Christmas Season has begun!

A few "beginning of the season" traditions... Cutting the tree at Loch Lolly Farm (live reindeer! live Santa (real beard!), cute ornament shop, free treats at the warming hut)... THIS YEAR WAS BEAUTIFUL WEATHER!!! I know for a fact the last few years have been frigid, like freezing rain misery frigid. So our dedication to this outdoor sport has finally been rewarded. We got a special little tree.

We also got the lights up! And Daddy started our first week of Advent! Special and special. I love celebrating this season with my family.

Apparently I do car selfies all the time now.

Happy Thanksgiving 2015

Happy Thanksgiving! This year we spent some extra time at church with the kids, sorting food to be used in food boxes to give out to people who could use a little help. I love tangible things we get to do, because it is special to pray for the people on the other end of the line, asking God to meet their needs and give them hope for a good future.

We spent the holiday in Vancouver with the Corrigan crew, and ate our little big bellies full! Lots of fun cousin time, traditional brunch with the ladies on Black Friday (we may have laughed and cried directly into our food), and lots of story telling and moments in between. I love my Corrigan family, they are the best.

Four little turkeys sorting food!

Over the river and through the woods to Nana's house we go!

Sisters!

Hillsboro Turkey Trot

My kids all ran their little turkey legs off at this year's Turkey Trot in Hillsboro.  A few highlights: every single kid ran hard which makes my heart burst with happiness and makes my voice scream with cheers; also Max and Jewel both got 2nd place for their age group (boys & girls got ranked individually); Madeline and Silas gave it their all in the freezing cold air; Marin ran with her Quatama classmates as part of their "Sharpen the Saw" life skill they are learning at school; three year old Marcus ran in the pre-K age group, and even after his heat, he continued to just run laps with all the other ages. I didn't keep count, but I'm guessing he did like at least 6-8 laps. He is like a little motor, he just trudges along and it is the best sight my eyes have ever seen. I love being surprised and delighted at what these kids can do.

Newspaper article - Max in the red coming in 2nd!
He's famous now! ;)

Random cuteness

A few random cute things...

- Friends on the front porch (our neighbor Ashlyn is a regular visitor and the kids always have to catch up on the last few days, to see what has happened in their big lives). I love them!!

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- Marcus had his 3 year check up, and when they tried to do the "eye test" he completely started in with shenanigans. First, the nurse tested his shapes to make sure he knew what to call them (check), then she starts along the eye chart lines asking him to recite (check), then a few shapes in he starts just messing with her. At first I thought "oh wow, maybe he needs glasses!" then we realized he was goofing around and purposefully saying the wrong shapes, then laughing hysterically. The nurse was a professional 3-year-old-handler because she said "OKAY THEN we are done, no eye test for you buddy!"... I guess the eye test is optional at the age of three. My word.

So of course as a reward, we went to Panera for a lunch date.
I am nailing this parenting thing!

- Max makes my heart smile. In kindergarten, they have been celebrating COLORS so each day they wear a certain color of the rainbow. When "pink" day came, the teacher encouraged the boys to find a way to incorporate this color into their day, even if they don't have pink clothes. Max chose to wear a pink breast-cancer-awareness pin. He told his class it was to remember to pray for his doctor, who is currently battling aggressive breast cancer. I'm telling you, this boy and his loving heart, I cannot wait to see how this will continue to unfold down the road of his life.

Word work "I heart heart heart Mom" (swoon!)

- My flash never remembers to work (I never blame myself), but here we are at our fave celebratory spot, the Old Spaghetti Factory, celebrating another Corrigan kid winning a character award at school. Max and Maddie won the "friendship" award last month, and this month Marin was awarded the "honesty and integrity" award for her class. We are so proud of our brave and kind kids, growing in character and learning to overcome adversity.

Marin's first sleepover

Milestone... Marin's first sleepover at a friend's house (keep in mind though, she has been overnight with family AND five day church camp this summer)... but still, a big step! Last year was a rough one for her on the topic of "friendship", and we prayed with her all year long about how to be a faithful friend despite difficulty, and also for a better season ahead. God has blessed Marin by answering this prayer, and she is enjoying the benefit of dear and good friendships this year. Also as she grows up, she is learning the value of friendships with people who will encourage her faith and be a good influence. I thank you Lord for blessing my girl with these precious friends.

Legos & painting nails

Glow sticks

The lack of sleep finally caught up!

It's Ladies Night (actually TWO NIGHTS)

Our new church has a big women's retreat only once every three years, so I was super excited to be able to go this year. I carpooled down to the retreat center in Salem with my friends Heather, Lisa and Julie. One friend from my current bible study and two other long time friends. I loved how our common interest in this retreat brought us together and it was like a melting pot of friendship.

Actually, the entire retreat felt that way. I have never met so many different people, and walked away from conversation being so impressed with their genuine faith and love for others. I love the diversity of Beaverton Foursquare, and I think the value of diversity REALLY shined at this retreat. There was a huge mix of age, ethnicity, stage in life... So amazing to come together and worship God together. I was touched and encouraged by the entire weekend!! Best women's retreat I've ever been to.

Birthday date

For my birthday in November, Kyle took me to the Screen Door (southern food!) for a little Portland culture, I was floored at how yummy fried chicken and collard greens can taste. Shut the screen door!!! So good. A sweet night out with my sweetie.















Also got to celebrate again with a "ladies" night... something a group of us do (sort of a birthday club) a couple times a year to celebrate b-days... Two of us have b-days within a week, so usually one of these gatherings is in November. I am a lucky girl.

Getting old is just a blessing to me, because it means I have my health and breathe to praise the Lord. Thank you God for all these years!

birthday club!

Marin's baptism

My sweet little Marin chose to be baptized this fall. She has had a big summer, filled with camp experiences, "getting back to real life" after-camp experiences, and lots of spiritual discovery and questions. I love her heart, she desires truth and will fight to uncover it. That questioning and seeking is going to serve her well her whole life. We had several amazing and life-changing conversations and prayer times together, and it culminated in her accepting the gift Jesus has offered, and then wanting to get baptized.

At our church, they actually have baptism events for 3rd-5th graders, twice a year. It involves them taking a class to learn about faith, discover their own readiness, and help them create their "story" or testimony that they eventually share in front of the crowd.

Marin prepared and prayed, and overcame some major stage fright along the way. It was awesome to see her blossom and break through some fears. She asked her Daddy to help Pastor Todd baptize her, which he was honored to do.

She wanted to invite her family, all her present/past teachers, and some friends from school. It was very, very special for her to read all the email responses from teachers who couldn't make it (but wanted to encourage Marin, and affirm her decision), and from the two special previous teachers who DID come on a Sunday night (one from far away).  Marin handed out invitation cards to some friends at school, and was able to talk to many of them about this big event in her life.

Our crew took up the first two rows in the church, and with tears streaming and hearts bursting, we applauded Marin and all her fellow students who took this big step together.

I do somewhat regret not taking more pictures, but for this spiritual moment, I just wanted to be present with her and not stuck behind my phone.

Those who could join us at the baptism were: Nana & Grandpa, Nana & Poppy, Auntie Jessica and Cousin Owen, Uncle Brian/Auntie Alyssa/Baby Emma, friends Danya and Ethan, family besties the Bury family, and teachers Mr Brosnan (1st grade) and Mrs Anderson (2nd/3rd grade).

It was one of the best moments of my life. God bless you Marin as you walk with God for all your days!

On the big screen!

Poppy to the rescue

Every time Kyle goes on a long business trip, my sweet in-laws always check in with me, and especially my father-in-law, just to remind me that if the house explodes or something, HE IS HERE FOR ME! Kyle gets this "I can fix any problem" trait  from his Dad, learning from the best. So, he called a couple times during Kyle's trip to Hong Kong, and everything was just dandy.

Then... on the VERY DAY of Kyle's arrival home, when he is traveling through airports all day, I go and do something ridic. Apparently, I have lost my mojo when it comes to driving Portland narrow city streets (honestly I lived in the Seattle U-district for over four years), or perhaps I just forgot that THIS AIN'T THE BURBS, and curbs are weird, streets are narrow, cars do street parking, blah blah blah. Anyhoo.... (this is a pretty exciting blog post so far)... I backed out of a driveway and partially down over a tall curb, and GUESS WHAT??!! This harmless calm motion actually ripped the entire front bumper off my mini-van. WOW!! I have skills!! Okay, so what to do, what to do... Oh yes! Call Poppy, he will fix me (i mean "it"). And so he did, with bungee cables and a cheerful smile, he came to my rescue and helped me limp my sweet broken min-van back to Hillsboro.

Three weeks later, I returned that beastly red SUV-thing I was renting, and got my precious silver vanny-tanny back (Marcus calls it that, see he loves it too).

I'm never hurting you again, baby! Mommy is sorry to be so mean.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, I can see Kyle's steam (aka dollar signs) rising on my insurance premium. Just kidding you, Kyle was super sweet about it. But I'm still mad about the whole thing!! Honestly.

Chickens & Mommy

They all want their mommy :) The human chickens,the animal chickens! Ha ha ha ha, it makes my DAY every day. Even the chickens come up to the door looking for me (or they are looking at their own reflection, but I prefer to make everything about me). It is good to be loved :)

"I will eat mashed potatoes
I will have a good time
I will see my mom" :)

Or maybe they like the sun!