November 29th, 2009

looked a lot different for us than 11/29/08. There's been so much change and celebration this past year and a true witnessing of miracles. Today, we picked up our Christmas tree that we had reserved at a friend's tree lot in Oregon City, had a great photo shoot with Becky and drove home. Totally uneventful, totally calm, just a nice day as family. Last year I was in the ICU at OHSU and given a journal to write in called "The Road to Recovery: A journal for family and friends of trauma patients". Looking through that journal has been both hard and good at the same time. It's amazing how much Heavenly Father has blessed us. Writing in that journal was a good way for me to record events and feelings while Tony was recovering from his plane crash. I hope never to relive anything like that again but if life sends us big trials again, I know that there are family and friends to count on. I love my husband more than words can even express. I am eternally grateful that he was protected a year ago so that we can enjoy our family. Tony's father, J, who has been in his own traumatic accident took pictures, even at the crash scene when Tony didn't want him to see what was happening because he knew from experience that Tony might want to look back and see what happened as well. As much as the pictures are hard to relive, I'm so grateful to have them because they truly show how far he has come. Some of the pictures are of the crash scene, some are of CT scans of his face and ankle, so just know that they're graphic.

Crash upload

Baby Ryan

Ryan has been moving like crazy this month. He's really liking his jumper. I need to get video footage of that one. He rolls from his back to his tummy (that started November 3rd, 2009). When he's on his tummy he'll pull himself forward (just centimeters, but it's really cute). He'll use the blanket to to help propel him forward. He got his first tooth on November 5th and now he's starting to sit up more. He doesn't quite sit up by himself with just the boppy to support him but he is getting stronger everyday. He loves to grab his toes. He's so fun!

From November 2009

From November 2009

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From November 2009

Love the drool!

From November 2009

Gotta get those toes!

From November 2009

From November 2009

From November 2009

November is National Adoption Month

I'm grateful that my brother David's family has been blessed because of adoption. I have a beautiful niece Anna and a beautiful nephew, Caiden because of the blessing of adoption.

When the Eppersons Get Together...

good times will be had!

Last weekend, Tony's cousin Brian flew to Portland from Kentucky with his wife Lisa, whom we have never met. I've met Brian once. Uncle Randy and his son Ethan were also coming. Kate and J flew down as well so it was good family times...only...Randy owns the house next door to Grandma and Grandpa and every time he comes to visit he works on it and has been fixing it up really well. This time however, the septic tank plumbing had busted so instead of a "normal" family get together, the boys were all involved in digging a hole near the septic tank with a track hoe so they could fix the pipe going from the house to the tank. Fun Fun times. I got to hang out with Lisa and Kate and the boys most of that time. Lisa has a beautiful British accent which I love. There was a trip to Roakes Hot Dogs for Coney Dogs (Grandma Joan's uncle founded it) and a quick jaunt around Oregon City. After the boys were done with their digging and fixing, they shot guns and made some homemade bombs, reliving some childhood memories. Yes the boy:girl ratio in the Epperson family is like 10:1. As testosterone-filled as it is to hang out with them, it is a blast.
Grandpa and Max

From November 2009

Tony and Sam

From November 2009

Ethan, Brian and Uncle Randy

From November 2009

I love Brian's shirt

From November 2009

It's cool to me that they can fix it themselves. Tony ran the backhoe and they all worked together.

From November 2009

Finally done--talking with Uncle Roger

From November 2009

They boys love their Grandma and here they are with Lisa

From November 2009

Cowboy Joe

From November 2009

A Little Slow

I have discovered my crock pot. It's been used probably 3 times since Tony and I were married almost 5 years ago. Now, I just might use it everyday! One pot to wash, no stirring, no watching the food, easy pleasey. I'm even starting to have breakfast ready for Tony in the morning by cooking oatmeal in the crock pot overnight.

Here's a website I found via Kris' blog: A Year of Slow Cooking

If you have any favorite crock pot recipes, feel free to share! I love this one:

ITALIAN CREAM CHEESE CHICKEN

4 chicken breasts
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 packet Italian seasoning
1 can water
8 oz. cream cheese

Combine the soup, water, and seasoning and whisk together and thoroughly blended. Place chicken in crock pot, and pour soup mixture over the top. Cook for 4-6 hours until chicken is tender. About 30 minutes before it's finished, add the cream cheese and mix well. Serve over rice or pasta.

I'm a CASA!

I don't miss working and I am in LOVE with being a stay at home mom, but my passion for child welfare is still there, so I decided to become a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). I'll get to do similar work to what a social worker does but solely for the child on a case. I get to help make sure their voice is heard and that the best interests of the child are always first and foremost in a case. In the beginning of the case there's a bit more to do, but it will mainly be several hours a month, regular contact with the child and making sure the case is moving along. I'm really excited about this. If you have ever wondered about how to help children who have been abused or neglected but aren't ready to do foster parenting (which is also great), being a CASA is a great choice! Here is a link to the National CASA website

First Tooth and a Few Funny Faces to Celebrate

From November 2009

Virtual Tour

My sister-in-law Kris did a virtual tour of where they are living and because I would like to have memories and for the kids to have memories of all of their homes, I have created a virtual tour. There will be a day when we own a home, but for now we are renting from Tony's parents. We love this house.

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Rocket to the Moon