Our family blog

While Matthew and I were in Florida this past weekend, Ellie and my mom were headed home from some errands - Ellie in the backseat, mom driving - when my mom heard what sounded like the window control button being pushed in the backseat.  A moment later, however, she noticed the "door ajar" light illuminated on the dash and realized that Ellie had not only unlocked her own door but had used the latch to open the door.  My mom was barreling down a highway at 55 miles per hour and couldn't deal with it immediately but at least the speed kept the door shut.  She was able to soon pull over and remedy the situtation.  For some reason my mom's new car doesn't have child locks on the doors and Ellie pulled the same trick with her grandpa two days later. Good thing our car has child locks!  Creative little girl:)

Matthew and I are finishing up a fun weekend in Ft. Myers, FL, as we had the privilege of witnessing Matthew's cousin Michael marry his lovely bride Erin.  We have gotten close to Michael over the past few years and having the chance to be here for this milestone weekend was a blessing.  Both sets of Ellie's grandparents graciously took our dear girl for a long weekend so we could travel more easily. This season in southwest Florida is not only hot but super humid so being outside at really any time of day without a bathing suit or a decent breeze is a challenge (forget about it at 2 in the afternoon).  It's my (Jen's) first time in Florida and while beautiful, I think I miss our more temperate weather:)  Michael and Erin had a picture-perfect wedding and it was a joy to be included in the family celebrations.  Matthew's aunt, uncle and four other cousins were here and we spent some unexpected but wonderful time with them over the weekend.  Michael and Erin are off on their honeymoon tomorrow and we're headed for home but we will see them at Priest later this summer which will be awesome.  Congrats to you both and welcome to the Henshaw fam, Erin!

After almost five months of what felt like winter, we got to spend a perfectly sunny weekend in Suncadia.  We had seen snow there the past few times we visited and it was so enjoyable to eat outside for most meals, walk the golf course in the evening and read on the patio.  Marc, Katrina and Spencer met us for a couple of days, my brother was able to come for an overnight and we enjoyed every minute. Ellie is so comfortable there, enjoys playing with toys she doesn't see often and dotes on the dog, Callie.  We took Spencer and Ellie to the indoor pool which was fun and went on several walks too, including spectating six holes of golf that Dad and Carol played.  It was a sunny, blue-sky weekend and even the car trip wasn't too difficult with our little traveler who doesn't care to be cooped up longer than an hour.

I've never had a particularly green thumb but as a child did enjoy helping my parents in the yard and garden.  Now that Matthew and I have a house with plenty of possibilities for the yard, I am completely overwhelmed about where to start. There is much to consider: soil type, length of growing season here, amount of sun/shade needed for each plant and tree, and the harshness of the seasons in which the plant is supposed to grow.  We have some good resources to use but it still seems like a lot to digest and plan.  Matthew has taken on the lionshare of the planning and planting so far but has reminded me that other friends we have actually share this responsibility...:)  I want to get there, really. Having so much potential in the yard is almost weighing me down but the more we get in the ground, I think the easier it will be for me to visualize a landscape plan. We purchased four trees last weekend and Matthew has them all planted.  They make such a difference in the yard and we're praying they survive the crazy wind we're having this week.  New Tree Death is common among our neighbors but somehow is much more tragic when it happens to you.  We hope it doesn't.

We enjoyed a good spring break last week as we traveled to Seattle and spent some downtime at Suncadia.  We drove to Seattle and while Ellie isn't the best traveler, she made it pretty much ok with a stop in Suncadia. We weren't sure if we would be crossing the pass as it was dark, snowing and a bit treacherous (yes, snow in April) but we ended up crossing just fine.  We enjoyed bringing Ellie to Amazon.com to see my Dad's colleagues and into my office at Microsoft to show her to some of my colleagues who haven't seen Ellie in a year.  We also saw dear friends Nate, Carly, Ethan and Caleb at their home for a tasty dinner.  The kids are growing up fast and it was fun to see them play "together".  We had the pleasure of spending the rest of our break with my grandparents, my brother, Dad and Carol in Suncadia.  It's been way too long since I've seen my grandparents and I haven't seen my grandfather since he was diagnosed with cancer.  Seeing him fight back and succeed so far with chemo was incredible.  Though they have each slowed down and aged since I've seen them, I couldn't have been happier to see how healthy and vibrant they still are.  Watching them engage with Ellie and having them all spend time together was a blessing.  It was clear to me that both Grandpa and Grandma have prepared for heaven which brings me peace though it will still be awfully painful to lose them when the time comes.  I treasure the time we had with them and seeing other friends and family too. We are truly blessed!  I also included some photos to the right of coloring Easter eggs with my mom and Rebecca.  We decided to do it this year with just the girls and had a great time as usual:)

We were able to visit Marc, Katrina and Spencer this weekend and had a great time relaxing and playing with Spencer.  He is 6 1/2 months now, eating some solids and is as happy as ever.  Ellie enjoyed being around him and especially playing with his toys:)  In addition, Matthew, Ellie and I took a day trip to Pendleton to see my Grandma and my aunt and uncle. I have many wonderful childhood memories there but it seems I don't get there as often as I should.  My grandma has lived a long life and as she is likely nearing the end of it, the importance of bringing Ellie to meet her was very much high on my list.  It was such a joy to be able to visit her, to have Ellie meet her and to watch the two of them interact.  Once Ellie warmed up, she enjoyed her time with her Great Grandma, sitting next to her bed, eating snacks, playing with the balls near Grandma's room, petting Grandma's hand and wanting to honk her nose:)  I am so grateful to have a grandma who loves me so much, with whom I have so many wonderful memories.  She is a dear woman and I am incredibly thankful to have seen her this weekend and to bring Ellie to meet her. 

Ellie and I went to the grocery store this morning and as we approached the check-out line, Ellie was holding a box of meds that we needed to purchase. I leaned down to tell Ellie that we needed to put the box on the "counter" so that we could buy it.  As soon as I pushed the cart close enough, Ellie dutifully placed the box down right on the conveyor belt.  I was so impressed that she understood and listed to what I asked her to do.  She was watching the checker closely and once he placed the bag of groceries in the cart behind her, Ellie looked at him and said, "thank you".  It took him completely by surprise!  He stopped and said, "I have never heard someone so small say 'thank you'."  He quickly pulled out stickers for her.  I was so proud of my girl that my eyes welled up when we left the store.  I told her I was so happy that she thanked the man who was helping us and that she had listened so well to me.  We soon after hit the coffee stand and the animal crackers that she gets there were her treat for being such a well-mannered sweetie. 

Some of you have seen these photos but I couldn't help but post here.  We had a fun Valentine's day and long Presidents' Day weekend in Suncadia. Taking an extra day off was a stress-relieving treat for all of us. Ellie loves being at Dad and Carol's house and adores playing with their dog, Callie.  Ellie is at a perfect height to hug the dog and give her kisses constantly.  Callie is a very good sport and doesn't mind the occasional treat dropped from Ellie's chair either.

 

 

Matthew and I celebrated our fifth anniversary this past weekend and were able to get away to Sun Mountain Lodge to relax and reflect.  We have wanted to visit the lodge for some time and the remoteness of it easily reminds you that you're on vacation.  We had a wonderful time, enjoyed beautiful weather and scenery, tasty food, time alone together and fun activities like snowshoeing which was new to both of us.  Matthew even got out on the icy lake and dusted off his skating skills.  It was a privilege to get away together and Ellie also had a wonderful weekend, visiting both sets of grandparents.  We are so blessed! 

  

Snow is becoming a fixture of our lives.  It makes us do abnormal things like take 10 minutes to bundle up from head to foot before going outdoors, shovel the driveway and sidewalk 1-2 times daily, warm up the car for at least 10 minutes prior to any journey, conserve trips to the mailbox, and actually shovel snow off of our roof to avoid a possible cave-in.  I have seen snow, lived among snow, enjoyed it and then seen it leave. This year is different; it's not leaving. Since our first major snowfall of 4 inches on December 13th, we have had only 2 or 3 days of no snow and plenty of days where we had an inch an hour or somewhere close to that amount.  Spokane broke a snow record in the month of December (and it only snowed the last half of the month, mind you) when the airport received 61 1/2 inches.  Those of us who live north of Spokane received even more: 17 days, 5 1/2 feet of snow, no school, lots of shoveling.  All Spokane County schools were scheduled to go back tomorrow but have been closed for at least one more day.  Ellie is enjoying the snow, walking in it, tasting it and watching the older kids sled on the big piles in our culdesac.  The drifts alongside our driveway are now easily taller than me and the snow along the sidewalk easily dwarfs Ellie.  Only 2 1/2 more months of winter left.

The past ten days have been a wonderful whirlwind of activity, starting even before I was on vacation as the snow hit us hard and granted Matthew two extra days off just prior to his winter break.  Thus, I felt my vacation started early as well; having Matthew home is fantastic.  So many of you have been blanketed by a thick quilt of snow lately (or ice in some cases) so I won't much go into it here, but we had over 5 feet of snow at our house in about 10 days.  Unbelievable to say the least.  We were fortunate that we didn't have holiday travel plans and only needed to drive to nearby houses to see our families.  We were blessed to have a wonderful Christmas week and were able to get through the deep snow in our car with great snow tires.  Ellie has been eagerly looking out our windows at the lights on houses and the snow piling up before our very eyes.  She opened her gifts with gusto and was in great spirits during Christmas. On the 26th, we had a very fun visit with my dad and Carol and were thankful they were able to make it over and back to Seattle safely.  Today we had a visit from the True family which was a real treat.  Their children are growing up so fast and it was cute to see Ellie respond to each of them although I think Uncle Michael was her favorite:)  We will likely ring in the New Year quietly at home or with a small group of family members.  Vacation is wonderful and having nowhere pressing to go, family nearby and a child who adores the snow, being outside and the anticipation and excitement of Christmas are all treaures to me.

The gal that cuts my hair also cuts hair for most of my neighbors.  She is a sister of one of my neighbors and does a great job.  I had been describing to her how we wanted Ellie's hair to look once grown out a bit more and she knew what to do for her first cut.  I planned to take Ellie to the salon on Monday but our friend was going to be down the street cutting hair at a neighbor's house for her daughters so she fit us in afterwards.  I think it was a good situation for Ellie as we were in a familiar place and with people she knew.  She squirmed quite a bit and didn't much like the stylist "pulling" her hair but overall she did pretty well.  I'm a bit nervous for future haircuts...but I'm glad Matthew made it home through the snow in time to be around for her first one.  I even got some of her short hair to save:)