Maya's First Day of Kindergarten

Today was Maya's first day of kindergarten. This morning, our family plus my parents, my sister, and my nephew accompanied Maya on the one-mile walk to Whittier Elementary. She was wearing one of her new "uniform" outfits, and she seemed very excited.

Upon arrival at Whittier, Maya got a little sad and scared, so her tears were central to our parting, but when we returned to pick her up at 11:15 today, she was all smiles. She LOVED kindergarten.

A cute pre-kindergarten smile.

And here you can see her cute plaid jumper and white-collared shirt.

Maya walked alongside Marmie and held her hand for much of the trip.

Here are Marmie and Bapa with their grandchildren.

Wedding Weekend

We spent this past weekend in the mountains of California at Aaron's cousin Crystal's wedding. Maya was the flower girl and I sang in the ceremony. It was a lovely, if brief, trip filled with wonderful celebrations and time to be with family.

Here is Maya with Crystal, the bride.

Maya ADORES her Aunt Chrisy.

The four of us at the wedding.

A rare shot of me and my girl (normally I'm the photographer)

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!