An experiment with cloning

Jadyn and Mommy have been working on a cloning project... you see, one Jadyn was aparently not enough. With lots of hard work, including cutting, coloring, and glueing, the experiment was a complete success. Jadyn now has an identical twin~


On another note, one of those heart-warming anecdotes where your kids are at their most precious moments...

We went to a friend's wedding last Saturday. After the ceremony, Jadyn and I (Daddy) found our way to the cake table, took a few pieces, and sat down in some chairs to satisfy our sweet tooths. As we were sitting there, I asked Jadyn what she thought of the wedding. She said she liked it, and that she liked the bride's pretty dress.

I asked, "are you going to get married someday and wear a pretty dress like that?"

"Yea," she replied, looking a little embarrased and shy.

"Who are you going to marry," I continued.

Her sheepish smile turned to a lost look of confusion, as if to say, "I never thought of that." She furrowed her brow for a few seconds longer, and then grinned again and said, "I'm gonna marry you, Daddy!" As my heart melted, her look again turned to confusion as a new realization hit her, "But wait... you're already married."

I laughed and replied, "that's right."

"That's okay," she smiled back at me. "Maybe Mommy and I can both be married to you."

Precious moments like these make it all worth it.

Bought a New House in Maple Valley

But just the girls are moving in!

Reflections

Bear with me through some random thoughts...

Monday I had the honor and privilege of attending the funeral for a fallen police officer in the city who was killed in the line of duty last week. He was only 26 years old and had only been on the job less than one year, probably high as a kite on life having acheived his dream of becoming a police officer. But that life was cut short last week by another driver. I don't think he even saw her coming, and in the blink of an eye his time was up.

Reflecting on the events of that Sunday morning (I was there on duty), I've been further reminded to live each moment with purpose, because you never know which day will be your last. Cherish relationships with those around you. Don't waste them. Make the most of every interaction. People are what counts. Stuff doesn't matter. Love, and be loved. Only God knows the number of our days, so use them wisely. I see so many people waste time fighting battles and drawing lines in the sand over trivial things. Minor details. And they miss out on the joy that can come from true relationship. Often just fighting for the sake of the fight. What a terrible waste. Forgive. Forget. Move on. Live. Be. Love. Don't wait for others to take the next step; instead you take them there.

I'm reminded of the Switchfoot song "This is Your Life" where the lyrics sing, "This is your life, are you who you want to be; this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be when the world was younger and you had everything to lose."

People will soon forget what you accomplished in your short time here, but they will never forget who you were and what you were all about. So starting today, choose to be that person who's legacy others will dream to follow.

Playing with Food is Fun!

Last week we got to spend time with our good friends Kelly and Dennis who were up visiting from that cold-weather state of Arizona. It was great to spend the day with them.



We took a journey with our girls to... the SuperMall! Yes, that's the amazingly original name its owners came up with for it. But it is pretty super - huge, in fact. And the kids play area is great. All the play toys are enormous breakfast items - a giant banana, the biggest bowl of cereal you've ever seen, a bacon slide, some eggs sunny-side up, and more. All giant, all soft, and very fun for the little ones to play on. Normally we discourage this, but here are a few pictures of the girls... playing with their breakfast.

Checkmate!

Went to the Seattle Center Wednesday. The original plan was to go to the Science Center, but after running some errands, we didn't have enough time. By the way, Jadyn is seen here with a sling after falling and spraining her arm. No worries - she's all better now!

Plan B - we did the next best thing - improvise. First, we ate dinner in the Center House, a big food court. Bought a hot dog for Jadyn for $3, which she decided she didn't like because it doesn't taste like the ones we buy at the grocery store for a tenth of that price.

Tried Karina next, because she's more like Mikey in the old Life cereal commercials - "He likes it!" Only Karina, too, turned her nose at this hot dog. We couldn't believe it - that girl eats almost anything. Food or not! I guess they don't make 'em like they used to!

Then we took the elevator upstairs, because elevators are always exciting! Once we got to the top, we found a life-sized chess and checkers board. Well, life-sized when you're 2 or 3 feet tall, that is. And it was perfect.

Party time!

Fun with friends from college last week.

Thanks for this picture from your blog!

Old MacDonald had a...

Last week Julie and the girls got to go visit some friends who live on a farm. Grandma and Grandpa from California were there, too, along with Aunt Marcella and Uncle Walter. Jadyn and Karina got to play with a very friendly horse.




The horse was so tame that we were even able to get a picture of the girls sitting on the horse all by themselves. Our little girls are such animal lovers.








They even had a bunny that the girls got to hold.







Thanks Aunt Marcella, Uncle Walter, Grandma & Grandpa Nasca for the fun day!

More beach pics

Who doesn't love a trip to the beach? We had so much fun and only came home reluctantly. Jadyn absolutely loved it and as we packed up in the car to leave today, turned and said to the beach, "I will miss you, ocean." Karina enjoyed it, too, though she wasn't too excited about the cold wind.

Jadyn was so funny - when the waves would come creeping towards us, she would yell, "run, run, run!," turn around, and sprint full speed for the sand dunes. Usually she didn't stop for at least 100 feet (no exaggeration) before turning around to make sure the water wasn't still chasing her down. We'd just stand there laughing at the spec of Jadyn we could see in the distance.

Karina, on the other hand, dove full body into the surf when Daddy let go of her hand for a second. She whimpered for only a brief moment for Daddy to tell her it was okay, and then jumped right back in for round two. Watching your kids soak up new sights and adventures with wide eyes is a joy that cannot be fully explained, but only experienced. How cool!

Here's a few more fun pictures...






The girls and their creation...






Wouldn't you be proud, too, if you dug a hole you could fit in?



First times often take a litte convincing...




But they're always a little easier when you don't have to go it alone

Ocean Samples

Jadyn thought it would be fun to make a trail in the sand... and she put her whole body into it...

Karina thought it was pretty cool, too!

Jadyn and Daddy flying a kite...

And looking out over the big ocean...

To the edge of the earth...

Spontanaety - is that how you spell it? Well, either way... I got home from the station yesterday morning and Julie's mom was there to join us for the week. We all decided it would be fun to go to the beach!

It was a beautiful sunny day. The kids had a blast playing in real ocean beach sand. Jadyn loved running in and out of the ocean water and flying a kite with Daddy. Mommy showed Karina how to fill the sandpail with a shovel, and Karina did a great job of dumping it all over herself instead (a little bit made it into the pail, too). So we decided we needed to stay for 2 more days.

How we love summer! And how we love finally having the freedom in our schedule to get away, and that on a weekday when the crowds are still mostly at work! I think we could get used to this...