Christmas & Family

Our Sweden Elise

American

Being an American is something we tend to take for granted.  So celebrating Olives accomplishment was a good reminder. We forget that people have to want it bad enough to work for it by studying hard. They probably end up knowing more than those of us who have always been Americans! John and I got to go to Portland to see her swearing in then later in the week we had a party to celebrate.

Field Trip

::Getting out of the house/Field trip to someplace new and interesting.
:: This mill is now a State park. It is in working order and is started up for visitors.
:: The girls did great. This is an amazing place, but I think the main attraction was the flock of chickens and getting to feed them! 
::Pretty sure that is the part that Rilla will remember the longest.
::(Pretty sure Shannon had to mask her fear of 'fowl'!)

Real Take and Outtakes ~ The Rilla Version

Usually, in order to get this....

We do this for a while.

Our Drake

Drake's early birthday and a Going Away party. His sisters are going to miss him desperately as are we all!! 

He is following a tradition in his family and has entered the brotherhood of the Navy. 

He is an amazing young man!  

Earlier This Month

I'm catching up on some pictures I took a while ago. These seem appropriate for a common thread of patriotism weaving through this last month with Drake entering the Navy and Olive getting her citizenship. (The actual pictures of Drake and Olive at those two occasions and parties are on my phone and it escapes me how to get those onto my computer. I must be losing it.)

Thought For the Day

Eyes

Ivy Helen ~ 12

Themed parties are Ivy's bliss, thus becoming a happy tradition and rule at their house; everyone, with varying success, attempting to get in the spirit. 
It makes for some fun and sometimes zany photos.
This one being 50's rock n'roll diner.

Our lovely waitress at the Karstens diner. ( Unfortunately I failed to get a picture of the efficient kitchen staff cranking out the orders of hamburgers and fries.)

Happy Birthday Ivy!

Sweden~ Plenty of Personality

Sweden-16mo

Leisure

"we shall go strait out of our minds--unless we learn to sit still."

~Robert Farrar Capon~

Summertime and the Livin is Easy!

 

Sisters

Best Friends

Sweden { Invincible } @14 Months

Independence Day

Moody

Couldn't resist....

Grands Graduating

And what a beautiful day and setting for a party!

A Sprinkler, A Bathing Suit and a Bonnet,

Is Summer really here? Already?

Well at any rate it's a heat wave, that's for sure! But we've got it covered.

A stranger asks..."What's your name?"
"Rilla Grey Henshaw....
but Poppy calls me Yes Marsha!" (In as deep a Poppy voice as she can manage)
(I wonder what people must think of this child.)

The Cupcake

Gotta make sure nobody swipes my cupcake!