A Double Feature... of Hattie

2-17

Have I already put up a picture of Hattie in her latest and greatest spot to sit? It's so awesome. I will really miss this spot for her! I wonder what kind of great nooks the new house in Canon has?

 2-18

17 weeks and thrilled about it. 

Little Girls

2-16

I dressed Molly and Hattie in these coordinating Carter's outfits one day just for fun. The girls chose to accessorize differently; Hattie chose socks while Molly chose a whale spout and a black eye. 

 Check out how long Molly's hair is getting! She was being so silly while I was trying to take some pictures. I managed to snag this one which is a complete riot. She says "bubble" and is loving bubble baths lately.

President's Day Beach Trip

2-15

Matt has been watching the weather like a hawk lately trying to make sure we don't miss any good opportunities to see and explore as much as we can before our time in Oregon runs out. He saw a short window for a potentially decent day (partly cloudy and close to 60 degrees) on President's day, so we took off for Bandon for a day at the coast. The thing with the weather is that it sometimes looks different on computer models than it actually looks like outside... so while it wasn't raining, it was a far cry from partly cloudy and 60ish. Temps in the 50s, breezy, and either some soggy fog or list mist was more like it! We spent a few hours on the beach closest to the jetty at Bullards followed by some time down by the waterfront. We had our usual picnic lunch and stopped at Cranberry Sweets for dessert. When we went to the toy store, we ran into our friends the Kershners who were also out day-tripping! After a quick stop at a t-shirt shop, we headed back to the coast this time in search of a different beach access point. We ended up at Face Rock beach and spent the last few hours of daylight walking and playing at the beach. If at the end of the day there is sand everywhere (including in ears), then it has been a very good day.

The rock on the left is known as Face Rock; the face is angled up ending with the chin on the far right of the rock. It does look like a face!

Sailing Sailboats at Susan Creek Falls

2-13

Our plans to go away for a three-day weekend over President's day were shot down due to rainy weather. We tried to make something work, but everything we wanted to do or see involved being outside. We can definitely endure through some rain, but the forecast was just too rainy for anything outdoors to be fun and enjoyable - especially for the children. Bummer. Instead, we decided to do the best we could and still make it a fun weekend. On Saturday, we took a family hike to Susan Creek Falls. Matt brought the kids' pool noodle boats (a craft project from last summer that I did with them) to float down the river. Charlie and Alanna were pretty nervous to put their boats in the river not knowing if they would get them back. Finally, Alanna was brave enough to set sail and her boat got stuck in the rocks directly under the bridge where Molly, Hattie, Matt and I were standing. She was relieved to be able to get it back and try it again! Charlie set his in the water shortly after and the same thing happened to him. The boats went down just far enough for it to be fun and got stuck in fairly convenient places so Daddy could reach them. Finally, after several times, Alanna's boat finally made it through the rapids and obstacles and floated on down the river. We were having fun watching it... until Matt and I realized that it's kind-of like littering...so when we saw Alanna's boat get hung up on a branch down the river, Matt crawled along the riverbank to go grab it. We spent an hour floating boats and having a picnic lunch, and at the end of our time, we came home with the same number of boats we went with. It was a great outing!

Three Quarters of our Little Loves

2-12

After our preschool Valentine party, we picked up an excited little guy from school holding a bag full of valentines from his classmates. We stopped in at his party but arrived too late (2:50). The parent helpers were already cleaning up and wiping tables while Mrs. Pecorilla read the kids a book before school let out. I was bummed to have missed the whole party, especially since Charlie asked specifically if I could come. :( I was probably more bent out of shape about it than he was. Charlie was excited to look through his valentine cards and ooo and ahh at all the treats in his bag. Pencils, stickers, tattoos, lollipops, and chocolates galore!

2nd Annual Rustand Valentine Party

2-12

Last year in an effort to grow some friendships we had a Valentine party. I think there were 6 moms and 10 kids counting us. I decided to do another Valentine party this year simply because it's fun for the kids. It's a decent amount of work for me, but it was worth it. :) I expanded the guest list this year and added two moms. We lost a few kids to kindergarten and preschool but gained a few kids via birth. Ha! We played one game where the kids divided into two teams and had to scoop conversation hearts onto a spoon and drop them in a bowl about 10 feet away. Most of the kids tried it at least once. We had a snack of applesauce pouches, rice krispie bars, teddy grahams and juice boxes. We decorated little love shacks (thanks, pinterest!) with a boatload of leftover candy in my house. In an effort to cut down on the mess and consequent clean-up, I assembled the houses the night before using candy melts. I put a scoop of frosting in a baggie and clipped one corner off so it was all ready to go. I set up one house and materials per family unit which worked well. One per person would have been way too overwhelming given the ages of the kids. I gave each family a bowl of candies and set out a few bowls of leftover candy to add to their shacks. The kids had a blast and the mess was relatively contained. I did find frosting three squares up on my living room window... AHHH!!! We sent home little heart shaped containers with two pieces of candy inside as little party favors. We had a fun time together. It seems like I am usually the one inviting and initiating get-togethers and playdates, but maybe that comes with the territory of having four children. People assume your (my) house is chaotic already so adding to the circus isn't a big deal so of course you would be having people to your house instead of being invited elsewhere. (Another topic for another day. Sigh.) I don't mind that much. And to answer the question that you'll soon be asking yourself, thirteen. Thirteen children can fit on one couch. :)

 I kept the snacks very simple. One homemade treat (Rice Krispie bars), two heart shaped trays and a plastic wine glass from the dollar store later, and we were set and ready. Here's proof that a fun gathering can be done on a small money and time budget. Store bought snacks? No shame in that!

 Moms and kids galore!

 From left to right: Mason Wells, Jace holding sister Mattea Heacock, Seth Kershner, Madison holding sister Ava Wells, Malaya Molatore, Emily holding sister Caroline Drake, Molly, Micah Dinger, Hattie and Alanna. Out of the families there, eight older children were at kindergarten or preschool. I know all of these children and their mothers from Monday morning bible study at our church.

 Emily, her mom Anna, and Alanna decorating their love shacks.

 Alanna, Molly's black eye, Melanie and Micah

 Alanna would have sat at the table working on her love shack for hours and hours if I let her. Seriously. I had to chase her down from the table.

 Molly helped by poking candies into the frosting. About every other candy made it onto the house. The rest fell victim to a quality taste test.