Suddenly Six!: A FULL FALL: Halloween, California Adventures and Lucy

When I pause and think about all the things that have happened this past month, I am met with so much goodness.

John and I are forging onward in life. We are two months in to this homeschool thing. It's so easy to recognize all the things that were "missing" this fall. But when I step back and really consider my life, I see the abundance.

We are spending a lot of time together as a family.

We are having adventures.

We are cultivating new friendships and community.

We are alive, and healthy and free.

There is so much that is not missing.

Family Pictures 2020!

He really is the best Dad ever.

Such goodness in this life.

Evelyn Grace, age 8

James Gregory, age 6

Levi Robert, age 6

Caleb Ron, age 6

Being mama to these four is an honor.

15 years married, and going stronger than ever.

Little did I know what was ahead.....

This picture captures Caleb perfectly.

Yep, these boys are the best!

And so is this girl.

My handsome dudes

Life is good.

Trick or treating was memorable this year for sure. Despite the times we are in, I was determined to make it as "normal" as possible for my kids.

It actually turned out to be better than ever.

Three ninjas and a queen.

Halloween night was full and bright

Sugar RUSH! These kids had better pay their taxes ;)

Many people in our neighborhood put out festive tables at the end of their driveways; and being a rather mild weather evening, people were out and about, sitting around bonfires and chatting with friends. Many houses had great decorations, spooky music, king sized candy bars and some adult beverages to pass around.

Everyone seemed to be in an especially good, friendly mood; it was so nice to feel community again, something that has been lacking for so many months now.

My aunt Robin and my mom came to visit at the end of October. They helped me with homeschool, (assisting in a STEM project I put off until I had more hands on deck) Building four catapults was no easy task; but in the end, we successfully completed four popsicle stick contraptions.

They also carved FOUR huge pumpkins.

A few days after Halloween, our family fired up our sprinter van and drove down Highway 101 to the California Red Wood forest. My amazing mom rode with us seated in the back with the kids the whole time. She assisted them with school work and typing; she made the hours of driving delightful for everyone.

On the way we stopped in Bandon. We visited a Safari zoo, featuring exotic animal petting. We were practically the only ones in there; upon entering, we immediately had an entourage of deer, goats, sheep, llamas and donkeys following close behind us, hoping we had a treat to share.

Everyone likes to follow my mom around

Just another lynx

So many animals

The furry Opossum

A foxy friend

The female lion, Queen of the Park.

Excuse me

Herding Sheep

Well hello Mr. Ostrich

The second day we made it to Klamath, California and spent the afternoon at "The Trees of Mystery," a roadside attraction focused on the Redwoods and the tall tale of Paul Bunyan.

Roots this big belong in a theme park

Hanging out among the trees of mystery

crossing the sky bridges

"The Cathedral trees"

The "Brotherhood Tree"; 3000 years old and going strong

Taking the gondola to the top!

Bros at the top

The view from above

Later in the day, we stopped at Jedediah State Park and walked among the trees in a magical grove of Redwoods called Stout Memorial Grove. Walking through this forest at dusk took my breath away.

I love this picture of daddy and daughter.

Climbing into the unknown

Grandma and her crew

Our final day was at Crater Lake.

It is the deepest lake in the United States and was formed by the aftermath of a volcano thousands of years ago.

It was pretty chilly at the top, but it was worth the stop.

We arrived home on the fourth day with dirty laundry and a slightly damp and very sticky van. 😛 The boys were happy to just roll around and play football in the family room and eat more Halloween candy. We bid my mom goodbye. She is always such a huge help, and John and I always appreciate all the room to exhale she gives us when she is here.

Then we discovered mushroom hunting. 😋😃😃😃😃🍄

Some friends told us about a secret place in a forest where chanterelle mushroom grew in abundance. That sounded way too cool and magical to pass up.

And so, we began our next adventure.

James was probably the least thrilled about this excursion.
Being wet and cold in a forest searching for fungi was not his thing.

spotting gold.

The search is on

It turned out to be quite an adventure, and I wasn't disappointed. We probably collected $60.00 worth of chanterelle mushrooms, which John promptly made into a steaming pot of Hungarian mushroom soup 😄

And then the next day, we added another member to our family, one that John had been dreaming about for 30 years: Lucy.

It was time, and despite my resistance and hesitation, I knew that this was it. It is the perfect time to jump into the puppy world.

Evelyn and John were the biggest advocates for the dog, and I have to say, after caring for three triplet babies and a toddler, a puppy really hasn't been a catastrophic addition.

If we were going to get a dog (and we were........John made me promise on our wedding day :) ) now was the time. With everyone home, Lucy is pretty much taken care of the entire day. And her poop is nothing compared to the diaper explosions I've dealt with in life.

She is cuter than I imagined and what makes it worth it is seeing how totally in love and happy my family is, especially John. He is on cloud nine, and he looks at her like he looked at our infant kids. ;)