Eden's Birthday...

...Is today!  We all can barely believe that she is such a big 14 year old!  

Um, that's not right.  Oh yes!  She's 15 today!  How could we forget?!  (Family joke.)

I found some old pictures that made me smile.  Eden is such a blessing to our family and I wanted to take a moment to do a blog post for her.

(Oh, and for the first time ever we will be showing never-before-released video footage of Eden in her younger years, so make sure you read the whole post!)

Happy Birthday, Bobcat!

No one is sure if this is posed or natural.  ;)  Perhaps she really, really wanted something...

Christmas decorating with Eden can be interesting, to say the least!

Exploring stadiums is a very fun adventure.

Aw!  This is a cute one.

And then there was the time we all dressed in disguises with coats, sunglasses, and hats!

But you can't beat this hat!  

This was Eden's first time tree swinging.

We can't forget the time we were studying Peru and Eden decided dressing up as a Boa 

Now what happened here?!

Eden is a big help in all our moviemaking endeavors.  Here she played the part of a business women.

Yes, Eden is under the tiger mask!

Alright, this is not a normal family activity...  however, it's an inside joke and pretty much every family member can show a good X in any doorframe.

Girl's Day Shopping Trip!

Eden's batch of little chicks.

And somehow she ended up as our lead singer!  Everyone is certain it's because she screamed so much as a baby.

And here's the special movie.  Oh, I should give a little history from what was going on here...  One afternoon, everyone was cleaning and going through stuff.  When Eden found a Romantic Tutu, she tried it on and somehow ended up locked out of the house (i f I remember correctly, it was planned so that she would be stuck outside!).  I had a camera and starting filming.  The dramatic princess calls (which were added by Your's Truly) really puts everything into perspective.  Shiloh was there and joined in.  We chased her off the deck and Eden ran in the house through the basement door... and that's where we were waiting outside the window!

Fun times!
And Eden did try to delete these videos shortly after this occurrence, but somehow we were able to save them!

Happy Birthday, Eden!  We love you!

Posted By:

~Bethany 

OCEANetwork 2013

Last month we enjoyed our state's annual homeschool conference, featuring Norm Wakefield as the keynote.  Not only were we blessed by all the encouraging talks, but we also had a wonderful time fellowshipping with lots of friends.

 I think the architecture of this conference center is amazing!

Our table.  

(Just as a hot tip: if you want to find healthy food, this is the place!)

Jordan talking with Matt and Micah C.

I got to try out a viola for the first time!  That was a dream come true.

Eden with Bethany C.

Shiloh, Eden, and I took the little ones to have a look at the science fair.  Lots of fun stuff to see there!

"Now put your finger right in there!"

Note-taking during the session.

Excellent session by Mr. Wakefield.

Posted By:

~Bethany 

The Cure All

Antibacterial Handwash the cure all for when you have no running water!  Make sure to have a lot on hand!!!  ;-)

Happy Independance Day!

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Beacon Rock

For Father's Day, we went hiking at Beacon Rock.  It was amazing!  At 850 feet, this huge rock/mountain overlooks the Columbia Gorge with a breathtaking view.  The hike itself has lots of switchbacks with drop-offs on the sides of the trail (thankfully there was a rail!).

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."

~Psalm 19:1

 Heading over the "Bridge of the gods" (don't ask me where it got that name!).

 The Columbia River.

For those of you that have fear of heights... you just might want to find a different hike.

 It was an adventure!

 

 Up, up, up...

Yes, there did come a point when we wondered how much higher we could climb!

 Spectacular!!!

 

In case you're wondering... we did make it up to the top!

 And it was so worth it!

Isn't this view just beautiful?

It was quite windy too, if you can't already tell.

 Mommy and Daddy.

 

 Jordan decided to show us a special stunt he actually never practiced...  The results were... well, I'll let you figure that out.

 Shiloh enjoying the view with the little ones.

Tiny cars.

"What goes up, must come down" and apparently we were no exception, so we started the long trek back.

 

Staying on the path would be a really good idea...  just sayin'.

 Switchbacks to conquer!

 

 This was a fun picture to take as each of us are standing on a different switchback.

Hey, it's all of us!

 This just happens to be one of those pictures that needs the perfect caption...

Any ideas?!

The setting sun on the drive home was just majestic.  I couldn't choose a favorite out of these, so I just posted them all.

 

 Aren't the colors vivid?

It was a special day.

Posted By:

~Bethany