necessarily part of that plan. I believe a good indication of a problem is that we don't have anything pushing us, nothing new in our lives. I'm not saying that we should always be stressed out and in constant flux. There are certainly times in our lives where we need to recover and take some time to rest, but that should be the exception not the rule. In our lives we should constantly be looking for a challenge, looking for ways to grow, getting out of our confort zones and really pushing ourselves. When we don't have anything in the physical that we can depend on, all we have left is God. Our security, comfort and happiness should all emanate from God while we continue through the struggles in our lives. With God as our anchor and trusting that He won't allow the wind to blow beyond the abilities that He's given us to handle it, we can be excited that through that stress we are soaring higher and higher.

We've got something new coming up in our lives, and as with all change there are things that make us both excited and nervous. I don't expect our move to Hawaii to be easy (though it's certainly not the worst place to move to :)) especially not emotionally, but I'm excited to see how stepping out of our comfort zone is going to bring us closer as a family as well as closer to God. Moving away from the carefully crafted support system leaves us no choice but to rely on God and each other. I believe that Amber and I won't fully understand the impact of what we're doing until much later. I'm excited to look back in 3-5 years and see how this act of stepping out in faith has changed the landscape of our lives.

So ask yourself "What's new"? If the answer truly is nothing, then re-examine your life and see where God may be asking you to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself.

Image by Logan Williams

Our upcoming move

2008-06-11T15:11:00.002-06:00

Words can't express the emotions that I am experiencing as the time comes closer for us to move. It has been one of the hardest journey's of my life. As most of you may already know, I was born and raised in Colorado, leaving only for vacations 1-2 times a year. I grew up in the same house and always watched different friends move away. I honestly never imagined it would be me leaving because the 'normal' for me was to be here. Ben on the other hand grew up moving around all the time. He traveled every six months for long periods at a time. So naturally he loves to move and travel. This has been a challenging area in our marriage because when he would say "let's go", I would say "let's settle down". Well, now that we have been here 4 years, I figure it is time for me to sacrifice my comfort zone and embark on a new journey with my husband who is so eager to try something new.

So Hawaii, here we come! Don't get me wrong... I am thrilled that the Lord has given us the opportunity to move to such an amazing place. But... it is also very far away from the people I love so much. I grew up near my extended family and I loved that so much. I really enjoyed being able to spend weekends with my grandparents and have sleepovers with cousins. Now that I have Noah, I really want him to be able to spend lots of time with his grandparents. I feel like this move is going to keep him from that, even though I know many people who still have great relationships with their grandparents and didn't live near them.

Right now I am crying a lot and praying that the Lord will help me battle this emotional roller coaster that I know I must face. I am looking forward to having just Ben and Noah around to grow closer as a family together. I don't think I am going to be able to say "I am glad I did this" for a while though, not until I am healed from the emotions of leaving my parents, my siblings and my very special friends. God is good and I will do my best to lean on Him when I am sad.

Please for those of you who read our blog, pray for me and Ben and little Noah. We truly cherish you and will miss you so dearly.

Our poor baby!

2008-05-30T15:06:00.005-06:00

Well, just as I feared, Noah ended up with walking pneumonia. His allergies are awful! So what started as a runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing and congestion has turned into pneumonia. He isn't bed ridden or anything, but he is stuck at home all weekend attached to an oxygen tank. His blood oxygen levels were down to 88 without oxygen and his right side lung or tubes were completely closed off. He wasn't breathing well. Until we get the stuff out of there, or his blood oxygen level is up to 95, we need to keep him on oxygen. He also has an ear infection which is being treated with an antibiotic. We have started him on some baby allergy medicine to help those symptoms, and he is having to do neb treatments every four hours, 24 hours a day until he starts getting it out. To top off the awful experience at the doctor, he needed a steroid shot! Noah hasn't been vaccinated, so this was the very first shot Noah has had his whole life. I have never felt more terrible than that moment, when my child is sitting helpless in my arms and I let someone hurt him. I was crying and so emotional about the entire experience. Our only concern now, is how do we keep this from happening again... when his allergies act up again? We appreciate all your prayers and know the Lord will take Noah is His arms and protect him. Where would I be if I didn't know the Lord and his comfort and strength in these hard times. What an amazing Father! (Here, in the photo is Noah with a lollipop to comfort him after he was tormented.)

Noah's performances!

2008-05-27T10:01:00.003-06:00

I got Noah to perform a couple times this past week for me. Lately it has been harder than ever to get him to just sit still and let me get some video of him. So I got him making car sounds with his toy and I also got him dancing away. It is so funny to watch him do this stuff. He gets so into it. I am hoping to get him spinning around next. That one is too funny. I hope you all enjoy!

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T09:50:00.001-06:00

Mother's Day
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers. Here is a shot of me and my baby boy!

Ben gave Noah a bath!

2008-05-12T20:34:00.002-06:00

Bath time
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

I know this seems silly, but I thought I needed to document this momentous occasion. Ben gave Noah the cute little newborn baths and a couple 3 month old baths, but he hasn't given Noah a bath.... not kidding here.... for probably 9 months or better! He claims he didn't ever want to give him baths because the tub is in my parents room and he thinks it is weird that he is in their room. Fair enough... I guess. Sometimes, I am just not in the mood to bathe him though, and it drove me nuts when Ben would say he didn't really want to. Thinking to myself 'I give him a bath every night and you haven't in how long?'. Anyway, yesterday was Mother's Day and Ben treated me so wonderfully. He helped me with Noah the whole day. (Noah was super cranky yesterday too.) He gave him breakfast, lunch and dinner. He changed poopy diapers, let me take a nap and he GAVE HIM A BATH! Now he set high expectations for future Mother's Day's. Thank you so much Ben for being so special and giving me such a wonderful day of rest and relaxation.

Selling everything!!

2008-05-10T20:08:00.003-06:00

We are beginning to sell all of our stuff! Obviously we aren't able to take many things with us because it would be cheaper to buy out there than pay to have it moved. We posted a handful of items on good old craigslist.org and within 4 hours we had calls and emails on almost all of them. We sold our car in only 4 hours!! I am sad to say goodbye to my Jetta. I have had that car since I have been able to drive. We sold our couch and chair and our glider and ottoman. We have a call on our dining room table and on Ben's truck. Before we know it, we aren't going to own anything. It won't be that bad, but it feels like it. I am holding onto some items that I just can't part with. My parents offered to keep some of that in storage for us. We are planning on having a garage sale the beginning of June to get rid of the last minute things we can't take. I will keep everyone updated on any new news about our move!

We're moving to Hawaii!

2008-05-08T09:35:00.003-06:00

As most of you know, we have had a difficult time deciding where we want to live. After back and forth between Oregon and California, we decided on Hawaii! I know it seems like a crazy choice, but it fit both of our needs and wants. We found a place that works climate wise for me and a place that Ben will also enjoy. We are thrilled, but so nervous at the same time. We just bought our one way plane tickets! We leave June 24th. We ask for your prayers as we jump into this new adventure. Now we have to plan everything! Sell almost everything and start fresh.

Noah getting a haircut

2008-04-25T08:57:00.001-06:00

Noah getting a haircut
Originally uploaded by benrasmusen

We gave Noah a haircut last night. This is the second haircut of his life. His hair grows quick, and when it gets long it begins to curl on the ends. We cut it at 3/4 in. and it is a little short! He looks adorable still, but I would say I am going to stick with 1 in. next time. He is really good with the buzzer. The hard part is getting him to sit still.

Trying to workout!

2008-04-24T15:45:00.001-06:00

Noah and Amber at the park
Originally uploaded by benrasmusen

Does anyone ever have a hard time staying in shape?! My whole life I was super small. I never worried about my weight. I ate whatever I wanted, didn't work out, and I wouldn't gain a pound. I was only 110 lbs when I got married! Well, after a year or so of marriage, something happened and my body began to change. I still felt ok, but I found myself stressing about my stomach bulging over my pants. I never changed what I was eating, but I started riding my bike and trying to get some physical activity in. Well... then I got pregnant, and I just let go. I figured I was pregnant, I am allowed to gain weight. Right? I thought it would be easy to lose. Well I gained 60 lbs!! That is more than double what the doctors want you to gain. After I had Noah, I lost 40 lbs right away. 20 still to go. Since that big weight loss, I have dropped an additional 5 lbs and it was hard. The fat just loves me! Or I love ice cream and soda too much. So here I am right now, with a one year postpartum body and 15 lbs still to take off. I have realized now that it won't be easy and I need to work hard to lose the weight. I got the workout clothes, the jogging stroller, and the iPod but haven't worked out yet! :) I guess I have a start, I am going on speed walks and trying to do an at home aerobics video to get my body into shape again. I am motivated to start jogging. I just needed to vent about my workout and weight gain issues. Geez, it's hard to juggle all this! I hope I didn't scare anyone off :) I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Noah's 1 Year Check-up

2008-04-23T10:09:00.001-06:00

Just precious!
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Noah had his 12 month check-up this week. He is healthy! He weighs 21 lbs. and is 31 in. long. They predict him to be a tall/thin adult. The only sad news is that Noah has allergies. His nose has been running non-stop for over a week now and I thought it was a cold. The doctor can tell by his eyes that he is suffering from some allergy and when I mentioned his running nose she said that was it. I feel terrible. It is awful to feel congested, but he doesn't know how to sniff yet, so he is constantly having his nose wiped. It hurts him so bad now because it is so raw. We are trying a homeopathic allergy medicine along with giving him some honey once a day. We will see if it gets better. I am thankful we haven't noticed asthma so far. Other than that, she said he looks great and he has graduated from the baby phase. He got to pick out a toy from the toy chest this time! That's exciting!

Playing Outside

2008-04-19T13:36:00.002-06:00

Looking for twigs/leaves
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Noah loves being outside. I try to get him outside whenever it is nice. He loves to explore everything. He wanders around picking up leaves and twigs. He tries his best to walk through the grass, but it is still a bit difficult for him to do without falling. If you want to see more pictures of his adventure please see our flickr page at
http://flickr.com/photos/amber-rasmusen/

Wow! Look at him

2008-04-19T10:23:00.001-06:00

Wow! Look at him
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Noah has turned from being scared and apprehensive of a lot of things to taking on mountains! Well to him anyway. He got up onto his chair the other night. It was a little scary for me, but I had to stop and say to myself.... just let him do it, he needs to do things like this. Anyway, he fell off and hit his head, which I knew would happen. But... after I cuddled him and made him feel better, he was right back over to the chair standing on it again! I couldn't believe how brave he was to go right back to it after it defeated him. He fell again and hit his head again! He went back a third time and I helped him off because I didn't want him hurting himself anymore. Then one last time he got up, fell off, and smacked his head really good and then he was done for the night. A couple days later... he was back up on the chair. I have just realized how determined he is to do certain things regardless of the consequences, and I have learned how much of a boy he really is. I don't think he goes more than two days without getting a bruise on his head or falling pretty good. He is so aggressive now. He isn't a baby! He is a toddler with non stop energy and a mind that is beginning to take him everywhere.

Noah Singing

2008-04-11T11:06:00.001-06:00

I forgot I got Noah singing a song on video a while ago. Maybe a month or so. He just repeats the same words and bounces along to the song. I love it!

Noah singing and playing music

2008-04-11T11:00:00.001-06:00

Noah was starting to understand the xylophone, but then got confused when we wanted him to play a song. He usually sings to me when I ask him to sing a song. I love that he enjoys dancing and singing. He is so cute when he sings and starts dancing along with the song. Soon he will be singing and dancing to his own music!

Family Vacation

2008-04-07T15:43:00.001-06:00

Family photo in Palm Springs, CA
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

We took a trip out to California to visit my Grandparents for a long weekend, and we had a fabulous time. Starting off... Noah did wonderful, as usual, on the plane to California. When we got there we had about an hour drive to where we were staying. (Desert Springs/Palm Springs) Once we got there, we relaxed and played some cards, ate some food and spent time together. The following day we went to play mini-golf and went to the pool. Noah had a ton of fun. He was upset when we had to get out of the water. That was exciting because I was worried he would be afraid of the water since he hasn't been in a big pool in a while. The next day I left Noah with my parents and grand parents so that Ben and I could go a look for places to live out in California. We drove up a couple hours to Victorville and the surrounding area, and then over to LA/Santa Monica to visit a friend. We spent most of the day hanging out in that area, looking at neighborhoods and going to the beach. It was so much fun to be out there again. It had been two years since our last visit. The following day we played games, went swimming and walked around downtown Palm Springs. (Where we are in the picture) It is such a fun little town. So many little shops and it is taken care of very well. The next day we packed up and headed back. It was way too short. We can't wait until we are there all the time. Hopefully soon!

Our Birthday Boy

2008-03-30T18:49:00.001-06:00

Our Birthday Boy
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Noah will be one on April 2nd, but we celebrated his birthday this past Saturday. It was such a joy! I can't believe he has been in our lives for one year. It has gone so fast. I am overwhelmed with excitement, love and passion for this little man. He did so amazing! Not one fuss or overwhelmed cry the entire time. He entertained his guests very well. The party was a "Ball" theme. Noah is crazy about balls, so I got all kinds of blow up sports balls to throw around. Everyone ate and socialized, played outside on the beautiful day. We opened presents and Noah ate his first sweets of his life! His own piece of cake and ice cream. He went crazy over it. It was such a joy to celebrate his life! Praise the Lord for one year.

To view more birthday party pictures please go to our flickr account.
http://flickr.com/photos/amber-rasmusen

Snuggling up

2008-03-30T18:38:00.001-06:00

Snuggling up
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

Sometimes Noah gets cranky a little bit before bed, so we usually let him have his special blankie around so he can snuggle if he wants to. It is so cute when he does snuggle because he can be in mid-stride and BOOM down on the floor he goes sticking his bottom up in the air. He only needs a few moments before he is up again and on his way. I know he shouldn't have a sleep or security prop, but I love that blanket.

Worship Tunes

2008-03-27T19:27:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share with everyone some of my favorite worship songs. If you haven't heard any of them, they are definitely worth listening to. I hope you are all blessed and uplifted by the Grace of our Lord!

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Marvelous Light

I once was fatherless,
a stranger with no hope;
Your kindness wakened me,
Awakened me, from my sleep

Your love it beckons deeply,
a call to come and die.
By grace now I will come
And take this life, take your life.

Sin has lost it's power,
death has lost it's sting.
From the grave you've risen
VICTORIOUSLY!

Into marvelous light I'm running,
Out of darkness, out of shame.
By the cross you are the truth,
You are the life, you are the way

My dead heart now is beating,
My deepest stains now clean.
Your breath fills up my lungs.
Now I'm free. now I'm free!

Lift my hands and spin around,
See the light that i have found.
Oh the marvelous light
Marvelous light

At the Food of the Cross

At the foot of the cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgment You received
And You've won my heart
And You've won my heart
Now I can

Trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

At the foot of the cross
Where I am made complete
You have given me life
Through the death you bore for me
And You've won my heart
And You've won my heart
Now I can

And You've won my heart
And You've won my heart
Now I can

I lay every burden down
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross
At the foot of the cross
At the foot of the cross

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: "My God, how great Thou art!"

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

Noah's Easter Basket

2008-03-25T15:53:00.001-06:00

Noah's Easter Basket
Originally uploaded by amberaye311

This is technically Noah's second Easter, but last one he was a tiny baby just learning how to eat and stay awake. He got an Easter basket from Grandma and Grandpa Leonard and it was so fun to watch him enjoy it. He had to look for it and when he found it, he was in his own world. He got a stuffed bunny rabbit, and as you can see it was thrown to the side immediately because he also got a basketball and a hoop. We colored an egg for him which he also enjoyed later. What a fun time it was. I am so excited to see how his birthday party goes.

Rasmusen Family

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NO!

Amber... No Mama!

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He looks like Daddy!

Aloha Hawaii

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Not much going on...

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Let's just say I am an... enthusiastic Bronco Fan!

Date Night

When did clothes shopping become so difficult?

GO BRONCOS!

AAARRRGGG!!!

A mixture of everything on my mind!

Reading Time

Birthday Gift!

The "Poo" Story

Cupcakes

More Complaints!

I love sleeping babies!

Face Plant!

Hapuna Beach

All about Noah!

Gecko took a ride with us!

Teaching Noah to swim

My lovely pedicure!

Hawaii Time

Happy July 4th!

The sun is out!

Aloha from Hawaii