Happy Birthday Mom!

Today, was Mom's much anticipated birthday, and children of all ages were bustling about blithely, with the pleasant thoughts of their self-bought or self made gifts, which one and all were thoroughly appetent to bestow upon our dear mother. All that is to say, except one alpine, eldest child, who had no gift to give yet.

Our disconcerted Caleb, at the moment, could see no way to purchase a gift and to still conserve its stature as a surprise, or how to make one which could still be venerated through the years.

Caleb was still pondering these things in his consciousness when Mom and the other siblings left for swimming. Unanticipatedly, vaguely around twenty minuets later, the doorbell rang. When answered the doorway greeted him with the sight of a FedEx pulling away from the front driveway. And a very big package sitting on the porch.

After bringing this bulky box into the living room, I scratched my head over who would be sending my Mom a Hoover SteamVac MaxExtract. While I was puzzling over this, a more significant notion came to mind. To wrap it. With time and rapping paper running short I barely managed to finish the job before the van pulled in.

Boy were they surprised to find a three foot high birthday present sitting by the front door! And special thanks goes to Papa Ray for sending that gift at such a convenient time.

New Chicks

On February 10, Mom and all the kids decided to get chicks early (as the weather had been rather mellow this year),and went to the Dayville hay and grain store. Usually we get chicks at the Bothell feed store so the variety's a bit different then usual. Dad had wanted to get all Rhode Island Reds,but due to his absence, we only got two Rhodes (out of eight chicks). Only one chick death (Emma's chick) and the rest are all healthy and growing fast. In fact we have had to expand the chick box and soon we'll have to move them out to the garage. This works out in our favor because on March 22 we are getting more chicks and by then the first ones will be out in the garage and the box will be free. Then again we only have one heat lamp....
-Caleb

City church Small Groups

As the City Church started making Small Groups, also known as City Groups, Mom and Dad decided they wanted to be Small group leaders and started hosting their Small group every Sunday at 3:30.The Teaching they used was all about Winning in hard Financial times. They used Kenneth Copeland Ministries teaching and books while also printing out little papers that had stuff about the message.In fact, its pretty fun getting to host a Small group except for the fact that we have to clean the day before. But overall hosting the Small group is very fun. -Emma (10)

CityGroup Adults 11.8.09

Fourth of July 2009

We had a great Fourth of July - with out-of-town relatives and friends from church joining us for the festivities. This included Gail's renown flag cake. Here is an image that Alec Brenchley took of the flag on our front porch.

Flag 7.4.09

Happy Birthday Gail!

Today is Gail's Birthday! She is (today's date * 11) on the 4th! The Ostling side of the family had a celebration for Sterling and Gail this evening - one of the gifts she got was a chocolate fondue fountain! (thanks Bruce and Rachel!) She was ecstatic! We can now say that chocolate will be truly flowing at our house! Even Cian, who is just 26 some months old, knows the word chocolate. Emma (7 going on 8) gave her mom a card this morning which said, "I love you even though you aren't dipped in chocolate." I think she had a premonition...

Gail at Goodbeach c.1965