The Year that Is: Thanksgiving Day

I was just going to post pictures, just a quick little photo story of our day. But, well, I can't. I keep thinking of little snippets that I want to remember later and Goodness knows that this tired mama won't remember unless it is written down. 

Little Snippets:

We started off cleaning because I can't relax unless I've cleaned the house first. (I think I inherited that from my mom.) Then we cooked and cooked while the little ones coughed and coughed. Poor Dominic had a fever and a cough. He was such a trooper all day, sweet and enthusiastic even though he did not feel well. Kolbe took an epic nap until it was time for photos. Then he would only sit on Collette's lap if he had a marshmallow squished between his fingers. Grandpa and Miss Laine loved on the kids and listened intently to every story and were up for any game. The littles enjoyed their company so much! A really amazing Thanksgiving dinner followed. Aren't all Thanksgiving feasts supposed to be amazing? Well, mine aren't. Last year, I set fire to the sweet potatoes. This year nothing caught fire so I call it a win! Olivia ate an amazing amount of candied sweet potatoes and Collette poured so much gravy over everything that it looked like stew. My favorite was the green bean casserole with smoked gouda in it. Oh, that was a little slice of heaven. Afterwards, we dove into the apple and pumpkin pies, squirted whipped cream in mouths (Kolbe did NOT like that!), and then laid down for a food coma nap. A hot fire warmed the house, little flowers encircled the lights with thankful thoughts, and life was just so very good. I am most thankful!

The Year that Is: Halloween 2015

It was a very Tolkien Halloween!

As Olivia's last Halloween at home, she had the privilege of picking the family theme: 

Lord of the Rings

I want to cry just thinking about it. Lasts. Sigh.

However, we did have a grand time and I shall treasure the memories of eight littles (and not so littles) dressed up.

The Year That Is: Up the Coast to Monterey Bay

Day One: Cruising to Morro Bay

After 8am Mass at the Chapel, the driving was to begin!

Well, first we got some breakfast and some groceries and some gas and then We Drove! Oh yes!

And drive we did... s.l.o.w.l.y through Los Angeles. S.l.o.w.l.y through northern LA County until, finally, we left all of the traffic behind. The littles were excited to be moving; the big ones were dreaming of one big nap. Sigh. I think they looked out the window occasionally when Stephen yelled at them to enjoy the beautiful scenery. And beautiful it was with rolling hills of golden grass, dotted with majestic oak trees.  

We arrived in Morro Bay in the late afternoon. Everyone was in good spirits, but needing some run around time. The hotel was situated on a golf course so there was plenty of room for giggling races. After the rooms were settled, much to the intense delights of the littles, we headed out to a local burger joint for dinner. The day was topped off with a late night swim in a huge spa. Really, I think that was the best part as it had jets, bubbles, room to swim a bit, and a waterfall!

A Very, Very Busy Day Two: Morro Bay to Monterey Bay

Everyone woke up in high spirits. Sleeping in a hotel was downright magical for the young children. Well, not so magical for Kolbe as he rather hated the whole experience, but everyone else loved it. We soothed the disgruntled Kolbe by having him sleep with me. (No worries, this definitely came back to haunt us at home.) Back to happy children...apparently happiness can be found in a snail. Obviously, we don't have snails crawling around our arid mountaintop!

We stopped first at a magical playground to get the wiggles out and view a historic one-room school house. Dominic scared everyone but himself by climbing up and over the very top arch! He's such a monkey!

Next stop was a children's garden that I had spied the night before at dinner. Thinking it was a public park, we swung by for some quick playtime in the amazing garden and natural play structures. I was a bit embarrassed to find out that it was really for a private school, however we were welcomed with open arms. They found the idea of eight children sufficiently interesting enough to let us in. :-)

Also, this day was Xavier's 6th birthday!

Happy, happy birthday my exuberant boy!

We headed over to the iconic rock at Morro Bay for some fun splashing in the water. As it was low tide, everyone was able to wade out quite far. Kolbe slept in the car so he missed out on the fun. We saw sea otters frolicking and sea birds nesting on the rock. Unfortunately, the water was too cold for any real swimming so we packed everyone back up for the gorgeous drive up the coast.

We stopped again at Hearst Castle. Everyone was excited to see a real castle in person, especially me! I love all things old and beautiful and could have spent a full day taking tour after tour. Kolbe, however, found the whole event quite distressing. He especially disliked the bus ride, but that was okay because everyone else was loving all the adventures. We enjoyed a very well-done documentary before heading inside for the guided tour. Every room was absolutely spectacular. The decor could only be outdone by views! While the crew appreciated the stunning surroundings, it was time to push on as we still had quite a drive ahead of us.

Now, we were not ones to be daunted by another three hours of driving to reach the hotel. Oh no! Elephant seals needed to be admired. It was just a quick little stop. But, then, Stephen spotted sprays of water out in the ocean. So, we pulled off in a safe cove to see if whales were truly romping in the waves. And Stephen was right! A pod of humpback whales were swimming by just off the coast. Everyone piled out to admire not only the whales, but also the stunning sun set. Dominic and Xavier scrambled down the rocks to get a better view. Eventually we managed to pull ourselves away and get back on the road.

Simply beautiful!

Finally, long after dark, we made it to the hotel in Monterey Bay. Utterly exhausted, everyone collapsed into bed without all the fanfare of the previous night. 

What a glorious day it had been!

The Year That Was: April 2014

April was a month of incredible changes. Baby goats were born, Misty left and Pippin joined the family, the burned hillside burst in bloom, and, and, and ... Did I mention that seven baby goats were born? Because anyone with eight children needs seven baby goats to keep them company.

Misty, the lovebird, was Olivia's first birdy love. She was so pretty and sang such lovely songs, but she had a really nasty habit of trying to devour anyone who came near. So, Misty found a new home and Pippin, the green cheeked conure, arrived! He has a much nicer disposition and can often be found snuggling under Olivia's hair while she does her school work.

Lent, Holy Week, and Easter were celebrated with joy. 

And, I managed to blog about it: Lent & Easter

 On Holy Saturday, the first set of triplets were born. I cannot even begin to describe the elation and the fear that accompanied their births. However I do have pictures, lots and lots of pictures, which I will save for their very own post.

 

Gracie started writing her first novel at the age of eight.

This was our burnt mountainside one year after the big fire caused all the mayhem. I don't think I blogged about the fire, the evacuation with animals in tow, or the crazy trip down a fire road because it really wasn't such a lovely memory. However, it makes for great stories with the children along with their fond remembrance of the hike up the tippy top of the hill a year later. I stayed in the car with wee little Kolbe and took pictures while Daddy and company trooped to the peak. They were all so proud of themselves. Hurrah!

 Kolbe turned six months old in April. Baby Love!

The Year That Was: March 2014

I'm really liking this quick approach to blogging! It's a bit like ripping the band-aid off the guilt.
Let's roll right on to March...

 Kolbe found his toes at 5 months.

 Quinton turned 14 and played lots and lots Risk!

Dominic and Xavier learned to cock their own bb guns and even hit the target once in awhile.