Between two birthdays and Thanksgiving all in the same month, Novembers are busy with celebrations around here. Because we’ve settled into life here in Oregon, our family calendar was a lot fuller this past month. I volunteered in Silas’s classroom twice and hope to do it more. His teacher’s love for her students and love… Read More Around Here
At the last minute, we decided to go to meet our friends at Plumpers Pumpkin Patch last Saturday morning. The day was sunny, and perfect for a visit to the farm. Apparently, everyone else thought so too, as it was challenging to find parking. After just a little slippage in the mud, our Rendezvous was… Read More Plumpers Pumkin Patch
There are many ways to explore Portland, and the 4T Loop combines four transportation possibilities in one swoop: Trail, Tram, Trolley, and Train. Last weekend, two of Stephen’s co-workers from Phoenix were in town to meet with Stephen and his boss for a leadership weekend. On Saturday, they invited us to join them for the… Read More The 4T Loop
After we moved to Portland, I came across a blog post–via BrownSugarToast–encouraging readers to pick three words when entering a new season. Since I was so obviously beginning a new phase of life with our recent 1,300 mile move, it was helpful to think through what my goals might be as we transitioned to life in the Northwest. These words… Read More Autumn Revelry
Brynn was mesmerized by the falling water. Multnomah Falls is a gem off the Columbia River on the far side of Portland that we took the kids to see a couple Saturdays ago. As we stood at the observation deck looking up at the two cascades, little Brynn surprised us with her interest in the falls.… Read More Exploring Oregon
Kindergarten seems like a normal part of childhood, doesn’t it? Turns out, Silas will be ahead of both his Daddy and his Grampy when he graduates from kindergarten. Stephen managed to attend about six weeks of kindergarten before he dropped out. He couldn’t color in the lines or take a nap, so one day, his… Read More Kindergarten: A New Legacy
This is the big year–the year Silas goes to kindergarten! After lots of thought and prayer we enrolled Silas at Bethany Elementary, our excellent neighborhood public elementary school. We’re prayerfully sending him to school while seeking to build our relationship with Silas in such a way that we hear and know his heart and shepherd him to… Read More Silas’ Expedition
It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant… Read More Holiday at the Sea
Cooper: “I saw a daddy mosquito.” Me: “How did you know it was a daddy mosquito?” Cooper: “Because it was bigger than a mommy mosquito, and it wasn’t wearing a necklace.” This was my conversation with Coop as we picked blueberries last Saturday. Stephen (of all people!) saw the signs for the U-Pick blueberry farm… Read More Blueberries and Babies
July 1st was Move In Day. We filled up on waffles and coffee for breakfast and then drove to the Charlais neighborhood to get the keys to our new home. Our woodland cottage is adorable! It sits on a cul-de-sac that backs up to a greenway with a bike trail, community garden, and playground within… Read More The Day We Moved to The Shire