Give Thanks

"OH, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."
Psalm 136:1

There is SO MUCH to be thankful for, and this time of year reminds me of how my heart should be thankful in all things, not just at Thanksgiving or when things are going as they should. I often pray that I would have a thankful heart in daily life, as it's so easy to get busy and overwhelmed, often forgetting to come before the Lord with Thanksgiving.

Here are some "normal life" photos, all moments of which I'm so thankful for...

Times of helping Daddy in the kitchen: decorating Ashlyn's Birthday cupcakes.

Watching Daddy make breakfast with the new stove/convection oven and griddle
(mommy's birthday gifts).

Creative Messes, I mean Crafts: Braden loves to invent things with boxes, paper, and glue! Ashlyn usually joins in on the fun by cutting paper into tiny pieces. The outcome: craft stuff and paper ALL OVER the floor, almost everyday! BUT, everyone is creative and happy, and I'm always amazed at what they make.

Braden's fall tree project!Ashlyn dressed up in mommy's boots! We just love having cousins Melea, Lily, and June across the street. They sold their home and are looking for a new one in Portland, but are our neighbors for now. It's so fun to play almost everyday! Braden is showing all those girls how to build a campfire!

Thanksgiving with Sheldon's family! Here is Papa and JJ with all their kids & grandkids
(plus 2 more grandkids on the way)! Making our own candles after learning all about the Pilgrims. Braden is hand dipping this candle.

Thank you God for these special people and moments (and so much more)! Help me to rejoice in the Lord always, and be thankful IN all things. I once heard it said, "If we find ourselves complaining about our situation or longing for a better life, we need to take a few moments to worship God and allow His goodness to wash over us until we are consumed with gratitude."

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
1 Thess. 5:18

Embracing the Season

There's no denying that fall is in full swing now. Even though I like fall, I still try to hold onto summer for as long as I can. Mostly because I know that long winter days are soon on their way. However, this year I've been trying to embrace this season while it lasts and delight in all that it brings! One of my favorite things about fall is the beautiful colors!

Here are a few of our favorite fall moments...

A "stroll" in the park...

Picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch

Our little jack-o-lanterns.

All dressed up for our church harvest party! The cutest fireman and fairy I've ever seen.

Fun games, candy, and prizes at the harvest party!

The glow in the dark games were especially FUN!

How thankful I am for a change of seasons. Even though I sometimes find myself having a hard time letting go of summer, I am thankful for the creativity of our God in bringing the change of seasons. Embrace THIS particular season (in your life). For it is just a season, and a new one is always around the corner.

A Few of our Highlights...

I haven't posted in awhile and wanted to share just a few of our highlight moments over the past couple months:


When we go to the park Ashlyn spends most of her time in the swing. Mommy just doesn't push her high enough...she prefers Daddy's SUPER FIRE HIGH pushes!

My parents came out to visit in September. The kids always look so forward to special visits from Grandma and Grandpa. Here are some photos of an evening at the park. Yep, Ashlyn is in the swing again and had to convince Grandma that she really DOES want to go high!


Sheldon took the kids to the zoo while I held a baby shower for my good friend. The kids LOVE special times with daddy.

Sheldon got some new flash/studio gear and so these last four shots are taken using "the gear." I love having fun portraits of the kids.

This first shot was taken before bed. We let Ashlyn pick out her jammies and she always picks her hand me down "Bob the Builder" ones instead of all those cute pink ones! Oh well...what can I say, other than she's still cute in blue!

This shot was taken on a wooded walking trail near our house. This particular spot is an old mill and we thought it was an interesting background.

Braden and Sheldon on a sunset photo outing. I think Braden is getting a bit tired of taking photos?!?! Just a guess!


BEAR JAMMIES! Got these jammies in Alaska, and couldn't resist a portrait.

That's just a quick overview, but thought I'd share a few of our favorites!

Adventures in Alaska

We were SO blessed to be able to go to Alaska this summer!

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline

Our Alaska trip plans started last winter when my parents invited Sheldon and I to take an Alaskan cruise with them, my sister, and her husband, Jonathan. Just when we thought we had our trip all figured out, Sheldon's brother got engaged. His fiance is originally from Alaska so they wanted their wedding to be on the coast in Nikiski, AK. Thankfully they planned their wedding to occur just a few days before our cruise was going to start, and we were able to combine everything into one big Alaskan journey!

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR ALASKA TRIP:

We started our trip by attending Byron and Maria's wedding in Nikiski, AK. The wedding was outdoors overlooking the ocean at Maria's Aunt/Uncle's home, who fish salmon for a living. They served THE BEST salmon I've ever tasted at the reception!

The newlyweds: Maria and Byron Nalos!

Flower girls: Ashlyn, Melea, & Lily

The Groom's proud parents!

Freshly Caught Salmon BBQ!

After the wedding we headed off RV Camping, with 11 people crammed into one small RV (Sheldon's parents, sister/husband and their 3 kids, plus our family). We stayed in some of the most absolutely gorgeous places!

One of our campsites. The kids had so much fun playing in the trees and looking for firewood.

A moose in fireweed next to our campground

After a couple days of camping we visited Glennallen, Sheldon's hometown from birth to age 12. He got to see his old house, walk the trails near his home, and even see the old tree that he had cut down with a hatchet as a little boy! Things look so much smaller than he remembers...


From Glenallen we left our children behind in the RV (this was bittersweet) while we headed up to Fairbanks to meet up with my family....AND getting that first shower after days of RV camping! What a LUXURY!

As part of our cruise pacakge, we were able to take a bus tour of Denali National Park where we saw caribou, ptarmigan, bear, moose, sheep, eagles, and the best views of Mt. McKinley seen the entire summer!

Caribou

Bears!

Mt. McKinley, what a blessing that it was so clear!

While we were staying at the lodge near Denali we were able to surprise my parents with a visit from Braden and Ashlyn! Sheldon's parents drove several hundred miles in the RV through wilderness (over mostly gravel roads), just so my parents could see the grandkids. It was a HUGE surprise and a huge blessing, since it had been over 8 months since they last saw them!

Lots of love and hugs for Grandma and Grandpa!

Then we headed off on an all day train ride from Denali to Whittier. We had absolutely amazing views of Mt. McKinley and the Alaska Range the entire day. Our tour guide said this was extremely rare - the best he'd seen in three years. I guess he was telling the truth, because even he was taking pictures!

We loved the glass top train so we could see the amazing views along the way.

McKinley through the train window.

After the train ride we were off to THE CRUISE! We enjoyed spending time with my parents and Jon and Kristin, eating, playing games, eating, working out, eating, viewing the glaciers, eating, swimming, eating, great talks, eating, relaxing, and EATING!

The whole gang: Jon, Kristin, Dad, Mom, Sheldon, and I in front of our Cruise Ship in Skagway.

Glaciers! We had amazing views from our ship.

A true sense of scale...

Our "Formal Night" date at the dining room.

We stopped at many ports along the way, including the towns of Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. We were able to enjoy hiking, biking, shopping, beautiful scenery, and even a boat tour at the Misty Fjords (in Ketchikan).

Hiking in Skagway.

View from our boat tour of the Misty Fjords.

This trip was such an amazing time for us! We had the best of both worlds - being able to camp and see the "real" Alaska, and then going on a cruise and seeing the "tourist" Alaska. The combination of these trips allowed us to see so much of this beautiful state. This was my first time in Alaska and I was just amazed at how HUGE and BEAUTIFUL it really is!

Thanks SO MUCH to my parents for taking us on the cruise, and thanks to Sheldon's parents for making the RV trip happen and for watching the kids for us while we cruised! We are so refreshed and seeing our life at home from a different perspective.

Praise the Lord!

Summer Days...

I LOVE SUMMER! We've been enjoying our summer and the many outdoor activities it has to offer. Here are photos of JUST a little of what we've been up to lately...

Berry Picking: We've picked strawberries and raspberries and are looking forward to blueberries in August!

Creative Snacks (not my idea, you can see the diagram in the book next to it)!

Chilling in the hammock and Nana JJ and Papa's house.

Drying off after playing in the fountain.

Racing on the track.

Enjoying chocolate fondue (leftovers from a shower at our house)!

Sheldon and Braden enjoy daddy/son days of hiking and camping!


Ice cream at Coldstone.


Chasing rainbows in the fountain!

And the best part, summer isn't over yet! More to come!