And then there were five...

Plus a dog of course. And the dog should not be discounted since I believe the dog is having the hardest time transitioning to our new status of "family of five" and thus making it extra difficult on the rest of us. Just ask Jadyn's hairbrush, Isaiah's cup, and Papa Jim's sunglasses which have all met their demise at the teeth of Sherlock along with countless other items since the arrival of Imogen Marielle.

And we're back to the point of this post...Imogen.

The back story you ask? Christmas Eve 2011, the test has a plus sign. Despite us having decided that a family of four was just right. Despite the fact that we had just finished donating all our baby stuff (crib excepting). Despite the fact that adding a new member to the family meant a HUGE wrench in our over-all timeline (you know, since we have control over that sort of thing). And still, there it was, that plus sign. Deep breaths and lots of "but Lord".

Fast forward to now (we'll skip all the fun details of morning sickness, a car accident resulting in a totaled vehicle, pre-term labor, etc.) and this beautiful little person has entered our lives. Imogen Marielle. Despite my attempts to pretend all of this wasn't happening (for a very long time), and despite my total lack of enthusiasm, she came.

And now I'm home (this is Briahnna of course), with time (in between feedings and rockings and cleaning and loving two other children plus a husband...so maybe not that much time) to re-evaluate. To take a step back and consider what this means for our family, for myself. This seeming disruption in my timeline may be my redemption. Maybe this timeline is the one that leads to the world becoming better instead of leading to destruction (can you tell I'm a sci-fi fan?...any Fringe watchers out there?)

I do believe that things happen with purpose and I'm hoping during these next few weeks of maternity leave I'll have time to really explore that. Maybe it's as easy as Imogen is going to do something amazing and my job is to love her in preparation for that.

In any case, I also plan to revive this website since it has been growing cobwebs for awhile now, thanks for listening and please join me in welcoming the newest miracle on earth....Imogen ("Immy" for short).

The Proposal (30/30)

Most likely you have to be from California to recognize the reference to the Getty. It is an art museum that opened while Briahnna and I used to live in SoCal and it probably is one of the most beautiful places in the world (especially on a clear day).

It was getting close to our first year anniversary and I was ready to pop the question. In fact...I had been feverishly working on my special project.  I had the ring (an english poesy ring that Katy was so kind enough to drop a hint) and a carved wood box with about 100 slips of paper of all the things I loved about B written on them. The ring was to be nestled in the middle of all the rolled up pieces of paper (they looked like little scrolls).

I even knew I wanted to do it at the Getty (but had not picked out my spot yet).

What I did not plan for was our actual one year anniversary.We were going out that night and on my way home from work...I picked up a card, some flowers and a bottle of ginger ale (because I had drank all of hers the night before). I must admit that looking back...it was a pretty boneheaded move. Imagine my surprise when she pulls out a journal where she chronicled the past year with little vignettes and special moments we had together. I was beautiful. I on the other hand felt like a heel. I knew that in just a few short days...I would be asking Briahnna to marry me but for that moment...I had to live through the disappointment I caused.

At least I picked out a cool restaurant. It was a little place called Bahooka in Rosemead next to where my parents used to live when they were first married. It was always a place where my family celebrated big occasions so I was carrying the torch.

After getting past the initial hurt feelings...dinner was excellent and I was ready to finish out my plan.

A few days later I had my friend Jeff drive me to the Getty and I picked out the perfect spot to propose (see the 1st picture in the post). It had a view of the gardens and Santa Monica beach (see 2nd picture in post).

Jeff later helped me surprise her by dropping me off at her work (UCLA) and I used her car to drive over to the Getty. We made it up to the balcony area and I knelt down on one knee and asked her to marry me (probably in front of some Chinese tourists). She said yes...and the rest is really history.

I know this is my 30th post...but there are so many more things I could write about Briahnna, us, and our family. When you take all the little moments that happen and piece them all together you get a really extraordinary thing (a life). It has been an unbelievable pleasure to be a part of B's life for nearly a decade. I know there will be many more memories in store for us.

This is for you my darling. Happy 33rd Birthday! I love you immensely.

Your Tim

Mall Rat/Deal Shopper Extraordinaire (29/30)

Something you may know about us... we like to hang out at the mall.

In fact, on days when we have nothing to do...sometimes we like to walk around the mall and just window shop. Including people watch. This was true even before kids. On a side note...Briahnna is a huge fan of Cinnabon which are often located at the mall. Even on our recent trip to California we hung out at some of the more famous high-end outdoor malls in Los Angeles. This is probably totally uncool to you...but it turns out to be a safe and fun place for us.

Above all of this is Briahnna's uncanny ability to sniff out a deal. She is the queen of the clearance racks/aisles. We can be anywhere and if we are not getting at least 50% of something...B is not really happy with the purchase. This is something I really appreciate about her because while I like to take my time with a purchase...Briahnna can really score some good finds. This is especially true with the groceries. She has been the main grocery buyer since we got married but in the last 5-6 years she has also become quite adept at using coupons. You know...the "I took 75% off my grocery bill" coupon stories. This is something that I just don't have the focus to do...so I am very thankful to my wife for being so good at what she does...

And of course that she loves a good mall...

Geo-momma (28/30)

File under...adventurous momma. One of our hobbies is geocaching. If you are not familiar...here is the link (http://www.geocaching.com/) Here is B with a Batman and Robin theme "cache" that she and Jadyn found in a hole in the side of a dirt wall.

This is my last photo entry. The last few will be longer.

See-food (27/30)

At Joe's Crab Shack...

One of B's favorite thing is seafood. Specifically crab... Something about her and food that takes lots of effort to eat. The same thing goes with artichokes. Deliciousness...

New Year's Day (26/30)

Also...a favorite photo of mine. Taking a walk on the first day of 2012. Lots of personality in this group right here. I wonder where the kids get it from...

Katy (25/30)

Such a beautifully mundane moment in Phoenix, AZ.  The person in the background was one of B's most beloved friends and college roomates (she was quite special to both of us).  She passed in January of 2006 due to her battle with cancer. Kaite undoubtedly changed B's life with her example of living and loving like Christ. We can only hope that we can follow her example.