Anniversary Surprises

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when my friend, Brooke, showed up at my house with her 2 girls and a Pack 'n Play. She and Phil had arranged that she would come over to watch all of our kids (and hers) while he took me to lunch for our anniversary! We had lunch and coffee at a little French cafe in downtown Spokane. It was very relaxing to sit outside on the patio and sip lattes.

We took a nice long walk through Riverfront Park and then toured the new facility where Phil will attend school in the Fall.


These beautiful flowers were delivered while we were out. Thanks so much, Dad, Mom and Corinne!

nine years

Today we celebrate 9 years of marriage!

In Memory of Grandpa

These wildflower seeds were given to us at my Grandpa's memorial service this summer.

We decided to plant them in our garden this afternoon.

We miss you, Grandpa...

But we'll think about you every time we see these pretty wildflowers in our garden.

Birthday Fun

Thanks to all of my family and friends for the calls and birthday cards! Phil and the kids planned a little surprise party for me downstairs in the playroom while I was outside gardening.

The kids made sweet cards and we snacked on pretzels and M&M's and lemonade.

Birthday dinner at Chili's on Sunday night

So Thankful for My Children...

As I glanced over at the sidebar of my blog tonight, I noticed the descriptions for each of my children. I wrote these 17 months ago when Jared was 4, Caleb was 2 and the girls were only 1. It seems as though I would be able to describe my boys' personalities at the ages of 4 and 2. But my girls at age one? I would still use these same words to describe the four of them today...

Jared--Protective, inquisitive, independent

Caleb--Creative, Cuddly, Sensitive

Grace--Tidy, dramatic, funny

Lily--Sweet-natured, smiley, content

I marvel at how wonderfully God made each of my children, and how I can see--at such an early age--a glimpse of the special person He created each one of them to be. It was no surprise to Him that Jared would want to run after his sisters when they dart off and run away from us; that Caleb would enjoy painting and mixing colors; that Gracie would like to tell knock-knock jokes; that Lily would ask me for her naps.

"All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be."
~Psalm 139:16

Homemade Ice Cream

It sure hits the spot on a hot summer day!

Jared and Caleb went to a few yard sales with Phil this afternoon. I gave each of them $2 to spend on their big adventure. They came home very excited, because they were able to put their money together and buy an ice cream maker for $3!

And this isn't just any ice cream maker! We can make two flavors at once!

Tonight we decided to make candy bar ice cream with a chopped up Kit Kat bar, and cherry ice cream with the cherries we picked last weekend.

Pony Rides...

Jared was so excited when it was his turn to ride the pony! The young man leading the pony asked the kids to say, "Yee-Ha!" when they were ready to go. When it was Jared's turn, he sat up straight and yelled out, "Yee-Ha!"

When it was Gracie's turn, she smiled and softly said, "Yee-Ha!" while shrugging her shoulders from side to side.


Only Jared and Gracie wanted to ride the pony. I couldn't figure this one out. When it comes to animals, Jared and Gracie literally freak out! They panic when they see dogs and cats, and here they wanted to sit on a pony 10 times bigger than any dog and ride on it! Caleb is the one who loves animals, and he wanted nothing to do with the thing.

Petting Zoo...

Look how sweet and tender Caleb was with these animals!

Carnival Games...

The kids played carnival games for tickets, and then redeemed their tickets in the prize tent.

And what's a carnival without a good cake walk?

Good job, Caleb! Mommy was very thankful that he chose 4 cupcakes, and not a cake! Later in the evening, Jared won a mini cake.

Day is done. We had four very tired and sticky kiddos on our hands. Here they are carrying a few of their prizes and enjoying Caleb's cupcakes.

Cooling off in Miss Debbie's Pool

We had a super time at the pool this afternoon! Don't you just love pool pictures? The water was so refreshing.

Caleb looks so carefree.

I love this picture of the girls. Can you tell what Gracie's doing? She's ordering people to retrieve the rings from the bottom of the pool. That's my girl!

Friday's Happenings

The boys had a great time at Vacation Bible School this week! Today was their last day, but we're headed back this evening for a family carnival. The boys tell us there will be games, a bounce house, a petting zoo, pony rides, hot dogs and chips.

While the boys were at VBS this week, Phil and I enjoyed our mornings spent with the girls. One morning he took Gracie to a couple of hardware stores while Lily and I stayed home and read library books and took a nice long walk hand-in-hand. Another morning we went to Wal-Mart and then to Starbucks for coffee and hot chocolate. They were adorable sipping their hot chocolate while chatting at their own little table.

Today we walked the girls to a nearby park and stopped by a yard sale where Phil found this pogo stick for Jared and Caleb.

So we're off to the carnival in a bit, but first we're going to stop by our new friend, Miss Debbie's house so the kids can meet her granddaughter and take a quick dip in her pool. Debbie is the very friendly Starbucks Barista that invites me over for her Girls' Movie Night.

Why Didn't I Think of This Before?

It always frustrates me when the recycling truck comes by on Thursdays and leaves behind nearly half of what we've put into the bin. In California we had to recycle practically everything. It seems here in Washington they only want the things we used to turn in for money in California--cans, bottles and newspapers.

But this morning I discovered a way to get the recycling crew to take everything with them! Place your twin daughters on the front steps to giggle and wave to the men. It helps if they say cute things like, "You take our garbage? You take it all?" And there you have it! You'll have an empty recycling bin to drag back into your carport!

Good Morning!

We had strawberries with cinnamon toast stars for breakfast this morning.



Here's Jared modeling his strawberry lips. We're off to Vacation Bible School this morning. Have a great Wednesday!

Lil' Buckaroo

Jared and Caleb are attending Vacation Bible School this week at a little church down the street from our house (it's the same church where they attend AWANA during the school year).

This year's theme is the wild west. The boys made these cowboys vests yesterday out of paper grocery bags. Caleb didn't want to try his on for the picture.

One Man's Junk...

...makes me very happy! While we were staying with Phil's parents this summer, I found these old coffee cans in the workshop filled with old rusty nails. Phil's dad told me I could clean them out and take them home.

I'm using one on my stove top to hold kitchen utensils.

I'm having so much fun decorating my kitchen! My mom gave me a Gooseberry Patch catalog while we were down in California. I finally had a chance to sit down and browse through it tonight. Look at all of these goodies:


Fun! Fun! Fun!

Idaho Bluegrass Festival

Yesterday we drove out to a fruit farm to pick strawberries and cherries but my camera battery was dead upon arrival (grrrr)! The kids were absolutely precious yesterday with their little buckets of fruit. Gracie placed each strawberry in her pink bucket just to hear the "kerplunk" sound, but then stuck her hand right back in to eat each berry. All of the kids enjoyed climbing a ladder with Phil in order to pick cherries. I'm so sad that I don't have any pictures to share.

Today we drove to a beautiful ski resort in Idaho to attend a Bluegrass Festival (with a fully-charged camera battery, of course).

After the long drive, Jared got out of the car and said, "Why couldn't we just stay home and listen to this on a CD." But then look at his sweet, smiling face after he made his bluegrass craft! He planted bluegrass in this cup that he decorated. This little fellow will soon have sprouts of grass for hair.

The boys enjoyed playing on this giant chess board.

Cooling off with sno-cones. Ahhh!

Here's Gracie enjoying her corn dog while listening to Bluegrass music with a bunch of old men.

Relaxing in an Adirondack chair in front of the ski lodge.

Gracie's turn! Lily was pretty much stroller-bound at this point--her choice, not ours. We had a very long day.

The boys really wanted to stand on a picnic table to be as tall as the mountains. The view was absolutely breathtaking. We had a good time today. The music was great; however, we were a little disappointed that nobody played "Turkey in the Straw."