Harvest Fair Fun

Anika has been anxiously waiting for the opportunity to wear her "Little Mermaid" costume. And last night was the night:-) Anika was a mermaid and Andrew was a clown. He was not at all fond of the wig but he managed to keep it on for a picture or two. We went to the Harvest Fair, played games, and filled up on candy. Then we came home and had the youth group over for pizza and games -- and more candy. I didn't think my kids would ever go to sleep. It was a really fun evening.

Princess Wishes

Our little princess was spoiled this weekend. I saw already this summer that Disney on Ice was coming to Yakima and I knew that Anika would be amazed at the skating and, of course, the princesses. So we decided to have a special "date night". Daddy took Mommy and Anika out to the show and Andrew got to stay home with the babysitter. What an amazing night! When asked what she liked best, Anika said, "The skating." And her favorite princess is Ariel, the little mermaid. A highlight of the night was Anika getting to dress up as a princess. Our friend, Linda Werkhoven let Anika borrow a Sleeping Beauty dress. Anika had a great time!

Belle and Luimere:

Snow White and her prince:Jasmine and Aladdin (by far the best skaters!):

Mickey and Minnie Mouse:

Cinderella and Prince Charming:Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip:Ariel and Flounder:

Stress?

To explain my lack of posts is to explain the turmoil of the (adult) Wickers' minds. Lloyd has received a call to pastor a church in Ripon, CA. Yikes!!!! We have been and will continue to spend the next few weeks on our knees discerning God's call and will in all of this. We covet any and all prayers as we wade through these waters.

We woke up to this sign (from God?) on our front lawn this morning. Our loving friends here are clear in their desire that we continue to be used of God here in Sunnyside.
(If you can't read the forks, they say 'STAY'.)

Kids, kids, and kids?

Hello! It's been a long time (but I'm happy to say I'm in under the wire and it has been less than a month:-)). It's been a crazy time around the Wicker household. Just living life is busy enough but we've added plenty of stress to all of it.

Might she have a touch of a dramatic streak????

Those baby blues hide a LOT of trouble:-)

Of course, I couldn't catch the perfect moment just before this when Andrew was sitting nicely as his sister read to him, but . . . here is the next best thing. (Do you think there is room for three on that chair????)

Oregon Visit

We went to Oregon this weekend to visit Pake and Beppe. Beppe has been moved to a care facility as she recovers from an infection. It was good to see them again. Mom Wicker was there visiting as well so we got to spend some time with her too.

Who is helping whom?

Lunch Break

Dad snapped a few shots of the kids (Andrew, Anika, and Scout) during lunch time. Andrew is extremely fond of yogurt -- as you can see.

Andrew the Imitator

Andrew MUST do everything his big sister does -- if she gets her fingernails painted, then he wants his done. If she gets lipstick (chapstick), then he wants some. If she carries a purse, then by golly, so will he:-)

Sunshine Days

I'm a little late with this post but I had to include the fun time that we had at Sunshine Days a few weeks ago. Parades, Fire Dept. Open House, rides, etc. The kids had a great day.

Anika's friend and babysitter, Kaitlyn. (Anika was in heaven with Kaitlyn's undivided attention - they colored together, ate hot dogs together, watched the dunk tank together. . .)

Andrew wasn't so sure about this ride.

Happy Birthday, Dana!

Our friend, Dana, celebrated her birthday yesterday. The kids loved the party - people, presents, and CAKE!!!!

Late Summer Days

Mornings can be chilly around here these days but we are still enjoying the outdoors. Anika broke out the sidewalk chalk again and Andrew. . . well, Andrew just keeps going and going and going. . .

Fashionista

Anika has taken to coming downstairs in the morning with her personal choice of clothing for the day. Some days go better than others. This was one of her more interesting combinations:-)
While it isn't totally clear in this picture, Andrew is sporting a pretty rough looking eye. He took another header down the cement stairs in the backyard. (He got lots of comments on this one but it is healing really quickly!!!)

Craft Time

Lloyd made a quick trip to the store yesterday and I asked him to glance at some watercolor paints for Anika. He came back with the watercolors and another fun, crafty item for Anika. I thought I had hidden it away for a rainy day but she found it (of course.) So Anika and Daddy are having a moment this afternoon. They are painting in a suncatcher butterfly. What a delight to watch. Lloyd is trying hard to reign in his perfectionist tendency and allow Anika to actually take part. There are a lot of "Good job, Anika" 's and "Thank you, Daddy" 's being exchanged. What a fun time!

Blankie Babies

I used to think that only Anika was going to have an unusually strong attachment to her blankie. I may be wrong. For whatever reason (copying Anika, sleeping with it every night, . . .) Andrew is now quite fond of his knit treasure from Nana. He makes me lift him AND the blanket out of his crib now. So, here are my "blankie babies":