Family Time!

As my kids grow older and our extended family grows larger and larger, I really appreciate what we have in the way of family!

Here are just a few pictures from the past week of family time!

This is us four at Birch Bay: We are so happy to have the Parson's back to join our wild and crazy family adventures!

Here are just a few of the cousins on the Peterson side of the family (this picture is missing 6 of the 13 grandkids!)

We enjoyed a little time in Oregon with my parents!

Even though my grandparents have passed away, we still get to enjoy Bear Creek Ranch and all the fun that goes on there!

Family is the best!

Catching up...temporarily!

Have a ever told you all I'm a teacher? Just in case I haven't mentioned it...I'm a teacher. LOL! What that means for the blogging world is many periods where I will be MIA. But I DO return and then do these crazy catch up posts! So, Leah and Levi started 4th and 2nd grade this year. I'm still in denial that they could be that old but they are here to remind me every day!





The picture above is of those two hooligans on the first day of school!



In other news...

Levi invented a hammock under Leah's bunk bed - futue beach bum?

Leah made an interesting face...

Ken grew a beard...

And I got really excited about putting lesson plans in my plan book...

That's about it for us!

Saw Me a BEAR!!!

It started off an ordinary September day on Mt. Rainier...

We were just hiking along, minding our own business and enjoying the spectacular view of the mountain!

And feeding birds right from our own bare hands...

When suddenly, there in the distance we saw a bear...yes a REAL bear! If you click on the picture and look between the two sets of trees that are close up, you too, might see the bear (the black smudge)!

Thank goodness we brought our binoculars this time so we could get a closer look at the hungry bear, happily eating wild berries...and fortunately not people!

The mountain and I posing for a picture together on this glorious day!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Summer on the Palouse

Last week we ventured to the Eastside to visit the Bringhurst side of the family in Pullman. The weather was beautiful (hot) and we enjoyed many ways to keep cool.

Leah and Levi jumping off a dam in Idaho:

The mamas (a.k.a Hannah and Christy):
Cousins in the creek (Levi, Rivers, Caleb, Leah and Nathan):

Nathan can't get any cuter than this:

Next water adventure in Palouse...another day, another river (Uncle Jona the Raftmaster):
Leah, Rivers and Levi swimming:
Next water adventure...the pool at grandma's house. Love how it looks like Rivers kicked Levi into the pool:
Oh yeah, we're cool...

If there is a creative moment to be had...

...Levi is there! This blog post is dedicated to his amazing creations:

Recently, the box of thumb tacks disappeared. Next thing I know Levi walks out of his room with this: Hula hoops are a creative specialty...he'll do two or three at a time:

Took daddy's old K'nex and made a tower taller than himself....fanciest poster displayer I've ever seen:

Of course, there's regular coloring which usually turns into pages and pages of pictures that often get attached together or made into a "novel."

And there's condiment sculptures of course!

Never a dull moment with this guy around!

Bad Blogger=Random Photo Post

It's hard to find the time to blog so here are some pictures to let all my faithful followers know that I'm still alive and things are still going on in the lives of the Peterson People!

First of all...Ken got me a new espresso machine for my birthday (what a guy!) So I decided to not only perfect the art of making delicious lattes, but also the art of designs in my foam. This is my first attempt at a heart! I must confess that I haven't been successful since, but I will not give up! My 4th grade class and Leah's 3rd grade class went on a field trip together so we got some mommy/daughter time while cruising the Port of Seattle:

Levi and Cousin Caleb are two of a kind:

Fun times on bunkbeds:

Leah gives Cousin Nathan a piano lesson:

We went for a hike to Heybrook Lookout:

Would you look at that view?

LOVE hiking in the spring:

My little baseball boy:

Beautiful Mukilteo sunset:

That about sums up the Peterson People lately - lots going on!

The Duckling who was ours for a day...

We found a duckling last Friday and rescued him/her from our neighbor's cat. This was not an easy task. Duckling kept running, we kept chasing and the cat kept stalking. But alas, Duckling was ours. Duckling first lived in a lunch box, then a larger cardboard box next to the heater while we frantically scoured the internet for information about how to care for Duckling. (I must insert here that we did look for Duckling's mama...of course!)

I had to take Leah to choir so I called Ken at work to inform him that there was indeed a duckling in a box in the house. His reaction probably looked something like this:
We held and loved Duckling and he returned our love with the cutest little chirps, humorous little duck dances and even treated the sleeve of my sweater like his mama burrowing deep inside it's "feathers". All this cuteness made us consider keeping Duckling as our own:

But, alas, there was another plan for sweet Duckling...he didn't make it. He died during the night. The kids cried and we buried Duckling near Cheeto the Cat, Rosa the Hamster and Buzz the Bunny and alas, are petless once more. But we have happy memories of Duckling the duckling!