Fall, glorious Fall...

Esther Short Park

Esther Short Park

Esther Short Park

Esther Short Park

Fort Vancouver Park

Forest Park

A little Charlie Brown...

What is Halloween without a special Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin night? Chris had to work, so the girls and I celebrated the beginning of the holiday season by making pizza, having a special dinner together, and making pumpkin bread, and watching the Charlie Brown special. I LOVE this time of year! It makes me happy :)

Halloween 2011

Peter Pan and Wendy were this years picks! I was so happy that they chose something other than a disney princess!

The whole clan! We had Millers, Ehlers and Wagners over for soup, salad and biscuits before we went out and bombarded doorsteps with our 10 children!

Wendy from behind :) I just think this shot is so cute!

Ella is gettin into the spirit of Halloween!

The Whiteboard

So Annabelle was given a whiteboard for her 7th birthday last January, and I think it was the perfect gift for her! My 7 yr old loves to communicate her feelings amongst other things by written word. She tends to do her whiteboard messaging after she goes to bed, so it has been fun to be surprised the next morning with her messages and drawings! Which range from math problems to sweet notes written to her mama that I will forever treasure :-) I made cookies with the girls a couple weeks ago, and that is the night Annabelle wrote her note to me. It is so easy to please these little ones! She was delighted that we made cookies together, and made sure to tell me on the whiteboard.

Yet another phase of life....

So I have now graduated from toddlerhood to school age! Completely bittersweet. My baby began Kindergarten in September, and now there is no going back :/ I am so happy for her, as she was beyond excited to go to school with her big sis! But it is new territory for sure. I am realizing I have to figure out where my place is too. I have thought maybe I would go back to school for a masters in counseling (I currently have a bachelors in health education). But then reality hit that I really only have about 2.5 hours to myself each day as Kindergarten is only half day. So this year is going to be spent doing less, being home with my Kindergartner, volunteering in their classrooms, and spending more time at the gym :) I am so thankful that this transition is gonna be slow and not drastic. And next year? Who knows. Maybe I will do the same thing. I am trying not to hurry out of motherhood and into career-hood. Although I know someday I will want to go back to work, I want my family to take first priority. So we will see if God continues to allow me to stay home, and just take one year at a time! All I gotta say, is that God is good. Chris continues to work from home, allowing me to work in a friends cake shop twice a week from 10-3, so I could bring in a little extra income :) It has been really nice to get out of the home and do a little something different, in a quiet, calm environment, and then neat to see how God blessed us with the income we needed and schedules that work out.