I used my zoom lens to take pics of the kids playing at the park. It was so fun to just catch them playing, jumping, galloping through the snow and laughing. I love the way the white snow makes their colors so vivid!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Lovin' My New Camera
I used my zoom lens to take pics of the kids playing at the park. It was so fun to just catch them playing, jumping, galloping through the snow and laughing. I love the way the white snow makes their colors so vivid!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Come on In
I haven't taken pictures of the main level yet. I will try to do that today - if I get a chance. You would think I have lots of time on my hands, not knowing anyone yet. I stay completely busy doing the normal things of the house (homeschool, running errands, cleaning, cooking etc.) I am not sure how I will fit an "outside life" in when the time comes :-) So, the pics for today are of the upper level. After going about 6 steps up, here you are in the hall
The first door on the right is the bathroom. The bathrooms are probably the worst rooms in the house - they need lots of work (mostly new floors, paint and vanity) But oh well, there are 3 of them so that is great! Another thing we really like is the nice tall ceilings in the main and upper levels.
The next door is our bedroom. It is nice and big with a bathroom (yeah!) and big closets. Although we do not have tv (at least for cable) we do LOVE to watch movies. I guess that would explain why we owned a movie theatre :-) It has been so fun having a nice big library to check out movies from. We checked out a PBS special on the Donner Party the other night. That was possibly a mistake - I dreamt I was fighting to survive along the oregon trail all night long! Brock said his dreams were filled with zombies! I suppose we may need to pick less tragic movies for the sake of our sleep :-)
If this were our house it would be pretty fun to redo the bathroom's. It wouldn't take much yet the difference would be like night and day! I know that people differ when it comes to what they think looks best but I thought maybe there was a general consensus about what doesn't look good. I guess not :-)
Moving on to the next room (this is at the end of the hall) is the school room/office. Painting is another thing I would do in this house if I could :-) I love having this room - it serves for alot of different things and we spend tons of time in here. I am in the process of getting all my scrapbook stuff set up in here also so I can do it whenever I find time :-) The big nice closet is perfect for organizing school supplies, crafts and scrapbook things.
Fun All Around
I had fun in the front trying out my new camera's zoom lens. I never tire of the beautiful mountains out our window. They change their appearance constantly - it is crazy! With a fresh dusting of snow I couldn't resist photographing their beauty.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Love, Love, Love
The following year, June 2005, she rode again while in MT - this time bareback on a full sized horse. She was already a natural around them, completely comfortable yet adequately cautious.
Although it was a couple years before she rode a horse again, her love for them continued to grow. She had stuffed horses, plastic horses, clay horses, books about horses, pictures of horses, clothes with horses, anything and everything horse! In July 2007, when she was almost 7, I heard of a place she could take lessons and quickly signed her up. She was thrilled and instantly fell in love with Kristen, her teacher, and Rogue, "her" horse. She cherished her time with them both and loved learning about riding and taking care of horses. She continued her lessons until we moved (Nov 2008). She misses Kristen and Rogue TONS and can't wait to go visit them!
This video is a collection of short video clips and photos of Madison enjoying her time with Kristen and Rogue.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
I Love to FLY?
Friday, February 13, 2009
Oh Be Careful . . .
Jabbering Little Girl
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Boy Do I Love . . . .
Madison, Hannah, Isaac and Finn told you some of the things they love and
Here are some things I love:
1. God and learning more about Him because my purpose in life is to glorify Him and enjoy Him FOREVER
2. My handsome hubby who makes me laugh, makes me feel loved and makes me happy to be his wife
3. My three kids who make me love everything about being a stay at home mom and help me grasp God's love for us
4. My family and all the time "spent together" (whether on the phone, in person or on the computer) because they encourage me, challenge me and love me always
5. My friends because they are always there when I need them (even if its just by phone these days) :-)
7. Snuggling up with my hubby for a movie so we can "experience" another world, another era, another time together
8. The ocean because it makes me feel refreshed and relaxed
9. The sun beating down on me because I love the warmth
10. Taking pictures and scrapbooking because I love expressing our life in a visual way
11. Anything and everything chocolate because it is so tasty
Okay, now it is your turn - what are some things you love???
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Memories, Cold, Riding, Stuck, Fun, Snow
We intended to get pictures of the whole group, but unfortunately ran out of time. I was glad to get a few good family pictures. Isn't the cabin nice? It was small and cozy and consisted of one room and a loft.
The view was absolutely beautiful. There were pine trees galore, mountains in the distance and you could see the town down below.
Brock and Chris were missing their Wii competitions so luckily found a table ping pong game. Unfortunately, the game never really took off between the ball getting lost over and over and Brock's inability to control his hits :-)
The ride back was much quicker than the way there, with only a few minor issues. First, Chris and Erika were dragging a bag from their gear sled so Brock jumped off to get it back on. Isaac was sitting on the sled still and it was running (one of those dumb things we all do without thinking). Suddenly there was a lot of revving and we took off, it was dark and I was sitting backwards so couldn't see what was going on. Isaac had fallen asleep on the throttle and Brock had to run and jump on it and grab him off. We were very lucky that nothing serious happened, other than scaring us all. He didn't even realize what he had done so luckily was not traumatized by it. Second, I got sick from a combination of motion sickness and exhaust fumes. Sitting in the sled you get COVERED in snow and your goggles get very fogged up and frozen. I was trying to get more comfortable so I sat backwards. This wasn't such a good idea because all the twisting, turning and bumps made me get motion sick. Also, the fumes were really strong and getting to me. I kept feeling like I was going to puke so continually took my helmet on and off. Finally for the last stretch I just left it off. I didn't care how cold I was because I felt so yucky and knew I didn't want to puke in my helmet! :-) I was so glad to get to the car - I was pretty out of it, dizzy, nauseaous and freezing. We got home and I went to bed. Thankfully, I felt pretty good the next day (other than a head ache).
So . . . as Chris so perfectly put it - it was a character building day!! We had plenty of good and plenty of bad but how else are memories made? The events that are peppered with discomfort, unexpected delays and other mishaps are the ones that stick with you the most. We aren't promised smooth sailing but we are expected to make the most of what comes our way! I think we all succeeded in this and I'm certain we will all happily do it again when the opportunity arises!
Fun with Cousins
Christmas Day - Hannah playing with her new baby and stroller. She is so cute with her babies, she gets them set in the stroller just right, she changes their diapers (using wipes and all), she hugs them, kisses them, changes their clothes etc.
Finn skipped right past the "stomping" and moved into the dancing! I wished I had a video of his moves - he had quite a few! As you can see he is pretty proud of the response he was getting out of us! Hannah was content just watching him dance, she never felt the urge to join in :-)