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We drove for 2 days last week, to go way up North to see extended family (on my side).
We ate lots of ice cream
(it was pretty hot),
played on the World’s Largest Slip-n-Slide,
shot potatoes across the river,
took rides behind the tractor mower,
hugged a great-grandma Jane,
and smothered a sweet baby girl with kisses.
We had a pretty great time, and it was so nice to spend time with family we don’t see very often!
We visited the Moonen side of the extended family over the weekend.
I don’t know what I was (or wasn’t) thinking, but I didn’t get nearly as many pictures as I thought. We had a really nice time, though. Spent time at a really fun park, went thrifting with a wonderful sister (hi mary!), and did quite a bit of reading.
There were definitely some naps happening, too.
And some silliness.
Asher has discovered the wonderful world of Mario Kart, thanks to Uncle Jonathan. Oh boy. Boy oh boy.
He actually did quite well, and by the time our visit ended I think he had the buttons all figured out. Christmas gift ideas are adding up, let me tell you.
(This shot was not posed at all, I swear. Completely natural. I smile every time I see this picture.)
Our trip down to Beaufort takes us on some back roads and past some beautiful farms and equally pretty farmhouses. I managed to remember to snap some pictures of my favorites along the way.
This one is a favorite for sure.
It’s hard to take pictures from a moving car. Especially when someone’s tailgating.
Kind of addicting once you start, though.
Just collecting ideas.
The cold weather seems to have set in early around here, and we are working to come up with cozy things to fill our chilly fall evenings. And chilly mornings, too, for that matter. School is definitely getting more defined and is filling up more and more of our day, so that is a big deal these days. I’m working to switch some things around with our vision for school, so we’ll be doing some new things around January. A lot more reading and talking about the books the children are reading will be a big part of it.
Pretty exciting. So far, classical-based schooling is working really well for us.
In other news, I finally (finally!) finished coats for the girls. I saw this pattern over the summer, loved it even more when it was on sale for a dollar, and scooped it up. Next time I make this pattern (which hopefully won’t be for a few more years), I think I’ll look for some wool and see how that works. Maybe corduroy?
This is not my picture. But I do love this coat. Mostly my idea for these coats came from here. Boden has such great clothes for children…I drool over the catalog. (The Mommy clothes are fantastic ($$$) too.)
Ivy’s coat is a dark brown. And fleece was harder to sew than I thought it would be. Enough said.
To celebrate the last fleeting days of summer, we had one last hurrah at the beach.
It was so nice with the children older…each year, the beach trips are a little different.
Dear friends invited us to spend time with them at Emerald Isle this year, and we had such a nice time! We got to do some reading,
some singing,
some watching-little-cuties-play-in-the-sand,
(our friends were John and Emily, and this is cutie-patootie Olivia, as Asher likes to call her…)
This is beautiful Natalie, Charlotte’s “twin and best friend, Mommy.” The first thing Charlotte and Natalie do when they see each other is trade shoes.
We did lots of snuggling with wee folk (it was a little chilly while we were there…perfect for blankets and giggles…)
and some kite flying (shortly after this, our kite took off to have its own adventures on the sea, never to be seen again).
The beach is such a great place for pictures, no?
And here is an oft-requested picture featuring Mommy and her girls.
“There, with the wind in his ears, he heard the sea – and it was wild and quiet,
and it was blue and wide,
and it was dark and salty, like cider vinegar.”
(from “Little Rabbit and the Sea” by Gavin Bishop)
We tried our first “beach-for-a-day” outing on Monday, and oh boy. Minus the sunburn, we had a really nice time. The dear friends we went with made the day even better. (Hi Anne!)
The big kids played right in the waves for most of the time.
I was so surprised at my brave girls begging to go farther and farther out into the water. Beach trips seem to change so much from year to year: there are very cute things about a baby in a swimsuit, but it is so nice when they’re older and more independent.
The wee folk were happy to swish around in the sand for the afternoon, touching the ocean with their toes and clinging to the daddies when it was time to venture into the water.
A fun day that we’re thinking we’ll try again in the near future!
We had a good time at the beach last week, but I haven’t gotten a chance to post more pictures until now.
The girls (and Asher, too, although it took him a little longer) just made themselves at home on the beach. They got braver and braver as the day progressed.
Grampa took them out further for some wave wadin’.
Asher wanted to play football with Daddy and Uncle Chad…
Some giggles with Gramma…
The children were all so busy playing, many pictures were of the back of their heads…here’s Silas, furiously digging to make a pool…
Sweetie-pie-blue-eyed-beauty Caitlyn, snuggling with her Mommy…
And here’s Chad. !!
The beach is such a great place to take pictures…especially when in front of a pretty orange sailboat. (No, it’s not ours. No, the children did not sit/play/climb/jump on it, although they very much wanted to.)
Couldn’t pass up showing just a few more pictures of the beautiful state of Oregon. I know…ENOUGH with the vacation photos already!
We visited Pittock Mansion, which is just outside of the city, and the long climb up the mountain was so worth the views.
Here’s the mansion. Pretty, huh?
The trees in Oregon are fantastic.
After it was all said and done, we clicked our heels three times (after we ran full-speed through Dallas/Ft Worth airport to just barely catch our flight home…we think they were holding the plane for us…) and here we are.
The children arrive home in two days, and I have a full list of things that need to get accomplished. Finishing a quilt, making a dress for a little girl, pajamas for a little boy, researching lawn cotton (anyone…?), reorganizing the homeschool room, and trying to figure out how to put a swingset in our back yard.
Enjoy your day!
Portland is beautiful. The city is great, the people are friendly, and the coffee is fantastic. The coffee is also helping with the jet lag, but that is getting better.
We took a little ride to a park just outside the city, and man. This forest was amazing. Enchanted, for sure. Everything was muted, quiet. I expected a hobbit to jog by at any moment. The trees were massive; I tried to do them justice with my tiny camera.
The entire park smelled just like Christmas, with all the evergreens.
More favorites from today…
Lots of green, eh?
We got back this week from a stay at Oma and Opa’s house (Scott’s parents’), and we had a really nice time.
Notice Opa’s fairy sticker on his shirt. He read them this book a few times during our stay; it was a book that his mother had sent to them when Scott and his siblings were young. The book is in Dutch, so Opa translated. A “special book” indeed!
There are some fun wooden shoes that are kid’s sizes too, brought back from a trip to Holland many years ago. Asher found a pair that fit him perfectly, and Mommy just wanted to eat him up.
We did a lot while we were there. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on the day we went to their beautiful beach, Hunting Island State Park beach, but it’s incredible there. You know those movies where the ship wrecks and everyone is stranded on a beautiful, deserted beach? Pretty close. I found a few pictures on Flickr. This one is pretty, and so is this one.
But, we had fun apart from the beach. Playing games (not just of the video variety), and the girls had a go at Mario Kart.
We went to the park by the river to play for awhile, and walk along the water.
Park babes.
We miss you all, Moonen family! We had such a fun time during our visit.
On Monday, Scott and I left for an anniversary trip to Charleston for one night. We had a splendid time there, also. It was so nice to relax, walk around Charleston, eat great seafood, and sleep in the most comfortable bed on the face of the earth.
Happy 8th Anniversary, honey. I love you.
Thank you for taking me on a little vacation. I had a really good time with you. You are wonderful and I am so happy you took my hand 8 years ago.
Here’s the entrance to the Inn where we stayed. Charming, isn’t it?
Here’s one of the windows in our room. I am loving that beautiful brick wall.
And a plant growing in our room!
The children stayed in Beaufort for the rest of the week, and Scott and I drove home to enjoy some time together. We are also getting many things done that are easier to do with just two of us! It is very quiet here, though. We miss our wee babes and can’t wait until they come home tomorrow.
Here’s to 80 more years of wedded bliss.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
