The House Paint and Green Bean Edition

The Fashion Section
Zoe keeps us laughing most of the time. I think she is hilarious. In addition to her rotary cell phone, she is always quite the style guru. I'll admit, she does have her own tastes, but I think it's a good look for her.

The Fitness Section
We find it very important to stay in shape. Especially with swim suit season upon us. Zoe decided to do some swimming, despite being very tired.

N and I decided to do some Dance Dance Revolution. This is a video game where you have to hit arrows on that mat when they show on the screen. It sounds simple enough, but for two, out-of-shape adults, this is a workout. I think we lasted 20 minutes before we were each on the couch in pain. Zoe thought it was a blast. She's a dancing queen!

The Food Section
One of the best parts of the weekend is that N and I get to enjoy meals together. With the nicer weather and my herb garden, we are grillin' fools. Zoe won't be left out. She likes to test the potatoes and asparagus first. She eats a potato like an apple and LOVES it.

On Monday night, we discovered another side to Zoe. She wasn't super hungry, but never passes up an opportunity to eat. I fixed her some chicken and green beans. She appeared to be eating quite a bit, despite having some soup only 90 minutes prior. Then we discovered what she was doing. She would fake taking the morsel of food to her mouth, then she would drop it onto the seat of her high-chair. She's entirely too smart for her own good.

The Home Repair Section
N and my mom worked out a deal. We could stay longer if he painted part of the house this weekend. Actually N offered and she accepted. It's the least we could do since she's let us live with her for over a year now. The husband of mine is quite handy with a paint brush. So is his daughter! The finished house and shed are beautiful! So is the planter box that some amazingly, talented woman painted! I apparently suffer from paint brush envy and couldn't resist helping.

N was beyond tired after the Dance Dance Revolution marathon and all the painting.

The Health Section
Despite the holiday, Zoe still had physical therapy with Mo. It's about a half hour of Zoe crying because of all the work. The good news is we'll be going down to every other week starting after next week. Zoe has improved so much, there isn't as much concern. We're more focused now on her core development. We have exercises that help her rotate at the waist and work on her putting out her arm if she leans backward. Zoe only warms up to Mo once she starts writing out our at-home exercises for the following week. I think she knows it's the end. Afterward Zoe is usually exhausted and very cuddly.

The Bumps and Bruises Section
D and E went to the lake this weekend. Instead of snowmobiles, they got to play on their 4-wheelers. D has entered the stage where everything is boring. I thought that started around age 13, but apparently it's around age 8!

E had a blast on her 4-wheeler. Even despite her crash. As she was riding, the dog darted in front of her. She didn't quite know what to do, so instead of hitting the pooch, she took the hit. She has a couple bumps and bruises, but nothing serious. Praise the Lord! The dog's okay too.

Needless to say, all the clan are tired and sore after this weekend!

The Say Cheese Edition

The Photo Session Section
N and I were not on the ball about sending out Mother's Day cards this year. The reason is we didn't coordinate our schedule well. This last weekend we had all three girls. Which in our house means photo opportunity. Instead of using my Canon Powershot and a background of a sheet over the loveseat, we took the girls to JC Penney's for an official shoot. It's been a year since the first one, so we thought it was time.

We got some pictures of all three girls together and some of Zoe alone. She is finally standing, so we thought it was a good time to capture that. Who knew it would be so hard to keep her in one spot!

Here are the fruits of the Penney's photographer's labor. I'm doing more than just bragging here! If you're a mom/grandma/great-grandma/great-grandpa/grandpa of one of these lovely ladies, expect some belated mother's day/early father's day pictures in a few weeks! If you're not one of those and we like you, expect something too! :)

The Enamel Section
It also seems this week that Zoe has been very productive. I finally saw that her two top molars have come in. She's a tooth growing machine.

The Gymnastics Section
For the last few months we've been quizzing E on what she would like for her birthday. From these discussions we realized that neither D nor E have ever had a friend birthday party. N and I are planning to remedy that. We've booked a gymnastics studio for E on June 14th and she will be able to invite a few of her friends. They have a gymnastics lesson for an hour. This includes balance beam, rings, bars, and a 40 foot long trampoline that you run down then jump into a foam pit. They also have a bounce castle to play in too. E has been talking about going to a local, indoor bounce warehouse, but they are booked a couple months out. In the past she's talked about doing gymnastics instead of soccer. We've decided to combine the two for her. It should be fun. I can't believe she's going to be 7 already.

The Mailbox and Nail Polish Edition

The Technology Section
It seems Zoe is following in the tradition of her sisters. D and E love cell phones. When they are at our house, they each have to have one with them at all times. Granted these are old phones that N and I had that don't work. I'll never forget the time D was playing Play-Doh with E. She picked up the cell phone, had a conversation with a friend, faked a cough as the reason she couldn't go to that girl's house and then told me she couldn't believe that girl called her when she was playing at our house. It was one of the funniest moments. She acted as though it was a real conversation. I, of course, played along!

Zoe likes cell phones, but she knows the difference between the fake play ones and the real thing. She isn't too keen on the idea of playing with a cell phone that doesn't have power. She now has her own cell phone. She talks on it all the time and even walks around with it like it's a real cordless.

The Mobile Section
To follow up on the crawling that Zoe has been doing, I thought I would take some pictures. She does this half normal crawl and half one-leg-out-to-the-side-scoot crawl. As the proud parent I am, I think it's the cutest thing in the world.

Gardening Tips 102: by Zoe
Now that the flowers are planted, you must also plant other pots so your deck doesn't look too bare. First you get a smaller pot and fill it with dirt. Then dump. Then you shovel a bit and put some flowers into the new dirt. You should do this every week throughout the summer.

The Kitchen Furnishing Section
While N and I were in Puyallup, we bought Zoe a dish set. She loves dishes, so we thought this would be perfect for her. It's also good for bonding time with your sisters. The girls played for hours, making smoothies, pizza, breakfast and then eating their creations. There are 70 pieces in the set, so there were 70 pieces around the living room. The girls had so much fun.

The Little Wahini Section
Zoe received a grass skirt (among other gifts) from her Great Grandma (who we call G.G.). D and E also received a package from G.G. direct from Hawaii. They got some swim suits. They were both so excited that they were one-piece. Now the water at the lake won't be so cold on their tummies. They also received some very adorable board shorts and tops. The girls looked fabulous in their outfits. Thank you G.G. - as always, you find the perfect gifts!

The 10,000 Steps Section
Once we had some dinner and opened presents on Saturday, we decided to go for a walk. The girls love being outside, especially when it involves the whole family. Zoe gets a ride in her stroller and the cover has to come down when we're facing the sun. The stroller still allows for her to see with a shade, but she doesn't like it. She gets a bit bossy, pointing things out and wanting to go certain places. All you see is her feet and hands!

There is an important tip to remember when out for a walk. Always watch where you're going. I would recommend watching at least 10-20 feet in front of you. As we were walking, there was a girl playing soccer across the street that both D and E enjoyed watching as they walked. What D didn't see was the mailbox 10-20 feet ahead. It was like those slo-mo scenes where I couldn't get the words out fast enough to warn her. Sadly, the first thought through my head was "get the camera ready for that shot." Unfortunately I missed the shot and becoming Mother of the Year. She ran right into that black mailbox and chipped a piece of the white bucket too. In the aftermath, she got a small mark on her cheek and a good scrape on her neck. Poor kid!

It even got worse. Later in the walk, she ran right into E and took a dive onto the sidewalk. That girl is going to have more scars on her legs than I have ever seen.

The Beauty Section
After we returned from our walk, it was time for some girl time. Each of the three girls got a pedicure. Zoe sat totally still and loved having me blow on her toes. D and Elined up on the couch, totally ready to get girly. The little, painted toes were adorable.

The Tweezer Section
Sunday the girls played in a new wiggly sprinkler that we bought them while Zoe took a nap. The new swimsuits fit perfectly and they LOVED them. Thanks again G.G.! Once the girls got inside and we had some dinner, D's foot was bothering her. Upon further inspection, she had a splinter on the bottom of her foot. It was time for daddy to get the tweezers. D was less than thrilled about this. E and I had to hold her hands. Like a good Mother of the Year, I kept taking pictures. Dr. Daddy began his procedure with the victim, er patient lying on the floor, foot on his knee with good light. He got real close to the foot, despite the smell to find said splinter. It was a big one and fairly deep. Poor kid. She didn't know to laugh from the tickling or to cry from the digging. It paid off. All splinters were removed.

The Red Juice of Goodness Section
When Zoe and I went to the store to get some groceries, I found mini Popscicles. They are the perfect size for Zoe. I thought she could try her first taste of summer! She absolutely LOVES them. Turned her little hands bright red.

All-in-all, it was a great weekend with the Cusettes. They sure keep us busy! I tried to get a good picture of the girls, but Zoe wasn't having any of it.

The "We See The Light" Edition

This blog title feels a bit like that guy from Fantasy Island whose famous quote is "de plane, boss, de plane." I digress...


We have some great news from two fronts. Tuesday Zoe had her 15 month well-care appointment. She has grown to 29.75 inches tall and weighs in at 22lbs 10ozs. She's growing so fast. We usually see the nurse practitioner, Kathie when we go to the doctor. This time, in addition to Dr. Kathie, we also saw Dr. Olson, the main pediatrician of the office. We wanted him to take a look at Zoe in relation to the cerebral palsy question. He seemed very positive! He told us that she does have a slight issue with her left leg being stiff, but nothing that he would diagnose as CP yet. As long as she's not losing skills as she grows, they probably will never diagnose her since it is so slight and that type of diagnosis will follow her forever. That could be problematic in the future with insurance, etc. Can I get a Praise the Lord?

Secondly, Zoe is still doing her twice-weekly physical therapy. One of the achievements we've been trying to reach is for her to crawl three feet. The CP question was raised, in part, because Zoe couldn't do this and didn't keep her head up off the floor when she was on all fours. This showed a lack of muscle development, which is a sign of CP.


These last couple weeks, Zoe has seemed more interested in crawling, constantly putting herself on the floor and moving around. If we leave her in the living room, we come back and she's on the floor. Then she'll yell for you because she can't get up to standing. It was starting to get annoying, but once again, she's doing exactly what she needs to despite my running around the house. (Actually I think it's my new form of Jazzercise!) It has definitely paid off (for both of us)! Today during her physical therapy appointment Zoe crawled three feet! We've been trying to get her to do this since her first physical therapy appointment almost 1 year ago. This shows real improvement in her muscle tone. It's one more feather in Zoe's hat against this CP diagnosis/concern.

Your prayers are working! She is developing the way she should, just in her own time. Wonder whose kid she is?


That light through the branches that N and I saw, is coming into clear view now!

The Mommy Edition

From the Kitchen
We are usually watching The Food Network. The channel is probably the most watched channel in our house. It makes sense that Zoe has lots of ideas when it comes to the kitchen. On Friday night she helped me make chocolate chip muffins. Zoe's idea of helping consists of picking out the chips and getting mix all over her fingers. She does have a bit of a chocolate chip muffin addiction. It could be directly tied to the fact that I ate them everyday during my pregnancy.

After a hard day of laboring in the kitchen, Zoe decided to chill with daddy and enjoy a cold one. Anyone knows this means a good, ole' Mt. Dew.

A Date with 2 Cusettes
Saturday night N went to visit D & E. He's been trying to do this on weekends we don't have the girls. It's definitely a good thing. The girls love it and apparently talk about their visits with him for days. E received a trophy for participating in soccer. She is so proud. D hasn't had her awards ceremony yet, but I'm guessing we'll be seeing another trophy soon!

Both girls went to the dentist this week. E hasn't gotten her front teeth yet. Apparently their hung up on her top, lateral teeth. She'll be singing the song "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" until the other ones fall out.

D was named the Teacher's All-Star this week in her classroom. If we understand her correctly, she got to be the teacher's helper. That's right up D's alley! Daddy and I are very proud of her!

Favorite Toys
Zoe still carries around Maggie, her get-well present from Grammy and Grandpa. Last night Maggie was sitting on the chair and Zoe got right up to her and started laughing. They must share their own language. Last night she wanted to sit with daddy, so he put her on his lap. As they started to play a little, Maggie had to go on the arm of the couch, out of harm's way.

Mother's Day!
I think this is my favorite holiday. It's the day where everyone gets to know how blessed I am to be a mommy. It's the one role in life that I cherish the most. If it's the only thing I'm known for, I'm A-OK with that. Zoe even started saying "mommy" this weekend. Before it was always "ma" or "mom." Talk about melting my heart!

N and Zoe got me an herb garden. I've been talking about growing my own herbs for about a year now. Yesterday it became official. I have a pot with some basil, thyme, and rosemary in it. We even used some last night for dinner! Which N made. We had lemon-pepper salmon, garlic shrimp and London Broil. It was delicious. I've never had salmon before. I know, you are all probably gasping. I'll tell you right now, it's gah-hood! Zoe even loved it too. Although not as much as the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. I think if you turn into the food you eat, she'd be a Hawaiian Sweet Roll. Which is actually a cute nickname.

As always, we had to have our official Mother's Day picture. I looked back to see the picture from last year, since Zoe was only 4 1/2 months old. Whatta difference a year makes!

It is such a blessing to be the wife of a loving husband, a mother to a sweet girl, and the step-mother to two beautiful girls.

Special Edition: Green Thumb Techniques

Gardening 101: by Zoe

In order to get the best flowers this year, it is important to follow some very simple techniques.

1) Everyone should have a small rake to losen dirt after a hard winter.

2) Once you've found a rake that is easy to grip and stylish, get a matching shovel to go with it. Good gardening isn't just about what you can do with the flowers, but what tools you have as well.

3) Eating dirt is never a good idea. Your grandma or your mommy start to freak out and make you drink water or eat part of a washcloth. While your daddy just laughs at all three of you. It's not pleasant.

4) Now that you have stylish, easy to grip tools, rake the dirt around the plants you've already planted and keep that matching shovel close in case you need to dig. I also recommend having a pot for the flowers that is just right to your height. You don't want to bend over to garden. That hurts your back!

5) After all the raking and digging is complete, it's important to water your newly planted flowers. Hoses tend to give too much water to the pot. I find getting a cup from a local pizza joint to be the best solution. Because it's not as easy to grip as the rake and shovel, have your grandma help you.

6) Let the flowers stay in the pot, without your tools, so they can grow.

7) Because flowers take some time to grow, it's important to have a chair that you can sit in to watch them. It's also a great place to keep your tools when you're done. If you can, I recommend finding one with Tigger and Pooh on it. They live in the Hundred Acre Wood and know all about gardening from their friend Rabbit! They can give you some pointers.

Happy Gardening Everyone!

The Road Trippin' Edition

Housing Market

Part of this weekend was a trip to Puyallup for N and I. We wanted to check on the house and meet our new realtor. We had originally intended to clean up the backyard, but our new realtor, David, found a landscaping company that would clean up the yard for a great price. We decided to go that route. We're very glad we did. It was raining buckets on Saturday.

N and I were anxious to meet David. This was the first realtor who was excited to sell our house. We found him because he called us. In my very first conversation with him, he told me how much God was blessing him and his family during this tough market. In meeting him, we have a completely renewed faith in God's plan for our lives. David and his wife are christians, who met each other when their lives weren't on God's path. They now live each day for the Lord and are on fire for Him. David spent time with us in prayer for our house! It was such an encouragement to meet him. He was such a witness to both N and I. We have learned this past year that God is in control of every minute. Sometimes He sends us a sign to remind us. We are very thankful for God for sending us a sign through David and his wife.

Old Friends & Entertainment News

After a meeting with David, we decided to head to Tacoma General to see if anyone was working that we bonded with. We got to see Becky. She was the nurse who found Zoe was in distress and got everything rolling for the emergency delivery. She was also the woman who held my hand and assured me that it was going to be alright. What I didn't know at the time, she was also the woman praying for Zoe and I during that whole experience. When Zoe let out her first cry, Becky got on her knees and praised God. It goes without saying, she was our angel from God that afternoon. It was such a joy to see her.

Part of our weekend was also spent with some friends from McChord. N and I actually got to go out with other adults! We met our friends Dave, Brook and Dawn at Olive Garden Satruday night for some good laughs and stories. While we were outside waiting, Scott drove up. I've never met Scott, but everyone else knew him. He's stationed in Alaska, but their hanger collapsed under the snow, so he's at McChord for a temporary assignment. He also was in Korea the same time N was. The military is such a small world. He didn't have anyone to eat with, so he joined us. We made some really great friends at McChord and it was nice to see them and be able to spend some time with them.

Hotel Review

If you are ever in Tacoma and need a place to say, we recommend the Hotel Murano. The hotel is full of art work from various artists around the globe. Each of their 26 floors is dedicated to the art of a specific artist. Our floor featured Flo Perkins, who is a glass blower and specializes in making things like glass traffic cones show emotion. We had bowling pins and bowling balls throughout our floor. It made for a really fun environment.

Because of the deal we were offered, Saturday night they brought us a bottle of champagne. Unfortunately N and I don't drink much. We brought it home to open once the house sells! In addition, they also gave us a complementary breakfast at their eatery Bite. N and I were all about that! We recommend the breakfast club. Bacon, eggs, cheese and some pepper aioli on a roll. Anyone hungry?

Parenting Section

In order to get things with the house done, my mom offered to watch Zoe this weekend. This was our first time away from her since she's been home from the hospital. I'm proud to say I never cried! Friday night we spent some time just hanging out with her and telling her about our trip. She decided to eat Grandma's bread bowl instead.

Upon our return home, she and grandma were in the front lawn playing in the dirt. Fortunately Zoe learned on Saturday that dirt doesn't taste well. On Sunday it was just her hands that got dirty. We decided to play with the new dishes that we bought her. She also had to try on some of the clothes we bought her too. Even though she wasn't with us, we were constantly thinking of her.

After dinner, to have a little family time, we enjoyed the sun and went for a walk. Nowadays Zoe likes to walk for part of it. She's still a little wobbly on the pavement and we insist on holding her hand outside, but she loves the speed bumps! We still bring the stroller along because her legs are still short. Plus she needs somewhere to eat all her walking snacks.

All-in-all, it was a great weekend. We're relaxed and ready for the week ahead. What's not to be relaxed about when God's in control!