You Don't See That Every Day

April is birthday month around here. Within our little family there are 3 we celebrate, and the extended family includes 7 more, and then there are a number of good friends with April birthdays. We start out with this man: The Mr and little K goofing around He makes me laugh. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. He knows when he needs to make me laugh, and when to be quiet. After almost 20 years together, he has that figured out. We had birthday pie, instead of cake, made by our girl  along with other presents from me and the kids.  We celebrated the 12 year-old's birthday this weekend. She had a sleepover and scavenger hunt with her friends who share birthdays this week, and then we had a little family gathering in the yard The weather is actually beautiful for an Oregon springtime, so we are taking advantage of the outdoors while we can.

The things about Easter in Oregon is you never know what kind of weather you will have. Will we be wearing raincoats or sweaters to hunt for eggs this year? Trying to find a pretty dress for each of my girls has been an endeavor of patience every year. Why, oh why, do stores in Oregon sell pretty spring dresses WITHOUT sleeves?????? We found racks of dresses with spaghetti straps, or thin straps, but very few with sleeves - and they are all short short sleeves. If I knew how to sew I might start a business in Oregon selling long-sleeve spring dresses! But we girls managed to find something new to wear - one of the few traditions we have for this holiday. And I managed to eventually get a good family photo of these silly kids. After church we drove to my sister's house for a family dinner. And the egg hunt. Notice the jackets? It was cold and wet outside! We managed to hide and find the plastic eggs in between rain showers.  Even the older kids searched - although or...

It's the first day after spring break. The older kids are back at school. The youngest has been falling apart all day. I didn't get enough sleep last night. And the other girls only had a very light day of schoolwork today (another nice benefit to homeschool!) But the fun of spring break and the memories made are worth it. We made a plan this year to actually do something over the break. I made up a calendar with a list next to it of things we wanted to do, and then we plugged activities into the dates. So it started with skating for one girl and her friends; and I took the other girls to the new movie "Cinderella". We all really really liked it! There was the requisite trip to the library to stock up on books for free time. And the cousins came for a three day visit - which included a fun time at the carousel. After they went home we joined some friends for a trip to the Oregon Trail museum in Oregon City. It was interesting to see the size of the wagons pione...

The Mr. works more at a computer now than he did earlier in his career. He used to be out in the fields a lot more. And because he and the team he works with all plant their seats in a seat most of the day, the boss sprang for FitBits for all of them. He wants to keep his workers healthy! He also added in some friendly competition. The Mr. - being the competitive type - eagerly took to the task. He was already in the process of getting back to running; he had several months off to let his Achilles heal (pun intended!) This FitBit was just an extra push. So because there are points not only for time but also for steps, we have been taking more walks together. It gives us uninterrupted time to talk and listen to each other. The last couple of months feel like some of the best since we got married. The Mr. also had a chance to do some hiking on his day off last week. Ever since I have known him, he has been a climber - answering the call of the mountains. He was in Central Oregon last...

We've had some adventures these past few summers ( 1, 2, 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ) We're trying to soak up the precious remaining time with our kids. In 2 years the oldest could be out of the house. Not that I see it happening that soon, but it could. Gulp. So we decided to get an early start this year. The sunshine beckoned, and despite the cooler temps, we packed up and headed out to the woods. This trip we drove out to Opal Creek. What I thought was going to be an easy afternoon hike, say, 3 miles or so, actually ended up being 8 miles. Yowsa. And the kids were such troopers through it all! Especially the youngest. She walked most of it, with four of us taking turns carrying her occasionally. We walked along a rough road/trail that had plenty to see next to it. We saw waterfalls of different sizes, a creek, plenty of forest, bridges to cross (both scary and not-so-scary kinds). There is an old mining area there that has equipment laying around, parts that once be...

 Many dream of candlelight dinners and fancy chocolates for St. Valentines' Day. I've always been a little different. There was that one Valentines when my brand-new husband of 9 months took me to a shooting range for a treat. This year we had a family holiday.  We took the kids to an OSU women's basketball game. The team is nationally ranked - 7th! - and they are so fun to watch! Little K decided to stay at my sister and brother-in-laws house with my other sister; the rest of us went to see the Beavs crush the Wildcats. And it was a crush. 73-48 final score.  I'm not so good at taking selfies, but my girl is pretty cute. And we saw Abe Lincoln there - good to know he is an OSU fan.  It was a lovely day, with family; the first hot dogs and burgers of the year, along with potato salad at lunchtime. And then a 3 mile walk with my Mr (without kids!) It was a great way to 'celebrate' this holiday.

In my corner of the world this past week: The Mr. found a new car. I don't know if it will fit all 7 of us   Little K has been a big helper around here. She is nearing 5 yrs old and growing in leaps lately - here is what she wrote (with help!) to her daddy (I will miss you daddy)  She helped make jam this week And she demonstrated her awesome coaching strategies on the whiteboard I've been reading a new author - David Rosenfeldt ; good mysteries and not so scary that I can't sleep at night. Basketball season is winding down. The Boy has one game left (sob) and the girls have about 3 each to go; so I get my fix a little longer.