The Landis Lexicon

Happy Thansgiving!

2011-11-22T21:04:00.000-08:00

Great quote for Thansgiving: We've had our turkey sitting out on our deck all week buried in a big pile of snow. The snow finally melted off today so I had to bring the turkey inside and make room in the fridge. When Mille saw me carrying the turkey, she said "mama, is it a girl?" I said, "sure."

So we're having a girl for our turkey dinner, how 'bout you?

Avery's Birthday Fairy

2011-11-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Check out this little gem...

2011-11-16T17:14:00.000-08:00

I recently found this fun little sugar bowl at an antique store to replace my broken one. This made the shopping day well worth it.
Birthday girl breakfast. She ordered pink eggs with chocolate chips. Oh yes, doesn't that look appetizing...it's what was on the menu. And here she is in her birthday crown.
Ruby's all smiles for some more birthday cake

Hitting the birthday bear pinata
The three trick or treaters ready to go get candy on Halloween.
Little miss kitty
Enjoying the fall days in Missouri...check out this huge green vegetation that fall from their trees there. They are called an osage orange. They are amazing and smell great.
Hanging out in the Ozarks in Eureka Springs.
The moose and ninja ready to charge the candy.
A finished product ready to fill for the winter. Well... almost finished.
The acorn hunt

Avery chopped this pile
The birthday girl video of Avery in her new fairy ballerina.

The first big day back! Back to School

2011-09-10T22:37:00.000-07:00

Camille is all fired up...
and too cute for her uniform
They are growing up all too fast.

And the two little ones that were left behind... I still get them yet.
Big grin in the back row.
Still warm weather... must have ice cream
Love that Big Brother!

Ruby Dooby turns one!

2011-09-10T22:31:00.000-07:00

We had a little celebration for Ruby's birthday while we were camping
She is all smiles and fun

The last big End of the Summer Trip!

2011-09-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

We ended with a visit to Aunt Sandy and Uncle Glen's in Spokane. The kids loved playing in their beautiful backyard.

And being with Grammy and Grampy

Here we are at Beautiful Holland Lake in Montana
The entire place was picturesque, especially this little baby who spent her days chasing after Wanda, the big golden retriever. She just wanted a handful of that furry critter.
The big one year old
Not so sure about the grip of her older sister

The view of Holland Lake from the waterfall
We're going to make a backpacker out of him yet
This little man hiked the 3 miles with me up to the waterfall
And he is especially in his element camping
Ruby finally got a hold of Wanda
Here's where we had to keep her as much as we could so she wouldn't eat chipmunk poo
Check out this lake
So pristine... and here is the hulk who spent as much time in the water as he could.
Here's Camille enjoying a little of the magic God gave us to enjoy
Baby jail

Ruby is back

2011-07-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Our precious little Ruby gave us quite a scare, having to go in the hospital overnight with pneumonia. It was such a joy to get her back home and see her getting back to her usual self after such a traumatic time. She has the cutest little chubby pointer.
Big brother was all smiles to be back with Ruby, minus quite a few teeth.
Don't be fooled, she actually likes to eat books and thinks they are quite tasty.
Our precious little Comfort

4th of July fun

2011-07-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

After going to the biggest small town parade, we stopped to play in this water fountain on our way home. It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon away from the crowds. We just had our own little water park fun in downtown Lewiston.

This is how Ruby likes to spend her time at the river

2011-07-15T22:28:00.000-07:00

playing in the sand and water
Ruby tells you where it's at

A day at the park

2011-07-15T22:23:00.000-07:00

You spin me round, round, baby, round, round.

Big girl swing, with a baby face
Check out these farmer tans

On the Move!

2011-05-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Landis Girls

A Birthday Moment...yes we actually got a picture of moi with all the children on my birthday.

And then we skip to the coast. These were taken in Manzanita...what a fun and beautiful picture.
And the crazies

Ruby Comfort
The whole gang...what a rare moment
Fun on the beach....the wind
...and the sand
and the salty air
we were all refreshed by a week at the ocean.

This was one of the hikes into a little cove we went on while we were there. So lush and green.

Getting ready for Easter!

2011-04-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an amazing week at the coast, i'll post pictures soon, but this week is now a whirlwind of getting back into routine and ready for Easter, which is upon us. Check out my Easter bags on my SugarLine blog here: http://sugarline.blogspot.com/

2011-04-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Quote of the day:
Simeon: "I can't tell if Ruby's eyes are your color or not mom, because hers are brown but yours and fathers have red in them."

We went from butterflies and almost spring to 2 feet under

2011-03-10T22:07:00.000-08:00

The kids were hauling wood around on the sled to keep the fires burning

Enjoying the fun! I didn't get any pictures of the snow horses we built, but the girls had fun sitting on their white sculpted frozen saddle pretending to gallop along.

And we kept getting more..
And now it's raining again...and Mille's feet grew a few inches overnight.
Camille won the quote of the day. They just come up with the greatest things in their little minds.
Camille: "mom, guess what i'm going to get you for your birthday, guess?"
Me: "hmmm, i don't know. You're going to eat your carrot."
Camille: "no, i'm going to get you your very own Fire Truck, and father can ride in it with you too."

Birthday Boy turns 6!

2011-03-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

Simeon's dinner order for his birthday was so gourmet. He wanted hot dogs on a stick cooked over the campfire. This boy is easy to please.
And here he is boogying down with his dance of joy
Father brought out the cake. Check out this fun picture with the sunburst yellow back porch.
The cake was up a grade from hot dogs. Sim wanted carrot cake with cream cheese frosting just like we had on father's birthday. We didn't complain about that one. Yum!
Thanks Aunt Jodi and Uncle Gage. He still having lots of fun with these.
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, i thought you'd enjoy seeing his expression when he opened this present.
And we had a little party in the park later in the week with all his buddies.
This is what Ruby thought of all the festivities.
Just chillin' with her toes.
Here's a zonkered boy after all the fun. What a handsome little man. He's growing up so fast. I'm sure glad he tells me he doesn't ever want to leave and will live with us forever. But I have a feeling someday he's going to change his mind.
The posers
Cheesy grin. This looks a lot like another little boys picture I saw recently. A little Jesse.

Ruby Dooby

2011-01-08T14:29:00.000-08:00

She makes our couch look good
Then their is the birthday princess. Turning 4 was all pink ponies and roses sent from Grandma.
First she celebrated with a family birthday dinner where she ordered up artichokes. One of her favorite dishes.

The little ballerinas

And then Camille had a real tea party with a flying pink horse cake and the whole shebang!
It was decked out in pink and frilles
And Mille enjoyed every minute of it
all the beautiful sweet things to eat...
and drinking a dainty cup of tea...
blowing out candles...
and laughing with her 4 little friends...it doesn't get better than this for a 4 year old.

The advent season

2010-12-22T15:04:00.000-08:00

Light up the houseLight up the tree and celebrate with decorations

We finally got a few shots of the whole Landis clan all together

We did get a little snow this year and are hoping for more.
The rose hip wreath
The camera turns them so serious it's funny. Simeon and Camille look so grown up in their new dress clothes. (thanks grandma)

Little Ballerina's

2010-12-22T14:59:00.000-08:00

They spend their afternoon's dressing up and dancing.

Great winter time activities
The artists at work

Lake Chelan for Thanksgiving

2010-12-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

The beautiful lake all snow covered and surrounded by mountains
Watching Grandpa carve the turkey... yum.
Contemplating his next move.
Simeon always enjoys a good chess game at a coffee shop
This is Ruby's favorite activity
And here is one of Avery's

A trip to the big city

2010-12-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

Magical horsesPlaying on the pier in Seattle

Checking out the sites at Pikes Place market
Ruby doing what she does best....chubby cheeks.

A finished product

2010-11-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

Here is Camille wearing her lovely fall sweater vest that i finally finished for her. It is great for the cooler weather because it just keeps her little torso worm while letting her arms be free to be her active self. And it looks so cheery on her.

The Birthday Girl!

2010-11-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

Avery turns Two!
Fun blowing out the candles

OOooohhhh the frosting
We're having to teach her she's two. If you ask Avery, "how old are you?" She says, "I'm five."

When she opened this present she said, "Buggles" which is her word for bug. And then, "Rina" which is her word for ballerina. So she got it right because it was Ballerina Ladybugs.

Keeping up with Ruby!

2010-11-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

2 Months and growing strong. She is sporting her tropical island flower brought from Hawaii by her Aunt Jodi and Uncle Gage. Thanks you guys, it looks so good on her.
This little beautiful budding flower is full of smiles
Bright eyes, we're still waiting to see what color they are.
The jowls are just edible
Here we have Pippy long stocking, the Purple Unicorn, and a Busheler, all decked out and ready to fill their bags with candy.
Now you see the bag empty, soon you won't.
This was our roadtrip to Seattle, happy travelers. More on this to come.
I just can't get enough of these big brown eyes

And more of Ruby Doobee!
Sisters, side by side. Taking in the last of summer.
Ruby, 1 month.

Fun in the sun at Aunt Sandy's house
Brother smoochies

Ruby 3 weeks

Ruby Tuesday

2010-09-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

More of that lovely little Ruby

2010-09-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

And big sister!
Camille is now the Biggest sister, and growing more into a lovely young lady every day!

Baby Ruby Comfort!

2010-09-01T14:57:00.001-07:00

Beautiful Ruby! So Precious
Just Zonkered
Morning Smoochies!
So Much Love...
So in Love...

With this new little beauty...

Avery is all smoochies for Ruby

A last day at the park!

2010-09-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here we are on a last outing to the Snake River before cooler weather hits and, of course, before the Baby arrives. Little did we know as we were spending the day enjoying ourselves having a barbecue at this beautiful park with good friends, that we would be going home that night to have a baby.

So here's the story: After 4 days past my due date, i was getting antsy to have the baby, and I had always taken castor oil with all of my other kids. So I decided this Sunday afternoon was the day. I took some that afternoon before we packed up and headed out to the River to pick blackberries and enjoy the end of summer days. It was a great day, and headed home that evening around 5:30. By that time I just figured I wouldn't be having the baby because nothing was happening. But then on the drive home I started to think something was gradually coming on. We got home and I was still doubtful it was real labor, but we got prepared just in case. Got the kids all cleaned up and off to bed, and I still thought I wasn't going to progress, but I called my midwife to tell her just in case and let her know i was going to bed, but she might get a call in the middle of the night if anything came of it. Well at 9:30 I thought now this is the real thing and I called her back to come over and we started filling up the pool with hot water. The only thing I can complain about is that i didn't even get to climb in and use that great pool because at 9:54 I could feel the baby's head and our midwife ran in just in time to help catch her and I was holding baby Ruby in my arms. Wow, what a delivery. So Ruby made her debut in all her beautiful Glory on August 29th just before 10:00pm. Thanks be to God!

Here is our Human Cannonball and the Girl on the Flying trapeze dressed up in their costumes for a fun Circus Birthday Party.
Simeon's First day back in School. Here is his kindergarten class
He's raring to go!
And looking quite dapper!
Another last of summer!
A day at the pond fishing. This was the best face of the day. Unfortunately we forgot the worms, so they didn't catch any fish that day. But who needs fish? Not Mille.

Simeon got a brand new man pole.

Where were you when God was handing out, "I can'ts?"

2010-07-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

According to my husband, I was apparently out playing or busy doing something else when God was handing out the words, "I can't" to everyone's vocabulary. This made me laugh out loud. At first I thought Jess was telling me a joke about this and then I realized he was talking about me, his 8 month pregnant wife working away trying to completely refinish our backporch room before baby comes. This is just part of what has been filling my days and weeks, and I'm determined to get it all done with plenty of time to spare. Let's hope my optimism is correct. I just had to share this funny story because it became the great joke of the week at our house, when then just the other night Jess comes home from work to find me working on putting up this neat rain chain we got for our gutter. As I'm talking away telling him all about it, his gaze wanders up up up the chain to the roof and gutter where it's hanging and he says, "How did you get that up there?" And I point to a little folding ladder lying on the ground that our painter had been using and how I asked him if I could borrow it. And Jesse says, "like I told you before, you weren't around for the I can't lesson. And you are not allowed up on that ladder again or any ladders right now." The kids come running up to see him, and Jess tells the kids not to let mama on any ladders, she's not allowed. Fortunately I was able to put his mind at ease and tell him how I didn't end up actually climbing up it myself, because our painter guy must have thought the same thing. When I asked to borrow his ladder, he said, "sure," but took one look at me and grabbed the ladder himself and asked me where I wanted it and then proceeded to climb up himself and not let me near it. So I must actually look pregnant at this point, because I keep having people telling me, "no," which i'm not used to.

Little Hams

2010-07-28T21:53:00.000-07:00

These are the greatest cheesiest grins. Cheese and Ham: that sums them up perfectly. If you look closely you can see the subtle red hair coming in on Avery. Yes, it's true, her little fuzz top may just be inherited from Grandpa Bruce yet. We're hoping it'll keep growing in red. So far, it is much more blond than her brother or sister ever were. She shines in front of a camera doesn't she? When I pull it out, I always hear a resounding cheeeeeeese from her little face.
Where as Mille is finally starting to not notice me snapping away as much and I've been able to capture her in some beautiful moments. She looks lighter than air, floating on the breeze. That would be a great way to describe our beautiful Mille. She sort of flutters about in her play, so soft on her feet, and can't wait to start ballet in the fall.
But she also loves to climb and jump from high places. While she was climbing away in the lilac bushes I was able to get some great pictures of her.

Happy 4th of July!!!

2010-07-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

We had to start the day off right with some breakfast donuts in the sunroom.Then there was the big barbecue bash. Avery was glad to be able to have all the food within her reach.
Millie with her big brown eyes, sporting her star shirt that she made.
All the kids enjoyed wearing their fun star shirts, and they looked very festive.
Avery was getting ready to try her hand at hitting the pinata.
And then she was up to bat.
They all took turns swinging...
...and soon they were scrambling for the candy.
Avery with her stash.
Good times with whipped frosting, strawberries, and jell-0.
Yumm!
Watching some fireworks on the sidewalk.
The big squeeze.
Looking Good!
Little ham!
And the latest adventure before was the big camping trip up to Priest Lake.
What fun the campfire was with smores.
Smores, smores, and more smores.
It was some beautiful country up in Northern Idaho, only about 30 minutes from the Canadian border.
Fun swimming with father in the lake.
And of course, they couldn't get enough sand.
And water...
and the beauty all around us...
...lots of great memories...
...and sandy meals....
the lake was crystal clear with a sandy beach.
we couldn't have asked for a better camp spot
..and the sunsets were so fun...
Laughter...
...and smiles...
...and campfires...
what a view...
taking a dip in the evening
lip smacking good time
gathering wood for the fire

And the vote was unanimous... that Landis' love camping and can't wait to go again.
Here's one of her best parts.

Some long time coming pictures of the Landis clan!

2010-06-23T06:43:00.000-07:00

Looking Lovely
Collecting worms for bait on the Tucannon River where we went camping near the Blue Mts.
We hunted down worms on the river for Simeon to fish with and he caught his first trout.
Playing on the train
Miss Serious
He still enjoys climbing on all the trains
The great summer past time
Killer Lips
Living Large
Millie has some big boots to fill
She wears them well
Don't mess with the best
The mud lover
Soaking in the magic of the world all around us
Marveling at one of God's tiny creations

A Girls day out!

2010-03-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

Camille and I got to make a special outing to Coeur d'Alene for some shopping and lunch by the lake.Mille enjoyed running all over the park and lake front.
The weather has been so warm here, the next day we all went for a hike.
Simeon and Camille worked hard making the entire 3.5 mile trek on the trail.
And they liked running ahead and popping out from behind trees at us.
Here it is...Finally... a before and after shot of the bathroom. Here was just the beginning of the tile.
And here is the finished product. The tile turned out beautiful.

And here is our newly painted bedroom. I figured you didn't need a before shot because a description was enough...it used to be pink. Now it is D'Ajour Pear with a tree and birds. The kids bedroom is almost done and i will post it soon.

Butternut Squash Raviolis!

2010-03-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

These were so fun to make, I had to take a picture. The recipe for pasta just said to dump it right on your counter top. What fun and so delicious.
Here's the littlest Landis hard at work on the remodel.
She loves to get into all the tools, and make off with little pieces in her mouth.
Here are the finished colors in our bedroom.
Avery thought the steel brush might work nice on her short hair do.
The big 5 year old birthday.
Simeon started his day off right with blueberry waffles topped with whipped cream.
Everyone enjoyed the birthday fun with him.
Then we had the infamous moose birthday party.
All smiles! These boys had so much fun together.
Jesse led them in a lot of games...
though their favorite was always tackling him.
Then we cut into some chocolate moose cake.
And Simeon ended his party making a wish and blowing out his candles. Thanks everyone for making his 5th birthday so special.

A few snow days to hold onto!

2010-01-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

Here is the snow bunny of the year. With snow being so few and far between this year, this was Avery's first real time to get bundled up and go out in it on her own. She was delighted and wanted to eat it all up.
And brother and sister hard at work with their snow brick molds trying to make an igloo.

Christmas Memories to Remember

2010-01-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

Enjoying reading time with Grampy. We spent some very relaxing days out in Wimer with Grampy and Grammy in their beautiful home in the woods. Avery and Simeon sharing in the season of giving.
All the twinkle lights had Avery mesmerized
Grammy and Simeon working on the puzzle they gave him.
Over all I must say, Avery stole the show. These next few pictures capture it well.

It's always Avery hamming it up with the huge grin from just the simplest thing as the sound of ripping paper. Gotta love it.

It was great to see both the Great Grandma's together on Christmas day. Grandma Brown
...and Great Grandma Schwagerl.
Lots of cousin Fun! In their new matching coats.
Pilo O' Cousins.
And here is with the 7th one included.
Thank- you all to such a wonderful time full of Joy, Love, and Laughter. We love you!

ChildLike Wonder

2009-12-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a little pre-Christmas present opening party before we flew to Oregon.
Millie enjoyed putting on her new pretty lip gloss.

And the Christmas cookie decorating was a big hit.
Frost those cookies!

A week earlier we got to make a trip into the big city of Spokane, and of course, hit up the carousel. We just can't go there without going for a ride on the musical horses.

Even Avery enjoyed the ride and oohed and ahhed at it all.
Here she is getting some practice with father.
Our little man! So handsome. Growing up so fast.
And the Landis girls with their big brown eyes.

Tis The Season....for those delectible chubby hands to see if she can get some of those for herself.

2009-11-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

And for the Lips of the century. This little one has been charming us with her smoochable lips and delightful antics.
Meet the Lips!
The Brown Eyed Beauties...

Here is the landscape at the cabin we went to for the Jesse Avery Birthday getaway.
Out for a little walk on the docks.
The Birthday Boy and Girl looking Goooood!

The Cake!
It wouldn't be the ultimate birthday weekend without carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.
Ready to dig in. Yum!

Here's the latest!

2009-10-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Avery is going to turn 1 in just a couple weeks, and is looking more like a toddler than a baby these days. She's enjoying getting around and tasting everything she can pop in her mouth before I stop her. Here she is munching away on something.
It is definitely very fall around here. The weather is turning crisp, and here is Simeon on a day out climbing on the farm equipment you can find everywhere you look around here.
Avery, getting into her book. This is one of her favorite spots, perched up on a chair. It would be a table if we let her.
Looking Lovely!

And our little ballerina. As serious as ever. She can't wait to start classes. Until then, she enjoys making it up herself.
And she still keeps up with her big brother.

The little goofball

And the big brother, Just cool, calm, and collected, and letting you know who's boss. He is such a little charmer lately, and loves to take his mama out to coffee.
At the end of summer, one cannot resist making that perfectly tart yet sweet, mouth watering strawberry rhubarb pie. And here is the proof that my wonderful husband was right. He just kept telling me I should enter my pie in the fair. And I kept shrugging it off. Until this year I finally did, for him, and low and behold it won Best in it's class. It took the prize, just like he said it would, and he enjoyed getting to eat a whole lineup of practice pies I had made earlier in the week.

Mille enjoyed this little morsel of mouth watering goodness out in the last rays of summer with her shades on.

Trying to capture these three together is quite a task. They are always doing their own cute little thing.
Who can resist those oh so squeezable cheeks?
And here is the last camping trip of the summer. We sent it out with a bang, spending as much time as possible digging in the sand, swimming, and walking along the beach.

The First Day of School!

2009-09-01T22:13:00.000-07:00

Simeon started Pre-School today at Logos School and seems more and more ready every day. It especially made him look all grown up in his fancy school dress uniform. He seems like he is older than just his young 4 years of age. Maybe that's because he's been asking if he can drive the car lately.
Oh the years of wonderment and excitement. My little man growing up so fast!
Still that fun loving little boy...
Looking so handsome....
Yet so full of mischief...
And so ready to take on the world! Go get 'em Simeon and may you live up to your name at Logos (The Word) and be a "hearer of God".

Cousins Cousins Cousins

2009-08-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

The River, Sunshine, and Good Friends!

2009-06-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

What more could two boys want? Here's Henry and Simeon having a great time at the beach.
Mille is a girl on a mission to build and take dominion over her little sand pile
This one is for you Colson. Mille is striking the pose right here and saying, "Iii'm carryin' myyy bike!" The saying finally went with the action.
Training wheels be gone! Jesse is really practicing his paces trying to keep up with this boy. Simeon did pretty good for his first try without the crutches, but it'll take a few more confidence sessions.
Mille was trying to keep up as well

Getting ready for the Adventure!
Simeon and Avery
They look so much alike, and Simeon has a special place in his heart for this little dumpling.
Beware, Avery has turned into quite the paper munching Bombat. If there's a scrap of paper around, she will find it and quite quickly make it disappear. I have to warn the mailman.
Here was quite the quaint little afternoon tea party. Thank-You Great Grandma Brown for this wonderful tea set. The children have enjoyed it so much. Simeon asks me quite regularly if we can have tea.

Charge!

2009-06-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

I see water, let me at it, here I come and there is no stopping me now!We found a great place on the Snake river with sand dunes that led right down to the water.
Hours of fun!

The Outlaws

2009-06-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't think these two look all that fierce, but here at Simeon's final tumbling class they are wanted for having too much fun!

Sim really enjoyed using all the apparatuses in his class and Mille can hardly wait to be big enough to join next year.

Mud monkeys!

2009-06-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

This was so great, I had to post pictures of it. I heard spontaneous shrieking and came outside to find Simeon and Camille running wild with laughter covered in mud. There is really absolutely no combination they like better right now than dirt and water. Look at all the great things you can create with it. They had a great time getting clean as well since it involved running naked through the sprinkler. Do you even recognize Mille?
From mud to a little bathing beauty. Now that the weather is warm, water is the best ways to pass our days.
Simeon with his new love, Airplanes.
Even Avery is showing herself to be in this water loving family. She's splashing with the rest of them and loving every minute of it.

Tea for Two!

2009-06-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

We have this great coffee shop here in our town that serves up a special tea party just for the kiddos. Simeon and Camille love it!
Here was a whole week of Birthday celebration for Mama! Thanks so much Simeon! He is one of my little flower providers and loves to bring me home flowers and taking me out to the flower farm to pick them. We got to go on a special outing, just Simeon and I, to the flower farm.
Jesse took the day off on my birthday and we all drove to Courd'Lene. It was a fun day!

The Absolute Ultimate Reserection Day Present!

2009-04-14T16:51:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to receive a composter and beautiful orange bucket for Easter. And I'll tell you why I think it is the greatest gift ever. It is the perfect symbol of what we're celebrating. New Life! You put in the old, the waste, the dead, and out comes rich, healthy soil that grows new plants full of fruit from which we eat. What a great way to remember what Christ has done for us (even every time I work in my yard).

And here is what Avery thinks about her basket...oh such flavor.

The chicken race
Simeon got a basket made for the yard also, just in the form of a dump truck. Here he is with all his favorite things to celebrate how blessed we are by the life we have in Christ!
Camille enjoyed her much softer presents. Ask her what her horses name is next time you see her.

The Hunt is On!

2009-04-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Simeon is planning his strategy

Imprinting God's creation onto the Easter Egg

2009-04-14T16:32:00.000-07:00

The Celebration....He is Risen!

Millie asked father if when she got big, she could wear one too?
Ahh, the beautiful bright colors of spring. So Alive!

Everything Tastes Better if You Share It!

2009-04-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

This is a great motto that Simeon and Camille enjoy living by
Fun Treasures
Yes, we live in Silo country
The Spring walk

A day at the Farm

2009-04-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

We were hoping for less snow, but at least there was sunshine! Simeon and Camille enjoyed the 3 day old baby goats, so cute. And the horses were a big hit, but the favorite was the donkey, Jezebel. Unfortunately the horses wouldn't let her get close enough to the fence for the kids to pet her, but they threw her carrots from a distance.Even Avery said "hi" to the goats. This goat thought Avery looked like a tasty morsel.

Helping sister through the deep snow.

More of that white stuff

2009-03-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

I must admit, I've started to miss the spring season. We just don't seem to quite get it here. Just as everything starts to pop up or bud out it snows again. This isn't so accommodating for early gardens, but I'm trying my hand at starting everything inside this year. Due to the lingering cold weather, we spend a lot of days drawing and working at the table. Thankfully, Simeon has picked this up with a vengeance. He would spend hours at it if I let him and some days he does, so he's getting really good at writing.
Still the all time favorite past time. Holding the baby sister.

I sent Simeon in to get dressed by himself today and he came out wearing this. I thought it was picture worthy. Especially when I found him in the bathroom brushing his hair, and then he asked me, "Do I look handsome mom?" "Veeeery handsome my little man."
On that note I need to share some of the latest quotes by Simeon Landis. He just says the greatest things.
We finally found a young gal to watch our children once in a while for us to go out. Anyway, we came home the other night and she was saying by to the kids. Simeon says, "I love you and next time you come I'll give you a box.. or something." This made me laugh.
Another great one was when we were watching a movie the other night and Simeon was watching with us. I had the clicker in case I needed to censor anything, and sure enough there was a little kissing scene. Without realizing it I quietly said, "uh oh" and then fast forwarded through it. Then I asked Simeon a little bit about it and told him what was going on. To my amusement, a while later there was another scene where kissing began and Simeon turned to me and said, "Is it an uh-oh mama?"
Maybe one had to be there for it to be funny, but Simeon makes me laugh out loud.

Scrumptious!

2009-03-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

Delectable...Little Morsel....
Of Avery Goodness...
Need I...
Say More?

Too Cute for words!

2009-03-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

The girls posing together and looking so lovely
Avery is showing off one of her best feautures
She's flashing the tubbers

More Sisterly Lovin'

2009-03-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Winter is still hanging on in our neck of the woods
All hopes of seed planting have come to a halt

The Dragon Slayer Cake

2009-02-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

Trains, Dragons, Slayers, and Waterfalls.... such are the requests of our 4 year old's vivid imagination. This cake was a fun hit at the party. The party crew!
We had Simeon's birthday party at the bowling alley. They really got into their game.

Good Morning!

2009-02-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

WAKING UP
The best part of waking up
is with three kids in my bed.
As long as they're not climbing on my head,
and even though I really feel sort of dead,
at least I'm still in bed.
But so much for sleeping.Simeon turned four during the week of our trip to vacation at Eagle Crest. It was great because he thought the whole trip was just for his birthday. Here he is modeling his new birthday shirt that he just opened from Grammy and Grampy.

The great minds at work.
Simeon's been trying his hand at chess and Grandpa was helping him practice and work on remembering how all the pieces move.

The Haircut!

2009-01-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

It was getting so long, we could spike it. So it had to go. Here's the new shorter version.
The view outside our bedroom window. Plump robins with their downy feathered bellies looking for food in the still falling snow.

Look Who's Two!

2009-01-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

Or should I say, look who's not looking? Yes, It's Camille being camera shy. But not for long.
Here is Camille sitting proud with her farm cake. When I asked her what she wanted to have on her cake she said, "kitties, and horsies, and doggies, and pigs, and cows." So it turned into Little Millie had a farm, ee ii ee ii o.
Here sit the cake decorators. They helped put on the candy rocks and animals and the barn doors.
Camille couldn't wait to take a bite out of her barn.
I asked her how old she was and this was her response. She's trying to figure out which of those fingers make two.

Bringing the Bloom Indoors!

2009-01-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

With winter holding on around here, it's been refreshing to have these big beautiful amaryllis' in bloom.
Simeon looking out the window and dreaming of the coming spring. He's enjoyed the snow season, but it's not uncommon to hear him say "I want to see the grass."
Here are the boys shoveling a path for us to walk through our latest snowfall.

A little warrior in the making!

2009-01-05T11:03:00.000-08:00

Simeon's favorite fighting foe is, of course, his father. But he pretends he's fighting a giant or dragon and saving the princess Millie. Thanks Uncle Gage and Aunt Jodi for the fun armor!

Ice-Skating and lots of snow keeps the kids busy and active

A MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-01-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Three bright shiny faces on Christmas morning were so beautiful to behold and reminded us of all we have to be thankful for, especially the birth of our Lord who gave us everything. Every good and perfect gift comes from up above.
Simeon was so thankful for the gift of trains as well
And we were thankful for family and hugs

Our little Snow Bunny!

2008-12-22T16:19:00.000-08:00

The snow finally began falling around here and the kids couldn't wait to get all bundled up and get out in it.
The taste of snowflakes on your tongue is so much fun
We've enjoyed going for many walks in the snow now, it just kept on coming. Everything is so beautiful covered with white, but what I enjoy the most about the snow is the sound of it. Everything is so peaceful and serene. As we walk down the street and around town, it's as if a hush has fallen over everything. The world takes on a magical softness that only comes from the beautiful frozen white crystals that cover the trees, houses, streets, and cars.
Simeon liked to pull the sled, as well as ride in it. He's using his tongue here for some extra oomph.

A New Skill

2008-12-22T16:11:00.000-08:00

Anyone who's had a three year old boy, or spent any amount of time with one, knows the true meaning of the word "Energy." Well, winter hits around here and everyone gets confined to the indoors for the mud season and then even for some of the snow season because it's so cold to go outside. So as the mother of two energetic toddlers, i'm always looking for those activities that will give them a good work out and give them some direction to pour that energy into. I was so excited to come across ice-skating for Simeon. He started out not even being able to stand up on his skates without the help of the skater brace. By the second time, he was venturing out on his own and taking some laps all by himself. He loves it and I found the gold star winter activity. He might be ready to start on the pee wee ice-hockey team next year.Camille tried it out too, but wasn't quite as exuberant about it as Simeon.

A rare occasion... eating in the living room.

2008-12-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

After we finished decorating our Christmas Tree, we had to eat dinner that night in the living room and enjoy it's beauty. So we moved the kids table in there so they could join us in the feasting and the celebration of the coming King. Every time I ask Simeon, "What's coming?" he says "King Jesus!" So here they are toasting to the celebration of Baby Jesus.

The Little Logger!

2008-12-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Simeon has the saw and is raring to go. He helped Jesse cut our Christmas tree down and then he was showing his sister a thing or two.

Simeon loved decorating the tree with all the ornaments.

The Big Brother and Big Sister

2008-12-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

Building tracks around Avery

2008-12-22T10:04:00.000-08:00

Sweet Moments

She's pure Sugar
Sugar times two

Already out for her first walk

2008-11-13T21:10:00.000-08:00

All bundled up and ready to go. Avery love's sleeping in this sling so much I thought I'd just hang it up for a hammock. It felt good to get out of the house for a little while. Even though when my midwife saw me that day, she said i should not even be dressed or up. I guess I got a little excited.

You just won't be able to get enough of this little beauty.
In all her radiant charm
Big brother is already making her smile.

Introducing Avery Gail Landis!

2008-11-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

Meet the newest member of our family. Born on November 12th at 6:30pm. She weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and is 21 inches long. There was a very blustery wind storm that day and we especially thought her name was fitting because it makes us think of a full wind. And, of course, her middle name is after her Grammy Landis.
Avery was a delight to all. Simeon and Camille have enjoyed getting to know her after all the anticipation of waiting for her to arrive and finally coming out of mama's tummy.

They can't get enough of holding her. Camille is still learning to be gentle, while Simeon is the sweetest little protector of her.
They just adore her and want to do everything for her.
Watching over their new baby sister

The Harvest Party!

2008-10-26T18:25:00.001-07:00

This was a fun time getting both the kids dressed up in costumes for the first time. Simeon hasn't had any interest in dressing up until this party. I told him to go to it he had to wear a costume and all the other kids would be in one. After that he was ready to be a tree. And since we have a little tree and a flower, that's exactly what we dressed them up as. Simeon played the part well and even helped glue the real apples on his branches.

Then there is our little flower. Her petals were a little floppy, but they held up as long as we could keep Camille from pulling her hat off. Isn't she just the cutest little flower.
Simeon was into all the games at the carnival.
And Mille just wanted to run around and eat all the candy. We'd just hear her saying, "ollypop, ollypop."

Apply Goodness!

2008-10-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Since fruit is Camille's all time favorite food, she enjoyed eating apples all day long while we were at the orchard.Taking a stroll and taking in the fall
Yumm!

I couldn't have said it better. Here is our little red delicious.
They enjoyed filling up the bags full of apples

The Harvest is Ripe!

2008-10-26T12:04:00.000-07:00

Blessed be your name! The time is ripe for Harvest, and how Thankful we are for all God's great and bountiful gifts. He is the giver of all good things. And these are Good indeed! It's been a lot of work and energy, but throughout it all we have seen God's Grace and Goodness in it all. And what a day of rest this was to just get to go out to a beautiful apple orchard and enjoy all the sweet fruit and press apple cider. It was such a good reminder of the sweetness and joy of all that God pours out on us.Simeon enjoyed the whole process of making the fresh apple cider.

Crushing all the fruit...
And then squeezing out that delicious juice.

And the House projects continue

2008-10-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

This was an adventurous day for all. Jesse spent the entire day up in the air with the chainsaw, and of course, Simeon wanted to be up there every minute with him. He had to settle for a few rides. A few of Simeon's little buddies all came over for a ride as well, it was every little boys dream machine.

Next project was the bunkbeds. Space is a little tight, so the kids settled for the cupboard.
They seem to fit nicely.

Simeon is sharing is love of letters with Mille.

2008-10-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just having a little together time with the alphabet on the computer.Camille thought this was the greatest hat ever.

I don't know how warm it would really keep her head this winter, but it would sure keep it dry.

The whole family

2008-09-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is such a rare occasion that I had to throw this picture in here. We finally got a shot of us all together. So here we are on the Palouse creek bridge after taking a walk at dusk in Pullman. Thanks parents for snapping the shot so I could be in it.And our latest great buy. For all of you who didn't know, we finally bought a house. After an entire year of looking. It's a really fun old house that needs A LOT of work, but that's our kind of home. First we had to clear the jungle in the backyard. And then we started in on some scrubbing and fresh paint in all the rooms. The kitchen cubbards have a couple layers of old vinyl and shelf covering with paint on top of that. Yuk.
The color of the house itself is actually peachy pink, if you can't tell from the pictures. Yes, that will have to go, as much as I like pink and all. We're only doing the basics this year of some scrubbing and new paint so we can get moved in here in the next few weeks and then we'll do some more major remodeling next summer.
Here's Camille doing her part at the new house....getting dirty.
Besides the big house project, I have also been busy doing some crafty goodness. You can see all my latest bags at sugarline.blogspot.com. If you know anyone wanting a unique handbag, send them my way.

Stop in the name of the sandy hand

2008-08-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

Camille was showing us how dirty she could get, and at least this time it was on the hand and not in the mouth.I am Simeon, Hear me roar
Camille and Simeon were just so happy not to be driving in the car anymore and played on the beach the whole day.
Jesse got to do some fly fishing, and it was beautiful to watch. He caught a Cutthroat, but had to release it and the Brook trout didn't like our bait.
Heading back to camp after exploring some of the other beaches around.

Another vacation with the Landis'

2008-08-29T20:44:00.000-07:00

The North Fork of the Clearwater RiverWe headed out expecting to arrive at our camp spot within 31/2 hours. 8 hours later we pulled into Aquarius campground and set up camp in the pouring rain. Griswalds eat your heart out. If we weren't laughing about it most of the long brutal drive, we would have resorted to crying. But it was so unimaginable we had to laugh, mostly to keep our sanity. It all started with a flat tire on our tent trailer, which led to us noticing to almost flat tire on our car. So we had a long pit stop to get those fixed. And then couldn't find where we were actually going on our map and had to backtrack quite a ways. And then between Simeon groaning and moaning in the back of the car about every possible aching symptom you get from traveling, we finally found our destination many hours later. However, the next day proved to be all worth it. The sun came out and we were in a little paradise. The crystal clear green water and long sandy beaches made it all worth it. It was very lush forest and many creeks were flowing into the river as well, and all of them were loaded with fish. So we all played and relaxed and ate and enjoyed this day to the fullest.
Running free!

We will definitely put this on our list of annual camping trips.

A river boat trip on Lake Cour d'alene up the St. Joe River.

2008-08-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Camille and Simeon just enjoyed watching the water float by as we meandered up the river.
Then we took off for a three day camping trip on the North Fork of the Clear Water River
It was a wild adventure with a lot more than we had reckoned for.
But the beauty surpassed all.

The only way to stay cool in 110 degree weather

2008-08-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

We spent the day on the Clearwater River
So refreshing
And here, Camille enjoys the fun water slide that is just her size.
Drying off....such serious business

The Master Mind

2008-08-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

The quote of the week by Mr. Simeon Landis. We were driving home from some friends that live way out in the country, Simeon was sitting in the backseat in his underwear at 10 o'clock at night and says, "Before we go to bed, we need to eat pizza, would that be fun?"Yes, this face can truly be transformed
On this hot summer day, the kids were enjoying the cool ice necklaces I made them.
Cool in the mouth and Cool on the body.
Such fun!

Just Enjoying The Good Life!

2008-08-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

These little peach morsels were a wonderful treat for everyone. I just love the peach season. The smell of warm baked peaches inside buttery crust was tantalizing . We ate these for breakfast and lunch and dinner. Yum!Togetherness! Something so Grand, so much bigger than ourselves.
Jesse and I were just enjoying the afternoon sun and being together while laughing at our children.
Little hot racer will bring a smile to anyone's face anytime.
And then there's double trouble. We get double the fun and double the laughs with these two.

Camping on the Beautiful St. Joe River

2008-08-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is one of those mountain rivers you dream about. Well, I dream about it anyway. It was everything we could have imagined and more. Crystal clear cold water running over smoothly polished rocks. It cut through the mountain valleys lined with evergreens and tamaracks. The constant rushing sound lulled us to sleep at night, and I think helped the kids sleep better all together. We had to watch this one, she would get right in there if she got the chance.

She settled for watching rocks splash into the water instead of herself.

Crossing the catwalk

2008-08-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

Simeon was nervous at first, but he really wanted to walk across this fallen log. With Jesse's help he inched his way out and overcame his fear.This fallen log is across Eagle creek which flowed into the St. Joe
We went for a hike to gather firewood, and even the littlest Landis did her part
More fun on the water
Millie wanted in the boat every chance she got. She would beg us to put her life jacket on and tried to climb in. She didn't get to go down the river yet, but awaits her day.

The Great St. Joe River

2008-08-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Jesse and Simeon are standing up river fishing. They are the small speck on the left.Endless rocks and water
Our rock eater finally had her fill
Simeon got to go on his first real rafting trip and try his hand at fishing
What an adventure

THE BEFORE.......AND AFTER

2008-08-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

The Before.
There is a funny story with this little helper in our trailer while we were working on it. Simeon loved to be out there with me every minute, scrubbing and spraying and working on all the parts. And while Jesse was re-wiring the hookup to our van Simeon was his little go for. Simeon came running up to the house and asked me for the ironing diant for Father because he needed it. So I repeated, "ironing diant, what's that?" And Simeon said, "yea, that's it mom, what you said, the ironing diant." This already got me laughing, I knew Simeon was trying so sincerely to relay a message to me, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. So I sent Simeon out with the cell phone to have Jesse call me and I asked him what it was he needed. He said, "the wiring diagram." Oh, the wiring diagram. And Simeon said, "yea mom that's what I said the ironing diant." So he helped Jesse with the wiring.
And here it is finally finished, so we took it out for it's first trial run.
It was such a luxury to the kids, it was almost not even real camping.

Rolling around in comfort.

Here it is, by popular demand, Baby shots!

2008-07-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

So I finally handed the camera over, since i'm usually taking all the pictures, no one gets to see me. Here's me patting baby, and Camille trying to pat her baby.Simeon loves to give his little baby kisses all the time. He'll run up and smash his face to my tummy and say, "Hi baby!"
More belly shots.
And lots of smoochies for baby!
Here is my latest restoration project. This has been my most exciting find ever. It's an oldy but a goody. I had been watching for tent trailers for a while only to find there was nothing in our price range, or even close, until this one came along. They were asking $50 and said it needed a little work. Well, let me tell you, when we got there, i sighed and said, oh, that's not just a little work. It needed a complete overhaul. But if they were willing to give it to us for cheap, we'd take it. So for $10 Simeon is proudly showing off his new home for camping out. I can't wait to get it finished and take it for it's first adventure. I've been sewing and scrubbing for days. The entire tent canvas needed restitching and i'm reupholstering all the seats, new curtains, and eventually i'm going to put in a new floor and paint. I'll show you the finished project, hopefully in another week or so. It's a Fun one!

More fun in the river

2008-07-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Abby and her two children, Eliot and Lux, came with us to the river. Simeon and Eliot had a great time trying to catch fish and swim like them too.
Ice-cream stop on the way home. Camille, Eliot, Simoen, and Luxy.
The next week we journeyed into Spokane for Jesse to take his electrical administrator's test, so I took the kids to the waterfront where they have endless children's activities. Simeon flew a plane and they both went for a train ride. Simeon was loving it, while Camille doesn't look so sure.

The North Fork of the Potlatch River

2008-07-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

More fun times at the river
Rocks, Water, and Sun
These two just can't get enough of this
Simeon was trying a little body floating down the river

Feeding the ducks

2008-07-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Simeon thinks if it's good enough for the ducks, it's good enough for him.
Millie squeaks at them, trying to make the sound that they do.

The first campout of the season!

2008-07-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

And it all started with the traditional dough boys around the campfire. Simeon is roasting his to perfection before he fills it with honey and enjoys the savory treat. You won't find a Landis campout without dough boys. We arrived the evening before Independence day and set up our camp in the last camp spot left available. We were very glad we got a spot so as not to have to drive on for another hour or so. It is a beautiful campground located right next the the Palouse river. It was quiet and secluded except for the mosquitos. But we survived them and it was well worth it.
Simeon and Camille loved tent camping and all the wrestling on the huge bed that went with it.

We came, we conquered, and we smelled the flowers. This is just the beginning of a lot more camping for us this summer.

Beautiful Idaho

2008-07-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

There were some great trails to hike all around where we were campingThe forest had some trees growing that you usually only see on the coast, so they must be here from all the rain and snowfall it gets through the winter.
Of course every trail always led back to water.
And it was a good thing, because there was really no other place the kids liked to be better then at the water. Simeon is getting to be quite the swimmer with his new goggles.
He outswims all of us.

Bring on the Water!

2008-07-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Bring on the Sand!
Mama's little babies love water and sand
One of the highlights of our trip was when I took Simeon in the boat for a float trip down the river. It was his first time actually floating down one. Overall he loved it even though he would ask periodically if the boat was going to tip over. I had to assure him that in this water there wasn't a chance. They enjoyed just paddling around at the swimming hole as well.
Simeon would sit pretty snugly down in the raft, but i had to keep pulling Camille back down, she would have jumped right over the side if I let her.

The Best part of camping is the Water and the Beach

2008-07-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

We spent many hours just playing at the water. The fun and creativity that go on at a giant sandbox and all the water they could want is so great to watch. Simeon and Camille would have never tired of playing here.

Little hippie girl, soaking up some sun in her birthday suit and splashing in the water without a care in the world.