Bishu Time!

"Bishu bishu" is Assyrian baby talk for bath time! Amya picked that up from cousin, Kadence. Amya never does bishu alone....the toys out number her 8 to 1 !!

My Little Girl

Amya was very curious about her Aunt Cece's painted toenails. Last night we decided to paint our toenails. I was amazed at how still Amya sat! She didn't even smudge them! I told her she couldn't touch mine for a long time, until they dried. That child got as close as humanly possible...it tortured her all night!

Hurry! Get Outside While You Still Can!

It has been raining for a week and a half now (and will continue for at least the next week!). Today the skies cleared, albeit temporarily, and we scurried out doors! We had a few leaves to pick up, so the timing was perfect!

La Petite Baby

"Thank you Heather and Chuck for doing some shopping for me when you were in Paris! I love my dress!"

brewing log

batch number 4. after a dissapointing 3rd batch of pumpkin ale experiment i decided to stick with "standard" beers so this time i went with an English style Imperial Pale Ale..."the trifecta" is what i'm calling it due to the three different kinds of hops used

tried a "mini mash" which is part mash/part extract. used 2 lbs of 2 row malted barley and 1/2 lb crystal malt in the mash. mashed at 155 degrees F for 1 hour. removed the grain and then added about 4 lbs of bries golden liquid malt extract.

for hops i used 2 oz domestic horizon hops...mostly added at the begining of the boil, 2 oz of domestic amarillo hops at mid boil and finishing, and 2 oz cascade hops at mid and finishing.

pitching with wyeast 1098 british ale yeast.

i will prime after 2 weeks with malt extract when bottling. alot of work and hopefully better than the sour pumkin stuff i made last time ;)

11/24

2 weeks later, i transfered the beer from the fermenter to the glass carboy to seperate much of the sedement. 24 hours after that, i bottled. i used 3/4 cup of corn sugar mixed with 2 cups boiled water. the whole time i sanatized with an iodine solution of a few drops/gallon of water. the growlers that were bottled were rinsed with tap water and the bottles were rinsed with boiled tap water in the sink...

Thank You Mom and Dad!

Dan's New Office

Election "Dreams"

(Amya loved her Halloween costume so much, she still wears it)

We kept the kiddies up during our election party with the Petersons to witness history being made....

Vote...

...or I'll spit up on you!
(I keep stealing these pictures from Suria and Bryce's blog. I'm not actually in Florida)

Day Two!

Charlie Is Here!

Charles Noah Nelson was born around 8am Eastern time...approximately one hour after Suria walked up to the delivery wing of the hospital. (today was the official due date...only 5% of babies are born on their due date)
He weighed about 7 1/2 pounds and is very healthy with a tuft of black hair.
Upon talking to Suria on the phone, Kadence was reported running around the house singing, "My brother came out of my mommy's tummy!"
Suria is doing great!

If you noticed a lack of specifics, it is because I didn't write anything down...I'm working off of memory. When I woke up this morning (Pacific time), I had two texts from Bryce. One said, "At the hospital" and the other said, "Labor was 30 min. and Suria only pushed twice". This is one of the frustrating side effects of being on the other cost.

CONGRATULATIONS SURIA, BRYCE AND KADENCE

Halloween Party!

We had a little party with our friends tonight. The kids had a blast...and the adults did as well!

I think this is why we have the phrase, "As cute as a pumpkin!"

The Petersons + one!

Amya liked my costume because she really likes cats. Dan had to go through 3 costumes before Amya decided it was ok. She sobbed at the first two.

Here is a group shot of all the cuties! If you look at the skunk (Sadie) in the background, you can see that something caught her eye....

...the cat on the roof!!!


Amya's first attempt at trick-or-treatingThen we headed downtown, where they close off the streets and all the kids go collect candy from the shop owners.


In an ironic twist of fate, Molly ended up wearing the cat ears. neither Dan nor I put them on her, so it must have been Amya!

Happy Halloween!

Any guesses as to who these two famous pumpkins are?

Leave your guess in the comment section

...later in the night, Amya wanted to decorate her pumpkin, so she drew on it and Dan carved it for her... (she was afraid of all of them)

...and even later that night, Amya couldn't get enough of this!(you can still see the glitter hand prints on the door behind her!)

The Advent Conspiracy!!!!!

...no, it doesn't have anything to do with politics or global warming. But if you make it to the bottom, you'll probably figure it out. I stumbled upon this conspiracy pamphlet last night while at a small, hush-hush meeting.

ENTER THE STORY

[Worship Fully]
It starts with Jesus. It ends with Jesus. This is the holistic approach God had in mind for Christmas. It's a season where we are called to put down our burdens and lift a song up to our God. It's a season where love wins, peace reigns, and a king is celebrated with each breath. It's the party of the year. Entering the story of advent means entering this season with an overwhelming passion to worship Jesus to the fullest.

[Spend Less]
Before you think we're going all Scrooge on you, keep reading. How often have you spent money on Christmas presents for no other reason than obligation? How many times have you received a gift out of that same obligation? Thanks, but no thanks, right? We're asking people to consider spending less this Christmas (maybe buying one less gift - just one). Sounds insignificant, yet many who have taken this small sacrifice have experienced something nothing less than a miracle: They have been more available to celebrate Christ during the advent season.

[Give More]
God's gift to us was a relationship built on love. So it's no wonder why we're drawn to the idea that Christmas should be a time to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible. Time is the real gift Christmas offers us, and no matter hos hard we look, it can't be found at the mall. Time to make a gift that turns into the next family heirloom. Time to write mom a letter. Time to take the kids sledding. Time to bake really good cookies and sing really bad Christmas carols. Time to make love visible through relational giving. Sounds a lot better than getting a sweater two sizes too big, right?

[Love All]
When Jesus loved, He loved in ways never imagined before. Though rich, he became poor to love the poor, the forgotten, the overlooked and the sick. He played to the margins. By spending less at Christmas we have the opportunity to join Him in giving resources to those who need help the most. When Advent Conspiracy first began, four churches challenged this simple concept to its congregations. The result raised more than a half million dollars to aid those in need. So, this isn't a theory based on good intentions. It's a movement that's saving lives.

...hhhhhmmmmmm...

Goodbye Aunte Cece and Uncle Kevin!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!

today is Carol's 33rd (can you believe it!) Brithday! Happy Birthday Carol!!