You Don't See That Every Day

I know, I know, you have been waiting and waiting,  wondering why I haven't written in days and weeks. Well, we went on a family vacation this Christmas break. And what a doozy it was - in a good way. There is so much I am still processing that I haven't gotten a good posting written yet; But I thought I would share a little bit of our time. A teaser ... There was lots of snow, some ice skating, some sledding, plenty of good food, and plenty of craziness We saw God's hand upon us at so many times. Details to follow once I find my notes from under the laundry mountain.

We're home from Las Vegas. Our first trip there, and possibly, only trip there. So much to process and go over in photos. But never fear, I'll be posting all about it. Once I get my brain back.

Because birthdays around here don't just last for one day! I have eaten way too many desserts this week. And I have run ... 3 miles total. Ack. My sweet husband had enough points from traveling for work that we got a free night at a hotel on the coast. So excited! We finally spent a night away from home without children ... for the first time in 2 years. It was a much-needed break from reality for the two of us. We were able to talk without being interrupted. We sat and watched a sunset without any little hands tugging on us. And we ate what we wanted - like ice cream for lunch! Of course by morning time I missed those little minions ... but we held out until late afternoon before returning to the home front. Of course I forgot to pack the camera. So all my awesome photos are on my husband's phone. I am hoping he will upload or download or whatever it takes - to the computer so I can share some of the gorgeous views we had on our mini-mini vacation.

My trip to Texas was terrific. I had a great time visiting my family, and enjoying a lot of on-on-one time with little K. What did we do? We rode airplanes; we saw a cute little, old, town full of shopping and souvenirs; we toured an awesome battleship; and we attempted to go to Galveston. I have yet to put my feet in warm ocean/gulf water in my lifetime. K. loved all the activity at the airport! I was a bit apprehensive about traveling with a 13 month old. This one does not like to be confined and is very active and 'busy'. I imagined 4 hours on an airplane, and I cringed each time the thought crossed my mind. I even brought along some ibuprofen, just in case I really needed that kind of backup plan. But what a trooper I have! What an answer to prayer I experienced while traveling with baby K and my brother and sister in law! K. was happy the entire flight out to Houston. She slept for the first hour and then enjoyed her books and other passengers the rest of the time. T...

Hello world! I'm back in the land of my own personal computer. I'm home from my trip to Texas and have been playing catch-up for the past day or two. Mail, papers, emails, other blogs!, facebook, - so many things to read and catch up on. I hope to have a post up soon about my trip, but for now ... I'm just catching up. I will say this, it was hot in Houston. Here's baby K on our first day there, sweating it out. I know she is glad to be home now!

The sun was shining. My sister had the day off from work. So we took a little trip. Did you know there was a Boston in Oregon? I didn't! We went through an old flour mill, a self-tour this time, although it is a state park now, and they do offer guided tours a couple of times a day. We just didn't happen to be there at the right time. But we had a great time looking around by ourselves.     The kids got to see how an auger and grain elevator work - by using a smaller model and cranking the gears/ wheels themselves. Further along in the mill they got to make flour; First they sifted out the chaff. Then they plunked the grains into the middle of the millstone (yes, teacher took the opportunity to remind them of the Bible verse about the millstone around the neck (Matthew 18:6)). Next, they turned the stone to grind the wheat down and swept the "flour" into a box. This got dumped into another box and then sifted. And then sifted again. And...

Upward Basketball season has begun! The first game(s) played tonight. The boy had a great game too. Although their team lost (30-18) the top scorer lives in our house! And the steals he got! Time after time he got an "interception" (yeah I am still in football mode). It all made for a very exciting time when he was on the court. And did I bring a camera to share photos? Oh, no. My purse had snacks and a comb and stuffed animals, and a clean diaper, to take of care of the girls' side of things. But no camera. I know, what kind of blogging mom am I? And in that vein, we took a field trip on Thursday along with another homeschooling family. We went to an Arctic museum. It was cold inside, but actually it was about the Arctic peoples. And did I bring the camera? Oh, no. Thankfully my friend did. I'm waiting for her to email the pictures and then I can share them with you all. Until then you can just imagine my boy with his head stuck inside a bear's mouth.

A weekend jaunt to Montana. Never thought I would do that in a weekend, but we packed up the 4 kids, dropped off the dogs, and headed east. Eastern Washington - possibly our home-to-be - is brown. We passed a sign that said "Welcome to the Evergreen State" and I laughed. The next day we made it to and across Idaho. It took one hour to cross. Now I know the lower half takes longer, but the state I come from ... hours and hours to cross either way. And finally into Montana. The leaves were changing colors. We were up in elevation, so there was rain, but the colors were beautiful! The highways there now have speed limit signs posted - but 75 miles downhill on a mountain, s-curve was enough to put finger dents in my door handle. So on Friday we got to visit wit h G's 103 year old grandmother. She is still mentally very sharp, although can't see or hear qui te as well as she used to! She is an amazing lady! The kids really enjoyed meeting her - and we decided to take her o...