Last Sunday we headed up to Oregon with our friends Joel & Sarah for Memorial Day. It was so nice to get away, be in the sunshine, and relax. We took a long walk exploring along the beach and cooked yummy meals, Jude even got in the action and enjoyed some mashed bananas more than he usually does. We also caught a great sunset- pictures to follow soon. On the way home we stopped in the Redwoods to walk a trail called the Ladybird Johnson Grove, a beautiful walk through the trees. We discovered that Jude likes to suck on apples- he was in the sling on Andrew sucking on a tart apple core for as long as Andrew let him, and then longingly watched the apple go rolling down the hill when Andrew was tired of holding it!
Joel & Sarah are moving to China to teach English at Shaoxing University, and we will miss them but are excited for what’s in store for them this coming year. They’re great friends- the kind you feel like you’ve known a lot longer than you have. What a blessing to have friends scattered all over the globe…it makes our live’s richer. We’ll be posting more on this blog in the next few weeks about our upcoming trip to Thailand for 2 weeks this summer so stay tuned…

“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called. ~A.A. Milne

I know it’s a day early but we’ll be busy celebrating tomorrow.

I need to brag a bit.
A lot of you that read this blog don’t live near us and haven’t been able to see the transformation over the last 6 months that I have. Since November 13, 2006 Jessica Fouché has been a mother. In one day she made the transformation and now 6 months later, I need to tell you a few things…

She is still an amazing wife!
Contrary to some scary stories I heard, she still loves me, her husband, as much as she did before our son arrived. I’m continually amazed at the blessing that God has given me in her. Our relationship is as strong as ever and we continue to grow and learn in this new time.

She is a natural mother.
That could mean different things depending on where you live but I mean natural in the sense of her intuition (not in the sense she doesn’t shower). It’s obvious to me that there is a piece of who she is that has come alive since Jude was born, and it is thriving.

Love is her middle name.
Not literally, (it’s actually Lynn) but everything she does in her role as a mother exudes love. She puts herself last and sacrifices a lot to make sure that the ones she cares about get what they need. For example, she hasn’t slept through the night in 6 months. I challenge anyone to try that and see if you can function as a human being. I believe this is a super-power that is given to mothers upon their child’s birth.

I thank God daily for the gift he has given me in Jessica. I know that she is the perfect mother for our son and that he will grow to appreciate and love her as much as I do.

Happy May everyone! Being at the beach on Monday made me so ready for summer and sunny days…or the few sunny days we get in between the foggy Humboldt county ones!:)
Jude is almost 6 months old. Everyone told us once we have kids the time would fly by…it already has! It makes me want to savor every smile and giggle from our little man.
I haven’t written as much as I thought I would on this blog…I’m a journal-er so I get my thoughts out on paper better than on the internet, or with my sweet hubby who has always been so good at listening to me share my heart. All that to say, heres what’s on my mind lately….I’m reading a great book by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay called ‘For the Children’s Sake’ about foundations of education- how we don’t let kids be kids any more…by overscheduling them like we do our own busy adult lives, by stiffling their need to have large chunks of time to just play, and how we are feeding them an educational system that hinders growth more than stimulating the individual person that they are with ‘living books’ and stoking their imaginations, etc. Sometimes I think I would have enjoyed being a teacher. My mom is a teacher, the kind that you look back on 20 years later and remember loving to learn because of something she did or said, or maybe just the fact that she has such a passion for teaching and children that her love for learning is contageous, either way- she’s one of the best teachers I’ve ever known. (I was in her class in preschool and was her assistant for a short period of time before Andrew and I were married.) All that to say, I’ve only read the first few chapters of the book but it’s definately food for thought.

Here are a few more recent pics, as promised!

Future Musician
Rocking the Hoodie
Don’t Drop Me
Faux Hawk

It’s hard to believe the year is almost half over! We’ve been busy this last month doing fundraising and preparing for our upcoming mission trip to Thailand. If you’re in the area this Friday, come have some free food and bid on some great silent auction items, all to benefit the Thailand misson.

Today was one of the those unusually warm days here in Humboldt so we headed to the beach and enjoyed the hot (for Humboldt) weather. Here’s Jude checking out the surf. We’ll be posting some more recent pics of him soon.