Marvelous March

Happy Birthday!!!
We love you, Alisa, Hugh and Jake!

Yes, there are plenty of reasons why March is wonderful. Five of those are, Little David Berryhill (in Washington), Alisa Berryhill, Ben Hansen, Hugh Woodruff, and my very own, Jakers. They all celebrate their birthdays in March. Four out of the 5 are on the Berryhill side, so we got together to have a group celebration earlier in the month. Here are a few highlights:

Jake with Nana Berryhill

Getting ready for Cake

Loving being with Grandma and Grandpa

Uncle Sam and Aunt Krista...the kids can't resist them!

Ethan giving his cousin a little squeeze

Kate was thrilled she got to open Jakie's presents

A little love from Nana

Wow, a chocolate cake for me?!

Couldn't quite blow out the candle like his Grandpa Berryhill did on his first birthday!

But dessert sure tasted yummy!

Jake, Joe and Papa Berryhill

I Need A Little of This!

When was the last time you experienced total relaxation? Apparently for Kate is was just a couple of weeks ago. She gave up naps 2 weeks before Jake was born. But every once in a great while droopy eyes get the best of her, and before you know it--TOTAL AND COMPLETE RELAXATION hits... or would you call it PURE EXHAUSTION?!
Whatever it is...


Jake was happy as a clam to have me to himself for a few minutes :)

Amazing, Isn't It?!

I came into the family room on one of our many rainy days earlier in the month to find Jake hanging out by the back door, just watching nature at it's best. I love a good rain storm...although as much as I loved living in Seattle for a few months 3 years ago, I don't think I could manage the drab days long term. I'd much rather visit in the summertime!

We've tried to enjoy our storms as much as possible, though. Kate decided one day after church, it was absolutely necessary to do a little rain dance. What I didn't realize was that she found the gutter's waterfall much more enticing than the delicate rain drips and drops I thought she was frolicking in!

I mentioned almost to myself one of those frigid afternoons that we needed some hot chocolate and a nice fire to warm us up and from that moment on, Kate would wake up in the morning and run to the back door to see if there were raindrops. If so, she'd say, "Mom, it's a STORM! We need to drink hot chocolate and sit by the fire to stay warm!"

Yes. Rainy days are lovely. Especially when you know the sun's rays will be peeking through those clouds soon!

The Picture People's New Ploy

I got a call about 2 weeks ago from a lovely Picture People employee inviting Jake to a birthday celebration. Apparently once a month now, they are celebrating birthdays--complete with balloons, party bags and even birthday cards. We'd get a free 8x10 portrait plus 20% off any other sheets purchased. "Would you like to schedule a time on March 3rd?" Sure, why not. It's a little early, but that's ok. The Picture People must be among the many sufferers in this economy...

Well, it was POURING today. No exaggeration. We had to go out 3 different times and with each trip to the car, my appearance took a turn for the worse until finally I settled on resembling a drowned rat.

Do I go out into the elements one more time? Or cancel? Well, at least we could get a Wetzel's Pretzel if the pictures didn't turn out... the pretzel sounded good, so we went.

Glad We Did!

Life is Fragile

I love this picture of Joe's Mom and Kate. I took it back in the summer of 2006 at our first Berryhill Family Reunion up in Sula, Montana. It just typifies her. I see her brightest smiles when she has a baby in her arms or she's playing with her grandkids. Life=Service for Fran. I've often heard her say in so many words, "If I can't serve, I don't want to be here!" What a great example she is to me. I love her.

Well, I was stopped dead in my tracks a few weeks ago when I came home from work one Saturday. I looked at Joe and knew something was wrong. Those dreaded words came out of his mouth-- "My mom has colon cancer." We both just let the tears fall right there in the middle of the hallway before I even set my purse down...

This winter has had it's challenges. We have definitely felt them. Why do both of our moms have to face cancer at the same time? I don't know. The realization that life is fragile hit me again for the 5th time in the last 2 months. Life is constantly changing

and I'm finally realizing that it applies to me as well.

Fran went in for her surgery this last Tuesday. When we walked in to see her, the very first thing she said after hugs was, "Have you eaten? We have some food over there in the corner and Kate might like..." Yes, that is Fran.

She's going to be alright. I'm so so so grateful everything went smoothly. Once again, I'm thankful for answered prayers.

Free to Do What I Want

It's amazing what happens when they discover what movement can do for them!

The Big Blue Chair

Kate is 3 1/2 years old. She is old enough to experience the pure joy of getting her teeth cleaned! So, when I scheduled Joe's appointment for him, I figured I should make one for Kate as well. I was hesitant to schedule it with me though, because she detests me touching her lips when I brush her teeth at home. I set her up with her Uncle Matt. Figured I'd let him have all of the fun :) As last Friday grew close, Kate insisted that I clean her teeth. So, we gave it a shot.

You're gonna do what?!!!

Seeing me in a mask made her crack a smile and she never looked back...



We had a blast and she even got to see Uncle Matt anyway!

Proud of you, Katie Pie. You and Dad were my best patients that day!

Bath Time

Baths are the best

But they're even better when you have someone to laugh with!

Amazing Abz

I wish my abs were as strong as our little guy's!

The Energizer Bunny

I peeked out into the garage to check on Kate "eckersizing" and found this:

The story about how this all came to be is below :)

Excessive Energy? I've got the Answer!!!

I love to eat. I really look forward to it. So I had to find a way oh so many years ago to solve the problem of eating my treats and not weighing as much as a whale. I started running and instantly became a fan. After Kate was born, I went out and got a jogger and used it almost religiously. Then when Jake was born, I thought-- "Hey! Time for the double jogger!" And so the purchase was made. Have you ever tried to run with one of those things? I swear, they weigh well over 1,000 pounds with a loquacious three year old and an almost-walker. Needless to say, it doesn't get used every day.

Well, back in October, I approached Joe with a plan. It was getting cold outside and I didn't want to subject the kids to the weather :) We needed a treadmill, so I could get up when Joe left for work at 6AM and run and be showered before the kids awoke. It sounded like the perfect plan.

Well, the treadmill was purchased...and even though things don't always go according to plan with my 6AM dream, I've found a FANTASTIC use for the machine!

Actually, Kate discovered it. One night around 7:30, she came to me and said that she needed to "eckersize" out in the garage. When I told her it was too cold out there, she completely broke down and through her sobs cried,"but it's good for me!"
Well, I figured it couldn't hurt for a few minutes. I turned the treadmill on the lowest setting and she hopped on, asked for some music and shimmied to it for a quarter of a mile! What a way to get the energy out of your kids so they are ready for bed when you're ready to put them down! It was pure genius. Now I just need to get out there more than she does!

Saturday "Blues"

This last Saturday we were all home together! It only occasionally happens because I work the first 2 Saturdays of every month. What should we do?! We didn't want to waste the day away, so we planned to get up and head down to Pleasanton Ridge--a regional park--and go hiking. We've been wanting to explore our area a little more. Well, we woke up to enormously dreary raindrops. Grateful for the rain we've been having, but we were hoping for just a little break.

Well, what do you do when you can't get out into the fresh air? How about eat?! That's a standard around here :) Blueberry Pancakes? Sounds good to me! Jake tried them for the first time and LOVED them. Take a look:

I think he had one too many!!!