Willow Tree Artwork: Our Gift

I absolutely love Willow Tree products! They are so simple and full of silent expression. I love how each piece reflects so simply and beautifully different stages of life and the relationships we create. So inspiring! This morning I decided to use one of my Willow Tree figurines titled "Our Gift" to create some artwork. Here's the finish product:

Back to School

Scott is now in Junior High! Hooray for Scott! He has mixed feelings about returning to school. I think he would rather stay home and play video games all day, but he's also looking forward to attending his art class and science class this semester. I can't believe he's almost 13 years old!

Emma is starting 4th grade this year. She was very excited to return to school after the long summer break! She was craving the routine again, and couldn't wait to keep busy and accomplish new things. She's very much like her father in that respect. She loves her new teacher and she's excited to be in a new class.

My Husband

Just to state the obvious, my husband is wonderful.

I love how brave and courageous he is.
How noble, heroic, and responsible he is.
He's gentle and sweet, smart, and fun.
He's wonderful... Just wonderful.
I feel very blessed to be married to him.

My husband needs extra prayers at the current time. He has been under a lot of stress lately and his stress-o-meter is nearly full. Even though I know he'll endure it all no matter what, please pray for him to get through this. He needs it. I admire him so much for his strength. He takes his job as a parent, provider, husband, and protector very seriously. He truly does know what's best for his children. He will never give up fighting for their welfare, even when the battle is unfair and never-ending, he'll still persevere. I love and admire him so much.

Finding the Fun

In every job that must be done
There is an element of fun.
You find the fun and SNAP!
The job's a game.
~Mary Poppins

Visiting Family in Oregon

Every year we try to attend our annual Whitcomb Family Camp. This year we stayed with my Aunt Cindy at her house in Wilsonville from July 31st until August 5th. We went to see Multnomah Falls, Powell's Bookstore, the Lego Store, the Portland Temple, Cannon Beach, and we played soccer. My aunt Laurie adopted a baby boy nicknamed Binny in late January, and we were excited to finally meet him. He's such a darling! Lizzy and Binny are only about 7 months apart in age. They were definitely the highlight of Camp this year.

Here are some snapshots of our vacation:

Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is located just east of Portland, Oregon, just off of I-84 in the Columbia River Gorge. We've been to Oregon many times before, but this was the first time we've been to see this gorgeous waterfall. It's the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States, and it's absolutely breathtaking to see.







Emma was afraid to hike up to the bridge at first. I asked her why she was afraid. "Because I'm afraid of heights!" she proclaimed dramatically, as if she thought everybody in the world should know already. I rolled my eyes to myself, and refused to buy into that excuse. I told her she was going to hike up to the bridge, and if she truly was afraid when we got up there, she could hold one of our hands. Needless to say, her fear of heights was all in her head while she was on the ground. She wasn't scared at all when we got up there. And it was a spectacular view!