Away in a Manger

The kids were terrific again this year as they acted out the Christmas Story. Our little Chief Shepherd (Joshua) got his lines down perfectly. Great Job!

Josiah and the Snowmen

When Josiah saw the Christmas lights on our neighbor's house, he knew it was Christmas. And that meant it was time to put up our snowmen. He absolutely loves his inflatable snowmen.

First Thanksgiving

Faith's First Thanksgiving was a special day. I have much to be thankful for. I'm so thankful for my salvation through Jesus Christ, my family, my health, and my home, just to name a few. There are so many things for me to be thankful for that I have started a list to remind me of God's blessings in my life. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Surprise!

We had quite the surprise on Thanksgiving morning. There was a quick knock on the door and then in walked Hannah. We thought she was having Thanksgiving with a friend from school. It turns out that Hannah and four friends drove up to surprise their families. We were very happily surprised.

We had a fun weekend celebrating Thanksgiving, shopping, hanging out with family,taking a quick trip to Starbucks and getting dinner at Rico's Tacos. It's a local food cart that makes some good mexican food.

11/11/11 @11:11

We took a minute to remember where we were on 11/11/11. We were at the Neskowin Market. It was fun to be with family for such a cool moment in time.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium

On day four of our trip Mom and Dad took everyone to the Aquarium. The kids had fun and so did the adults.

Then we had lunch at a local diner.

The Big Trip

The kids and I traveled to Neskowin for my parents fiftieth wedding anniversery. We stayed in a great beach house right on the beach. The view was wonderful. The first night we had a spaghetti dinner and the kids played games.

The second day I walked down to a local coffee shop (grandma's house) and had coffee with everyone. Then we had brunch at Brian, Tammi, and Tim's house. Uncle Brian made omelets for everyone. Then it was time for a scavenger hunt, Uncle Tim style.

Team Grandpa

Team Grandma

They were given about an hour and a half to find specific things and complete certain activities. Big Josh called it Scavenger Hunt-Cutthroat style. The prize for first place was first choice of two jars. One full of five dollar bills and the other full of one dollar bills and candy.

Team Grandpa won and they choose the jar of fives and candy. Then we went and played on the beach.

Then it was time to get ready for the big dinner.

We went into Lincoln City to celebrate.

We all had a very nice time. Fifty years is quite an accomplishment. The third day we just hung around.

Activity Center

Faith really likes to look at her activity center. She loves all the bright colors.

Happy Hour at Sonic Burger

We all went to Sonic Burger for Slushies. They have half-price drinks from 2-4. That made it very affordable. I ordered a large for everyone since they were half-price, and everyone got their own.

The Pumpkin Patch

It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, it was a gray and cloudy day. We made it to the pumpkin patch before it started raining. I love fall and our trip to the pumpkin patch is a beloved family tradition.

The boys had a fun looking at all the pumpkins. We bought some apples, apple cider, and doughnuts. Faith enjoyed looking at all the bright orange pumpkins.
She happily posed for all the pictures I wanted.

Timmy and the Catapillar

This is Timothy's new friend. I just call him Timmy's catapillar because I can never remember his name.

Matt and Friends

These are the guys Matt has grown up with. This is the partial class of 2012. They are looking forward to a great senior year. I am praying for great things for these young men.

Tinker Toys, Legos, and Duplos!

Joshua has been building things everyday. This is his latest creation.

Baking with Timothy

Timothy helped make Apple Crisp. He loves bake and cook. Every fall we make something with apples. It was delicious.

Content

Faith is a very contented baby, as long as mom is close by. She loves it when her brothers and sisters talk to her. It is really easy to make her smile.

Cabelas

We took the kids ( minus the three oldest ) and went to Cabelas. This was Faith's first trip. She wasn't too impressed, but the boys had fun. This was our fifth different Cabelas we have been to. I think Danielle wants to visit them all. I don't think that's going to happen.

Hello Little Fishies!

Joshua and Josiah are petting Grandma and Grandpa's fish. Apparently they wiggle their fingers and the fish come over and they pet them. The boys had fun doing this at Family Dinner. Hopefully they don't teach Casey how to do this!

Little Strawberry Girl!

Faith is doing well. She is one of the few who dodged the virus that went around our house last week. Am I ever glad to put last week behind me!

Josiah and the Peacocks

We have wild peacocks that live in our neighborhood. After I had Faith, the kids and I went for a walk to show Josiah the peacocks. Now it has become a weekly habit of going to "Peacock Lane." The boys love going on these walks and we all look forward to it. Recently, they were across the street from our house. We rarely see them come to our street, so this was a treat for Josiah, especially.

The Lightning

How many kids does it take to fill up Grandpa's Lightning? Eight, until Hannah comes home.

Congratulations, Sarah!

After three interviews, Sarah is now employed as a receptionist at a local dentist office. This is such a great answer to prayer. We are so excited for all the Lord has in store for Sarah in the future.

Happy Grandparent's Day !

Happy Grandparents Day! We hope you have a terrific day. We Love You!

Labor Day BBQ

We went to grandma and grandpa's house for a BBQ. Josiah had a great time because we were at the Thomas the Train grandma's. Yes, that is how he tells his grandmas apart. My mom is the Mater grandma. All the kids had fun and the food was great.

September Family Dinner

This was Faith's second family dinner. Grandma made tacos. They were great. They always taste better when someone else makes them. We missed Keeri, Josh, and Hannah, but the rest of us had a good time. Even Casey.

A Day at the Zoo

We went to the zoo with grandma and grandpa. We had so much fun. The boys were pretty impressed with the dinosaur exhibit. They were big and very realistic.

We saw lots of animals and then rode the train. We gorged on carmel corn, cotton candy, snow cones and elephant ears. It was a great day!