Rood Family Updates

The much-anticipated Holiday Letter!

2007-12-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, everyone...I finally carved out some time to type up some reflective thoughts on this past year. This holiday season has been like every single one for the past 10 years. It starts out fun and "doable", with parties and shopping and cards, then the closer we get to the big day, the more I stress out! You'd think I'd learn by now to either start earlier, or cut back. =)

So...2007. What a year it's been! The first few months of the year were the calm before the storm.

In March, Brent's parents came out for a 10-day visit that ended with 80% of us sick with the stomach flu. =) We still managed to have a good time, though, and even got away for a beautiful day across the water.

Ian turned 5 in April. We celebrated with a fun sleepover with the cousins.

In June, Sylas broke his arm - just in time for summer swimming - yeah! Also in June, Brent & I got away for some great R&R to the Acts 29 pastor's retreat in Sonoma.

Sylas turned 4 on July 1. We had a park party with, oh, about 20 of his friends. =) Popular dude!

Then, Brent's parents were here for the week of July 4th. Dan hosted a huge party, complete with a semi-professional, amazing-that-someone-didn't-get-their-arm-blown-off fireworks show.

The last 2 weeks of July, we had an amazing family vacation down the Oregon coast, and northern California. Yes, Sylas was still wearing his cast, which was wet within 5 minutes of arriving at the ocean.

I had 5 days after we got back to do laundry and pack for my next trip. I took the kids to MN to visit my parents. What great memories from our time with Grandma and PopPop!

That was our last trip of the summer, but just before school started, we had a fun family day in the city, complete with a visit to the aquarium and a ride on the "Ducks".

In September, our lives changed forever with the arrival of kindergarten! Ian absolutely loves school. Sylas started preschool the same week. He goes to his Aunt Cathy's house with his cousin Aidan and 3 other boys from church 3 days a week. We're just so pleased with how much he is learning! And, of course, he has a blast.

Oops, I almost forgot - Alexandra turned 1 August 30, and started walking the same day. She is quite the cruiser, and recently has been scaring us with her climbing!

In November, we got to fly to PA for 5 days for a surprise visit to Brent's parents to celebrate their 20th anniversary at their church. What an amazing trip!

Oh, and somewhere in there we got pregnant again. Not sure how that happened. =) We will be having the 4th (and FINAL) Rood in May. We have so much to praise God for in 2007. He has provided for us, kept us healthy and safe, and has blessed us tremendously with the best family and friends in the world. We love you all!

Christmas Letter coming...

2007-12-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is embarassing. If you got our Christmas card, and there was a slip in it that said "check out our holiday letter" on this blog, obviously I don't have the holiday letter written yet. =) I was going to do it today, but was just too worn out after church. I promise it will be done tomorrow, though, so check back then!

Sylas the soccer star!

2007-11-03T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sylas had his soccer game today - the only game of the season. We weren't sure how much he was catching on to the game until he actually played a game. He did awesome! He was aggressive and went for the ball, and never went the wrong way! =) He even played goalie for awhile, which may actually be his position. Then we went to Macaroni Grill and had pizza with the team and got trophies. It was a great day!

Halloween 2007

2007-11-02T13:50:00.000-07:00

So, of course, we have to post pics of Halloween. Sure was fun to have a fairy princess in the mix this year. The boys were ninja turtles, but Rambo would be another good guess for Sylas. That "mask" ended up as a head band most of the night. We walked around the Country Village 1st, then went to the cousins' house for the "motherload". We have enough candy to last until at LEAST next Halloween.

She's growing up!

2007-10-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here are just some cute pics of Alexandra - in the dryer, and 2 church-dress pics. This week, we brought her in for an echocardiogram to check on a heart murmur, and the cardiologist determined that she has an "insignificant" murmur. (probably not a murmur at all, but at least nothing to be concerned about) So, we're praising God again for healthy kids!

Rats Nest Baby

2007-10-19T12:57:00.000-07:00

The other day, I got Alexandra up from her nap, and she had the hugest rats nest. Thought you'd enjoy these pics.

Baby #4!

2007-10-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting the fourth (and final) Rood installment. We confirmed it this morning with an ultrasound. I'm due in mid-May. Here's a pic of the little peanut.

School and Snakes!

2007-09-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

The Rood family celebrated a momentous occasion on September 4, with our oldest, Ian, going off to kindergarten. He basically never looked back, but mom shed a few tears.

Then, the next day, Sylas started preschool at his aunt Cathy's house. He is absolutely loving school, and feels very important going to school like his big brother. He only wishes it were every day!

On Sunday, a friend had a very cool birthday party with a guest snake handler. He brought 6 snakes, one of which was an 11-foot python that he let slither on the grass among the kids!!! I was proud of myself that I didn't just curl up on the seat of my car. But I did NOT get comfy enough to touch the sucker.

Happy Birthday, Alexandra!

2007-09-03T12:06:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Alexandra's first birthday last night. Here are some pics:

This is Alexandra's church dress.

Ladybug cake - the only criteria for a good "Christy cake" is that it is identifiable. Success!

I'm ready for my party!

Aunt Cathy helping out with the kiddos on the back porch.

The cake progression:

Wonder if the plate tastes as good as the cake?

Bath time:

Farewell Summer!

2007-09-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our last family outing of the summer. We went down to the city to the Aquarium, and rode the "ducks". Those are the bus/boats that take people on tours of the city, then out into Lake Union. It was a blast!

More vacation!

2007-08-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

We had 5 days in between vacations. The kids and I headed out for MN to visit my parents on the 3rd. We had a great time! We've never been to their "new" house, and the kids had a blast exploring, boating & fishing on the lake down the street, picking vegetables from their giant-sized plants, and much more. Here are some pics from our trip.

The neighbors gave us tickets to a Twins game!

This is a park in Duluth, overlooking the town.

Fun swimming in Lake Superior!

Uncle Mike came out from Boston for a few days. Alexandra's not too sure

about this strange guy holding her.

A HOT walk around Minneapolis on our last day. Yes, we are on a bridge over the Mississippi. We held our breath all the way across.

Family VACATION!

2007-07-31T14:43:00.001-07:00

We just got back from the best vacation we've ever taken. We took 2 weeks off (which we've never done before), and toured the Oregon and northern California coasts. The weather was kind of crummy, but we didn't care. We had a great time together, leaving our worries behind, exploring new places, spoiling our kids. Here are some pics from our trip.

This was our first stop, Cannon Beach in northern Oregon. Great sandcastle beach!

This is Cannon Beach, too. Our last day there, we finally had a break in the clouds, and got this amazing shot. That's me, holding the baby, and the boys running in the surf.

This was our second stop in Florence. We stayed at a beach house that was about a 1/2 mile trek through this cave-like path, then a hike up a huge sand dune to get to the beach. Great fun!

Next we stayed in Fortuna, CA with some friends of ours, Scotty and Tahoe West. They took us to a great Redwood grove. Here's Ian in a Redwood "cave".

Then, we stayed in a cabin on the Smith River, just outside Jedediah Smith State Redwood Park. We did a short hike through the biggest trees I've ever seen.

This was the view of the Smith River from the backyard of our cabin.

Then, on our way home, we stopped at the Oregon caves, just above the CA border. If you're wondering why the boys are wearing jackets, it was 84 outside, and 44 in the caves!

Then, in Salem, we had to do our token amusement park. What's a family vacation without an amusement park, right? This was taken just after the log flume - yes, Sylas got his cast soaking wet, which wasn't the first time on this trip!

And, I just thought I'd wrap it up with a cute picture of Alexandra on the beach.

Broken arm, birthday and 4th of July!

2007-07-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

So, about a month ago, my husband taught our kids how to jump off the swing at the park. My mom flew out here to take care of my sister's kids back in June, and offered (bless her!) to keep our boys overnight at their cousins. Well, the cousins have a swing in their backyard - not a playground swing with nice soft mulch underneath. A wooden swing hanging from a tree, with hard ground underneath and a firepit nearby. Not that that would be a problem for the typical swinging child. But, remember, my husband taught our kids to jump OFF swings. Long story short, Sylas was standing on the swing, and jumped off, hit the edge of the firepit, and broke his arm. This occurred 3 days before Brent & I left for Sonoma, so my mom had to take him to get his cool red cast.

Brent & I enjoyed a 4-day pastor's retreat to sunny Sonoma, CA last month, then jumped right back into action when we got home, planning a birthday party for Sylas. He turned 4 on the 1st, and had about 18 kids come to his party at a park after church. It was one of the most fun days of his life!

Brent's parents flew in on the 2nd for a too-short 5 day visit. On the 4th, we went to a block party-type barbecue at Dan's house. They rented a bouncy house, popcorn maker & sno-cone machine for the kids, and the guys put on probably the best amateur fireworks show I've seen. Thanks, Uncle Sam, for giving us a reason to party!

All caught up for another month or so, for the 2 people who read this blog. =)

And some more...

2007-06-20T21:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry, they didn't all fit into 1 blog. I need to learn how to use that cool slideshow thing.. =)

Just some adorable pics

2007-06-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

My sister in law Erin took these while she was babysitting my kids the other day.

Frogs!!!

2007-06-11T21:05:00.001-07:00

Ok, so Brent is a frog freak. He had a few stuffed frogs he used to carry around with him everywhere as a kid, and once he brought a real frog home, squeezed in between his hand and the handlebar of his bike. You can imagine what Mr. Frog looked like when he got home. Well, at a pond near our house, Brent has been eyeing this huge bullfrog for a year now. The other day, he diverted its attention with a stick, and actually caught the slimy thing! He brought it home for the boys to see, then put it back in the pond.

Then, a few days later, Ian found a tree frog at the park and brought it home. We put it in a jar, and the next morning, while we were still sleeping, he wanted to let the frog "explore" the house. When I came down to get them breakfast, Ian sheepishly told me the frog had gone behind the couch and he couldn't get it. We lifted the couch and searched, to no avail. 2 hours later, the frog appeared, hopping casually along the livingroom floor while Brent was playing X-Box. Brent was pretty peeved with Ian until I reminded him of his frog stories as a kid...

Sorry everyone!

2007-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Alexandra Blythe

Easter - this is probably what all of our Easter pics will be like - hurry up kids (on our way out the door to church), smile fast and run!

Ian had to go to the ER for re-hydration during that yucky stomach flu in March. He was a real trooper with the IV. (he apparantly is "not afraid of anything" anymore)

Ian's 5-year birthday. We had a sleepover with the cousins. Great fun!

Ok, so I'm not the greatest about updating this blog. Ha! I've trained all of you to stop checking it! So, the last time I posted was January. It's now May. Ian turned 5 in April, the baby is now 8 months old, and Sylas will be 4 soon. Time just keeps chugging on, doesn't it?

Brent's parents came out for an unexpected 2-week visit at the end of February. It was great, despite our getting the stomach flu their last few days here.

Church is going great. We just hired a part-time pastoral assistant (one of our elders, Greg Daley). He is doing an amazing job pumping life into existing ministries, and re-arranging others. There's a lot of awesome stuff going on at Seed.

Spring is slowly making it's arrival in the northwest. We've had more sunshine lately, but I'm really ready for short-sleeve weather. That won't be here (at least not for more than a day at a time) until July. But, summers here make it worth living here the rest of the year. Come visit us, and we'll show ya! =)

2006 Christmas Letter

2007-01-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the highlights from 2006.

Well, I'll start with 2005. In December, we found out we were expecting. In April, we found out it was a GIRL!! Talk about a miracle! First grandaughter on both sides - 6 boys! Also in April, our church sent us to Disney Land in California. Here's a picture:

OK, I couldn't stop with one picture. We had a blast, as you can see! Ian was even brave enough to ride Big Thunder Mountain with his dad, and Sylas worked up the nerve (by the last day) to ride the Dumbo Elephants. :)

Here is a pic of Ian's 4th birthday - also in April.

In June, we put our condo on the market for sale by owner. 3 open houses, 1 failed offer, and 3 months later, we finally got professional help. It was pretty trying keeping the house clean with 2 rowdy boys, and me being fairly huge by then. Plus, we were nervous about the timing of the move, the closer it got to my due date. But, God had it all under control. He sold our house 2 weeks before the baby was due. More on that later.

The 2nd week in June, Grandma (Christy's mom) came out for a week to babysit the boys while Brent & I went to Boulder, CO for the annual Acts 29 retreat. What a great week we all had - the boys got to do all their favorite things, and Brent & I had a restful time of recharging!

Here are some pictures of Sylas's party in July. He, unfortunately got sick and we had to reschedule his party for 2 weeks after his birthday, so many of his friends couldn't make it. We still had a great time, though.

A "GI-Joe" theme, in case you were wondering.

In mid-July, Brent's parents came out for 10 days. Brent's mom was a guest panelist for a discussion forum that concluded a women's class that Christy co-taught at our church. Her wisdom was an outstanding addition to the panel!! We had a great time with them, especially since they had never been to visit us when it was SUNNY!

In August, we took a family hike (yes, I was 8 1/2 months pregnant!) up to Bridal Veil Falls near Steven's Pass. It was a crazy hike - 4 miles round trip, but some pretty steep terrain for a pregnant woman, and a 3 & 4-year old. The boys were troopers, and we saw some pretty amazing scenery.

So, an offer was made on our house 2 weeks before the baby was born. We found a new place a week before she was born, then the big day came for Alexandra's arrival - August 30. She was a scheduled C-section, so we had it on the calendar. She came screaming into the world at 7:17 am, weighing 8 lbs (my smallest baby), and 20.5 inches long.

What a great baby she is! She learned early-on to sleep through anything, and she has been an absolute joy. Brent's mom came the first week in September to help out, and she was a life-saver!

We moved on September 25 into a bigger house - we needed a bedroom for poor Alexandra. It seems like a mansion compared to the 1,000 square feet we had before. We are so thankful for God's provision for our needs. I now have a walk-in closet, master bathroom with 2 sinks and a huge tub, and a real laundry ROOM. Plus, we have a 2-car garage, which we have converted into a playroom for the boys. No more tripping over toys in the living room. (at least that's the goal)

For Thanksgiving, we went up to Leavenworth with a group of close friends and family. We rented a lodge , and it snowed the whole time we were there. What great memories!

Christy's parents came the week between Christmas and New Years. We actually got to keep them at our house this year, since we had the extra space. The boys had a great time with Grandma and Pops, and they got to meet Alexandra for the first time.

They babysat for us the night of our anniversary - December 28 was 10 YEARS! Brent arranged for a girl in our church who flies small planes to take us to Friday Harbor in the San Juans for dinner. It was amazing - the weather was flawless, which was a gift from God in Seattle. We saw the sunset on the way out over the mountains, and flew around Seattle twice on our way back. Kudos to my wonderful husband for planning such a romantic date!

Well, there you go. Our year in review. All I can say after reflecting is that God is good.

Family Pictures

2007-01-10T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is Alexandra. She is the newest addition to the Rood family, and is already 4 months old! Her middle name is Blythe, which means happy, and is so appropriate because she makes us so happy!

This is Sylas. He is 3 1/2 years old. He keeps us laughing constantly. He is such a character, and his favorite thing in all the world is wrestling with Daddy. "Can we wessle, Daddy??? Pweeeeese??"

This is Ian. He's our oldest, and he's 4 1/2!! Cool dude, huh? He keeps us on our toes with his constant questions, and has his father's love for video games!

I'm finally joining the blogging world!

2007-01-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, after several friends suggesting I start a blog, here I go...

I didn't think I had anything really exciting or worthwhile to share, but I was recently reminded that there are several old friends who live miles away from us who would love to keep up. And since I'm terrible at regular updates to all those friends, I figured this would be an easy way to share.

I'll start by posting some pictures of our family. Then, when I have more time, I'll compose my "Christmas letter", which didn't happen this Christmas - ha! That way you can hear more about our 2006, since now that I think of it, a lot did happen this year!