Giving Thanks

Sara, Brad, Sage, and Tiger the cat, came down to Moscow to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this year. It was a very relaxing holiday...a delicious feast prepared with ease, lots of playing and laughing, some hiking, and even some time away for the moms and dads to do that precious "grown-up stuff." 

Sara and I enjoyed a day out shopping downtown, dinner and drinks at Nectar, and we even managed to squeeze in a movie too (I know, crazy!) 

Zac and Brad of course indulged in an evening of football and beer (of course). 

And the little ones just played their hearts out!

Preparing the Thanksgiving table

Nutcracker season is upon us!

And... I now having a knitting pal. Maybe she'll inspire me to take more time for myself to knit! 

 We hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday as well!

Hmmmm....Where to begin...?

Obviously there has been a lack of posts lately. It certainly is not because we haven't had anything going on. To the contrary, we have been going, going, going....BUT, we are home, I am now finished with my master's project presentation and defense,wrapping up my last the semester, and making some big decisions about what comes next. 

So, I'm taking a moment to share a few little tidbits (finally!) about what Magnolia and River have been up to! Guided of course by those "reminder snapshots" I've managed to take!

Tea parties!...

...and consuming honey at tea parties.

Did I mention we fit in a quick weekend trip to Boise recently?

Magnolia and Emily * Mama and Kirsten

(My grandmother surprised Magnolia with an American Girl doll (Emily...who is actually British) during our trip to Boise. That would be the FOURTH American Girl doll my grandmother has purchased. Shortly after buying a doll for Maggie, she made her FIFTH American Girl doll purchase, after seeing the Saige doll in the catalog for Sage.
Feel free to gasp....I did.) 

and lastly...a few house projects

So that's about all for now. A bit scattered, I must admit...very similar to life these days;)

More to come soon, I promise!

Kindergarten Student Led Conference

We are very proud of this Kindergartner!

Maggie's school, Palouse Prairie School of Expeditionary Learning, conducts student led conferences (SLCs) instead of the traditional parent/teacher conferences. SLCs are intended to support students in a variety of ways, including taking responsibility of their own learning. 

After a quiet start, Magnolia rocked it! She had so much to share with us about everything she's been doing at school, and she is so proud of the work she has done. 

And we are so proud of how much courage and responsibility she has demonstrated so far in school!

Happy Halloween!

It was a super Halloween at our house this year!

Super Star River

Flower Power Magnolia

Zac had picked up some extra pumpkins so Maggie and River decided to give them a bit of a face lift today...

Magnolia and Daddy off for trick-or-treating, Round 2!

It was a good one! 

And now...

They are tucked into their beds fast asleep....with a big bowl of sugary treats left at the foot of their beds for that special Sugar Sprite, who might just leave a little gift of thanks to be discovered in the morning;)

Pumpkins and Play!

Carved her whole pumpkin herself this year!

The boys skipped most of the pumpkin carving, opting for trains and trucks!

Trying to get these four to pose for a picture...impossible!

Magnolia in the Fall

Magnolia and Cora

Okay...here is an update on Miss Magnolia, my very busy Kindergartner.

Besides being very enthralled in all things school....preparing for her student led conference, new sight words, homework (which she loves), her first field work outing and the start of a fall case study, she's been enjoying play dates with friends, long bike rides, and American Girl dolls...yes, ever since she discovered that I had one, Aunt Sara had one, and Auntie Hailey had one, she's been intrigued.
All the hand-me-down books have been mailed to her now, and somehow, that catalog found it's way to our house yesterday.
 I guess it was inevitable;)

The Hair

It's fuzzy...it's curly....it's long...it's River's hair. And I don't know what to do with it!

And Zac insists "we are not cutting it!" 

It does happen to exactly resemble Zac's hair with a slightly different shade...

And yes...there have been lots and lots of River posts lately...that Moo has been busy and away from my camera! But don't worry, I'll capture something soon;)