My Three Adorable Nieces

Grace Carolyn, Hope Felicity, and Elisabeth Jean...aka...Graceable, Hopealee, Betta-Jean

It's a GIRL!!!

I now have three nieces!! Looking forward to finding out her name!! =)

Look Who Showed Up This Morning!

No Smiling!

That's better! =)

 

Playing with Auntie Lydia's Stuffed animals.

With Auntie Hannah

My Nieces!

Random Stuff (I know. So creative)

This weekend, we're watching Gracie while Sarah and Stephen are on their trip! She's such a cute, fun, sweet, adorable baby and we've been having boatloads of fun with her! It's fun watching her grow up - she's now eating more foods like meat, (gluten-free) breads, and un-mashed bananas and peas. =) She can really get around on all fours - it's dangerous to take your eyes off her! She loves to sit on the piano bench and play the piano. She loves music and swings and claps her hands to it. She likes watching the cats, being thrown in the air, tickled, having songs sung and books read to her, likes chewing everything and puts everything into her mouth. When she's finished eating, she'll either shake her head "no more food", or do the sign language "all done".

Yesterday, due to the weather, our power went out! Since it was getting rather cold in this house and we were going to pick up Gracie that day, Hensie and I went to S&S's and watched Gracie their until our electricity came back on.

Today, after lunch, we all went sledding by the school. The hill we found isn't very steep, but is still fun. It's kind of a semi circle surrounded by school buses, so if you don't turn just right, you'll end up smashed into one of those yellow things. We stacked three people on one sled and tried several times to fly down the course without losing the top people. After a couple tries, we did it. (The people on top are screaming at the person controlling the sled "turn! TURN! Watch out for that bus!") When we came back from sledding, we had hot cocoa with whipping cream, then played all twelve rounds of Scatagories.

Snow Pictures!

The side yard.

Lydia's throne



Smile Joe! =)



After the snowball fight.

Hensie

   

Susi, hold still for the picture!

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Someone's snow angel. =)



Our Snow is Here!

Yesterday, it snowed all day long...but no accumulation. When it got dark, it started snowing really hard! Sarah had come that day to work on making dinners for their trip next week, but when it was time to leave, the roads were slick (and their car didn't have snow tires), so Stephen went back home, and Sarah and Gracie spent the night. (This is totally illegal in proper paragraph writing...hope you don't mind if I break some rules by slipping these next few sentences in...=P We girls talked for a long time in the kitchen over tea and chocolate dreams, then headed upstairs and saw "The Mark Of Zorro" on YouTube with Sarah. We ended up going to bed at 1:30 a.m. Such fun! =) Anyway, this morning, Hannah opened the curtains and outside was a winter wonderland! There was at least a foot and a half of snow out there! Joe and Lyd bundled up and are now playing out there having snow fights and making a snow man. Our neighbor, Don Degrange, has pneumonia, and some nurses are going to be coming to his house later today, so he paid Matthew to shovel his driveway. I went out briefly (without any coat...pretty fun. I didn't stay out too long. ;-), jumped in the snow and threw snow at Joe before I froze and came back inside. The children kept coming in begging us to join them...Hannah kept saying "It's too cold out there", then she went out there, and came back saying "It's so amazing out there! I did everything - ate snow, threw snow balls. So much fun." =)

I might head out there later with the camera, so keep tuned for pictures!

Day at Sar's

This afternoon (after I had finished my reading and school. So glad I got that all done in the morning!), Mum and I went to Sarah's house to help her go through, organize, fold, box and bag baby clothes. We were there about five hours. I washed dishes, helped with the clothes and played with/watched Gracie (that child is getting around! She can now stand on her own...soon she'll be walking!). Going through those baby clothes, I was amazed at how much Gracie has grown...I mean, she was just wearing those three-month clothes...and now she's actually going into 18-month clothes?? We also went through some of Sar's boy baby clothes...they are so cute!! I simply can't wait for the newest Hainline!

Today...

...after cooking and packing, we are going to head to Grandpa and Grandma Scoville's for our second Christmas this year. We'll spend the night, and have the party Christmas Eve. We're disappointed the Sarah and Stephen and Gracie can't make it, but are looking forward to seeing Jon, Kelsie, Betty, and Phil. We'll come home that night and then it will be...Christmas!! =)

Are you all ready for it? =) Merry Christmas!

Our First Christmas This Year

I'll start from the beginning. =) On Thursday, Momma, Sarah, Laura, Matthew, Lydia, Gracie, and I headed up to Lynden so we girls could go to the chiropractor. We got to the Lynden house at two-thirty a.m. Friday morning and headed straight for bed. The next morning, we slept in late, then rushed around, trying to get ready for our appointment at ten. After the appointment, we came home, laid down for a while, then went to Second Chance...and bumped into the Van Cleves! It was so good to see them again! The next day, we cleaned up the house while Momma and Matthew did gardening outside.

When we finally pulled away from the curb, it was mid afternoon. We stopped at Little Caesars for lunch, then drove the Bothell for the extended Criss family Christmas.  We got there as they were finishing up dinner. After eating, they cleared away the tables, and opening gifts began! Each of the children fifteen and younger got a "stocking" (stockings got too small...now it's gift bags.) Then, the older ones had a white elephant gift exchange. I ended up with a pretty tea cup, chocolate hazelnut tea, and a devotional. We visited for a couple hours, then packed up the stuffed van. Since Daddy, Hannah, Rebekah, and Joe had come later in Stephen's car, we hadn't noticed that  the van had only eight seats (two missing benches), so I ended up riding in Sarah and Stephen's car. We went as far as Grandma and Grandpa's house in Lacy where we spent the night.

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast and visiting, S&S&G and I headed back home. We made a couple stops, then arrived at our house a few minutes before the rest of my family. When they got here, we unloaded the van, unpacked ice chests, and made Daddy's lunch, then headed to bed.

Let's see...one birthday party (Bekah's, celebrated on Tuesday instead of on her birthday), two actual birthdays, and the Criss Christmas; this week - celebrate Daddy's birthday (tonight), my birthday (Wednesday), Pastor and Mrs. Keeny come for lunch (Thursday), leave for Grandma and and Grandpa Scoville's house (Friday), the extended Scoville Christmas (Saturday), and our Christmas (Sunday) with the possibility of Phil coming sometime this week. Phew! We're going to be busy!

Happy 1st Anniversary, Jon and Kelsie!!

Having Too Much Fun...

First tiny braid.

Two aunties had too much fun with the little chunk. (The hairstyle didn't stay in her hair very long. =)

Hensie and Susi

It's windy outside!! 

The "Boring" Life of Hensie and Susi =P

I'm sure you're all tired of seeing "Hunka Munka" (excuse me, Laura, Hunca Munca) so we thought we'd do a post or what we've been up to.

So, our daily schedule - we rise promptly at six (...ahem, well, we're working towards that. ;-), then write out a "enormously long" to-do list.

Susi’s list

• Bible
• Clean room
• Read one chapter in “The Rising Tide” (current WWII book ;-)
• Breakfast/dishes
• Read one chapter in “Home Comforts” (current book on my reading list)
• Math (I try to do two lessons)
• Science (Ken Ham’s “Answers in Genesis”, bk. 1)
• Lunch/dishes
• History with three youngest (we're reading through“From Sea to Shining Sea” bk. 2 in the “Light and Glory series”)
• Science with three youngest
• Math with Matthew and Joe
• Clean kitchen before & after dinner
• Write (I’m working on one of my three =D (embarrassed smile =P) WWII stories.)

These jobs differ between the days of the week

• Make bread
• Sweep/mop all downstairs floors
• Upstairs bathroom
• Make Daddy’s lunch

Hensie’s list

• Bible
• Clean room
• Cats (litter box, food, and water)
• Clean kitchen
• Straighten Living room (every other day vacuum)
• Straighten Family Room (every other day vacuum)
• Straighten book shelves
• Read one chapter in “D. L. Moody’s Collection” (current book on reading list)
• Practice violin/piano (switching every other day)
• Sew (I’m working on a summer skirt)
• Clean kitchen before/after dinner

These Jobs differ every day

• Vacuum and sweep bedroom
• Vacuum upstairs and stairs
• Make bread
• Make Daddy’s lunch

A few leisure things we don't add to our lists:

• Journaling (we both do a LOT. =)
• Read a leisure book (e.g. Viking Quest series, Louis L'Amour, A Life of Faith books)
• Time on the computer (check email, blogs, buzz, post, write emails, waste time, etc.)
• Play around on the piano (hymns, annoying Sonatinas that everyone's sick of, Pride and Prejudice music)
• Singing hymns in harmony with Laura, Bekah, and Daddy
• Play volley ball
• Watching Gomer Pyle episodes, Donald Duck and other cute, old-fashioned ones, old westerns, and war movies.
• Doting on the kitties

So, that's our average day! Of course, every day, there are the little different things that make each new day special - Sarah, Stephen and Gracie's visits, extended family visits, Phil's weekend visit, drawing names for Christmas, shopping trip to the Dalles, first freeze (last night!!), day spent in Yakima with extended family, and lots more.

"Enjoy the little things in life, for someday, when you'll look back, and they'll be the big things!"

A Long Time Ago...

The Last Two Days...

Let's see...Phil came here yesterday. His Bronco broke down about three hours away around midnight, so Daddy and Matthew left to pick him up. They got back the next morning around eight a.m. The guys headed to bed while Mum, Hannah, Matthew (woken up from his sleep), Joe, Lydia, Sarah, Gracie, and I left to pick strawberries in an Azure field. We picked for about three hours and got lots of berries! We went shopping at different stores on the way home and didn't get back until nine p.m. We had a late night, but lots of fun with S&S&G and Phil.

This morning, after a big brunch, Phil and Laura picked up Gracie for the afternoon while Sarah and Stephen left on an all afternoon date, going to see "Courageous" in theater. It's been tons of fun having Gracie here - she's full of smiles and the cutest giggles. She loves to play "airplane" (complete with motor and revving engines sound effects! =), lay on her back while you drop a pillow on her face, play peek-a-boo, suck and chew on toys, read books, play "this is the way the lady rides", and she loves to eat! =) She's so much fun to baby-sit! =)

Just too cute!

Memories...

We can't have these moments forever!

-Singing hymns in parts with my sisters and Daddy
-Singing "This Old Man" at the top of our voices
-Late night Civil War movies with my sisters
-Volley ball
-We girls getting the "weebs" for no apparent reason
-Reading Elsie Dinsmore books together
-Watching Gomer Pyle episodes with my family

The Golden Ring at the Wasco Train Depot

Washing Windows

How We Celebrated the Fist Day of Summer!

A water fight championship! =)

Matthew vs. Susi

Each was armed with a hose. No rules (except, no swinging the hose!). We each delegated a cheerleader - Matthew had Joe and I had Lydia. We fought for about an hour before I tripped on the hose and smacked my head on the hard ground. Matthew was the victor.

The casualties - One pair of Susi's pink flip flops bit the dust - one red earring missing - ten dollars soaked and unusable (it was fake money.=P)