They Arrived!

Baby Love...

Need I say anything? There's just something about babies........

What We Do...

The big kids are doing school, some of the kids are sick, and the little kids are restless. What do I do when this happens? Well, Zeke was in need of a bath, Selah was in need of a playmate, and when Abby heard my solution, she decided to join in.....I put swimming clothes on them and let them take their bath toys into the tub and play for as long as they wanted! And they did. They had fun, I was able to assist in math lessons, and Tirzah was left alone long enough to get to sleep. LOVE (good) diversions!!!!!

Preparations

 When planning a trip out of country, one must have passports, since Craig's, Anna's, and Sam's are still current, I filled out 11 passport applications and we headed out to the county clerk's office to finish the application process. Fourteen Houston's filing through the metal detectors, up the stairs, and into line at the passport counter made quite a stir! Thus the beginning of the biggest adventure our family has ever had!

So thankful for Make A Wish Foundation for sending us to London, England!!! We are so excited and yet the preparations will be many! It is no small task to plan and pack for 14 people for a 10 day excursion across the ocean. The trip to the county clerk was the first step and only took us about an hour and a half to get done. The children behaved nicely and did well with getting their mugshots pictures taken. After the grueling task of filling out 11 separate checks, we were at last finished!

Lots of paperwork to fill out, good thing I filled out the applications the night before!

 The waiting then was the next step. We are still waiting for the actual passports to be in hand, though I trust that the eleven cleared checks means they will be here within the next week or so. (It has been 3 1/2 weeks since turning the applications in) We did receive word that our tickets have been purchased!!!!
                                  Woo Hoo!
We will be headed to England June 23 and will be back the first week of July! We will even be spending our 20th wedding anniversary in London! I couldn't ask for a better way to celebrate than with my entire family in a lovely place filled with history and adventure!

orneriness never hurt anyone, right? ;-)

We have had fun shopping around for luggage and strollers and thinking of fun "treats" for the plane ride. I want to have special surprises waiting for the little ones in their backpacks that will entertain them for the many hours in flight.

I found a steal of a deal at Goodwill! As I know we will be doing much walking around in London, I felt it necessary to find a good stroller for Selah. While I was checking out at Goodwill, I looked over and spotted a stroller that will be PERFECT! It is an Italian made Peg Perego stroller that new runs around $200.00......for a whopping $14.99!!!! Sure it has a little wear and tear but for the most part, it looks new, is a smooth ride, was easy to clean, and folds nicely. Now there are just a few more things we will need to look into, and then the real waiting begins.....the countdown to departure day! We are SUPER excited to have the dates now, it means we really are going to London folks!!

Cheerio!

A little tired waiting to be done.

Selah's new ride!

Fun to dream and get excited!

Oh Wonderful and Glorious Day!

Selah

 Oh what a glorious day today was! How could we resist the urging of the sun to come out and play? We couldn't, so we loaded up and headed over to the park. Craig had gone to Astoria with a few of the boys to work on his father's estate so it was just a few of us, but we had a marvelous time soaking in the warm 70 degree weather!!! The water was breathtakingly beautiful and the playground was filled with little feet and laughter. A day at the park is always refreshing!

Tirzah seems to be teething :-)

 We currently have Grandma staying with us, so it was an extra fun and special day! We are taking advantage of our time with her as she lives in far away Iowa.

Life doesn't seem to want to slow down a bit lately and this gave us a great excuse to get out and recreate a little.

Baby T

Lydia

Some exercise in the fresh air always wears out the little ones, and all too soon, or so it seemed, Selah had had enough. A two year old with no nap can definitely stop the activities at hand! That's okay, it was time for some ice cream anyway! We headed to DQ for ice cream cones to fill the tummies and give our taste buds something to dance over before heading home. With sweet memories made, fresh air in our lungs, and skin kissed by the sun, it is time to brush little teeth and pillow sleepy heads.

Enjoy the pictures that give a glimpse into our day!

Abby

Sisters and Best Friends

Fun with Grandma

Nothing like a vanilla ice cream cone!

A good end to a great day

In Loving Memory.......

In Loving Memory of...

A Wonderful Dad...

A Loving Grandpa...

Larry Houston

February 12, 1938 - March 14, 2014

Rugby Anyone?

 Years ago my husband gave our boys an option: play sports or be in Boy Scouts. At the time they chose Boy Scouts. This was much fun with a lot of life lessons learned. Our two oldest boys obtained Eagle, the highest rank you can achieve in the Boy Scouts of America. (I will post more on this in the very near future as we are in the midst of planning their court of honor). Unfortunately, this organization succumbed to the bullying of a minority and tore down the walls of morals by allowing openly gay boys into the Scouts where an oath is made to be "morally straight", thus we felt it an absolute must to disband our troop and therefore leave scouting behind.....

With the disappointment of losing out on the scouting opportunities, we decided to allow our boys to play sports. Craig heard of a local rugby team that needed some players. It turns out rugby is a great game that uses players of all shapes and sizes! Our team has players from 14 - 19. Nathanael was allowed to join as his 14th birthday is coming up soon. The boys are enjoying the game immensely! It is tough, not for the faint of heart. There is no room for sissies!!! There are bumper stickers that read, "give blood, play rugby!"

Samuel, Daniel, and Nathanael have learned much and I am so proud of my boys! The team is filled with beginners but they are really starting to get it. There have been two games already, the first was with last year's champs and our guys lost in points, but gained much needed knowledge on how to play as a team and listen to the coach. The next game they won...20-8!! Of course they plan on winning many more in the weeks to come!

 And what would sports games be without cheerleaders?! Well, it just so happens that our team, the Kitsap Renegades, have the absolute CUTEST cheerleaders EVER!!! Selah especially LOVES "rubby!" You can find her on the sidelines yelling, "Go Renegades!" These little ones have been real troopers as it has not only rained, but has poured both games! They still keep their spirits up and cheer away.

     Yay Renegades!

                       Go Team!