Snow, Snow & More Snow

Although we live in an area that gets snow each year we very rarely receive significant snowfall in our yard. Usually we get an inch or two at a time and it melts before the next day. However, this last week was different and required much more work with the snow shovel. We loved the wintry weather and look forward to some more this season. Enjoy the pics.

Mister of Mischief

When Karsten was born the pediatrician held him, looked at us, and in not so many words said he would be the independent one who we would need to keep an eye on. I guess we were dealing with a prophet that day, because the doctor was right. For two years I have thought about that statement and how Karsten had defied all odds. In many ways he was much less maintenance than Braden, kept to himself, was easily entertained, and definitely independent. However, this week the rules have changed. Karsten has covertly been moving around the house and has found every danger zone. He thinks he knows how to type on the computer, he knows how to operate electric cords (Christmas lights) and other outlets, he carried a pair of scissors around yesterday, and tonight I found him on the kitchen table trying to light a candle with a lighter. Just as I was telling Ashley about the lighter she told me he was back on the table. For some reason he is our stubborn and undeterred one. He has discovered and been interested in the things none of the other kids cared about and he really doesn't care when we tell him "no." I see many battles ahead, but in a weird way I look forward to what he discovers next, I just hope he isn't an arsonist!

 

Update: I came home for lunch today and just before nap time for the boys. Approximately 3 minutes after placing Karsten into his crib, we heard Braden yelling "Karsten, Karsten" just prior to a loud crash. Wouldn't you know it Karsten did a swan dive from the top rail and landed it perfectly on his head. He was sprawled out on the floor bawling. After an assessment I'm pretty convinced his pride was the only thing hurt. Stay tuned for the next incident!

Christmas Tree Hunt 2010

Our family's Christmas tree outing is one of my favorite traditions each year. However, this year was reminiscent to the Griswold family tree hunt (National Lampoons). That classic Christmas movie defines perfectly our experience yesterday. We hit the mountain and discovered about 2 feet of snow which meant we had to snowshoe to the trees a little further than usual. Ash and I each carried a boy in and soon found a tree which seemed small against the hundred foot trees close by. Ashley's parents also found a tree nearby. We chopped the trees down and soon discovered they weighed a ton (snow/ice/waterlogged trunk). My father-in-law and I huffed the trees out one by one through deep snow, which meant Ashley carried both boys out. Once I got back home I discovered the tree was 17 feet tall, which is a problem when our ceiling is ten feet, but the top half was perfect! It really is the best tree we have found since moving to Oregon. The hard work paid off and the perfect tree only cost $5. Can you believe we use to pay $65 for a 6 foot tree at Home Depot when we lived in California. We love this time of year and love the family experience of tree hunting! See more pics at Facebook!

A New Post!

Our lack of posting is not due to lack of things to post about. It is just hard to post in the midst of craziness. My goal in the future is to post 2 times a week, but I'm not ready for the commitment yet! Ashley is much more faithful on Facebook, catch our family there as well! Since late July here is what we've been up to. A family trip to California in August. Started school and soccer in September. Tahlia is now seven years old. We are in the middle of support raising for full time missions in Slovenia. Chris is still working at this point full time as a detective (just stayed up 40 hours in a row yesterday-ugh). Ash is super busy teaching 4 kiddos. I could say much more, but for now will just post a few pics. Thanks for your prayers for our family. See more photos on our Facebook!

11 YEARS!

Ashley and I had the joy of celebrating eleven years of marriage yesterday! We dropped the kids off at Grandma and Grandpa's house the night before which meant sleeping in the next morning! That alone was a special treat but then we had an awesome breakfast out. After b-fast we hiked a ten mile trail and enjoyed the beautiful mountains. We then topped the evening off with a great dinner. These last eleven years have been amazing and God has grown our love for one another. We can't wait for the next eleven, I think they will be filled with some amazing stories!

Worthless Bloggers!

I admit we are terrible at upkeep on this thing. I think I have said "I will do it tomorrow" for about 60 straight days. Well here we are again and I thought I would post a slide show, mostly of the kiddos and their summer play. They are growing up fast and you can see their unique personalities if you look closely at these photos. This summer has been crazy so far!

For anyone who doesn't know, and actually reads this thing (I'm hopeful we will be building a following as the year goes on!), we should tell you that our family is raising support to serve as missionaries in Radovljica, Slovenia (Picture Above). Check out all our info on the sidebar. We look forward to sharing more about God's work in this amazing country as the days go by!

Da Boys

One more post in my blog cluster. The boys are running wild now. Braden is really into lots of variety - people, cars, balls, FOOD! Karsten is into one thing, and that one thing is any ball on this planet. Amazingly I didn't push this, it has just happened. He literally wakes up from a nap saying ball, ball, ball! We are so blessed with our kids. Enjoy the pics of the boys! Next post will be about a trip to Chicago and God's call to Slovenia!

Soccer Time . . . AGAIN

Well here it is April, and this last week we have had two days of snow and nasty weather . . . seriously snow. I have learned to love winter living here in Central Oregon, but snow in April is still hard to swallow. I mowed the lawn one week ago when it was near 70 degrees out and one week later we get blasted with snow. Gotta love the high desert! More amazing to me is that they play soccer in this craziness. This week we had practice in 40 mph winds. We now have two girls playing. Tahlia still loves it and definitely has some mad skills. Yesterday marked Mikaela's first game and it was memorable. Somehow between the boys flirting with her, the staring off at something else, and the cluelessness that is only found in preschool soccer - our girl scored two goals and was actually quite good when focused!

Mikaela Moments

Our little girl keeps us on her toes everyday, and brings our family laughs in almost all she does.  Just the other day around the breakfast table Ashley caught Tahlia in deep thought. When asked what she was thinking Tahlia said, "I was staring into space." Mikaela then chimed in and said "I've never been to space, and I don't know what it looks like either." Although she has her own way to do almost everything, she remains so incredibly thoughtful and we love her immensely. I thought I would give you an array of photos that capture her. Enjoy!

Leading Worship!

Climbing High!

I Don't Have a Clue What She is Doing!

Winter Activities

Apart from the fact this winter has flown by, it has also been really mild. We had one week which felt like winter and other than that it has practically been a long autumn, in fact I even did yard work yesterday! Our house is controlled chaos most days, and now that the boys walk it seems a tornado sweeps through multiple times a day. We remain active, and just got back from sledding a few hours ago (the mountains have snow!). The girls just finished another round of swim lessons and are like little fish. Tahlia even jumped off the high dive like a champ. That is a quick update. I posted one pic below, but will post some more later.

Holidays & 2 Big One Year Olds

Ashley and I were talking the other day and I couldn't believe the last time I mowed the lawn was really three months ago. I know this is a weird way to tell time, but it caused me to think about how quickly the last three months have gone by. It is so easy as humans to waste our days and not enjoy the blessings we have. Ash and I know we are blessed to have our family and we enjoy each other and each child so much. We had a great Christmas and New Year, celebrating both with Ashley's family. It is crazy to celebrate birthdays on New Years Day (and bowl game day!), but it was our privilege to ring in a new year and birthday all together. Braden and Karsten are now one and it has been fun to watch them develop over the year. We realize we're in a unique position of being able to watch two side by side. They are just now taking their first steps! This last weekend we took a trip to Moscow, Idaho (my birthtown) and celebrated a Wick family wedding. My cousin, Morgan, was married in the same church my parents were married in 34 years ago! Crazy huh? It was fun to see the wedding, my Uncle Scott and Aunt Marianne, and Great Grandma and Grandpa Wick, among many other wonderful family on the bride's side. Once again I was reminded how God has blessed our family with an amazing heritage of godliness, and very thankful for it. This fact constantly challenges me in my leading and parenting, and also helps spur me on in the pursuit of holiness. It seems I could write forever, but I will leave you with some pics of the last few weeks.