Silly Hikers

We went on a hike, and Mary and David decided to stop and ask me to take a picture of them on every stump they could find.

NYE Party

We went back to Visalia for our traditional NYE party. The kids and I painted Christmas ornaments before things got started.

We had a puzzle, dancing games, video games, and snacks, and lots of fun was had by all.

 In the morning, we had time for breakfast and snuggles before hitting the road.

Gethsemane

The kids and I enjoy lots of walks. Yesterday we hiked the Gethsemane Trail.

Chandler Christmas

We headed to Dad and Mom's house Christmas Eve. That evening we went to the service at FPC, and it was great to see everyone there again.

Dad and the kids had fun with the train Christmas morning.

We had a nice time celebrating with everyone, finishing things off with a delicious Christmas dinner and pecan pie.

Christmas

Christmas Eve we celebrated as a family.

Joshua read the Christmas story, then we opened presents.

Kerr Christmas

Dave, Gayle, Joy, Solace, and Amari came up to celebrate Christmas. Friday morning the kids enjoyed reading together.

We spent the day enjoying time together around the house and opening gifts after lunch.

We walked over to the back deck after dinner for a little foosball and ping pong.

Saturday morning we had a delicious pancake breakfast complete with the long-awaited vanilla steamers. The kids watched intently as Joy made them.

First Rain

We were excited for the first rain of the season. The kids didn't waste any time going outside to play.

We bundled up for a rainy day hike.

Mary and David loved stomping through the puddles in their rain boots.

 

We found and cut our own little Christmas tree. We decided to put it on the table so it would mostly be out of Hannah's reach.

We decorated the tree on Sunday and the kids loved putting on the ornaments.

Late Fall Days

We started settling into our new home and quickly took advantage of the beautiful surroundings by going on walks almost every day.

I tried a new cookie recipe for molasses spice cookies to celebrate Joshua's first day at his new job as program director.

We picked and ate a bunch of apples.

 Hannah found a new favorite spot to hang out.

The Move

Joshua accepted a position as the program director at Calvin Crest, which meant moving to camp. The kids were so excited when we told them the news. After much packing, we took a big trip up to our new home at camp, which is called the Green House because it's painted green. Everyone pitched in the Saturday before Thanksgiving and we moved a bunch of stuff up.

We had to take the bookshelves through the window to get them in the room we wanted, but once they were in, they fit great. There was a bit of a hiccup when a bunch of stuff in one of the trailers got wet in the rain, so we had to open most of the boxes of books. Thankfully, most of the things inside the boxes were dry and there was almost no damage done.

After unloading, Dad and Mom and the Trevino kids found and cut Christmas trees.

It was a productive but exhausting day, and I was thankful to sit down at the end with a cup of tea and a slice of pie.

Joshua's last day of work was the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and we moved on Thursday. We had a lot of good help again and were able to start unpacking some boxes.

We all slept cozily our first night in our new house.