It's Fall Y'all!

So we did some Autumn pics yesterday and here are our favorites:
Aaaah. The dog pile. Poor Solomon had to be bribed with a doughnut for this pose. "And not a plain circle kind, Mom, one of the nice long guys with the goop inside!" The kid knows how to bargain.

...my little pumpkins. Malachi looks a bit underwhelmed, but the other 2 are darling. I've come to the conclusion that getting a shot with all 3 of them at their best is outright impossible.

...playing in the leaves. Now, we came in on this particular day because we received a flyer in the mail advertising the "Beautiful new fall background complete with country fence and pumpkin props!!" Yeah. They sent the flyer out too soon and the country fence was yet to be assembled. They will have it ready next week. You know, right when Solomon will inevitably catch his first cold of the season, then share it with Rayna 2 days later, who will then finally be doing better the night before Malachi wakes up miserable? That next week? Yeah. Take the stinkin' pictures.

...and the "attitude" shot. These looks complimentary of the photographer saying, "Now cross your arms and pretend Mommy just said, 'Eat your broccoli then go clean your room!'" Needless to say, I didn't order any of this pose as I have adequate access to these looks whenever I want. It is nice to have them documented, though. Just for the days when I ponder adopting 6 more...

Bedtime Story

We were feeling a little spent as naptime was rolling around, so we decided to cuddle in and peruse a classic. Spider Man's a classic, right?

Mommy Knows Best...

Every time Mom takes us to the grocery store I see these cute little lemon-shaped containers of juice and every time I ask for one. Mom always says, "No, sweetie. Those are sour!" And still I ask. Every time. Well, yesterday I hit the jackpot! Mom was pleased with the efficiency of our chore and school work that morning, then our patience and good behavior as we spent nearly 2 hours in the store. She said that we could choose out a package of gum (Kai and I are gum fiends). So, I asked once again. She assured me that I wanted the gum instead. I assured her that I didn't.
So, I rode home with my long-desired treasure on my lap. Once home I un-screwed the little lid and took a huge gulp. The first couple of pics turned out blurry, as I immediately began convulsing and coughing in disgust, Kai laughing as he chewed his sweet, yummy Juicy Fruit. Jerk.
I guess maybe next time I'll consider listening to my Mama. But no promises.
Oh, and I forgave Kai for laughing because he went and got a piece of his gum to share with me. Maybe he's not so bad :)

Feeling a Bit Nervous...

A Note from Mom: Ok, folks! We're getting closer to "D-Day" over here. We haven't yet heard if we made the final cut of 3 families who will be going to court, but we have a feeling we'll get "the call" soon. Just a heads up - when we get "the call", I'll most likely post the "yay" or "nay" here on the blog. This will save me the torture of repeating "We were rejected..." several times. If we are rejected. We really don't know where we stand.
Also, we will probably turn the phone off so we can focus on each other and try to (I don't even know how, really) begin to heal. It's going to be a rough time if we don't make the cut. Please hang in there with us, friends, we may require a bit of seclusion for a few weeks before we're ready to face the cruel world again.

Brings me back...

A Note From Mommy: Swings and popsicles. Can you remember back to that time of your life?

...and Solly finally gets up from his swing and gives into, "Eh puuush? Eh puuush? Eh puuush?" What a nice little guy.

Camp Dakota

Ok, the camping pictures are finally here! We had a very fun time with our family and friends. This is the Tee-Pee Daddy rented for us to sleep in. It's a lot bigger then it looks; we were able to fit a blow-up mattress for the parents, a big, comfy spot for both Kai and I, and Rayna's crib. And it already had a full-sized picnic table and fire pit inside! We kept toasty all night and our little hut glowed orange up on the hilltop and puffed smoke out the top. It was really neat!

This is the sign that Dad and Mom put on the door of the Tee-Pee. I don't know exactly what it means, but it sure kept the visitors away nicely. It was almost as if people were avoiding the whole area....Huh.

Rayna with the bug collecting kit. Perhaps we have an emerging research scientist?

They had a really neat little play structure at the campgrounds. My friends and I were able to play nearby while the grown-ups discussed boring things. Later on we came back over and acted interested in the conversation, but really we were just using them for their s'mores.

Malachi and the stick. The stick is now in our living room. He's very bonded to the stick.

Even though they're 2 years apart, Ava and Rayna love to play! They both finally found someone who doesn't tire of the Peek-a-boo game they enjoy playing eleventeen thousand times in a row. Their mommies shout, "Hurray!".

Here's Daddy and us kids sitting around and chatting with the other folks who came. It was nice that Daddy could have a respite from work, school and homework. He usually doesn't have much time for relaxing in the press of things. Only 6 more months untill graduation - hang in there, Daddy!

Mmmmmm...hot dogs and s'mores! Nutritious and delicious!

"Do me a favor. Go buy a Labrador."

"But I want it like a skateboarder!"

A Note from Mommy: OK. His hair has taken the folk in the road. The one with the sign pointing, 'to Mullet-ville". I guess it's time for a cut.

Much better. His brown locks are back on the road leading out of the red neck part of town. They even kept it "skateboard-ish". It just looks like someone cares about him now. Happy Mommy, happy boy. All is right in the universe again.

Piece of Peace

I'm part of blogging group who is remembering what we were doing this morning 5 years ago. I was newly pregnant with my first born. I was so sick that morning. Micah came home from his night shift and turned on the TV in our bedroom. I saw this. The sky was falling. I thought of my Grandpa who woke up onboard his infamous Navy ship on his 21st birthday, that morning of December 7th, 1941. He was stationed in Pearl Harbor. He saw the sky fall that day. Bombs fell on his ship. On his friends. Comrades were killed. I had always marveled at the fact that he had witnessed history in the making that day. He was there. Now, I was there. Ahh the blessings of live feed television.
Thoughts assaulted my mind lightning quick:" Who did this? Surely the American people won't stand for it. So, a war then? Yes. Very likely. Will Micah be drafted? Will he miss the birth of his first child? Will he return at all? Will we win? Who did this?!? Ohmygosh. Is that another plane? Oh, no. How many did they send? Who are they?"
It seemed the world flipped up-side-down that morning. That things would never be right again. The uncertainty and all the loss, it got to me. More thoughts came: "What in the world am I doing, bringing a baby into all this? What kind of business do I have putting him here? In this world so violent and errant. I know he's a boy. I can feel it. An innocent little boy. My boy. What if I can't protect him? Oh, God, I need peace!"
God provided. He gave me a symbol of perfection. Reminded me that He's in charge. He's the great orchestrater and the universal healer: The next March my husband delivered my son into the world. We looked at him and called him Solomon. It means "peaceful". And we still are. By grace. No matter what goes on down here on this crazy planet. We are His and He gives peace. He had our piece of peace in the works for us before we even knew we needed it. If that makes any sense to you. It does to us.

Getting ready for Camping...

We rented a campground with our homeschool co-op for this weekend and they have a paintball field over there. Daddy's real excited and is giving us a few pointers, even though we're too little to play with all the Daddies. Don't worry, though - we won't feel left out with all the hiking, the lake and waterfall and all of our friends! They even have play structures, volley ball and bike trails! It should be a lot of fun and Mom and Dad reserved a tee pee for our family to sleep in. Pics to come...

Oh, yeah. Something about this just feels so right!

First Day of School 2006

Here's Malachi on his first day of school as a Pre-schooler! Nana bought us binders that we could decorate ourselves which was a lot of fun. We ended up going to Joann's for ideas and both found the perfect fabrics to cut out and use.

Yay! I'm a kindergartener now! I picked out a Star Wars theme for my binder and I put my completed work in it everyday.

Happy Birthday Auntie Ruby!

Just before the start of the new school year, our family trekked out to the Dalles to wish our favorite Great-Great-Auntie a happy birthday. We rented a hotel room with Nana so we could have some extra time to play and visit. It was a very relaxing time for us all and a wonderful close to our summer.

We went out to eat and visited with some of our relatives who we rarely get to see. The restaurant was beautiful and had lots of artwork. After lunch they brought Aunt Ruby a cake with candles and we all sang the Happy Birthday song for her!

After our tummies were full, we headed back to our hotel which had lots of neat animals sitting all over the place. They also had a pool!

I liked the pig!

We love you Auntie Ruby! Happy birthday!!

Snacks for "wabbit".

There was a Little Girl with a Little Curl...

Here's Rayna, as beautiful as ever. Funny how pictures can be deceiving. If you ask Mommy about the morning this particular picture was taken, she would say that Ray temporarily had her "ratios" reversed. See, her ratio is usually 95% angel, 5% not. This day was a 95% not day, as most 2-year-olds occasionally experience. She's definitely 2. And definitely a girl.