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Today our adventures led us to Castle rock, CO. We hiked the rock and then did some outdoor ice skating at the Rink at the rock. The Castle rock proved to be a perfect hike for the kid's skill level. We also saw tons of bunnies and a few trains, keeping the kids entertained. The views of Pikes peak kept me going. The mountains out towards Denver proved too far to photograph (at least with my camera:).  Overall, good views throughout the hike and especially from the top of the rock, where there are benches and a picnic area from which to enjoy them. Tristan enjoyed his second Ice Skating experience, while Anastasia fussed a bit. I think the combination of a long hike (she hiked most of it) and the fact that it was getting towards naptime ruined it for her. Overall we had fun. The rink had such a cool vibe and the midday croud consisted of families of elementary aged and younger kids. I loved the location of the rink also, sandwhiched right downtown nex...

This morning, the kids and I kept up the Pickering family Tradition of making Sticky Buns! I'm sure ours aren't up to Mom-mom's caliber, but they turned out great! Mom-mom's recipe is a bit of a secret, ours are close! We are excited about having them with Shirred Eggs tomorrow for Christmas Brunch! Jason kept up the old tradition of saving some shopping until today and he ran out to get some hours at work, and at the Target while me and the kiddo's baked. After lunch we decided to start our own tradition, we took the kids Ice Skating. It was their first time on the ice and they both did very well! Jason and I haven't been ice skating in years either, it was really fun! Anastasia's little size 6 ice skates were the sweetest thing I've ever seen! Worth the price of admission!!

Christmas weekend! Everyone is getting excited and gifts are all bought, wrapped, and distributed. We decided to visit the Garden of the Gods this morning for a little walk. It was stellar! Colorado Springs is so beautiful in the fall/winter. We saw some blue birds, and a bunny rabbit. Pikes peak glistened in the sunshine. The kids had some fun and then we came home and had lunch. During lunch, our neighbor came by and informed us that Santa is in the neighborhood. We all piled out to see Santa riding through the neighborhood on a firetruck. So cool! The kids loved it. Merry Christmas! Ho Ho Ho! Thank you to our Colorado Springs Firefighters. You guys are awesome!

This past Friday night I attended the ladies' tea at my church. The founder of Restore Innocence spoke and we all brought stocking stuffers for her girl's Christmas Party. Before that evening, the most I knew about Restore Innocence is that they sell merchandise in the Focus on the Family book store. All of their merchandise has a black bow on it (to be explained), so it stands out. Anyway, Michelle spoke to us about how she began Restore Innocecne in 2010 to help victims of human trafficking in America. She wore a black bow in her hair at her first anti-trafficking walk and others wanted one, that gave her the inspiration to put one on all of her fairly traded merchandise. The black bow represents the evil that surrounds these girls' situation and yet the innocence that they should have. There are an estimated 100,000-300,000 victims in America, and there are very few ways for them to get out and get help once they are out. Restore Innocence works with the FBI to provide...

This afternoon, I swung through Starbucks drive-thru. I have a few dollars left on my card and I've been saving it. Excited for my treat, I drove up to pay only to hear that the woman ahead of me paid for my latte and wished me a Merry Christmas! I was shocked for a minute; not sure what to say. Finally, I asked if anyone was behind me and they said, "No". So, I wished the barista a Merry Christmas and I'm still enjoying my latte praying that the woman in front of me has a very blessed holiday. This incident reminded me of the reason for the season and an on-going conversation I have been having about living out Christ in our daily lives. I believe that Christian individuals can make a difference in our country and in our world. It can be as simple as making friends with your neighbors (you know, the ones with the really annoying dog:) or letting the flustered shopper in-line behind you at Wal-mart cut in front, or bringing cookies for your fellow students at the sta...

One way that I love preparing for Christmas day is by reading verses everyday from the Advent Calendar, and getting a piece of candy every day! Last year, I made my own and the verses I use are from teachingmom.com ( http://www.teachingmom.com/features/advent.html ). They are prophecies and verses about the life of Jesus and also many verses are about John the Baptist. I find it so encouraging to read the prophecies and I have learned so many attributes of God and descriptions of Jesus, beyond his human characteristics. I hope that you are keeping Christ the center of your holiday this year. Amid all the hurry to get gifts wrapped, baking done, remember something for the Sunday School teachers, and the neighbors, it is nice to remind myself and the children every morning that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Saddness reigns in our country this weekend. My heart is broken. Yesterday morning as I did my Bible study before a prayer vigil at our church, my heart was heavy. The devotional in Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young spoke of hope. Hope! A looking forward to Heaven and a future with God that is made possible by faith in Jesus Christ. It's a hope that only the Holy Spirit can give and it endures hardship and adversity. I pray that for those mourning this weekend. Later yesterday morning, I read the verse in our advent calendar with the kids. Isaiah 60: 18-22 "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates Praise. ...Thy sun shall no more go down; neither thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everslasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended...A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time." (...

We got to enjoy the snow Monday morning. Jason stayed home half the day and as the morning sun warmed our back yard we headed out for some fun. Anastasia seemed to like it as well as Tristan and that is really exciting, since last year she hated the cold and snow. Hopefully we'll get some more soon!

Yesterday, we decided to hike seven bridges trail knowing snow was on its way. We got to two of the seven bridges before the cold got the best of us. It was still beautiful to get out for a few hours with the family. Today, we were not dissappointed! Snow!

Yesterday, while following a treasure map (one we stole from pirates:) the kids and I discovered a fallen bird nest under our deck. I got pretty excited about it and that excitement caught on until Tristan picked up the nest and decided it was "yucky". Then we resumed our treasure hunt.

today on our walk around the neighborhood we saw a large mule deer buck running down the road. why don't I carry my camera with me on my daily walks? it was so cool!

Last week we had friends over for pie and coffee and the children and I tried a new recipe. I liked it so much I thought I'd share it. Not only is the pie bright and beautiful, with the red of the cranberries bubbling through nicely browned and crisped, lattice top, it is also delicious. The pears mix with the spices and create a thick, sweet base and then the cranberries give it a sour/sweet kick at the end. Anyway, the recipe can also be found at bettycrocker.com. Pastry for 9-Inch Two-Crust Pie 2  cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 1/2  teaspoon salt 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening 4 to ...

We had another science day on Halloween. We talked about noses and the sense of smell. We made masks of animals with special noses (elephant, toucan, pig) and then we smelled scent infused cottonballs and matched the scent with the source. Tristan confused garlic and lemon, but otherwise matched all six smells correctly. Anastasia didn't really get it and tried to eat a cottonball. Daddy did eventually get her to smell one.  

The last two mornings we awoke to snow! Tristan got so excited the first day that we had to go out and play in it before breakfast. Anastasia preferred her oatmeal and stayed inside. Later, when Jason brought her out, she didn't like the cold, white stuff and we all made our way inside to a nice drink of cocoa. (Anastasia even said cocoa for the first time) Today, again we were excited about the snow, but we all made it through breakfast before heading out in it. Snow is so beautiful! The kids loved playing in it, today. We went out in our yard to play this morning, Tristan was pretending to be a lion and Anastasia and I were helpless bunnies trying to run away and hide from him. This afternoon we went out to a local park to play in the snow. The kids could not get enough! It makes me so happy to see them playing in the snow and enjoying the outdoors during the cold months.

A friend of mine inspired me to do simple science experiments with the children. Then I found the perfect resource the very next day when I was looking at the Goodwill (Scholastics, Literature-Based Science Activities ). So, I tried some experiments that dealt with air. Air on the move: we made a paper bag rocket and powered it by a balloon. As the air flew out of the balloon the rocket moved across the string. Tristan would have played with this rocket all day. It was so cool! Then we saw how air can be caught and how the more surface area of something, the more air it catches. We threw spools off our deck and to one of the spools we attached a parachute. Then we observed difference between the fall of the parachute spool and the non-parachutes. Anastasia particularly enjoyed throwing the spools without parachutes off the deck and then watching big brother go down and pick them all up for her. We talked about the air around us and how we can feel air when it is windy a...

Incase my last few posts haven't clued you in, I love to read! One thing that has been happening a lot the last few years is my tendency to find errors in the books I read. I'll find sentences missing a period or a quotation mark. Slight mispellings are common, or words typed in twice. Some of these little misprints crack me up. To see the word "the" spelled "teh" makes me giggle a little and, I know the editor's intention was to catch all of those little mistakes before publication; it's really no big deal. I enjoy catching the little typo's in books, and I try to read with a critical eye. Jason asks me how many typo's I found whenever I finish a book. I am currently reading Love Powered Parenting, by Tom and Chaundel Holladay and this week, I found a misprint that made me really upset. I even e-mailed the publishing company. In one of the Bible stories retold in the book, there is an inaccurate statement. Not a controversial statement, a st...

 Quoting A.A. Milne about the weather got me thinking how sad I feel that his The World of Pooh stories are now being produced and expanded by Disney. So much of the original whit and humor of the stories is lost. Our family owns a few of the newest Pooh literature, and it is not the same! Much of the quintessential Pooh are lost in the new books. There is something simple and beautiful about the original works of A.A. Milne and the pictures drawn by Earnest Shepherd. The animals actually look like stuffed toys and in the black and white sketches, Pooh bear's shirt doesn't need to be red for a child to acknowledge him.  I do not know what the Pooh movies and TV are like now, but after seeing a little of Disney cartoons this spring, I can only imagine. I feel the same way about our friend, Curious George. Though I enjoy some of the newer works that are based on Margaret and H.A. Rey's original series, I am not a fan of the books based off of the T...

  Yesterday was, as A. A. Milne would put it, "a cold and blustery day". Except, we were not in the hundred acre wood, we were on the plains of Colorado looking for pumpkins at Wishing star farm. Despite the cold we were able to enjoy a train ride, duck races and the petting zoo. We also witnessed a fight between two large male goats. The children tried the crazy bouncy mat. Anastasia could not stand on it, and Tristan soon decided it was too cold even for that. Due to the cold it was tough to get a nice photo of the kids in the makeshift pumpkin patch. But we had fun. Later we carved our pumpkins in our very cold house. Thankfully the HVAC guy came and fixed the furnace before bedtime. The cold and the rain reminded us that it is fall!  It is beginning to feel like the holiday season!

The last few days with Mindy and Pat have been a blast. We visited the Denver Mint and drove into the mountains a bit on Tuesday. I took Mindy and Pat on a photography tour of Garden of the Gods on Wednesday morning as the sun was rising. Pat and all the elderly tourists snapped their fancy cameras for about an hour, and I even got some nice shots of Mindy and Pat and the scenery. Then we visited the Olympic Training center (Of course it was amazing!). We saw the Anasazi cliff dwellings and had a nice stroll through Manitou Springs. We even tried the water from the spring. Yuck! Anything but "sweet". Thursday we hiked Helen Hunt Falls and some more Garden of the Gods, then we visited a few shops (including Starbucks) for souveniers. Today the cold weather rolled in and we tried to take a walk this morning while the snow was still on the ground. It was too cold!!! We quickly returned home. We have played games, watched some shows and just hung out today. It's just a lot o...

Yesterday we spent a great afternoon at Garden of the Gods park hiking and enjoying the beauty. Today, we spent the better part of the day at the Cheyenne Mountain zoo and finished our day with a visit to the Airforce Academy chapel. The day began cloudy and cool, but warmed into a perfect fall afternoon. The zoo was great. We fed the giraffes and learned so much about the animals. Pat had a nice time visiting the horses and the kids loved everything! Gotta love the zoo!

We are so excited to have our good friends Mindy and Pat out for a visit from PA this week. Yesterday  after picking them up at the airport we went out to visit Garden of the Gods visitor center and balanced rock. We will go back today to do some more hiking and exploring. We are looking forward to a fun week touring around Colorado and catching up with Mindy and Pat.

As promised here are thoughts on obedience from the book Laying Down the Rails A Charlotte Mason Handbook by Sonya Schafer Charlotte Mason believed that Obedience is more important than academics and should be instilled before diving into the books. She taught obedience the first time and believed that if mothers expected immediate obedience from their children, then, the children would obey immediately. She also learned that children should be taught to obey by the time they are one year old. (Something I have also learned with my kids) She also talks about allowing children to appeal respectfully and bending on some areas that are non-essential. Giving the child motivation to obey of their own initiative and teaching them the habit of obedience. Here are some Questions to ask about obedience: Do I make obedience top priority, even more important than academics? Am I treating willfulness the same as disobedience? Do I realise that I am on assignment from God to teach my childre...

Friday morning we set out for a weekend roadtrip. Our goal: to see Vail and Aspen and the fall foilage in the mountains along the way. It was a beautiful drive and beautiful weather. The mountain temperature felt so nice and cool compared to what we are experiencing down in the springs. We stopped for a little walk at a rest area about two hours into the drive, and then we stopped for lunch in Breckenridge. What a lovely town!! In my excitement to take pictures, we forgot the camera at our picnic spot in Breckenridge and, therefore I have no photos of our weekend getaway. Anyway, we continued on our way passing Vail and cruising down through Glenwood springs to arrive in Aspen around 3:00 pm. I planned for us to see the Maroon Bells, so we parked and took the bus up to Maroon lake. We walked around the lake, surrounded by a forest of golden Aspen trees and then took the bus back down to our car. (borrowed photo from jonsnellphotography.com) (Sunrise view of the surrounding mtns. bo...

I'm doing a topical study on Obedience in Scripture to help me grasp the Bible's view (God's view) on the subject. What I've found is that the Bible talks a lot about obedience. God places a very high premium on obedience! I'm not sure why that suprises me, but I am amazed at all the passages about obedience. One thing that is really being hammered home to me as I study is the reality that I have the choice to obey or not. All humans have that choice. In looking at my relationship with my heavenly father, I see that I can choose to obey or not. Then I contrast that with my relationship to my own children and the same is true. They can choose to disobey my rules. Of course, their disobedience causes me grief and I know often that the natural consequences of their disobedience will bring them pain. I also know that I must often inflict some kind of painful consequence to their blatant disobedience and I dread that. It's like I can see God feeling the same regret o...

This evening my dessert had mixed reviews. I served warm pumpkin bread pudding topped with yogurt and spice pear compote. Tristan loved the pear and yogurt, not a fan of "his" bread pudding (recipe from this month's Highlights magazine). Jason couldn't palate any more than one bite of it. His face after the first bite had me laughing so hard I was crying. I started thinking about it and realized nothing in the dessert had sugar in it. Other than the pears' natural sweetness, I did not add any sugar and the yogurt (though whole fat) was plain. It made me laugh to think about a dessert without any sugar in it. Anastasia and I really enjoyed all of it and there were no left-overs:)

We hiked Horsetheif falls trail this afternoon. The drive into the mountains out past Woodland Park was beautiful and the, almost three mile hike was terrific! The kids had a blast. The Aspen trees are beginning to turn beautiful yellow, and it was really nice to hike in a cooler spot. The springs still feels like summer on days the sun is out. This hike was a perfect end to our weekend. The view of Pikes Peak from Woodland park is so different. Much more snowy than our side. Really nice.