A very merry Christmas!

Hope you all enjoyed your day with Santa!

Merry Christmas to you all...

... and a Happy New Year!

Basketball, birthdays, and business

What has kept us busy and away from blog posts this month?  Aside from the normal keeping-up-with-five-children routine and the various activities the holidays bring, we've had a lot to do!

Kyle and Grant finished out another great season of basketball.  They were on the same team and really enjoyed playing this year.  As always, they were quite entertaining to watch, and I'm always amazed at the improvement in their abilities from year to year.

Kyle improved significantly with his ball-handling skills and his confidence with the ball.  Grant showed some great competitiveness during the games.  I think he enjoyed challenging his opponents more than he liked scoring points.  He would dribble the ball down the court, stop, and wait for his opponent to defend him before dodging strategically around him and heading to the hoop.  He scored quite a bit and even threw in a dribble under his leg a time or two.  If you know Grant, you know it's all about the show.

Later in the month, Jason surprised me for my birthday by taking me out on the town.  We headed to downtown Portland and to The Old Church where my favorite local pianist (Michael Allen Harrison) was performing his Christmas concert.  It was AWESOME!  And what a husband to even notice I like this pianist, especially when piano music isn't his forte.

We stayed at the Vintage Plaza Hotel that night, which was very nice.  It had a bathtub the size of a small pond, of which I promptly took advantage.  It was a lovely time together before the holiday bustle settled in for good.

As if we didn't have enough to do this month, Jason and I also spent a day together at a business conference in Portland.  It was such exciting material I had to start tallying how many times the presenter said a certain phrase in his presentation that was driving me crazy.  From the time I started counting to the end of the day he had repeated it 17 times.  Unfortunately, I didn't tally the first hour and a half of the seminar when he said it the most, which was what prompted me to start keeping track in the first place.

I also began to wax poetic a couple of hours into the conference.  It was purely a protective instinct to preserve my sanity, I'm certain.  Here is a sampling of my collection:

Faces glazed over
Ears filled with rambling words
Seminar.

Words spilling out
Information overload
Verbose.

Financial market analysts
Brain cells squandered
Faithless.

Continuous blathering
Silence is relief
Help.

It has certainly been an event-filled month for us, with much more excitement to come with the holidays approaching.  Happy December!

The perfect tree

Ah, picking out the Christmas tree.  It's one of my favorite holiday traditions.  In this beautiful state, Christmas tree fields are a part of our everyday landscape.  Where is the romanticism in picking out a tree from a parking lot?  I know, most people don't have a choice, but Christmas trees are another reason why I love Oregon so much.

For me, picking out the tree is a process, a challenge even.  It starts weeks before the actual cutting by scouring the countryside for the perfect tree farm with the perfect price.  Ten years ago, when the economy was booming, Christmas trees were wildly expensive, even here in Oregon.  Finding a tree for a good price meant saving quite a bit of money.  Now that the economy has "corrected itself," price isn't too much of an issue anymore.  But, I always love a bargain so my search continues for a tree with a low price tag.

Usually the first weekend in December, we bundle up, don the boots, scarves, and hats, and head out into the weather--usually cold and muddy.  This year was cold, sunny, and beautiful.  Typically, the process goes something like this:  I walk into the tree field, find a tree within a minute that fits my parameters, and then.... I go in search of something else.  It's no fun if you just pick the first perfect tree that comes along!  (Of course, if you're my husband you wonder why not?)  That's the fun of the whole experience!  This one's too tall, that one's got a bare spot on one side, this one has branches too spread apart, that one is squatty and fat, this one has yellow needles... it goes on and on.  Finally, after much scrutiny (poor, picked apart trees) the perfect one is chosen and the hacking begins.

I've had a few times when Jason couldn't be with us to cut the tree.  Usually, if my Mom's with us, she'll be smart and ask the owner of the farm to help us and he'll cut it down in 2.5 seconds with his chainsaw.  But, I have this fiercely independent streak that prevents me from doing this myself, so I start hacking at it on my own.    After 20 minutes of huffing, puffing, sweating, and hollering at the kids to "Just pull on the tree so I can get my saw through the stump!  PULL HARDER!  Are you even pulling at all?!?!", the tree finally falls.  Of course, if Jason's there none of this occurs.  Thankfully!

Then we load the tree up and take it home to fill our house with it's crisp, yummy pine scent.  I love it!  See what all you non-Oregonians are missing out on?

We let Dallin have a go at it this year.  It's not as easy as it looks, he discovered.

A Thanksgiving poem

Mariah wrote a nice poem about Thanksgiving--thought I'd share.

                                                           families Giving thanks

everyone Remembering good times

                                                           meeting All together

                                                               being Thankful for all creations
                                                                    all Eating as a family
                                                                   big Family get together
                                                                    all Unaware of troubles
                                                                 love, Laughter

Santa's lap

I have a confession.  I've never taken my kids to see Santa.  Is that totally terrible of me?

I've pondered why this is the case.  I think it's because Mariah, being the first child, never wanted to see Santa.  I remember entertaining the thought of taking her a few times when she was little, but she never showed an interest and when she saw him in the stores around Christmastime, she would hide and never go sit on his lap.  So, I supposed all my kids would be shy and not want to visit the man in the suit.

It's probably a good idea not to assume every child is alike, because guess what?  All the kids (except Mariah) were excited to see him and sit on his lap.  I was pleasantly surprised (and felt a bit guilty for not taking them sooner).

We even had some time to visit with Santa after the pictures because no one else was waiting in line.  We asked him the question we always wonder and discuss in our family:  How does he get into the house?  It's a huge debate for us.  I say he always comes down the chimney, even if there's a fire.  Jason says he comes through the front door, so we have to make sure to leave it unlocked.  Some of the kids think Daddy lets Santa into the house in the middle of the night.  It's quite the mystery.

Santa said he likes to go down the chimney, but not all houses have chimneys.  So, in that case, he goes to the door, and somehow, every time, it magically opens when he reaches for the knob.  He said it has always happened like that.  He reaches for the door and..... it just opens.  He's never had a problem with it.  He definitely has some Santa-magic going on.  And now we know the answer to our mystery.

Mariah still didn't want to sit on Santa's lap.  She hid herself in the store and didn't show her face until she knew he was safely out of the building.  She said, "I don't like people dressed up."  So, she posed for me anyway in Santa's chair, just to prove she was there.  Silly girl.

Keeping busy

I tried to keep the kids entertained while we prepared the Thanksgiving meal.  It worked for a while.

After my ideas wore out, the food was gone, and our bellies were full, the kids came up with their own ideas.  Here they are playing a new game they invented--"Pancake."

They laughed and laughed as they all piled on top of each other again and again.  It was quite entertaining to watch them.  I think if the adults had participated the result would have been entirely different--and not nearly as fun--and perhaps a bit messy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours...

May you remember the wonderful blessings God has given us 

and take the time to personally thank Him.  

Personally, I am most thankful for these beautiful children.

No comment

I'm not sure what gets into my boys' heads sometimes.  

I'm not even going to comment on these photos.  

Enjoy!

Hatchets and axes and saws, oh my!

Need to entertain your kids for a few hours?

Just chop down a small tree in your yard, hand them a handsaw or small hatchet, and let them go to town.

I never expected this yard project of ours to be such a hit with the kids.  But they stayed outside and sawed away at the branches for hours.  And as nervous as I get with the kids wielding weapons such as these, they actually get along better and are happier when they're entertained with such an activity as this.  So, we teach them safety, set down some rules, keep them under supervision, and let them go!  

TIMBER!

The Ladybug

Every day for the past two weeks, Karina turns into a ladybug.  Since the night we pulled the Halloween boxes out of storage, she and this costume have been inseparable.  She sleeps in it, plays in it, goes to the store in it, eats dinner in it, and she finally went trick-or-treating in it.  Even the other day, Mariah saw the costume hanging on her bedroom doorknob and mentioned, "Every time I see that costume hanging there, I think it's Karina!"

Alas, it's time to say goodbye to the little ladybug.  I need to wash the costume and put it away for another year.  I'll miss my little ladybug.

Happy Halloween!

Yeehaw! A rodeo....

This wasn't your bulls and clowns type of rodeo.  It was a bike rodeo!

Dallin's scout troop held a bike rodeo and our kids had a blast!  The parking lot was full of different stations for the kids to go through, each illustrating a different level of control and/or safety with their bike.  They all did very well, although some stations were more challenging than others.  The figure 8 was tough, and Grant showed the best control out of everyone.



In the end, even Jason got out there and showed off his sweet bike tricks from his younger days.  It was a fun day for everyone!

Bye, bye kitchen

Bye, bye kitchen.

It has been a love / hate relationship for us.  

I've loved your functionality, your convenience, and your reliability.  Because, let's be honest, who can survive without a kitchen in the house?  It's not like your a disposable commodity.  You had to be there for me; you always were.

But, I've hated your style and lack of personality.  You're outdated, drab, and, well, just plain ugly.  You never inspired me, nor made me smile.  And in the end, you started to turn on me--breaking drawers and refusing to keep your doors closed.

So, we must part ways.  It's true.  I've already replaced you.  As soon as you exit the room, the new kitchen will be coming through the door.  It'll be painful for you, I know.  But don't worry, we'll find a new home for part of you in the shop on our new property.  Maybe you'll enjoy the change of scenery.  Rest assured, you've lived a good life.  You could think of this as your retirement.  You've been put out to pasture, so to speak.

And maybe your hurt will be lessened knowing I will be suffering trying to feed a family of seven with no kitchen in the house.  We'll limp along with our friends George Foreman, Mr. GE Microwave, and Dr. BBQ Grill for awhile.  Oh, and don't forget Grandma Crockpot.  She'll be helping out as well.  But it won't be a picnic around here until the new kitchen is settled in.

You know, my kitchen, it's hard.  But some relationships just can't last forever.  It's time to move on.  Be assured you served your purpose well and all things must come to an end.  So, adios mi cocina.  Adios.

Fall harvest

Our new property came with an abundance of fruit trees and bushes.  Yay for us!  We harvested the grapes and apples the other day.  The grapes found their way into canning jars to make grape juice.

The apples found their way into lunches, snacks, and a yummy, yummy apple spice cake.

It's going to be fun learning how to care for all the fruit on the property.  I'm looking forward to sharing our abundance with friends and family too!

Stripes

Stripes, the caterpillar, has been a fun addition to our family.  Kyle found him on our new property and transported him home one afternoon.  They bonded on the way home in the car when Stripes "made his mark" on Kyle's hand.  Eeew!

He munches his way through leaves every day and then hangs out on the stick in his jar.  We're hoping he'll stick around awhile and show us how he changes from cute and fuzzy to fuzzy with wings.

Sibling rivalry

My brother, the BEAVER

vs.

Me, the COUGAR

We had a chance to duke it out this weekend.  Seriously, a beaver against a cougar.  Who do you think won?

But, regardless of who came out on top after the big game, we were still friends in the end.  And, it turns out, beavers are quite welcoming and friendly hosts (as if I had any doubts)!  We had a wonderful time with Jason and Lisa in their Beaver Lodge.  They put us up for the night, gave us a tour of various tailgate get-togethers, fed us yummy post-game food, and were great company for the weekend.  It was great fun!  I always love spending time with my brother.  And, in spite of our differing football loyalties, we really are two peas in a pod.

Thanks, Jason and Lisa, for letting the enemy invade your territory for the weekend!  Let's do it again!

Land Owners

It's official.  We own 10 acres of land.  I don't know whether to be excited or overwhelmed.  For now, I'll be excited.  Then, when I get overwhelmed with caring for it, remind me to be excited again, will you?

It has been a journey to get to this point.  Over a year ago, Jason and I began making the plans to purchase a new home.  I have enjoyed our current home but it is now much too tiny for our family.  With five busy, young children and a husband with many business-related toys, I was feeling the undeniable urge to expand our space.  I suppose I complained a lot, which led to Jason finally agreeing to look for something new.

Unfortunately, we couldn't decide on what to do, which house to buy, where to move, how big a house to look for, blah, blah, blah.  It became a point of contention so we placed our ambitions on the back burner and continued with life (begrudgingly, in my case).  I admit I learned some life lessons throughout those months--lessons I'm still trying to be aware of and incorporate into my being.  They were hard lessons in humility and gratitude and meekness and obedience.

However, it seems maybe those difficulties helped lead us in the right direction, because when the opportunity arose to purchase this piece of property, we both agreed it was a good idea.  After pondering and praying, everything continued to fall into place for us to move forward.  And here we are.  Owners of our own little (a little bit big) piece of land.

It is a beautiful piece of property--complete with trees and a pond.  It has an abundance of fruit trees, berry bushes, and grape vines, which we inherited from the previous owners.  It has much potential and will be a wonderful place to raise our family.

We bought the land from some friends of ours who's life path is taking them to a new state and on to new adventures.  They will be sorely missed.  They were the kind of people who make you a better person just by knowing them--true examples of Christ-like love and humility.  We were fortunate to have them consider our family to take their place on their land and are excited and honored to continue the legacy of enjoying such a beautiful piece of earth.

For now, we'll stay put in our little house here in town.  We have plans to build a home on the new property some day, but we have much research, planning, and penny-pinching to do until that day comes.  Until then, we'll enjoy day trips to the property (it's about ten miles from our house) and maybe even go camping on it!  Why not?

A Post Overdue

It's a post long overdue, but I wanted to share our adventurous Labor Day weekend with you.  We took the kids on a week-long camping trip to northeastern Oregon and had so much fun.  From boating, to camping, to bike-riding, to museums, to hiking, to old historic, haunted hotels, it was a weekend full of fun experiences for our family.

To begin our adventure we stayed in the Geiser Grand Hotel in Baker City, Oregon.  It's a beautiful restored hotel from days gone by, and...... it's haunted.  Yes, the kids were scared to stay there.  Yes, we had to convince them they would survive the night.  Yes, there was much whimpering and worry before bedtime.  No, we did not encounter a ghost.  Bummer.

The next few days we camped at Wallowa Lake.  It was wonderful to return to a place I had good memories of when I was young.  I remembered the beautiful woods, the high mountains, the lake, and the deer all around.  They are so brave and friendly they just walk through the campground checking everyone out, and undoubtedly seeing if there is anything yummy to munch.  The kids hardly believed me and kept asking why they hadn't seen any deer.  Dusk fell and, behold, a deer walked right beside our camp, checked out the water spigot, stopped and stared at us while we scrambled to get a camera, and ambled off into the trees.  A few days later the kids watched another camper share her bbq chips with some deer.  They are a beautiful sight to see.

We got the chance to try out our new raft in the lake.  The wind was blowing that afternoon, so we didn't make it too far out before it would blow us back in.  It was still fun to try.

And there was bike riding.  Much bike riding.  Bike riding in the campground, bike riding next to our tent, bike riding on the pathways, bike riding on the road.  Even bike riding on the lakeshore.

We found a short hiking trail to explore in the Wallowa Mountains.  It led to some beautiful falls and continued up the mountain.  The boys bushwacked their way up the mountain until the shrubbery was almost too overgrown to see the trail.  You can't see it in the picture below, and we didn't know it until a week later, but on that overgrown trail was poison oak.  Yup.  Unfortunately, Dallin got it on his legs and suffered the consequences.

Our next camping place was in a beautiful primitive campground next to the Imnaha River.  After we set up camp, the welcoming committee of a bee's nest greeted Dallin with a bite to his eyebrow.  We decided we didn't want them as our special guests, so Jason exterminated them with some oil and fire.  The kids and I stayed a healthy distance back (we hid out in the car) in case the bees decided to get their revenge.  Poor bees.  They never asked for us to bother them.  But, bees and children were never good playmates. 

 

That night, Jason unwittingly extracted Kyle's first loose tooth by "counting" his teeth.  Touching each tooth as he counted, he pulled on the loose one when he got to it, popped it out, and kept counting.  Kyle had no idea what had just happened until he saw his tooth in Daddy's hand.  It was so adorable!

The next days were spent exploring the Hells Canyon National Wilderness Area.  We drove and drove and and enjoyed the views of the mountains and canyons.  It was a beautiful area--very rugged and isolated.  Below are pictures at McGraw Lookout.

Hells Canyon Overlook

Hells Canyon Dam and the Snake River

I enjoyed being in this part of our beautiful state.  There is much country to explore here and we could spend months trying to see everything.  We'll definitely have to return.