The Brokaws

January Tidbits

2011-02-20T18:16:00.000-08:00

While I was busy with housework, I became a little concerned when I realized the house had been too quiet for too long. I called for the girls, but there was no answer. I checked in their bedrooms, but they weren't there. I hadn't heard any of the outgoing doors open. I called again, but still no answer. Finally, I went into the Master bedroom thinking they were probably in the closet playing. As I entered the room I saw the tv was on and they were snuggled in our bed! I couldn't believe they didn't answer me. Those little turkey's! They must have been so cozy and mesmerized by the tv they didn't hear me. I couldn't believe Charlie didn't even respond either.

They were so cute and unusually quiet I had to take a picture for the memory.

Tule Fog Run. First race of the year! It was a beautiful foggy morning in the valley and nice and cool. Perfect weather for racing if you ask me. The event had a huge turnout! Almost five hundred participants, which was a large increase since there was only about 80 last year. I wonder what next year will be like? I wasn't sure how I was going to do. I'd been out of town all week and my sleep was still deprived. I started out strong, but had to cut around a lot of walkers and slow joggers. I never thought I would need to start near the front. I've never been a very fast runner. I felt a little sluggish, but was able to keep a 7:55 avg and finished strong. I was 1st in my age group, 10th overall woman and 36th overall 5k runners. Total time 24:36. I was very happy with my results and look forward to going for my next 5k PR!

Ladies Night Out. For months, no, I think years, a few of us gals have been trying to get together for dinner and a movie. Between husbands work schedules and sick little ones it was difficult to nail down a date, but we finally did! We didn't get to go to a movie, but had a wonderful time at Fugazzi's (Italian Bistro). The time flew by! We had so much to talk about. It seemed like we hardly got to hang out, however it certainly left us wanting to do it again soon. We haven't been able to get together again yet, but it's not because we haven't tried.

Race Against Hunger 5k

2010-11-27T11:36:00.001-08:00

What a great way to start Thanksgiving Day! It was unusually cold that morning. It reached 31 degrees by the time we left the race, but was still so much fun! A few friends from Mops and their family and friends all dressed in candy cane shirts and socks. It was fun to see them scattered around the race. There was probably twenty or so. Even a guy was dressed in the same attire! Yikes! I tried to convince Landon to wear the same or at least some striped tights, but he just wasn't ready for that kind of excitement yet!
Landon and I ran the race together. Our plan was to run it at a brisk pace for me and an easy pace for him, but since we had a few stroller problems during the first mile we ended up picking up the pace for the last two. Unfortunately someone stole a piece of equipment that helps count the racers as they came in, so we had to wait in a long line of people to cross over the finish line. Our Garmin showed us that we were just under 27 minutes. Not too bad for pushing two kids! The girls had a great time too. It was a bit cold for them, but they were troopers and toughed it out. It was so fun to see so many friends from Church, the Visalia Tri Club, MOPS and especially a few of our family members. I hope this is the start of a new Thanksgiving tradition.

Just after we crossed the finished line.

A few of the Candy Cane Ladies. They all looked so strong during the race!

My great niece Katerina, Claire (school friend of Katelynn) and Katelynn. They were some of the first walkers in. They were cruisin!

Halina and Elise were so excited to get out of the stroller. It won't be long until Halina will being jogging with us.

The Little Zucchini Bread Maker

2010-11-16T16:11:00.001-08:00

"I can do it all by myself, Mom"

I was not going to let Halina shred the zucchini, but she insisted she could do it without getting her fingers close to the shredder There was about an inch left of each zucchini, but she never got cut, so I was okay with a little bit getting wasted. The zucchini's were from our garden and would have soon gone to waste anyway. From that point on, with very little instruction, she made the entire bread all by herself. The bread turned out great.

Better Homes and Garden Zucchini Bread Recipe

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (we used whole wheat)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 egg
1/4 tsp. shredded lemon peel (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Grease bottom and sides of 8x4x2 inch loaf pan. Set aside.In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.In another medium mixing bowl, combine sugar, zucchini, cooking oil, egg and lemon peel. Add dry mixture to zucchini mixture & stir until moistened. Fold in nuts.Spoon into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the center clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 mins. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Enjoy!

Awanas Homework

2010-11-16T12:54:00.000-08:00

"The Lord Jesus, the Servant"

At Halina's Awanas club last week their bear hug (lesson) was on what it means to "serve." In the lesson they asked the children how they would define the word serve and Halina's response was "to share and be loving." As a part of the lesson they asked the kids to make place mats for each of their family members as a way of serving them. She was more than willing to make these for her family. She even made one for the dog.
It was amazing to see how great she felt about serving her family by making them something that was from the heart. Halina has been learning so many valuable lessons through Awanas. We can already tell her faith is increasing and her understanding of God's love for her has grown.

Somewhat Last Minute Trip to Vegas

2010-11-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

Two months ago we booked a trip to the beautiful island of St. Lucia to attend a dear friend of ours wedding and to have some vacation time for just Landon and I. We were able to promptly renew our passports and get family to take care of our girls for nine days. Everything seemed to be falling into place and Landon and I were giddy with anticipation for an exciting week with some of our favorite people. Unfortunately, the week before we were suppose to leave, the island was hit by Hurricane Tomas and our resort encountered quite a bit of damaged. The hurricane left the resort with no running water and it was not able to secure water from another source for at least a week. This meant there were no showers, flushing toilets, restaurants were closed or barely operating and the pools were being used for sanitary purposes. We considered still going, but after a second call from the resort asking us to cancel our reservations we finally decided not to go. We were both upset about the whole situation, especially because we wouldn't be able to attend the wedding. Fortunately our friends that were getting married were staying at a different resort that was still in good condition and were able to carry on with their joyous event!

Since we still had childcare taken care of for the next couple of days we decided to hop on over to Las Vegas for the weekend. We left Friday morning and returned Monday evening. We went to some fancy restaurants, gambled, went dancing, went shopping, sun bathed by the pool and enjoyed some much needed kid-less time! We were so excited to have some time just for us that we hardly rested and actually went home more tired then when we got there. I am greatly anticipating our next vacation for just the two of us. I now see how important it really is for married couples who have children to get this time together.

Heading out to the Blue Martini! The seared Ahi Tuna was unbelievable, not to mention the outstanding band that performed that night. Oh, and don't forget the great company!

Two Princesses and a Bumble Bee on Halloween

2010-11-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2010 was a memorable one! We decided to stay home this year and just trick or treat around the neighborhood. At 6pm, just before sunset, we headed out to our next door neighbors houses on foot. The girls did great at the first two houses. They said "Trick or Treat", "Please", "Thank you" and left with a smile... until we came to the end of the driveway of the second house. At that point it dawned on Halina that it was going to take a lot of work to get all the candy she desired... SO we turned around and went home to get the jogger. After that we zipped around the neighborhood until the girls baskets were nearly full. We were able to make it home in time for Halina to pass out about 100 pieces of candy. I think that may have been her favorite part.

Surprisingly Elise quickly got tired of the candy and took over my carrots and hummus. I'm sure our dentist would be proud of that!

Pumpkin Carving Fun!

2010-11-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

In the hopes of creating some fun family memories and possibly a new tradition we stayed in the Friday before Halloween and carved a couple pumpkins together. Halina was thrilled to see what was inside the pumpkin, as well as use her new princess carving set, but Elise did not share those wonderful festive feelings. She wanted nothing to do with the pumpkins or even the family fun. In my attempt to create a joyous family affair I resorted to the Halloween candy and let the girls take their pick. Elise was a bit skeptical, but after a couple bites she was as happy as could be for the rest of the evening.
We carved a total of three pumpkins, but I only took pictures of two. The first one Landon carved was of Cinderella's castle, the second one was of a silly face that Halina drew and the third (no picture) was of Princess Jasmine. Unfortunately, Cinderella's castle did not keep until Sunday. Even with some wire and toothpicks it still wouldn't stay up. The Castle ended up collapsing into the pumpkin. Both Landon and Halina were a little disappointed about the castle, but overall we had a great time together and look forward to more creativity next year... and maybe a little more help from Elise!

Silly Sisters

2010-10-25T19:37:00.001-07:00

Mops Playdate at Vossler Farms

2010-10-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

For the first time, since attending Mops, we made it to the Mops Playdate at Vossler Farms. The last two years we haven't been able to attend this annual playdate, but this year we did! We went on a hayride, listened to a story (more of an educational lesson on pumpkins), played in the kernel corn boxes and searched for our very own pumpkins.

Halina's Birthday Dinner with Family!

2010-10-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

The last and final celebration of Halina's 4th Birthday was with family. Halina planned the menu: Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Garlic Bread, and I threw in a mixed Salad. I always think it is so funny that Halina loves meat loaf so much. I never have a problem getting her to eat it even if it is filled with vegetables. All in all, Halina had a wonderful week of Birthday celebrations. On her actual Birthday she had a special pancake breakfast with her immediate family, then the following weekend had lunch with friends and then the following week had dinner with extended family. She received so many great gifts and felt very loved by all the birthday wishes!

I threw these photos in because I wanted to document Landon doing the dishes. Yes, he does clean the dishes and sometimes even Halina helps. I am a blessed Wife and Mommy!

Three of the silly Martins. Not sure what Tony is doing...

I tried to convince Halina to get an ice cream cake from Cold Stone or a specialty cake from a local bakery, but all she wanted was to pick one out from Costco. She even picked the exact same one as last year. When the girl has her mind up there is no since in trying to change. She did, however, save us a little money by going with a Costco cake, but there was so much leftover!

More Birthday Fun for Halina!

2010-10-15T13:39:00.001-07:00

Halina's Princess Party with a few of her favorite friends was a last minute decision, but Halina didn't seem to mind and she had so much fun! They dressed up as princesses, searched for Cinderella's lost slipper, made beaded necklaces and shared in lots of laughter. Halina is still talking about how great it was to have her friends at her house. We are so glad she had a memorable party!

Happy Birthday Halina!

2010-10-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Our sweet Halina turned 4 earlier this week. Her imagination and wonder bring so much joy to our family. She is theatrical, silly, sassy, caring and very loving. A few of her favorite past times are playing dress up, acting crazy with her sister and reading books (she's not reading quite yet, but she loves to be read to).
On her birthday she opened her presents from her parents, sister and Grandpa and Grandma. . She was especially excited about the bicycle Grandpa and Grandma sent her from REI. She rode it non stop for about two hours in the backyard that day.

Later that day, Halina went to Awanas club as usual, but she was so excited about club she forgot to tell anyone it was her birthday!

"Get Well Bebe" Photo Shoot

2010-10-04T19:39:00.000-07:00

Volleyball Stars

2010-09-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

We were finally able to see Landon's nieces play volleyball at their school. It was nice to see the girls in action and they were great! I am not being bias either. They really were strong players and we are so proud of them. Below are some pictures of Katelynn in action. It just so happened to be her birthday too, so she definitely had a little extra pep in her step! Unfortunately I didn't get any good photos of Kloe in action, but there are some great ones of her and the monkey's at the bottom of the post.

Tony was so proud of his birthday girl!

Meanwhile... my girls were up to their usual selves. Making faces, eating anything they could get their hands on and getting as much attention from family as possible. Kloe "Klo-klo" was ready available to play some pat-e-cake and ball tossing. Thanks for the fun Kloe!

Nautica Malibu Triathlon

2010-09-14T16:03:00.001-07:00

Last Friday we headed over to the Nautica Malibu Triathlon for Landon's first go at an Olympic triathlon distance. An Olympic distance is a 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run (in miles: .93m swim, 24m bike, 6.2m run). It was a great day for a triathlon. A little cold for the spectators from the Valley, but great for the athletes. The ocean was smooth and there was very little wind for the bike and run. Unfortunately it was not a good race for Landon. Right away one of his calves started cramping during the swim making it difficult to kick, but he still carried on. During the bike he struggled with even more leg cramps, a flat tire and some brake issues. Still he continued on! Landon tried to walk a few times during the run, but couldn't get any relief from the cramps. He finished the race at 2:44:17. Landon was certainly discouraged by all the cramping, but was happy to have completed his first Olympic distance. Right away he did some research on the cramping and is pretty sure it was due to dehydration and possibly some vitamin deficiency. He will definitely be sure to hydrate efficiently for his next race! Landon's training partner Brian did a great job on his race. I think he even surprised himself at how well he did. His finish time was about 2:35. His wife and kids were very proud of him too.
The event itself was great. The race was well organized with clear start and finish points. The landscape was beautiful and it was fun to see a few celebs. Friday night we bumped into Matt Reid at our hotel (pictures at bottom of post). He was past years winner of the triathlon as well as this years. He was amazingly fast and made it all look effortless. My friend Susie and I saw Trista Sutter (The Bachelorette), whose husband Ryan was competing, as well as we were arms distance from Paul Mitchell. We didn't stay for the celeb race on Sunday. I'd like to do that next time, because there is also a tot trot that would be fun to enter Halina in. The girls had a blast playing with the Groh's. Their oldest pretty much babysat Elise the whole time, she even pushed the stroller as we went from start point to start point. Overall it was a fun and relaxing trip and I hope Landon isn't too discouraged, so we can go next year and he can redeem himself!

So Many Poses!

2010-09-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Curiostiy...

2010-08-27T13:44:00.001-07:00

Look who I found smelling the flowers! Every time Landon buys me flowers the girls are all over them. Elise thought she would help herself to a smell. Halina always wants one of her own in a vase or to carry around too. I think next Spring I'll plant some bouquet flowers for this very reason.

7th Wedding Anniversary

2010-08-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

It really is mind boggling how quick time passes us by. It seems like only yesterday Landon and I were taking our first steps as a newly married couple. Moving in together for the first time. Buying things for the home we both liked. Staying up late. Laughing a lot. Taking new jobs and venturing down new career paths. Defining who we were as a couple and establishing what we wanted to be about. Now, we are fully fledged into marriage. Raising two adorable little girls whose decibel levels are ever increasing. Sustaining a curious little dog whose decibel levels are also on the higher end of the scale which has lead us to invest in a bark collar. Don't worry we haven't tried it on the girls! However, Halina did wonder how it would look on her baby sister. She was quickly reprimanded and now knows the severity of her fashion choices for her little sis. Nevertheless our life together is loud, chaotic and exhilarating as ever! We are grateful to God for our own little family as well as so many great extended family members and friends. We are also grateful for a loving Church family and for the organizations and clubs we belong to. All of which keeps our marriage thriving. Here's to another exciting year!

For our usual Anniversary night out we went tot dinner at Tommy's and then saw the movie Inception. I did not like the ending by the way! We had a nice relaxing and distraction free evening. The girls had a wonderful time at the "Fun Girls Club" too. Landon's sister Kris kept the girls for the evening with the help of her two teenage daughters that my girls idolize.

Seriously, honey? No texting during our Anniversary dinner! However, it was work related and only happened once.

Playtime During MOPS Registration

2010-08-18T14:25:00.001-07:00

Registration and a bouncy house play date is always exciting and fun! It was great to see familiar MOPS Mom's faces again. MOPS has been a great place for the girls and I to have fun, learn some new things, make friends and, for me, to find encouragement as a Mom! It is always a relief to know that my children are not the only ones who do odd and bizarre things!

Elise must have had her baby doll stolen from her a dozen times. I kept seeing one child run around with it, drop it, then another little one would snatch it and carry on the pattern. Below are some pictures of Ella and Elise sharing the baby. I'm not sure if Elise is about to pat Ella on the back or smack her. You tell me! There weren't any tears so the conduct must have been civil.

Haley and Hallie did pretty good waiting in line to go up the giant bouncy house slides. Can you tell how excited they really were?

Sleeping In Church

2010-08-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

Precious sleeping baby. I wonder what she is dreaming about? After worship Elise was rocked to sleep by her Auntie Kris. The last several services Elise has fallen asleep just after her Papa starts preaching.. Hopefully she won't make this a pattern as she gets older!

Grandparents Quick Visit

2010-08-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

My parents drove in last Saturday afternoon to visit us for two nights. They are venturing on a two week road trip to see family and friends while my Dad is on Summer break from school. Their destinations include, but not limited to, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Basically they are traveling to hot, hotter and then very humid locations. I'm sure they will feel very good when they return to the cool NW.
Although our time with my parents was short we enjoyed every second with them. Grandpa played some boardgames with Halina and Grandma got talked into watching some of Halina's favorite princess movies. Both girls put on many little dance and tricks show's for them. They were oh so cute! The temperature here was pretty mild, so we did some barbecuing and walks around the neighborhood too. On Sunday Landon and my Dad went up to Keweah Delta lake and did some swimming with one of Landon's triathalon buddies. Overall it was a delightful visit and we are all looking forward to the next one.

Making Attempts at Blogging Again : Highlights Since My Last Posting

2010-08-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

Since my laptop started having problems and with Landon working from home (which means he is on our desktop all day long) it has been difficult to keep up with blogging. However, even with two busy little girls and a growing calendar of events I am going to make an attempt at blogging consistently again. We will see how it goes!

Here are some highlights since my last post:

Elise turned ONE!!!

Visalia Triathalon. Landon did great, but was hit by an oncoming bicyclist. Ouch!Landon and I finished out first half marathon. Loved it and can't wait to do our next one in November.
My neighbor Marie had her little boy on May 19. We are so happy for her and her family!
Landon's cousin got married in June. Allison was a stunning bride!
Father's Day! The Brokaw Family broke away from New China this year and tried a new Chinese restaurant. We are quite adventurous!
My friend Jaimee and her family dedicated their youngest daughter to Jesus! I was so glad to be there to witness it.
We went to WA for my Dad's 60th Birthday. We ran a 5k as a family, as well as celebrated his birthday with fireworks (it was the 4th!) and many friends from the neighborhood.
Jaime Balmer's (soon to be Greene) Bachelorette weekend! I traveled to San Francisco for the celebration. It was my first time being away from my precious baby girls. I missed my family, but had so much fun with all the ladies exploring SF and Wine Country.

Crawling and Standing, Oh My!

2009-11-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

This morning after Elise's first nap I found her standing up in her crib! This was the first time ever! The crib is still at its highest setting, so it gave me quite a scare. Elise is very top heavy, so my initial concern was her falling out easily. We will definitely be lowering it before her afternoon nap today.

For about three or four weeks now Elise has been crawling about two rotations at a time. As of yesterday she has been moving across rooms with ease. Most of the time she scoots her legs out to the side as she crawls. Seems like she can get to her point of interest faster when she does that. Her little world has greatly expanded in the last two days. I am gearing up for this next stage of baby adventures. I'm sure it will be full of adrenaline and thrills.

Disneyland in October

2009-11-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

In October we ventured down to Disneyland for three days with our good friends the Howards. This was Halina's first time to Disneyland and she was filled with wonder and excitement. As parents Landon and I had no idea how much fun this trip was gong to be. Halina loved the rides and by day 3 she really loved the characters too. Elise cooed and kicked her legs everytime she saw a character that resembled Charlie. We really look forward to our next visit.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

9pm and completely exhausted. What a trip!

3rd Birthday Party

2009-10-24T08:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Princess Halina! Halina had her first Birthday party with some of her close friends this year. It was nice to keep it low key with just family the last two years, but Halina was thrilled to have some of her girlfriends over for Birthday fun. They played outside in tents and tunnels, caught some buttlerflies (or at least tried) with Elefun., decorated Princess crowns, opened presents and ate cake.

Bebe and Papa outside with Elise

"Oh my goodness!" is all Halina could say when opening presents. She was overjoyed with every gift.

Officially 3 Years Old

2009-10-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

I am still in awe and amazement that our first baby girl, Halina, is now three years old. Becoming a parent was one of the greatest days in my entire life. It is fascinating how well I remember the day Halina was born. I can distinctly remember the expressions on her face and the way seeing her made me feel.
Halina has been really looking forward to turning three. We have been counting down the days since she was about two and a half. The first words she said on Tuesday morining were "Mom! I'm three!"

Here are some pictures for Halina's birthday at home. We will post more after her party on Sunday.

5k Harvest Run

2009-10-03T12:19:00.001-07:00

At about 5:45 this morning my darling Halina crawled into our bed and woke me up after having just gotten Elise back down an hour ago. My first thought was "I am not going to the Harvest Run today!" I only had about three hours of sleep and I was not a happy camper. I got up anyway and got ready for the race. I kept telling Landon I shouldn't go because I was too tired and very emotional, but he told me to go anyway. I finally complied. and got in the car to head ove to Cutler Park.

I was so glad I went! The race was a lot harder than I had expected. It was a cross country course with lots of potholes, sand, and hills. It was, however, a very fun and adventurous course. I felt pretty good until about the beginning of the third mile. There weren't any people around me at that point so I didn't have anyone to focus on passing. I finally caught up to an older man and another gal my age and proceeded to pass them. I definitely still have that competitive personality. I thought I'd lost it over the last couple years, but there it was pushing me to go a little faster. I later found out that the girl I passed was in first place for my age group. I just barely beat her! I felt pretty good after the race and am eager to start training for a 10k in the Spring. It felt so good to know that just four months ago I could barely run 30 seconds without being in a lot of pain. I am so thankful for my husband. He has been my biggest fan and supporter. He has spent so much time helping me train. Even though I was a lot slower than him he would still run with me. I love you honey!

Here I am about to cross the finish line! I made it!

Happy little family!

Halina playing on the playground during the race.

Landon insisted I hold the finger up. He is so silly.

My friend Delora from Church did the race with me. It was nice to have someone else I knew running the race too. This was her first 5k ever! She did a great job.

Landon took care of the girls while I ran. He is such a wonderful husband. He was so positive and helpful. He is a huge inspiration to me. I am looking forward to supporting him n his upcoming triathalons.

Baby Angel is 6 Months Old

2009-09-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Can you believe she is already 6 months old? Wow! Elise is sitting up on her own now. She still falls over every once in awhile, but is pretty steady for the most part. Her favorite thing to play with is the dog. She goes crazy over Charlie. She loves to grab his ears, paws and fur. Suprisingly Charlie doesn't seem to mind. She can pull on his hair very hard and he will just lean into her. Her eyes always light up when he walks into the room.

Last week Elise started baby food for the first time. She had a very strange look on her face at first. It was sort of a concerned look. I'm not sure if it was the texture or the flavor, but she seemed very unsure of it. The last couple of days she has been showing a little more enjoyment in her face. She is readily opening her mouth and not spitting as much out.

First Time Using Scissors

2009-09-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was craft day at our house and as I was getting together some craft supplies I found some chldren's size scissors that I used when I was little. I had not yet let Halina use scissors, so I thought I would let her try these out for the first time. She did great! She cut and cut and cut for about three hours straight! She told me she ws making a mountain. A mountain of tiny little peices of paper is what she did.

Halina and I made a scarecrow head together. She had so much fun glueing the pieces on and admiring her work as we went along. While we made the scarecrow head she kept asking, "what does a scarecrow do?". I told her they are for scaring big black birds called crows off of the corn crops. That seemed to satisfy her need to know. She then proceeded to take the scarecrow head outside. I went outside to ask her what she was doing. She told me she ws going to scare the bugs off our plants and the birds that came into our yard. She ran around the yard facing the head to each tree and shouting "boo." I had no idea how much fun the scarecrow head would be.

To the Mailbox

2009-09-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

Halina chose her outfit this day. Blue spring dress, pink tutu (under dress), brown winter boots and giant orange bow (in hair). She is very insistent on what she wears. Once she has her mind made up it is almost impossible to change it. I think she gets that from her grandparents on both sides :).

It was fun to see her ride her scooter to the mailbox. It seems like every time she rides it she gets a little faster.

A Childhood First

2009-09-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight at about 5:30pm we recieved a loud knock at our front door. I thought maybe it was Landon because he was outside firing up his motorcycle to head to a meeting, but instead it was one of the neighbor girls on her scooter. "Can Halina come out to play?" she asked. I was so tickled to hear that statement for the first time with my little girls name in it. Halina, standing behind me, was jumping up and down with excitement. "Can I, Mommy?" with her face a glow. "Yes, but you have to get some play clothes and shoes on," I replied with a little laughter in my voice. She has never been so cooperative! She quickly got dressed and ran outside to greet the two girls that wanted to play. The little girls are in 2nd and 3rd grade. They are quite a bit older then Halina, but she didn't have a problem keeping up with them. Well, except when they went further then Halina was allowed to. I only let Halina go two houses down in either direction. She is still just two years old!

For two straight hours they rode their scooters back and forth in front of our house, covered our driveway with hop scotches and rolled in the grass with lots of giggles and squeels.

My baby is growing up. I won't ever forget that first knock at the door for my sweet Halina. I still remember what that sounded like in my childhood home and the anticipation of hearing a neighbor ask if I could come out to play. This was definitely a treasured moment for me.

First Garden

2009-09-13T16:50:00.000-07:00

Towards the end of June I bought a tomato kit to plant with Halina. The kit was made up of a five gallon pot, a packet of seeds and a bag of soil. Halina poured the soil in the pot, pressed about ten seeds into the top inch of the soil and then watered it. About a week later she accidently dropped it while trying to move it and about a third of the soil came out. I simply scooped it back in and hoped that something would still grow even though I couldn't see where the seeds were. About a week later three litle sprouts popped up. This was so exciting for Halina and I. After another three weeks the plants were about eight inches high and I think two of the stalks grew together. We were supposed to transplant them about two weeks ago so this wouldn't happen, but I kept forgetting to do so. It has now been about three months and the tomato plants are almost six feet high!
There are dozens of tomatos all over the plants. In my amazement I thought I might plant something else since these were doing so good, so I planted a red bell pepper plant. It too is doing very well and has about four peppers with several more on the way. As of yesterday I also planted sweet basil and lavender. I'd really like to have large garden, but I think most planting is suppose to happen in the Spring. I hope to do some deep reading on gardening before then so we can have a bounty of vegetables and herbs in the Summer.

Puppy Dogs, Cousins and Some Other Silly Stuff

2009-09-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Yes we love dogs! These adorable little guys are Kellie and Loren's (Landon's Niece and Fiance) new dogs. Charlie absolutely loved them! He was especially taken with Molly (see below). Probably because she is a girl and she wouldn't let him dominate her or push her around. Charlie really liked Jackson too, the cute little guy in the first picture, but Charlie really has a sweet spot for the females. Even moreso when they play a little hard to get!

This is Molly. She is Loren and Kellie's newest dog-child.

Halina and Cousin Katerina posing for the camera before they do some swimming. They are precious!

Halina and Cousin Zack making yummy chocolate brownies
Zack is so sweet!

Heading over to Beb's and Pop's for some family fun. Charlie loves to ride in the car. He usually sits on the middle console or on the back of the middle seat for best viewing. Halina looks so big in her car seat. She insists on getting in her seat and "sliding" out of it

Halina has always been a wild sleeper. Sometimes she puts a blanket around her head and calls herself Miriam or Princess Aurora and then stays that way for the whole nap. Landon and I thought it was so cute when we came in her room to wake her up from naptime. This is what we found.

Apparently she wanted her pillow on top of her head. She must have needed some peace and quiet. Don't we all!

Elise is getting a little bigger. I thought I would use some measurables for future references.

Back to MOPS

2009-09-04T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) had its first meeting of the year. This is my second year at MOPS and I have really enjoyed all that it has to offer. It has been a great place to make new friends, expecailly with other women who are in a similar stage in life and to do some fun activities. Oh, and don't forget the huge yummy breakfast that I didn't have to cook! I love that!

Halina really loves her Moppets class too. They do some crafts, sing songs, and have snack time. She has so many friends there and never wants to leave. I haven't put Elise in childcare yet, but am willing to give a try.

This year I am slso a table leader and am really excited about it. I have a great group of ladies at my table and I know it is going to be a lot of fun getting to know them.

Grace Based Parenting

2009-08-26T12:15:00.000-07:00

I just started reading Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel and am really loving it. It is challenging my thought process on parenting my girls as well as my own relationship with God. Already I feel like it has given me so much more confidence and tools in raising our children with wisdom and love. I am very excited to learn more and apply it in our daily lives.

Elise is 5 Months Old Today!

2009-08-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Our baby is 5 months old today! My how time flies! It is amazing how much faster time goes by with the second one. Elise is a healthy happy little baby. She is almost sitting up and is talking up a storm. Some of her unintentional words are:

"Muh muh"

"Bu bu"

"Oh Yeah"

"Oh Wow"

"Oh Well"

She says these all the time when she is just laying in her crib. I've tried to catch them on the video camera, but so far we have not had any success.

Not quite stable in sitting up yet. We sure love that Boppy for so many reasons though!

Our 6th Anniversary

2009-08-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, August 22, we celebrated our 6th Anniversary. We went on two dates this year, because we didn't want to be gone too long with Elise going through some seperation anxiety. Firday we saw G.I. Joe at the theater. We loved it. Both Landon and I watched the cartoon when we were kids. This was the first movie we have seen by ourselves since we have had children. Saturday night we went to Fugazzi's and had a fabulous dinner. One of our favorite places. It was fun to reminisce about the early days of our marriage. Those were some fun times.

A lot has happend since the day we said "I do." We have moved 4 times. Lived in 3 states in our first 3 years. Bought a dog. Had two beautiful little girls. We have learned a lot of great lessons along the way and have made a lot of great memories. We are both eager to enter our 7th year of marriage. We have both been told how hard this year can be. I am not entirely sure why it is so hard, but we are ready to press through and have another wonderful year of marriage.

Engagement photo. Jusr thought I'd throw it in.

Playdate With The Howard Girls

2009-08-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

Yay! We love those Howard girls! Last week we went to their house for a playdate. Halina always has so much fun with Haley. This time they made cupcakes together. Halina thought it was so cool to crack the eggs all by herself. Now she wants to crack all the eggs we cook with. It takes her little longer, but she never gets any shell in!

It is so nice that the Howard girls are all so close in age. Halina and Haley are 6 months apart, Elise and Ella are exactly one month apart and even Jaimee and I are only 6 months apart.

In this picture is Ella, Haley (standing up), Halina, and Elise.

Backyard Beauties.

2009-08-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

The girls and I have been spending a lot of time hanging out in the backyard while Landon has been planting trees, shrubs, and reviving our newly planted grass. It's amazing how much we are outside (even in the 100 degree weather) since having a backyard. Halina loves to play in the grass. Her imagination runs rampant when she gets to play in the backyard. She is constantly singing and pretending that she is Miriam and Elise is baby Moses.

Halina usually doesn't like me to take her photo, but once I start taking shots of Elise she is suddenly interested.

"Mom, please stop."

This picture cracks me up! I'm sure this is the same expression she'll be giving me when I try to take her picture as a teen.Landon has spent so much time in our back yard planting all sorts of things. It's amazing how much more interested in landscaping he is since he had begun this journey a few months ago. Charlie has really loved it too. He really enjoys rolling in the grass and hunting for lizards. Last year he caught 2 lizards, 1 mole and 1 bird. He almost caught a humming bird yesterday, but it was just a little too fast for him.

Halina's First Ballet Class

2009-08-07T17:14:00.001-07:00

This past Wednesday my MOPS group put on a two day Ballet class to raise money for the MOPS program and to give kids an opportunity to try out a class without having to sign up for a whole year with a studio. At first she was really hesitant and just stood watching everyone, but by the end she loved it. On Day 2 of the class she was really into it from start to finish. I think we will sign her up this year, since she loved it so much.

Halina and her best buddy Haley. Haley was a lttle sassy in this picture, but she was still as adorable as ever.

Halina trying out her arobesque grand batma.

Halina with her friends Camille and Haley. They were being very good little 2 yr olds.

Vacation in Indio (Palm Springs) 2009

2009-08-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last week we hopped down to Indio, CA (by Palm Springs) for a spur of the moment vacation with Landon's sister Kris and her family. It was about 114 degrees most of the time we were there, which was perfect while in the pool as well as made some wonderful evenings. This is probably ne of favorite vacation spots with our timeshare so far.

It was 112 degrees that day and yet the fountains were so cold they gave us goose bumps.

Elise took most of her morning naps in her stroller at the pool.

Baby Elise Angelina

2009-08-06T14:35:00.001-07:00

We welcomed Elise Angelina into our family on March 23, 2009. She is now 4 months old, weighs 11 lbs, 12 ou and is 24 inches long. She is a little thing, but is full of joy and life.3.5 months

2 months

2.5 weeks

2 days old (5lbs 9 ou and 18 in.)

Halina's Silly Words and Phrases

2009-03-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

Poe Nolish (toe nail polish)
Leyow (yellow)
Yet's (let's)
Mucis (music) - she actually says this corrrectly now.
Lemonlame (lemonade)
Fridger (fridge)
Shoezers (shoes)
Mommydad (she'll say this so whoever is listening will answer)

PBJ Face

2009-02-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

After a half hour struggle of "I don't want to eat it... but, Mom I really want to eat it... I DO NOT want to eat it.... WAIT, I REALLY WANT TO EAT IT!!!" Halina finally ate her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and wore it well.

The New Step Stool

2009-02-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Recently we bought Halina a new step stool so she could reach the sink in her bathroom. Since then she has been getting into all her bathroom drawers and constantly flickering the lights and fan.

This morning I found her putting her baby head bands on while preparing to brush her teeth. In this picture she has three or four on.She told me to take a picture of her silly face.

Purple Princess Room

2009-02-17T08:49:00.001-08:00

We finally finished painting Halina's new room. It is a little darker than we'd expected, but Halina loves it! She calls it her Purple Princess Room.

Princess Halina

2009-02-11T10:44:00.001-08:00

Just about everyday Halina has been getting dressed up in her Princess attire and has us watch her dance. She insists we put on her Princess Music (classical music) while she dances. Her Daddy is a little concerned about her obsession with being called Princess Halina. Her Mommy doesn't see anything wrong with it as long as she knows who the Queen is!

The "Stating the Obvious" Stage has Begun.

2009-01-28T17:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning while at the grocery store Halina pointed at a lady and shouted, "Look Mom that lady had crrrr-razy hair!" The lady did have rather large curly red hair that looked like she just rolled out of bed and went to the grocery store. In my embarrassment I quickly turned into the next aisle and told Hallie that we only say that to Mommy and Daddy. We often laugh and tell each other we have crazy hair in the morning, especially Daddy. I guess we need to be careful what we say!
I've been told that this is just the beginning. Oh, the adventures of parenthood!

Quick Trip To San Francisco

2009-01-21T17:10:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend we went to San Francisco for Landon's work. We hooked up with Kim (Landon's sister) and her husband Rick who live in Fremont and did a little sight seeing. Halina really loved riding on the bus and seeing all the pigeons on the streets. It was a little rough on me with all the walking. I had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions and cramping, but overall really enjoyed San Fran!

Our room had a spectacular view of the city and Bay. I hope we can visit again soon since we're not that far away.

Fall Winter Catch Up

2009-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

Halina's 2nd Birthday and Fall Winter festivities. 2008 was a great year. Although I really fell behind in blogging with the new pregnancy, which is going well now. New Years was quite different than previous years. We stayed home and rented a couple of movies with the Blockbuster gift card my brother bought us for Christmas. We did stay up for the Times Square Ball drop. That was an accomplishment for me!

Fun in San Diego

2008-09-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

In August we celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary and decided to make a week trip out of it to San Diego with Halina. The trip was a lot of fun minus the nausea and vomiting, but thankfully I had some good meds to ease the sickness.

Eating some worms while waiting to see Shamu.Where's Hallie?

Hallie love the new children's Sesame Street Land at Sea World. She screamed and screamed with excitement.Coronado BeachThe New Children's Museum in San Diego. Very cool, but a little disappointing for little ones, not enough age appropriate hands on activities.Hallie loves to color her face.

Back In Action

2008-09-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

After about seven LONG weeks of nausea and throwing up I am on the road to recovery! Whew! Been playing some serious catch up this past week and hope to do some extensive blogging next week. Lots of photos to post and Halina and baby updates. Stay tuned.

Nausea, throwing up... ugh

2008-08-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

Today I finally got around to checking my overflowing email and to write this little blog update. I've pretty much been in bed or on the couch all week. Lots of throwing up and constant nausea. Nothing seems to ease the nausea, except when I'm unconscious. Having random cravings, but once I have whatever I craved I can't stand to have it again. I've been constantly reminding myself that this is all for a good cause. Halina has been a little darling. Very happy and content pulling out every toy we own and stringing it around the house. Landon has been working from home almost all week, so he has been great with entertaining Halina while I'm throwing up. I am greatly looking forward to the end of this sickness.

Morning Sickness (All Day Sickness) Has Begun!

2008-07-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Ughh! The infamous "all-day nausea" had finally started early Sunday morning. I was really hoping this time around I wouldn't get sick... ha ha! At this point I'm just craving citrus and salty foods. A good ol Ginger ale seems to really put the nausea at ease for a little bit too. Last time the nausea and throwing up lasted about eight weeks. So far no throwing up, but I feel like I really need to. I'm going to get some pregnancy pops (nausea suckers) next time I'm at the store. Those seem to help me last time around also.

Any suggestions for coping with nausea?

Fun with Friends at Big Bubba's

2008-07-26T22:00:00.000-07:00

Just before dinner at Big Bubba's BBQ with some close friends. Matt, Jaimee, & Haley and Richard & Cascel. This was our first time at Big Bubba's and it definately held its reputation.

Jon & Kate Plus 8 Obsession

2008-07-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

So, about a month ago I saw Jon and Kate + 8 for the first time and loved it. It made me feel like the craziness in my own home is normal and not nearly as extensive as a home of eight children. Earlier this week there was a marathon and I recorded about ten episodes. I have only two left to watch! Landon can't stand the show but every time he walks by while it's on he seems to get sucked in and watches the show with me. Halina even likes to watch it.

Dizzy Dancer

2008-07-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Baby #2 On It's Way!!!!

2008-07-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

We just found out we are expecting again and are so excited! This one was planned so we weren't in shock (aka pleasently surprised!) as we were with Halina. The baby is due April 1, 2009. No nausea or other strange symptoms yet, but will keep you updated :).

4th of July Weekend

2008-07-07T21:26:00.001-07:00

Early evening on the 4th. Halina is cleaning up the pool toys before we headed out to see some fireworks.

Just before fireworks with Cousins.
The fam out at Keweah Delta Lake
Kloe, Kat, and Kate
Hallie fell asleep with her hand over her ear. I guess the motor was a little loud for her, so she took care of that! Auntie was there to hold her while we did some skiing.
Landon wake boarding.
On our way back to land. All of us were very tired.

At Home with Mommy

2008-07-07T21:21:00.001-07:00

Just some pictures of Halina and Mommy at home. The first one is after Hip Hop class. Halina was ready for bed!

Clayson's Birthday

2008-07-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Baby Clayson tured one! Hallie had a great time going to Clayson's birthday. She loved playing with all of Clayson's toys! Clayson's Mommy, Marise.
Alexandria and Halina... say cheese!

Alexandria's Recital

2008-06-20T09:27:00.001-07:00

Last night we got to attend Alexandria's first recital. Alexandria's dance group were the star's of the show. They were absolutely adorable with all their bouncing and personalities. Bravo Alexandria! Beside Alexandria is her Mommy and Daddy (Marise and James).

This is Hallie and I goofing off before we headed in to the theater. I didn't really know what to expect with Hallie iin the theater, so I thought it would be a good idea if she ran around a bit before having to sit still in the auditorium. Halina really loved watching the recital. After every dance Hallie would shout "more dancing" or "where ballerina?"

Grandpa's Visit & Stefanie's Birthday

2008-06-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Last week Grandpa came to visit from Washington. This was his first time seeing Halina in person. We have all visited through the XBOX Live web cams, so that has helped us stay close and connected. Below is Landon and Dad playing Rainbow 6 on XBOX. They're probably playing with Stefanie's brother Max and Dad's neighbor Jim.

Waiting for our table at the Tokyo Garden to celebrate Stefanie's 26h Birthday! Grandpa and Halina are being well behaved and content!

Getting ready to head out to the pool. While Landon, Stefanie, and Halina played in the kiddy pool, Grandpa swam in the lap pool to train for his upcoming triathalon.This is the first time Hallie has actually kept her sunglasses on. She really enjoyed lookng at the sun with them.

Playdate with Alexandria

2008-06-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Halina and Alexandria having fun playing with jewelry. Halina loved following Alexandria around. She's a great role model for Hallie. If only Hallie could learn some of her adorable poses!

Fun with Cousins

2008-06-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

Rock Climbing with Church Friends

2008-06-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

This was Katelynn, Kloe and I's first tme climbing. Landon used to be a rock climbing guide, but since we met he stopped climbing. I guess that's part of getting married and having kids, you give up some interests to gain others. Hopefully in the future he can take Hallie and I up for the real thing.

Katelynn and I looking down at Landon.

Linda and KloeHallie wasn't big enough to climb yet, so she decided to entertain herself with the fan. She kept saying "oooohhhhh windy."
Kloe and I conquering a little more advanced wall.

Don't touch this?

2008-04-13T07:49:00.000-07:00

These pictures really capture Halina's thought process about touching things that she's not suppose to.

Growing Up So Fast

2008-04-13T02:31:00.000-07:00

Halina eating all by herself and only making a small mess!

Laundry Dog

2008-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is pretty classic of Charlie. Whenever there is a clean basket of laundry he will make himself a bed out of it. As you can see he pushed some of the clothes out to make it more comfortable to his likings. From the looks of it he was probably warmer than usual. He typically curls up in a ball.

Family Vacation 2008

2008-04-11T08:51:00.001-07:00

Second annual family vacation. This year we went to Indio, CA which is by Palm Springs. We spent most of our time lounging and playing at the kiddy pool, going out to eat and Landon spent a couple days golfing.

Halina is untying her bathing suit, again, as we prepare to hit the kiddy pool.

Halina's shoe fell off again! This is about the third time her shoe fell off on our way to the pool. Good thing Daddy was there to put it back on... again!

Taking a break.

Smiling for Daddy as we get ready to go out on the town.

Halina decided she would color her face as well as her book.

This was the best swimming device ever! Halina felt very comfortable diving around the kiddy pool and going under water in this innertube.

On our way out for some great Spanish food!

Tiny Dancer

2008-02-25T11:16:00.000-08:00

Catching Up

2007-11-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Washington, D.C.

Halina before her first time Trick or Treating

Halina's First Birthday!

Some Recent Pics

2007-09-20T10:18:00.000-07:00

Halina Is Officially Walking!!!

2007-08-30T17:03:00.000-07:00

Look out world here she comes! Technically Halina took her very first steps about a month ago, but now she is walking constantly. She definitely has the drunken sailor act down well. So far we've counted 15 steps in a row without falling. She typically run-walks and takes big falls. She makes great entertainment these days.

Tutu Fun With Daddy

2007-08-29T09:32:00.001-07:00

Daddy's Home! Halina always lights up when her Daddy gets home from work. Today we dressed up in a tutu especially for Daddy. Thanks to Freda, Hallie has a great collection of her very own tutu's! Posssibly a ballerina in the making?

Baby Ace Ventura

2007-08-28T12:54:00.001-07:00

We Got a tooth!

2007-07-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Halina finally got her first tooth yesterday!! We are so excited! It is really sharp but it hasn't seemed to bother her. Stay tuned for more exciting firsts!

9 Months Old TODAY!

2007-07-06T18:06:00.000-07:00

Halina is 9 months old today!!! She is very active these days. She crawls all over the house looking to explore new things. She especially loves to pull all the books off the shelves in the office and in her room. She has recently been responding to music by bouncing and swinging her arms up and down like a conductor. She loves to watch Landon play the guitar and sing, but as he plays she is inclined to play the guitar for herself. She currently can play the recorder and piano all by herself. It's likely we have a musician in the making.

Every Thursday her cousins Katelynn and Kloe come over to play. She has so much fun singing nursery songs with them and being entertained.

Halina doesn't have any teeth yet, but she's eating more solid foods. She loves anything and everything edible. So far she hasn't had anything she didn't like. She really loves her fruits and vegetables (thank goodness) but we think she may love meat more! She gets very excited when she has meat, so excited she starts panting for it. Charlie and her are more alike than we thought! Charlie is probably her best friend these days. She loves to pat him on the head and play with his ears. He really loves her too. He's always anxiously waiting to clean up her messes after meals and he loves to smother her in kisses. That is true love!!!

Halina is still a Mommy's girl. She loves her Daddy too, but when she's having a rough day nothing seems to settle her but Mommy. She says both "Mom-ma" and "Dad-da." She typically says Momma when she's upset and needy and Dadda when she's happy and playful.

Over The Weekend

2007-07-02T08:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Halina's dedication day at church. She woke up at 5:30am with lots of excitement. The dedication service was awesome, except that Halina was the only baby that couldn't hold still. She really wanted to get on the floor and explore the stage full of instruments and cords. For awhile now she's had an obsession with cords. She likes to swing them around and bite on them. Mommy and Daddy have to keep a close eye on her so she doesn't get her first electrifying experience.
Above right Halina and Mommy are heading out the door to church for Baby Dedication Day.

Landon, Stefanie & Halina at the Oakes Game.

Friday night we went to a baseball game to see Landon's Dad sing the star spangled banner with a realtor's group. This was Halina's first time to a baseball game as well as our first time to a baseball game in California. Go Oakes!!! Halina had so much fun at the game. She really enjoys the outdoors and experiencing new places.
Above left is Halina with her "Bebe" at the ball game.

8 Months of Fun!

2007-06-14T18:04:00.001-07:00

Halina is having a blast with her new found skills. She's standing and climbing on just about everything. She's been balancing for a couple of seconds, so walking is just around the corner! Halina recently discovered where Charlie's food & water is, so she is constantly trying to get some dog food in her mouth. We guess it can't hurt her, right?

No Toleration

2007-05-29T17:44:00.000-07:00

“I suspect I’ve got more in common with Jezebel and Ahab than with Elijah. I’m working to build a tolerant, pluralistic society that respects other faith traditions. I’ve devoted ten years of my life to calling the church to repentance and transformation, on account of its homophobia and heterosexism, its narrowness and its prejudice. I don’t have any sympathy for the austere Yahwehism of the prophet Elijah and his quick to kill and “throw to the dogs” invocation of judgment and divine retribution. Elijah would have stoned me without a second thought. Jezebel was an enlightened woman – I reckon she’d give the likes of me a fair go.”
Dr. David Bromell
Pentecost Sunday Sermon, 1998.
Methodist Mission Church, Christchurch.

“Behold I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:5-6)“Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess. She leads and teaches my bondservants astray so that they commit acts of immorality. I gave her time to repent and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold I will cast her upon a bed of sickness and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with the plague and all the churches will know that I AM HE who searches the minds and hearts and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” (Jesus Christ, Ruler of the kings of the earth and Husband of a pure bride, Rev 2:20-23)The dream was so vivid. In it, my young friend dreamt that he was about to be married to a well known seductive entertainer. She knew she had him wrapped around her finger. Her powerful spell of seduction began to take control of him. Suddenly he came to his senses. “I know who you are! You are Jezebel!” he shouted out in the dream. The demonic spell was broken. This dream changed this young man’s life forever. He repented from a love for the world and now stands as a holy testimony for God, even as he works in the midst of Hollywood’s seductive entertainment culture. America as a nation must come to such an awakening as this young man.As it is in America today, so it was in Israel in the days of King Ahab.Elijah was determined to turn back the nation to God and his message was for repentance from compromise with the spirit of Jezebel. “How long will you halt between two opinions. If Baal is God serve him, but if God is God, serve Him.” Summed up, Elijah’s revolutionary challenge to his nation was, “NO TOLERATION!” The same command of God can be heard 2000 years later where the spirit of Jezebel is exposed in the Church at Thyatira. Jesus dictates a strongly worded letter to them:“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess…” (Rev 2:18-20)In the midst of a church tolerating sexual laxity and promoting a casual approach to sin, God says, “I have this against you, you tolerate the woman Jezebel who seduces my bondservants into sexual immorality.”“..the eternal Word specifically described Himself as “He who searches the minds and hearts” (Rev 2:23), for it is in the inner sanctuary of our private soul-life where tolerance to Jezebel begins. It is here, within us, where tolerance must end… This spirit was sitting in the church in Thyatira when it was exposed by the Holy Spirit nineteen hundred years ago. It still has its favorite seat in church. There are respectable men who love God and who seek to serve Him, yet secretly in their hearts are prisoners of Jezebel. Even now, they are deeply ashamed of their bondage to pornography, and they can barely control their desires for women. Ask them to pray and their spirits are awash with guilt and shame. Their prayers are but the whimpers of Jezebel’s eunuchs.” (The Jezebel Spirit by Francis Frangipane)We all know the story of Jezebel perched in the window with her make-up on, trying one last time to seduce her way out of judgment. (2 Kings 9:30) Jehu looks up at her in the window and commands her eunuch attendants to throw her down! Hundreds of years later, Jesus said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. If someone were to gaze into your eyes, what would they see? Would they see Jezebel and her seductive compromises enthroned there? “Or would they see the burning One with pure blazing eyes of fire and feet burnished with bronze?” (Judah Smith) This is the New Testament description of Jesus when He comes to confront the sexual compromise in the church.“I will set no vile thing before my eyes.”(Psalm 101:3) “Death has climbed in through our windows… it has cut off our children from the streets.” (Jeremiah 9:21) Our eye windows are particularly vulnerable in this age of technology. We are flooded with images. Most of us take this for granted as a part of daily life, yet we forget that until little more than a century ago, photographs did not even exist and the only visual images people ever saw were those drawn or painted by artists. This severely limited the amount of visual information a person had to process. It also meant that the tide of pornography as we know it today was unthinkable back then. As a generation that has been born in this climate, we hardly even notice the vile thing it is! I am preaching to myself as well as to those who read. The pastors and leaders of this nation are being called to be the first to repent. “Then he said to me, son of man do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are committing in the dark, each man in the room of his own carved images.” (Ezekiel 8:12) If God were to dig in the dark room of our own imaginations what photographs would he see there? I urge you, in the fear of God, to examine your “windows.” What have you been watching? Are you irresistibly drawn to those sites on the Internet that are perverse and defiling? Are you addicted to pornography? Have you been seduced by entertainment and computer games? Let me ask you, “What’s in your imaginations?” The spirit of Jezebel works in the imaginations. Don’t say, “Oh, I can handle this.” Listen, if you let that seed get in your heart, it will kill your prophetic fire with its little compromises. Pornography is toleration. Homosexuality and fornication are toleration. Books, magazines and movies that allure our hearts away from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ are all tolerations. Rebellion toward parents and leaders are toleration. Is this struggle going on in your soul? God wants to set us free! Go and see your pastor or someone in leadership today and confess your sins if you are in bondage to these things. Thank God for his mercy for if God counted sin, then who could stand? I boast alone in the great mercies of God. And may God show mercy to this nation.“Jezebel’s worst enemies are the prophets; her worst fear is that the people will embrace repentance. Jezebel hates repentance.” (Jezebel Spirit, By Francis Frangipane)In a culture saturated with sexual sin, Elijah strides onto the stage of history and confronts Jezebel only to find himself under her very spell. On a 40-day fast he breaks the power of that spell and unleashes a new generation of leaders to end her vile reign. If Elijah is coming again before the great and terrible day of the Lord, then we know that Jezebel is coming as well. The 40-day fast is the mighty weapon to break her spell of addictions, sexual bondage, mental torment, suicidal thoughts, disorders and diseases. What would happen in America and the nations if tens of thousands of fathers and mothers, the Elijahs of today, fasted for 40 days intensely repenting and cleansing themselves of inward toleration of sexual immorality, addiction to entertainment and spiritual apathy? What if these parents prayed for their children for 40 days to break off rebellion and release revelation of the Lord into their hearts? What if a young generation of Elishas fasted for 40 days to be cleansed from lust, TV addictions, pornography, spiritual mediocrity, and rebellion toward their parents believing that a double portion of the Holy Spirit will rest on their lives? What would happen if tens of thousands would pray Song of Solomon 8:6? “Lord, put your fiery love as a seal over my heart, capture me with your vehement flame of love, a love stronger than the flames of lust. Send this fiery love over a whole generation, a love that many waters cannot overflow.”This is the Lord’s answer! The earth will experience spiritual convulsions, the powers of darkness will tremble and the children of God will break forth with freedom and a great light of spiritual awakening will dawn all over the earth. Lord, right now I release Elijah’s 40-day fast for freedom and deliverance. And may there be a shout in the nations, “No Toleration!” In Jesus’ name, Amen.Lou Englewww.fastandpray.com

Mark Your Calenders

2007-05-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 1st, 2007 is Baby Dedication Day at our church and Halina will be dedicated that day! We are so excited for this event. Although she's been dedicated to God since she was conceived this is a very important day for us and our family & friends to partake in her public dedication.

40 Days of Fasting & Prayer

2007-05-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Calling America to 40 Days of Fasting and Prayer
May 28-July 7, 2007
There are moments in history when a door for massive change opens, and great revolutions for good or evil spring up in the vacuum created by these openings.In these divine moments, key men, women and even entire generations risk everything to become the hinge of history, the pivotal point that determines which way the door will swing. The rebellious generation of the '60s seized its moment, and history crashed into the deep abyss of drug addiction, sexual immorality, hatred for authority and a rejection of the law of God. In 1967, there was a culminating and defining moment in that rebellion, when 100,000 young people, ages 15-25 flocked to San Francisco to experience the hippie movement. This mass convergence was sparked by the hit song, "San Francisco" (Wear a Flower in your Hair). Once there, these young adults experimented with LSD, pot, casual sex and Eastern mysticism in what became known as the "Summer of Love." When these newly recruited 'Flower Children' returned home at the end of the summer, they brought with them new styles and ideas, flooding the cities of the US and Europe with a message that opposed authority and scorned conservative morals. This counterculture rebellion was fueled by music and art, which rapidly shifted global culture. For 40 years, we have been falling headlong into a black moral morass in America along with the western world.We are reaping the waves of destruction in every sector of our post Christian society.Can America survive another 40 years?We are declaring "NO! A thousand times NO!" Unless a massive spiritual shift occurs at this moment, our children will live under an antichrist system and Godless enculturation that will bring about the demise of America, as we know it. But God has a prescription for such a massive shift and it is revealed in the power of the great transitional 40-day fast.God, in His sovereign control over the parade of history, delivered the Israelites out of Egypt.Longing to release a moral code that would give foundations for righteousness, for time and eternity, God summoned Moses to a 40-day fast on Mount Sinai.Through this fast, all of history changed and the law of God was delivered from Heaven to Earth. Therefore, if America is going to return to God, it must recover that law again as its foundation for truth. Elijah, at the height of Jezebel's cultic dominion over Israel fasted 40 days, broke the spell of Jezebel off of his own life and received a mandate to anoint the next generation. Elijah's fast unleashed a movement that toppled Jezebel's regime of hell, which perpetrated the destruction of family, the killing of innocent children, the silencing of the voice of God's people and the widespread culture of sexual immorality.The fruit of this fast culminated in the utter destruction of Baal worship in Israel. Also in the fullness of time, the Glorious Gospel era was born when Jesus fasted 40 days and those who sat in darkness saw a great light. Clearly the 40-day fast is Heaven's great transitional prescription, moving nations from failure to fulfillment of promise.Is it any surprise that when Jesus was to enter into His great sacrifice-where death would be swallowed up in victory-Elijah and Moses appear with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration. All three were together as the 40-day fasters. They presided over the great transitions of history. When the Israelites were poised to move into the Promise Land, spies were sent out for 40 days.When they returned carrying an evil report, a whole generation was infected with unbelief and they turned their back on the Promise Land. God's sentence on that generation was "And your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness for forty years and bear the brunt of your infidelity until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness.According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know my rejection." (Numbers 14:33-34) It was 40 years of judgment for 40 days failure. Conversely, the great prophet Ezekiel received a 40-day prayer assignment for a 40-year failure of Judah's iniquity. "Lie again on your right side, then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah, forty days I have laid on you a day for each year." (Ezekiel 4:6) It was clearly 40 days prayer for 40 years of failure. When Jesus fasted 40 days and was tempted of the devil He quoted from the book of Deuteronomy saying "It is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."And again, "You shall not tempt the Lord thy God" and again, "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you worship."Jesus, in His victory over Satan, was quoting the book of Deuteronomy, the portion of scripture delivered by Moses to the generation who failed in the desert.Jesus, in His 40-day fast, was clearly identifying with that passage of scripture and the generation that came out of Egypt.As an intercessor in His 40-day fast, Jesus was fulfilling what a generation had failed in for 40 years. Forty years are up! Could the Church of America in a 40-day fast deliver a nation out of a 40-year curse? We have scriptural precedent to believe for such a turning!Therefore, we are trumpeting a call to 40 days of fasting like Moses, Elijah, Ezekiel and Jesus.We must bear the iniquity in 40 days of fasting and intercession for the past 40 years of divorcing God in America, embracing a culture of sexual immorality, hedonism, materialism, abortion and the rejection of Christ in public places. But we are also calling for 40 days of fasting and prayer for the greatest outbreak of Kingdom power, in signs and wonders, and the spiritual awakening in America that will collide with this present darkness and topple its cultural dominion over our people. Thousands went on 40-day fasts in 1946 and in 1947, the great healing revivals broke out. In 1948, the Latter Rain outpourings began, Bill Bright and Billy Graham's ministries were born, and Israel became a nation. Could it be that the 40-day fast preceded this explosion of power by the Spirit?After Jesus' 40-day fast, the scripture says He returned in the power of the Spirit.Yes the promise of Joel 2 is that after the fast, "I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh." Forty years ago, in 1967, the Jesus Movement broke out. A youth revival started on the streets swept across the country, exploding on college campuses and coffee houses. People were being saved everywhere.Now 40 years later, we are crying out for God to do it again, way beyond the Jesus Movement! In 1967, in a war and obviously by the supernatural hand of God, Jerusalem was taken and once again brought under the control of the state of Israel. This was a monumental signpost in the shifting of eras.The dispensation of the times of the Gentiles was now beginning to shift to the times when Jerusalem will become the last days focus for God's activity in the Earth.For 40 days, we are joining Israel in a 40-day fast crying out to God that Israel would see their Messiah and they would begin to receive their greatest spiritual awakening since the days of the Apostles. Brothers and sisters, moments like these come only once in a lifetime. To miss such a moment could mean missing the purpose of God for a generation. The generation that refused to cross over the Jordan did not know that they had only one day to make the decision, and missing that day meant 40 years in the desert. Even now we are receiving reports that other countries are calling 40- day fasts.Could we be in a Global 40-day season of fasting (like Jesus), to see a global outbreak of light when great darkness is covering the Earth? Beginning the evening of May 28, we are calling two generations to 40 days of fasting and prayer culminating on 7-7-07, the perfection of time. In a massive, national gathering of fasting, intercession, repentance and worship, we seek to declare our desire to remarry the Lord.We want to cross over into the promise land of national revival.We want to break this 40-year curse. May thousands seek God in water, juice and Daniel fasts from May 28 through 7-7-07. What would happen in America if for 40 days we sealed the electronic cultural sewer that flows nightly into our living rooms and instead, spent our strength seeking the Lord? What if tens of thousands of fathers and mothers across our nation fasted for 40 days repenting and cleansing themselves of inward toleration of sexual immorality, pornography, addiction to food, entertainment and materialism? What if they prayed daily for their spiritual and physical children to see them converted to Christ and freed from rebellion, from addictions, depression and suicide?What if the young generation fasted for 40 days to be cleansed from lust, media addiction and rebellion toward there parents, believing that a double portion of the Holy Spirit would come upon there lives? Moses fasted 40 days and mentored a spiritual son named Joshua, which means the Lord saves.Elijah fasted 40 days and threw his mantle on a double portion son, Elisha, which means the Lord saves. Also, John the Baptist fasted in the desert and prepared the way for a double portion son named Jesus, which means the Lord saves.Jesus fasted 40 days and unleashed the apostolic glory of the eternal Son of God into the Earth.What if we are preparing a generation for the greatest day of salvation in history? The parade of history has brought us into a profound generational landmark, and a great vacuum has opened again.If the church does not seize this moment, Muslims will! Antichrist rage will! Sexual perversion will! Anarchy will! But now is the time for key men and women, even an entire generation to risk everything to become the hinge of history, the pivotal point which determines which way the door will swing in America and in the nations of the Earth.

It's 40 Days or 40 Years-seize the day!
40 Days for 40 Years

Oceanside Harbor

2007-05-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Oceanside Harbor was a wonderful place to vacation. We all had a great time going to the amusement parks and playing at the beach. This was Halina's first experience at the beach and she was thrilled to play in the sand. It has taken us many days to get her completely sand free. It keeps showing up in mysterious places!

No, she was not eating the sand. The wind blew the sand up and it stuck to her drool.
Looks like we'll have to get a sand box for Halina to play in!

Easter Photos

2007-04-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

We finally got some good professional pictures of Halina! The first ones she took were at 6 weeks old and she was either crying or asleep. It was mostly my (Stef) fault for setting the appointment in the evening. Halina is a morning baby, so we try and get everything important done in the morning. Her Easter pictures were shot in the morning. Halina had a blast taking pictures this time around. She was giggling and doing all sorts of cute poses. We hope it remains this way for future photographs (i.e. pictures with Santa!).

Sixth Month Review

2007-04-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Halina is now 6 months old!!! She is 15 lbs, 9 ounces and 25.5 inches long. She is sitting up and almost crawling. She's starting to show some signs of seperation anxiety. Almost every time Mommy walks out of the room she starts to fuss. She loves to stand, play pat-e-cake, go for walks around the neighborhood and participate in worship at church. Oh yes and she loves to play with her dog Charlie (he loves it too!).

She is a very happy baby and we are so blessed to have her in our lives. Everyday with her is truly a gift to us. We look foward to this exciting new season of mobility!

Upcoming Events!

2007-03-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

Just two more weeks until Landon's 30th Birthday (April 13th). He is actually very excited to be 30. He believes this next phase is his life is really going to be great. But why wouldn't he... he's got a GREAT WIFE, beautiful baby, family & friends who love and adore him, a great dog... what more could a guy want? Did I mention the great wife? :) Needless to say he's got it pretty good, so why not embrace the 30's!
Halina is one week away from her 6th month birthday, Friday, April 6th. She will have her sixth month check up and will start some real food for the first time. Although we"ll have to add it in to the expenses, we're very excited to see Hallie's reaction to her first foods (cereal & puree fruits & veggies).

Greetings

2007-03-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Greetings Family & Friends,

Welcome to The Brokaws blog spot! Here you can view photos of our family (Halina) and gather valuable information on our latest happenings. We hope this is an easier way to stay connected and updated in each others lives.

Lots of Love,

Landon, Stefanie, Halina, & Charlie