Category: family

Hitting the Books

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It’s been a long, hot summer but now we are hitting the school books again! During our break, we read aloud one of my favorite chapter books: Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls. By the way, Rawls is also the author of the tear-jerker Where the Red Fern Grows. Anyway, Summer of the Monkeys partly inspired the sock monkey theme we have going in the school room this fall.

Our bubbly first-grader named her newest monkey Gris.

And our dilligent fourth-grader named her newest monkey Marron.

The sock monkeys and books aren’t all that’s new to the classroom this year. The biggest addition is a couple of used school desks (with storage under the lid!) that I bought from a nearby Christian school that had closed. The girls are quite enamored with these desks, and I love that they are exceptionally durable and adjustable in height.

So that’s a quick update of what’s shaping up around here. I might be back in a few days to discuss some of the books and various curriculum we are using this year. But for now, please excuse me. I have some reading assignments waiting!

We Heart Family Camp!

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I never went to summer camp as a kid, and last Friday as our family headed off Family Camp at Trout Lake, I certainly didn’t feel much like a light-hearted kid going off to camp. Packing for four and taking a long road trip amidst almost-back-to-school and we-just-put-our-house-on-the-market chaos didn’t lighten my load. At least not at first.

But five days later, I came home feeling a kid again! Maybe it had something to do with being completely off kitchen duty for so many days. I’m still tired from head to toe, but we sure had a memorable and adventurous time horseback riding, canoeing, paddle boating, rock climbing, riding the zip-line and doing the flying squirrel.

My dear friend Alice also came to camp with her precious family.

Ever the fun-loving, adventurous type, Alice encouraged me to do the zip-line with her. I decided to live dangerously.

This was my first zip-line experience, and I wouldn’t have done it without Alice.

My six-year-old was totally convinced I’d chicken out once I got up to the platform. (That’s me, second from the left, and Alice, third from the left.) I’m posting these next images as proof that, while I did scream, hang on for dear life, and close my eyes for a brief moment, I most certainly did not chicken out!

I even completely let go of the rope and threw up my hands when Alice encouragingly yelled, “LET GO, DIANA!”

My 9-year-old says she’d never seen me with such a big smile on my face.

Another highlight from family camp was the flying squirrel, which involves nine people in climbing harnesses. Eight people are “horses,” yoked together and running together in the same direction. The ninth person is the flying squirrel, running in the opposite direction — just a few steps — until he is yanked up high into the tree-tops. What an exhilarating experience to swing freely 35 or 40 feet in the air! I can’t imagine actual squirrels getting this high in the trees, though.

My 9-year-old kindly snapped this photo of me as the flying squirrel.

And this one of my husband as a flying squirrel.

Yes, we both made it back to the ground safely. And by the way, our kids did have a little fun at camp, too.

They rode horses, kayaked, competed in a sack race, paddled canoes, rode the sharking tube and the caterpillar, made rockets, shot bows and rifles, made paracord survival bracelets, hiked, swam and enjoyed a carnival. We also sang some great praise songs and studied the Bible each day. It was church camp, after all.

All this to say, you really must take your family to Family Camp next year. It totally, totally rocks and you are missing out if you stay home!

Brave Enough to Jump

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” -Joshua 1:9

Sometimes the ability to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, intimidation or other difficulties shows up in unexpected, unlikely moments. You wake up and suddenly realize you’re in one of those heart-racing, weak-in-the-knees moments, walking to the edge, preparing to jump in deep.

Taking a leap of faith requires letting go of the comfortable yet slippery ground that we so often try to stand on — that slippery lie that makes us believe we can control what happens to us. The truth is we can’t control what happens to us. We can’t control the wind or the waves that rock our boats and make us long for dry land.

But there is an all-powerful, all-knowing God whom even the wind and waves obey. He is always in control. Taking a leap of faith requires trusting in Him, knowing He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. And He is with us wherever we go.

When we trust Him, God can make us brave. He can help us conquer fears.

In Him, we can be brave enough to jump.

And in Him, we can be brave enough to fall.

Even brave enough to fly.

Next Sunday, our youngest daughter is getting baptized — taking the next step in obedience to Christ as she tells others about trusting in Him. In her walk with Christ Jesus, we pray that she faces trials courageously, trusts the LORD wholeheartedly, and acknowledges Him in all her ways. May she always know He is with her and will direct her path — even through the deepest waters, fiercest winds and highest waves.

A Sudden Rush

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Tubing lazily down the White River in Arkansas is a quite a hoot.

Does a lazy Saturday afternoon get any better than this?

So why the sudden rush out of the water?

Should’ve known better… The ice cream truck strikes again.

Go Take a Nap!

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It’s Sunday afternoon, and I am up from my nap. A nap is my greatest ambition on Sunday afternoons. After a busy morning corralling pre-schoolers and Kindergarteners in Sunday School, a nap is usually mandatory. In fact, Sunday naps are such a family ritual that my children probably think “Thou shalt nap” is one of the Ten Commandments. Not that they actually fall asleep during our traditional Sunday nap times anymore. But usually they read or play quietly in their rooms so that those of us who still need naps can sleep in peace.

Sabbath rest is biblical, of course, but I used to feel guilty about my naps. I used to think that napping on Sunday meant I was lazy and unproductive. And it is true that when I take a long, long nap, that’s just how I feel when I wake up. Sluggish. Lazy. Unproductive.

But when I take a short nap — what my dad calls a “power nap” — I usually wake up feeling refreshed and energized. This actually leads to my being more productive the rest of the day, which is a good thing.

Evidently, I’m not the only one who feels this way about naps. Blogger Michael Hyatt shares the many benefits of napping as well as guidelines for napping in his post “5 Reasons Why You Should Take a Nap Everyday.”  Read it and sleep!

Spring in Oregon — Part 5

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“For I am the LORD your God,  who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar —  the LORD Almighty is His name.”  Isaiah 51:15

In my last post, I mentioned enjoying a treat from the candy store in Cannon Beach — a treat with the same name as a very picturesque site. If you guessed “Haystack,” you were right!

Site Five — Haystack Rock near Cannon Beach. This rock totally reminds me of scenes in the 1985 movie Goonies. It was one of the first movies I saw in a theatre, so I remember it well. As my feet sunk into the sandy beach, I kept waiting to see an old pirate ship slip out from behind that rock!

But the only thing coming from behind that rock was one wave after another.

They say to never turn you back on the Pacific Ocean.

You just never know when a rogue wave might sneak up behind you and wash you out to sea.

But I suppose it’s okay to turn your back if you’re running for dry sand.

The best thing about wearing rainboots to the beach is that your feet stay dry and can slip in and out easily.

The worst thing about wearing rainboots to the beach is that the sand can also slip in and out easily. We inadvertently came home with about one cup of sand, not counting what we left behind in the backseat of Aunt Lilac’s car!

Spring in Oregon — Part 4

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“Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea — the LORD on high is mighty.”  -Psalm 93:4

Site Four: Ecola State Park

As the biggest and deepest part of the world’s ocean — 60 million square miles big — the Pacific Ocean is mighty great indeed. And Ecola State Park is a mighty great place to view and photograph these vast waters, as well as the breakers that crash into the huge rocks along the Oregon coast.

Did I mention this state park is mighty windy, too? The tree in the picture below wasn’t just bending in that day’s wind; it grew that way! As we hiked along high above the water, we felt quite windblown as well.

Perched on one giant rock in the distance is Tillamook Lighthouse.

Since the tide was out and the wind was less fierce closer to the water, we did some exploring.

Ever confident and determined, my youngest built a dam and made a lake where the water was flowing into the ocean.

She’s just the kind of person who digs in deep and likes testing the natural cycle of things.

The fact that the water kept overflowing and destroying her dam really irritated her. Why oh why must all the water flow into the ocean? Perhaps it is more determined than she.

Meanwhile, my oldest daughter searched high and low for seashells.

Finding three whole sand dollars and several sand dollar pieces overjoyed her. This big discovery was more than two years in the making. She’d searched and searched with great determination but never found sand dollars while we were in the Florida Keys.

Our delightful and memorable visit to the Pacific continued in Cannon Beach with lunch — featuring sandwiches with Tillamook cheese and a quick trip to the candy store.

Stay tuned for my next post; the treat I bought myself at the candy store has the same name as the next picturesque site!

Spring in Oregon — Part 3

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Site Three: Columbia River Gorge

Another highlight of our Oregon visit was seeing the Columbia River Gorge while en route to all those waterfalls I mentioned earlier. Being wild about waterfalls, I overlooked the gorge for a bit. Sorry about the pun.

I would say I skipped it for a while, but who can skip over a gorge like this?

Well, maybe some skipping was involved…

The Columbia River is the border between Oregon and Washington State. These beautiful snow-covered mountains are officially in southern Washington.

See the tiny dome-like building perched way over there on that cliff? It’s a scenic overlook.

We got closer. This is the view from the parking lot.

If you learn nothing else about the Columbia River Gorge, learn this: It’s wildly windy. The wind comes roaring across the Pacific Ocean and whips relentlessly through the gorge.

That wind put one daughter’s Columbia jacket and the other’s North Face fleece to the test just long enough for me to snap a few pictures. Then hatless and frazzled, we took cover in the dome-like building. Here’s what it looks like inside.

Pretty, huh?

Spring in Oregon – Part 2

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“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls…” Psalm 42:7

Waterfalls mesmerize me. For a shutterbug, almost nothing else captivates like the roaring rush of water cascading over rocks in the lush and verdant Pacific Northwest.

As a small child, I spent many family vacations chasing waterfalls on the Olympic Peninsula and near Mt. Rainier in Washington State. My mom was a shutterbug, too.

Later, as a young adult, my husband proposed to me at my favorite waterfall — Sol Duc Falls in Washington — making waterfalls even more memorable for both of us.

As a parent now, I think passing along this multi-generational obsession with waterfalls to my children is imperative because waterfalls display God’s glorious creativity. Thankfully, waterfalls are more than plentiful in the great state of Oregon. And my dear aunt knows the perfect route to enjoy several breathtaking waterfalls in an easy half-day trip.

Site Two: Waterfalls along the Historic Columbia River Highway.  First up is Latourell Falls. This stunning waterfall is visible from the road, but a short downhill hike takes visitors close enough to feel a little spray.

As we continued eastward along the scenic route in a van named Big Red, we caught glimpses of several smaller waterfalls. At our next stop, we thoroughly enjoyed a quarter-mile hike starting at this waterfall at Benson State Park. Isn’t it heavenly?

Thanks, Aunt Sheila, for capturing this shot of us girls in front of the falls.

My dear Aunt Sheila is married to my Uncle Gary, who is by far the most experienced hiker I know. He led us on a little quarter-mile adventure up a path that rose high above the highway and railroad tracks. See the train hiding in the trees below?

We had to carefully cross over a few slippery rocks under this trickling little waterfall.

But don’t worry, the little sister kept her shoes dry this time.

In just a few minutes, we arrived at Multnomah Falls Lodge. Seated near the cozy fireplace, we delighted in a delicious and memorable lunch with aunts, uncle and Gramma. Tunes from Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring set the uplifting mood as we overlooked the Columbia Gorge and watched a few more Union Pacific trains race by. The big sister was certain we were seeing just one train go around and around in circles because the engines all looked just alike — yellow with an American flag.

After lunch, we went up with Aunt Lilac to see Multnomah Falls.

Then Uncle Gary joined me and the girls for a quick hike up to the bridge.

And so our waterfall tour ended on high at the gorgeous Multnomah Falls.

One spot we saved for next time is the falls at Bridal Veil, an adventure that requires more of a hike than our crew could handle that morning. We must go back!

NOTE: Read about our other recent adventures in Oregon here: Spring in Oregon — Part 1.

Spring in Oregon — Part 1

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The girls and I just rolled in from a lovely trip to Oregon, spending time with my aunt, who answers to the nickname “Aunt Lilac” when her great nieces are around.

Aunt Lilac and Uncle Bishop hosted us for a whole week, not only feeding us well, but also feeding my camera well! Shutterbugs cannot go hungry in Oregon; we feasted on many breathtaking sites.

Site One: The Bishop’s Close Elk Rock Garden in Portland. If you’ve been reading my blog a while, yes, this is the same magical garden I listed two years ago as #2 on my 8 Things We Love about Oregon post. We still love it!

Won’t you stroll along with us?

Fallen petals from the blooming magnolias blanket the path like over-grown snowflakes.

All the trees — not just the magnolias — seem magically magnificent in this garden.

From a distance, the buds on the camellias look like peonies. But up close, the delicate petals reveal their own enchanting beauty, reminding us of pink tissue paper.

The little sister delights in gathering fistfuls of petals and dropping them into the water near this little corner bench. I try to take a picture of her in action. She’s a water-lover, as I’ve mentioned before, and is quite enthralled with everything watery. Well, that is until she accidentally puts her foot — brand new shoe, sock and all — right into the water.

Sometimes shutterbugs must surrender the camera, console the soggy, and inspect shoes for stray salamanders.

Thankfully, Uncle Bishop knows just how to lift a little girl’s spirits, and he warms her bare toes in the pocket of his fleece jacket.

So the stroll through the Bishop’s Close ends happily after all.