Happy Thanksgiving to all my family and friends. I'm thankful for YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ferry Ride

Today we took the ferry over to Kingston to have lunch with some friends from church who live over in that area. What a blessing for us to have an afternoon of wonderful fellowship and relaxation in their beautiful home! Here are some fun pictures of our ferry ride. We love taking the ferry!

Luke, Asha and Lana checking out the passing cargo ship.


Jeffrey sitting quietly in the ferry reading up on local Seattle attractions.

The kids brought their binoculars to check out the sights.

One Brave Sunflower

Over the summer the kids and I planted some sunflower seeds in a few pots in the front yard. It took forever for them to grow! Slowly they started getting taller and taller, but still no flower! It is now November and most of them have died (without ever flowering), except one brave sunflower that didn't give up. Regardless of the lack of sun and the down pouring of rain one tiny sunflower is now standing strong. I have dedicated this sunflower to my Mom as a symbol of her courage and strength that she had when she went through months of cancer and treatments. Even though she is no longer with us I will never forget how strong, brave and surrendered she was. Even to the end she believed that God could heal her. He has healed her now! She is in perfect peace!

Ice Skating

Matt and I took the kids ice skating for the first time today. I can't even remember the last time I went ice skating (in fact Matt and I have never gone together). It was a fun new adventure for us. Even Jeffrey got in on the fun. I'll let the pictures tell how the time went. I have to say though, I had some good laughs!

Lana & Asha and a friend they made on the ice.

Asha and I trying to help Jeffrey (wobble legs).

Hold on Luke! We all really got to know the side railings.

Hold on Matt....lots of wet bottoms!

Character and Homeschooling

We have been homeschooling our four children for about nine weeks now, and I am quickly learning that this is no easy job (I think I knew that before I started though). Each day is an adventure. Trying to keep them motivated and myself motivated too. Matt said that they should have substitutes for homeschooling parents too. Great idea!

The kids favorite part of school is when we do our "Character Study". It is a great little book that tells a story while the kids color a picture - each week focusing on a different character like contentment, kindness, or patience. The book is called, "A Child's Book of Character Building".

Developing the character of our children is one of my greatest challenges....plus we have to be a good example too. =) I watched a great movie last night that was very inspiring as I think about teaching about character. The movie was called, "The Emperor's Club". It is about a teacher who challenges his students at an all boy's school. One quote near the end of the movie really caught my attention, "It is a teachers burden always to hope that with learning a boy's character might be changed and so the destiny a man."

Hard to believe that before we know it our little boys and girls will become men and women! May what they learn now help them in their journey!

Faces....

A face tells a lot. A face is a mirror into what is going on inside. I enjoy watching the little faces that run around our house. I see many faces throughout the day. Excited, sad, angry, grumpy, bored, loving, impatient, silly, interested, or sleepy faces. Each tell a story or express an emotion or feeling. Jeffrey our youngest loves to give us many silly faces. Lately, all I have to do is turn on music and he will start in on his funny faces. When he shares with us his faces I know on the inside he is happy and excited about life. It is a joy to watch and brings much laughter. Here are a few I was able to capture with my camera (which isn't easy to do). In these pictures he is enjoying a yummy chocolate treat.

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder

Halloween 2008

Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I do love pumpkins, fall leaves and apple cider! This year I surprisingly enjoyed Halloween. We made some great memories as a family and continued our tradition of going to Central Market (a really cool community event at our local grocery store). They had hay rides, inflatable bouncy houses, free food and candy, and always people...lots of people in funny costumes! Here are some pictures of our day.

The kids with their friend Kasey (is that
Spider Man back there).

Daddy with his little tiger.

Princess Asha from India and Snow White

Jeffrey liked his tiger outfit but wasn't
too thrilled about the hood.

Always princess!