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Friday, May 30, 2014

Thankful

The other day I was sitting in our front yard just looking out.....

Sometimes the kids are loud and rambunctious, running wildly through the yard. 

Sometimes I'm alone, stealing a few moments for myself while Timothy naps and everyone else is preoccupied. 

Sometimes it's sunny and warm, with a slight breeze blowing through my hair.

Sometimes it's overcast and cloudy with the smell of rain on the way. 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....

No matter the circumstances, the same thought always crosses my mind in those moments I'm out there in our front yard just looking out....

We are so lucky. Thank you, God. 

Thank God for this place. Thank God for all the beauty that surrounds us. We love our home and are so very thankful for being right where we are, out here in the country. I have never felt such a strong sense of love and pride over a place. But then again, it's not just any 'ol place, is it? It's our home. And it's filled with all the precious things I love and then surrounded by all of God's beauty. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you.  

My heart is bursting. 




Tonight we are having a star party! How wonderful is that? My mother and her husband brought up his large telescope and we invited all of our neighbors and a few others over for dinner and a little star gazing when it gets dark. Just another reason to love where we live!! 

With love,
Mama Hauck

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Our Little Graduate

Our little Molly Lynn Elizabeth had her Preschool graduation last night! She was just a doll and insisted on wearing the dress she wore to my brother's wedding while in NY. What a pretty little princess. She was so excited and all smiles....*sigh*....what a big girl. We are so SO proud of you, Molly Tamale. 



Happy graduation, my sweet, sweet girl! One more day of preschool left and then you're off to the "big kid school" and riding the "big kid bus" come next school year. Ohhh how time continues to fly!   

With love,
Mama Hauck


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Sun Ray Nap

I just wanted to remember what he looked like while napping....

....With those perfectly tucked hands and pouty lips. With his blankets all around him and singing sea horse in the corner. With the sun rays peeking through the curtains and his Mama's deep sigh of content. 


This week we have family in town. We have special plans for my mom's birthday tomorrow, as well as Molly's preschool graduation this week. Busy, busy as always! I think this weeks weather is going to be wonderful as well, making my family's visit even more awesome. 

With love,
Mama Hauck

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Crazy, Busy, Lovely, Happy Spring

Every Spring I like to get out and take some nice flower photos. Last year, in April, we took a drive down Dalles Mtn Road and I got a few good ones. One of my photos actually ended up in this years Goldendale, WA calendar! 



We've been really busy so far this Spring, and it's kept us from being able to steal away for a nice leisurely photo taking drive. So the next best thing for me is to just head out to our front yard! 




I had a sweet little helper with me too and I just couldn't resist taking a few photos of him as well! 


We are definitely loving our crazy, busy, lovely, happy Spring! Between participating in the Goldendale Farmers Market and working on orders and projects for that, extra end of the school year activities for the kiddos, dealing with allergies and the sickies, and keeping up with the normal day to day house and Mama stuff.....we try really hard to enjoy our down time and take in all the beauty around us. 

With love,
Mama Hauck


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Creative Sprinkler Fun

Yesterday was such a beautiful day! We all enjoyed sitting out in the yard soaking up the moment. The sun, the flowers, the fresh air and light breeze, the....

Wait, what's going on over there? 


Are there children under there? 


Yes....yes, there are children under there. 


How cute. How creative. How fun! 


Watch out! Here comes the sprinkler again! 


Ohh Molly! Abort mission, abort mission! 


Looks like you're on your own now, Anthony!


Hahaha!


Aaahh. The simple joys of being a child. Sprinkler fun!! 

With love,
Mama Hauck

Monday, May 19, 2014

Ladies Day Wine Tour and Tasting

Last October when Sammy and I went to Ekone Ranch for their Barbwire Ball, we won a silent auction for an 8 person wine tour and tasting at Maryhill Winery. If you would like to check out or read more about Ekone Ranch or Maryhill Winery, both located in Goldendale WA, I have provided some links below!

http://ekone.org/

http://www.maryhillwinery.com/the-winery/visit

After winning the tour and tasting, I called Maryhill Winery to schedule and I locked in our date of Sunday, May 18th at 1:00pm. I convinced my ever-so-wonderful husband to let me do this event with my girlfriends, treating them to a girls day out. He happily obliged. And so the planning began!

We all met up at Maryhill Park for a picnic at noon. Our picnic was catered by my friend Tracie, graciously payed for by Gma Cathy, and was absolutely delicious! We had pressed Italian sandwiches, fruit kabobs, green bean salad with feta, marcona almonds, brownies, chocolate chip blondie bars, and bottle water. YUM! Look how beautiful our sandwiches were packaged! Love it. 


We got to Maryhill Winery a little before 1pm and waited out on the balcony for our tour guide, Laurie, to meet us. We couldn't have picked a better day, it was sunny and beautiful out. I certainly didn't mind the little bit of wind we had. We are in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, after all!

I wish I could tell you word for word everything that was said on the tour, it was so wonderful! My favorite part was of course the barrel room, I think that was everyone's favorite part. It was cold and crisp in there and the air was enriched with the smell of wine. I also enjoyed listening to Laurie walk us through the process of how they filled and then labeled their wine bottles. It would have been awesome to have seen all of that in action.



After our tour, we headed to one of their tasting rooms! I'm not a fan of red wine, so I only tasted the whites. And I can't drink much of any kind of alcohol without becoming ill, so I only tasted 4 before calling it quits. LOL. A little bit of a party pooper, but only out of necessity. 

We were given a handout of all their wines so we could mark down which ones we tasted and which were our favorites. My favorite was the Sauvignon Blanc 2012, and a close second was the Reisling. I enjoyed hearing Laurie describe all the different wines and seeing which wines my friends liked. Fun, fun, fun! 



After our tasting was done, we headed to The Dalles to watch the movie "Neighbors" at Columbia Cinema. Soda, popcorn, and a cinema child booster seat so I could see over the tall guy who sat in front of me and I was good to go! Haha

I hope all my friends enjoyed their treat of a girls day at the winery! 

I had a great time out of the house and even came home to a vase full of beautiful wild flowers handpicked by my babies. :) 


With love,
Mama Hauck