Grandparents and girls visit

We've had a fun week of visitors in town this week - Nona and Grandpa and cousins Ruth (11) and Naomi (9). They arrived on Boxing Day and will head back to CT tomorrow in the morning; it's been a fun 6 days.

The favorite activity this week has been beach play; we've been to the beach at least five times. Naomi loves to boogie board, and she has Ruth and Monkey close at her heels. Even Roo has gotten in on the action... A big week, ocean-wise, for the Pray Creek kids. I've been impressed with their willingness to brave the cold! Lots of sand play and castles as well.

The girls love the babies and have been doting continually on them, especially the mouse. She has her own full entourage whenever she's awake! Playing pattycake, carrying, and feeding are all much enjoyed. Goose has received ample assistance, hand-holding, and general doting as well. Very cute. We've also done bead-making, In n Out burger runs, street basketball, and the like.

Yesterday we went to the Santa Barbara zoo, about which the girls had heard from their brothers (who were here in November with their mom). It was the most crowded that we have ever seen it during our ten or so visits there, but the 20-minute wait to get in was still well worth it. A big hit was the "sliding hill," pictured, where we remembered to bring our own cardboard boxes for optimal sliding activity. Fun to see the animals too of course.

We celebrated HF's 38th birthday on Thursday night with his chosen meal of burritos and apple fritters from Master's Donuts, his absolute favorite. Happy birthday to a fantastic husband, dad, hunter, pizza-maker, and paddleboarder (to name a few...)!

Scenes from Christmas

We made finger paint and gave it to several family friends as gifts:

Annual Christmas dinner and carol-sing with the Scherreis! So fun (and special blessing that Kim was well enough to participate):

The "big kids" (Monkey and Roo) and I made angels from toilet-paper rolls. Throwback craft from my own youth:

Blowing out the advent candles following our Christmas Eve dinner:

Littlest gets help from siblings in opening a gift on Christmas morning:

The humble birth of our Savior, the timing and circumstances of which may have been surprised His mother, look a bit different to me this side of the mouse's birth. More amazing, even. Come and worship, this year all the more, our newborn King!

Big Bear blizzard

We rented a tiny cabin in Big Bear for the weekend and got to spend some time playing in the snow. We got about a foot during the 48 hours we were there- so fun to watch falling and play in. The big two loved the sledding, especially.

A lot of time goes into outfitting three children 6 and under for snow play, one realizes. Not that we didn't know that, we just don't often have the opportunity to experience it first hand.

The goose was a classic 2-year old - all enthusiasm for snow play, and all falling down, whining, and wanting to be held once out there:

HF built a snow quincy with the monkey; here baby Santa Claus perches in front of it for her sole 5-minute stint in the winter wonderland:

Don't get views like this too often in these parts:

I'm dreaming of a California Christmas...

We're awash in Christmas activities over here and greatly enjoying it. The two oldest being 4 and 6 this year really gives the season some legs, and it's all taking off. This year for our gingerbread house, HF wanted to make it from scratch, so we tackled the 3-part project last week. True to form with him as the project-coordinator, it all went swimmingly and was a big hit. Thursday the kids and I made the dough, Friday the cut and baked the forms (using this recipe and measurements), and Saturday we assembled and decorated - using leftover candy from Halloween, I might add. Fantastic use for it. Big hit, and everyone was happy. Last year we decorated our house the day before our firstborn and I got the stomach flu, and every time he looked at the house poor monkey would say it made his stomach hurt. (I could relate.) He remembered that and was worried, but thankfully we've had no such trouble this year.

Friday I took the monkey and Roo, along with 22 other moms and young kids from our homeschool groups, to a one-hour long "community outreach" performance of Act 2 of the Nutcracker. It was somehow my first time ever seeing any of the performance, and I adored it (as did Roo for the first 25 minutes, after which she became a bit bored, as any 4-year-old might at a ballet.) Monkey, on the other hand, told me afterwards that it was "terrible," and "for girls," adding, "Mom, can I never go to the Nutcracker again?" Classic.

This year is our first having a full-size tree instead of one sitting atop our living room table. We got it Saturday, decorated it Sunday, and knocked it over today (for the first time, at least). Learning opportunity? Here's hoping.

Christmas crafting

I'm coming along in my crafty mom endeavors... Thank you Pinterest!

The kids had a ball doing these "stained glass" Christmas trees yesterday, even Goose, and it was super easy.

Beaches, not blizzards...

It's been a windy few days here in so Cal... We attempted a beach day with the Jamisons on Thursday but it was too windy, so we hit a park nearby instead. A fellow playground-player asked me if we were a daycare center (fair question, given the 9 children that Christie and I have between us). Funny to be even considering a beach outing on December 1 as Advent's gearing up, but such is life in these parts.

In other (beach-related) news, HF is taking up stand-up paddleboarding. He went for the first time on the day after Thanksgiving with our New England friend Grant, and (like Grant) he was immediately hooked. He bought Grant's old board and has been building himself the perfect paddle in the garage all week, happily "with project" again for the week. [Note that the nearby image is not HF, in case there was any confusion, but rather a random photo I pulled off the web to give an idea of what stand-up paddleboarding looks like...]

This Thanksgiving

It was our fourth fall in CA, and Thursday was our first at-home Thanksgiving with just ourfamily. It was a lovely, slow day... a great chance to cook up all the meal components ourselves (for the first time); dig harder with the kids into the new thankfulness and history traditions we're establishing; play games; be together. It was a full-heart day.

One of the new traditions we established was a friendly family "shooting match" -- evidently something the 1620 Thanksgiving participants did on their feast day. Whoever uses a bow to shoot an arrow as close as possible to a designated pumpkin wins. One's years of age determines the number of steps away from the pumpkin target. Roo took the cake today, piercing the pumpkin with her arrow (with some guidance help from Dad), and got an extra homemade pumpkin whoopie pie as her prize. Even Mom got in on the shooting action, using Roo's pink kid bow...

Just after the shooting match we took a family photo, just before we had some chaotic moments... The monkey underwent a spoilsport tantrum about not winning the shooting match; the goose wet herself; Roo spilled cranberry all over her outfit and had to change; and the mouse had a huge blow-out which trashed both her outfit and mine. (Actually that last one occurred DURING the taking of this photo.) So amusing, in that those 5 minutes were so reflective of our chaotic day-to-day life... And yet it was perfect as well as thankfulness and joy are embedded throughout. Such a gift, this life.

Thanksgiving prep

We were Dad-less for six days starting mid-week last week, though happily HF returned last night from a trip up north. In the meantime, we've been busying ourselves with a full-court-press Thanksgiving focus. Our oldest two are now at an age where they can really conceptually grasp gratitude and the idea of taking time to focus on it, so we've been implementing a series of activities to delve into this. They've loved it, and an added bonus is how much more it makes this holiday feel like something special to be doing these things.

I also got on the ball this year and, before Halloween was even put to bed, ordered up a bunch of Thanksgiving children's books from the library, and we've been enjoying reading and re-reading those. Monkey, in classic monkey format, has absorbed and is mentally working through the events of the first Thanksgiving. Here are some of his drawings that depict various events from (top) the pilgrims and natives cooking up the first Thanksgiving feast, including turkey, eel, and rabbit... and (bottom) the passengers of the Mayflower being seasick in the bottom windows of the ship while others catch various seafare to eat. It reads: "Mayflower, 66 days."

Last week we also got together with the Jamisons - nine children under age 7 between us, 6 of whom are pictured below - for a Thanksgiving crafting day. The kids ate a Thanksgiving-themed meal including turkey (sandwiches), popcorn, and cranberry jelly. We made Indian head dresses and colored in turkey pictures. A great time was had by all.

When the monkey asked what we were going to do on Thanksgiving, I told him that the holiday will be a nice quiet day for us to eat great food, be with our family, and spend time being thankful. (We have activities happening Fri, Sat, and Sun of Thanksgiving weekend, but turkey day itself will be just the six of us at home this year.) His reply was classic: "Mom, what do you mean, 'a quiet day?' It's never quiet at our house!" And truer words were never said.

Cousins are coming!

Actually they came already... and went. Lots of fun outings and adventures during our eight days with Aunt Britton, Caleb, Luke, and Micah. A few...

Hiking in Sespe Wilderness, Ojai:

Three musketeers, Micah with Roo and the monkey, play at the beach:

Aunt Britton and Luke went boogie-boarding three times! Embracing CA surf culture...

Caleb and Micah cave-exploring at Joshua Tree:

Next up: sisters Ruth and Naomi visit in late December with Nona and Grandpa...

Grampy-time

Grampy had a conference in San Francisco and came to spend a day and a half with us last weekend. It was great to fun to hang out with him, doing normal family stuff. We took a walk up the bike path with Roo and Goose in the double stroller and had a family dinner together and filled Grampy in on our goings-on; we went to the beach for playing, wading, and walking; Grampy read books to the kids and watched their evening TV show with them. He always takes the grown-ups out for a nice dinner when he's here, and this time was no exception. Delish! We missed Nana but did manage to enter the 21st century, technologically speaking, and Skype with her which was good fun.

We love you Grampy!

Monkey turns 6!

Very busy few days around here! Monday was Halloween; this year we sported a t-year old astronaut, a 4-year-old flapper girl with butterfly wings, a 2-yr old fairy (intended to be a lion but her legs got lost in the final hour), and a 6-month old bear. Daddy was stuck in traffic so yours truly spent 25 frantic minutes running around trying to get everyone sorted before the neighborhood parade began at 6 pm! Thankfully it came together - just - and HF even got home in time to join the community fun. We trick-or-treated with the Scherreis as always as well as the monkey's good friend Josh Cooper and his sister Michaela, a family with whom we spend a lot of time this year in shared programming. Great times. Goose was a particular delight to watch as the idea of free candy being given out clicked for her. Gwen Scherrei was a great helper for her; it was sweet to behold. Oodles of candy for everyone...

And of course yesterday the monkey turned 6! Big news. We had a family party on Sunday over dinner with the Scherreis. Kim - now halfway through her chemo regimen- was well enough to attend which was wonderful and made for an even more fun night. Pizza, cake, and musical chairs - a big hit - rounded it out.

Then for the first time we did a 'friends' party on the monkey's actual birthday at a local park. We invited about 8 or 10 families with children who are our resident 6-year-old's friends and had lunch, playtime, and cake. It was a great time and the monkey felt aptly celebrated. My first time buying a sheet cake (we had nearly 25 ish kids at the park including the wee ones not pictured, and I couldn't see baking enough to feed that crew the day after Halloween!), with which I was pleased.

And thus our boy is now six. Active, bright, engaged, funny, loud, pensive, creative, and a great kid to have around. We couldn't love him any more. Happy 6th, dear monkey!

October, second half

HF went quail- and chukar-hunting (similar to pheasant) the past two weekends with our NH friend Scott a few hours away with good success. We enjoyed a tasty quail meal last week.

Saturday mask-making at the craft shop while Daddy was hunting:

HF enough time to re-work the backyard brick oven, making it look more like a turtle. The 3 oldest climbed in together before we baked our first pizza in it:

The mouse has started eating solid foods! Messy affair:

Monkey has some remaining funds through the charter school he's enrolled under for homeschool, so we signed him up for art classes that everyone raves about. Today was his first class, and here's his still life (the larger picture), evidently done completely by himself by following the teacher's instructions. Not bad, eh?

As for mom, my legs are finally out of their compression stockings - three weeks later - and feeling more or less ok again. Hard to tell what the end result appearance will be as the bruises still remain, but I'm optimistic.

Visiting the beach campers

Two of our close family friends we've known for over a decade - both from New England - now live in Pasadena, the Dibiases and the Lowes, and this past weekend their church small group took a camping venture to a beachside campsite in our town. We went down and spent the morning with them on Saturday which was a lot of fun. The beach can only be accessed through the campsite (requiring an entrance fee or an inconvenient walk) and thus is one we've never frequented before. Great rocks and loads of driftwood, neither of which are commonplace at the other local beaches. Everyone greatly enjoyed playing with both.

Not pictured here is the mouse, who cut her first tooth last Thursday! Exciting times.

Updates around here

Updates from the week...

• Legs are coming along, one week post-procedure. Still bruisey and sore - HF says it looks like someone spilled grape juice on the back of my legs. Wearing my lovely white compression stockings daily, one of which now has a large hole in the toes, which will continue to irk till I can stop wearing them two weeks from now.
• The mouse is 6 months old today! I caught her up her haunches this morning beginning to do the tiniest bit of pre-crawl rocking... Hard to believe we may have a mobile baby on our hands in a few months.
• Shout-out to my sister's sewing skills... How cute is this adorable shirt she made for the goose (and a matching one for Roo, not pictured)? Love it.
• I have a new blog on Christian mothering issues... After 2.5 years on my old one, Heart Pondering, it was time to rework and update it a bit. It's called Souls in the Sandbox, and my NH friend Dan O'Donnell is a star for helping me with design and marketing issues.

Leg work

Before we had any of our kids I had some varicose vein issues in my legs, and four kids later they are notably worse. I went into a radiologist here in town in July to have the veins assessed, and they were deemed to be "medically necessary" by our insurance. So this past week I went in and had them done. Left leg Wednesday, right leg Friday. Took about two hours per leg from start to finish. I really liked the doctor, Dr. Herzig, and his team. I lay on a table next to an ultrasound machine (which they'd used for a comprehensive two-hour mapping process in July), and they anesthetized the leg they were working on so it wasn't painful except a few short times, just strange and a bit awkward at times. The big question was whether or not to take the anxiety medication they'd routinely prescribed, Xanax, which does nothing for pain relief but just helps keep patients calm. In the end I didn't do it... I figured, if I can do drug-free births repeatedly, do I really need something to help me get through someone working on my legs with anesthesia? And that was fine in the end. Sore the following day and stairs a big hard to navigate. But not too bad.

Compression stockings on with bandages beneath for three days, day and night, so tonight I can take them off and shower -- which will be great. Then three weeks wearing the stockings daily and then I should be in the clear. Big bruises now, which is to be expected, but all should be most worth it in the end.

Yahoo for Yosemite

HF went hiking up near Yosemite for four days last weekend with two pals from work at elevation 9,000 feet. They had a great time though changed their route a little based on a potential snowstorm blowing in. (There are actually seasons up there...) Caught a lot of fish!

Farm animals, friends, and San Diego spectating

Friday afternoon went for a MOMS(church)-sponsored outing to the Painted Pony Farm in Santa Paula, same place where we picked pumpkins last fall and where the monkey attended farm camp this summer. The supposed event was apple-picking, but it was the last day of their season and the trees were pretty much picked clean. Big hit events were, predictably, the farm animals especially ones you could hold: the baby chicks and rabbits. See the goose's fascination with the chicks.

We brought the two youngest Scherrei kids with us while their oldest sister Gwen (age 11) babysat the mouse which worked out well. Kim is

in the throes of chemo was has been a pretty grueling process. Roo adores Natalie and was thrilled to have her join us for the trip - see photo of the two strolling. It has been to see Roo as a 4-year old girl who is generally on the more reserved side deepen her friendships and really connect with some girls. Natalie has always been her go-to bestie, which makes sense given the next-door-neighbor status (and, probably, the fact that Nat is slightly older and thus all the more appealing to Roo). But she is deepening her friendship now with Claire Devericks too, who is in her preschool co-op and ballet class too. It's fun to watch.

Yesterday I took the Fab 4 down to El Cajon near San Diego to visit the Welds for the day as HF is doing some hiking with work friends in Yosemite for a bit. We had a lovely time hanging out with them, playing in their spacious backyard (that includes chickens, trampoline, playset, and bike/scooter alley to boot) and cheering on Michael, age 6, in his soccer game. The Blue Angels were even participating in an air show nearby so we got to see them pass over the field a couple times! Very cool to see. Here you see Andy encouraging Michael to share out his post-game snack with his sister and the onlookers...

Emily was homeschooled through sixth grade herself and is homeschooling Michael, so it's been very helpful to kick around schooling ideas with her. She is privvy to a wealth of resources and notions that I am only beginning to learn about it, so that aspect of this visit was very fruitful for me. We are so fortunate to have longstanding friends like these in our general neck of the woods! And ones ready to host our whole motley crew for a day on a dime, to boot.