I'm just trying to walk myself home.
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Little Rock Zoo Days This past fall I joined the Little Rock Zoo on one of our days out of school. I realized I only had to come one other time to make it worth it to go ahead and join, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how much we’ve used it. Our favorite time …
Happy Big FOUR! O! to the man I love most in the world! I’m so grateful for all the years I’ve gotten to spend with him and for the journeys we still have ahead together. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I cannot imagine doing life with anyone else. It is more …
Lake Louise: Plain of Six Glaciers Trail Yesterday we drove up to Lake Louise, arguably one of the most beautiful spots on earth. A path runs along one side of the lake. Towards the end you can look back at the famous Chateau at Lake Louise. My grandmother stayed there many years ago and I …
Johnston Canyon Banff Hiking Trails On our second of hiking in Banff, we hit the most popular trail in the area. Johnston Canyon is an amazing trail, complete with paved, elevated level pathways that are almost stroller accessible. Lucky for us, we are now stroller (and even baby backpack) free. I am loving these days …
I’ve been trying to spare everyone the “my-baby-started-kindergarten” mommyblogger post, so I’ve been quiet about school starting. We are in year round school with a four to five week summer so everyone but Cole started back last Wednesday, including Simon. My grandmother also went into the hospital last Wednesday, so I found myself running up …
Monday Grateful: The key to the Mondays is always gratitude. I got home last night from being gone for the weekend at my cousin’s wedding in California. This morning has been a sweet mix of relishing both a great getaway and coming home. Even though a certain 4 year old woke me up at 5am …
I’ve said before that we love the mountains. We love to be in the mountains. We love to hike and bike in the summer. We love to ski in the winter. Snow skiing tends to be a little (or a lot) hard on the pocketbook, but it was a huge part of both mine and …
This week, Simon and I got to escape to Missouri for a couple of nights camping with my dad, my sister and her kids. Anna’s kids were out of school Monday and Tuesday, so we all left on Sunday and met about halfway between here and Chicago at St. Francois State Park. We’ve only camped …
One of the events that marks our autumn season every year are our middle and high school Fall Castle Bluff camps at church. So much of what happens in our youth programs at church pours out of these events and they take an enormous amount of support to pull off. Taido and Bobby and their …
Half Broke Horses is sort of a prequel to one of my very favorite books, The Glass Castle. The stories from Jeannette Walls’ grandmother’s life are enjoyable and hair-raising at the same time. Lily Casey Smith was born in 1901. In the book, she tells her adventures in her own voice. She was a mustang …
In the past few weeks my precious grandmother has moved in with my mom and my aunt in Nashville. She’s going to split time between here and Tennessee because if there’s one thing my grandmother does not mind, it is a change of scenery now and then. In fact, her eyes light up when someone …
for my mama… Every year on Mother’s Day I remember how grateful I am for my mama. But this year I happen to be doing a lot of reading about marriage and I have to say that what I am most grateful for about my mom today is her undying commitment to my daddy. Recently …
Simon came home with fever yesterday so I had some time at home today. Today was a good day for cleaning out. I have been putting away winter and pulling out spring. I was happy to find a flowing spring skirt to put on since the spring sunshine is warming us up. Unearthing an old …
How we got to Spend a Surprise Day in Nashville So where were we in our trip? That’s right. Broken down a little bit past Nashville. Simon was asleep when we first broke down and the other kids were watching a movie on my computer, so for about an hour we sat while Taido tried …
We recently returned from a rainy week in the Smoky Mountains with my entire family. The last time we all camped together was five years ago in Colorado. Since everyone remembers that week as being very cold, we decided to meet somewhere a little warmer. And a little closer! We have been planning this trip …
My husband has taken each of our kids along on a backpacking trip in Colorado. Mary Polly’s big climb was Mt Blanca in the summer of 2009. This summer has been a whirlwind of adventures. In June, Cole went to discipleship camp with Taido and 80 other middle school students. Mary Polly went to Chicago …
potty training Boba Fett. It’s a dangerous job, but somebody has to do it. Hat tip to my mama who got him started by spending his first day in big boy pants with him! Did you enjoy this post? You can subscribe to the Chino House via RSS feed or by email and never miss a …
We’ve only been out of school for a week, but we are in the thick of summer for sure! Even though this much activity makes me a little nervous, I am trying to adjust, hang on tight and enjoy the ride because I know it will all be over in a few short weeks. We …
Parenting Advice: Don’t Ask Me. I’m just winging it. Someone recently was asking for parenting advice because a first baby was about to arrive. Specifically, he asked What one piece of parenting advice would you give? Now I know that I have no business handing out parenting advice. In addition to the fact that I …
I am so thankful for the house on Eagle Creek Road and for the couple that lives there. This year Taido and I have had many discussions about buying a bigger house. We have even tried raising our house payment on our current house to see if we can afford a bigger house. We can’t. …