Some Stuff Happened

Wow. I fell off the blogging train in a major way. Our life suddenly turned pretty crazy after I last posted in June of last year. So many things happened in the last ten months. See for yourself:

First, this happened:

So, I spent the summer battling first trimester fatigue and yuckiness. Dealing with an unexpected pregnancy while still nursing a 7 month old baby is a whole different experience than my other pregnancies. We'll just leave it at that.

Meanwhile, this happened:

It was the first time we attempted the drive down to Southern California, and it was certainly long, but we had a good time. We visited family, checked off two more baseball stadiums (San Diego and San Francisco), met Kathleen, went to a very special Angels game, visited Grace's grave site, went to Disneyland, and enjoyed our time together.

After a summer filled with good intentions and not a lot of adventure (see first picture), this happened:

I'm still not sure how it's possible that I have a kindergartner! James has absolutely loved school, and continues to blow us away with the progress he's made with his math and reading.

Also, because of previously mentioned kindergartner and impending baby #4, this happened:

Paul was hesitant to make this particular jump, but I can say now after having it for six months, it is pretty awesome. Yep. I've embraced the minivan.

In October, this happened:

It was a happy day! It was wonderful to be together as a family, and see the love and support coming to the Petersons and the Westbrooks as John and Kathleen got married.

Also this little guy turned one:

He liked his cake a little bit. ;) Samuel has been so joyful to have in our family. He is a happy and loving little boy.

And we had a band of little pirates for Halloween:

We had a nice holiday season where this happened:

I was grateful to have the opportunity to direct a piece at the PECO Christmas concert. It was so much fun, and I hope to be able to do it again.

We spent Christmas in Colorado:

I love being with my family. We had a wonderful Christmas full of good company, games, puzzles, food, and fun.

We came back to Oregon and this happened:

It hasn't snowed this much in Oregon for five years. School, work, and church all got canceled. It was lots of fun.

And then, on February 28th, this happened:

This is Ruth Aina Peterson. Our beautiful, not-so-little (10 lbs 8 oz!) girl joined our family on her due date. Detailed story to come. Time continues to fly by, and she's already been part of our family for a month! We have had many wonderful visits from family since she was born, and there are still more to come. We are a happy family of six!

I know I've left things out. And I know it's impossible for me to catch up on all this lost time. This little snapshot into our last ten months will have to do for now! Here's to renewed efforts at recording our life!