Kylie's Update

I had four correct guesses on the baby picture from the 8th.  The answer was Kylie and was guessed correctly by Grandma, John S, Lanita and Cheri.  You can all expect a handmade ornament for your tree sometime in December.  Thanks for guessing!


And speaking of Kylie, here is her update-


Kylie is working with Jacob and Clara right now on an in depth study of the US States in addition to her basic Math, Spelling and Language Arts.


She also enjoys reading and studying ancient history especially Egyptian and Roman. 


She is in second year flute and really enjoying it.  She is preparing right now for 2 flute recitals.  One with her homeschool band and another as a duet with her brother in his piano recital.  She let me take a video of her practicing outside on this rare, sunny, warm November afternoon.

She is also playing first year Alto Saxaphone which she is finding challenging.  She is making good progress and looking forward to playing that in the homeschool band recital also.

While Kylie does enjoy helping out at the retirement home she really enjoys working with younger children and collecting items for those in need.  This year she is helping coordinate our contribution to Samaritans purse.  We will be posting about that soon.

Kylie likes to write and read and just finished the entire Elsie Dinsmore series.  She also likes classics, her favorite probably being Sherlock Holmes.


Looking through baby and preschool pictures to share on her update I noticed that it is hard to find a picture of Kylie where she isn't smiling.  It is also hard to find a picture of Kylie or Jacob without the other one in it.  But that is enough reminiscing for now.

Stephanie's Update

As promised here are the updates of each of the children starting with Stephanie-

Stephanie is working towards completing high school right now. She took on some challenges that made it take a bit longer but they were things she was interested in studying and the goal is to graduate in 2012 so she has some time to work with.  Right now she is doing Geometry, Government and Economy, Essentials of Communication, Art History, Nutrition, Theology, Music Theory/Guitar/Piano.  This semester will wrap up for her in a few weeks and she will be taking most of December off.

She is taking piano lessons and working with dad on guitar.  She enjoys helping the WSU Livestock Advisors Extension Program when she gets a chance and will be helping with it again in January.  She is also signed up to help with Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach Christian Camp in December.

Her favorite service oppurtunities lately have been volunteering with the Special Friends camp over the summer and our monthly retirement home visits.

She still enjoys working with the horses but also keeps busy with crafts and sewing.  Last week she had a table at a bazaar and sold some of her doll clothes and beaded socks that she makes.

And...Just because I can....

Halloween 1994

 (before we knew better)

Christmas 1998

What have we been up to?

I have had a few people ask what we have been up to since the vacations which officially ended in early October. 

We have been getting settled into a new school year.  We have 5 different grades and a preschooler this year.  I stand in a unique place as a mom right now.  This year I have one finishing up school and one just starting.  I have 3 in between that are in different grades in different subjects depending on their strengths and weaknesses.  And one who hasn't started school yet but is eager to keep up with the others anyway. There is nothing like a fresh school year to remind you how unique God made each one of us.  My children, while raised in the same house, expected to follow the same rules and exposed to the same things day in and day out still have amazingly unique talents and interests.  Our focus this year is letting each one of them grow in the areas that they are most called to while still keeping up with the basics like math and spelling.  For the next 6 days I will share a bit about each  young Stetson individually and what God has called them to work on right now including their hobbies, school and service. 

 Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made..."

(Bonus points to anyone who guesses correctly which little blessing this is)

Great Wolf Lodge Trip- Last full day

This was the day before we went home.  On each of the days we were there we made a point of doing something fun away from the Lodge.  We shopped the outlet stores in Centralia and saw some tourist attractions and went to the park.  The Lewis County Museum in Chehalis was worth posting about.  It turned out to be a hidden gem that we almost skipped over.


First of all it is housed in a very old train station which makes the building pretty neat before you even get to the displays inside.

Then there was this pretty amazing collection of miniatures.  If you really took time to look at them you felt like you were looking right into a Native community from the mid 1800s.

The children all liked the hands on area best. 

"Excuse me sir, can you tell me when the next train

leaves for Stanwood? ... Sir?  .... Sir?"

Elayna is done at the Museum.  It is time to go home.

Everyone had a wonderful time but we were all happy to be home and our critters seemed glad too.  This kitty was as happy to be snuggling as Anna was, despite what appears to be a choke hold.

(no cats were harmed in the making of this blog post)

Great Wolf Lodge Trip- Part III

We spent 3 nights at Great Wolf Lodge. 
It was pretty relaxing just hanging out as a family and having a good time. 

Anna is big enough this year to go on some slides,

but she still looks pretty small to me.

Kylie and Jacob front middle,

 Anna with her back to the camera

and Clara peaking up over the Beaver.

Anna goes across the lilly pads. 

If it looks like we had the place to ourselves it's because we almost did!

Kylie, Jacob and Clara come out of the howling tornado!

Kicking back in the huge hot tub

Wave Pool

"Anna, just stand there while I pull this rope..."

"Hee hee hee"

Howlin Bingo before bed.  Everyone except for mom won something, but Anna won the Grand Prize.