Palouse Falls in February

Last month, we decided to pack up the kids and go exploring at Palouse Falls - a super interesting area where the Palouse river cuts through the scablands and down into the basalt below to create a lovely canyon.

I was hoping it was still early enough in the year to get some cool ice around the waterfall pool, but alas, it's been too warm this winter. You won't hear me complaining, but we will have to try again next year.

We stopped in Colfax to pick up Winston and then Nels and I had a good time getting to know the area better as we took multiple wrong turns shortcuts down muddy roads on the way there. Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive. :)

We checked out the overlooks and talked a lot about erosion, while Hazel told us about all the cool things she's been learning in her Washington history section at school.

Our girls absolutely adore this boy. Winston is Tracy's youngest son and just a year older than Hazel. Winston has always been a cousin favorite, but in the last two years that we've been able to see the Moores on a regular basis he's become more like a brother figure to our little women. They are constantly scheming about the time when they can see him next. Winston has a delightful, free-spirited imagination and our girls never tire of his company. I love his quirky humor and full-throated laugh.

It was nice to get out of the house.

It's been such a weird winter. With two moves in the last six months, I haven't been able to pull off my usual winter hibernation and it's been a bit rough on the psyche. It was therapeutic to take a day to get out of our "hobbit house in the ground" and enjoy the crisp air and some much needed movement.

Clara and Violet digging "snake holes". What a wonderful thing to be able to dig in the dirt in early February!

I love these beautiful faces.

After finishing up at all the paved areas, we spent the rest of the afternoon off the beaten path looking for arrowheads, bones, and paths down into the canyon that wouldn't kill us.

These loud-mouthed kids are so fun. I love them. They were slightly concerned about sitting on the railroad tracks. I assured them that certainly these tracks aren't used very often and all was well. Just smile for Dad and stop worrying. Ten minutes later a train came rumbling by. :)

I really liked this view. :)

Clara is absolutely fearless and does not like to be constrained or hold hands. Sometimes I have to figure out creative, nonchalant ways to keep her from plummeting to certain death as she throws rocks over canyon rims.

I love this man. I love that he indulges me when I want to go exploring and laughs when I get us lost. I love watching him with his camera and I love seeing him play with our crazy Clara.

In my ever-ready fashion, I had neglected to bring water with us and by the time the sun was setting we were all pretty parched. Even then, it was hard to leave such a happy adventure. We'll definitely have to come back.

There is Springtime in my Soul Today...

... for when the Lord is near,

the dove of peace sings in my heart,

the flow'rs of grace appear!

As Spring is springing in the Inland Northwest, I find myself compelled to try and capture each ray of sunshine.

I know that there are months of rain ahead, but when the clouds break and the temperatures stretch toward 60, my little feet just can't stay inside any longer. As I revel in the warmth my thoughts continually turn to my blessings. "Heavenly Father loves us so much!" "Thank you, Father, for letting us be here!"

No wonder I love springtime so much --- and Sandpoint is just glorious in the spring!

While browsing the internet looking for fun day trips in the area I came across information on the  Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes - a 72 mile paved bike trail that used to be railroad tracks running from the Montana border following the river and lakes through the mountains down past Lake CDA to Plummer.

I'd been watching the forecast all last week and when Saturday rolled around, we had blue skies and 60's. We packed up our bikes, our lunch, and our kids and drove an hour and a half to Heyburn State Park at the southern end of Lake Coeur d'Alene. What a beautiful place! Upon entering the park we were greeted by beautiful migrating trumpeter swans {they're HUGE!} and found our way to the bike trail and a picnic area.

pic via

There is a bridge that spans the south end of the lake, which is where we were starting on the trail. We pulled out our lunch and unloaded the bikes only to realize that we'd forgotten a vital piece of equipment! The little metal arm that attaches the bike trailer to the bike.

{Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo!!!}

I was seriously SO bummed. I'd planned the trip, we'd borrowed a bike, and we'd spent the whole day getting ready and driving down, only to find that we couldn't all go. Nels and I would have to take turns playing at the playground with Violet and Clara while the others rode around.

Big huge sigh and near-tears while I sat in the back of the van getting a handle on my disappointment.

{enter my knight in shining armor}

I finally pulled myself together and started making lunch for the girls while Nels began looking around the parking lot (?). A few minutes later I noticed him over at the bikes with a long stick and a look of determination. When he started trying it out on the slot where the metal arm is supposed to fit, I just smiled, shook my head, and refrained from telling him it was pointless - that it would never work - and just kept making sandwiches. He found some random tools in the van and started whittling away. {more head shaking}

After a few minutes, Nels had bored a hole through one end with a tiny pocket knife and a screwdriver and amazingly was able to attach that silly stick to the trailer.

At that point, I started to see the possibilities and together (using whatever we could find in the van) we were able to jimmy rig the whole thing to my bike. My hopes began to rise, but I was still feeling pretty skeptical as to whether our creation would support not only the trailer, but two wiggly kids being pulled up and down the bridge, around corners . . . or what would we do if we were 3 miles away and then it all fell apart?! AHHH!

Oh well!!!

I admired our handiwork, strapped in our kids, and told my brain to SHUT IT! while Nels readied his GoPro.

With good reason, Clara looks a little concerned.

Not Vi! She's all smiles!

Off we go!

Much to my surprise, not only did our contraption make it out of the parking lot, it conquered the bridge with ease! so we just kept on pedaling...

Occasionally I'd have to stop and tighten things up, but there were plenty of opportunities . . . 

. . . while Nels played with his toy.   :)

He hooked that little camera up to everyone and every moving thing that he could. His head, his chest, his bike, Lilie, Hazel, my bike, Elsie's bike . . .

Elsie had it the longest and she was a hoot! The camera would take a picture every couple seconds. We got some good ones!

wide-angle lenses make people look extra funny!

That girl, the same one who boobed and whined on every bike ride we went on last Fall, decided that she wanted to be out in front the entire 6 miles we rode that day. We had just crossed the bridge when I heard her tell me, "Mom, I just LOVE to push myself!!!"

Ha ha ha hahaaaaa! Who is this child of mine? She kept us laughing the whole way.

{singing}

{racing Dad!!!} my favorite!

Don't ask me how on earth she didn't end up in the lake while she was doing this . . .

. . . clearly she's a much more talented rider than I give her credit for!

I've always thought that Lake Coeur d'Alene is pretty, but this area of the lake is absolutely breathtaking! As we were riding, Lilie told me, "Mom, you know how I was complaining about being in the car for so long? Well, I decided it was TOTALLY worth it!"

I couldn't agree more.

The whole afternoon was just perfect. Hazel had a grand time picking buttercups and Lilie sang "All Things Bright and Beautiful" most of the way. It was so wonderful to spend the afternoon all together enjoying this magnificent world that the Good Lord has given us. We will definitely be returning in the coming months as things green up.

I also found my dream house while riding. Can you imagine living on the lake all year-round? Nels needs to figure out how to work from home --- that's what I think.

Once back at the bridge, we stopped at the top to take some pictures and wouldn't ya know it? As if things could get any more perfect, I looked out over the water and there was a bald eagle fishing for dinner.

C'mon, Clara! Come back to Mommy!

Aren't they awesome?!

As we were riding back, I knew that our little stick was on it's last leg. It had started bowing more and more and to balance the weight better I had to tell Violet to sit back often, but I didn't realize just how close it was. As we pulled back into the lot where our car was parked, it gave out. It couldn't make it any further.

I can't help but think that Heavenly Father blessed us to have such a beautiful afternoon together. I felt completely surrounded by His love and a sweet assurance that He is aware of me and my family.

As we loaded the girls and the bikes back into the van, the frogs were chirping, the sun was setting, and I couldn't imagine a better spring day.

There is gladness in my soul today,

and hope and praise and love,

for blessings which he gives me now,

for joys "laid up" above!

Oh there's sunshine, blessed sunshine

when the peaceful, happy moments roll!

When Jesus shows his smiling face,

there is sunshine in {my} soul.

Our Kids Love Santa Claus?

Before I forget . . .

Around the middle of November, I started asking the girls what they wanted for Christmas. I was determined that there would be no last-minute scrambling this year and I wanted it out of the way so that I could just enjoy the season with my family.

I had come across the coolest dragon and showed it to Lilie, sure that she would LOVE it.

(Since we don't have cable or satellite, my children pretty much never watch commercials. And wouldn't you know it? Without the barrage of advertising, compiling their Christmas lists was a pretty open-ended affair.)


This is the conversation that we had as she gazed happily at the dragon figurine:


What do you think, Lilie? Is that something that you might like for Christmas?

MMmmmmmm . . . {sigh} . . . . . yeah. :)

Great! Maybe you could ask Santa Claus.

{worried and skeptical look} Um. I don't know.

What do you mean? I thought you just said that you liked it. Is there something else that you want more?

{still with the screwy face} No. I really like it! I just don't know if I want to ask Santa.

Why? You don't have to like it, just because I showed it to you . . .

Well. Why don't YOU just get it for me?

What? Why not Santa? Is there something else you want?

No. It's just . . . well . . . I really like it . . . and . . . sometimes Santa doesn't bring me what I want. Like one year I asked for a Wall-E computer and he just brought me a dinosaur instead . . . 

{{me stifling a HUGE laugh}}

. . . So. I just think you should get it for me instead and I'll just ask Santa for something that I don't really care about very much.


Hahahahahahahaaaaa!


In light of our children's supreme confidence in the Man in Red, I also present to you Nels's most recent bestest creation. :)

Wanna Have Some Fun?

Who likes personality tests?

Ooo! Ooo! Me, Me, Meeeee!!!

I've loved the Hartman Color Code, but my friend just introduced me to a new one that I think it a little deeper and we've had a lot of fun laughing about tonight.

It is the MBTI.

Take the test, then put you "type" into your browser's search to see what you come up with.
www.personalitypage.com has some pretty good descriptions.

Come back and tell me if the analysis is correct.

Just for funsies. :)


By the by, I'm an INFJ.

I'm an Idealist who would make an excellent Psychic. :) I express myself well in written form and I often question my own sanity. :) I have strong "orderly tendencies" but tend to have a consistently messy "work-space". I often get mistaken for being an extrovert -- which I am most definitely NOT.

Nels is an Idealist who is entirely too hard on himself. He is easy-going, loyal, guarded, and selfless. An INFP. Excellent career choices for Nels? Actor, musician, editor, filmmaker, video editor, or holistic health practitioner. :)

My friend, Nancy. She's an INTJ. She's a Mastermind. She'd also make an excellent Dictator.

The test was spot-on for all three of us. And fun.

Day 13: Thirteen Things --- And the Long Bridge

Oh, it was a gloriously successful and beautiful day!

The girls helped me clean all morning long. I promised each of them a dollar. :) They are amazing.

It was so sweet and unusual. They were in the best moods about it (mostly). :) Lilie loved helping. - which is not always the case. :) It was a lot of work to manage my little cleaning crew, but well worth it. I felt as though they could just "feel the love" as they served and worked. That kind feeling just carried me through the rest of the day.

When we finished, we ran some errands and then took a bike ride across the Long Bridge. The weather was perfect and the girls were delightful.

Gonna have to come back and play in this perfect little strip of sand next week.

Having my three oldest all on bikes and then having the bike trailer, I couldn't help but sing, "Doe, a deer, a female deer..." Ah. Good for my heart.

The only downer was that Clara (was tired and) thinks Violet is truly terrifying. She cried every time Vi would look at her sideways, let alone the fact that Violet just kept wanting to love on her and hold her hand. Clara was quite put out about it all. :)

Elsie is working hard on learning to ride a two-wheeler. She'll have it down in the next week for sure. She did such a great job at keeping up with everyone the entire time. She's the cutest little thing and I have to remind her the entire time to not tell every passing runner or bicyclist our life's story. :)

For Day 13 the photo challenge topic is "Yourself with 13 Things". Really hard for some reason. Well here you are, 13 sort-of visible appendages. :)