Happy Thanksgiving - November 25

Happy Thanksgiving...from our flock to yours!

Walking in Our Winter Wonderland

All ten of us got bundled up and went for a walk in the snow this afternoon. We had over a foot of snow on the ground and it was still snowing lightly. It truly was a "winter wonderland"!

Liz and Will's Wedding - November 6

We traveled to Florida for a very special wedding and were blessed to spend time with lots of Danny's extended family.  Here are just few pictures from that beautiful day...

Several of the youngest cousins enjoyed playing together after the wedding.

 

Zane survived wearing a tie for the first time...and looked very handsome.

 

Colter actually enjoyed wearing his tie...and also looked very handsome.

 

Monique loved her new dress made especially for this occassion.

 

Liz, Will, Taylor, Sabrina, Emma and Wyatt

 

Wyatt carried a football down the aisle instead of a pillow.  Talk about temptation...

 

Sabrina looking, and feeling, like a princess.

 

And finally Miss Laurel, who smiled at everyone she met.

 

Precious little girls watching Liz and Will dance at the reception.

 

The highlight of the reception for the kids (and some of the adults!) was the candy cart.

 

Colter enjoying a lollipop, with Emma and Sabrina in the background.

 

Monique decided Laurel should get a taste of her special lollipop, too!

Phone Conversations - September 15

This morning Sabrina and Monique were in the living room and dining room respectively, holding their babies and talking to each other on their toy cell phones...

Sabrina: "Ring, ring, ring, ring. Monique your phone is ringing!"

Monique: "Hello?"

Sabrina: "Hi! How are you doing today?"

Monique: "Oh, I am doing just fine. I'm about to go to Wal-Mart."

Sabrina: "Would you like me to watch your kids for you?"

Monique: "Sure, that would be great!"

Sabrina: "Is there anything you need to tell me about them?"

Monique: "Well, one of them can't have milk."

Sabrina: "OK, which one?"

Monique: "John 3:16"

Sabrina: "So John 3:16 can't have milk. Anything else?"

Monique: "No that's all. See you soon!"

And a few minutes later (after Monique arrived at Sabrina's house) I heard this conversation...

Sabrina: "You know our grandmother broke her foot."

Monique: "Yes, she did."

Sabrina: "She fell off the roof and broke it."

Monique: "Well this baby was in my tummy just yesterday."

Baptism in the Clearwater River - September 12

There is no greater joy as a Christian parent than watching your children grow in their knowledge and understanding of God. It is not a one time event, but rather a journey with many precious opportunities to pause and reflect along the way. The moment of salvation and experience of baptism are certainly two of those opportunities. Danny and I have been blessed over the past two weeks as we have been able to personally share these experiences with both Sabrina and Colter. After church on Sunday we invited our family and friends down to the river for their baptism celebration. Danny and I selected a special verse for each of them (and had it engraved on a necklace for Sabrina and a dog tag for Colter) as a reminder of this special day...

Sabrina Laine Griffis

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O Lord you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Psalm 5:11-12

Colter Thomas Griffis

"Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." Psalm 112:6-8

"We are therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." Romans 6:4

Conversation with Zane - August 25

My recent conversation with Zane while we were trying to leave the library...

Me (holding a wiggly Laurel while four other kids are already headed out the door): Let's go Zane. It's time to go to the park.

Zane (as he is starting to take off his sandals): Otay, Mom. Jus' lemme feel how soft dis couch is real twick.

Zane (after taking approximately one minute to get his sandals off): Ohhhhh, it's really soft!

Me: OK, let me have your shoes and I'll carry you. It's time to go.

Zane (while starting to put on his shoes): No Mom, I'm going to put dem on. Tan you jus' wait up for me? Otay?

Me: OK, can I help you put them on?

Zane: No, thank you. I'll do it myself.

Zane (after taking approximately two minutes to get one sandal on): Otay Mom, you can help me with dis one.

Me (setting Laurel down): OK, let's get this done so we can go.

Zane (pushing my hands away): Dats nuf Mom...I tan finish it.  There, I dot it.  Now we tan go.

"Home" School - August 16

Just one of the many pictures I took on our first day of school...more to come! : )

Noni Dresses! - August 2

Mom took the girls to pick out fabric for some dresses when they were visiting us in June. They arrived in the mail last week and the girls couldn't wait to wear them to church on Sunday...

These dresses are perfect for...

skipping...

twirling...

or just sitting and looking pretty!

Thanks, Noni! We love our new dresses!

Jumpers! - July 30

The kids and I got to watch the smokejumpers do a training jump today. I asked them to help me tell you about it...

Colter: They are loading up to do a practice jump. They're wearing their fire suits.

Zane: Those are the people. When the propeller turns on they hop in!

Wyatt: The airplane started spinning one propeller and then the other propeller. Then it went really fast and took off. That was neat!

Zane: Connor and Sophie were there. They're dad is a smokejumper.

Colter: They had to drop streamers from the airplane before they could jump so knew how the wind would push them.

Monique: The airplane had to fly way up in the sky before they could jump. It took a long time!

Zane: My favorite part was watching them jump because it was fun. I had to look up to see them.

Sabrina: It was fun watching them jump with their parachutes.


Sabrina: When they landed on the ground they would do a flip. I liked that part.

Monique: When they fell down they didn't even cry!

Monique: There were different colors and shapes of parachutes. I liked the blue and yellow one the best.

Wyatt: I liked seeing how tiny the people were next to the parachutes. Even the grown-ups looked like ants!

Colter: We're going to play "Smoke Jumper" at home!

Happy Fourth! - July 4

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

from six little firecrackers

T-Ball Philosophies - July 1

Colter and Monique played on the same T-ball team this year, but as you can tell from these photos their philosophies of the game are very different!

Colter is very determined and serious about every aspect of the game. Whether he is hitting, fielding or throwing he is rarely distracted from the task at hand. Despite his focused attitude he is still our compassionate little boy...he even waited to throw the ball to first base tonight because he didn't want to accidentally hit the runner! He has fun, but definitely plays with the end in mind.

Monique uses her entire body to play this game...jumping in the air to throw the ball, rolling around on the grass, even adding an extra spin after she hits the ball off the tee. She loves the idea of the game, but the reality is a little different. During the middle of the game tonight she walked across the field to Danny, handed him her glove and said, "Here Daddy, I'm done." She also has fun, but definitely plays on her own terms!

T-ball begins... - June 17

Finally, after two weeks of wet, rainy weather and several cancelled games my two T-ball players had the chance to get out on the field and show their stuff.

Monique has quite the arm...

and Colter is very serious about hitting the ball off the tee!

They're both ready for a fun T-ball season!

Our Little Stairsteps - June 11

Our greatest blessings...each one a special gift from God...love these kiddos!

Laurel Swinging - June 9

Just in time for the warmer weather...Laurel is discovering the joys of swinging. Lucky for her there is no shortage of siblings to help push her!

Almost Six Months - June 7

At "almost" six months old Laurel is...

almost sitting up by herself

almost crawling

almost too big for her cradle

almost ready for rice cereal

almost too cute for words!

Plans for Mountaintown - June 5

Here are some of the kids most recent plans for Mountaintown...

• The residents are now called "Mountain Kids".


• Wyatt has been looking through seed and plant catalogs planning for Mountaintown's garden.


• They are planning a grocery store which they will stock with food from their garden and products made from that garden, such as ketchup and raisins. I was told that I am also allowed to shop in their grocery store. The best part...everything there is free. : )


• Colter is planning a museum and a library.


• The recent rains flattened the original Mountaintown, so the residents are talking to their landlord (aka Daddy) about purchasing wood for a more permanent structure.

Movin' On Up - June 5

We celebrated the end of our first "real" year of homeschooling with a "Movin' On Up" ceremony and program. As you can tell it was a casual affair...some of the participants even wore their pajamas! The kids picked some songs to sing, then each one of them recited a poem, a scripture and told us their favorite thing about school this year. I love the beginning of new traditions!

Rainy Day Rainbow - June 2

It was another rainy day up here in the inland Northwest. While we don't usually mind a little rain in our family, we're all getting anxious to see a little bit of sunshine. To help make our dreary day a little bit brighter the kids and I made some rainbow cupcakes. They loved mixing the food coloring into their cupcake batter (each kid had a different color) and the homemade frosting was delicious. They are already asking to make them again...next time we'll double the recipe!

Laurel - Spring 2010

Laurel's Top Five - Spring 2010

1. She is already learning to sleep through the chaos of five older siblings!

2. She loves having so many little people to play with her. If she feels ignored she just starts babbling because she knows someone will start talking to her!

3. She is already starting to scoot on her belly, even though she isn't quite sitting up yet.

4. She has slightly more hair that any of her brothers did at this age, but she's still pretty bald.

5. When she gets really mad she can let out the most ear-piercing cry you have ever heard!

Zane - Spring 2010

Zane's Top Five - Spring 2010

1. He loves to give hugs and kisses, usually accompanied by "I love you. You're my best friend."

2. His two favorite questions: "Where are _____ made?" and "What's inside of _____?". He asks these about any number of random objects throughout the day.

3. The only time he is still is when he is sleeping...seriously.

4. He strongly believes that he can do anything and everything that his older siblings can do.

5.He is becoming a great little hiker, much to his daddy's delight.