great quote...

"I am still far from being what I want to be, but with God's help I shall succeed."
Artist, Vincent van Gogh

sweet success...

sake2me packaging...

I came across this beautiful Sake packaging by Micheal Osborn Design. I love the color palette and I really want to drink one!

ambitious? hmm ...

okay. so i may have way over-estimated my cake decorating prowess [!] but this is the princess castle cake i'm attempting to make for gabrielle's 3rd birthday we're celebrating next saturday. when i asked her what kind of birthday cake she wanted she squealed "pink" then said "wait, princesses!" (incidently she also answered "pink" when i asked her what she wanted for her birthday, ha ha, guess we got our dress code?!!!) sooooo, here goes ... wish me luck! me'thinks i should do a back up sheet cake?!!!

too hot...

Ugh. Be careful what you wish for! About 15 degrees too warm for this mommy!!!

i'm 3!

Gabrielle helped me make cupcakes and we had our own little party at home tonight for our "baby" girl. we are planning to celebrate her birthday with the rest of our family and friends on the 24th...

Come Lord Jesus...

So cute. Gabrielle loves saying our prayers before meals.



"Come Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest, Let this food to us be blessed"

Happy 3rd Birthday Gabrielle!

Our darling Gabrielle, Happy 3rd Birthday sweetheart! You are the light of our lives baby girl and we pray you always know how much you are loved. :) XoXo, Mommy & Daddy (& baby "bwother" Zachary!)

tiny dancer ...

Well, my daughter, Gabrielle, and I thoroughly enjoyed Classical Ballet Academy's evening performance of Snow White! (Could have went either way as it was past her bedtime but she was positively captivated, truly on the edge of her seat and only had a melt down when she found out we were leaving!) We are very anxious for her to attend their Cinderella Ballet Camp this summer. If she likes it, she can take weekly lessons in the Fall. Time and time again I hear/read of little ones being exposed at young age and just live for it from that moment on. Who knows? I so want her to find her passion someday. We were invited to the show by one of the advanced ballerina's mother. (ironically she was an attending nurse when my 8 mo was in hospital earlier this month) and Cosette was gracious enough to present her with a pair of her pointe shoes last night. So sweet. (thank you, Cosette, she'll have them forever! see pics as she attempts to use them, ha ha)

happy mother's day...

Hi, I just wanted to say I hope you and your Mother have a blessed Mother's Day today. And for those who have lost your mother, hold tight to the memories and give their favorite flower to someone else in their memory. (In my case it's lilacs) As for me, I'm just basking in the joy of my little darlings all day long and am so very grateful God chose me and made me their mommy. Also, please pray for the little children who have no Mother to celebrate this day with. May God Bless You, Lisa

birthday ballet....

It's a mommy-daughter date! I'm taking Gabrielle to her first ballet this Saturday night for her birthday. She already skips and hops and twirls around to endless Nutcracker Ballet DVDs. I am hoping this will be something she enjoys. The performance we are going to attend is a rendition of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs performed by the Classical Ballet Academy in Portland featuring all of their older pre-professional ballet students. This is the same company she will be attending the Cinderella Ballet Camp for her young age group this summer. (should be a hoot!) We are both very excited, and she is tickled , well ... PINK! Her mommy is crazy about the Arts so hopefully she will be too someday... her call.

on the mend ...

Got home earlier this week on monday evening. we ended up spending 2.5 days in hospital while zachary got re-hydrated. we are happy to report is doing MUCH better now. still not 100% but (praise GOD) well on his way! his little personality is back, his energy level is almost like it used to be and he's gobbling up his milk (and pedialyte). This mommy is very much looking forward to a healthy household again!!! Thank you again for all of you who sent your loving thoughts and prayers our way...

now zach has the tummy bug ...

Well folks, we spent the last couple days inside the beach house with our poor little zachary. In spite of our best efforts, he decided he too was going to catch gabrielle's little tummy bug. we just sort of hunkered in and tried to ride it out and keep him comfortable before our trip home. he was looking much better friday and we were encouraged but saturday when we got home he decided he was gonna go full force on us and was not done being sick. he is unable to keep his milks down and blowing through his diapers so fearing dehydration (as he was looking kinda puny) brought him in to the ER again (big sigh) at 10pm Saturday.... long story short: here we sit, in exact room number as before as they admited him for 24 hours to see how he re-hydrates..... once again, we are guests at the hotel legacy salmon creek hospital. did i mention his little IV is in the top of his head ---- my heart it breaking for our little man...and i am one tired mommy. so grateful chad is able to be home with gabrielle again... makes it not so disruptive for her.

i love the ocean. i can breathe here.

well we arrived safely and are enjoying this special family time. clearly i take more photos than my husband so you'll see a lot of him and gabrielle, ha ha.

enjoying beach so far...

well. we leave Gearhart, Oregon tomorrow to travel about 100 miles South. Puts us just a few miles south of Lincoln City at Bella Beach. we are having a real good time so far. chad and i keep joking (amidst the chaos) "Ah, our relaxing beach trip" Ba ha ha ha, but good memories are being made and traditions are being started and that's what matters the most ;)

prague five short years ago...

Tonight my mind wanders back to where I was this exact moment just five short years ago. One of the last big trips my beloved (and well-traveled!) mother, Karen, made before she got too sick. I definately have her travel bug and sense of adventure and was lucky enough to join her and one of her closest friends on a whirlwind trip to Eastern Europe April 2003. Prague, Warsaw & Krakow to be exact. To say we had fun is an extreme understatement and memories I will no doubt treasure the rest of my life. Especially since we had plans to travel so many more places together. I must say I was sad to leave Prague, it was so beautiful and full of historical, artistic and spiritual significance. Honestly, if it weren't for my friends and family, I could have easily lived "happily ever after" the rest of my life in Prague ... I will return someday.

my love bug has a tummy bug.

Oh joy, right. Gabrielle's first bonafide tummy bug. Except for Zachie (thank Goodness!) we were all up half the night... and she was scared half to death not knowing why she kept "spitting up". Awe. poor thing. She is exhausted and is totally puny today and doctor says it's a 24 hour bug. It's 4:30 pm and she hasn't hurled since 6:30am and has been in bed literally all day which has got to be good for her. My heart is breaking for our sweet daughter as I feel so helpless, when she said "my tummy hurts" a Barbie-bandaid on her tummy did give her a little smile though... we love you gabrielle! And once again, coffee is my best friend ha ha. Thank the Lord Zachie is doing so well (on the opposite side of the house I might add!)

Beautiful.

A Lullaby prayer dedicated to all parents who want their children to know and trust the Lord.

soothing.

I am loving these items by designer Fernanda Bourlot. The colors are so soothing and the sea glass tones make me even more anxious to go to the beach next week!

I am loving these items by designer Fernanda Bourlot. The colors are so soothing and the sea glass tones make me even more anxious to go to the beach next week!

May is National Foster Care Month...

Please Press Play and View Video



God Bless The Children.
Each year thousands of families are affected by child welfare issues. In fact, there are 513,000 American children in foster care because their own families are in crisis and unable to provide for their essential wellbeing. They live in our neighborhoods, attend local schools and worship in our congregations. • Unfortunately, few citizens understand the magnitude of the issue or what foster care is all about. Promotional support at the local level is a key step in the education process. The more frequently people see positive messages about foster care in their community, the more likely they will be to come forward and do something to change a lifetime for a child in need. There are a variety of easy ways to spread the word about foster care in your community during May and throughout the year. Click HERE to find several helpful resources created for the national campaign that can also be adapted for use at the local level. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent (or foster-adopt parent) in Vancouver, WA area please contact: 360.993.7900 | 800.243.4984 | Kidsneedyou@dshs.wa.gov or click here.

if it helps you, please click here for OUR (very personal) foster-adopt journey!

we're all under same roof again.

Our precious zachary. This snuck up on us. One morning fine with mild cough & that afternoon laboring to breathe. Two ER visits later and then admitted to hospital for bronchiolitis RSV virus, dehydration and almost in respiratory arrest for lack of oxygen. 7 days in hospital. Aaaaaaah. Good to be home and we are so SO thankful! God is so faithful. Such an emotional time and I'm certain it hasn't fully impacted me as I was/am in total "Mama-Bear get through the crisis mode". But I'm looking way more forward than backward as we are reminded how fragile life really is. Thank you for all the meals, hugs, COFFEE!, support and for coming to pray over our sweet son. We so appreciate your kindness and your prayers. We felt (and continue to feel) each and every one of them that's for sure. Zachy's only up to eating 4-5oz at one time and our little man lost 1.5 pounds, but he's home, hungry and healthy and that's what matters most. And let me just say that Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital is THE place you want to be, remarkably skilled, caring and loving physicians and nurses. My little guy was verrrrrry well cared for (as was I). Chad was able to get time off to be home with our sweet Gabrielle and I was able to stay in same room with Zach the entire time. Well i started taking photos on my phone to update my friends/family out of town when Zach was about halfway through and on the mend ... and with a few clicks here and there it just sort of evolved to this video. This was simply a faster more expressive way to share our experience (God's mercy) with you. We praise and give Him all the glory for our Zachy's remarkable recovery. With grateful hearts, Lisa, Chad, Gabrielle & Zachary Dunnavant

survival mode.

i like this exerpt from an interview with Deborah Norville: "Your kids will survive your parenting mistakes and you will survive your kids and Lord willing, you and your husband will survive what is, without doubt, the most stressful event your marriage will face: child rearing!"

truer words have not been spoken!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."

~Elizabeth Stone

a world gone blogtastic.

Ha!

comments anyone?!

a friend of mine just did this and I thought it was a great idea.... i would love to know who reads this silly blog. So... if you read this on a regular basis, would you consider leaving a comment? would love to know you're out there!

lilypie. custom count-downs.

balance.

i'm starting to read this great book called Balanced Living: Focus on the Family Women's Series Bible Study and am loving it. "When we try to do it all, we end up stressed out, fatigued and disconnected from God. But He didn't put us here to pile our plates so high that we fail to function. In fact, Jesus clearly tells us that our daily worries are unimportant. The most valuable way we can spend our day is with Him (see Luke 11:38-42). When you recognize God's design for your life, you can constructively use your time, talents and energy to live the blessed life He wants you to embrace. Topics include: our Position, our Priorities, our Purpose, and our Pleasure."

fun with flickr!

Check this out... I saw this on Lisa's blog and I had to try it! You can click here to see your own names this way. Enjoy!

Easter 2008

Easter 1971.

OH how gabrielle giggled when i showed her a photo of aunt sheri, mommy & aunt jill (aka: The Hardman Girls) at Easter when I was her age in 1971. Here are my sisters and I at our then home in the High Desert. We lived on the Jenkin's Barton Lake Ranch located in Diamond, Oregon ... Eastern Oregon's spectacular Harney County.