GOODBYE, LINDA

After being in the hospital for just over a week, always with loved ones at her side, Tim's mom died during the night. Linda was a woman with a strong faith in Jesus, a deep dedication to her family, a love of road trips, and the ability to play cards for hours on end. She was resourceful, mailed handwritten letters, and enjoyed sewing. 

Here are a few pictures of Linda, two of the earliest I have and two of the most recent. This one was taken at Harris Beach in July 1998.

I've always loved this one of her writing something to Tim and I at our wedding in June 1999.

This was at Mount Hood Community College when she graduated with honors in June 2014.

Until our (the kids and I) visits and Tim's extended stay with her in the hospital over the last week, this was the last time we saw Linda. She was being serenaded in a home filled with guests as we celebrated her birthday in November 2014.

As was quoted from Matthew 25:23 in the message that went out minutes after her death, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

(Credit for picture at wedding: Tania Rain Photography)

BOOKS I FINISHED - DECEMBER 2016

The Christmas Candle, written by Max Lucado

A small community with a regularly occurring Christmas miracle and a couple faced with the task of deciding who has the greatest need of Christmas magic. I'm the only one who read the book, but the kids and I all watched the corresponding movie, Christmas Candle.

A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens and illustrated by Michael Foreman (link is to a different printing of the story because I can't find the one my library has)

Although I'm familiar with the story, I'd never actually read A Christmas Carol before. I decided to read it aloud to the little Ws in December and we enjoyed it. It's a classic book, the fictional story of a man whose life is changed by the Christmas Eve appearance of three ghosts who help him to see his world from a new perspective.

p. 83, It is a fair, even-handed, noble adjustment of things, that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.



The Orphan Mother: A Novel, written by Robert Hicks

I saw this one at Costco and it intrigued me, so I got it from the library and read it one night when everyone else was gone or in bed. A former slave, now free, is the mother of one and the midwife of the whole community. She's dedicated to bringing forth life, then her child is killed. Determined to seek truth and justice, she discovers a lot about herself and the people around her.



Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity, written by Nabeel Qureshi

A few friends said they liked this book, so I checked it out. The title is pretty self-explanatory and the author describes his journey from being raised in a Muslim home with a deep devotion to his faith to converting to Christianity. I really appreciated how respectfully he speaks of both religious beliefs, how clearly he loves his family, his determination to dig deep to find answers, and the sincerity that led him to make the decision he believes is right, in spite of the cost. I've had a handful of friends completely change their religious beliefs in the last few years and know the process can be heart-wrenching. Whether I agree with the change someone made or not, I'm thankful for the ones who continue to show respect for those they left behind in matters of faith.

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, A True Story, written by Josh Sundquist

Ang recommended this book and it was a lighthearted read. Sundquist takes time in his mid-twenties to chronicle his relationships with several girls who never actually became girlfriends and find out directly from them what went wrong in each case. Sundquist has only one leg, which is relevant to the book, but as a sidenote, I recommend checking out this photo of his creative Halloween costumes the last few years. He knows how to make the absence of a leg work to his advantage when it comes to costumes!

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THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for socks.

What's something that you're thankful for?

CHRISTMAS - 2016

Our camera barely got used this Christmas, but that just means we were too busy experiencing our time to bother documenting it.

Last night we went to church, participating in one Christmas Eve service and helping with childcare for another. Then we came home, ate, and the kids each opened two gifts. One is normal for us on Christmas Eve, but we gave them a group gift in the form of a puzzle they had to solve. They were grateful for the gift, but had also been anticipating the fun of opening a wrapped gift. That's totally understandable, so we let them each open one before hitting the sack.

This morning the kids made breakfast, stockings were opened, a couple family pictures were taken, Tim read The Three Trees to us, and gifts were exchanged. As usual, I loved watching the little Ws give gifts to their family members. They're always thoughtful and enthusiastic givers, which makes my heart happy. Then we cleaned up our mess, people still in sweats and jammies got dressed, and we took care of last minute details before some guests arrived.

We weren't going to be spending Christmas Day with family this year and our attempts to find a community dinner we could serve at close to home was unproductive, so earlier in the week I extended an open invitation on Facebook, as well as a few personal invitations in grocery stores and via text, for anyone who wanted to hang out with people to come on over. Young or old, single or married, with kids or childless ... it didn't matter. 

One family, some of our very first friends when we moved to the Portland area eleven years ago, accepted the invitation within minutes and we were excited about the prospect of spending time with them. It had been way too long since we'd had our families get together! A couple days later Devon invited one of the young men who helps with the junior high group at church. He accepted the invitation immediately and came over with parents and two of his three adult siblings. Most of their family didn't know most of our family, but the little Ws who know or are acquainted with this guy and one of his brothers think they're pretty fantastic. Needless to say, our kids (and our other guests' kids) were super excited to have them join us.

We spent all afternoon and part of the evening catching up with people we knew, getting to know the ones we didn't, eating, playing a variety of games, tossing footballs, playing music, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company. While the parents were chatting, Naomi got a picture of all but two of the guy kids (the five year old guys were off doing something else). And, no, they're not all actual children, but they're all kids of people who were in our home at the time. Therefore, they're kids. And they're amazing because they spent all of their time here hanging out with the people who really are kids. 

Anyway, back to the picture. I think it was supposed to be a silly face pose, but not everyone got the memo. That's ok. At least Naomi remembered to take pictures, which is more than I can say for myself. 

And one of the guys took a picture of the gal kids (as well as Devon, who apparently didn't realize he was in the shot). I'm guessing they were going for the tough look.

I'm so glad these two families came over! We've had a rough few days, which we couldn't have anticipated when we invited them, and they certainly gave the 6 Ws a better Christmas than we would have otherwise had.

SIBS

The little Ws leave each other out of various activities, flick attitude back and forth, and bicker over ridiculous things just like any other group of people who share a roof and life. However, they also enjoy each other's company more often than not. Over the last several weeks I've tried to snag a camera when I've come across them hanging out together. I haven't caught each instance, but here are some moments of work, play, and instruction I have managed to remember a camera for.  

Playing with our magnetic chess board during breakfast.

Reading library books.

Playing their own version of I Spy with yet another of Joan Steiner's Look-Alikes books.

Having a cabbage cutting lesson.

Looking through a bunch of pictures friends took at the Turkey Bowl, an event I just realized I only posted about on Facebook and never blogged about. Oops.

Playing Uno during breakfast.

Trimming each other's personal Christmas trees together.

Playing Spot It! during breakfast. I hadn't realized how often they play games during breakfast until I started gathering all these pictures a while ago!

Assembling a Lego City 4x4 Off Roader.

Playing Kindle games.

Some days I feel so weary of parenting these four little (and not so little, these days) humans who share my last name, but the pros of these moments, the moments I took the time to notice, far outweigh the cons of the rough days. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that.

Slightly off-topic, I just did a quick check to see if I had any other blog posts with the same title as this one. This one's title is close. And it's nearly five years old. And it has four cute little Ws in it.

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THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for kids who make grocery shopping less work and more fun.

What is one thing that you're thankful for?

AT THE FEET OF JESUS

Several years ago I read Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life, by Joanna Weaver. It wasn't bad, but it didn't grab me like it had so many people I know. A year ago Kit gave me another book by the same author, At the Feet of Jesus: Daily Devotions to Nurture a Mary Heart and I've loved it! 

Each entry has a verse at the top, followed by excerpts from a few of Weaver's books, including the one I'd previously read and have enjoyed far more this time around, then closes with a passage of scripture to look up on your own and something to reflect on. There's also a reading plan in the back of the book that will get you through the entire Bible in one year, moving around in such a way that you don't get bored and allowing a few days each month to catch up if you're behind or take a break if you're on track. Can't start on January 1st? She also gives you a link that will allow you to choose your own start date. I've never completed a one year reading plan, primarily because they bore me pretty quickly, but I think the one she uses is one I'd stick with and I plan on giving it a try in the upcoming year.

Other than my mom's 1970's copy of Streams in the Desert, I don't use dated devotional books. This one, though, has encouraged and challenged me all year long and I will definitely pull it off my shelf again in upcoming years, 

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THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that, to my knowledge, there weren't any serious injuries or fatalities with all the icy roads, sliding and stranded school buses and cars, collisions, and abandoned vehicles all over the greater metro area yesterday afternoon and evening. I'm thankful for the people who handed out drinks and snacks to stranded travelers, school staff that stayed very late to feed and entertain the students unable to get home, and offered rides to friends and strangers who needed them. I'm thankful for countless people whose jobs require being inconvenienced or putting themselves at risk in order to make sure everyone else was safe - first responders who were handling problems, medical personnel sleeping at the hospital when their shift was over, tow truck drivers navigating horrible streets, and the crews clearing snow, landslides, and so on.. What's something that you're thankful for?

TWO TINY TREES

As promised in my other Christmas tree post, here are the trees two little Ws picked out for themselves. They aren't exactly tiny, but they are smaller than all our trees of the past ... and I love alliteration. Check out the looks of concentration they both had as they decorated their trees.

Naomi's tree went in her bedroom. She strung it with lights and decorated it with some of Grandma Linda's old ornaments that we acquired earlier this month. The lights have different settings and she likes for me to wake her up in the morning by turning them on.

Devon chose to put his tree near the porch and I got to decorate it with him. We decorated it with nature, using various red things we found growing in our yard. Now we get to enjoy the tree every time we enter or leave through our front door.

We've never had more than one tree before and we may never have multiple trees again, but these two bonus trees have been fun this year.

MOVIE WITH KIDS & DINNER WITHOUT

Saturday morning we all slept in, then Tim and I told the little Ws we wanted to take them to a movie. The next couple weeks are filled with regular life, weekend guests, and some other stuff that has us all going in different directions or being together with other people, so we snagged our free morning to have some fun as a family. We grabbed some passes we'd been given and headed out to watch Moana. Here are some lousy pictures that prove we were all in a dark theater together.

We all enjoyed the movie, then we headed home and I proceeded to have a crying meltdown because sometimes being an adult is over-rated. I eventually pulled myself together and took off with Tim a few hours later for a company Christmas party.

Tim swiped a gift card at Dutch Bros to snag us each a hot drink for the ride and we chatted all the way to downtown Portland. We met all his F.I.R.E. Restoration co-workers and their spouses at Rock Bottom where we were treated to a few hours of eating and drinking whatever we wanted (everything was delicious), receiving generous gifts, and visiting with each other. I hadn't really wanted to go because I was feeling kinda down in the dumps, but I ended up having a good time and am glad I didn't stay home to wallow in a pity party. It's a nice group of people he works with!

CHRISTMAS AND WINTER FUN WITH THE FAM

The Woodburn Fire Department had a Christmas party on Monday night and our family was invited. It was a low-key event with dinner and dessert, a story read to the kids, and Santa arriving for pictures with and gifts for all the kids. We're not anti-Santa at all, but we've never made a big deal about him and it was funny to see the kids, the bigs in particular, have their first personal Santa experience. 

We had a good time and are still so thankful for the way the department has welcomed Silas into the fold. They even have a stocking with his name on it up on the wall with everyone else's from the department. He was surprised and excited to make that discovery while we were there! Here we are as we headed out the door to the station.

We got a little bit of snow Thursday morning. It was just enough to dust everything in white and for the little Ws to play in for a couple hours.

One of their friends went for a walk that ended at our house, then a couple other friends walked over later, and they all stayed for a few hours. They joined our kids in the snow for a bit, then everyone came in to thaw and just hang out. I gave them a little bit of food, then made them pose for one picture, and only one, before I brought out the rest of the food. Bribery, for sure.

I had told the little Ws that we would be doing school for part of the day, in spite of the snow, and Thursdays are normally our day to deep clean the house, but the day consisted entirely of snow, friends, food, reading for fun, and watching movies. And I'm fine with that.

Last night I wanted to curl up in bed with a stack of books and pretend like the rest of humanity didn't exist. Then I had an idea. Tim agreed to it. So we told the kids to put on shoes and get in the van. They obeyed. And I took their picture at a gas station.

We headed down to Keizer and drove through the Miracle of Christmas light display. In previous years I've forgotten about it until it was too late to work for our schedule, but tonight was perfect. Temps had warmed to 37 and there was a light rain, so the roads were free of ice and snow, and we went late enough that all the folks who want their little kids in bed on time were already long gone. We wound our way through the neighborhood (loved the helpful snowcop signs), donated some food we'd brought along for Marion Polk Food Share, ate candy canes the people at the donation tent gave us, and had fun pointing out all the pretty, funny, and creative lights people had in their yards and on their homes.

I wanted to get a family picture with lights in the background, but this is the best we got. A third of Devon's face is missing and hardly any lights on the two fully decked out homes behind us are visible. But we laughed a lot as we stood in the drizzle and took a few shots. Making memories, right?

THE GLOWING W

Ashley gave me a new W when she was here last weekend, my first one with lights. It's probably six inches tall and is so bright! 

Dad suggested taking a silhouette picture with it, which would have never occurred to me. A lot of light came through the battery section on the right side, but he was able to block most of it for a fun shot.

12/8/16: THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that today, on his 40th birthday, my friend is celebrating two years of being clean. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

TEEBS' BIRTHDAY - 2016

Teebs invited some friends and family over on Saturday to celebrate his birthday. The kids played with legos, a train set, and toy kitchen supplies for a while and the adults chatted. Eventually we all gathered in the living room and watched him open a bunch of presents, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

I asked him and his 4-5 year old guests to pose for two quick pictures before dessert.

One smiling ...

... and one silly.

Teebs told me he wanted to skip a cake this year and "decorate cookies like faces with my friends" instead. Devon and I made a triple batch of sugar cookies, plenty for people to eat plain and/or decorate, and some royal icing. The kids all created faces of human, robots, and aliens, as well as a variety of random creations that allowed them to pile all sorts of candy on their cookies, and everyone ate some non-decorated ones.

Post-cookie time included the happy pandemonium of all the kids having fun playing together with new toys, adults helping kids shoot slingshots and make balloon animals/swords, and everyone chatting with each other.

Today was his actual birthday and he started it off with the traditional doughnut date with Tim.

Later in the day he and I took off for an ice cream date, but we ran a few errands first and the bank teller hooked him up with a birthday lollipop.

We chatted and played I Spy (which he plays everywhere, all the time) while we ate some ice cream, then headed back home.

He posed for a couple pictures in the birthday outfit.

Then it was dinner time. His meal of choice? Strawberries, watermelon, and oranges. In December. Seriously. I gave him multiple opportunities to add something else, like maybe some form of protein, but this is what he wanted. So this is what he got.

The fact I was able to find watermelon and strawberries in December was amazing, as was the fact that my frugal self didn't have a heart attack paying winter prices for summer fruit. Proof I love Teebs!

He opened gifts from our immediate family and posed with each of the sibs after dinner.

And that was it. A fun party over the weekend and a fun day today!