Housecleaning, Walks, and Military

On Saturday, we had to clean the house and get it all ready for the Open House on Sunday. Our job description was basically for 11 people to work as hard as possible to make it look like the house is not inhabited by 11 people (by no means an easy task).

Before we began our arduous cleaning regime, however, we drove out to the Columbia River to take a nice family walk. Instead of walking by the river, as we have in the past, we crossed over and walked around the Fort Vancouver area.

The scenery was breathtaking and the weather just about ideal. Daddy kept exclaiming that he felt like "a pig in mud" (his favorite expression whenever the weather is particularly nice). We all agreed with him, however, and had a great time just wandering over the expansive parade grounds.

Austin found a stick that was shaped in a similar outline to an old 1700's gun, think something along the Horatio Hornblower type revolver. I believe God must have designed that stick especially for little boys. Anyway, Austin had a great time walking around shooting down imaginary objects.

Leisel even managed to get the camera away from the chief photagrapher so that she could get a picture of him and Mommy together.

The homes that lined the far edge of the parade grounds were beautiful. They reminded both Jonathon and I of being back in Williamsburg. They were old design, but beautifully kept up. You could even go on a tour of one of the houses, but Maria Cantwell had her office in there, and we did not particularly feel like walking in and striking up a conversation with anyone of her devoted followers.

As we were strolling along the grounds, the girls and I were teasing about encountering some military guys around the fort while we were there. On the way back, who should we see, but two soldiers standing along the fenceline. There was a moment of hushed whispers and suppressed giggles among the girls, with a few superfluous comments thrown in by Jonathon. Daddy caught on immediately to his daughters' nonsense and went over to strike up a conversation with the guys. He found out that they had been over in Iraq several times and he was able to thank them for their service to our country. Then he took our picture with them.

That was the highlight of our entire walk. We girls have already decided that the Fort Vancouver side is better than the Columbia River side. We have determined to make it our frequent haunt and are going to get Daddy to take us there on a walk again as soon as possible.

If Leisel looks a little miffed in the picture, that is because Jonathon had been teasing her unmercifully ever since he first spotted the soldiers in the distance.

Nose to the Grindstone

Well, I'm starting to get back into the routine of things after a delightful 9 days at Grandpa and Grandma's. I had a wonderful time in Redding, enjoying being able to spend time with family, and just have a break from the normal routine.

While I was there, Grandpa spent many patient hours with me trying to teach his 20 year old granddaughter how to drive a car. Maybe I should have started when I was 16 and too young to feel the full responsibility of being the one behind the wheel, but I didn't so here I am...

Back on the home front everyone did a great job of filling in while I was gone. It's funny how everyone has their own place in this family and when someone leaves, everyone has to take on just a bit more to compensate. Leisel and Lynnae took over all of the dinners and I have heard that they did a wonderful job (so I'm going to have to tuck that bit of information away for future reference). The girls continued with a minimal amount of schoolwork (Math, Spelling, and English) while I was away and Mommy had all of the homework corrected when I returned so that was a great relief.

Daddy and Mommy have decided to put our home back on the market and see what happens. Yes, the market is very slow and seems to get worse with every passing week, but God is sovereign so "the odds" really are not a factor. We are just trying it out to see if that is the Lord's will for us and if it is not, we are content to remain where we are.

Jonathon is continuing to do very well in college; he is taking calculus, chemistry, and engineering graphics this semester so he has a full plate. We enjoy every little bit of time that we can spend with him because he is usually swamped in homework. I am just so thankful that he didn't have to go away to college and gets to be home.

So far, that is about all that has happened up to date...I will try to be more consistant with my posts. Leisel is usually on this computer doing her schoolwork so I have to catch a few moments when she is off of it to write.

Howdy Pardner!

Howdy Folks, the name is Annie Oakley...

I've only been in town a couple of weeks, but I am surprised at the plenitude of handsome young men around. It makes it hard for a girl to make her choice you know.

I've just decided that I mine as well stay on the look out for a few days kind of check things out. After all, there is no hurry, I am in no danger of being called an old maid yet (I have at least a couple of weeks).

Hmm, I wish that things weren't so difficult. In the old cowboy stories it seems that the streets full of shady looking men with moustaches and one lone, tall, handsome cowboy stands out among all of the rest.

Ah, I think that I see one that seems just a little taller and a little handsomer than all the rest. I just wonder, is it better to reveal my sharpshooting abilities all at once or to perhaps give him a chance to save me from mortal danger?

Now, what do you think?

On the other hand, maybe I had better just stay with Mommy for now and wait for Daddy to find me a worthy cowboy.

Well...maybe that is not exactly the train of her thoughts in these pictures, but her expressions looked mighty telltale. She is such a cute, little ham that I could not resist posting these pictures.

Virus Invasion

I have not written for quite some time and I don't really have any overly plausible excuses (except for just the busyness of life in general) so I won't give any.

We have been struggling with a nasty virus making its rounds through our family for the past month (this is not an excuse by the way). Some of us got away with just a slight bout, but others got the full fledged shebang with fevers, swollen sinuses, and irritating headaches. Leisel was the virus's favorite victim and she is just now gaining the victory after nearly a three week battle in which she combatted recurring fevers and a wannabe sinus infection.

I think that we are now finally rid of the bug that invaded our home and I am very thankful for that.

After a delightful Christmas break, we have been trying to come back to the realization that life is not all free time and Daddy does have to get back to work and the rest of us to studies and housework. I think we are back into a routine now, which is nice.

Christmas Baking

I have not written in a long while, I know and my excuse is not busyness, but rather the lack of it. Daddy has had off of work for two weeks and so we have dropped our normal schedule and allowed a much more lax routine to take place of our usually demanding one. I have spent probably less than a 30 min. in total on the computer since Daddy has been home and so my blog has fallen by the wayside. We have simply enjoyed the privilege of having Daddy and Jonathon at home for two whole weeks and have eaten up every minute that we have together.

As Christmas time approached, we began to do our Christmas baking which is divided up into two parts: baking and making up plates for the neighbors and baking for our family. It was amazing to cram 6-8 people in the kitchen at a time. We split up into teams and had about 3-4 baking projects going on at a time.

Lynnae baked some delicious sweet breads that we have been enjoying throughout the holiday season. Cosette, Leisel, and I made Spritz cookies and decorated them with red and green sprinkles, adding variety, color, and a Christmasy touch to our plates for the neighbors.

Even after all that time crammed together in the kitchen like a can of tuna, we still managed to retain our smiles and goodwill toward each other.

Lissy came over during her break from college and helped us bake for one of the days. We had a wonderful time and accomplished a lot in a short time and small space. Jonathon made his delicious toffee and we made some dark chocolate fudge among other things.

Meanwhile, Mommy took Annalise and Austin and set up a storebought Gingerbread house with icing as the glue. Annalise and Austin were thrilled to get to decorate the house and had a great time doing it

Daddy's Little Elf

When I was younger, bedtime was bedtime and there was no arguing with it. It was an inescapable fact that at a certain time we were supposed to be in bed with our heads on the pillow and, at least attempting, to go to sleep. Of course, Jonathon and I were probably the two most difficult children to get to bed that Daddy and Mommy have ever had. Getting us to bed was difficult enough and to actually get us to stay in bed was an entirely different proposition and quite an accomplishment when achieved. So, needless to say, the exceptions to our bed times were few and far between.

Yet Ania, the 9th little one, seems to have figured out and mastered the technique which none of the rest of us ever quite perfected. She has got Daddy's number and when she is put down in bed and, for some reason, does not quite feel like being confined there right at the moment, she calls for Daddy...not Mommy.

On the night that we were decorating the Christmas tree, Daddy was summoned from the festivities by a sobbing voice calling out most pitifully from the wooden cage where she was immured, doomed to hear the sights and sounds of the merry festivities, yet unable to partake, separated by wooden bars and a staircase from the place where she wanted most to be. Her complaint was real enough, after all, Christmas only comes once a year, and she was missing out on the very greatest enjoyments of the holiday, the decoration of the tree. Well, Daddy could not resist the tearful pleading with which she pronounced his name,the eloquence of her very crestfallen face, and the scalding hot tears that raced each other down her plump cheeks.

And so, this is the result...

The tears were replaced by dimpled smiles, the idle hands were busied about the embellishment of the tree, and Daddy was the hero of the hour, her liberator from the unhappy prison in which she had been confined. Altogether, I think that the Christmas tree was improved in appearance by the deft adjustments made by those chubby little hands.

And I don't suppose that the little pixie will soon forget the Christmas that she was able to stay up long after her older brother and sister, Austin and Annie, were put to bed and assist in the decoration of the Christmas tree.

Deck the Halls

Christmas time is finally here with all of the hustle and bustle and to and fro that attends it every year. With Thanksgiving being later this year, it seems that there is even a greater rush in Christmas preparations. On Thursday night of last week, we retrieved all of our Christmas decorations and began the process of decorating. Leisel and I wound the garland up the staircase and strung it with lights (a very delicate process which required great skill).

...While Mommy and Lynnae worked on bedecking the fireplaces with branches and birds and all those wonderful things that bring the wintry outdoors right into your home.

Then on Friday, Daddy, Jonathon, and Austin went out and got a large Christmas tree. They chopped it down themselves and, in fact, it is reported that Austin's muscular arms dealt the final blow that brought it crashing down from it's proud upright position.

Then the decorating of the tree began. Crushed bows had to be removed from boxes and straightened, glittering glass balls were hung gingerly on the tree branches (I don't think that we broke any this year), and ornaments were unleashed in large numbers from their year long hibernation.

In fact, we got so carried away with decorating that we began to decorate Leisel. She almost got placed under the tree with all of the rest of the presents.

We lacked a sprig of mistletoe, but Jonathon and Ania just closed their eyes and imagined that it was there anyway.

Lynnae and Jonathon took on all of the decorating jobs in the kitchen which was very altruistic of them, only the bowl of M&M's which we placed on the counter as a energy boost for the decorators, belies the purity of their motives.