Girls Trip

I don't know who started the "Christmas in July" concept (probably the retail business), but that is what I feel like today. It's barely in the 30's and I am posting pictures from July. In July our family was divided, at least by gender. Blake took Carter camping for an evening. We dropped them off and left them to the elements. The girls and I headed to Morro Bay to the luxury of a hotel. We didn't need the car either. We hoofed it the remainder of our trip. We walked downtown and by the water. We went to a little aquarium where we could feed sea lions. We also took a bay cruise which was kind of neat to see because our tour guide brought us around the harbor and filled us in on the history of the area. Then he took us to the peninsula where we could frolic around for a bit. After the cruise we went back to our hotel and got ready for our dinner out. It was a nice time together. We started a journal of what I hope will be filled out annually, of each of our perspective of the trip. Later the next day, we picked Blake and Carter up to spend one more night at the hotel.

Carter's 6th Birthday

Carter had root beer and orange floats for the his Kindergarten class. We also played Lego Bingo. The kids seemed to enjoy looking for all the characters on their cards.

September Hike

In September we went for a hike with the family. It had been awhile since we hiked together in the Sequoias. We did it a lot on our 3-week trip last summer. Those hikes seemed more flat though. We did a couple miles, stopped by a stream, and then headed back. We saw some deer along the way.

Summer Flashback Part 2

We drove straight to our next camping trip from Pismo to be with some friends for one night. It was worth packing up at one campground and setting up an hour or so later at the next place. It reminded us of our trip last summer.

Sumer Flashback Part 1

Now that school has started and I have a little bit more free time, I can post our Summer happenings. Our Summers always starts off at Pismo with my family. Here are a few pics to represent that week. As you can see, the kids LOVE their Opa and Oma. Opa and Oma brought the kiddos to the candy store. The thing my kids were looking forward to on this annual trek was the big jaw breaker. It was a great time. We noticed this year a new-found freedom. The kids played so well together that we adults got to hang out a bit more.

First Day Back

Well, actually, first half-day back. Here we are again. I know everyone says time flies, it really does. First day of school for all my fam. Carter starts Kindergarten today (insert sad face for mom and happy face for C-dawg), Avery starts 2nd grade, Kenna starts 4th grade, Jacie starts 5th grade, and Blakey starts his 18th? year of teaching. WOW! It was a big day here because Carter had to say "goodbye" to his blankie today and Jacie starts rotating classes. My first load of laundry today contains P.E. clothes and a blankie. Usually laundry brings me to tears but not because of milestones but rather the amount. I know it is all good and we are truly blessed. The kids (and Blake) have a great school to go to everyday.

Faithfulness

Blake and I were blessed to be able to see Kenna get the "Fruit of the Spirit" award for Faithfulness. The pictures says it all to me. Mrs. Girard and Mrs. Janzen have been great teachers for Kenna this year. They have been faithful to her and guiding her along in such positive ways. Thank you to teachers and all your hard work that you put into your students throughout the year.

Honey

We were lucky to be invited along to see how honey is processed. It was a very neat experience to see. The kids really enjoyed the talk. Kenna, always our inquisitive one, rarely had her hand down at her side because she had so many questions. After the "field trip" we went out for dinner with everyone. All the kids had fun playing in the park and putting on a show for us.

Reader's Theatre

Avery's class put on a performance highlighting their reading abilities. It was cute to see them so excited as we arrived. They did a great job acting and reading. Afterwards, we were able to share a lunch with her out on the grass.

9 Years Old Today

Happy Birthday Kenny-Cat! We love you so much.

Jeeping

What is more fun than going to your sister's friend's barbeque? Having one of your friends that is a sibling of your sister's friend. Avery was excited to play with her friend.

As Hungry as a Horse

Another image from our time with friends.

Horsing Around

A couple weeks ago our family had a fun opportunity to hang out with Kenna's friends and their families one afternoon. We had a picnic, played, and went for horse rides around the property. We are missing a couple kids from the picture but most are smiling for the camera.

"I've got all my sisters and me"

I never knew I could pray so much about so many things when it comes to these 4 little people. They truly are a gift. We pray constantly for their futures. Words like "integrity" "compassion" "God-fearing" crop up a lot. I can't believe God thinks I can raise them up. It's a lot to bear sometimes. But then I am reminded that I am not doing this alone and I am thankful for that. He is in control of all things!

Miss Responsibility

The title says it all. She is highly responsible. Way too much for her age sometimes. I hope she looks back at her childhood with fondness. She will be the first to volunteer to do things around the house when asked vaguely to my audience of children. She will do things without being told. . . most of the time. She is self-motivated and attention to detail in her homework may come back to bite her. Like last night. She missed GEMS because she had to finish her paper. Granted, this was unlike her because she waited until the night before to do it. After some inquiry she said she knew over Easter break that she had to complete it. I don't know if she's entering the Tween years with forgetting some things or she's so exhausted from being responsible all the time that she will just drop EVERYTHING when there's a break. She has enjoyed baking lately. She has made cookies and a couple other things. This last time I reminded her that she does have to clean up afterwards. She hasn't baked since then. Hmmmm

Meow

Kenny-Cat, she brings us great joy and has brought us to our knees in prayer too. When she is "on" she's on! She is funny and loves sharing what's she's reading or what she dreams about. She remembers great details of her dreams too. She's really into swinging on the monkey bars and doing flips on them. Another great passion she has is for reading. She'll often have to be reminded to say "hi" as she gets into the car when I pick them up after school because she will quickly stick her nose in a book for the ride home and let the others share their day. I love the first picture of her. It captures the look she often gives as her response to something goofy Blake or I say to her. Oftentimes we try to joke with her and that is the look she gives. It's kind of a funny-but-not-going-to-quite-give-you-that-satisfaction look.

Fashionista

Ok, so I tell Avery to act natural and show her a few "poses" so she's not just standing stiffly and this is what she comes up with. She's a little model in the making. Avery is 7. I can't believe it. She still shines her cute dimply smile this way but she is becoming a tad more moody. I think it's under the suffrage of two older sisters and having Carter take the "baby" roll. She has a sweet spirit inside, it's just being a little stifled by the "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha Syndrome." She is always the first to make a card for us and others who could use a little cheering up. She is the first to give me a hug. She is our tender-hearted one.

Cards

I don't know when Carter's nickname morphed from C-Dawg to Cards but that is what he responds to lately. He is fun to have around on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I will miss him next year when he goes to Kindergarten. He's my little "Snuggy-Bug." Recently, he has been calling out "Love Bugs" instead of "slug bug" so he tallies them up and then gives me kisses on my cheek when we are safe. (He made Blake and I promise not to cash-in on the love bugs until we are at a complete stop) He loves shooting baskets with the newly acquired hoop as well as call out all the makers of cars and trucks.

Easter

What a beautiful day! The day after a powerful thunderstorm. We enjoyed a wonderful service at church and then off to Opa and Oma's for Easter. All the day was enjoyable from not having school the next day to spending time with family. The highlight though was probably when Ayla caught a catfish off Opa's boat. I don't want to put out any red flags to PETA but we had a little fun with it first before we returned it to it's watery home. We put it in Opa's fountain for awhile while Jude wore Opa's bathing suit to "swim" with it.

Sea World

We got to see all the animals in Sea World for break. It was a great time walking around and seeing all the talented animals.