First Snowfall of the Year!

Just barely enough, but worth it!

Some good funk music and pumpkin carving!

All Hallow's Eve

It's been toooooo long!

SO - we finally went on a camping trip. I think it's been over a year and a half! This time it was Mt. St. Helens.


Gavin starts the weekend with saying, "Um....is Mt. St. Helens a volcano?"
I say, "Yes."
Gavin: "Errrr.. "
Me: "We'll leave if anything happens." : )


Matt just watched in stunned silence at my determination to fit EVERYTHING in our little car for the two nights. I'm so proud of myself. I've got my dad's engineering mind!
5 sleeping bags,
1 tent,
1 small cooler,
5 pillows,
4 bags of clothes, and my favorite,
2 camping chairs that didn't have to be left behind!

It was like the clown car all over again.




















The kids had "airbags" all around them in the back seat - HA! HA!

Mt. St. Helens Camping Trip

That's Mt. St. Helens on the top left. On the bottom right is the lahar that buried the valley 150 feet at the blast. We were considered to be in the blast zone. I guess the original highway was down there too, somewhere...

It was a good time with our homeschool group. Jujubee actually enjoyed the swing for the first time! She couldn't get enough! All the kids enjoyed non stop fun with their friends, running through the trails, riding bikes, s'mores and staying up late. We had one night that we went stargazing, with the best quote ever from Gavin,

"I was too amazed to be afraid."

We were in the middle of nowhere and in the pitch black. The stars were astounding...

It started out a good day...

After morning respon- sibilities, Ephraim started making a cave with Little Girl, and Gavin joined in. I LOVE LOVE LOVE, when they play pretend with Felicity. So much learning and teaching going on!

Then, we went on to our normal day, hence, the normal struggles of fighting frustration, not meeting unspoken expectations, and just plain dissapointing the kids by having them clean up their own toys. After a 45 minute, or so, struggle with Gavin's frustration, Ephraim lost it, and then, Felicity. I AM TIRED AND DRAINED. But, I did spend a long time cuddling with each of them individually, after I won the WAR. Who knows? Quite possibly, I've been too busy with chores and school to actually BE with them...

Here Grandma Jeanie is your little :: Tinker Bell :: today! After getting over the fact that it lights up (never know how a little one will respond!), she'll be wearing that shirt 2 days in a row for sure!! ...we'll see if she sneaks it on for some more.

Princess Fairy Magic

Sparkly Toes

What fun! I painted Baby Girl's toes for the first time! She loved her **sparkly toes **, until she was upset about something and wanted me to wipe them off. We told her, "later," as taking out a second chemical, may not have been a hit. As well as, maybe wanting them back!!

Thanks Aunt Michel!

She's been
wearing
her shoes on and off and on and off and on and off and on and off and on and...

I LOVE how she dresses herself! Those socks!!

******

I swear it took the boys all of, maybe, 20 minutes to build these!

Catch them sleeping!

Felicity's First Story Time!

I’m going to tell you a story.

There was a lion swimming. There was a horse swimming. There was a hippo potty mouse swimming. Elephant was swimming.

I’m going to tell you another story.

Bear was swimming.

I’m going to tell you another story.

Kitty was swimming. Duckie was swimming.

I’m going to tell you another story.

Donkey was swimming.

I’m going to tell you another story.

Doggie was swimming. Kitty was swimming. Donkey was swimming.

I’m going to tell you another story.

Hippo potty mouse was swimming.

I’m going to tell you a story.

Christmas tree was swimming. HappyLight was swimming. Ephraim was swimming. Ha ha ha! Momma was swimming. HA ha ha!

All done.

I'm not Alone in my Parenting!

Besides Matt and I being on the same page on most of it, I still feel alone a lot of the time. Especially at church. Not that I'm there or have any opportunity to be there, because of my convictions on parenting. Funny how that works, most things in my life are just me and Jesus hanging out. I shouldn't be lonely then, right? The Creator of the universe as my bud...

Well, anyway, back to topic. I'm not crazy or alone in my thinking! I just read Biblical Parenting by Pastor Crystal Lutton. While, I'm definitely wary on the title and some kind of claim of it being "God's way," the rest of it spoke, I mean, SANG, to my very own momma heart! To show my babies Jesus, Lover of my soul, the one who unbelievably went to a painful and bloody and shameful death on the cross for me - I don't deserve it or can ever pay Him back...to show my babies Jesus through my relationship with them. To have the Holy Spirit teach them, to have them go to His Love on their own, IF only I could love them that way. I've been told I think too much, that I'm too hard on myself, but to love my babies with Grace and to walk WITH them through this world while I can POSSIBLY catch their hearts close to mine, even for a moment's breath -

I'll think and examine my heart 'til the day I die, and hope to flash joy and love on my children through smiles, laughter, prayer and tears, through their broken hearts over broken Legos and the Christmas tree going away, through doing chores as a family - serving each other with hard hearts that only LOVE, because He makes our heart of stone into a heart of flesh!

Thank You Jesus for this moment. May You imprint it on my heart, that tomorrow, my patience may last a little longer, that my child's name will whisper in my prayers during the day, that I may remember to tickle and giggle with my little ones tomorrow! Don't let me forget - may it be a monument on my heart!

Don't you like flowers???

SO, as little girls do, she's starting to change her outfits and is particular about what she wears. This concoction is her new favorite to dress herself in. She'll wear it, and then, precede to take it out of the hamper the next day. Hopefully, I can catch it between wearings to wash it!

Merry Christmas!

After a few shots of getting all the tickles

and sillies out...

We finally got a good shot!

Thanks Aunt Steph, Uncle Ron and kids!

Ephraim with his legos all spread on a blanket, as not to LOSE a vital piece near the end. He still managed to lose it. Good thing they've got a thousand back up pieces!

Only took the boys a full day to build these ones!

Hopefully, we'll upload a video of the outcome of Felicity's gift! : )

Thanks Grandma Jeanie and Grandpa Tom!

It took the boys, maybe two days to complete them, but they did the work mostly themselves!