inked

all my boys got inked this last tuesday at the morg. dave got a "real" tat and the boys got matching henna ones.

storyville coffee company

i love coffee. i love the process of making it, the smell of it as i put each scoop into my coffee maker, the aroma of it brewing and of course, that first sip. so, when i found out that the coffee manufacturer storyville coffee company was donating 100% of whatever is purchased from them in the month of may to international justice mission, i had to take a second look. although, i haven't ever had their coffee before i found myself drawn to their story and their mission. i bought a $39 month pack and i can't wait to get it next week and brew it!

the gift of sight

about a month ago i got a letter in the mail from the health department telling me that caleb had failed his vision test and that i needed to take him to have his eyes checked by a professional. first, i was surprised. he hadn't EVER complained about not seeing something. he does very well in school and again had NEVER complained about not being able to see......
so, i arranged for an appointment at eye care one and took him to have his eyes tested. as soon as he found out that he was having his eyes checked i was overwhelmed by his sudden loss of vision and his many questions/statements about glasses and how cool they were. the more he spoke the more i convinced myself that he didn't need glasses but wanted them because he thought they were SO cool. before the appointment began i pulled the doc aside and told him to be on the look-out for any embellished reactions caleb might have for him. he assured me that he would be able to see beyond whatever caleb could throw at him in terms of how accurate his vision was. phew, i thought. until it came time for caleb to read the chart. he read the big "E" and then i watched as my son struggeled, i mean really struggeled, to read the second line. after the appointment the doctor pulled me aside and said, "you can't fake that...".
as caleb put on his new glasses there was a moment of sheer joy as he said, "AWESOME, that's what it looks like over there". for the rest of the day he kept making comments about how crisp everything looked. he loves his new glasses and i am thrilled that he has them and very embarressed that i never realized it earlier. it made me think about how much, as parents, we miss no matter how close we think we are. it was a reminder to be always praying for each of my kids and resting in the fact that they are in their Creators hands.

what a surprise!

last week wednesday i celebrated by 33rd birthday. dave and the kids planned out the entire afternoon and evening and we had such a blast!
the kids thought that since i LOVE coffee that it would be great to take me to get a cup of joe - they were so excited. i knew they had something up their sleeves. that and the fact that dave couldn't sit still for a minute. after i got my cup of coffee the kid working behind the counter handed me a birthday card. it was from dave and the kids and it had a sticker inside with the numbers on it. dave then proceeded to hand me my present..... it was a bike seat.......

we went outside the coffee shop and there chained to the tree was my new GREEN bike! the numbers inside the card were for the lock (very clever). the kids chased after me as we rode around downtown grand haven. we had a riot and laughed so hard!!! then.....

we went to K2 (upstairs to kirby) for dinner. the five of us sat around our table and began to order when all of a sudden friends started arriving one, two, three at a time. i wish i had more pics of the evening but, i was too surprised to remember to take pictures! needless to say it was such a fun evening and i LOVE my new bike!!! after we got home (about 11pm - on a school night) we had the kids put on their helmets and we took a quick bike ride up and down our street - it was awesome!

good-bye grandma

Grandmas 80th Birthday Party - Fall of 2004

my grandma sandoval passed away this week. today was her funeral and although i was unable to be there (salt lake city, ut) in person i was there in spirit. if you have a minute to spare read her obituary (scroll down) - my aunts and uncles did a great job writing out her life in just a few sentences. she was an amazing woman. she loved and prayed for her entire family every day. she was a wonderful testimony to one of Gods faithful servants here on earth. she will be missed.

visiting grandma & aunt ernestine last christmas in seattle

lilly & grandma coloring

all of the grand kids circa 1986

Juanita "Jennie" Sandoval 12/12/1924 ~ 2/22/2009 Grandma Jennie - "mother extraordinaire", beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, and friend went to join her Lord and Savior and her beloved husband Max on Sunday, February 22, 2009.Born to Jesus M. and Jose O. Sanchez in Castlegate, Utah. She was blessed with a loving step-father, Louis Canchola whom she cherished as DAD. She inherited a strong work ethic from her mother which served her well later on in life. She married Max Sandoval on October 21, 1942 and they started their life together in Price, Utah, later moving to Salt Lake City in 1951. God blessed them with 21 children and she never tired of having a child around the house, even if they weren't her own. She worked endlessly, making sure her family (and anyone else who was lucky enough to be there) was well fed and taken care of. Everyone loved her hand-made tortillas and wonderful Mexican food! She spent countless hours cooking, cleaning, sewing, babysitting for others and still made time for her family. Flats of eggs, garbage cans full of flour, rice and beans were the norm - all of this without Costco! She played a big part in the upbringing of many of her grandchildren by babysitting them, as well as raising her beloved grandson Jeremy, until she suffered a stroke in 1989. Throughout her remaining years, her grandchildren continued to be the light of her life. Her Christian faith was her life and she used that influence to raise her children. She and Max were founding members of the Salt Lake Christian and Missionary Alliance Church where she selflessly served in various positions and made many long lasting friendships. It was her faith that gave her the endurance, energy and amazing strength to accomplish such a remarkable life. She was truly loved and admired by many! Survived by children: Ernestine, Gilbert (Becky), Carl, Max (Brenda), Anita (Mike), Peter (Phyllis), Jennie-Lee, Elaine, Duane (Lauri), Samuel, Nathan, Patsy (Elgin), Jacob (Julie), Andrew (Cynthea), Daniel (Karen), Becky (Paul), Jennifer (Stewart), Rosellen, 46 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Preceded in death by her loving husband Max, twin infants, Mary and Joseph, son Jerry, mother Jesus Canchola, step-father Luis Canchola and brother Fidel Sanchez.

one more under my belt

over the last year i delved into the art of web design. although i know virtually nothing about how to write code and all the ins and outs of how a website comes to be. i know what i like to look at and how i think a website should function... that's a plus, right? well, i have an INCREDIBLE cousin (pete) who, with his partner (cavan), have started their own company Adrogen and they are an amazing duo in all the web stuff they can do. so, i get to do all the fun design work and they do all the icky coding - we are becoming quite the team. well, i mention all of this because our latest site went live this past week and i wanted to share it with all of you. drum roll for, naperville covenant church. enjoy!

gym ritual

dave and i have started a new gym ritual. we (and a couple other friends) have started meeting at the gym at 4:45am to work out together. ok, i know that sounds insane to many of you - but, it is the best time for us. and, since nagel lives with us, we have an adult in the house to care for the kids. well, this past monday the alarm went off at 4:30 and dave and i hopped out of bed, got dressed, got in the car, drove to the gym, sat on the couches tying up our gym shoes (at the gym) and then looked at each other and decided that we NEEDED to go back to bed. i found myself back underneath my covers in a matter of minutes. it was SO worth it!!!