{Shiver Me Timbers and Yo-ho-ho}

It's off to a birthday party we go!

Beware! Priates afoot ...


Kade and Lauren on the treasure hunt ...
What aarrr you seeing matey??!


Walking the plank ...
This was dangerous as there were giant crocodiles looking for a meal!
(Tick-tock)



Ahoy ...Treasure!

Pirates of the Yakima - Wendy and Kaleb

Happy Birthday Isaac :) ... We loved being part of your BIG Pirate Party!

{Happy Birthday KADE}

Our oldest son, Kade, turned 12 yesterday!
Its hard to believe I've been a mom for that long... OH the things we've learned together.
We celebrated last weekend at the park with a big family and friends party! We played kick ball for 2 hours and enjoyed an ice cream cake, friends and a pile of wonderful gifts.

Last night I made his favorite dinner - Tacos! For dessert we had brownies and ice cream. It was perfect. Love you Kade - Thanks for being such a GREAT person.

Fast facts about Kade - He loves art, soccer, friends, tennis and reading.
His teachers call him the leader at his Middle School and say he's the kindest kid on campus...

I agree!! :)

{Take your Mom to work day ...}

Like these earings? You can find them and many others at http://www.1928.com/

The jewerely shop in Fred Meyer - where my daughter (who is 5) works carry this 1928 brand. I love them!

Inside the mind of a child -

My daughter, Lauren, who is five loves to pretend she is an employee at Fred Meyer. They have a jewelry section (not the one with diamonds and REAL jewels) but the other little section in the store next to the socks and watches. She has ‘worked’ at this shop for over a year now!

We wake up some mornings and she informs me she has a very important meeting she must attend. So, we hurry and dash off to the shop so she can be on time. Today, I was having a turtle day (bit slower than usual) and she kept telling me that she couldn’t be late for the meeting at the jewelry shop! I started to laugh and said: “Lauren what is so important about this meeting?” She said, “Its take your Mom to work day!”

So again, we dashed off to the shop so I could see just exactly what it is she does there. Once inside, she informed me the meeting was cancelled. She was thrilled about that and just showed me around the jewelry. When we had enough of that, she informed me she was such a good worker she was given a job in the garden section too.

Yup, we went to check that out as well. I had the grand tour of the garden section and learned things about flowers and plants I never dreamed possible. When it was over I thanked her for taking me to work with her and she assured me that we could do that everyday if we wanted :)!!

Cheers to the power of imagination and going to work with a child.

PS: Ask your kid where he/she works – it may totally surprise you!

{Greenies}
pedal.kayak.organics

Have you ever been kayaking? I have not but want to try it out! A new shop just opened that offers kayak rentals - My husband and I can hardly wait to get a tandem kayak for the day
and paddle away :)

Thanks Matt and Patti Murphy for opening such a fun store…

Their site is under construction but should be opening soon – http://www.greenlife.com/

Cheers to trying something NEW!! :)

{The Savage WEST}

On Monday night, my son, Kaleb informed me that his class needed another parent to attend their school field trip the next day. I had somehow missed the sign up sheet to volunteer and was thrilled to be part of the adventure! Care to join us? OK come on – keep reading and learn some very interesting facts about the savage west.

What to pack:
Rain gear, warm clothing, walking shoes, a sack lunch and a spirit of adventure!

Whitman Mission
Walla Walla, Washington
(National Historic Site)

Back in 1836 five missionaries made the long trek across America for the Oregon Territory. Two of them were a newly married couple – Marcus & Narcissa Whitman. Marcus had 6 weeks of education and was a Doctor. (Amazing how things have changed!) Narcissa wanted to come out west so badly that she agreed to marry Marcus without having met him. Their honeymoon was their journey to the west. Narcissa was one of the first white women to ever set foot in Oregon and Washington.

The reason for their journey was due to the Indians requesting a copy of the White man’s religious book (The Bible) and they wanted to learn what it said. So these missionaries agreed to come to the west to meet the Indians and teach them of the white man’s ways and about the Bible.

Marcus and Narcissa set up the Whitman Mission and had a lot of interaction with the warlike Cayuse Indians. They were not as receptive to the Bible’s teachings or the ways of the white people as was hoped.


(Covered wagon like the ones used long ago)
The kids loved seeing this ...

{Tragedy Strikes}
This is the Great Grave at the Mission where the 14 people killed are remembered

After episodes of illness and other hardships, the Cayuse Indians attacked the Whitman Mission (known as the Whitman massacre) killing 14 people (including the Whitmans). There is a monument at the Center that stands way high on a hill. It is beautiful and you hike up to it. Once at the top you can look out over the place where the mission used to be. I couldn’t help imaging what it must have been like to live in such hard times. I am always amazed when I learn or visit places of our past how strong and brave our pioneer anscestors were. They inspire me.


It was a really cold, rainy day and as we toured the site, pelicans flew above us ...

Cheers to history and the past that we LEARN from ...
Thanks for joining us!!


PS -
I really enjoyed the field trip and would encourage any who visit Walla Walla to make this part of the trip. Tid bit: The elementary school I attended was called – Marcus Whitman Elementary. It’s nice to know I attended a school named after such a good, brave man!

Whitman Mission web site -
http://www.nps.gov/whmi/

{Wendy’s Pasta Salad}

16 ounce bag of colored rotini pasta
1 can sliced olives
1 can baby corn
1 jar quartered artichoke hearts
Kraft zesty Italian dressing
Grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pour cooled pasta into big serving bowl and mix together with - olives (drain them), corn (drain those too), artichoke hearts (drain them). Then coat with the Italian dressing. Sprinkle the top with grated parmesan cheese, cover and chill in the refrigerator. (You may want to add a little more dressing just before you serve the salad).

This salad is a hit everywhere I take it! Enjoy!
PS: What is your favorite summer salad? :)

{Superwoman cape - use it!}

Yesterday, my oldest son (who is in middle school) forgot to take his freshly washed PE uniform to school. I realized I still had time to drive to the school and get to his locker before the first class began. I grabbed the uniform and dashed for the middle school. To my surprise, there were kids everywhere all wearing strange wigs and funky hair. I completely shocked my son when I touched him on the arm at his locker and said, “You forgot this.” His first period teacher was standing there and said, “You fit right in – it’s crazy hair day!” I laughed really hard at that one! (Hey when you need to be a hero, you don’t stop to look gorgeous).

PS: Do you have a red Superwoman cape? I do! This cape gives me powers beyond the normal average powers that come with being a woman. If you don’t have one – I recommend you get one! Cheers to super powers ....!!

:)

PS: click on the cape photo above to see it better!
The little hook holding the cape reads - hers.

{Race Chariots}

My Grandpa Lichfield (who is no longer alive) used to own a race chariot business. He made these amazing chariots and when we would go visit him, they were in his backyard. The older cousins would pretend to be horses and pull the chariots full of the younger cousins around ...

We recently sold our house and I'm trying to de-junk and go through everything as we will be
moving (in the not too distant future) and I came across the above bumper sticker.
My Grandpa used to give those out to everyone he met!
I always loved his sense of humor and his ability to tell stories!

I can just hear him saying -
"The Surgeon General said nothing about smoking the competition!"

Funny :)

{Mother's Day ...}

Wendy, Kade, Lauren and Kaleb Christensen
Mother's Day 2008

A breakfast of LOVE ...
Special thanks to my husband and kids for the heart shaped pancakes - they even spelled the word love in panacakes for me .... I love you guys too!

Wendy, Lauren and Gwen 2008
(A BBQ after church with my Mother-in-law and family)
Very fun! :)

I took these gorgeous flowers to my mom and had a very fun (late night) visit with her...
I love you Mom!

A card from Kaleb

A card from Kade
(Loved the humor and creativity of this one ...$25 worth of chores)
The back of the card listed the prices of things he would do ... Funny!

A card from Lauren
(All girl - full of hearts, flowers and love)

**********

Have you ever had such a perfect day??!
:)

{Lauren the dress designer ...}

Have you ever turned your kid’s schoolwork over …. Just to see what’s on the other side?
I have and on the back of my daughter's papers, I always find an amazing line of little girls in dresses!

It’s possible my daughter may one day have her own dress line …
:)

2008 designs by Lauren, age 5

{A Hat Thing ...}

With my sisters, Mom and my 2 sons ... Whistler, British Columbia 2001


Wearing an old hat at an antique shop in Cle Elum, WA 2008
(Bought it) :) ...

At the Mariner Game - Seattle, WA 2008
Let's play ball!

What hats do you wear??!

{The Acorn}

One day while my daughter Lauren and I were waiting for Kaleb (my son) to finish baseball practice, we stumbled across a pile of acorn tops. We looked up and realized we were standing underneath a giant acorn tree.

Hmmmmmmmmm - We decided we would find some food for the little squirrels that wonder into our yard. After hunting and hunting, we found one whole acorn. I’m guessing a squirrel herd already pilfered the place.

Last night, I found the acorn tucked in a safe place in her bedroom. I almost grabbed it to take it out to the backyard (for some lucky squirrel) but decided not to.

I figured that acorn deserved to be in a happy room with a very happy little girl who was so thrilled to find one whole acorn with her Mom…

I love how the little moments linger – (sometimes in the form of an acorn).

May 1, 2008 - National Day of Prayer ...

Pray (out loud)

{Humility}
The quality or state of being humble;
modest opinion of one’s own importance.

Prayer is a powerful and beautiful gift we can enjoy anyplace and anytime. Our Heavenly Father loves to hear from us and wants us to be happy. It is His desire and promise to bless us as we strive to do what is right. But, we must invite him into our lives, our hearts and our homes. This is done by praying.

How often do you talk to our Heavenly Father? Is it once a year, once a month, once a week or three times a day?

Maybe praying is not a part of your daily routine. Do you think you could make it a part of your everyday life? Have you ever tried?

For those of you who are not in the praying habit, commit to making it part of your life.

A great time to pray is at night (just before bed.) When the house is all quiet, kneel down and talk to Him like you would a close friend.

Tell Him about your day, thank Him for your abundant blessings and then invite Him to help you with your challenges.

He does hear you and wants to help. He is a loving person full of grace, charity and infinite love. He will NEVER let you down, He will NEVER lead you astray and He will NEVER give up on you!
Your prayers can be said in your heart or out loud. I recommend using both methods. And if you are not in the habit of praying out loud, try it.

There is a peaceful, wonderful feeling that comes by praying out loud. It makes the prayer more real, humble and sincere. Your desire and effort to communicate with our Heavenly Father will truly enrich every moment of your life!

This little moment matters –

Today, find a time to say a prayer out loud. You can say it alone, with a friend, or with your family. Feel free to say your prayer in the car, outside, or in your room. The important thing is to try it.

Feel the wonderful feelings that come from communicating with our Heavenly Father.

Take a moment after the prayer and just listen to His answers. Most often they come in the form of a warm feeling, happy thoughts or a reassuring feeling of love and acceptance. Once you learn how to pray, teach others in your life. Help your children learn to pray! This ONE habit will be one of the most powerful gifts you can give them.

© 2004 Wendy Christensen, It's the Little Moments that Matter