Homestead Happenings - Oct 2015

 October was a whirlwind. Rina went on her first homeschool field trip at 5 months old. We were able to go to Fort Henrietta Park in Echo, OR. We are standing in front of the first Umatilla County jail.



 My friend, Leanne, took this pic of Rina and I in front of the jail. My sister and I used to joke about being in "baby jail" when we were nursing. I now find that nursing forces me to take a moments of much needed downtime all throughout the day. I've learned to embrace it. It is so fleeting.

We were also able to visit the "Chinese House" where Chinese railroad workers once stayed. It was so interesting. Lots of local artifacts donated or dug up from privies and other historical sites were stored in this museum.

We had the great privilege of dedicating Rina back to the Lord. What a blessing to have such a supportive family and church to help Rina on her spiritual journey. Pastor Paul Parker presided.

Stacie sang "That's your Mother's Prayer" to Rina for me, since I knew I would be too emotional to get through the song. She did a great job!

Decon Tom Burton prayed for us.

Playing with Papa when we got home.

Josiah and Hailey

First family photo (finally!), Rina 5 mos, Josiah 12, Hailey 8

Rina is blessed with supportive family and friends who are committed to help her on her spiritual journey as she grows.

Awww, the life of a homeschooled kid when Daddy has the day off.

Josiah is officially a Boy Scout now and loving it. He's already learning so much. I think we found his niche!

Josiah took this picture of Rina sleeping, I thought it was rather good. Love the natural lighting in this photo. Those sweet eyelashes stand out beautifully.

Josiah is old enough to pack Rina around in the front pack! She loves it whenever she gets to hang with her big bro .

We continued our tradition of trick or treating the elderly at a local assisted living center. We remembered this couple and their cute little dog that can do tricks from last year. Our friend, Mindy, made this "Tangled" costume for her daughter and then passed it on to Hailey. She loved wearing it!

Friends from church and our homeschool co-op joined us at home for the elderly. We all love trick or treating for a purpose, to bring joy to the residents. They just light up around these kids and of course seeing the babies always makes their day.

Of course we had to stop by Grandma Kricket's house to trick or treat her. Mom got a kick out of Rina's onesie which reads, "I'm so cute it's scary".

Whew, if feels good to be making some headway on all our projects. We finally got rid of the nasty yellow carpet in the living room. Yes, I'm doing the happy dance! We still have to get rid of it in the homeschool room and the bedrooms, but at least the living area is done and not a moment too soon as Rina is starting to roll and scoot all over the place. I've been learning how to spray paint furniture and make a distressed look, and I've been having fun brightening up the place with some pops of color. If I can make a place look cute and homey to me, then I can live and be content anywhere.  Yep, even in a 1975 double wide trailer. I'm hoping to do a post soon showing you all the legal fun I've been having with spray paint.

God Bless,

Jackie