You Don't See That Every Day

This year (2019) has brought many changes to our family. It's funny how traditions are made and cherished and... protected. For many many many years we have gone to a certain tree farm to cut our Christmas tree. We would bundle up the kids, make sure the baby of that year was snuggly warm, make sure I had a camera! and head out. There were the farm dogs there which the kids loved to pet especially those years we didn't have our own pups. There was hot chocolate and cookies to look forward to in the warm barn after we found just the right tree. But then the kids got bigger and busier and we didn't always go as a complete family. I remember one year the Mr was sick and the Boy took on the cutting and carrying duties. This year was very different from all others. My older kids were still away at college; the two middle kids had a load of homework to tackle, my husband was fixing the plumbing (bc a working kitchen sink is pretty important) .... So the youngest child and I...

Spring is coming! I know its only January but I can see the daylight growing earlier and longer each day, offering hope of time outside not shivering. Our holiday break is over and we are back to the routine. Which is a good thing! The first day back to school was a lot easier for us than the second. We were up and going on time, with the only fussiness when it came time to do math. One child has a little problem with wanting to DO math. She's very good at it, and when she is in the right attitude, she can fly through it. The second day ... well, at 9am and I was just starting to eat breakfast, instead of starting school. And now that we are in week 2, well, I'm dreaming again about break time But about our break .. We packed it in this time. It felt like it to me even if the kids might not agree. The week before Christmas we took off from homeschool, although the older kids still had class at away-school. Choir concerts, singing at the Capitol, dentist and ortho appo...

There was a time when having something going on every night of the week made me so excited, and by the weekend I was ready for more fun. That time has passed. We have had something going on every night for the past 11 days straight, along with the daily events and fun things thrown in there to keep my homeschool kids from rising up and firing me. Last weekend we went to Seattle for the day to see my niece married to a great guy. It was fun to show the two younger girls who went with us, the sites of Seattle, even though those sights were found due to a couple of missed turns. Earlier in the week my sisters and I took the two youngsters to a Nativity 'festival'. We visited a place that had a large room/gym (?) full of Nativity scenes. It was like they could read my mind. I love Nativities, and am slowly gathering my own collection of them. But this collection from all over the world was just ... well it made me happy! These pictures are just a few of what we saw. The du...

I've finally dug out from under the mountain of laundry and found time to tell our tale The mountain, minus one load 4 states in 1 day of a two day road trip. 2100 miles. 5 children, 2 adults, and only 1 minor meltdown. Burger King and Denny's - more than once. Lots of snow, lots of love and cousins. It was a beautiful Christmas vacation. sledding! And yet, there is so much more to say. We saw God's hand on us in many ways. We originally rented a van to haul all of us and our gear to Wyoming. When we went to pick up the van, the rental agency said they didn't have one... but had a Ford Expedition instead. I thought at first, it would be too small. And yes, it was a little tight. But that just meant we had to pack lighter and that meant less to lose along the way. It also meant 4 wheel drive. Which we needed the first night, and the second night of traveling. We hit snow in Spokane and again in Billings. Driving in blowing snow, when the temps ou...

 Thirty six people; Grandparents, cousins, siblings, fiances, a soon to be born baby; Lots of love and laughter in the house. We spent Christmas at my brother and sister in law's house. Which was great, because there is plenty of room for all of us,  and some years there is the joy of snow (although not this year!)  We did something a little differently this year. I spent a few weeks putting together a family trivia game, gathering little known facts/ experiences from family members. I put them in random order, printed out a copy for everyone, along with the names (because keeping track of that many is not easy!) Then people spent dinner talking, and guessing who was the beauty pageant entry, and who was the one to eat mushrooms out of the yard, among other things. It was fun to listen to and hear the stories behind them once the answers were revealed. I'm already thinking ahead to next year ... maybe baby pictures.