A Couple Days Ago...

...I packed away Gracie's mobile gym and the bouncy seat, as they can no longer stand up to her activity (literally, she pulled up on the mobile gym and bonked her head more times than I would have liked), and is almost bouncing herself completely through the bouncy seat. But she's a big kid that sits up now, so she's not interested in reclining in anyway...ever, really.

She's only 9 months old, but as a box fills with toys she's "too old" for, I feel like a whole chapter of her life is already over. AT 9 MONTHS! I am excited about the new things she's picking up everyday, and her little snippets of independence, but I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a part of me that's a bit teary when I think of what we've left behind already.

What must it have been like for Mary; to be excitedly anticipating how her son was going to save the world but still be a little bit sad that he doesn't fall asleep with his hands frozen in mid air anymore.

I love you peachy keen...

Gracie and the Apple Orchard

Yesterday we went to the doctor to get some information and make sure everything is hunky dory for our upcoming trip. We found out there's a whole slew of real food that we could be giving her...like chunks of muffin, crackers, little bits of noodles even! We are super excited to give her some new stuff to eat.

And, yes, we got the pass..so Popo can FINALLY have her try a lemon; something he's wanted to do since she was born!

AND and..she's up to 20 pounds and 27 1/2 inches!

I don't know what the deal is, but for the last week and a half, Gracie has almost been like a different kid. It's so much easier to get her to smile and she's super happy most of the time. You'd think a tooth finally broke through, but no signs of one yet. Her sleep hasn't really changed, her diet hasn't really changed...she's just flipped a switch.

And it's FANtastic. She's sitting up on her own now and can do so for a pretty long time (I haven't seen her topple in a few days now). She's still stuck in reverse in the walker, but she'll figure it out. :O)

It only seems fitting...

...that the day after Halloween we would wipe the cobwebs off of our blog.

Sooo...we had a kid almost 8 months ago. That pretty much brings us up to now.



She is sitting up really well these days and can pretty much flip herself over every which way (though she's not a fan of being on he stomach, so she doesn't do that very often). She's not crawling or curing cancer yet, but every kid develops a little differently.

Just as long as she's able to correctly grip a putter by the age of two, Derrel will be content.

The Ebert Christmas Tour 2009

Hello, blog.
It has been awhile. What better time to reconnect then at Christmas time. It's been amazing the way the Lord has worked in our life over the last year. Even in the most recent months, he's provided a home for us, a wonderfully warm and devoted new church family, and a job the makes Derrel so much happier than he's been in months.

Getting ready to travel for Christmas can be tiring and, I'm ashamed to say, somewhat dreaded. I was just talking to Derrel last night about how all the airports and suitcases were kind of a drag, and prayed that God would give my heart a good working over. As I was getting ready this morning, the first song I heard on the radio was written from the perspective of an orphan. The chorus said "All I Want is to be Home for Christmas."

Talk about conviction. Here I had been so whiney about having to travel, when we are abundantly blessed with a wonderful and loving family that so deeply wants to spend time with us. I am so embarrassed by earlier feelings, but am so grateful to God for opening my eyes to see the overwhelming love and support that he's put in our lives.

I thank him for the opportunity and ability to be able to visit family during this season, and hope that this post might be an encouragement to anyone else that might be getting wrapped up in what could be the chaos of the season.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Mid Columbia Duck Race

This video is brought to you by our new Canon Powershot. Woo hoo!!
Because Facebook can't handle the awesome girth of this video, I'm forced to post it here, where only a small number of the population can appreciate it. So you better appreciate the heck out of it.