We Got to See Two of the Puppies!!

Yesterday as we traveled north on an adventure (blog post coming soon-ish about that!), I had a spur-of-the-moment thought to check with our friend Jane who had taken two of the puppies and see if we could stop by her house to see the puppies on our way home.  When I texted her, she graciously agreed; but I didn't tell the kids anything about it.  All day, the thought of that surprise on the way home gave me an extra dose of excitement about our outing.

The kids were puzzled when I exited the highway and meandered through some beautiful country roads, eventually pulling into someone's driveway.  "Where are we?  What are we doing here?  Do we know these people?" were some of their questions.  And then, when they finally figured out whose house it was, how great their joy!!!  :)

It was fun and sweet and wonderful and fabulous to see Finn (formerly Oliver) and Chara (formerly Redemptress, or Dimples for short).  The puppies have grown so much, are so beautiful/handsome, and are benefiting tremendously from the love and care and training they're receiving from Jane and her family.  It was an absolute treat to get to see them again!

 Tobin and Josiah were particularly glad to get to see again the puppies they had named at birth (although we were all overjoyed as well).  :)  It was extra special for Josiah because he had not been at home the night Jane came for Chara (he was at choir practice), so this was an especially meaningful reunion for him.  :)

In a day that was full of delights, seeing the puppies again, thanks to Jane's spontaneous hospitality, was at the top of the heap!!  :)

Handmade Hats from Grandma

When Grandma Fisher comes, she always brings some special things for us.  This year, besides some other goodies, she brought something special to make for us.  :)

 The kids were fascinated as they watched her use this round loom.  What was she making with it?

The result?  A hat!  :)

This one, with its double pom-pom, was for Moriah.

But Grandma brought several kinds of yarn, and each of the children (except Benjamin) got to choose a color.

I didn't get a picture of Tobin wearing his, but he has one, too; and as of today, so do I.  :)

I expect Jeff will be getting one before too long.  I also expect that, come winter, our new hats--handmade with love--will be warming our heads and warming our hearts as we remember the very special lady who made them for us.  :)

3 Mothers, 2 Celebrations

Mother's Day this year (yes, I'm aware a full week has gone by since then!) was extra special because not only did I get to have my own mother here with me to celebrate, Jeff's mom is here, too!  We couldn't let the occasion go by without snapping some pictures, now could we?  No, we could not.  ;-)

After our yummy Sunday dinner of tacos and grape salad, Josiah carried two rocking chairs out to the yard and set them under a maple tree, and we gathered 'round.  Shav wanted to be the one to actually take the picture, so I let him practice.  :)

 And then we started the picture-taking for real.  :) Shav got to push the button and run while the light was blinking to get in the photo a couple times, and then I got to take some turns doing that.

 It's not as easy as you might think to get 11 people all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time.  Oh, you didn't think it was easy?  Well, you're right; it's not!!  ;-)

 After a few serious tries, we ended our group shoot with a silly picture.  No Fisher family photo shoot is complete without that, according to my kids at least.  :)

 And then I wanted to take some pictures of the ladies in the group (remembering the similar pictures we took back in October).

 I am SO GRATEFUL for these two mothers in my life!

 After our photo shoot was over, my parents walked back down the driveway, and I took the opportunity to snap some pictures.  These are fleeting days to treasure, and I do.

And then I walked back into the house and discovered that someone was getting ready for his Sunday afternoon nap.  I'm not talking about Benjamin.  ;-)

Besides my family's cooperation with our photo shoot, I received other gifts, too.  :)  I especially like this apron that my kids made at church, helped by some thoughtful ladies there.  There is room to add Benjamin's handprints eventually...when he gets a little more cooperative.  ;-)

And these mugs from Moriah and from Shav make me grin widely.  They're currently holding beautiful, cheery flowers; but the neat thing about them is that they are actually a portrait of me!  :)

See the blue eyes and the pink lips?  See the handle of the mug, which is my nose?

See the brown hair on the back of my head?

It's uncanny, really, how similar they are to my actual appearance!!  ;-)  Well, if nothing else, at least they got the nose right.  ;-)

This celebration on Mother's Day was only the second half of our Mother's Day fun.  The evening before, Jeff got pizza for us and we took it and the family to Wildwood Park.  I didn't have to cook, and I didn't have to clean up.  I didn't have to fight crowds for a seat in a restaurant, and I got to enjoy time outside in God's beautiful creation with my family.  It sounds like a pretty perfect way to celebrate, doesn't it?  :)

Moriah wanted to look at and feed some friendly ducks...

...which was all well and good...

...but I was afraid she was going to slip or trip and fall into the river.

She didn't though.  Whew!  ;-)

While Jeff and his mom lingered at the picnic table, the kids and I went for a beautiful walk...

...across the bridge and on through the rest of the park.

It was lovely.

A silly picture.  :)  David is crouching down to appear really short, and Tobin is...well...Tobin is silly.  ;-)

After our walk, there was some time for playing on the playground...

...as well as further exploration by the older four boys.

As we walked back to our picnic table, we saw a beautiful sight: mother and babies.

How appropriate for a Mother's Day outing!  :)

As interesting as the ducks were, my eyes were drawn to these two; I never get tired of them!!  :)

My cup of joy overflows!!  :)