Adventure!

My, did we have a grand time on our adventure!!  Exploring new places is always the first part of business on an adventure and that's just what we did.

 We found an old, working grist mill (that was not only super cool but amazingly beautiful)

 The people who run it give visitors fresh ground wheat or corn to try

This old covered bridge was part of the romance of this stop on our trip.

And of course - when on an adventure taking note of the animal life in the area is important!

As well as the plant life.

Observing the weather conditions is always necessary!

And...visiting an active volcano is always, always included in any good adventure!!!

Don't they look like good adventurers?

We visited Mt St Helens - a place that truly shows off the powerful hand of God!!!  Stunning in it's beauty and power!  We also hung out in a tiny town that we just fell in love with - they were having a tulip festival and Lilac Days at the same time - such fun.  The surrounding farmland was lovely and inspired us to think about where we want to raise the rest of our family - something we are praying about! :)  All in all a successful Adventure!!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Adventure

We've had weeks  of illness and then after that just general  malaise this Spring (you can tell from the lack of blogging going on here :)!!)  

Soooo - we have decided that the best cure is ADVENTURE.  We are headed out to explore the Southern part of our state for a few days and it looks like the weather is going to be FABULOUS (a miracle around here!!!)  Can you tell I am excited?!!!

I will have lots of picture, stories and memories to record!!

See you in a few days!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Headed Out

Packing to leave - getting things in order - taking care of details has been the main focus of our second born the last few days.  And as a result - the focus of the Dad and Mom of the the house too.  Although with many of the little ones still sick - a lot of my focus has been on on helping the poor little ones feel better, too. (But praise God - they woke up this morning just fine!!!)

The big day finally arrived and this morning Daniel put his stuff in the back of the van.

And off we went to the airport.

There we waited with him - until that difficult moment of saying goodbye.

We watched him go through security - and disappear into the depths of the airport that non-travelers are not allowed.

And off to Thailand he goes.  

My heart aches right now - which is something not uncommon to moms of older children, I'm sure!!  Goodbyes just are not fun.  But I know Daniel is seeking to follow God.  And while I am apprehensive because my Mama's heart is having a hard time letting go, I am excited for him.  Two days ago he turned 20 years old!!  I just don't know where the time went!!!  Somehow, here we are - just having sent him off to be a missionary to a foreign land - to work for God in a distant place.  My head and heart are having a hard time getting around the idea that he could possibly be old enough for this - and yet - he is.   And now - I am sooo looking forward to our next trip to the airport to pick him up - sometime - in 6 months or a year - only God knows that answer to that!

Blessings,
Christine

The Chocolate Cure

What do you do when you've got an armful of feverish, sickly baby?

And a couchful of feverish, sickly kids (4 down - 2 to go in this house), and nothing but grey, deary rain outside?

You go in the kitchen - make a big mess - stirring up a concoction in a mug - put it in the microwave for a minute.....

And take the Chocolate Cure!!!

Don't forget the glass of milk!!!

Beware - this definitely is NOT diet friendly, gluten free, fat free or something to count on Weight Watcher points.  But it IS yummy, satisfying and makes a dreary, sick kid filled day very doable :)!!  I almost wish I had not discovered these mug cakes on the Internet - it's oh sooo tempting.

Blessings,
Christine

Okay - this may be silly but I am editing this to quickly add - I did make chicken soup and tea for my poor sick kiddies - hahaha - I didn't want anyone to think I didn't take of the sad, sickly little ones

Go and I Will Be Your Guide

My second oldest went on an amazing adventure during my blogging absence.

He has always had a heart for missions and adventure.  And he received his heart's desire. 

Yes, he's on an ELEPHANT!!

 He joined up with Youth With a Mission and spent 6 months away from us.  He went to Montana to study for 4 months and then Thailand for 6 weeks to serve and spread the Good News.  YWAM fulfilled his quest for both those things

Playing with some Thai Children on the beach

Thailand captured his heart and broke it at the same time.  The terrible practice of human trafficking tore him up - as well as the many, many idols the people worship.  But the warm welcome and friendliness the Thai people extended the YWAM team charmed him.

Sharing his story with his grandpa's church

So...in 9 short (oh sooo short!!) days Daniel will be returning to Thailand - on his own this time - to work with a ministry there that reaches out to college age people.  (That age is the most receptive to things of Jesus - unlike our own country)

Reading "his" verse:  Isaiah 61:1

He has only been home for 6 weeks and we are readying our hearts to say goodbye again.  It doesn't seem like "A Small World After All" when your child is on the other side.  But there is an amazing peace that comes with knowing that even though my son will be zooming around Thailand on a motorcycle, he is in God's will for his life, he is listening to His Spirit and his whole desire is to please his Creator!!  There is nothing more than this mama wants, than to know that her children are walking with God (except for the occasional skype date with boy on the other side of the world :)!!)

Since I believe in prayer so much - I am asking that maybe Daniel could be added to your prayer list?!  Yes, I am at peace, but that motorcycle does make me nervous :)!!  And while of course safety is a huge thing - mostly my prayer is that God's Word would be spread and that Dan stays encouraged and effective for God!! 

Blessings,
Christine

P.S.  And yes Daniel rode an elephant, saw amazing creatures, and ate a great many strange things (curdled chicken blood, grasshoppers and beetle larva as well a burning hot curry)  which is why he's the missionary and I'm the stay at home mommy heehee!!  And he can't wait to do it all again - a true adventurer!!

Time for Tea

A birthday was celebrated this weekend for our newest nine year old!

And so it was time for a tea party.

Our tea party table

Treats made by Mama

Treats made by big sister

The ladies enjoying their tea

We made finger sandwiches (3 kinds), cut up fruit, and served raspberry tea.  It was such fun to put on my fancy apron and serve the ladies (they giggled when I called them Ma'am :)!!)

Happy birthday - Abbie girl!   We are so proud of you - you are so full of ideas and ready to help me with anything.  We know God has big plans for you!!

Blessings,
~Christine

I wanted to write this in the style of an old fashioned society newspaper column but kinda chickened out - maybe I should have - hahaha!!

Whoops

This tire swing has been hanging from our tree for 17 years - one of the best, ever play things!!  The rope to hang that old tire was one of the best investments we made.  That old tire has provided hour upon hour of fun for all the kids - regardless of age - I've even seen, in the not to distant past, my 21 year old hitch a ride on the old thing!!

And the amazing thing - we've NEVER had an injury...

Until last Friday night...

When Sam took a tumble and his wrist could just not handle the whole weight of his fall...

And now the poor guy's summer is now looking vastly different than what he was thinking it was going to be...  And to make things just a bit more complicated the wrist he broke was his right one - I guess his left handed little brother will have to teach him how to get things done!!!

The blessing for me in the stressful time of injury is that my parents were in town - meeting their newest grand baby - having them here really helped me to keep calm (I don't do very well when ER visits are part of the day!!).  Thank you Mom and Dad!!!  (I knew there had to be a way to sneak a picture of baby into this post!!!)

We still love our old tire swing and I'm very sure it will see lots more days of wild and crazy fun (Sam will probably be back on it himself in a day or two!!).  Although, the mama in me wants to remind them to hang on tight when when going for a ride!!!

Blessings,

Christine

Baby News!!!!

So I had a baby on April Fool's Day!!!!!  A Sweet Baby Boy - 7 lbs and 8 oz. !!!

(okay - the birth was 19 years ago!!!  A good April Fool's trick don'tcha think?)

When I called my family to let them know Daniel Scott had arrived it took all my powers of persuasion to get anyone to come to the hospital to visit!!

Dan is such a Godly young man and we are sooo proud of him!! 

Dan and his brother talking with other youth on his missions trip to Hawaii

Happy Birthday Daniel!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Birthday!!!

We had a birthday!!  Young Miss Abbie turned eight!!

 She has officially has moved from the "littles" to the "mediums" in our home :0).

(Her cake was supposed to look like a slice of watermelon - my baking abilities were severely limited due to the lack of full sized oven so it turned out lopsided and not at all what my vision was - but the kiddies liked it so that's all that mattered hahaha).

Abbie is such a source of joy in our home - something I could see in her from the time she was born.  She surely fulfills her middle name of Joy!!  Happy Birthday sweet Miss Abbie - Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Mischief Maker

Sometimes even the littlest ones get into mischief!!!

A few minutes in the corner is just the ticket to remember why it's important to obey mommy!!!

I have to confess, I thought she looked stinkin' cute sitting there so seriously - thinking about her naughty behavior.  An "I'm sorry, Mommy" and a hug and she was back on her merry way!  Hopefully with a lesson learned (I kinda think not though - she is one busy, busy two year old!!!  She keeps me hoppin').

Blessings,

Christine

P.S.  Thank you all for your encouraging comments about being over 40 and pregnant!!  They all were soooo encouraging!!  I really felt uplifted when I read them all!!!

Procrastination

After one more blast of snow last night that dropped about 4 inches in about an hour we woke up to this:

And since the kids snuffles were so much better we spent most of the morning getting dressed like this as it was a toasty 19* outside:

  The day has turned out beautiful - with amazingly blue skies and bitingly cold breezes.

The kiddos are thoroughly enjoying the day of sledding!!  Even though I said today was the day to get back to laundry and housekeeping I have not yet begun.  Mainly since it is so cold, little ones come in to warm up frequently (and have the necessary hot cocoa and marshmallows) and then want to go back outside. Which means Mama is spending a good portion of the day yanking boots on and off, zipping and unzipping jackets, opening and shutting doors for mittened hands.  All fun stuff for sure - but I did decide to just give up on the housekeeping - the pile of snow gear is just too big and the mud brought in with snow-covered boots is never ending :0)!!  So once again I say - tomorrow - the laundry and housekeeping will resume.  Is all this a good excuse for procrastination?!!

On a side note - I am praying my blueberry bush and clematis vines that were all ready for Spring make it through this cold snap!!!  They really thought warmer weather was here to stay even if it is only February!!

Blessings,
Christine

Winter is Still Here

Well, winter is still here!!

 This is what we have been having the last couple of days!

Along with feverish, snuffly kids (and a husband) for the last two weeks!

While it is beautiful outside I have a bad case of the winter blues (or more likely, hormones - ugh) that have made me feel tearful and anxious the last few days - blah!!

So today - I got tired of worrying about all the right foods to put into my body and made some comfort food - warm, yummy rice pudding (of which I plan on having more than my share!!!).  And I plan on snuggling warm, sticky babies on the couch and watching silly cartoons with the kids!!!  Sometimes you just gotta go with it!!!  Tomorrow back to the laundry and housekeeping!!!

Blessings,
Christine

Pride Goeth Before a Fall

Yesterday at church a friend commented on how smart my children are.  I modestly thanked her - but- inside I was as proud as can be!!

Fast forward to today...

I spent the day...

shining a flashlight up my five year old's nose looking for a toy he stuffed up there...

patting my seven year old on the back because she tried to drink a glass of water upside down and nearly drowned...

telling a group of older teens to stop far..ahem...passing gas in my kitchen while I was preparing dinner  (gotta love teenage boys!!)

having my children look at me blankly when I said it was time for school...or time to pick up...or anything else that didn't involve Mario bouncing around on a screen.

Sigh...

Pride goeth before a fall - not sure if that phrase is exactly Biblical - but I know Proverbs covers it quite well!!!

P.S. Don't tell the kids but I'm hiding the Wii controllers for a while - I've had just about all the Mario music I can handle!!

P.S.S.  I still am crazy about all of them - and wouldn't trade this job for the world  :0)!!!



Where I would have sent the kids to spend a lot of time today - if it wasn't pouring so hard!!



Blessings,

Christine

The Snowstorm...

that didn't happen!!

For days the weather man has been predicting a once in a generation snowstorm...you know...the kind you tell your grandkids about..."I remember when there was 20 inches in one day!!".  That kind of storm.  And yes, they were thinking around 20 inches!!!  That's huge around here!!!

Well, the snow started last evening...beautiful, sparkly snowflakes whirling out of the sky!!  The kids were giddy with excitement at bedtime.  Sweet hubby and I took a lovely walk and enjoyed a chat with the neighbors (everyone seems to come out in weather like that!!).

But when I awoke this morning the first thing that registered in my brain was the gurgling in the rain gutters :0( !!!  Our epic snowstorm had turned into a yucky, slushy mess of rain and wind.  And the rain is scheduled to last for days...the kind of rain that makes Seattlites have to take Vitamin D in tablet form to survive!!!

So in the mourning our loss of sledding and snowman building we decided to pretend we were snowbound:

We built a fire and got out all the Lego's:

We turned saltine crackers into:

these yummy delights (these go a LONG ways in comforting sad kids!!!):

I got out my new yarn and started a fun new project:

And we did NOT go outside since every step in the snow turned into a muddy puddle right under foot (last night before we turned out the lights we had 6 lovely, fluffy inches of snow on everything - the roads were covered and every tree branch had a beautiful sparkly coating):

So many people around here get so upset at the predictions of snow.  They go crazy thinking that they might not be able to make it to work or out to run their errands.  I keep thinking that maybe snow is God's plan to slow us down - to make us step back and enjoy His creation, to enjoy the family that He blessed us with, to connect with and serve our neighbors and just to take a deep breath every now and again!!!  I can't help but wonder why so many people don't like it - 'cause really, when we get snow around here - we are pretty much guaranteed that our weather will turn back to our normal rain in just a few days :0)!!!

So all the grown-ups and kids in this house are praying for another chance at an epic snowstorm.   I would love a great snow story to tell my grand kids!!!!

Blessings,
Christine

A Fun Chore

There is a chore that I just love to do!!  Can you guess?  Yep - washing windows!!

Crazy - I know, but there is something so nice about the light streaming in sparkling clean windows!!  Now, I don't get to this job very often - especially the outside part - but it seems like I am overcome by the urge for clean windows about this time every year.  I think it has to do with taking down the Christmas tree and needing as much light as possible for the rest of winter. 

This last week we were blessed with snow and then bright sunshine - which made every bit of dust and every fingerprint show up!!  That urge to shine my windows was overpowering!!  So I got out my handy window cleaner and paper towels and went to work!!

I did decide that given my pregnant condition teetering on a stepstool in freezing temps outside was not for me - no matter how much I love the job - so I handed it off to my big 18 year old.  He did a mighty fine job!!  Now I can enjoy the light so much better!!

Just in time for the snow to melt and the very dark and dreary rain to return (it's really, really dark and grey here now!!!)  But my windows are clean and shiny and I am enjoying them!!!!

(I am thinking that this is a really weird post - window washing?!!!  Really?!!!  Oh well - I just gonna go with it - it's raining and I haven't had any coffee yet :0)!!

Blessings,
Christine