Wacky Winter

After the excitement of Christmas...…..we didn't slow down much!

Sadly there aren't any photos of Eris in this post, as she is back on campus hard at work.  She finished Winter quarter with all A's and B's again!  She is so loving this experience and all of her classes.  Only two more quarters to go!

Beren's birthday is the big follow up to Christmas for us.

He planned a Dungeons and Dragons themed party this year,

Which of course he presided over as King (otherwise known as The Dungeon Master)

He departed from his theme a bit when he decided on a Dead Pool Back in Black cake.

We did however hand out coin in great quantities!  

The culmination of the day was a spectacular game of Dungeons and Dragon, 2nd edition of course. (we are old school, if it ain't broke don't fix it!)

No ladies and gentleman your eyes do not deceive you, that Is my mom playing DnD!!!

Her first time ever.  What she wouldn't do for her grandkids!  My kids' sun rises and sets with her and she is Always there for them.  She makes a point to keep in touch and see them often, even if it's just for an afternoon of lunch!  We love you Nany!!!

Winter came in with a fury with lots and lots of snow!

The view from office, one beautiful snowy morning.  So many different varieties of  birds!  

We love the SNOW!  I came home one day to see Beren building this surprisingly cute little guy ... a very classic snowman.

If you know Beren, nothing is done "Normal", his is always a mutant version.  I was shocked It was so cute!

The next day however, I came around the corner to …  

The possessed snowman doomed to a miserable fate of slowing going to pieces.

Now that's the Beren I know and love!











A snake is the perfect indoor pet and the kids have become quite fond of Cy...

and he of them!

He out grew his little cold hide so we made a makeshift one for him until we could replace it.  I cut off the top of this carton so he could crawl inside it.

Look closely though, he decided to crawl underneath the whole thing, goofball!  I had to cut the whole bottom out too.

The winter days can be long, Beren has taken to baking as a boredom buster.

I am not complaining!

Homeschool history interrupted…..

The lego battle rages on!









I'm sure I have said this before but I encourage my kids to think of experiences they'd like to have, rather than things, for their birthdays.



So as Beren's birthday gift he and I went to the Vacouver, BC Aquarium.


What an amazing trip we had!





We stayed on Granville Island, with their awesome Market and shops.

This was the view from our hotel room.

It was So beautiful in the snow.

This aquarium was incredible, we had the best day.

The Sea turtle was a favorite.

I was very enamored by this adorable puffer fish.

I have never seen one in real life.

One of Beren's favorite were the Piranha.

Again, never seen these up close before.  I am not gonna lie, they were kinda creepy.  They just sat there like that.  They didn't swim around or anything!

There was a penguin walk through!

A fresh water sting ray...

Didn't know there was such a thing.

But seriously, my favorite of all were these tiny little flashing Jelly Fish.

They were so tiny I almost thought the tank was empty at first, then..... they start Flashing!  I literally could have watched them all Day!

Smile for the camera!

The octopus was out and about, the keeper said she isn't usually so active.

I love that you can see the eyes in this pic!

Then, we went outside!

This sweet girl was a rescue, she couldn't be released back into the wild because both of her pectoral fins were damaged too badly.

Probably Beren's favorite part, the Sea Lions.

The video recording and his pure joy and excitement in the background says it all!

What a trip!  I can not express what these moments mean to me and the kids, something that can never be lost, broken or stolen.  Memories, emotions, being present!

We made one last stop at the Granville Market before heading home, Lee's famous donuts and latte art to go!

I'll leave you with this one last random moment that must be shared.

 I truly hope you all have had a wonderful winter and hello spring, which is quite literally in full bloom here.  More exciting adventures on the horizon!

Back to It!

After all the Summer fun it was time to get back to the routine.

Beren Started 10th grade this year!  I am still homeschooling him, except in Math.  He is too advanced for my math teaching capabilities and takes math at a private Christian school, this year he is taking Algebra 2.

He attends twice a week and really enjoys it.  He has had the same teacher for the last three years and has made some great friends!

Eris started her Junior year of College this year.  She is now taking classes solely focused on her major and is loving it!  She moved to a much nicer dorm this year and gets along great with her roommate.  She also attends many clubs and has bonded with quite a good group of people.

Beren really misses her when she is away, he took full advantage of the Move in Day wait times to show his love for her!

Fall came up so quickly after school started and Eris was home the weekend before Halloween to go Pumpkin and Apple Picking.

The apples were all at the VERY tops of the trees, so we had to work for them!

It was a beautiful, cool, sunny Fall day, we had a great time together as a family!

The best most awesome and favorite Holiday of ours finally arrived, HALLOWEEN!!!

We just love everything about it!

This year I heard about a Zombie Paintball experience and knew I HAD to take Beren.  We loaded up on a train where everyone is given a seat behind a mounted paintball gun.  Then the train takes off and meanders through the dark and poorly lit trail when the Zombies start coming out of the wood work and you just blast away at them.

THE MOST fun Halloween activity to date.  We literally screamed and laughed the entire time.  It was amazing.  He and I then did an escape room and beat the clock, so much fun!

Finally the day arrived to Trick or Treat!  Mostly likely his last year and we will transition into Halloween Parties!

We paired up this year!  He found this mask and planned his entire costume around it.  He made the tail entirely by himself and painted the Mask (it was black when we bought it).

I though it would be fun to go as his dino trainer, which he had escaped from.

This photo is not too far off from real life actually!

The college campus has some great opportunities for shows, speakers and exhibits that are open to everyone.  I was able to check off a HUGE lifetime experience when my hero, Jane Goodall, came to the campus to speak.  Eris had planned to attend with us but at the last minute decided to go to a gathering with her friends.  I didn't mind at all, I am so happy to see her fully enjoying the college experience.  So off Beren and I went.

This woman is among those that have shaped how I see the world.  Her dedication and bravery is utterly indescribable.  I have read about her achievements since I was in elementary school.

She was very taken with Beren.  This moment of her giving him her full attention is something that I will NEVER forget.  A moment that he and I will cherish always.

There really are no words to express what this night, and this moment meant to me.

We stand on the Shoulders of Giants!

We Finished off the Holiday season with a very magical Christmas!  I must apologize, I was so present in the moment and enjoying the day SO much that I did not take many photos.

I did snap this one of Beren with one of his Lego sets all spread out as he begins to build!  I love this, it is just such an iconic childhood moment.

One of the big gifts this year was a new addition to the Household!

Meet Cy (short for cyanide).  Already a family favorite!

Honestly one of the Best Christmases we have had in years!  I am so grateful for the strength and resilience of my little family.  Our lives are so full and blessed!

With the Holidays over we are planning some fun, snow filled adventures.  Not to mention Birthdays and so much more, so stay tuned!

Summers End

Well what a great summer we had.  Beren started us off with a Bang!  He was a master negotiator at the firework stands and got some great deals.  He put on quite the display for us!

Then of course we enjoyed some S'mores.  I set up my grill with some briquettes and it worked out great!

Beren saved some of his Biology labs for the summer.  One of which was the dissection of a frog which he did with his cousin while she was visiting.

He was more squeamish than she was, she was all in there and loving it!

We made our annual trip to the local Art Festival.  It is one of our absolute favorite summer trips.

We are such a creative family and seeing all the amazing works of art in so many mediums is something we look forward to every year.

We must always get an elephant ear there.  They truly make them elephant sized at this festival!

It is kind of hard to see but the kids are standing in front of a drift wood sculpture of a Giraffe mom and baby on display at the festival.

We had so much fun, it just never disappoints!

We were able to spend some time with our friends on their big farm this summer.  They gave our dog Jackson a home when we had to move into a rental that didn't allow pets, which was such a heartbreaking experience for the kids to be sure.

But, we are so lucky that he is happy and loved.  And especially lucky that we still get to see him and spend time with him!  I am truly grateful to them!

In late summer I was sent on my very first business trip.  We were sent to Michigan for four days of training.  It was a very rewarding experience, I learned so much and brought back a whole network of contacts.  Overall a great experience for me.

The only hard part was the jet lag, I have never been through that before.  I took a picture outside one night and sent it to the kids and they sent one back.  Beren was so freaked out that I was in the future!

My photo.

The kids photo, taken at the same time!

Try as she did Eris was not able to procure employment this summer.  So she applied to volunteer at a couple of different places and was accepted at our local humane society.  She works out there four days a week cleaning cat cages and rooms, as well as socializing with them.  

To say she LOVES it is an understatement.  And it is a great way for her to get some experience for her resume!

Beren and I have been doing some fishing this summer.  It has been a great time exploring all the beautiful lakes and rivers nearby.  We have really enjoyed ourselves and have even been successful.  He cleans them on his own and I grill 'em up when we get home.

A big thank you to my brothers for teaching me most of what I know about fishing, so that I am able to pass it on to my son, love you guys!

Eris received tickets to see her favorite You Tube personality for her birthday.  The event took place in early September.

So to cap of our Summer she and I spent two days in Seattle.  We stayed in the cutest hotel on Capitol Hill.

She had a blast, I was totally out of my element but seeing her on cloud 9 was so worth it!

 We had coffee at the Starbuck Reserve shop.  It was insane!  We were sort of overwhelmed by how big it was.  There was so much going on.  They have three different coffee bars, that show case different things each.  

We definitely enjoyed ourselves! 

Now we are in a frenzy getting ready to head back to school, can't wait to share more fun fall adventures soon!