The Boys Swimming Laps This Morning

Making Cookies with our Friends

School Around and Under the Dining Room Table This Morning

Historian?

For some reason, Cente likes to take books off our shelves, carry them up to his room, and pretend to read them. We found him "reading" about Augustine...and the book was even the right side up!

Natalie Makes Another Great Meal

Tuna from a fishing trip this summer, wrapped in bacon, with a secret sauce (Nan's invention).

Figuring Out Costumes

Any Excuse to Make a Sweet Treat

Happy Columbus Day! (We made these cupcakes earlier this month to celebrate.)

Reason for infrequent posts

I mean to post each day to keep grandpa and grandmas in touch with our daily lives, but there is so much more craziness in our house now with a 2 1/2 year old and 20 month old and 10 year old and 13 year old and 14 year old... I am usually too tired to download photos at night or too busy cleaning up the mess. Tonight's craziness was plucking the above vegetable from deep inside someone's nose. The joys of motherhood that I never imagined.

Beautiful Prints

My Aunt Helen gave us some beautiful old Sunday School pictures. Most of them are of animals. I hung them on the wall at eye level for the little boys and they love them. We sit on the floor each day by them and talk about how God made the animals and provides for them and how God takes care of us too.

Heavy Duty Trike

DHS had someone donate a trike and we bought it home for the little boys, but more often than not, it's the big boys riding it.

Dreaming of Daffodils

We planted a bunch of daffodil bulbs today in hope of some yellow blooms in the spring. The boys used the drill and a large bit grandpa bought them to dig the holes. Cente and I dropped the bulbs in the holes and covered them.

Evening Routine

Levi and Ethan are taking guitar lessons. Every night before the two little boys go to bed, Ethan or Levi will play the guitar while we sing some of the songs they are learning and some little kid songs like "Jesus Loves Me" and "Be Careful Little Hands."

Our Favorite TV Hero

Matt Dillon, U.S. Marshall. Gunsmoke.

Sunday Drive to Hood River

Happy family except the 2 who were missing their naps.

Dairy Queen Stop...photo taken before the ensuing MESS!

Dipped Cones!

This sign was situated near the exit of the corn maze...to be read by my family members after they had already broke each rule.

Levi's Colonial American History Project

Tamales

Our friend, Elee, kindly invited Natalie and me over to make tamales. They were delicious. Now we have to try to make them at home.

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Push Ups and a Cookie

After school today I stopped at The Healthy Bread Store to purchase a couple bargain loaves of my favorite bread, Dave's Killer Good Seed Bread. Ethan went into the shop with me.

The man at the counter looked at him and asked "How many push-ups do you think you can do?"

Ethan shrugged his shoulders and said "Probably 30."

The guy smiled and said "If you can do 30, I will give both you and your mom a chocolate chip cookie."

I wasn't sure what Ethan would do...but he dropped to the floor and proceeded to do 30 great push-ups. I was so proud of him...and I got a cookie.

Mug Shots