Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve

Winter Has Come

Waking Up To Friday

Wishing You a Merry Christmas!

Basket Cats

Czar takes a leisurely Saturday afternoon nap...

....but there's always room for one more in the basket!

Happy 10th Birthday, Moonchild!

As of yesterday the whole family has entered the double digits.....100 is looooonnnnnggg way off!

Our Fairy Princess Turns 13

A much belated photo from Ladybird's 13th Birthday on September 20th!

My Favorite Place, Elkhorn

For the past few years, just after Christmas we've packed up and secluded ourselves in a lovely cabin in the mountains. From the warmth of the living room we've admired the surrounding scenery...the river running through the valley, the mountains, and sometimes snow. For my birthday we loaded up the cars again, this time to enjoy the surroundings in the summer warmth. We enjoyed some hiking (a bit more than I was anticipating) and savored time to soak up the sun by the river. We read our books, snacked and snacked and snacked some more, watched our movies, and lamented that we had forgotten Settlers of Catan and Carcasonne at home. All in all, it was a perfect end to our summer.

Must Read!

"The Mysterious Benedict Society", by Trenton Lee Stewart.
I've been saving this book to kick off our new school year. It's a five star winner on my chart!!!! Intrigue, interesting characters, puzzles....it's all there. And we've only read the first chapter. I intend to savor this read.

Beginning Anew

I love fresh starts!

I love new books, pencils, and paper...organized binders and decluttered cupboards!

I love the return to routine that comes with the first day of a new school year.

I love the enthusiasm in my little girls as they start each new subject.

I love the fullness of the day and the feeling of accomplishment that teaching my children brings.

It's been a lovely start today and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

More from Mary's Peak

Jabberwocky and Autumn Rain

Just hanging around.

Moonchild and Ladybird

Life's good!

Happy 19th, Lavender Girl!

Celebrating with a birthday hike at Mary's Peak, OR.

Moonchild Make-over

Madhatters' 11:00 PM Tea Party

Meeting Little Miss "A"

Great Aunt Lori and Miss A

Lavender Girl, Autumn Rain, and Miss A

Great Grandma, Mama, Grandma, and Miss A

Little Miss A

Frolic 'n' Fun

Little Cousins

A Time To Dance......

Tea Time

For many years the girl cousins have reveled in tea parties at our family reunion. This year the moms decided it was high time for our own tea party!

Stackable Cousins

A Sweet 16!

Happy Birthday, Jabberwocky!

Remembering

A piece of our past stepped off Amtrak and back into our lives yesterday afternoon.

We must have met Elizabeth 14 or some odd years ago. She had just moved back to states with her family after their tour of duty in England.

I was in the thick of my baby raising days, most of which I remember as a thick fog engulfing me. Elizabeth ministered to this Mama in a very special way. She was 11 and my Autumn Rain 7. There wasn't a lot time for one-on-one with my children in those days. But Elizabeth stepped in and filled in the gap. She spent time every week discipling my girl. She planned a lesson and craft...some of which I still have around my home....a special Christmas stocking for mom.....a beautiful woodland wreath on my bookshelf.

Then she moved off to Colorado and we moved to Mississippi and we moved back to California and she moved back to California, but the girls had grown up and our lives didn't very often cross paths. Recently their lives have connected again through Facebook. We were delighted to have a message from Elizabeth that she would be traveling through Oregon and wanted to stop in for visit.

The girls spent a lovely afternoon together touring the Capitol City and catching up. And now Elizabeth is forging new friendships with my younger daughters as they explore the countryside around our home. The visit is going to end to quickly when I return her to the train this afternoon.

Thanks, Elizabeth, for being a part of our lives. We love you!

She's Home!

Full House, Happy Heart!

Last night we gathered our traveling kiddos back into our arms again! The Autumn Rain arrived first.....after a long 24hrs of traveling. Then the Jabberwocky after a quick commuter jaunt from ID. Many hugs and the happy chatter of our whole family together again after 15 weeks apart made this mama's heart very happy.

Today I've followed my kids around the house. Catching up on all they've been doing. Watching them settle back into our home. We've sipped coffee together and listened to favorite music and eaten a beautiful cake that Lavender Girl concocted for the occasion. I put the leaf back into the table, rounded up all eight chairs, and we gathered for a delightful evening meal together.

For tomorrow, we've made arrangements for substitute nursery workers for Lavender Girl and I so that we can all sit together for Sunday morning worship once again. The missing pieces of my heart have returned....all is well.

Father's Day Recital

Summertime

It's been a tad bit over a week now since we shelved our school things and entered summer mode.

My parents visited for a nice long weekend and then drove off to Idaho with my younger son, who will be with them for nearly a month. He's busily helping Grandpa fix up the Quall's nest in anticipation of our big family gathering in July.

This week we are immersed in VBS activities. Techno-Son is providing some drama in the form of "Dr. Jones" the paleontologist during the opening exercises. Ladybird is lending her crafty hands to the art department. I'm manning a registration table. And Moonchild is traveling through the rainforest of the Amazon and learning about the wonderful world our mighty God has created.

It was a bit hectic getting out the door this first morning. Yesterday I had neglected to make the meals I intended to bring for two of our VBS leaders (one has had a child in the hospital all weekend with pneumonia), so I needed to pull those together before heading out the door at 8:45 this morning! But we arrived in time, or close enough, and now I've also got my own dinner prepared and waiting in the fridge. Tomorrow should be smoother.

I am keeping expectations low for this week. Between VBS and regular chores (meals, laundry, tidying up) I don't anticipate getting much else done. The rest of my summer list can be put on hold until next week.

Counting Down

There are three significant events that I'm counting down the weeks until:

1. We only have two weeks left of school until summer vacation and also a visit from my parents, both very good things to anticipate!
2. In 5 weeks and 4 days our Autumn Rain will return to our arms!!!!!!!
3. And the much coveted trip to "Cousin Camp" at the Qualls' Nest is only 8 weeks away.

I'm looking forward to the breathing room in our days. Time to enjoy friends as well as time to conquer a few tasks that have been on hold around the house.

WOW!

Another fabulous creation by Jabberwocky

and Lavender Girl......a giant sugar cookie pizza!