Thinking Outside The Box

Sister is creative and free spirited. She is great at thinking outside the box. I truly admire that as it is not something I can easily do. 

At school the kids are asked to color/decorate a cutout person and make it like themselves. Sis was enthusiastic about this homework....which is optional. My boys have never chosen to complete it. 

Sis sat at the table working and when I came to check in and see if she needed any help she had done all of the coloring. She made an adorable kitty! At first I thought...ummmm.....you are not a kitty. But, then I got my thoughts (and comments) in order and told her how great it looked. Very creative!!

I helped her with the spelling on the descriptive part. She came up with what to say.

She is:

A Girl

Ethiopian

Smart

Awesome

Fun

and a Sister.

I loved it when I saw her finished person hanging in the hallway at school. The kitty stands out and I love it! This is a girl that marches to the beat of her own drum. And I love it!!

Get Out There

We explored a new-to-us area of our city. It was a fun and free outing! Plus, the sun was shining. We like to be "tourists" in our own town. Although I've lived here my entire life I has never seen this area.

It's a wildlife preserve and they have added a walking trail in a loop. The area is being restored to it's natural state as an estuary. 

We are focusing on getting outside and enjoying "green spaces". It is very good for our body and mind to make time for this....everyday. 

Lent has begun and it's a time for us to quiet our minds and grow closer to God. It's amazing how much beauty there is in the world. I notice more of it and give thanks more often when my environment is quieter. 

The kids will have no video game time and Cam and I have signed off of FB and other screen time for Lent....except I will be writing here. I do find it to be useful for my soul.

Our meals will be simple and frugal. We are fasting from meat and some dairy. Our goal is to focus less on food. We will use the money we save to increase our almsgiving. 

We are going to spend more time reading scripture, lives of the Saints and Bible stories with the kids. And of course spend more time in church for special Lenten services. 

While on our hike Mr. P was carrying Moses on his back and Sis ran in front of them with a big stick....CRASH. Mr. P went down hard on both knees....scraped and banged hard inside the kneecap. 

As a family of 7 we get in each others' way sometimes....or often. We argue and we irritate each other...sometimes on purpose. Lent will be a time to reign this in. The kids and I talked this morning about how to Let It Go....as the Disney song says. We can choose to not react, not comment, to walk away or to react in love and kindness.

As a family of 7 we also have great opportunity to love on each other. There is always at least one person around willing to hug you, comfort you and be your friend. 

When Mr. P fell it was his Dad that carried him ALL the way back to the van. This was a wonderful example for the kids. Throughout Lent we will work towards this spirit of carrying and comforting one another. 

Our day ended with this amazing sunset. God's love for us shows in His creation of our world. 

We hope to show God our love for Him by growing near to Him in this season of Lent. 

Valentine's 2015

Oh yes I still love Valentine's Day. I love all the red, and hearts and glitter! And CANDY!! I have such a good time shopping for my Valentines. It's a tradition now that I buy each of them a box of See's Candy. I hand pick what goes into each box...all their favorites. Yes...they are spoiled!! But, good spoiled and they return the spoiling so...win/win.

Valentine's fell on a Saturday this year which meant school parties happened on Friday. It was nice to spread out the love. The school parties were so fun! I think I had five kids so I could continue to enjoy Valentine's Day like a kid.

Saturday the boys had Basketball games and then we got ready for out annual PJ Valentine Dinner. This year we ordered take-out from our favorite Thai place. Delicious!!

The table was set while the kids played outside. I placed the gifts next to their plates....chocolates and bubble bath....and candles for Tuba. The Dad Man got chocolates, shaving cream and soap.

Everyone groans when I pull out the tripod and camera. Too bad!! I love to get a family shot each year. Notice Kali always inserts herself. 

After dinner we had a nice big fire in the fireplace and some of the kids watched a movie. It was a fun day! 

Here's one more reason I get out the tripod....so I can be in the photo. This was our first Valentine PJ Dinner 2010.

Sunshine Outing

I love sunshine and I love a family outing.

We got the heck out of the house and had a fabulous time a few weekends ago....family and sun! 

Our favorite pizza place is a ferry ride away. Good thing we all love a ferry ride adventure.

Lunch out is a nice time to visit and snuggle.

Then a short walk to the beach to look at the water. 

I love this picture. Tuba's coat looks so bright with the red building on the pier. The kids all ran up and down the pier.

The view was amazing. 

I've stood in this same spot many time and it's always a beautiful view. It was a Kairos moment standing there with the sun warming me.

Several times a week....and sometimes several times a day I note a Kairos moment.

Recent Kairos Moments

I was stopped at a light and looked over to see a big dog asleep on the back of a sofa in the window. He was so cute. He looked like he fell asleep watching the world go by....or maybe waiting for his master to come back home.

At dinner the light shining on Moses's skin was so beautiful. He had put coconut oil on his skin and it was magnificent. What a beauty that boy is.

The frogs have begun to sing and croak. I love to hear them. I was sitting in the kitchen while the kids were all at school listening to the sound of a frog in my yard. 

I'll send with this pic of my sweet dog. Truly....It's a Dog's Life

Horse Whisperer

These are old photos from last spring break. I have been reading about kids (and adults) who are very intuitive with animals. Sis is one of those people!!

She loves all animals...except flies and spiders....but they don't count...do they? From the time she was very little she noticed all the cats and dogs everywhere we went. She always wants to pet them talk to them. Our own cat is very mean but that has never stopped her from loving on the cat. Remember THIS? Of course Sis loves our precious dog and cuddles her, talks to her, plays with her all day long.

Horses have always been one of the animals Sis loves the most. She tells us that when she is big she is getting a truck, a camper and a horse. She is thrilled whenever we see horses and loves to interact with them. She has an upcoming horse ride that she is very excited about.

Back to spring break last year. We were out on a walk and spotted some horses along the road. Sis ran over and before I could catch up with her she was feeding the horse grass. The horse was behind a gate and was stretching his head over to reach the grass. Sis quickly snatched up the grass for him and began feeding him. No fear.

Then she ran over about 10 feet away and began picking some of the longer grass. She informed us that the horse told her he wanted that grass. It was one of those moments that give you goosebumps. The horse stood patiently and waited while she gathered grass for him.

My little horse whisperer has a true heart for animals. I can't wait to see where this special gift takes her in life.

Little Mommy's Helper

I have so many photos of Sis helping George. Remember...she is nicknamed Little Mommy.

Well, I caught this happening the other day. Sis needed help tying her belt. Brother to the rescue!

So cute! I love it when they help each other.

***scroll back up to the first photo and look for Kali under the table. She is on the "look out" waiting for everyone to leave the room so she can try and get up ON the table to look for treats of leftover food. Naughty dog!!