The Buhler Bulletin

A Winter Change

2012-01-19T20:03:00.000-08:00

A winter storm can bring quite a disruption such as school cancellations, driving chaos, and the works. It can also bring a change in pace and experiences that could not be had otherwise.

When else can your son ski to a friends house or

snowboard and sled down the streets.

When else can you snowshoe on your jogging trails and

get such beautiful shots.

What other time would these two be able to build a terrain park and practice their skiing stunts on the golf course?

I welcome these disruptions wholeheartedly!

Lessons from Nate Saint

2012-01-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning presented me with a great opportunity to improve my snow driving skills. There was a dusting of fresh snow, the traffic would be light and Shawn was on my side. Nolan piped up and informed me that to practice with the whole family on board would be a unacceptable risk. Just like Nate Saint would find it to be an unacceptable risk to take more then a test pilot on a plane that he had just fixed. Thanks for the input Nolan and I'm glad you have a good reading comprehension, but his father and I decided this would be an acceptable risk, We all made it there safely. I had to think about risks today as I considered missing my hair appointment due to our weather conditions. Should I brave temps in the teens, wind chills in the single digits, snow covered sidewalks and a WTA ride, or should I brave showing my roots for a little while longer? Of course going to the salon was more important! What I would call an unacceptable risk was the light clothing Christian was wearing as he walked down to catch the same bus to get to his orthodontic apt. There was a big difference between the number of layers and sturdiness of shoes we were both wearing. I figured he would have to learn it by himself. The irony is that he came home commenting about the crazy midschoolers he saw in town that were wearing such light jackets! Really? Lighter than you? I guess it's all a mater of perspective.

Welcome Winter

2012-01-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

This is what we woke up to yesterday morning, can you see the tip of the ruler? It did get completely covered later on. A foot of snow around here translates to a day off from school and a huge playground all around us.

Ethan left the house at 8am and did not return until dusk.

More then Mere Fun

2012-01-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

Last week Nolan spent a few days in a beautiful chalet up in the mountains with his classmates and the other BCS middle school students. It was a given that he would have a great time, how could he not? Hanging out with his friends, having a game room to his disposal, access to unlimited hot chocolate, a sledding & snow ball fight paradise at his door step. However, when asked what his favorite part of the whole retreat was, he took none of the above choices. It was the Bible studies that he liked the most, the worship times and feeling God's presence in the room. The theme was Faith in Action, and I can attest to the fact that it impacted him deeply, as he is living it out day to day amongst his family, the place which sometimes brings you the biggest challenges. What a blessing to witness your son's spiritual growth and to have a community that fosters his realtionship with God.

2012 So Far

2012-01-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

We welcomed 2012 surrounded by great friends and dancing to some good ole' 80's music (yeah, we are dating ourselves). The first two days provided us some more rest & relaxation, enough to get us ready to hit the routine again. By then we were ready to get back to work, school, carpooling, shopping, cleaning, cooking and laudry. All the kind of things that we don't find worthy of recording on the blog or with our cameras, but that make up such big chunk of our lives.

The routine was broken by a school snow day,

by a hike

with my wonderful husband,

and by some sledding fun.

These fearless girls are the ones who inspired me to tear down the hill.

Although I can't take credit for being as brave as the young girls. They hit "Suicide Hill" head first with no hesitation, it took me 30 minutes to get enough courage to go down it sitting on my behind. Along with some other girls my age, I found a more gentle hill, which we dubbed "Mom's Hill," to dive head first.

Christmas Break Snapshots

2011-12-29T21:59:00.000-08:00

We spent our last week relaxing and having fun with family and friends. Priceless.

Love this picture, not one of the boys is looking at the camera. Pretty typical.

The Fleeting Joy of Christmas

2011-12-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

Before

Fifteen seconds later

Special Gifts

2011-12-24T22:10:00.001-08:00

When your husband works in the health care field, you know he will not be present to celebrate some holidays with you. Christmas Eve was going to be one of those circumstances. He would not be joining us at our Christmas Eve service, but we took comfort in knowing that he would still be home in time for a late meal and readings by candle light (some of our treasured Christmas Eve traditions).

What a surprise to have him home by late afternoon, in time to join the family for the Christmas Eve service.

With having my family together on this special night, what else could I ask for a gift?

Maybe peace among brothers

City Lights

2011-12-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

We had a day with no plans, no work and no chores. House was clean, shopping was done and school was closed. Shawn indulged me by taking us all on a out to the city. We had no specific destinations besides an Imax movie and a place for dinner.

We walked the town admiring the lights, sight and crowds.

It just about drove Christian crazy. He not only needs to know where we are going next, but why and when and how. He was slightly appeased at this point since we were heading across the street to pick our Christmas book. At least there was some purpose to this madness.

All of my boys would rather be in the woods or on the snow, but they humored me and my need for a city fix.

No complaints when it came time for dinner and dessert, compliments of "Oma," who would love to prepare a Christmas dinner for us.

Winter Break

2011-12-23T22:03:00.001-08:00

These might be the shortest days of the year, but we did not run short on things to do. As a matter of fact, I believe the shortest day of the year turned out to be one of the most productive one for me. Before 8am I had already gone to the supermarket, gone for a lab test, taken the car to the car wash and was on my way to meet friends for breakfast. The day ended with a beautiful walk back form our neighbour's cookie party under a clear sky dotted with millions of stars.

When daylight is short supply, the games and imaginations come out.

Taking a break from the airsoft wars and fort building for some hot soup.
;

Teasing our Brains

2011-12-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

We gotta keep our minds functioning during this sugar high break from school.

What better activity then a challenging puzzle for a boy with a broken arm.

However, I think is going to take a group effort to finish this one

2011-12-19T08:20:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year for celebrating God's great gift with family. Growing up we had big & loud family gatherings, and even as a young child I anticipated the fellowship of the gatherings more than any gift. It's that time again, and my family was gathering for Christmas celebration at my brother's home. The problem is, his house is about 5000 miles away! The blessing is that some of the family that I gather with as a kid, is now also far from their roots, but close to us. So the family still gathered on the same day, in two smaller groups with a wide gap in time & location. The gratitude towards God and love to one another is the same, one that I hope I can pass on to my kids as well.

Ready to Celebrate

2011-12-17T18:37:00.000-08:00

Excitement and sugar was abundant on this last day of school.

But the real reason for entering the Christmas break was not forgotten.

We had a lovely time of worshiping our King and remembering His great gift to us.

Today our whole family is enjoying the break and having a perfect Saturday. Shawn was ambitious and rose very early for a breakfast with the guys. Christian cooked breakfast for the rest of us, and by the time Shawn got back we had most of the house chores done. The boys got some XBOX time while Shawn and I went for an invigorating run. Later Ethan went to play with his neighbour friend while the older guys sharpened their shooting skills. The guys found their way home again, it must have been the aroma of the fresh cinnamon buns coming out of the oven that drew them back. We savored the buns, sipped tea and played Apples to Apples. Our Scrabble game was interrupted by dinner, but there was no objections raised. We are now looking forward to our family devotion time which will be followed by a classic movie: Chevy Chase Christmas vacation. Shawn and I already had some good laughs just talking about it. It will be a first viewing for the boys, we are ready for some amusement.

P.S. We have watched the movie by now and it's interesting how one remembers it being funnier and how one does not remember the parts that could have been left out in a family movie. Oh well, we have some better ones in our queue. Unless they are also better in our memories.

Breaking In a New Skill

2011-12-14T06:57:00.001-08:00

Day 1

Day 7

When Nolan came in with tears in his eyes we knew something was wrong. Of course these things seem to always happen on Saturdays evenings. We kept him on ice, the pain subsided and we had hopes of it only being a bad sprain. Our Urgent Care consultation on Sunday morning did not bring us closer to any certainties and we decided to wait until Monday morning for an Xray. Once our family doc saw the pictures we had our answer: a torus fracture of the R radius. Off I went to get Nolan from school to get his arm casted. He ended up only getting a "gutter splint", so he is able to take it off to shower and it also allows him more finger movement (good for schoolwork). All in all, not too bad. We were wondering though if this is contagious, since his cousin broke both her arms just a week ago!

Lowlights & Highlights

2011-12-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

Low lights? Getting low on lights while decorating your Christmas tree. Seems like every year we have some sort of light saga. This year I ran out of lights before even getting close to being finished. What happened to last year's lights? Beats me. The next day I bought more to finish the job. Decorations were up and we were admiring our tree, and out go most of the lights! Shawn, our appointed Christmas lights trouble shooter (by default not choice) found the culprit, and we got the rest of the lights shinning again. I was unable to replace the broken strand since the store was all out of white lights. Maybe we were not the only dealing these issues? By now we are to used to the look and don't even notice the "dark spot."

In between dealing with lights and other commitments, we not only finished this puzzle but also got another 300 piece one done. The latter was such a piece of cake that we are now tackling a 1000 piece Canadian flag puzzle. Nolan is drawn to it and can not go by without attempting to put together a few pieces, but I have a feeling it will keep us busy for a while.

Christian is also keeping busy with the High School swim team. He swims daily for 2 hrs after school and comes home exhausted and famished. His coach named him "top rookie" and he got a "grand slam," beating his own records. Right now that is his goal, to improve and beat his own time. That's an achievable goal, considering that their relative new and small team is competing against strong ones, including the number one in the state. I'm proud of his commitment, hard work and he is reaping benefits like staying healthy and developing a nice physic to boot.

Another highlight was our hike to higher ground this past Friday. With the boys at school, Shawn and I were about to go on our usual trail, but decided to hike up a logging road we had not gone on for a while. It was a reinvigorating walk under the clear sky & crisp air.

Once we were back form our hike and about to tackle some chores, Shawn got a call from a co-worker inviting him to go flying with him. Talk about a highlight for the day!

A bird's view of our neighborhood

The Twin Sisters

It took Shawn a full exhausting day to get to this peak. Much easier and faster by plane.

Skagit River

Form the county to coast

to the San Juan Islands in minutes

Our quaint town of Bellingham with Mt Baker in the background.

Blue Skies, Big Smiles

2011-12-06T20:00:00.001-08:00

Once again Nolan was fortunate enough to be able to go skiing for his birthday. Thanks to La Nina, thanks to a day off school and thanks to a dad that took the day off to join him.

12-2-2011=12

2011-12-03T18:46:00.001-08:00

Our whole household was up @ 6am to witness Nolan open his gift. Of course he got hugs,kisses and birthday wishes before he was able to reach the gift.

Just as dawn broke he was ready to try his new toy out.

After a fun day at school, where he had some surprise greetings and shared ice cream sandwiches with his class, we took him out to his favorite drive in burger joint.

Finally, at the end of the day, we were all home again and finished celebrating his special day while enjoying deep dark chocolate cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DEAR SON.

Knocks, Boosts and Weirds

2011-11-30T08:12:00.001-08:00

I have several miscellaneous items I want to record on the blog, so I was going to call it Tuesday Tidbits. However, Tuesday came and went and I did not blog, so now I can't use the title anymore. Most families have their version of sharing time, like WGB (weird, good & bad). I was inspired by Jill (she inspires me quite often) to rename our bads and goods to knocks and boosts.

Knocks

Last Friday one of our kids got sick and I found myself scrubbing floors and walls at 1:30 am, only to repeat the process an hour later.

Boosts

The same child who got sick was able to climb down from his bunk and walk to the bathroom before the explosion. Scrubbing tiles in the middle of night is definitely better than trying to clean carpets.

Family time also got a boost since we had four days to relax , spend time with each other and start a puzzle.

I was able to savor some delicious Italian coffee while enjoying the company of three great friends. Girl time certainly gets a boost.

The guys were not forgotten as they got their tools out and made some noise cutting logs while stocking up on heat fuel for the winter.

Weirds

An owl is free to hunt the woods again. Upon returning form our jog, Shawn and I decided to peek inside a new house being built. To our surprise, we were greeted by a huge owl who was trying to fly out a closed patio door. We made a quick exit (owls talons can be sharp) and watch the owl perched on the scaffold while we formulated a plan to help her find freedom. I gave Shawn a boost so he could climb on to the deck and with a long stick he opened the sliding door. It took a bit of encouragement, but eventually the owl did find the open door and flew out. We know had a good story to share with the boys.

A Little Reward

2011-11-26T20:13:00.001-08:00

After a productive day of working in the yard, doing laundry and other such things, we rewarded ourselves with some fresh homemade cinnamon buns. By then the wind had picked up and the sky had darkened, making it a perfect time to savour our afternoon tea.

Thanks Ann for this delicious recipe.

Ingenuity at its Best

2011-11-26T13:43:00.001-08:00

Who needs a clapper if you have this?

Young Men at Work

2011-11-24T20:39:00.001-08:00

Nolan was handed a new doorknob box to replace our broken bathroom lock (kinda of important to have a lock when you are about have 16 people in your house) and he took over from there. All the hours helping dad and skills learned at boyscouts have payed off. Of course, a willing attitude and some patience helped him finish the job.

While Nolan was taking care of the doorknob, Christian and Shawn flexed their muscles moving some hevy furniture.

Love my boys, love their muscles, love their handyman skills.

Common Thankfulness

2011-11-24T19:42:00.001-08:00

Looking back over the years, I realized that our only tradition of Thanksgiving was being thankful. A first I thought that turkey dinner was something that we did every year as well, but then I remember the times we went to Vancouver to dine at Samba, a Brazilian steak house. Due to Shawn's work schedule and Canadian family (who celebrates it a good month earlier), every year we have had a different format. This year we had friends over who also did not have family in town. I thought back with a thankful heart, to the many times we were welcomed into Thanksgiving family gatherings while living in Indy (thanks Billingtons.) It was a privilege to pass on some of those blessings today.

We had Peruvian, Colombian, Brazilian & Canadian backgrounds savouring a typical American feast.

Our trusted "crokono" game is always a hit.

Electronic games are always a hit with the teens.

So much to be thankful I could not list them all here.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration as well.

Red Carpet

2011-11-23T16:37:00.001-08:00

Red Carpet night is an evening for the high schoolers to shine, an opportunity for them to dress up and show their talents. Christian would argue with me about my word choice, he would not quite call dressing up an opportunity, but rather a requirement. At the end if he would be really honest, he would probably tell you he enjoyed "sprucing" up a bit. Not to mention that his mom thinks young boys in ties look really smart, I mean random (or whatever word the kids use nowadays.)

See for yourself

A Symbiotic Relationship

2011-11-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

The question is inevitable, one that every parent hears: "Can we get a dog?" We found an answer that pleased everybody, let's share one with the neighbors!

Several years ago, as Shawn and I dreaded the thought of adding more to our plates, but at the same time knew how the boys would benefit from having one, our neighbors were contemplating getting a dog, but struggled with knowing how to take care of one during their 24 hr work shifts. A perfect solution was found. They got the dog, and we help care for her, by taking her for walks, having her for sleepovers, and just loving her as our own.

And the Tree Came Tumbling Down

2011-11-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

To get a head start on the fall winds, we decided to be proactive and take the questionable trees down ourselves. After going through the required channels and getting the approval, the work began.

The big boys got the chainsaw out

and the younger one got the ax

A lot of trees came down, and most fell where they were supposed to . . .

. . . but some defied the guys "careful" calculations.

Where are going to burn all the wood now?

Or sit down while we roast our marshmallows?

Since these were our only casualties, we counted it as a successful day.

The boys tree house also had to come down due to some rotten posts. It was interesting that our oldest, who obviously hasn't played in it for quite some time, was the saddest about this event. Maybe because he made the most memories in it and he was old enough to "help" his dad and grandpa build it. Then again, he was also very nostalgic about the spindly alders that were taken down.

The deer was not bothered a bit by the noise and commotion. As soon as a tree came down, they rushed to feast on the fresh, formally unreachable green leaves.

There were some spots that were unreachable to our guys as well, no matter how brave they are, some jobs were left for the professionals.

Boys Behind Masks

2011-10-31T07:12:00.001-07:00

Blue Sky Memories

2011-10-22T06:55:00.000-07:00

I propped my little camera on a craggy rock and this is what I got: lots of blue sky! At least Erika, I and the dogs made it in, but we had to laugh at the "waist of sky space" in the picture. Today, that is all I have left of this beautiful blue sky, a picture and a memory while the rain is pouring outside and I get ready to cheer my son on the soccer fields.

We both had a busy week and were not sure we could carve out the time to take this hike.

We are glad we did!

A few months earlier it was hard to believe we would get to see the grass under all the snow.

Nature never ceases to amaze us.

Looking Back

2011-10-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

We dove right in the routine of fall with one last splash!

Here are our youngest students, ready and eager to start studying.

Lake Ann trail on a beautiful September afternoon, a winning combination.

Maple Noise 2011, in Abbotsford B.C. Here are some members of Manafest, whom the boys are great fans of and whose music we hear quite often at our house.

Can you see the noise?

We were introduced to the band "Bread of Stone."

I bought their CD and now it plays over & over in our car. Really great music.

Talented Friends

2011-10-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Amy came to the rescue with her technology gadgets expertise. I got my blog back the way I wanted with some new & improved additions. Thank you Amy.

I really need to attend to other matters now, but I can't wait to catch up with some long overdue post & pics.

Transitions

2011-10-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

This past month has been one of many transitions, starting with the boys first day of school. After homeschooling Ethan since Kindergarten, Nolan since 2nd grade and Christian since grade 61/2 (he will tell you he wasn't really home schooled since he took most of his classes elsewhere, but that's another topic) they all went back to school. The kind of school that most of us associate with the word; in a building, with desks and so fort, and with teachers other than me. We are now all learning to adjust to our new schedule, and I'm glad to report that it's going really well, better even than I expected. There were a few bumps in the road here and there, but nothing that brought us to a halt. Christian is a freshman in high school and Nolan & Ethan are 6th & 3rd graders at a local Christian school. The question now is why am I a month behind on my blog, if I just got laid off from one of my full time jobs? I could say that there were so many projects I had postponed or duties I had ignored in expectation of the "free time" and they are now keeping me occupied. That would be correct, however, the truth is that I been procrastinating this post because I opted to change the format of the blog and didn't like it. Now I don't know how to get it back to the original form and been dreading to tackle it. I can only take so much change at once!

On the Rim of a Volcano

2011-09-05T18:59:00.000-07:00

On a beautiful Labor Day weekend

we set out to climb Mt St Helens.

The first few miles were very pleasant and gentle,

and then we got to the boulders!

Lava boulders everywhere

with an occasional reprieve.

To think that this area was covered with beautiful forest and meadows! It seems very desolate now, but it has it's own kind of beauty. It also leaves you in awe to see first hand the result of nature's force and resilience.

If you thought the boulders were hard to climb, wait until you get to the ash. The foot that you laborious step up with, slides down as you lift the other one. You keep on going though, because you can see your destination and it does get closer, even if it is ever so slowly.

Eventually, you make it, and it's worth all the effort! We battled some strong winds coming up, but once on top, the weather was beautiful with only a slight breeze blowing.

Here you see the new dome that is forming, 31 years after the big eruption.

Some steam escaping from the vent.

Christian with Mt Adams on the background.

Conditions were perfect for a nice little snooze.

Members of the climbing expedition, our two older sons and their friend Garret.

You know you are at a cool place when you can see 5 volcanoes. The one you are standing on, Mt Rainier to the N (pictured), Adams to the E, Hood to the S and Baker to the very far N.

Mt Hood with a cloud of forest fire smoke starting to envelop it.

There were some amazing boulder formations, but I have tell you that on the way back I was pretty fed up with boulders. I could not wait to get back to the wooden trail that Christian had initially called "boring."

Another nice shot of Mt Adams.

This incredible experience would not have been possible without the great generosity and hospitality of our dear friends, the Davis', who opened their lovely home to us.

Thank you my dear friend.

Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks

2011-08-31T05:50:00.000-07:00

It would be a futile attempt to try to condense 9 days, 2389 miles, more than 400 pictures and many adventures and discoveries into a blog posting. As we drove back home from our visit to Yellowstone and Grand Teton, I asked everybody to name the first three things that came to their minds as the most memorable or enjoyable. Interestingly enough, the same experience was number one for all of us. On Sunday morning we got up before dawn (our Ipod was still set for PT, so we woke up @ 5:30 instead of the intended 4:30 am) and headed out to a lookout over Hayden Valley. As we sipped our hot drinks and waited for the fog to lift, we sat in silence listening to the wolves howl. When the curtain lifted, we were treated to an amazing scene.

In the distance, a male grizzly bear feasted on a bison carcass, while a wolf counting on the bear generosity, attempted to get a morsel of meat for himself. The grizzly did not even have to move his jaw, which was tearing away at the meat, to assert his domain over the carcass . All he had to do was lift his immense paw and the wolf retreated immediately. Eventually, the wolf did sneak away with a piece of meat. Once the male gorged himself with bison, it was momma grizzly and her two cubs turn. They had been wandering around patiently, delighting us as we observed the "cute" cubs play and roll around. A big reason for this awesome, priceless experience, is due to the generosity of a very nice gentleman, who graciously let us view these scenes through his powerful scoping lens. My camera's zoom did not even get close to getting a nice shot, but the images are engraved in our minds.

Shawn had a close second on his list. Soaking in the water where the hot springs of the Boiling River meet the cold currents of the Gardner River was another unique, pleasant and unforgettable experience.

Ethan enjoyed all of the amazing thermal and geological features of the park, but when asked where he would like to go back to, he did not hesitate. His pick was his own personal playground that he and his friends found at the banks of the Yellowstone Lake.

Of course we enjoyed all of the typical sights and experiences that made Yellowstone famous. Typical is really not a fair word, there is nothing ordinary about Yellowstone, it's an active volcano after all! Even if you have seen this images on paper or screen, it blows your mind and senses when you see, smell and feel it for yourself. We had the privilege to explore this mind puzzling place under the guidance of a knowledgeable man, who helped us see Yellowstone through a Biblical geological perspective.

Check him out at www.northwestrockandfossil.com

Bellow are some of our favorite shots in no particular order.

Lamar Valley in the background with an amazing canyon and geological formation in the foreground.

Terraces around Mammoth Hot Springs.

Geysers and hot spring pools in the Old Faithful basin.

Daisy Geyser (not sure why the name, either did not read the info or forgot the reason)

Norris Geyser basin

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Yellowstone River in the Hayen Valley after a hail storm.

Old Faithful

Hot Springs at the West Thumb basin.

On our way to Grand Teton.

Animals are always entertaining and fun to watch, we had a good dose of bison sightings

and bison traffic jams.

Spotted a coyote and several marmots, picas, ground squirrels and even a big horn sheep around Mt Washburn.

Elk were hard to miss, not only are they big but so is the traffic jam that they create.

We logged many miles, saw many license plates; 47 states (missed DL, RI and Mississippi), 8 Canadian provinces and even a French and a British motor home.

We returned safely with many memories to last us a life time.

Into Thinner Air

2011-08-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with this place when Shawn and I went on this hike for the first time last year. Back then I was strongly inclined to call it my favorite, but we had not covered all of the trail and the weather had only partially opened up. Not I know for sure, this hike is my top pick. Here are a few reason why: Even before you get out of your car, you are surrounded by majestic views. You really could just have a picnic right there, but after a 2 hr drive we had sat on our butts long enough. As we looked around at these rugged peaks from our parking lot vantage point; we would not have imagined that after 5 hrs, we would have been at a much better vantage point; one where we could look over and beyond these peaks.

This is what was beyond the first peaks, an endless sea of endless peaks.

Just like with everything else in life, you must take one step at time and enjoy the journey.

We were not the only ones that were drawn to the "solitude" of the mountains. A beautiful Saturday can transform the remote North Cascade National Park into a crowd magnet as well.

However, the crowds and the air got proportionally thinner the higher we went and we were greeted by different kind of population.

Our first view of Sahale Peak and the glacier. Shortly after we spotted some very small dots far off on the distant glacier. Those dots were people. That was our destination, we just didn't know it though. We only wanted to make it to the campsites, oblivious to the fact that they were at the end of the trail at 7.600 feet.

We just kept on going and enjoying each others company.

Appreciating the unique rock formations

Looking west.

Taking in the views.

And eventually there we were!

OK, maybe it wasn't just like that. It took some effort and energy. It took a chocolate bar bribe to encourage Nolan to clamber up the last 500 feet. It took some breaks, food, lots of water and rest. However, the experience we shared with our son is something I will not take back.

Cousin Camp

2011-08-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

Our dwellings had an infusion of energy, laughter, play and lots of cousin bonding for the last few weeks as my dear nephews spent some time with us.

Meet the crew:

Little Graham that will melt every one's heart with that toothless smile and sunny disposition.

Sweet Gavin who has the most stunning blue eyes, always ready to play but just as ready to lend a helping hand.

Older brother Thomas with his inquisitive eyes and mind and the most polite manners I have witness in a 10 year old boy.

They truly were a great bunch to have around and we all had a lot of fun and shared many adventures together.

Graham and his "guyzz", he can entertain himself for hours while playing with these little action figures friends.

Most mornings breakfast was interrupted by a dash to the porch to check out the deer.

Lots of cards were played, we have a deck that bears witness to that. Let's just say they are not casino standard anymore.

Christian and Graham formed a special bond. An older cousin guiding and helping his younger cousin.

Thomas and Nolan shared many experiences, including a week at Firwood camp.

Gavin and Ethan have many common interests, including getting water logged!

Off to Fircreek day camp, where they played hard and later slept well at home.

Airsoft battles were a highlight, this was the one time they actually asked to have a picture taken and were very deliberate on their posing!

Boys, sun and water, a winning combination!

These two impressed some older college guys who could not believe that "those kids" were sailing on their own! I have to say myself, that they are very competent.

It always easy to hug this little guy!

After all that sun, water and play, it's no wonder I have a bunch of famished boys!

More water fun!

Cousin Camp would not be complete without a tree house sleep over.

All the fun and food came at a price, we also put these guys to work.

Pet sitting for friends was easy with so many creature lovers in the house.

Love those lazy summer mornings!

The boys enjoyed looking at pictures of their parents adventures in South Africa. Notice that by now I have them all in uniform!

It truly was a blessing to have these boys around. We made great memories and I had a chance to get to know my nephews just a little better!

The time to head to Grandpa & Grandma arrived! A mix of excitement for going and sadness for leaving!

It was great having you, we are missing you already!

Whatever it Takes

2011-08-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

Take One

Take Two

There were many second takes on our hiking adventure. It's not easy to find your route on a snow covered trail. It took a few detours and retracing of our steps while charting our course.

Eventually we spotted our destination

and after a bit more energy output we reached our goal: the historical Park Butte fire lookout.

Oops! This door almost knocked me out cold. Take two for opening the door.

The effort and energy spent were worth it. We had spectacular views accompanied by great sense of accomplishment.

The adventure and fun continued on the way down. Instead of following our course that we had set on the way up, we took a few short cuts in an attempt to avoid going down & up (mainly we were avoiding the up part) of the snow covered gulleys. Our "short cut" took us to a near endless ridge with no (safe) way down.

I drew the line at the suggestion to "just follow the creek and eventually will get there." I'm not going to mention who's suggestion it was.

One more hurdle to overcome and we were home free!

The weather and views were phenomenal. . .

. . . but what really made this trip special were the laughs and talks I could share with a really good friend!

Canning & Jamming

2011-08-10T06:29:00.000-07:00

Berry season is in full swing and so the salmon run is going strong. Our family picked close to 100# of berries and our neighbors caught 160# of salmon. The logical thing to do was to have a big work party to get all these Northwest delicacies processed.

Our dear neighbors who shared their abundance with us, not to mentioned the expert help of her mom, who provided us with the pot, experience and a willing helping hand.

I wish I had pictures of all those beautiful, colorful, juicy berries, but my hands were busy picking and for once I put the camera aside.

Here is part of the final product, over 30 jars of delicious jam. To some it would last several years, with my jam loving eaters, I'll be lucky if it lasts to next season.

Our Annual Friendly Gathering

2011-08-09T18:52:00.000-07:00

For the past few year we have been gathering with dear friends for some fun & fellowship at Birch Bay. This year our nephews joined us and it made up a nice bunch of happy & energetic kids.

Some enjoyed the water (I should say that Peter and Shawn also got their ankles wet).

Some needed to show off their strength.

Most enjoyed the fire and smores.

We all enjoyed our growing friendship . . .

despite of some physical distance that now separate some of us.

A Week of Family Bliss

2011-07-31T17:37:00.001-07:00

The Buhler clan gathers once more

We headed to Qualicum Beach where Shawn's parents live. Shawn's brother and our family each had a condo at this lovely resort where we were able to rest, play, share, laugh, eat and enjoy each others company.

It sure was pure bliss!

A Week of Bliss

When Cousins Come Together

2011-07-31T16:38:00.001-07:00

Lots of good times roll . . .

Camping Trip

2011-07-20T06:33:00.000-07:00

The first time we camped in eastern Washington we could not understand what the draw was. Our friends said they loved it, and all we could see was brown hills and dust in the sweltering heat. We had just moved to the Pacific Northwest and were absolutely mesmerized by the green and lush surroundings. Now having spent a few summers here, which included coming back from some camping trips with wet gear and heavy fleeces in our packs, we understand what the draw is . . .

. . . the nice dry heat!

Once in a while we all have to heat up our bones!

This year the temps were much more milder and we even had some rain, but it was nothing compared to the down pour and chilly weather that awaited us when we got home.

Little Daisy was a hit among all these boys. Why not break the tradition and have popsicles by the fire. Of course, it was followed by smores. There is nothing quite like camping and all the junk food you are allowed to eat! Talking about food, it took a lot of it to feed ten hungry boys. The beauty of camping with friends is that you can pull together some lavish meals.

It was a great weekend and we all left talking and planning next year's trip.

See you soon!

A Look at Mt Shuksan

2011-07-10T17:06:00.001-07:00

Most people see Mt Shuksan as a mountain to be admired and to draw inspiration from. It has also been said that it's the most photographed mountain, appearing in many different publications. I have countless pictures of it myself, one just can't resist to take another shot and gaze at this amazing mass of granite rock and snow.

Then there those who see Skuksan as a destination.

Shawn and three other great guys set off on their attempt to climb to the peak of Mt Shuksan. They were met with a misty rain which socked them in a cloud of whiteness. Their spirit of adventure was not damped by it, even as they met climbers on their way out who advised them to turn back due to the miserable weather. With the tents and kitchen set up, they enjoyed great food and company. I mean, who has fajitas and Guinness on a backpacking/mountaineering trip? Spoons are superfluous when one has an ice ax handy!

The next day greeted them with a beautiful sunrise and their trek to the summit began.

Mt Baker in the background.

The destination is looming ahead . . .

. . . but there is still a steep and arduous climb before they get there!

Nothing like a summit smile!

Of course that is just half the journey, what comes up must go down!

Rappelling down the rock face.

Here they are on their way back with all the gear back in their packs.

It was a long trek back, but I'm sure the excitement of having reach the top made the hike back just a little easier.

Since 1992

2011-07-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

Our anniversary was spent with Shawn having to work a 12 hr shift. That is just the nature of things when you work in health care; even though our anniversary is a national holiday you still don't get if off. We did start the day by having breakfast together (@5am) and later having a delicious dinner of king salmon. We ended the day by watching fireworks dancing above our heads. However, it's not only the day that we celebrate, it's the day to day. Every single day of these nineteen years together is what counts. Every moment is precious and so much more enjoyable when spent beside the man I love.

Excelsior Peak Playground

2011-07-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Excelsior Peak was not our original plan, but a sea urchin is to blame for the change in the destination and party size. We had hoped to climb Ruth Mt with the Palmers, it would be a sort of a celebration of our Mt Baker climb anniversary. If it were not for Erika having to have a sea urchin spine removed from her heel the day before, which she brought back form a trip to Hawaii! We decided it was best to let her heel heal, and postponed our Ruth Mt hike to when all four of us will be able to go. So the three of us headed to Excelsior Pass instead. It took a bit of bush whacking and orienteering on the snow covered terrain to find our way to the pass.

Eventually we got there and were rewarded with amazing views under a blue sky.

One more push to make it to the peak.

It was a steep climb . . .

. . . but our lunch just tasted so much better being savored at the top.

These guys plan on climbing a few mountains in the near future, so this was a perfect opportunity to practice and improve their techniques.

Here they are building a snow anchor (I think that's what it's called) for crevasse rescue and guess who was their guinea pig?

Yep, down I go on my first rappelling experience. I really do trust my husband and our good friend Craig! Of course it helped not having a steep rocky ledge bellow me.

Perfect conditions to practice self arrest.

And they lived happily ever after!

A Week

2011-07-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Our week was spent with Christian going to a mission trip with his middle school church youth group. This was his third, and last (graduating) trip. The good news is that the high school group also goes on mission trips, only they go farther and for longer periods. Christian really does have a servant's heart, and it's amazing to hear the stories - from the leaders of course, I would not get that much out of my 14 yo - of how these kids step up to the plate and serve God in numerous ways.

Nolan participated in a sailing camp at WWU. He has been watching and practicing with his brother for a while, but now he is old enough to take part in the class. He had a great time, being very independent in getting to the lake and back. Not even our chilly morning and cloudy skies dampened his excitement. I did not get a close up with him on a sail boat, but here he is playing on the boards after rigging his boat up.

Ethan hung out with me and enjoyed his free time to play. He helped Shawn and I pick more than 35# of juicy and sweet strawberries. Of course he is helping consume those as well, and he is really happy about all the jam that miraculously the strawberries turned into.

Got Mulch?

2011-06-28T16:35:00.001-07:00

We sure did!

Good thing we also have strong willing workers . . . . . . and plenty space to spread it around.

We were quite pleased (and tired) with the final result.

Looks like we are not the only ones that will enjoy our fresh back yard. Like Ethan says: "I think the deer like our new mulch, it must be nice and warm for him."

A Whale of a Time

2011-06-26T19:40:00.001-07:00

I'm so glad we chose to ignore the weatherman's forecast and headed to San Juan Island for some camping and sightseeing.

One of the reasons that attracted us to this Island at this time of the year, was the possibility of spotting Orca whales. There are three resident pods, about 86 whales total, that roam the coast following the salmon. These factors give you a good chance to meet them, but still, you have to be at the right place at the right time, which doesn't always happen. I knew our chance had increased this time around when I noticed we had forgotten our binoculars.

Fortunately we keep a travel size one in the car, and this little binoculars became very popular as Shawn spotted some splashes to the south that had a potential to be whales. Sure enough, a whole pod of whales traveled the channel in front of us going north, and treating us to a beautiful display of nature. So cool! The Orcas might have been the main attraction, but there were many other locations to explore. We visited the English Camp and revisited the time of dual occupation of Island and it's peaceful, although drawn out, conflict resolution. Not many things taste quite a good as campfire pancakes and sausages in the morning. Rock ledges always attract the boys. Although this looks a little unsafe, it's only a trick of the camera and angle that gives this picture the such "edge." Walking around the grounds of American Camp.

This little guy stopped traffic and was happy to pose. Later we realized he wasn't the only of his kind (red fox) roaming around.

A little impromptu getaway that gifted us with many memories.

First Day of Summer

2011-06-22T06:31:00.001-07:00

The sun was actually out for the day, and the temps finally reached the 70's. Just in time for the first day of summer. What better place to celebrate than taking a dip in our neighborhood pool!

Look at these boys, their faces say it all: Happy that summer is here!

The kids spent all afternoon jumping, playing and

splashing! This year they started this hourly 15 minute "rest period," where all the kids have to clear the pool and only adults can stay in. Well, most adults are there with their kids so the pool is empty and as smooth as glass, with about 100 kids sitting around looking at it longingly. It just looked like the perfect scenario for a mom's cannon ball moment. I talked two other brave (or crazy) moms to join me and we went for a synchronized cannon ball. Some of the life guards thought that kids had broken the rules, only to realize that it was some grown ups having their moment of fun.

To end our longest day of the year, the boys decided to sleep in the tree house. Although the sun is shinning through the trees already and the birds are singing away, there is not a sound coming from the tree house. An active day at the pool will assure a good night's sleep!

Scouts, Camping & Rafting

2011-06-22T06:29:00.002-07:00

June brings us lots of activities and celebrations, including scouts achievements and fun outdoor opportunities.

Ethan crossed over from being a Bear Cubscout to Webelos, which is the stage that bridges between cub scouts and boys scouts.

Last weekend we participated in a scout outing, to which the Boys Scouts invited the new Webelos and their families to be part of. One of Ethan's requirements now is to learn to set up his own tent.

These two guys worked diligently and were able to accomplish the task without adult interference.

Fire handling and safety is also part of the deal.

Nolan and his scouts mates from their newly formed patrol had many opportunities to work on requirements as well. Cooking your own meal and plan and cook for your patrol are skills that were tacked on this camping trip.

Christian was able to help new scouts earn their "Totem Chip", which is required for them to be able to handle knifes in any scout activity.

Webelos listening to the "Fire safety talk."

Many people tried to draw wit the "magic stick," but only a few succeeded. Let's just say you had to pay close attention to everything that was said, and being polite didn't hurt either!

Another day, another adventure.

This time the boys tackled the river rapids.

Rapids named Snowblind, Rock n' roll, Drunkards Drop & Devil's Eyeball did not scare this group of veterans . . .

. . . or intimidated the novices either.

Not a bad way to celebrate Father's Day!

Ten Plus Four

2011-06-22T06:29:00.001-07:00

Turning fourteen this year!

Finishing Middle School and heading to High School!

Putting his height mark above mom's on the door frame! Hard to wrap my mind around it!

One of the gifts received was that his birthday coincided with the last day of math class. He was also taken out for dinner by his dad to Boomers for a drive in experience. The biggest gift wish was a XBOX game that he was allowed to get with his bday money on their way back home. His IHome was cool, but the game was the icing on the cake. Talking about cake, we decided to go without one this year. I had baked three different cakes for various end of year celebrations this week. With all of those left overs and cake form his brother's bday last week, we were a bit "caked out."

Black Bet Accomplishment

2011-06-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

Three years ago Nolan started his Taekwondo journey. He had watched his brother for a while and could not wait to begin his training.

He took to it as a duck takes to the water, excelling in his techniques and concentration, winning a few gold medals along the way.

It was now time to test for his Black Belt level.

He admitted to being a bit nervous, which probably helped him to concentrate even harder.

The last part of the test, board breaking, is always the most entertaining to us all.

Nolan was all power!

He is now a Taekwondo Black Belt!

Congratulations Nolan!

Number Nine

2011-06-07T21:35:00.003-07:00

Ethan had been counting the days for a while, and it was finally here! He did not waste any time, at 5:20 am he was up and eager to start the day, by opening his present of course. He made sure to call his brothers, but only Christian rose to the occasion.

Nolan joined him later to put the gift to good use, while I was preparing the breakfast selected by the birthday boy: omelets (with sausage, bacon, orange pepper, green onions and cheese), waffles, OJ and coffee.

Another tradition at our house, besides choosing the days menu, is that the birthday person gets the day off. No chores or school work! Ethan made sure the this was observed as well.

Baseball practice was not a chore though. The dinner of choice was taco salad, however, due to it being a scouts night, we would not be able to have a dinner together with all the family. Instead, Shawn and I let Ethan pick a place for the three to us to go and dine out. We ended up "dining in" at a local Drive In, a first for Ethan. Wisely we don't choose to let three boys eat messy burgers in the car, but tonight was an exception. It was a special time for our youngest to spend some time alone with his parents. As we were all home together again, it was time to light the candles, sing and have birthday cake.

Happy Birthday my son, we love you!

Welcome June

2011-06-07T21:35:00.001-07:00

After fighting the travel blues, cold bugs and enduring a wet & chilly spring, June arrived bringing with it a beautiful sunny weekend. I can say we all truly enjoyed it. Shawn, Nolan & Ethan started the weekend by going camping with a group of sons & dads from church. They met throughout the year with the camping being their grand finale. Last year they did it under pouring rain, but this year they were blessed with perfect weather. Of course the boys have fun no matter what, but it was nice not to have a laundry room full of muddy clothes and a tent drying in the garage. On the home front, Christian helped me load and set up for a homeschooling garage sale on Saturday morning. It was short and sweet, I drove in with a trunk full of stuff and came back with only a small box. I love getting rid of stuff and re organizing, and when you get a few bucks on top of it, even better. I was back at the same time the campers returned and we enjoyed a late lunch on our deck with the sun warming our bodies. Christian spent most of Saturday with his scout group directing parking during the Highlander Games.

On Sunday after church, my cousin and family came to visit us. Even though they live just north of the border, it had been a while since we had seen each other. One really notices the passage of time through the little ones that grow and develop at an amazing speed.

Look at this sweet little girl!

Luckily for us, time has not gone as fast. We feel barely older then when we were little girls spending time together at the beach cottage.

Well, maybe it's a bit of denial too!

A Missed Week

2011-05-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

A bad, nasty bug took Shawn and I hostage, so

We missed an awesome CD release party at our church

Shawn missed a day of work

I missed an outing with friends

The boys missed some scout activities

We missed an afternoon of hiking and hanging with friends

Shawn missed a overnight boating outing with his buddies

BUT

We got a lot of sleep

Christian got caught up on a lot of homework after our trip

I finished a great book, Unbroken, a must read

Nolan and Ethan had a lot of creative play time

We recovered!

Sun, Sand & Clearwater

2011-05-29T06:04:00.001-07:00

After a week of trudging around Florida with the boys, Shawn joined us. How nice to have the family together again!

Since Shawn was able to only spend a short, but sweet time down there; we stationed ourselves at a nice little piece of paradise, relaxed and enjoyed "just being." We were joined by my brother and his beautiful daughter, and once school obligations permitted, his wife and son also joined the party. The sun was bright on the eyes of these Washingtonians, but they all found protection. The Sand Dune Monsters were out! Now here is a summer reading program you can sign me up for.

No wonder they call it Clearwater. Our days ended with amazingly beautiful sunsets!

A soccer ball always attracted a crowd

Skim boarding was also given a try.

You could wait for waves until the sharks came home!

This was not the film location of Souls Surfer.

The seas did get a little rougher and the older boys ventured out on jet skis.

Time to say good bye.

Many memories were made and dreams of a return!

One Park Only

2011-05-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

If you had to pick one park out of the many amazing theme parks you find in Orlando, FL, what would it be? It was not a hard choice for my kids to make, Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure was the unanimous voice. They were all looking forward to make the journey into Harry Potter's world.

I would say we are very "mild" fans of Harry. The two older boys read the series twice, and I read it once. While watching the second movie, we decided to turn it off and not allow the viewing of the remaining ones. It was a choice we made for our family and I'm not going to dwell on this issue. Although Ethan has not read the books yet, he acquired the knowledge of all the characters by pure brotherly osmosis.

Here starts our adventure

The ride inside Hogwarts was quite amazing. Even while moving along the line you were entertained by all kinds of characters and stages, like snow falling on our heads due to one of Ron's misdirected spells.

Hogsmeade town was really neat! I loved watching all the details, which reminded me of how many of them I had already forgotten.

All of Fred& George's tricks were available to you (for a pretty penny). Since we did not break into Gringott's, we had to be content to only browse.

We did have some spare change for a taste of butterbeer though.

Hagrid's hut entertained us while waiting to get on the "Flight of the Hippogriff".

Our day was not totally consumed by the wizarding world, we had plenty of time and energy to explore all of the park. There were virtually no lines on the "non-Potter" attractions.

The Incredible Hulk Coaster was one of my favorites. It takes the unsuspected by surprise as it launches the car out of the "tube". You slowly start the ascend, being conditioned by other roller coasters to think that it will remain at this pace to the top of the ride. Not so, all of a sudden, in the middle of the ascend, it just launches you out, with enough power to light up all of Time Square! Yeah, I know, not a carbon free footprint, amazing though!

Ethan enjoyed his cousin & brother's good will and attitude as they joined him on more mild rides. Ethan was not that keen on the "hulk" type experiences.

No Strangers

2011-05-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

These cousins have not seen each other for almost three years. It did not take long for them to warm up to each other again and let the fun begin.

Nothing better than cooling off in a pool. That felt so good!

Right now these guys are tied. Maybe we will have a final match, or maybe not.

Eye protection for air soft guns. Ready for a day at Busch Gardens. The park was filled with lots of "graduating" 5th & 8th grade class field trips, we fit right in since two of my students are in that category.

Sheikra, the best ride I have ever been on!

Just hanging out . . .

We all fell in love with Mollie

Happy Birthday Stefan Let's go celebrate with some thrilling rides . . .

If you are wondering why they are soaked . . .

Here is your answer. Not too long after this the skies opened up and got everyone else drenched. Thunderstorms are a great time to update the blog. As soon as the sun comes out again, we will be too.

A Few Survivors

2011-05-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

Every year I try hard to keep the deer away from my tulips, some years I have won, some years we came out even, this year I lost big time. Only a few brave ones managed to deceive the famished herbivores. I relish them even more now, they are my reminder that summer days are ahead (somewhere in the horizon).

A Canceled Day

2011-05-07T19:30:00.002-07:00

We rose early this morning and after na egg filled breakfast (to give us energy for what was to come), headed out to what we thought would be a full morning. As we drove down our street I related my amusement to Shawn, as how we were all going about our business like it was the most beautiful spring day. Christian was at a camp out with the scouts, we were heading to a baseball game followed by a soccer game, our neighbours had just left to go shrimping and fishing for ling cod and halibut. All under pouring rain and temperatures that were barely in the fifties. Of course we were our rain proof armor, but still . . . Not only did Ethan have a game, but it was also picture day. The photographers managed to get a smile out of the kids that stood under a shelter and the coached called it good! No practice or game, smart call! We were able to run a few errands and headed to the soccer fields bracing for a repeat of this day:

However, after a fair attempt of keeping the games going, soccer was also canceled. It did not take long for Christian to call and tell us that they were wrapping up things a little earlier. I spent the rest of my day reorganizing closets, sizing shorts, T-shirts, bathing suits and dreaming of the spring that will one day arrive. I got my summer dresses out and start packing for our Florida trip. The rain coats are definitely staying behind.

Invisibility Cloak

2011-05-07T19:30:00.001-07:00

We actually found a date, time and place for breakfast that worked for all of these ladies. We share our lives and grow together as we meet weekly (along with our families) for small group time. It was great to spend some time just with the "girls". I figured we needed to get this documented with a picture. I asked our nice waitress to do it for us. She seemed happy to comply and was very proud to say that she got us all in the picture. Maybe the "all" she meant were all the caricatures on the back wall. Even though I posed with a nice smile on my face, I did not make the cut, not even a sliver of my sleeve!

Solar Powered

2011-05-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day we had today to sit back, enjoy the sun's rays warmth on our bodies and recharge our batteries. Our last few weeks have been filled with school & work deadlines, evaluations, practices, appointments, scouts achievements and camps. In the midst of it all we took time to enjoy and celebrate an Easter weekend with family.

A little mosaic of what happened:

Christian got braces (of course he will nor show it with smile) and finished a big English project (we are all breathing a little easier).

Nolan completed the first part of his black belt test, played soccer, played soccer, played soccer, tried out for a development soccer team, "pogoed" 1000 times, also finished a big English project, went camping with the scouts and slept hard every night.

Ethan received his Bear Badge in cub scouts, prepared for the fishing derby, went fishing, started baseball, succumbed to a flu and happy to say, recovered rapidly.

No wonder I needed a lazy afternoon of lounging in the sun, reading a book and taking a leisurely walk. Now I can face Monday again.

Wrong Diagnosis

2011-04-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

I had a feeling that the splurging at the Fire Station breakfast before a baseball practice would not be such good idea. Ethan and his friend Jack took charge of the whip cream, treating themselves to a generous amount on the pancakes and on the hot chocolate. To top it all off, Ethan still managed to woof down half of a chocolate muffin on the way to the fields. It came as no surprise that he got sick after half an hour of exercise. I blamed myself for not putting more restrains on the food choices and went through the usual mother's guilt blame. Since he reported feeling better, I allowed Christian to take him to the annual fishing derby. The derby is an annual tradition, as well as the lack of any big catches; even so, they had fun and all seemed well. Not even the long afternoon nap made me suspicious of any illness, since I took in consideration the late bed time, the excitement of a friend having slept over, and the early rise time. Of course he was exhausted and needed a siesta. What made me finally realize that he was indeed suffering from the effect of a viral bug was the true & tried " mom's touch to the forehead" method. The thermometer did confirm my findings. I can no longer blame it on whipped cream!

Girls Getaway

2011-04-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

A weekend to talk, bond, share, walk, browse, shop and give our routines a rest.

Seattle was our destiny and we enjoyed all the city had to offer;

Beautiful flowers, fresh produce, creative crafts,

street side entertainment, delicious cuisine

beautiful views (see Mt Rainer peeking in the background) and even some sun.

A girls getaway would not be complete without a makeover.

Here goes Ann, brave enough to get a new hairdo.

and she walked out with a stylish new haircut that compliments her beautiful face.

We ended our weekend by attending a great service at Mars Hill Church. I returned home refreshed and ready to hug my loving family. Today as we were savoring a delicious leftover smoked salmon soup that Shawn had prepared over the weekend, Nolan tells me: "No offense mom, but this soup tastes even better that when you make it." How could I take offense when I have a husband that not only is a great husband, father but also a wonderful cook.

Spring Break Alternative

2011-04-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

My idea, or dream, for a spring break day is a visit to the beach under somewhat clear skies with mild temperatures. I'm not talking about a hot blue bird day with kids wading in the water. Just a pleasant day, where you can leave you rain coat home, wear your fleece, have the sun occasionally peek out and warm your back while you explore the tide pools. The reality is that it has been chilly and raining so much that they even canceled the soccer games for this coming Saturday, you know it's wet when that happens; regular amounts of rain do not scare the soccer enthusiasts away. The obvious choice then is to hit higher elevations to where the rain drops turn into snow. All the rain down here was forgotten when the boys saw it meant 10 new inches on the mountain. The problem is that I would much rather drive in any crazy South American big city rush hour traffic,

then on a winding snow covered road with only a imaginary guard rail separating me from a abyss.

It is a fear that I have vowed to overcome. I'm happy to report that I got a carload full of boys up & down the mountain safely, but I'm still dreaming with that visit to the beach!

The Art of Playing in the Rain

2011-04-03T19:26:00.001-07:00

Saturdays in Whatcom County

Every boy's dream, stampeding through the mud, sliding into puddles, getting dirt in the face while their parents watch and cheer.

Carte Blanche for playing in the mud! Now I will put those laundry detergent claims to the test.

No Joke

2011-04-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

When we came home from our date and I told the boys that their dad had eaten a raw octopus leg, tentacles and all, they thought for sure it was an April's fool joke. The truth is that we had a delectable experience at a sushi restaurant in Vancouver. The place came highly recommended by our neighbours and it did not disappoint. As for the octopus leg, you will need to ask Shawn, I drew the line at the squid.

2011-04-01T08:12:00.000-07:00

When a trip down to Seattle's Children , when a long wait in a room with outdated magazines and a needle stick to your arm are all unavoidable, one just has to take a detour to a Galaxy Far, far away . . .

Moonwalk

2011-03-23T06:20:00.001-07:00

We waited for dusk to set in and then told the boys to dress in a warm jacket, hat and put on their headlamps. They were a little bewildered at first but ready to comply. Christian was the first to suspect that we were going on a walk to look at "supermoon". With a bowl of fresh popcorn and a thermos of hot cocoa in our backpack, we headed down to the lake. A few red streeks of sunlight were still visible in the western sky. We settled on the dock and focused our gazes east, where the profile of the Stuart Mountains was still quite visible. We suddenly realized that we had no idea how long it would be before the moon would "rise". Our waiting time was spent by telling some of our childhood moonlit adventures to the boys. Maybe we were giving them some stories of their own, that will be retold some day as well. It wasn't long before we saw a disticnt brightness behind the mountain, and soon after, the beautiful moon rising. I'm always in awe of the moon, no matter where it's positioned in the sky. I'm not sure if on this night it looked any bigger or brighter, but I'm glad we went out to check.

Bellingham Day

2011-03-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

It's been eight years since we moved to this corner of the United States. We loved it then and continue to love it now. We instituted a family holiday for this week to celebrate and hopefully help us not to take for granted the beauty around us. The stipulation for our holiday is that we either go explore a new place we have never been to, or do something that would not have been possible back in the Midwest. Last year we had a fire by the beach, this year the boys all wanted to go skiing at Baker. I asked if they were not tired of skiing yet and I got a big unanimous NO. All right, that qualifies, so off we went.

I donned my snowshoes instead and took in the peace, solitude and beauty of the snow covered wilderness.

We finished the day with dinner at "Chair 9", a place we had never been to. Great wood fire pizzas, buffalo burgers and the best dark ale Shawn thought he ever tasted.

I should have kept my sunglasses on, as it happens quite often, I blinked. Actually I think I'm squinting, we are now Washingtonians and do not know what to do when the sun is out! Besides, it was hard enough to get this one family portrait, I wasn't going to push my luck by asking for a second posing. This will have to do!

Scout Update

2011-03-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

We are proud to present the newest boy scout in our family.

Nolan is very enthusiastic and excited about this new stage of his scouting experience. He is working hard fulfilling different requirements, sometimes even a little too hard, like the 100 push ups he did the other day! Last weekend he went camping with his new troop for the first time, and like a good scout, not even the cold rainy weather stopped him.

Conrgatulations my son!

More scouting fun this weekend:

The Pine Wood Derby

When The Cat is Away, The Mice Will Play

2011-03-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

The first week I was gone was a tough one for all left behind. There were many commitments to attend and many unforseable kinks to the plans. Thet did live through it though, and were blessed with a great week at the Firs with lots of powder and in the company of many great people including their uncle and cousin.

Family Time in Brazil

2011-03-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

I had not yet met her, but I already loved her so much. I knew her smile and her sweet embrace would captivate me. I had to wait eight months but I finally had her in my arms. My little niece Ana Luiza.

Two years ago there were many dreams and plans of new babies. I jokingly said that when there were at least three new ones added to the family I would come back. A couple of months later I was told to book my ticket, their part was done, the babies were on their way.

Nice little staircase! Spending time with my mom was of course, another reason to go. Countless hours were spent talking, laughing and remembering.

Another blessing was catching up with childhood friends, which actually started at home. I was able to fly to Brazil in the company of my dear friend Karin P., who was returning home after a tour of North America.

Here is a friend whom I had not seen for about a decade, since she moved to Australia. This time around, our visit to our homeland coincided.

What a great trip filled with family and friends. I'm thankful for my time there, and I'm thankful for being back safe in the arms of my husband and sons. I also owe a big thanks for my dear mother in law who helped out in the home front while I was away. You are all so dear to me.

Perfect Conditions

2011-02-18T18:21:00.000-08:00

Friday had been reserved as our unofficial ski day. With Shawn being off and the kids not having any classes to attend to, it would be the perfect day to head up. Except for one little detail, the weather. For the last three, maybe four weeks, the weather and conditions had been less than desirable- rain, sleet, wind, you name it! Until today, when the big payoff for the wait finally came.

A fresh layer of powder

Blue skies

And some happy kids

Scouts Transitions

2011-02-16T06:15:00.000-08:00

It seems like yesterday that Nolan started his "scout carrier".

He is now less than a week away form becoming a boy scout. Last Friday he received his "Arrow of Light", which the highest award one can receive as a cub scout. Congratulations Nolan, you constantly display many of the scouts core values in your daily life.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T11:06:00.002-08:00

When Boys Do Household Chores

2011-02-07T07:24:00.001-08:00

2011-02-02T19:47:00.000-08:00

I have been convalescing for several days. I have got the works; fever, body aches, cough and all that nasty stuff. There is hope on the horizon though. After seeing the Dr twice this week, I got a prescription for a Z pack. In my feverish state, the Zpack sounds to me like a super hero name. I can envision his eye mask and horse galloping to rescue me from this misery!

Kidding aside, my real super heroes have been my family and friends. My husband, who is been doing double duty; my sons, who have been cooking and doing laundry, who have been very diligent with school work; and a sweet friend who picked up groceries and drove the boys to where they needed to be. Thank you!

Now here is a little glimpse of how else Nolan and Ethan kept themselves busy while I was down. They rebuilt their bunker. All you could see yesterday evening was the glow of a headlamp as Nolan did not give up until after dark. He even took this picture to show since I wasn't in any condition to wander out there.

TobyMac in Concert

2011-01-28T07:14:00.001-08:00

What an awsome concert! It was an evening filled with great music and good friends.

Some were fortunate enough to meet Toby in person and get an autograph. They shared their good fortune with us by getting an autograph for their friends as well. Thank you Pursleys.There were some other members of the band roaming among us.

Here you see Toddie Funk(bass), who stood there staring at Ethan for quite some time. Being the reserved guy that he is, Ethan didn't give him the time of day. Ethan wouldn't just start up a conversation with a random stranger. . .

. . . Unlike the girls!

The show started with "House of Heroes" Followed by Brandon Heath,

" give me your eyes for just a second . . . " And finally, TobyMac! Ending with Toby and Brandon singing together, great! I'm still dancing and singing!

Among Kings & Knights

2011-01-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

Countless hours are spent battling in the Lego world. There is no end to the dreams and imagination.

The Missing Shot

2011-01-27T07:59:00.000-08:00

As Nolan works on his English project, chronicling many aspects and stages of his life, he asks for a picture of him skiing. Part of the project is to illustrate his writings while also preserving memories by addind photographs. Since I am the one who mainly wears the hat of phothgrapher in this house, the only pictures I had of him, were at the bottom of the slopes, where I'm the most comfortable. It would be hard enough (I should say nearly impossible) for me to follow him down the double blacks, let alone take pictures of him. I'm neither that brave or coordinated. He was lucky that his dad was a bit more abiding, and although maybe he was hoping for something like these amazing pictures, we got a pretty good shot. It will be a fine keepsake for his book.

2011-01-20T18:06:00.000-08:00

Illness has taken over our lives for the past week or so. Our youngest one even got diagnosed with pneumonia. We had others with stomach flu, which seemed to have attacked me now. I'm happy to report though, that the afflicted ones are all recovering well. Soon I shall be back to regular blogging.

Being home bound for a such a period of time gives one the opportunity to improve your card playing skills. There is always a silver lining!

Mystery Solved

2011-01-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

The latest advise to keep your mind sharp and delay the onset of "forgetfulness disease" is to give your brain a work out. I must not have been doing it enough. When it was time to fill the boys' stockings a few weeks ago, I could not, for the life of me, locate a few certain gifts. I knew I must have placed them in some hiding spot, but I also knew I must have done it while doing a dozen others thing with a dozen different thoughts in my mind. No wonder I could not find it. I searched in many unusual places to no avail. It finally occurred to me that maybe the items never made to the house at all. Sure enough, as Shawn stopped at the store yesterday, he checked at the costumer service desk. My absentmindedness (leaving the back in the cart) was entered in their dandy little log and the items back in their original shelves. I have to say that I'm not alone, not only did the store have to create a log for such things, but it's also quite thick. The good news is that my money was refunded. Maybe I should use the funds to join the "Brain Booster" class that our local hospital is offering!!

Words to Live By

2011-01-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your interests, but also to the interest of other."

Philippians 2:3-4

When you have a book full of wisdom and truth, you can't only pick a sentence or two to take to heart. So to say we have a theme verse for this year would not be exactly correct; we want to read and study the whole Bible. We are however ,as a family, going to hold each other accountable to these words, living it out and guarding them in our hearts. If you think the verse was chosen due to "sibling relationships", think again, mom and dad need it just as bad.This is not something that comes naturally to any of us, which only shows our dependence on God.

Feliz Ano Novo

2011-01-01T19:38:00.001-08:00

We welcomed the New Year by celebrating with dear friends. Our countdown was a few minutes late since we did not want to interrupt a game we were all playing.

Today we had to check on Ethan, who was still sleeping at 10:30 this morning. It isn't surprising given the "late" bed time, but it just never happened before. We started our breakfast of home made bran waffles without him, but it did not take long for the nice aroma to awake him.

The rest of the day was spent taking down and storing all the Christmas decorations. The same way I enjoy seeing our home all decked up for the season, I enjoy having it back to it's original state again.

This Concludes 2010

2010-12-31T18:52:00.001-08:00

At 7:05 these boys were dressed and ready to go while Shawn and I were hoping for a few more zzz's. Amazing how efficient young boys can be when there is fun ahead!

We dropped Christian, Nolan and his friend Ethan at the slopes,

and headed to the back country. Just me and my Love! And a few others, I couldn't fool you with all of those footprints. After all the fresh air and exercise there is nothing better then a tail gate lunch.

One Way to Warm Up

2010-12-30T21:41:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful, clear and crisp day. What better way to get warmed up then going on a vigorous hike.

It warms you up, gives you a good workout and beautiful sights.

What Are They Doing?

2010-12-30T20:47:00.000-08:00

You guessed it.

This has been a lot of fun. As I type this I hear laughter, cheering and some bouncing coming from downstairs Video games were not the only games played,

The old cribbage board was brought out and someone got a little addicted. Once we got back home, Shawn searched several stores, before he finally found one at Yeagers. We have been playing a couple of rounds every evening.

Cousin Levi is part of the "big boy" table.

It was a lovely Christmas spent with dear family and reflecting on the great gift God that gave us. We even got a family picture thanks to my new gorillapod

The Final Product

2010-12-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

Part of the work Nolan completed to receive his craftsman badge in cubscoust was woodworking. He had great teachers and worked diligently but we needed to wait until now to see the resultsfrom. Apart from the bird feeders which was hung out in the yard, he kept the other projects a secret.

Until Christmas time!

Look at this beautiful cutting board! I don't think I will be cutting anything on this beautiful piece of art, maybe a hot plate? That way I can treasure it for a long time.

Great job Nolan!

Gifts Among Brothers

2010-12-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

There is a catalog in this house that got its pages worn thin; the boys looked, dreamed, imagined and wished as they paged through it. Nolan & Ethan knew exactly which item Christian would enjoy and decided to surprised him. He is now learning the art of knife throwing, watch out!

Christian had an idea of his own, a little riddle before his brothers were treated to their gifts.

Today Christian took them on the city bus to two of their favorite places, After their fill of donuts, they went across the street to Eagle Hobbies where they could each chose a model. Quite some brothers! Some more glimpses of our week:

A lovely cookie & milk (or tea) at our neighbours.

Another belt under his belt Cutting cheese for our annual Christmas racklet dinner

Many Pieces of Fun

2010-12-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

I have just scratch off the last item on my long to do list; shopping is done, house is clean (at least for today), kids are on school break.

Now all that is left is to sit back and enjoy the season.

Last December we tackled a 1000 piece puzzle, we left it out on our dining table and little by little it got done. Sometimes we sat down for a little while, sometimes we just passed by and found a fit for one little piece. We obviously enjoyed it since we are repeating the experience .

This particular puzzle was given to grandma a couple years ago by our boys. She is now letting us have a go at it. There are three lab puppies amidst a lot of dry grass. It will be quite a challenge, but now we have the time and the determination.

Snow on our Shoes

2010-12-12T07:54:00.000-08:00

I thought I already knew the answer I would get when I called my friend Erika to invite her to come snowshoeing with me. It's December after all, and all you hear is how busy everyone is. I was pleasantly surprised when she said her day was open and she would come along.

Erika had never snowshoed before and it was amusing to think that a Brazilian girl was introducing an Alaskan gal to this sport. The beauty of it is, that it's an easy sport to learn; you just really need to know how to walk and you get a great workout. Actually, the beauty of it is, all the surroundings, the peace and the quiet.

We were even treated to a warm & comfy fire after our snowbound gallivanting. The boys were spending the night at the Mountaineers Lodge with their scout group. We hung out there to wait for my neighbor Lolita, who give us a ride back home. The friendly lodge hostess, Judy, invited us to stay for dinner since there were some people who had not been able to come, and there was plenty of food. Talking about Judy, we will have to go out with her next time to take our snowshoeing to a the higher level. She was taking a few ladies out who also had never tried it. Judy told us she would show them some basics, like how to fall and so on. Turns out that "falling", meant roiling down a hill somersault style, and if you are too timid to try it, she will just give you a push. Now there is a good way to learn it! Everyone staying at the lodge has a chore to do. Nolan, Shawn and some other great cooks prepared a delicious dinner, which was savored by all. After dinner, Ethan, my friends and I headed home while the older boys stayed up there, with hopes of another snow day today. Unfortunately, the "Pineapple Express" brought warmer temperatures which is now dumping rain up there. Regardless, I'm sure they are finding ways to have a good time.

I know I did!

The Wonders and Wanderings of the Mind

2010-12-10T06:42:00.001-08:00

Oh, the amazing places that your mind can take you to . . .

Imagination always seems to triumph over concentration!

You should hear the tale behind this drawing, very amusing!

As for math, well, you get the picture.

Worth the Wait

2010-12-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

Nolan waited patiently for his gift to arrive in the mail. At every truck engine noise he sprang towards the window to check the streets. Finally on Monday, the brown truck made it's delivery. The problem was that it arrived only half an hour before we had to head out the door for scouts and taekwondo. By the time we got back it was too dark to try out his new gift.

He would have to wait a little longer . . .

All that was on his mind this morning was to go out and climb trees, but you know how it goes: "work before play."

He would have to wait a little longer . . .

We were able to redirect his thoughts towards his school work, which he completed in a very diligent and efficient manner.

And now he is free to roam and climb!

Maybe I will finally be able to string Christmas lights on that huge cedar tree in front of our house. I could never convince Shawn to do it, but looks like Nolan might be up for the task!

Nolan's Day

2010-12-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

On the morning of your birthday you get up early and with great anticipation head straight to the kitchen where there is a present waiting to be opened by you. At least that's how it usually works. This year Nolan was a little puzzled as there was only a card with a picture of the toys he had been wishing for.

Since he is now 11 years old, we were giving him the gift on exercising some patience as he waits for his gift to arrive in the mail, thanks to back ordered items. Kind of a bummer, I know! But before you feel too sorry for him, just know that he got his other wish, which was to go skiing. As he is probably tearing down the slopes at the moment, I'm slaving away in the kitchen getting the "birthday menu" ready. Years ago, we established that the birthday person chooses the meals. Nolan has developed quite of a gourmet taste. We started the day with some bold coffee, skiiers french toast, bacon and choice of mangos, pears, bananas & blueberries. For dinner, I'm making green chicken enchiladas with a home made sauce consisting of roasted pablano peppers, garlic & onion. To top it all off, he chose this cake as his birthday cake. So I better get back to the kitchen . . .

Hard Work & Snuggles.

2010-11-27T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just a few anecdotes of our last few days . . .

After Christian cleared a good part of the driveway, it got all covered again. When Nolan got back home from sledding in the neighborhood all day, he still had energy to clear the whole driveway and steps to the front door. It's no surprise that he woke up the next day with aching muscles, but what made it even worse, was that there was not a hint of any snow left! The temperature had risen and the rains had melted the snow during the night. All that hard work and nothing left to show for (kind of like preparing a Thanksgiving dinner). The good news was that with all the snow gone, my aunt Ursula and her husband had no problem getting to our house for our Thanksgiving celebration.

Can you think of any place more comfy and cozy to snuggle than this hat rack? No matter how much Ethan stroked this cat, she would not let herself be bothered or even open her eyes. Can't say that I blame her. The excitement to get in the first skiing day was great, but it was damped a bit when Ethan realized he had forgotten his jacket at home. My extra jacket came in handy, and it didn't even look that big on him. It still does not quite seem right that my youngest child can fit into my clothes! My aunt had seen the Mt Baker area in three different seasons; we just needed to get he up there one more time, in the winter, to complete the circle. She could not believe the beauty and the completely different scene around her. We had been at this exact same place less then two months ago and there was not a speck of snow anywhere. It's too much to wrap my head around it as well.

Greetings

2010-11-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

We got snow! Christian's work has all been covered up again. I told him to think of it as a good morning exercise and in the afternoon he can go out for another workout. I have not seen Nolan & Ethan since they left hours ago with their sleds to go play in the neighborhood with their friends. Which left our backyard unspoiled and peaceful for other visitors.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

I started my day by finding out I was the winner of a giveaway. The neat think is that I'm now going to loan my prize to an entrepreneur in a developing country. I was the recipient of a $25.00 Kiva certificate. Forgive me for being a bit nostalgic, but what a better day to reflect on all of our blessings and pass some of it along. You even have an extra incentive to do it today with a groupon from Kiva, as I'm writing this there are still 1,486 left. So you may as well start your shopping by benefeting someone else.

Chili to Fight the Chill

2010-11-23T21:36:00.000-08:00

What a perfect evening for a tasty & nourishing black bean & quinoa chili. Thanks Jill, for posting this delicious recipe. I thought that maybe along with the chili, I would also get her will and positive outlook on running in frigid weather. Yesterday morning Shawn asked me if I wanted to go running and I was very honest, "no way!" We have this unspoken agreement that although you might not feel like it, you still say yes. Most likely the person asking does not have the gumption to go out either, but together we can pretend. Of course once we are out on the trail, we are so glad we made it, and that's what keeps us going back. I reconsidered my decision and put on my running clothes, but once I checked the thermometer outside (-6C), I wanted to reclaim my original answer. That's when I thought about my friend in Quebec and realized what a wimp I was. It took a lot of hand pumping and arm circles but eventually even my fingers warmed up and I truly enjoyed the crunch beneath my feet and the chill on my face.

Morning Walk

2010-11-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

It felt very refreshing and invigorating to take a walk in the morning after a nice little snow fall. The sun warmed our faces and the fresh crisp beauty around us warmed our spirits. Our boys wanted to stay "cozy" inside, so we took our neighbor's dog to keep us company. She never declines an invitation for a walk.