We took a trip to Washington state this summer to see friends. We had driven to WA once before, but this time I decided to do it as an airplane trip, to maximize the time we could spend there. We flew out of Long Beach, and I have found my new favorite airport! I loved the waiting area - a big, open air patio (this is also the baggage claim area) with a coffee/ice cream kiosk, umbrellas & tables. There was even a man sleeping on a bench in the sun! Probably not a good place during inclement weather, but in July, it was fantastic. And pick up & drop off is one lane at the curb. We arrived early for our flight, so the girls and I sat under an umbrella and they ate ice cream. The airport is under construction, so to get to your plane, you walk a really long way, outside under wooden breezeways. The girls really liked that you have to walk out onto the tarmac and go up a ramp or stairs to board the plane! Our first stop in Washington was in Yelm, to see our friends Jennifer & Bryan, and all of their children. They have cows, pigs, chickens, geese, a turkey, dogs, and a kitten. Add to that a trampoline, climber, a firepit for s'mores, and some woods, and you have kid paradise! My girls each had several playmates in the family, so they did not have to play with each other, and they were so busy and happy that I was able to visit with the adults. Abigail loved all of the animals there. Several times each day, she would ask to go to "the farm." Five-year-old Micah was always willing to take Abigail to collect eggs, touch the cows' noses, and look at the pigs. We were so blessed to be able to stay there at our friends' house, in their yurt. It is a 750 square foot dwelling, separate from the big house, that (although it is basically a permanent tent) has electricity, plumbing, heat (important even in the summer up in the Pacific northwest) and is snug & weather proof. Jennifer had arranged a reunion of most of our "team" from the volunteering trip to China in May 2011. It was terrific to see them again, and we feasted on tacos and other yummy stuff! We found a new favorite chip: Juanita's Gluten-Free tortilla chips. I am grateful that they are not sold here in southern California... Abigail and Micah are the same age, and were great friends during our trip. They did everything together. Both of my girls enjoyed riding in the cart, pulled by Bryan on the tractor!

I bought a new computer mid-summer, so I have to find the photos from camp before I can post them! I think they are on one of the six flashdrives in my purse.... But here are the Bushnell girls on our last evening at camp, out on the fairway before dinner. We were in a tent this summer, and as always, it was a truly blessed week. After we had been home about a week, Abigail surprised and delighted me by rattling off the memory verse, unprompted! Of course, Frances had been the first kid at camp to learn it, because there was a prize involved. Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength. These commandments I give to you today are to be upon your heart. Impress them upon your children, talk about them when you sit at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

I think I bought these rose bushes at Big Lots, for just a few dollars apiece. Brought them home, stuck them in the ground, and left them alone. My across-the-street neighbor trims them occasionally, and that's all the care they get.

Unlike last year at this time, I am not going to travel out of the country and lose my camera with all of the Easter photos on it, so this year, I will post Easter photos. We went to Grandma & Grandpa Hunter's on Good Friday to color eggs. This year, Abigail was much more careful. No recklessly tossing eggs into the cups of dye, but instead considering carefully which color and shade she wanted for each egg. I think only two or three eggs accidentally got cracked this year! Frances tore herself away from the cable television programs long enough to color two eggs. She is a cable TV junkie, and at our house, there is only "free" television, like PBS. We went to an Easter egg hunt at a church with friends. Abigail and her friend Emily love to mug for the camera! Easter morning, the girls woke up and found all of the hidden eggs at our house. Some of them had money in them! Then we put on our nice dresses and went to church to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. Lunch was at the Hunters', with a second basket of goodies for each girl.

One afternoon after school, Frances did not have homework, and both girls wanted to go to Knott's Berry Farm. We have annual passes. Always before, we have gone with our friends who have 4 children, which included a buddy for each of my girls. I would take the older kids on the extreme coasters, and the other mom would take the little kids to Camp Snoopy for the more tame attractions. However, our friends did not renew their passes. On this particular afternoon, the girls really wanted to go, and agreed to go on rides that they both liked. They also agreed not to bicker about not getting to go on their favorite rides.


Abigail really likes the "little kid" roller coaster, and I reminded Frances that when she was four years old, she loved it so much that one day she rode it 12 times in a row! So that was the girls' first ride. They also decided to do the Snoopy Bounce House. Most kids Fran's age are too tall for it.... but Frances is still really small for her age. The girls had so much fun! Abigail is thrilled to do things with her big sister, and they were getting along well, with Fran willing to do the "little kid" things, since no big kids were around to see her.

We ended our afternoon with the Log Ride, which Abigail really does not like. I think she agreed to go on it because she realized that Frances had been gracious in going on some little kid rides. We got a little wet and it was a chilly afternoon, so were ready to go home. We picked up some Mrs. Knott's chicken and headed home. I love it when the girls get along this well.

Abigail had come into my room one morning, about ten minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off, asking if I would take her to the bathroom. Despite the fact that she knows where the bathroom is, and our house is really small, she likes me to accompany her to the bathroom during the night. Frances only recently grew out of this, so I may have about 5 more years of it with Abigail... Anyway, I did not go back to bed, since it was almost time to get up & start packing lunches. About 20 minutes later, on my way past Abigail's room to wake Frances, I glanced at Ab's bed and saw that it was empty! Where was she? When I entered Frances' room, there was Abigail. She had climbed up into bed with her big sister!

Last Wednesday night, I let Frances skip gymnastics, because there was a family dinner at our new church during their missions awareness week. The food was great - chicken nuggets, mac-n-cheese, pizza and fruit salad! At each table, one of the chairs had a balloon tied to it, which meant that the person sitting there received a little gift of a cup & seeds. Of course, Abigail was sitting in the balloon chair!


The theme for the week was "Hard Soil," and there was a game/contest along this theme, for which they chose children from the audience. Guess who was chosen? Abigail! The preschool program director adores my little girl, and I think she pulled some strings to have Abby participate. For the game, the children (the other 2 were elementary age boys) had to use a hammer to get to a pair of scissors encased in a block of ice, then use the scissors to cut the ribbon on a green helium balloon, representing a sprouting seed as the balloon rose up to the gym ceiling. Abigail had a "big boy" helping her, because she could barely lift the hammer! She came in third place out of three, but is convinced that she "won," because she received a prize basket of candy, pots & seeds, a watering can, and a Veggie Tales DVD! At each table was a specially created poster/game like Chutes & Ladders, with the chutes as green leafy "shoots." On each square there was a photo of a child whose parents are missionaries, with the child's birthdate & the country in which s/he lives. The game was played just like the original, with one difference: as you land on a space, you pray for that child. There was fun praise music, a children's choir... it was a terrific night!

My dad gave me a four-cup coffee maker for my birthday. Umm... take a look at one of the coffee cups I typically use, next to the "four-cup" pot!

(Click on the photos to get a closer look.)

Last Saturday, we decided to take a break from working on Frances' science project, to get out and enjoy the gorgeous day. Frances suggested that we take a bike ride. We rode our bikes to a neighborhood in which the streets are in a state of perpetual disrepair, where men sit drinking beer in lawn chairs in front of apartments, where the music makes you think about margaritas and the cooking smells are mouth-watering. Tucked away on Sycamore Street is the old Anaheim Cemetary.

We had ridden past it once before on our way to a park. When I saw the many tall headstones, I realized that this was a place full of history. More recent headstones are plaques on the ground, but those tall ones.... I wondered what we might learn there. Frances is developing an interest in history, and she is actually the one who suggested this particular destination for our bike ride.

The girls and I wandered among the headstones, and Frances and I called out interesting dates and other information. Some of the inscriptions were in German, a reminder that Anaheim was originally settled by people from Germany and Austria. Dates on the headstones covered four centuries! We found one headstone of a soldier who fought in the War of 1812. Wow! Frances and I were fascinated by the names & dates, and Abigail thought that it was a great place to run around, almost as good as a playground!

Our time was limited that afternoon, but we may go back again for another visit to a peaceful, park-like place that is full of history.