The Things They Say

Some of the biggest smiles in my life are Littles. My own three youngest siblings, the students who march through my door each week, and the cute kiddos I see at church and babysit ~ these are the ones that keep life hopping and happy. Besides the fun of teaching and playing with them, their constant stream of silliness (intentional, and otherwise) keeps me chuckling, no matter what the day has held. If you don't personally know the truth of this, here are some conversations that have taken place around here, lately...

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Zach: "I was just breathing through my ear!"

*Various Siblings*: "That's impossible."

Zach: "No, really! Air was coming in and going out!"

Gracie: "You have an eardrum there, you can't breath through it!"
 

Methinks it's time for a discussion on air flow & anatomy.
 

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Meg: "If actions speak louder than words, then they also speak louder than words in 'Whack'! Shouldn't that be true??"
 

Thanks, Meg! Now I have a logical defense when I find myself tongue-tied & have to just point at someone.
 

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Me: (Placing supper on the table) "Ok you guys, time to eat!"

Little #1: "But...but...but...where's my fork?!?"

Me: "You don't have one yet. Run and get it!"

Little #2: "I have to go get my fork, too!"

Me: "Yep! Go for it!"

Little #3: (while sliding his fork back & forth across the table, yet in dead earnest) "I need a fork, too!"
 

Ahh, peer pressure, how young you start.
 

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You know that part in The Pacifier when Murney has to play Mother Superior for The Sound of Music skit? We were suffering through watching it w/the younger kids, when Zach suddenly blurted out, "Wow! I never knew Mother Superiors had such hairy legs!"
 

...which causes me to stop and consider: Do Mother Superiors shave their legs?

Oh the things I would never wonder if it wasn't for Zachary.
 

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Me: "Meg, put this away."

Meg: "Ewww!"

Me: "Big whoop. It's just clean underwear."

Zachary: "And if your a girl, you wear it every day!"
 

"If you're a girl"?? I don't even want to ask.
 

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Then there's the list of instructions I had to give Maddy, all in one afternoon of knitting.

Please tell me, are these instructions rocket science? 'Cause she seemed to think they were...

 

"Maddy, you may not put your knitting needle in your nose!"

"Maddy, don't scratch your face with your knitting needle!"

"Maddy, get your knitting needle out of the chip bag!"
 

Note to self: knitting needles are complicated tools of {apparently} ambiguous purpose. So much for the explained-by-the-name theory.
 

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What would we do without Littles?



Watch-It Wednesday: 10 minutes X 5 days

Unquestionably, Family Camp is the best, most-looked-forward-to weekend of the year! Those of us happily possessing schedules which allow us to go up early enjoy 5 days ~ and still, the time shrinks each year.

Two weeks later, I have a slideshow, using some of everyone's pictures of camp. Ten minutes may seem like a long video, but considering that I started with 1,000 pictures, it's quite decent. ;)

I cannot wait until we all get to heaven, and can enjoy the fellowship like this for eternity! Have a blessed Wednesday!

Life Lately...

Hello lovelies!

(Hello...hello...hello)

Wait, was than an echo I just heard?

Yes, it's been a while. Poor little blog has been abandoned for far too long, but I'm turning over a new leaf as they begin to fall, and things should look a little more lively around here, now that all beautiful things outside are beginning to die {albeit, beautifully}.
But take that with a grain of salt, 'cause life is crazy.

Anyway, as I madly edit pictures and put together posts from Europe {which will appear here by the end of the month - hooray!}, life has continued to fly by, in that predictable, frantic style of summer happenings. What has been keeping me busy since my feet returned to Battle Ground soil nearly two months ago? Yes. I know. This question has stalked your days and haunted your nights, so in the name of community service, I have set out this morning to bring peace to your tormented minds. {In other words, by many words, I seek to eliminate the echo of words, since this blog-journal of my words has been lacking in any words.}

1. Deiter 100!
Styled after "The Amazing Race" {of which I know nothing...}, in celebration of their collective ages being 100, the Deiters hosted an all-day event of clues and scavenger hunts which immediately set the bar high for "fun things to do" in the month of August! Each team was encouraged to dress...like a team, and the team of yours truly tied for the prize!

The other winning team: Snow White, Prince, & 7 dwarves!

2. Clark County Fair!
Free pancake breakfast on opening morning, sheep shows, judging, auctioning, and fun...and one late night of bright lights, high rides, and elephant ears. We love our county fair!

3. Cleared-Out Room!
As soon as I got back to my room, after two months of living out of a backpack, I knew it was time to get rid of some things. Armloads of clothes, knick-knacks, etc, exited en mass. The only thing I couldn't let go of? My books, of course! In true all-or-nothing style, I pulled out & re-organized all 235 of them. And, as I had another one on the way in the mail, sternly instructed myself to go easy on the book-buying. I mean, some are in boxes in my closet, some arranged neatly under my bed, and all my bookshelves sagging. Fate was against me, though, because two days later...

Some of the mess... :)

4. Girls' Day in Ptown!!
Ahh, it was lovely. Tea lattes, Anthro, Salt & Straw ice cream {like...yums}, and...the infamous Powell's Bookstore. I'm afraid to say my resolve evaporated the minute I walked through the doors. I came away with *ahem* 3 books ~ but oh, such books!! :)

5. Music on the Lawn!
Being gone for 2 months during the summer sounds like a prime opportunity for "while the cat's away, the mice play" in studio~land. Of course, I wanted my wonderful violinists & pianists to have a bit of a break, but I also needed some sort of incentive for them to touch & play their instruments over the summer. The answer was: give them a piece to learn, on their own, for a performance. But it's summer. We didn't want a formal deal with dressing up, solemn concert hall, etc. So we hooked up a sound system, pulled out the keyboard, threw down some picnic blankets, and had a whole gang of people bring & eat their picnic dinners, while being serenaded by some great music! :) After supper & music, we cleared up, set up the volleyball net, and played until dark {and a little beyond}.

They gave me a super "sweet" card, that they all had signed!! :)

6. Family Camp!

Don't get me started. Family Camp is The. Best. Weekend. of the year. Hands-down. Volleyball, soccer, Frisbee, talent night, game tournaments, campfire singing, baptisms ~ this fun is nothing to the fellowship with wonderful brothers & sisters. I was even more grateful for my wonderful church family this year, after being away from them for 2 months. {Now we just need Jesse and Nathan to come home!}

 

7. Sunriver!
Our annual family vacation spot: Sunriver, OR! The last two years were the first years we hadn't gone since Ems was born (19 years ago), so we were ecstatic to return to the high desert, pine trees, and endless bike trails! G'ma and G'pa came this year, and it was a lovely, too-short, 5 days.

2013 Christmas Picture??

Megs & I during a biking break!

Beautiful Benham Falls

Deschutes River!

It's been a busy summer! So fun-filled and beautiful, it makes me ready to jump into schedules with extra gusto!

How was your summer??