Only 18 Steps to Go!

Just look at these happy boys! Building this has been such a wonderful experience for our family. Everyone has been able to help. Phil does the construction work, I get the wood and hardware ready for all of the steps and hold pieces of wood in place for him, Jared and Caleb put screws into the holes, Lily passes out snacks, and all four of the children help me bring wood in from the carport when Phil's ready for a new step.


I love how much Jared wants to be involved in the building process. Long after the others have gone inside, he's still out working with Phil.


Phil's doing such a great job! Dad, notice the infomercial drill.


When I saw Gracie and Caleb climbing this ladder, I called out, "(Gasp!) Get down! That's Daddy's ladder and you're too high." To which Phil replied, "Um, they've actually been higher than that."


Rain, rain, go away! We had to come inside because of the rain. This is what we were able to accomplish today. The next step is to assemble the rock wall. Did you notice the chimney?

Feeding the Birds

We made bird feeders with pine cones, peanut butter and birdseed this afternoon. I may be one step closer to the crazy house for doing this, but at least the kids had fun, right?


Here's Lily, my little "I-do-by-self" girl.


And Gracie, who, of course, thought it was snack time for her, as well as for the birds. Yes, she did try the birdseed, too!


Phil is just about done assembling the roof! Now on to step 13 (remember, there are 35 steps).

Lost and Found

Missing: one soft white lamb with beans in it.


I took the boys to Barnes and Noble tonight. Caleb set his little lamb down on the train table in the children's book section and forgot to take it with him when we left the store.

When we got home, it was bedtime and he realized that his lamb was missing. He was devastated! Phil, being the wonderful father that he is, left right away to search for Caleb's dear friend, Teddy the Lamb. Jared prayed right then that Daddy would find Caleb's lamb, and that the store would not be closed when Daddy got there.

Caleb waited up with me. He wanted to make a Lost Lamb sign, so this was the picture he chose. He told me, while crying, that he would be a better shepherd next time.

Phil finally arrived home with Teddy the Lamb, and we had one happy boy on our hands!

My Boys Hard at Work

Phil is such a wonderful father, and Jared is so eager to work with him. I took these pictures from the kitchen window with my zoom lens.


It looks like they're building the ladder. Progress is slow, but such precious memories are being made!


Just yesterday Jared told me, "I love it here in Spokane. I love our house, and I love the things we make."

The Lord's Army

Talk about the cutest thing ever! I know I always say that, but this really was adorable! Tonight was Jared's first school program entitled, "The Lord's Army." The teachers and students dressed in camouflage for the occasion.


Can you spot him? He's right above the girl wearing a purple dress in the front row.


Thank goodness for a zoom lens! He's singing "My God is so BIG!"


Here is Jared's wonderful teacher, Mrs. Ewen.

Our New "Tree House"

To fully understand these pictures, read this quote from last Wednesday's post:

"We went to Costco this afternoon. As soon as we entered the store, the kids were in awe of the giant water slide and amazing play structure (which my boys called a "tree house") on display. Jared kept mentioning that he couldn't take his eyes off of them, and Caleb, in all seriousness, asked if he had any money left over from Christmas. Unfortunately, he spent his $15 at Barnes and Noble!"

It seems that my children are very well loved by a certain relative of theirs. So without further adieu, here it is! Their beloved Tree House!


There are 35 steps involved in putting this thing together. We've spent two days working on it, and we are now on step number 7!


As you can see, our problem is not that we don't have enough help, but maybe too much help. How can you refuse such cute volunteers, though?


Gracie was thrilled to see that the picnic benches and table were finished, so she set herself up with plenty of snacks.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

We woke up this morning at 7:00 and headed straight to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts in our jammies. Well, actually the kids went in their jammies.


We call this the Doughnut Factory.


"May I please have one with sprinkles?"


Jared is such a good big brother!


Caleb really wanted one with yellow frosting, but then he changed his mind and decided on one with green and white sprinkles.


This was the perfect way to end our time with Gramma and Grampa. We'll miss them so much!

Golf, anyone?

We took the kids miniature golfing after nap time today.


Obviously we let them play by their own rules. Here's Gracie shoving her ball through the tunnel.


And here's Caleb looking for his.


"Yes, Grampa. It really is in there. Please go get it!"


This one is always so hard to do!

Thursday's Happenings

First on the agenda was strawberry waffles with whipped cream for breakfast.


Although we've been enjoying warmer weather, it still wasn't warm enough to take the kids to the park today. They settled for the soft playground at the mall and lunch in the food court.


Gramma's birthday is on St. Patrick's Day, so the girls have "Gramma's Birthday T-shirts."


Our last stop was the Bible book store in the mall. Caleb LOVES sheep. This is what he usually does when we visit this store. He got to take one home with him this time, thanks to a very loving Grampa!

Our Feast

Whenever our family enjoys dinner by candlelight, Caleb calls it a feast. So here we are, feasting on spaghetti.

We had a great day! We went to Costco this afternoon. As soon as we entered the store, the kids were in awe of the giant water slide and amazing play structure (which my boys called a "tree house") on display. Jared kept mentioning that he couldn't take his eyes off of them, and Caleb, in all seriousness, asked if he had any money left over from Christmas. Unfortunately, he spent his $15 at Barnes and Noble!

Mobius Kids

Mobius Kids is the name of our children's museum here in Spokane. We were very excited to take Gramma and Grampa there this morning. We ended up with 127 pictures, but here are just a few...


This ball pit is called The Giant Blood Drop. Does that gross anybody else out?


...the reason I bring along extra shirts!


They all love to dress up and do little performances for us on stage.


Gracie's giving Grampa the grand tour of the place.


Now they can sit down for a little snack.


Lily's a good girl to clean up after herself.


And here we are in the craft room (now it sounds as though I'm giving the grand tour). Caleb is absolutely adorable in his painting apron. He's very serious about his work, too.


Here they are coloring with Grampa, waiting for their pictures to dry.


Enough of that pretend museum food! Let's go to Red Robin!

They're Here!

The kids LOVE IT when Gramma and Grampa come to visit!


Lily really wanted to have a tea party with Grampa. Aren't they as sweet as can be?


The kids like to find Goldbug in Richard Scarry's book, Cars, Trucks, and Things That Go.

In case you're wondering where Caleb is, he's sitting on my lap listening to Henry and Mudge.

A Chocolate Milk Break

Gramma and Grampa are flying in this afternoon to visit for the week. Needless to say, we are all VERY excited for their arrival. Caleb, Gracie, Lily and I have been cleaning the house all morning. I love to watch them clean the house. Their special treat was chocolate milk.

Gramma came at Thanksgiving and said she would come again when it warmed up. Our first snow was the day after Thanksgiving, which was kind of exciting for our family to decorate the house for Christmas while it was snowing outside! We've had great Spring-like weather lately, but wouldn't you know it? It's snowing right now! Sorry, Gramma.

Saturday Morning

Yeah!!! It's yard sale season again! Phil stopped by one this morning and came home with an art table and a toy box/bench for the girls.


The boys are going to their first drop-off birthday party this morning. They've been counting down the days all week long!