All posts by KME

A kitten would make everything better!

Hello loyal blog readers! And not so loyal blog readers, just kidding! Ha ha! Oh, this is Rachel by the way. My mom wanted me to write this blog/story. Probably because I really love this certain subject!

It all started one normal afternoon. Rachel E. was sitting on ‘Big Blue’ like a good girl, reading her slightly dull, but historic school book, when she heard a very loud noise.

“Oh my goodness,” she thought to herself. “That sounded like someone dumped a load of wild elephants on our fount porch!” (Rachel has a tendency to exaggerate a little.) Then she heard a small and pitiful meowing that seemed to come from the same area.

sweet little thing

“Well If its meowing I hear, a kitten must be near!”

Actually she thought, “Oh no, something terrible must have happened, I should go investigate!” So Rachel quickly ran outside. As she ran around the corner and down the stairs, a big brown cat slipped under her parents’ car and into the neighbors yard.

“Oh,” thought Rachel. “I wonder if that was the meowing I heard, hmm I’ll check just in case.” So she hurried down the stairs, and knelt in the dirt. There in the blackberry bushes was an adorable, perfect, completely terrified, little kitten. She reached her hand under to rescue the poor thing from its cold, and sharp surroundings, but the little imp clawed and bit her. Rachel decided it would be smarter to have gloves for this sort of rescuing. After rushing to gather the very large gloves, she gently lifted the tiny kitten from the thorns. She then showed it to the rest of her family. Some were just thrilled to see a real live kitten, but some were not as pleased.

Can I pet him?

“Now you may play with the kitten outside, but it does not come in to the house,” said Rachel’s beloved father.

“Yes sir,” Rachel replied but inside, she sighed.

Her mother chimed in, “Aww it’s so cute! Don’t let me get attached to it, or I might want to keep it.”

“And that’s the last thing we want!” Rachel thought. She reminded her mother of how little and sweet it was. :)

Rachel spent the next glorious hour holding her favorite and most sought after animal in the whole world. Then Rachel’s youngest siblings babied and cuddled the darling kitten. But eventually all good things have to come to an end, (Until we get to Heaven! There good things NEVER come to an end!! :) ) But in this story, Rachel’s good thing had to come to an end.

Definitely a baby kitten!

Rachel’s father said, “Okay, now take it back where you found it, so its mother can find it again.” This is a very logical statement, but at the time, Rachel thought she would be a much better mom to that little kitten. After all, the mother just abandoned its child! But Rachel knew she must obey, so sadly she took the kitten back to where she found it, but in a slightly more comfortable place, and went back to her school.

look at those faces!

That is the end of our tale, Rachel has not rescued the kitten again, and she knows that she probably never will. Even though at this very moment she knows where her little friend is. (And one or more of it’s siblings) ;) So, if anyone of you loyal blog readers think that Rachel should be allowed to keep, or at least attend the kittens, please comment!!

buddies in the grass

Thank you,
Rachel

P.S. if you don’t believe that this tale is true, just ask Sarah, she saw it too!

Share or follow

Related posts:

Swim Meet

This warm sunny day found half of our family INSIDE. Tragic, really. Joshua and Rachel had a swim meet this afternoon. Was it at the local outdoor pool? No! The lake? No! There we were in our bathing suits. Okay, we weren’t in our bathing suits (surely it’s not swim suit weather YET) but the kids were. Still, there was water, splashing, lounge chairs (I brought my own) and nary a bottle of sunscreen in sight.

To Swim or Not to Swim
You have to ask yourself, what I’m not sure, but something.

Sigh.

Okay, surely I jest.

David is armed!
David managed to get outside for most of the day.

We had a wonderful afternoon! The children and I set off for points south/west, leaving Tim at home to run errands and work on the car. We picked up Joshua’s team mate and enjoyed the gorgeous sunshine, windows rolled down and music blaring.

Rachel my swimming girl!

You go, girl!
Rachel is a very determined swimmer. She rocks!

Along the way we met up with some friends and dropped off David, Daniel and Sarah. They had a glorious time playing all afternoon with dear friends who moved out into the country several years ago. Thank you, Jennifer, for letting the kids descend upon your home and disrupt your relaxing Saturday.

First stop into town … Starbucks! Whew, nothing like a morning without coffee to whet the appetite for some caffeine. We found the YMCA without any problems. Hooray for GPS technology! I’ll have to work much harder to get lost. Of course, I’m talented that way.

daniel and adam
Daniel and Adam had knives, bows/arrows, and the makings of a fun day.

I managed to secure a front-row spot on the pool deck. Rachel and Joshua each swam in four events. They did great! I’m so proud of them. They are cheerful participants, respectful kids, supportive teammates, and good sports (whether they win or lose). I prayed hard during each of their events that they would swim with strength and endurance.

Joshua goes for it

Swim fast, big guy!

Does the boy ever breathe??
Joshua challenged himself in this meet. Great job, Joshua!!

What a privilege it is to be a mom of these 5 blessings!

On the way home we stopped back through Starbucks.

“Hey, this is just like deja vu,” the barista said to me, “except it’s later in the day.”
“Um, yeah, I’m faithful customer,” I mumbled. Just hand me the coffee, sir, I’ve got a long drive home.

Smiling - swim meet is over!

Ah, we’re smiling easy, now that the meet is over.

More sunshine and mountain views on the way home, this time minus the extra swimmer (parents picked him up), but with the addition of Sarah’s 6 year old buddy (for an unexpected overnight). Everyone was hungry and tired. Signs of a full day?

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts:

AWANA Recap

Last night I loaded the latest pictures onto the computer; 457 of them, taken between the 13th and the 26th of May. Ah, I think I finally have enough fresh shots in my collection to do some blogging. I have quite a bit of catching up to do.

AWANA
Mother’s Day
Parties
New bread recipes
And so on…

But first, let’s look at some highlights from AWANA.

Sparks Gentlemen

Joshua and Timothy were awesome leaders for the 1st and 2nd graders.

Our busy activities are winding down. Homeschool co-op finished several weeks ago. Whew! My Thursday nights are unbelievably stress-free without the teacher prep scramble for co-op. The kids miss seeing their friends every week as do I, but it’s delightful to have a break from the responsibilities and extra work.

Way to go!!

AWANA also ended this month. Last night Tim, Daniel and Joshua went to a “Thank You” dinner for the leaders. Joshua helped all year with the Sparkies and Daniel worked in the games. They have beautiful servant hearts. It’s a joy to see them develop their gifts and minister to others. I’m proud of them!!

Honoring Dan

Daniel was given the Sacred Whistle for his role as Game Assistant.

David and Sarah had a great year in AWANA. They both worked diligently to memorize their verses and complete their books. I’m impressed with their ability to learn God’s Word and hide it in their hearts. I pray that it will be a blessing to them their entire lives.

sarah and the girls

Sarah LOVES Caedie and Jaalah.

One of the sweetest things in parenting is to watch the children develop close friendships with each other (as siblings) and with other families. We have been extraordinarily blessed over the years to have wonderful friends. I do not take it lightly, for granted, or without a significant measure of THANKS as I think of the amazing people God has brought into our lives.

brother and sister

Eli and Emma are some of our bestest friends.

Buddies!

Alex and David ruled the Yellow Team!

I am so grateful for our church and all the faithful servants who give of their time, energy and devotion to the youngest members of the congregation.

Kathy
More to follow soon (I hope).

Share or follow

Related posts:

Where Has the Sunshine Gone?

Seriously, I’m wondering if we’ll have gray clouds for the whole month week. The younger kids and I went to the Space Needle yesterday. It rained the entire drive to Seattle, but then the sun burst forth while we were on the observatory deck of the Space Needle. There is something so delicious about standing in the sunshine! By the time we returned home it was gray and cloudy again. At least we’re consistent.

birthday gift

An awesome birthday gift from Daniel’s favorite cousin.

No, I didn’t take any pictures. Sigh. Completely forgot my camera. I did remember coffee and snacks for the kids, so you can obviously see where my priorities lie these days. Ha!

ice cream pie

An ice cream pie creation by Tim and Daniel for the birthday party.

I think I need some fresh inspiration in my photography. Any ideas? Perhaps a class. I wonder if I could fit that into our crazy schedule. Oh, did I mention that Daniel has recently joined Rachel and Joshua in being a member of the YMCA swim team? Lots of swimming going on in our family. Never a dull moment!

Despite our clouds and cool weather, the garden has begun. We’ll have tomatoes and lettuce this summer!!

the garden begins...

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts:

Sunshine Warped Their Brains

Has Spring finally arrived? Sunshine. Warm weather. Homeschooling out on the yard. Dandelions covering the grass. Allergies for Tim.

eat this little fishie

This goldfish is a goner.

Okay, so not all of the signs of Spring are positive.

Glorious sunshine is one aspect of the season that we all adore. Perhaps in other parts of the US a sunny day in April, with temperatures in the mid to high 70′s, would signal the beginning of summer. I’ve heard of such places.

Not so in western Washington. Pretty much what we can expect is … rain. Oh we have wonderful, beautiful sunny days in the spring and summer, but you’re better off planning on clouds and gray weather.

beach buddies

Sand, beach and buddies, ah life is good.

Every ray of sunshine is an unexpected delight and sends us rushing outside to savor the warmth. Some of us rush a little too far and end up in the water.

suck it in, boys

The Puget Sound is a cold body of water, but there are spots with warm sand.

Yesterday there was a terrible rumor that our warm weather (70′s two days in a row, a near miracle) was coming to an end. I received a desperate email from a friend begging for suggesting an afternoon outing at the beach. Who was I to deny a mom in need of sunshine? We called/texted/emailed around, inviting others to join us. Off we went with chairs, snacks, and bathing suits.

crazy children

Is it just me or do their lips look blue?

Crazy children! It’s NOT summer yet, dear hearts. Still, we did so enjoy our first day at the beach. I have hopes (dreams) of many more to come.

Kathy

Share or follow

Related posts: