Random Pictures of the Kids

I have a reasonably reasonable excuse for the long silence...I went to Oregon!  I have been back for a week and a half, but somehow I have been super busy on other priorities and haven't thought about blogging at all!  Here is a series of pictures from the end of the summer before I left and next time I'll share some photos from my fabulous trip to see family and friends.  Above is Mr. Elijah with some escarole that he helped me pick from the garden.  We didn't harvest a whole lot from our garden, but we got some nice leafy greens.

Miss Millie in her sailor dress that I was partial to this summer.

It had little red buttons all the way down the back.

:-)  I love this smile!

Sisters!

More sisters!  Such a blessing.

Peter says he was over-smiling in this picture.  Bronwyn has a tendency to make us over-happy.

I love this little vintage dress that my Mom bought when Cecily was a baby.

:-)

I loved this picture that I took of Sam at Cheat Lake.

I can't remember if I have mentioned the boys' dam this year.  They dammed up the creek at the bottom of our property to make a swimming hole.  We took a hike down there all together and man, was that a good time.  They just love to show me the things that they do there and have built.

Eli doesn't get to come down unless myself or Peter are with him, so he was very happy to get a chance.

There are long vines that hang from the trees.  The boys have found a good use for them.  On the days that they have their swim trunks on they just drop right into the water when they swing out.

Here is Sam, with one hand!

Exploring, with Sam taking a turn holding Bronwyn.

Ben on a vine.

Will, being a monkey.

Such a happy hike we had.

Back in the world of the civilized, here is Amelia with a fresh look after a haircut.

And I'll end with a final picture of the cutest family member.  Don't her eyes shine? Love her.

Impromptu Tea Parties

 Here is a little tea party that was "real" but all set up by Amelia and Cecily, for Mom to enjoy with them.

 I gave them permission, then they did all the preparation and "surprised" me.  Amelia worked hard to write all of our names on a little sign for the party. 

 Real tea in real cups.

 Leftover cookies from the previous day's church event make for a handy tea supplement.

 I even let Amelia take a picture of me.  We don hats for tea, if the mood strikes.  This day the girls insisted on hats.

 I happened upon this little tea party one afternoon.  This is a "pretend" one.

 My older boys would have a lot to say about this photo, if you asked them.  They're not thrilled about Elijah tenderly "feeding" the baby.  I think a little of this kind of play, done in the right way, is actually beneficial for him.  He plays guns and cars a whole lot more often.

This adorable little tea set was a birthday present Amelia got from my mom and dad.  The little antique extra pieces came from my mom as well.  My mom is a lover of dishes.