Christmas Pictures

Christmas was great. Santa came, saw and conquered. You can view our pictures by clicking here.

We're Back

I've been away from the blog for awhile. I have a new method for sharing photos. These have the photos of the September Birthday parties, Halloween, Peri's Birthday (Peri is Grace's good friend), and some photos of our new floors we installed.

Alligators

These silly alligators kept the kids happy and busy the entire weekend! Who would have thought?

Apocalypse

On our last day in Holden, ash from the Flick Creek Wildfire started falling on us - a very light dusting of snow. (The fire was miles away on the other side of the lake and no threat to Holden.) Loud picked up his guitar and made up songs about the Apocalypse as he played cards in the ashfall.

Holden Pictures

To say we had fun would be an understatement. Grace and her buddies played with rubber toy alligators for two straight days in the gardens. The alligators had lively conversations. Each evening, a Mama deer and her twins (Feline and Bambi) and sometimes a Daddy deer walked through the village.

Holden Village

We just came back from our annual trip to Holden Village. This year we took 5 days. Here's a picture of Grace, hiding, before we got on the boat to Holden.

Friends

Grace's friend Little Foot, her troublesome dinosaur companion, will not stop eating from our garden. Grace is constantly asking us to tell Little Foot to stop eating the garden.

She doesn't have a brother or sister to fight with yet, but today she asked us to tell her imaginary friend, Mr. Q, to stop following her. So instead of actual fights we're refereeing imaginary fights between Grace and six inch tall girl named Mr. Q.

Cucumber Egg Hunt

We pulled up the cucumber plant today with all the remain xxxx-large
cucumbers attached to the vines. After Nelson tossed them in the yard
they looked like Easter Eggs, so we hid them and then Grace pretended
the Easter Bunny came and we had a cucumber-egg hunt.

Last Day of Class

Reading a book called "The Dragon Machine", they built a Dragon Machine to lead the baby dragon back where all the other dragons lived. This is just another typical imaginary adventure for Grace.

Grace Picture

Grace composed and took this photograph.

Grace's New Bed

A picture from Grace's first night in her new bed in her new room. (She loves her new room. So do we.)

Sleepy Airplanes

Grace, upon waking up this morning, said to Aimee: "Where do airplanes sleep?"

Also last night, Grace reports the following dream: Mommy was there, and Grandad was pretending to be a ghost, and he poked his head out of the sheets, and then we all went to Isabel's house, and Isabel's house was right next to our house.

Thumper Told Me

Grace offers many explanations for her behavior, or how the Universe
works, by prefacing her comments with "Thumper Told Me."

New Room

Our big project this past weekend was removing everything from Grace's room, painting it "Blue, like the morning sky", and putting in a new light and a new big-girl bed. She is now sleeping in her new room!

Self-portrait

Grace has figured out how to take pictures.

Life Lesson

We went to the zoo/  On the way home Grace had a bag of chips.  Aimee asked for the bag and Grace gave it to her, and then when Grace wanted it back, Aimee said, "Just a minute, I'm eating a few more chips."  Now, I started to joke about the lesson Grace should be learning from this: namely, never give away your bag of chips to somebody sitting in the front seat of the car.  Aimee said she was learning patience.  The debate was soon settled.  A few minutes later Aimee wanted some more chips and asked Grace for the bag back.  Grace, having learned her lesson, gave her the chips one at a time and kept the bag safely in her lap.

Grace's Homemade knock knock jokes

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Crab.
Crab who?
Crab door?

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Turtle.
Turtle who?
Turtle Curtain.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Duck.
Duck who?
Duck light.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Fish.
Fish who?
Fish Store.

4th of July awe

Grace, watching fireworks explode overhead in a variety of colors, from our front porch on the 4th of July: "Red and green at the same time? That's impossible."

Kitty Torture

You would think that Mango the cat, knowing that he will be treated rather roughly when Grace is near, would run. You would be wrong.

Mask

Grace and her new "sky" mask. (Note the shiny stars and yarnlike galaxies on the black background.)

July Flower Blogging from our Garden

Happy Fourth of July

Fight the Empire!

Virginia and Georgia

Aimee and Grace have been back from their trip to the East Coast for a week now (almost two weeks, actually) and I'm just getting around to getting the pictures off the camera. More pictures to follow, documenting their epic quest across the East.

Grace Bathtime

Before Grace takes a bath, she sometimes takes the time to assemble an "audience" of dogs to keep watch over her.

Curious George

A high-five moment between C.G. and Grace, in Alexandria, VA.

Parlay?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Grace and Isabel duel for control of the Black Pearl, the most infamous pirate ship in the Caribbean.

Flower blogging

The Masks of Grace

A zoo bear growling at the photographer.
A farmer toiling in the fields.
A bug.
A freeman worm-rider.

2006 NW Synod Assembly

Aimee is off at the 2006 Northwest Synod Assembly.

Zoo in the Rain

Friday, June 2 - Nelson and Grace at the zoo, arriving during a rainstorm just as everone else was rushing out of the zoo to escape the rainstorm. A 1/2 hour later the zoo was emptied except for the few who remained, and the rain had stopped.

Riverside, CA

Nelson just returned from a 3-day NIH Grants Seminar in Riverside, California.  He never saw a river, so he's not sure what River the city is beside.  The city would more appropriately be named Roadside, California, since it consisted mainly of large, wide roads filled with traffic.  The Mission Inn is the coolest hotel he has ever stayed in the United States - taking up a full city block and filled with fountains, hidden courtyards, domes, spires, a stone bridge, two chapels, statues, paintings, stained glass, and a crazy kaleidescope of architectural styles. 

Lindsey Appell's Press Releases

Can be found - http://www.montanaheritageproject.org/index.php/teacherlore/C40/

Aftermath of a Shedding

Enjoying a delicious aftermath meal of tri-tip steaks, roasted vegetables, potato chips, cheetos, wine, cookies, and root beer.

Work photos

Everyone is having a blast. Nelson and Aimee know how to show everybody a good time!

Rippling pectorals

Eric provides the muscle and work ethic while Mark and Nelson showcase their rippling pectorals.

Shed Move Work Party

Before and after pictures from our shed moving party, Saturday May 27, 2006. The question each person asked, after we moved the shed, was "Why didn't they just put the shed in the corner of the yard in the first place?" (The plants growing up the wooden frames in the right corner are our peas.)

Grace Outside in the Yard in May

Flower Blogging

Spring Foliage

Spring flowers and foliage at the Appell household.

Easter Eric

Striking a classical pose, Eric showcases the Easter attire of a man of 2006: simple, graceful, elegant, yet charged with explosive energy. Equally ready for action, or ready for a nap.

Grace Easter

Grace had 3 separate Easter Egg Hunts, with Mom and Dad, with Church, and with Grandma and Grandpa. She had a very pretty dress for the occasion.