Boy, December has gone fast! A couple weeks ago we bundled up and headed out to get our tree. After searching and searching we finally found THE tree. Zoe tried her hand at it first.
Then dad came in to help. It’s funny I didn’t get a final picture of the tree but oh well. Maybe next year. After the farm it was off to get hot chocolate and coffees! A fun day out in the cool, crisp, beautiful winter day.
Towards the end of September we took our last family camping trip of the year. We headed back to the Winthrop area for some good ol’ free camping. September turns out to be a great month to go. All those poor public school kids back in school. We almost had the whole place to ourselves. Plenty of room for Zoe to ride her bike, dig holes and practice her fire pit building skills. The best part…I actually remembered to take pictures this time! It only took me all summer but I finally got it.
Don’t worry. We didn’t actually use this fire pit (much to Zoe’s disappointment) There was a nice pit already set up for us. Evening s’mores are sometimes a little harder for us to get going for some reason so this time we decided s’mores after lunch would be perfect.
Did you notice the big spread next to Greg? Let me give you a close up.
Oh Yeah! We went all out this trip. There was a great waterfall just down from our site that we visited almost every day. We finally got a family photo on one of our trips. We tried to get the camera set up to get more of the waterfall but it was not working. So Greg just held the camera out. I have never been able to do this and actually get everyone in the picture. Greg has a great talent for this type of photography. (Is there a name for it? There should be.)
We really enjoy camping in this area. It’s not too far from home, the weather is great and the area is beautiful. This time we went the river was a bit calmer so the kids were actually able to play in it (freezing as it was) and search for frogs and fish.
And this is the beautiful evidence of our fun and successful camping trip. I am so thankful the Lord has blessed us with the resources, time, and ability to get so many camping trips in this year. It was all we were hoping it would be for our family. Goodbye camping season…We’ll see you next year!
~ Merriann
Our camping adventures in May took us just outside Winthrop to Chewuch. Our campsite was perfect. We stayed in National Forest grounds which is way cheaper than the state parks. A lot of the sites were free but we were camping with some tenters that needed bathrooms so this place was $12 a night. About 1/3 the cost of the state park. Even though the weather was on the hotter side in the afternoon we had a wonderful tree covering to keep us cool.
We camped with three other couples. One of which has a daughter around Zoe’s age. It was wonderful for the girls to have each other to play with. Although we have known this family for many years and our daughters have known each other all their lives, this was the longest they had been together all day every day. Their personalities matched beautifully. It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend. One day the guys went shooting. Another, the two dads took the girls out for a father daughter afternoon and the moms and babies slept (wonderful). This was our little camp site. Two trailers, two tents, eight adults and 4 children.
Our last day there we headed to Lake Pearrygin. I still thought the water was cold but that was not going to stop Zoe from taking full advantage.
As usual Ezekiel was a bit suspicious of the whole thing to begin with.
But he soon warmed up to he idea.
~ Merriann
One of my favorite things we do for Christmas is our family Christmas tree hunt. Despite my blowing it big time last year the family was willing to come back to try it up here again. The live nativity was great. This year we learned the camel, Moses, is 3 years old. He will grow about another foot and will stop growing by about age 5. He is originally from California. (what’s up with all these Californians moving to Washington anyway. HA!) He doesn’t mind the weather up here as long as he is out of the rain. The desert gets very cold at night so the temperature drop doesn’t bother him.
We had a great time on our search for the perfect tree. (Although…our first perfect tree was swiped right out from under up by another family member! I won’t mention any names. You know who you are…hehe) The kids were mesmerized by the tree shaker and wrapper. It took some coaxing to get them away.
Zoe and her cousin at the tree wrapper
After finding our second perfect tree we headed to lunch and then back to the house to visit.
our 2nd perfect tree 🙂
~ Merriann
You know that phase “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Well this is the theme of this post. Just pictures!
~Lazy Greg 🙂
I forgot to tell you guys that we were able to get a travel trailer to go camping in.
We got it the week before Zeke was born. It is pretty cool. We have been able to use it twice so far this year. Once for our weekend get away and then again for my hunting trip to Hunters, Washington.
We had for years dreamed about getting one so that we could take trips as a family around the country. It was one thing that I really wanted if we were going to be doing home schooling, which we are. One of the things that I can bring to our home schooling is my love for science and history. I believe that there is no better way to learn than to touch and feel those things that you are learning about. Well, anyway the travel trailer is built by Forest River and it is a 22 ft (24 ft. if you include the hitch) long, and sleeps 5 comfortably. It is a fully self-sustained unit, which means it has a stove, sink, refrigerator, furnace, shower and toilet. So that we could go pretty much anywhere and camp.
We learned a few things in purchasing our trailer, like the value drops faster than cars do, you can finance them for longer than a car (up to 15 years, crazy I know). People usually want more than they are worth when they want to sell them and they cost more than just the sticker price. For example you must get a brake controller for your truck, special toilet paper, make sure that your vehicle can tow the trailer, and many other things. So you got to add at least about another $1000 to the price tag. We found ours on Craigslist (A site that we love), and it is a 2008.
But all those things considered I think that it was a great purchase for us. After our one weekend trip Zoe asks a least once a week when are we going camping again, so I think that she enjoyed her first “camping experience” even though it was RV. camping.
Merriann & Zoe at Fort Ebey
~Greg T
With my wonderful wife still adjusting to life with the kid our blog has been let’s say bumped down the ladder of importance. So as the helpful hubby that I am I thought that I would enter a post or two in honor to her.
Oh before I start telling you this story I want it to be known On The Record…. That I don’t think that I am a bad husband… for asking my wife to go RV camping a week after giving birth. Because it was RV camping, NOT real tent in the driving rain camping!!
Well as some of you know we recently bought a travel trailer, about a week before Zeke (that is the nick name that we are using for the boy) was born. And the day that God bless us with Zeke we were buying a vehicle to tow it because our current vehicle was to small to do the job. Well, anyway Merriann and Zeke were doing fine, other then we were all sick with a cold that was just sticking around. So I made the judgment call that we should get out of the house for a few days (Well, Ok two days) and to test out those two new purchases that we had made.
We had an awesome trip. We stayed overnight at Fort Ebey, on Whidbey Island near Coupville. Here is a picture of Zoe and me where one of the big guns were located.
We walked the local trails, saw some very large trees up rooted, and got some clean fresh air.
Another really cool thing about Fort Ebey, is that it has really tall cliffs in addition to Northwest style beaches mean rock beaches.
That pose Zoe is doing in this picture was her’s for this whole trip. Almost all the pictures that we took of her she stood like this.
~Greg
The lord has blessed us with our newest member of our family.
His name is Ezekiel Louis Thames.
He was born on Sept. 15 @ 8:21pm
Weighting in at 6 lb, 12 oz. 19 1/2 Inches tall
The past few days have been very busy to say the least, but it has been great overall. Merriann has been simply awesome!! She did a great job during labor. I must say that I sometimes forget how strong a woman she really is. Comparing the two births of our children (man, that is good to say, children!!) they were way different but it still leaves me in awe how God has made the woman’s body. So anyway Merriann is in good spirits, yes tired with very little sleep but still in good spirits.
Ezekiel (Zeke as we have been calling him) is also doing well. He is on the 2 hour feeding cycle now, and really, really doesn’t like his diper changings. But he is doing good!
Oh you might be wondering where and why we named him Ezekiel Louis. Well, first off we were going to name him Zander Ezekiel but we liked the two names separately but not together. Merriann has always liked Ezekiel, and I liked it too but since I also have it is my name (Yes, I am from the South and I have 5 names if you include my last name that is what we do down there. You either have two first names like Billy-Bob or you have a really long name like mine:-) and I wasn’t to sure I wanted to name my son after myself. To me it seems a little self centered, but that is just me. But we went with Ezekiel anyway!
So anyway somewhere in his name Ezekiel was going to be. By the way Ezekiel means “God Will Strengthen” just in case you didn’t know. We are really into names that have a meaning like with Zoe, her’s means “Life”. We thought that it was proper to use this for our first child because God give us a “Life”. And it has seemed to fit her to a T, as you all know she is full of life (which is not always a good thing :). His middle name is a family name “Louis” His Great-grandfather on Merriann’s side of the family was named Louis. And as far as I know he was the first person in Merriann’s family to come to America and make a way for his family and we thought that it was a very honoring way to remember him.
Anyway Zoe is up now and our day is off and going. So see you later!!
~Greg
Yesterday was our family’s fair day. And I am tired today!! I would guess that we walked about 20 miles yesterday. It was action packed from begin to the end. First off who needs sleep, I sometimes think that it is over-rated. Like yesterday after working a night shift. I came home and couldn’t go to sleep so I decided that I am going to start writing down my family history. Which then turned into phone calls to my parents to ask them questions that I have forgotten or didn’t know. 3 hours later, with Merriann and Z up they where getting ready to go to the fair as we had planned. So since I didn’t get any sleep it wasn’t their fault so we got our stuff pack and off to the NW fair we go. I think all and all I was awake for about 30 hours. So needless to say it was a long day.
First off Merriann needed sunglasses so we went to look for some that she liked.
And we looked
And we looked
Until she found some that she liked. Doesn’t she look so good, She’s a hot MAMA!!!
Next we are off to the RIDES!!!! Z only got to ride two rides before she got scared because they where “To scary for her”. But I think it was just because it was nap time. So we took a little break from the Fair. We went home had something to eat and got a little nap.
But with a little nap and some food in our bellies. She was ready to RIDE as long as I rode with her (which is not to much to ask). It was fun for as both of us.
After we saw the bunnies, a juggling show, and all the boothes we were done! We all sleep well that night.
~Greg T
He even had them line up for inspection and march! (I think it is his dream job to be a drill sergeant) The kids couldn’t keep a straight face. And well, when a 3 year old is used to help inspect, who could.
The Bellingham Thames 