Thanksgiving

Let's get Thanksgiving posted before Christmas, shall we?


Thanksgiving was laid back this year. We had Grandpa Mike with us the week before and my mom went to Kansas to spend the holiday with Rachel and fam. Jordan didn't get any time off from work so Joanna went to Portland to spend Thanksgiving with him. That just left us and my dad at our house. The kids were bummed it was going to be a small gathering so we did our best to make it special. We dressed up and decorated the table and made a traditional Thanksgiving dinner complete with sparkling cider. As per our tradition for a couple years, the kids and Rand played football in the yard while I cooked. And it. Was. Pouring this year!

 

She asked me to straighten her hair so that is was longer. :)

Ninjas::10/31

I had 4 ninjas for Halloween. Annabel wants nothing but to follow her brothers with jumps, kicks and weapons. So while I felt a little like maybe I should of had a girly something or other, I decided to settle for a pink ninja belt instead. It seemed right. :) Weather was great (always a gamble in these parts) and candy was looted. Sugar highs remain.

In The Woods

Wow. Things are crazy with 6 kids. I don't know if it's the number or the specific interesting dynamics we have with the 6 that are here....whatever it is....it's crazy.

Our house is small, but our property is huge. The problem with our property is that our landlords live right across the street, and wow, they keep a close eye on us. It is tiring living like that, I must say, so we have been trying to get out just to avoid the daily emails.

Awesome thing is, we actually have our own property. It's in Shelton. There is a piece of family property (40 acres) that has been split up into four 10 acre lots, one lot for each of us siblings. It is nothing but woods, mostly an overgrown, long forgotten Christmas tree farm. And all of us only have a dream of someday doing something with our lot (it's becoming a more serious dream to me).

Anyway, the other day we decided to go play in our woods. We took Rachel's dog and some hatchets and saws. The big boys cut down some trees and scouted wildlife and we daydreamed about houses (or vacation cabins) in the woods.

I really love it there.

Annnd, We're Done!

Just a quick one to celebrate the official end of baseball! It was fun. It was crazy. It is over!

Brendan and Wyatt's teams both made it all the way through the tournament to the last game. Wyatt's team lost their last game. Brendan's team won and became the District Champions for the Minors. After closing ceremonies, Wyatt played the AAA All-Star Game and his team (Blue) won!

Fun times!

My Favorite Neighbors And Still Baseball

My favorite neighbors are back again, just like last summer. Rachel, Royal, Jayden and Willow rolled in from Kansas with their truck and trailer on Sunday. We have been counting down the days for the past 75 days. All day Sunday, Brendan and Wyatt about drove me insane with their excitement. They rode their bikes down to the mail boxes to "escort" the crew to our house and then the 3 boys reunited in a jump-yell-hug. Easton and Willow stared at each other and then Easton "died".

Royal is flying back to Kansas today and Rachel and the kids get to be my neighbors for the next few weeks. I could use the extra set of hands right now!

And as for baseball....
We are still playing baseball. The double-elimination tournament is happening right now. They both lost their first games and then they both won their second games. I think it will all come to an end on Saturday after Wyatt's All-Star game. Brendan's level doesn't do "all-stars" per se. You apply and then get chosen to be a part of the Tournament of Champions and it takes place post-season. We decided to be done! ...maybe Fall Ball??

And now for a picture overdose (mostly taken with my phone, so sorry about the quality).

 

reunited

 

Uncle Bubba!

 

Blackberries (the little ones) almost ripe right outside the trailer door!

 

Easton LOVES hanging out in the trailer

 

"hey kids, quit watching TV and look at me"

 

Rach and I left Royal with all 6 kids while we went to COSTCO. This was happening when we came home!

 

We ran out of band-aids on the first day. 

 

 My favorite niece, Willow

 

She likes hanging out in the trailer, too

 

Snake hunting in the orchard.

 

And tree climbing

 

AND MORE BASEBALL!

 

Base hit

 

Stealing home...

 

SAFE!

 

at another game

 

Little Miss Independent

Last Day of School

Today was our last day at ORLA! woohooo
Let the summer fun begin!

Yesterday, the boys participated in ORLA's spring "arts" show. They got to show off some of their karate skills. They have absolutely loved karate, especially Brendan. I probably need to figure out how he can continue in a more advanced way. It's fun to watch because they are so into it.

Then, today was our last day of classes at ORLA. I am beyond relieved. While it has been a great resource for us as homeschoolers, it has been difficult too. I'm glad to be done with the commitment!

And, wow! Has everybody changed so much this year, or what?!

First Day of School

 

Last Day of School

(you can see Brendan's karate "posture" has significantly improved! This is a weird picture, but it was the best they gave me! It was time to go home!)

 Here are some pictures from their karate "show and tell"