SLIPPERS FOR SALE: 100% Wool (Hand knit & felted) - Soft & Cozy, and Really Warm : MADE TO ORDER

Here you go! A glance at some of the slippers I've been making. Maybe I'll get to post more pictures later, but just in case, I figured I'd take a group shot. These are heading in the mail shortly, so they made it easy to take a group picture of - my kids tend to hide their slippers so no one else will get them.

It was slipper season and my kids needed new slippers, so I brought out the trusty knitting needles and proceeded to design my own pattern for felted slippers. These are truly my own - and I am excited! 

Pictured above are the low back style, though I do make I higher back as well. 

ALL SLIPPERS ARE DOUBLE SOLED FOR COMFORT AND DURABILITY

 - which also extends the life of the slippers -

The low back are good for people who like to to just slide their foot in, and the high back are better for those who don't mind pulling it on and would rather have the back of their foot covered.

Sizes are either custom fit, which involves 6 measurements of the foot, or regular shoe sizes.

Kids sizes from 4-13, and Girls/Boys sizes 1 & 2 are:

low back: $30/pair  AND high back: $35/pair

Adult sizes (including all Girls/ Boys sizes that transfer to adult sizing) are:

low back: $50/ pair AND high back: $55/pair

Please contact me directly for more information or to place an order and get payment instructions - and keep in mind, if you're looking for a Christmas gift, get your order in early as these are made to order, hand crafted and take a little time (and there may be other orders in ahead of yours).

Contact me at: butterfliesandbugaboos@gmail.com

(PS - if you think these are cute and someone you know might be interested, please link me so they can find me. Thanks!)

That Thing Called A Black Hole

Black Holes. Every home has them. But they normally remain the mysterious, unknown that they are. They typically aren't living - just some random weird swallowing nothing. In our house, it has a name.

Jacob.

And it's very much alive - and well. And active - no dormant season here.

There is nothing random is the items he takes. They are very much thought out. Dad's keys, every one of mom's measuring tapes, the calculator that has been needed daily, knitting needles mom is using to make slippers for orders she's received (yes, I'm making and selling slippers - I'll be happy to tell you more about that soon), lunch bags (though we found one), most favored toys, Dad's emergency flasher, Dad's soccer tools, certain cooking utensils, etc. You can see - the things we need and use the most around here.

Our black hole wasn't always a black hole. He once was just a typical toddler who liked to take things, play with them, and leave them stranded some place. But he could always tell you (or take you) where he had left them. Nothing was truly missing.

Then, one day, he mutated into this nasty black hole. He no longer remembers (or tells us) where things are - or where he last had them. He sneaks behind our backs and takes things he's been told to leave alone. And they disappear. For what appears to be forever.

Honestly - we can't seem to find these thing - no matter how big or small.

Hopefully this black hole will mutate back - soon - and we will no longer have a living, creeping, black hole. Preferably before I have to take apart the entire house, piece by piece. That is not a project I'm looking forward to.

We Are Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been a while - way too long as usual. And I wish I felt I had time today to post some pictures and fun stories - but I really don't. Because, as you may have figured out from other years, it's soccer season!

This year we are still coaching three teams - just that it's not Bob doing all three, though he's been a huge help with my team. We got lucky, really, because it was decided to make U-10 and U-12 coed this year, which allowed us to go from the expected four teams to just three. And this, for me, was huge - not only because of schedules, but because it meant only one team for me. And with a three year old in tow, that's enough. (The mother league came down and said a coach could only coach two teams, which is why Bob isn't coaching all three again this year.)

In addition to our soccer life, Bob transferred to the Juvenile Court School, so it's like starting a whole new job again. The perk of this position is that because the school runs year round, and he's only working five more days that in the past, he was able to set it up to work four day weeks. This is nice in so many ways, though I promise you, he'd not any less busy - just that he's getting more stuff done around the house with a little less stress involved.

I've also attempted to embark on a new plan to keep our house from completely burying us this soccer season - but, between school work, musics lessons and practices, and soccer - along with chores and such, has left little to no free time for the kids. Part of me feels bad about this, but then I'm reminded that the reason this happens is because they don't pick up after themselves, and that piles up. So, I'm refusing to give in to the "they need free time" concept (which I do believe) so that they can learn a very necessary skill - picking up after yourself. They are too old, save maybe Jacob, to not understand and follow through with this concept. And I'm hoping, over the course of it all, we'll be teaching Jacob the same thing so it is less of a problem for him as he grows older.

Sometimes we have to step back and figure out what it is that prevents us, or our children, from learning something important. I believe this focus on always making sure they have free time, even at the expense of the house, has been are biggest down fall. So - though we're crazier during soccer season, I refuse to put this off any longer - in the hopes, that by the time soccer season is done, we'll have it pretty well mastered - and the kids will have twice as much free time.

Catching Dreams : Another Blog

I briefly mentioned in the previous post, and you may have seen the link on the sidebar - I've begun another blog. I'm not replacing this one. This is my family blog - the one I share things more specifically for my family in various areas not around me - and the rest of you just get to peek in and share in the enjoyment.

This new blog is an addition - part of a branching out and embracing of dreams that go beyond my family. Not to replace my family or my role in it, but rather as a way to expand on a dream I've been working on in the few spare minutes I can grab here and there.

Remember me mentioning that I'm a closet writer - well, I know some of you knew that anyway. But most probably didn't - at least not until I mentioned it in a lesson I taught on Sunday one day - and many of you aren't here, so you still wouldn't have known. But I have always enjoyed writing, won several contests when I was younger, and, at times, actually have a strange ache in my hands that is only relieved when writing. I've learned that typing can help settle it too, though physically writing is still sometimes necessary (thank goodness for journals).

Anyway, this new blog is a step in moving further out of the "closest" - another step in accepting that, published or not, I am a writer - and I love it.

The blog is titled Catching Dreams with Tara L. Nielsen and focuses not only on my journey as a writer, but my journey with dreams - which includes my crafting and baking/cooking adventures. It likely will include other things along the way because that's part of the nature of dreams - they shift, they change, they come, they go, and sometimes they just grow stronger.

So, if you're interested, come visit me at Catching Dreams with Tara L. Nielsen.

As Promised ...

Okay, so I said pictures would come - and these are only a couple. Most were taken on my camera and those pictures were downloaded onto the computer this is not so friendly with the internet as of late. That will soon be changing, and when it does, a few of those pictures might make it up as well. But these were taken with my mom's camera, therefore having to be downloaded onto the laptop - which is not where I keep all the other photos. But I really didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.

So... seems a long time ago already, but Jacob and I made an impromptu visit out to see my mother about a month after her surgery. Since Jacob was only a couple of months old when we went out last, it was really his first chance to truly met everyone. He was amazing!

Of course, that comes from me - the mother whose last child wouldn't let go of her and nearly cried when anyone else came near him until he was nearly 4 - and that was even when he wanted to be with other people. So strange. So, to have Jacob start talking to Grampi Kevin when he picked us up at the airport, and to have no problems about sitting in the back of the car while I road up front was truly wonderful.

Our plane rides were interesting - but I'll get into that when I post those pictures. Truly - a whole story in itself.

Braeden and Jacob hit it off right away. Just like the boys here at home, these two figured out very quickly how to tease and pick on each other. And, as it seems most boys are when together, they were tremendously loud! But, as you can see from the picture, they also played well together much of the time. In this picture, Jacob is showing Braeden how to play his game on the computer - Braeden had never seen it before. Then they were good and took turned.

On occassion, when my mother had returned to work and Braeden was at school, I tried to do a little writing. (Yes, I'm a closet writer - but you can see my other blog for that, though it's only just getting started). Of course, the little monster often needed to come and snuggle and "help", because that's what he does best.

There were also opportunities to visit with other members of my family while in Vermont. It was nice to visit with my grandmother, though all too rushed - especially since I'd promised to email all the kids and that was really where I could do it. Same as when I visited at my aunts house. Hopefully that won't be quite the issue next time I visit.

However, I did get to see some of the little guys, though not all. My sister's girls were in school when I met up with her for lunch. But it was nice to visit with her. And, as you can see in the picture, I was able to meet my newest nephew - Odin. Such a sweet and cute baby. Very good baby.

It was very cold most of the time we were there, but with little boys, cold or not, they have a lot of energy so out they went. And my mother and I stood out there with them. She had an extra full length coat, since she works at a school and does yard duty.

Since, as I mentioned before, these are pictures from my mother's camera, there are only a couple of her. They are all of her playing with Braeden. But since it's what I have, it's what you get. As you can see, she was feel a lot better, was up and around, and being able to enjoy interacting with the kids. This was, of course, at the end of my trip, a month after arriving.

I'll share the few Maine pictures later as well - because they were taken with my camera.

In the mean time, I'm starting to feel like I'm finding a rhythm to my life again, so I might actually find and keep this blogging groove. It feels good to feel like things are okay in life, and that there is something akin to normal - even if it looks like chaos to everyone else.

I've Been Back - And Pictures to Come

Okay - so I've been back for a while now. Honestly, I've been avoiding posting anything. Not that there is anything to really avoid, just that I think I've been allowing myself to settle back into my own normal life. Coming back was a little hard - transitions always are for me. But it's been good.

I have lots to post - and pictures too - and I will, I promise, start finding some time to put into the blog. Though I'm not going to promise how much time or how often - at least not yet.

But for now, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm back with my own little family. That my trip to see my mother (taking my two year old with me) was really good. That my mother is doing well, and aside from wearing out and becoming tired a bit faster, she's doing great - even been back to work since two weeks before my return.

I was fortunate, though it was a very short time, to have visited with some of my friends in Maine before having to come back as well. It was nice to see a bit of New England, and very comforting to spend time with my mother.

Now that we're home, I've jumped right back into all the schedules and have been trying to keep pace with the busy life of a family of seven. In addition, we've been doing lots of Family History work, my calling was just changed, we had a youth orchestra recital and Lit Jam, and that doesn't count anything more "normal".

So - I will get back to here - and you'll start seeing some pictures - and maybe, just maybe, we'll get in routine enough that you'll know when to check in to read. =)

A Glimpse of the Unexpected Disappearance

I need to stop saying we're back, because it seems we're never really back. I would have been - honest - but things got complicated for me.

Two months ago, I found out my mother likely had a form of terminal cancer. It was very emotional - I'm really close to my mother - but she lives across the country and that makes visiting (with a family of five kids on one income) a little more difficult - in other words, it means a lot more planning.

The last two months have been hard on everyone in our family - and likely many of my friends. I've been a mess.

My mother had surgery - the cyst was cancerous - but it was completely removed with strong, clear margins - which means they got it all - the very best we could have hoped for given the type of cancer and the statistics. This means she's as in the clear as one can get in such a situation and will have scans every six months, but she is far from her death bed (THANK YOU, LORD). It's just a matter of healing now!

But the surgery was hard - all surgeries are hard on the body, but this has really taken it's toll.

And my emotions haven't settled.

A decision was reached and all parties involved were in agreement with the proposed idea. So, Jacob and I will fly out and spend some time with my mother. She's doing well - but she's tired and needs rest so she can heal completely. We've not visited in a long time and so it will be nice to visit together, but mostly I'm looking forward to helping out where I can around the house so she can get all the rest possible before she's cleared to return to work. And then, if the clearance comes at the predicted time, I'll be there to help with the transition.

I know it will be a help for them, but I also know this will be exactly what I need too. I need to be able to help in a meaningful way - and I need to see my mom.

My family is not out of the woods yet, as we're still awaiting a recovery from one surgery, planning another and then recovery from that as well was pathology for my father.

This holiday season has been a real emotional upheaval for me. I'm ready to get me back - and I feel I'm already on my way. (I'm sure my family is ready to have a normal mommy again too). It feels good to be able to do something.

A Crazy Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving Break has been interesting in many ways. Of course we were excited to have the "holiday" from school, but we started it out with sick kiddos. In fact, Beth came home from her field trip the middle of last week and was sick that very night. Not too surprising given that she was only a person away from the little girl who spent the first night up and down losing her stomach even when there couldn't possibly have been anything left to lose. And, we had ridden down (and then back cause we'd already been exposed) with a boy who had been sick the following night. (That doesn't mention the other boy who was sick during the day at the trip) - and then there something like 24 third and fourth graders out the next day sick. Yes, the flu was already going around, and it hit those classes hard (that's about half of them).

Anyway - Beth got it that night and spent two days down. Then Gabi was up in the middle of the night Saturday and Peter joined her Sunday morning. Needless to say, they did not attend church that morning - and seeing as I was covering in one class and was the only member of our Relief Society Presidency able to be there during Relief Society - and since Bob had meetings in the morning - we did the tag team approach for the day. I was already feeling off my game, but by the time I got home I packed it in for bed, still managed to get up and begin to eat dinner, didn't get all the way through,and then, just as Bob left for another meeting Sunday night, it hit me. And hard. For the next few hours I was up and down and not so pleasant - and I kept thinking, here we go, I'm going be as bad as that poor little girl - instead of being hit hard and fast and then just being tuckered. Well, things stabilized between nine and ten and I finally fell asleep. Was some what functional on Monday, but if up too long I would feel awful again and spent most of the day sleeping. But I did manage to get some little bits of food and liquid down and by Tuesday I was more or less fine.

Then Wednesday hit - it was time to get ready for Thanksgiving and I'd already lost the weekend and part of the week and the house was letting me know it. So we tried to attack part of that all the while trying to be smart and bake up what we could for Thanksgiving then instead of doing it all on Thursday. (Yes, I really have been known to do that)

Each kid had their job to help me with a certain part. Gabi made a chococlate pie, from scratch - it was amazing. A great recipe we got from some friends we'd had for dinner a few weeks ago. And Beth made an apple pie - though the crust wasn't being as cooperative as I would have liked and I had to take over that. I'm not sure if that's because I wasn't monitoring every little thing that went in and when because I was washing as we went, or if it was just being a pain - pie crust does that some times.

Then the boys were mad because we hadn't gotten to theirs yet - but I had to wait for the pumpkin to cool so we could use it - seeing as it was pumpkin we'd harvested from the garden earlier and I had to cook it that morning. But then Peter made pumpkin bread (which finally came out the way it was supposed to - I have struggled for years with this... we used a different recipe this year... it's perfect) and Jeremy did Pumpkin Pie.

Well, in the middle of the Pumpkin Bread baking, I hear this pop and loud sizzle and turn to see my oven is glowing a dangerous shade of red. I yelp, race over and turn it off, swing open the door and there, on the bottom of the left hand back bend of the bottom element is a wonderful melted spot where the dear electricity was now able to come straight through, while still running the rest of the element hot - not in a safe way, and probably not again once I'd already turned it off. It was the exact same place that the last element had burned out - about a year ago... of course, this was also an older element. Needless to say, Bob is buying a new element and will install it this weekend.

But what about the pumpkin bread - which is, at this point, half baked - and the pumpkin pie which has yet to go in the oven? Well - here the blessing in all the chaos - we walked that stuff across the road and borrowed the in-law's ovens. Thank heavens for that (though I did have some others offer to help us out should we need it after they heard). Thanksgiving day baking - you know, rolls, and casserole, and such - were also done across the road. Quite the adventures back and forth.

But we had a nice meal, the kids had even cleaned up the main section of the house and their rooms were also clean - and so when dinner was done, and Jacob down for a nap, we spent the rest of the evening planning games and reading - and it was well past nine when we realized we really ought to get the kids to bed. Needless to say, it was a great nap time for all - save Bob (who took one yesterday) today.

Oh - and let's not forget all this flu we started with - yeah, well, Jacob's version (I hope) was in the form of the runs - and it was all over the house at various different times. I really don't like cleaning up carpet - and especially multiple times in the same day. He's not 100 percent yet, though things are looking on the up side there. And then Bob came home from doing some work - not feeling so great - and low and behold - it's got him too. The only one I haven't mentioned is Jeremy - but I'm pretty sure we're in the clear there only because he was hit just a week and half or so before Beth.

If we're lucky - this will have worked its way through before schools starts back up and we won't have to deal with it over the next holiday.

But adventures and all - it's been a good Thanksgiving - made all the better from the time we've had to spend with out children - to enjoy being a family - and making memories. And we're sure to remember it and talk about how we nearly blew up the house with the oven while making Pumpking Bread for years to come.

Love My Jacob

I have pictures coming - I really do - I promise. But since I have to download them - yes, everything from August till now - I thought I'd share this little piece of fun.

The beginning of the week was spent with Beth on her field trip to Sutter's Fort - which you will hear more about later. In order for me to attend the three day trip, Jacob had to stay home - first with Daddy (and Grandma and Grandpa - who helped out a bunch) and then with my really good friend (whose daughter is one of Jacob's favorite friends).

On my ride home, I found myself thinking about my reunion with my little man. He's been in the habit of saying "I so happy you miss me" which comes from when he would tell me he missed me and then I would tell him I missed him and that I was happy he missed me because it let me know he loves me. So then he started saying "I so happy you miss me" whenever I could get home from wherever I was. I love it!

So I was daydreaming about that. But that is not the actual welcome I received this time. Oh, he missed me and was happy to see me - and snuggled, and cuddled, and loved, and hugged, and wouldn't let go, or would come back within a minute to snuggle some more.

When I did pick him up, my friend told me how she'd had him in the store earlier and that he was looking around and then stuck his lip out in a pout. When she asked him what was wrong he said, "I think my mommy is missing."

Later that night, when I asked if he missed me, he said, "I miss you into town."

He's been my little snuggle bug, and doesn't want me to go anywhere without him. But that's okay - because right now, I just love having him so close!

And I love that he misses me when I'm gone. And that he can tell me!

AND....... WE'RE BACK!

Sort of....

That is to say, I'm back.

Maybe...

On occasion.

I hope.

I really thought I'd get more in before Soccer hit the family, but somehow the beginning of August gave way to the middle of August all too soon - and that, for anyone who was not aware, was the beginning of our fall.

See, every year we start with soccer - in mid August - then school & dance & violin in late August.

Doesn't sound too bad, yet, right? Well, consider this:

Bob coached 3 soccer teams this year (we bumped Peter up so the boys were on a team together). Each team typically played at least two games a week - plus there were practices.

My job in all this: warm up the boys while Beth was playing so Bob could just put them on the field on time. Oh, did I mention that was done with Jacob either on my back or in a toddler harness, and sometimes just on my hip. Thank goodness Gabi jumped in with some of that drag around adventure too. And that doesn't count the one game I coached when Bob was gone to 6th grade camp. Thank heaven's for one of the other boy's dad who offered to help - he ran on the field and I worked the subs (though I'm sure I messed that up along the way too) - all the while with my little monster too tired (from not napping well and from having already watched one game - that thankfully a different parent had coached) and dragging me, and Beth, and Gabi all over the place, the boys going crazy (can we say Peter was a perfect Animal - from the Muppets), and extra soccer balls and kids floating onto the field. There is a reason Bob coaches them all and I play mom on the side lines.

Anyway - soccer was the biggest part, but everything else required time and energy too - and, like I mentioned, Bob had 6th grade camp to plan and execute. And I had a house (still have a house) in serious need of reorganization (it's coming) and a strong need to find a schedule that worked for everyone (we're still working that out too).

Then, as if it weren't enough, Youth Orchestra and Beginning Band started up a couple of weeks before soccer finished. Beth is in the first, having had violin lessons for just over a year and having advanced quickly due to her back ground from piano lessons (thanks grandma) and Gabi was just starting the Clarinet with me, so we put her in beginning band. Who knows if she'll stay there the whole time or move over to the Orchestra - we'll have to see how that works out later on. Don't want to push too fast.

Okay - so you get the picture. We were busy, crazy, nuts. And the blog has been fully neglected - on purpose even - for shame - gasp - yeah, I know - but I think we can start to come back. Don't expect too much right off as I'm still a little swamped with Sutter's Fort around the corner and Halloween in two days and all the normal stuff. But with soccer completed for another year, we're back to finding the true normal in our home for the school year.

So I'll leave you with my favorite Jacob saying of the last month - as he noted I was frazzled once again with the boys and he comes out talking to me as we join up with Bob and loudly announces (though I think he was trying to ask a question):

"I'm driving me NUTS!"

Yup - I think that about sums it up!

Icy Cold - Sweet Treat - Homemade Sorbet

Okay - so no pictures - at least not right now. I'm kind of lazy when it comes to that kind of thing. But I wanted to share with you my new adventure this summer. Okay - so one of my new adventures. The making of Sorbet.

I've wanted to do this for years, but just never did. I would actually google recipes and all that and then never do it. Fear of failure I think, though some might say it was fear of success. In any case, it took me until this summer to do it.

See, I had 8 cups of raspberries sitting in my fridge and I knew they needed to be used up within the next couple of days. Normally I'd just make a raspberry pie - and for those of you who know me, you know I love raspberry pie. But it was really hot - and it wasn't supposed to cool down - and the nights weren't going to be bringing in a heavy breeze to cool down the house as much as I like - so I got determined.

I made a batch of Raspberry Sorbet - yummy, delicious - we loved it - big hit! But my real favorite sorbet is not Raspberry - it's lemon. Yes, I'm a bit of a lemon junky - I love lemon pie, I love lemon bars, I love my lemonade - and make it a bit tart please - I love lemon cake - if it is lemon, I probably love it.

Well - we had recently decided to take Jacob off raspberries again and give him until next year - so I needed something different for him anyway - so I made lemon sorbet (basically it's lemonade frozen). Bob and I especially enjoyed the two flavors together!

Anyway - here I am having made my second batch of both - but could I be certain I'd done the same amounts of everything? Of course not. See the other thing about me that my dearest friends already know is that I rarely (if ever) follow a recipe exactly (even the first time through) and then I'm terrible about not writing down what I did until I'm not certain what I did. A few times I've been smart enough to write things down and I've been very happy with the results.

So - tonight, after messing up my lemon sorbet (as in too tart, even for me) - I've made a new discovery.... Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet! OH MY GOODNESS! I think it's my new favorite! And I'm pretty sure I figured out what I did wrong - and then I wrote down all three recipes. Yeah for me!

So I thought I'd share... and no, you do not need an ice cream maker - and it's completely dairy free. So enjoy!

For all Sorbets, you will need either a food processor (which is what I have) or a blender, a pan and stove, measuring utensils, glass baking pans, and, of course, a freezer. You may find a few other things useful - like spoons! =)

Raspberry Sorbet
7-8 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 T. lemon juice
2 cups water

Lemon Sorbet
1 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cup sugar

Raspberry Lemonade Sorbet
31/2-4 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/8 cups lemon juice
3 cups water

Start by dissolving sugar in liquids. I do this by putting them all (lemon juice, water and sugar) into a sauce pan and heating just until sugar is fully dissolved. For the Lemon, pour into an 8x8 or 9x9 glass baking pan and move to freezer. For the others: Blend raspberries and syrup together until completely smooth and even. Pour into a 9x13 glass baking dish and move to freezer.

Should you desire to do so, you can stir the mixture every 30 minutes to an hour. I didn't bother the second time I made them. Once mixture is completely frozen (at least 6 hours), soften slightly and cut out chunks. Place chunks - a few at a time - in the food processor and blend (pulsing as necessary) until all chunks are smooth. Scoop out and place into a container suitable for the freezer (I like to place the container in the freezer for at least 5 minutes prior to beginning this process). Once scooped, place container in freezer, process next set of chunks, scoop those and put into same container. Once everything is smooth and in container, cover and freeze.

Hope you have fun! Enjoy!

Adventures for Lynne's Birthday

What do you do when it's a beautiful day, you have family visiting, and it's your birthday? Well, for Lynne that would be have everyone go to the lake. Do you think there were any complainers? Not that I know of - certainly none from my house.

So off we went for a day in the lake - on the lake - looking at the lake. Water squirters were great for water fights - of which, my older boys (Jeremy and Peter) thought they might be able to take on Uncle Adam. Uncle Adam had his own super charged squirters and was able to hold his own.

No trip to the lake is complete without some canoe jumping! Last year it was just the older girls. This year little Olivia wanted to do it too. She was a little concerned when she got in the water, but Gabi swam with her and she very quickly gained her own confidence.

Jeremy and Peter also decided to try it out. I totally missed a picture of Jeremy, and after the first time he decided it wasn't his thing -so he went to the tiny little sandy strip and started digging instead. Peter panicked - totally freaked out about being in water that he couldn't stand up in. Gabi tried to help him, but, of course, he wasnted to grab on to her. So she was instructed to leave him alone and get out of his reach. Hey - we're not totally mean, everyone was wearing a life jacket. But it sure made from some good discussion with Gabi about the importance of not getting too close to someone who is panicking in water.

Peter and Olivia decided it was fun enough to do again - though  neither "jumped" again, but rather just went over the edge.

(And Jacob and I just had fun watching the whole event - along with Marie and Lynne and Adam) 

A favorite part of being at the lake is canoe rides - though there seemed to be few of them this year. Probably because the kids were too interested in jumping out. Never the less, Marie and Adam took Eli out. Then Bob took out his mother - a yearly tradition! And after that Jacob got to on his very first canoe ride ever! He was so excited - and we  had so much fun listening to him sing every song he could think of.

Fun song story: He started with Bob the Builder - which is always fun because of Bob, then sang some oldies and funny songs - like Barbara Ann. The best part was that he wanted me to sing I am A Child of God - which I began to receive the response "I not like it!" I didn't know what he meant since he loves that song. Then Bob started singing it in Spanish. Jacob grinned and said "Yeah, that's the one".

Later, while telling the story to Marie and Lynne, with Jeremy was digging in the dirt at our feet, Marie saiys "What? You don't know all the words after five kids?" - teasing me, of course, to which I replied something like "nope. But my older three do - or at least mostly" - Jeremy piped up with "I do." So Marie asked him to sing it. He started, stopped and then said "I don't remember all the words. Or any actually."

That was the actual birthday - but then we had to celebrate the following day too. So out came the stomp rockets and the gysers. Yes, we do them every year! But this year, there was a extra gyser for Lynne to pull!

No party is complete without cake - of course - and Lynne's favorite is German Chocolate. I made the cake - Gabi made the elephant banner to go on top. It was, of course, super delicious!

To top of the night, we had a little family music recital. Piano pieces played by Gabi, Haley, Beth, Jeremy, Annie, and Peter. Then a recorder piece by Gabi - and Beth tried to do a violin piece, but was really having a hard time since it had been awhile and that violin isn't her favorite. She's so crazy picky about sound. I supposed that will be a good thing later on.

 I do have other pictures - and several of the ones I picked out, for whatever reason, would not load up. I suspect - since blogger keeps telling me to use a different browser or to update (which I can't - we're using a really old computer.. but it works and we like it and so we'll use it till we can't) - anyway, I suspect it has to do with the browser. I'll look into more later. Right now I'm just trying to get caught up a little. Just a little.

(UPDATE: I discovered someone could see a picture that I thought hadn't posted... so I finally sucked it up and check on a different browser... so sorry for the wackiness of pictures. I think I'll try to follow bloggers suggestion and use a different browser when updating and my firefox for everything else.)

Trinidad

 Trinidad was, believe it or not, colder then Patrick's Point - which, by the way, I was informed is indeed warmer in the spring and fall then it is in the summer. Of course, we started with less visible sunlight - lots of fog - which I didn't mind, being that we don't see much of that where we live. With the wind blowing, the fog laying heavily, and the chill in the air, we started out on a little trail up the hill and back down.

We did not all stay together - that would have been difficult as we had some rather speedy kids, a group taking pictures, and a group with a pregnant lady. So, we all went at our own paces, enjoying - or racing through - the scenery.

Notice the wind in that tree above? Well, we went down to that beach - yes, that very one, wind and all. And the kids had a great time. I only got a few pictures as Jacob was ready to sleep. The "castle" that Bob built - you'll see it below with him and I seated in it, was where I sat to hold Jacob under my coat and a towel so he could stay warm enough to sleep. The kids were great at helping Bob build two moats around the initial wall to help make sure the racing waves crashing and running up the shore weren't able to attack me.

We took a break - and found a little shelter - for some lunch at a nearby park - not the playground type. Still, kids are great at being able to find something to keep them busy regardless of where they were. I'm not really sure what game the came up with, but it involved a soccer ball and a frisbee.

Then were was Bob, who took advantage of the situation to catch a few zzzz's - no one could blame him, he'd been up early each morning to take kids to the tide-pools. Of course, he opted out of the third day, since he'd also been staying up late at night AND each of our kids (except Jacob who we felt was too little) had gone once. Others (Marie and Julie) went all three mornings.

And there was more beautiful scenery to enjoy!

Then back into town we went, where we split up. Marie's family headed back down on the super windy beach, while we made our kids walk around Trinidad a little. We went out to the wharf and discovered a hidden beach, much smaller, but much more protected.

Then up to the lighthouse - it was a replica of the real light house still in use today. The bell however, is the real old fog bell - which has since been replaced. Gabi was particular interested in the wall of "Buried At Sea" which included people even to the present year.

 And what would any trip to the ocean, especially a wharf, be without boats - ships - fisher vessels?

We ran into Julie up at the lighthouse, and when we got back to the beach area Jacob was exhausted and Bethie was ready to relax. So I stayed in the van while Jacob slept and Bethie worked on Suduku.

The others head back down on the beach to find Marie's family. They were looking for shells - so away they all went. They saw some neat things along the coast.

It was a nice day!