Auntie Julz Comes to Visit

Auntie Julz came back to Spokane the day her school let the teachers out! :) We all know that means we get SPOILED for a few days by having her around. We had a lot of fun with her--BBQing the night she got in, painting with her at the shower, having her over to take some family pictures, and this outing where we all went to the Shadle splash pad...

YAY for weather warm enough to be in bathing suits, and YAY for time with friends!

Another Lochhead Family Milestone

I'm realizing that decorated pottery is the way that our family marks milestone moments...

Two square plates hang in our kitchen,

created by Jeff and I on our engagement day...

Across the room sits a platter

adorned with our last name,

given as a wedding gift (thanks, Jen!)...

On my dresser upstairs

lay tiles that spell out HOPE--

painted as "therapy" after we miscarried...

Each morning I kiss Gracie in front of the mirror

that is surrounded by pink and red tiles,

decorated by friends to celebrate our little girl...

So I was absolutely THRILLED when my good friends threw me a Baby Josh Shower at my favorite place in Spokane--Polka Dot Pottery!

Heidi and Julie planned the whole event--thank you so much!--and everyone who came helped out by bringing some of my favorite things: peanut butter M&M's, Diet Pepsi, hummus, peaches... It was a delicious party with fabulous friends. I couldn't have asked for more!

Megan, Sarabeth, Melissa, Julz, Rachel and Lydia...creativity buzzing through the air...

Where's Debbie? Holding her Joshua, of course. :)

Joshua, too, will have a mirror surrounded by tiles marking his arrival in the Lochhead family.

Julie had a table decorated with all of my favorite things...the letter E, number 11, the farm (favorite place), Catan pieces...she even put all of my favorite things in a poem framed by the flowers. Soooo fun, Julz!

And here are the tiles--1/2 done! After the tiles are fired, the colors will be brighter than the pastel colors you see. I'll be sure to post an after picture!

Thank you, friends, for spoiling Josh and me! I was so honored by your presence and the effort you put into making such a special day! We will treasure this mirror for years to come. I love you all!

Big Fish

Gracie has decided that she really likes her children's Bible that she found on her bookshelf. The first time through she spotted the story of Jonah and the Whale, and each time she brings me her Bible, we have to flip past Adam, Noah and Moses--right before Baby Jesus--to get to Jonah and that Whale. She even has this outfit with a whale on it that she calls her "Jonah and the Whale" outfit. She's getting so big!


Here's our other big fish: a 13 pounder! No throwing this guy back! He loves to sleep all cuddled up in his blanket. On his SIDE. Don't forget to put him on his side. No belly-side up for this fish.

Daniel's Tutelage

Daniel took a Digital Media class in HS this year and is giving me some pointers on how to use my camera. I'd like to take credit for these pics, but they are his demonstration shots...he's showing me how to focus on one side of the frame. Isn't he good? My shots to come!

Van Edmondhead Kids

I remember when our group of friends had no kids...

...game nights, dinners of serious conversation, outdoor adventures...

...bore, snore.

But NOW...

Our lives are BRIMMING with excitement!

Can anyone else see the trouble these two may get into in the coming years? Hmmm...

Birthday buddies, Kai and Josh

The whole crew, to-date: Lydia (9 mo), Kalei (7), Alea(5), Grace (2), Josh, and Kai (2 mo). A whole blanket of Van Sickles, Edmondsons, and Lochheads. Van Edmondheads.

You Can Take the Boy out of the Country...

The first plan for Josh's room involved cute monkeys and pirate ships. Very cute theme. Coconuts, too. Loved the coconuts. But after spending time at the farm in February, Jeff realized that he didn't feel right about our decor choice. "The farm will be more a part of his life than the ocean," he said as we re-examined the set at Baby's R Us. He didn't have to talk me into the new set. I loved growing up on the farm, long for days spent there, and hope that our kids treasure their time with our family there, too. Enough said. Ships returned, barns requested.

Little did we know, that Annie's mom was already working on a barn quilt for Josh simply because she loved the pattern. Drew and Annie brought it to the hospital the day Josh was born and we wondered if God cared enough about nursery themes to slip in a little divine intervention...

The crib set is waiting for Gracie to grow into a big girl bed. So for now, the Pack-n-Play holds the crib's spot. Also, some of my friends got together to paint tiles to be put in a framed mirror to go above the changing table--it was such a fun time! I'll have to post pics of that when it's done.

Here's the start of your room, Joshy. Now all you need are some John Deere or Cat tractors...(hint, hint, Uncle Ben)...

Coeur d' Alene or BUST.

We took the kids to CDA a couple of Saturdays ago to get some sunshine and play time. We spent the better part of the afternoon at a great park right next to the resort. Gracie loved running through the huge fort-like playground and was thrilled to walk at the edge of the lake with Dad. Of course we had to look at the boats at the marina while walking around the boardwalk, and to top off the whole day, we met Scott and Colleen for dinner at a new brewery. FUN DAY!

Relay for LIFE!

Every year Jeff and I walk a few laps around a track, taking time to remember how grateful we are that BOTH of our moms have had victory over cancer. This year we were honored to accompany Colleen at the Relay at SFCC--it was so fun to celebrate her, eat a Survivor Dinner, and walk a lap with her. I am always touched by the luminaries that are created to honor and remember those who have battled cancer. We walk away each year completely grateful for our moms' cancer-free diagnosis, and feel closer to our family that fought hard and lost the battle--Scott's cousin, Sherri, and Colleen's dad, Lorne.

We love you, Colleen and Joan!

Pappy, Granny, Cha-Cha, Cha-Cha-Cha!

We are completely spoiled. When we moved to our new house up north, we also moved closer to Jeff's grandparents, Harvey and Dorothy. Now we are just a three-minute car ride (or a 45 minute walk with a slow toddler who doesn't want to stay in her wagon) from the oasis of Granny and Pappy's house. Gracie asks to go visit them probably every other day. She's a smart girl to ask--Granny has a room full of toys for her and Pappy has a fenced deck where he keeps a pink broom just for her.

From his perch on Granny's lap, we think Josh likes it there, too. Thanks for your love (and frequent dinners!), Harvey and Dorothy! Oh, and the title of the post is the song Gracie sings on our way to their house...so glad it's only three minutes away! :)

Silly 'Mingo Party

Rain?!?! We dreamt of a Silly 'Mingo Birthday Party and BBQ in our backyard, but the weather helped us create a more lasting memory: an INDOOR Silly 'Mingo Party! At the end of this post I wrote down the guest list so you can see just how tightly the sardines were packed! :) My G'ma Trudy says that things like this (the rain, in this case) happen so that you can remember things more clearly: "Remember the birthday party you had when it rained and we were packed elbow-to-elbow and hip-to-hip in the living room and kitchen? That was so fun!"


Daddy Jeff outdid himself again--we've started the tradition of him making the birthday cakes for the kids' birthdays (a tradition we picked up from the Van Sickles) and Jeff had a great time making this enormously fowl cake. Ha. Crazy what three cherry-chip cake mixes, an entire bag of dyed-pink coconut, and a LOT of frosting can make! Gracie loved it!

Having a house-full of people sing "Happy Birthday" to you can be a bit overwelming...

...so Mom and Dad helped blow out the candles. :)

Even Joshy got in on the theme. "Happy birthday, Sis. I have a flamingo antenna for each year of your life."

Delicious cake! Cute little hams!

There was a lot of help with presents. :) These girls had experienced birthdays before and were helping Gracie get it down right. Grace wanted to go play with each present as soon as she opened it. Several times she walked away with her present, only to be coaxed back to continue unwrapping. The girls were a big help!

Pappy and Granny gave her a wagon! She loves it! We caught a few minutes of chilly sunshine.

Papa LeRoy is such a teaser! It was so nice to have them come up with G'ma Joan and Papa Greg. This was the first time they'd seen our new house.

Gracie loves to name people--it's a favorite game of hers--so I thought it only fitting to record her list of guests...

G'ma Trudy and Papa LeRoy
G'ma Bonnie and John
Granny Dorothy and Pappy Harvey
G'ma Joan and Papa Greg
G'ma Colleen and Papa Scott
(NINE grandparents in the house! How cool is that?!?)
Katie, Brady, Brooke, Abby, and Megs
Angela, Ryan, and Anthony
Uncle Bill, Aunt Marilyn, and Allie
Matt, Heidi, Kalei, Alea, and Kai
Johnny, Rachel, and Lydia
Joel and Sarabeth
Jeff, Ellie, Gracie and Josh

And so far 35 is the record for our little house on Cooper! We are so blessed to have so many people who love our little girl. Thanks for joining in with the 'Mingo fun and celebrating her with us!