Monday, September 27, 2010

Monday greetings



I love all the colors of fall.

Vance mowed the field. I spotted him out there on his big FORD.
And then saw the little Ford... a first birthday gift for Merit from
Grandpa Vic and Gramma Kris... hard to believe our youngest will be ONE year old
next month. All three of our kids have enjoyed driving this little tractor.

An evening hike with my camera in hand was good for the soul.
God's creation is breathtaking.


We had a gorgeous sunset last night.

I enjoyed taking the Valdez Family's photos Saturday afternoon. Those pictures are on my photography blog linked to this one. I had kind of a blah week last week, but we had a great Sunday yesterday. And I have a feeling this week will be better. Enjoy your day! I will be back soon.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Lil' Miss Blue Eyes, Life with the Jansen's


The boys are playing a made up game called Cats and Rats. They try to toss underwear up on our hanging light fixture that hangs on the higher ceiling above our staircase. They laugh, holler, scream... Merit just came to me telling me they have been disqualified. Their dad told them Cats and Rats had gotten TOO LOUD!
These boys!
I made Pear Butter today... oh my goodness yum!
Vance and I tried to write our will yesterday. I am still
emotionally exhausted. NO one could ever love these kids like we do... I know this is how every parent (almost every parent) feels about their children... but oh my.
Also, it is very real to me that people die. Both my mom and my nephew Case died without any warning. Completely healthy and then gone... so I need to be realistic. It is responsible to plan for what would happen if I were no longer here.
Natasha is such an inspiration to me as she continues to allow God to heal her as they miss Case deeply. She finds JOY in life and is such a loving, kind, reasonable, responsible person.
Reese, Natasha and Lane are remarkable and I thank God for that.
I feel very misunderstood since Case's death. I can't imagine how Natasha and Reese must feel at times. Also, people say really strange things sometimes and it is hard at times to let those things go. But there has been a great deal of support and love shown too. Many people expect one to get over the loss of a loved one soon... no one wants a "downer" for a friend, mom, niece, wife... you get the picture. Funny, I didn't mention sister... that is one thing that is fabulous about my siblings. I think they would still spend time with me even if I were a "downer"
Really I should stop now, because I am usually the girl who just kind of smiles through the frustration or sadness. I have so much to be thankful for and can usually remain positive. My smile is fading a bit today however... poor Willem had a crying UNO partner earlier this afternoon. He asked if I needed to take a break and rest on the couch for a bit!! But I am certain tomorrow will be a better day.
I am loving these kids and am "running" a lot. I am tired at times, but mostly it feels really good.  Tomorrow I will get a much
needed chunk of exercise and try to introduce a healthier diet. Today I had coffee, coffee and more coffee and ate some of the kids meal scraps... oh yeah and I sampled the Pear Butter!
Hazel has been sleeping good at night. This is a huge blessing.

Hazel is taking STEPS!!!



Hazel, I'm girl crazy cause of you.
I love you sweetie.
Mom

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Weekend



I get to spend all weekend with these three!
We are enjoying it.
Willem, Hazel and I stopped yesterday to take a look at this old Ford truck
on the side of the road.
When I showed Merit these pictures the first thing he said was
"Were you trespassing?"
Huh? Funny kid. And yeah, we sort of were. There was a NO HUNTING
NO TRESPASSING sign ON the truck, but we didn't touch the truck or go in.
I would like taking a family's pictures in front of it however. :)
Enjoy your weekend!! I love September weekends.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

thriftin' and pear picking


THRIFTING THURSDAY
PEAR PICKING!!
My friend Jessica, her two kids, Willem, Hazel and I went pear picking on Monday! I love being outdoors this time of year. I am excited to go back to the orchard to pick apples.


Willem enjoyed picking!

Jessica
VISITING with a good friend and picking pears on a beautiful day... can't beat that



My Bargain Town Basket
Seemed like a fun front porch basket for fall.

Oh, it seems Buzz has a great lookout point from the front porch basket.

This lamp I got at Goodwill!
Eventually it will make its way to Hazel's room, but for now
it is a fun addition to our dining room.

Little Miss Hazel Jane says "hi!"

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

harvesting veggies, baking, catching fish!

Harvesting veggies from our garden
We have some grapes!
The boys love watching our pumpkins turn orange.

A healthy rhubarb/ blueberry crisp
Merit, Willem and Hazel love the Rhubarb Blueberry Crisp too!!


FISHING ON THE BOAT!

I failed to share our FUN FISHING experience a couple of weeks ago!
The boys were DELIGHTED to both catch a fish!
Boating and fishing on Moses Lake has become something our family
really enjoys doing. Hazel seems to like it a little more each time too.
That's worth a high five!!
And Merit catches one too!!!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Thankful Thursday

My sports player with the "rootbeer" eyes
Willem can ride his bike with NO TRAINING WHEELS!!!
YAY!
Hazel, being silly
Hazel, lookin' cute
The tallest sunflower in our yard

Old building near Merit's school

Again today I am SO THANKFUL for how wonderful these boys are to Hazel!!
They are VERY helpful with her!! And they make her smile and laugh.
I am thankful Merit has a great teacher.
Merit's learning cool things and has some really nice kids in his class.
I am thankful Willem has wonderful teachers and is in a Christian preschool.
I am thankful for every day with these sweet kids!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

I love this time of year!! It is so beautiful!
Merit is adjusting well to second grade. He misses summer! But
he is having fun with buddies and likes his teacher.

End of summer hikes...
Willem and I sometimes like to play army. I was setting up my
guys when he decided to take a picture from the top bunk. ;)
We entertained ourselves last week by playing down at the
cabin and exploring while Merit was in school.
Lemonade
Willem's special recipe! The last time I tried it it was really good, until
I got to the bottom and found a tiny Dorito chip along with a piece of cheese.
I didn't know that his lunch leftovers were also a part of the concoction.
So on this day, his ingredients were a packet of lemonade mix, water, ice,
lemons and a bit of sugar.
Yum!
lookin' cute and bein' sweet - Hazel style


 
Sweet grin, dirty face
I love it.
Check out those teeth!
In the morning we have an autumn feel to the air, but by afternoon
it is usually still swimsuit (or diaper) weather. :)

Matt, Vance, Merit and Willem are golfing right now.
It is fun to have my bro Matt here for the weekend.
Hazel and I are holding down the fort.
More soon, Michele

A Wednesday update

The weather today is gorgeous! I went outdoors with the second-grade class I was teaching today. We looked for a ring a student had lost (an...