35th Birthday

I turned 35 today. I feel blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful life, surrounded by the people I love. My family came over to our house for dinner, and Aaron hosted a wonderful party.

I'm grateful for all the goodness in this life I live.

August Clean-Up

The laurel hedge that grows in our neighbor’s yard truly has a life of its own, and a few days ago Aaron decided he’d had enough. Armed with the pruning shears and a ladder, he set out for victory. The kids and my mom cheerfully helped us clean up the remains of the hedge, and now a whole new patch of sunshine streams into our backyard.

I have to admit, I love the extra light in our bedroom too.

The Autumn Garden

A few weeks ago, there was a huge spread in our local newspaper about planting an autumn garden. Because we live in a very temperate climate here in the Pacific Northwest, things will grow in the garden through November or December.

Taking cues and suggestions from the writer of the article, I cleared a garden patch at our new house, purchased some seeds, and planted what I hope to be a hearty Fall harvest.

Here are some pictures.

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, here’s a picture of our new house. We didn’t buy it, so we can’t truly claim it as OURS forever, but we are enjoying our new nest.

Parker

Here's our cute little nephew at six months old. He spends every other Friday morning at our house, and we just love our time with him.

Summer Fun

When Mama finally finished recording her new CD and we moved all our stuff into our new house, then summer for the Russells could finally begin. We started off our playtime in the sunshine by making a trip to Grand Coulee, Washington, to visit some dear friends who lived there. On the way home, we swung through the Cascade Mountains for a visit to my family's cabin in Plain. The kids LOVED the playground and swimming pool.

And here are the kids in our new house, playing Little People in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen. Our house boasts nice hardwood floors, plenty of light, and fun spaces for playing.

Samuel is Two!

Samuel turned two just a few weeks ago on July 22nd. It’s hard for me to believe he’s already been a part of our family for more than two years now. He continues to delight us with his wonderful sense of humor, his warm smiles, and his enthusiasm for just about everything.

His favorite thing in the world right now is a tractor, so we made that the theme of his party. Aaron designed his signature cake (free hand, of course) for the party, and Sam was surrounded by family and friends as he welcomed in his third year of life.

The time goes quickly by, and sometimes I mourn the loss of my son’s infancy that seems to be entirely gone, but I’m also so grateful to know the little person he is becoming, and I give thanks every day for the bright sunshine that he brings to our lives.

Happy birthday, Sam!

Picking Strawberries

On Monday, July 21st, Mom, Maya and I took a little trip up to Biringer Farms in Arlington to pick some strawberries. It reminded me of the dozens of times we picked berries together when I was a child. Maya went for the first time, and boy, was she delighted.

The berries we got were gorgeous--big, red, and full of flavor. We came home and made six batches of jam, then froze the rest for eating later. Yummy.

One of the biggest blessings being back in the Northwest is having the chance to return to some of these wonderful childhood traditions with my own kids. I have a feeling that picking berries is something we'll do again and again as the years go on.

Holden Village

I grew up going to Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center in the Cascade Mountains that was once an old mining town. It's quite an adventure getting to Holden--a four-hour drive to Lake Chelan, a three-hour boat ride up the lake, and then a 45 minute bus ride to the village. We left our house at 5am and arrived in the village by 1pm just in time for lunch. Still it's worth the trip just to be in such a beautiful place.

We went to Holden because I was invited to join the faculty of Trinity Lutheran College (where I teach) on their annual faculty retreat. I have to admit that I went partly to be part of that faculty group and also partly because I love Holden and my children had never been there.

Anyhow, it was a great three days at Holden. We'll definitely go back. The kids loved the freedom of running around the village, hiking the trails, spending the morning hours playing in Narnia (the childcare, school part of Holden), and getting to know a host of new friends. Seems like just a few years ago that I was at Holden doing the same thing.

Here are some pictures from our days in that beautiful place.

Here are the kids riding the Lady of the Lake II from Field's Point to Lucerne on Lake Chelan.

Two smiling kids after their first fun day at Holden. I love how the walls in the lodges are all wood. The beds were really comfortable too.

And they are still smiling after a few days in the village. This is the porch swing on Lodge 4, where we stayed.

We LOVED our time at Holden and hope to return there soon.

Maya's 5th Birthday

On Wednesday, June 2, we celebrated Maya's 5th birthday. It's hard to believe our girl is five years old already. How the years fly by!

Here is the birthday girl on her last night as a four-year old. 

 Daddy designed her cake, as he does every year. Maya's theme this year was "Carousel Horse." I think Aaron did a great job, don't you?

Sam got in on some of the excitement too. He even got his own present to open as Maya opened hers. Don't you wait, Sam. Your birthday is in just a few weeks too.



 
 Boy, oh, boy, we have two very smiley kids. Parties are like nothing else when you are little. I actually still remember my 5th birthday party (and I have pictures to prove it).




 

Maya opens presents as her friend Angelina supervises. That ribbon looks hard to get off.

Even Mama gets a picture with the Birthday Girl. Happy 5th Birthday, Maya Grace!

Silly Mr. Sam

We have the silliest boy in our family. His name is Sam. Sam is silly, and Sam smiles all the time. Except when he's being grumpy. But that's not often, thank goodness.

Parker's Hundredth Day, May 17th

In the Korean tradition, the family of a baby throws a big party when the baby reaches his hundredth day. The historical reason for this stems back to when many babies died as infants, and reaching 100 days was a huge milestone in the child's longevity. Of course we had no worries about Parker making it to 100 days, but we still gathered to celebrate in the Korean tradition. My sister cooked a spread of delicious Korean food (bulgoki, kim-chee, chap-chae, kim-chee soup, and a whole host of traditional side dishes). Yum. Plus there was cute little Parker to celebrate. He was in good spirits for his party. Happy 100 Days, Parker!

Here is Parker, sitting in a little chair for his Hundredth Day Picture. We have a similar picture of my sister, when she was still in Korea, on her hundredth day.

Parker is really patient in putting up with all our pictures (our family is still pretty enamored of him), but at this point, I think he's not so sure about all the cameras and flashes.

And here are the three cousins. Happy Hundredth Day, Parker!

Family Times

One of the benefits of living with family is that my kids (and Parker, their cousin) spend plenty of time with their grandparents. Here's just one example: a relaxing evening at home with Marmie (my mom). Sam has finally figured out how to look at the camera and smile.

Spring Sing

Maya's Spring Sing at Preschool was a few weeks ago. I didn't get any pictures of her singing with her class since the lighting in the church wasn't good. But here she is with her brother after the performance, as well as with her preschool teacher Mrs. Sams. The kids sang around 30 short preschool songs, plus each child had a speaking part also. After the concert, we all enjoyed treats organized by moi. It was a great evening of music and friendship.

Cousins

Maya and Sam sure love hanging out with cousin Parker. I know they wish he was a little bigger so he could actually play with them. But that will come soon enough.