Hi Ho the Der-i-o.......

A camping she will go! That's right, it's official, we drove her- our first born love of my life- 2 hours away and managed to leave her there. I have been told, by multiple people, that she will have the time of her life- the selfish part of me wants her to miss her mommy just a smidge while she's gone.

Church camp, something I personally never got to experience, but I hope will prove to be a fruitful, spiritual experience for the most fabulous 8 year old I know. She was full of excitement, thrilled to be there. I don't worry about her at all, she is so independant, I am sure she will be just fine. She is a beautiful young woman, full of compassion and concern. And energy, lots and lots of energy.

I'm not worried that she won't be fine, I think more than that I am worried that she is getting old enough to do these kinds of things. First church camp, then what- space travel? Just a breath ago it seems like I was building small towers with plastic blocks and watching her toddle all over the living room trying to knock them down. Everyone says "They grow so fast" or "Time goes so fast", I don't believe it is possible to fully comprehend that until you are dropping your newborn- who apparently is now 8- off at church camp.

We are blessed with another little girl from our church who is going to the same camp this week, they were both so excited!

And here are their adoring fans, those brave souls who also endured the long long drive, two times today, in order to see their sisters get dropped of at camp. Sam, mind you, went to kiss Allyson goodbye and pulled on her arm instead saying "Awison, you come with us!" I'm sure he will be thrilled to see her on Wednesday!
Emily thought it was equally cool to be there, and didn't complain a bit that she didn't get to stay (thank goodness!)

To everyone who said it was, it really really is a beautiful place. Very old, lots of history, I'm sure. This picture is odd, but kind of shows the cool atmosphere (Emily took it, among 20 others, while using my camera). Today alone- from 5pm to bedtime- they were going to swim, take a hayride, review rules, have a cook out, and make smores. Lots to do and see, but more importantly to me- biblically based fun the entire time she is there.

So this was it, my final picture that I snapped before we left. We had put her sheets on the bed, checked out the pool, toured the dining hall, made that really cool name tag that she's wearing and watched the kids run around a bit in their down time. I wrapped my arms around her, wanting so desperately to just hold her for a moment, and she could hardly pull free quick enough to get back to playing- heart breaking stuff this parenting thing.

We will make the journey again in 3 days to retrieve her. My mom is good enough to agree to go with us on the return trip- thank goodness! I was worried about how to manage two over traveled preschoolers and two over excited campers on the way home (I might have forgotten to mention to her we are bringing home the other little girl- surprise!)

I'm sure next year she will prefer to go for the entire week- we'll have to see if I, oh- I mean she, is ready for that.

Flowers for mom

(yes, he is completely nude- in the front yard. Where was his mother you might ask, in the house looking for her camera of course!)

Summer is in full swing here! Not a day goes by without someone getting drenched with the garden hose- and that is the official declaration (as any mother of small children knows). But no drenched children pictures here- just simple 'us' pictures (but the garden hose had been on, mind you).


I am so glad to have such wonderful children- but I don't believe I have ever been so incredibly exhausted in my whole life. Not the kind of exhaustion that a nap can fix, the kind that makes you wish for appendicitis just so you can get a break (I'll be danged if I didn't have mine removed before I had children, what a waste!) These guys keep me hopping, that is for sure!

Not much to report

Not much to report here. This week is vacation bible school, which is always a treat and something that helps us to officially declare that it is summer! There is nothing like spending a week praising the Lord, making crafts, singing silly songs and meeting new people (and my kids enjoy my lack of planning and fast food for dinner almost every night- I am ashamed to admit! Not tonight- tonight I will be better.)

Today we don't have much planned other than fighting, apparently. Sam is currently riding a princess scooter around the living room, Emily is on the deck trying to recover from the bite Sam just gave her, and Allyson is hogging the front of the TV creating more screaming issued from two other ones who also want to have the front row seat. Mean bad mom just declared no more TV (but it was more like NO MORE TV, GO PLAY!) Aggggggh!

And now for pictures that have absolutely nothing to do with any of that:

Lew, our well loved-overgrown beaglewho apparently feels he's human, rather than dog.
Allyson is really getting good with the piano. She is also very disciplined in practicing, which is why she is getting so good. And Sam, he is like a metronome with blonde hair- he just sits next to her and says "1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,1,2,", well- you get the picture.Last night was Emily's last ballet class. While in snapping this picture, I heard her teacher ask them all to balance on one foot. Then I heard Emily say, in her gravely little voice, "I will just stand on two feet, it's too hard on one foot". Oh the patience this small group of girls must have taught their 15 year old teacher...........

With all the strength I have to muster, we will now go and get dressed. Sounds easy, not as easy as it sounds though I must say. Emily will only wear swim suits, apparently, which is fine as long as she will just put one on. Sam prefers to be naked, so presenting him with any clothing at all requires chasing him around and dressing him while he wiggles and screams. Unless, of course, his Thomas t-shirt is clean (please, please, please let it be clean). And Allyson doesn't want to wear anything too 'girly', but she will dress herself. It's just the battle over barrettes in her hair that we go through, I want one to hold her bangs out of her eyes- she doesn't.

So I close with this thought: If a bag of chocolates costs $5, why on earth would it be acceptable for the nutrition label to list "Serving size- 3 chocolates, number of servings per package- approximately 4"? $5 for 12 chocolates, don't you think it should be dang near exactly all 12 chocolates in that small little bag?

Tuckered out!

I suppose these pictures are self explanatory- I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner at 6pm and returned to the living room to find Sam like this.

Surprisingly enough- I washed off the fudgepop juice, changed him into his jammies and he slept all the way through 7:15 this morning! After a day of playing with Joseph and Lydia, he was one tired little boy!

Only the lonely....

Well, I suppose we're not that lonely, but it is different. Different around here, in our part of the world (this little bitty little bitty part of the world) without Dan and Allyson. They are gone on a father daughter camping trip- real camping, not the camping with Grandma and Grandpa's RV, but real, rugged tent camping with coolers and sleeping bags, bug repelant and ponchos (not to worry- bath houses and electric as well)- and tons of geocaching with a group of folks. I'm certain they will have a wonderful time, I just hope that the rain I keep hearing about gives them a break and doesn't show itself. They called this morning, they said that sleeping was chilly and my goofy husband left a bag of cheetos on the picnic table overnight, which a racoon found extremely enjoyable! Allyson was thrilled that they got to see a racoon that close, so I suppose that part is cool! But I take no responsibility for the cholesterol level of that tiny woods creature!





So that just leaves us, here without Dan and Allyson. We miss them, but we are having our own kind of fun. Right now, the anticipation of Joseph (their cousin's) arrival is about to eat them up. We have several hours of pure run around the yard fun planned with him today, and Sam woke up asking when Joseph would get here (he doesn't forget much, I tell ya!) So now for some pictures, just cause I'm feeling a little goofy!

My little man, he was crying like crazy, I knelt down and said smile- and he did!

The view from my front door (the one on the left is not mine by the way!) Emily made a snack and there they sat to enjoy it.

More from Miss Emily's world of photography

And lastly, many thanks to Miss Rebecca for sharing her chocolate buttercream frosting recipe with me- Emily thought it was delightful!

36, 37, 38!

It's official, Dan is 38. Yesterday was his birthday, and without much fanfare or excitement (except in our little hole in the world) it came and went. As a special bonus, he received a middle of the night call and had to go into work for a bonus 12 hour day. So needless to say, he was tired and just a smidge grumpy (:), but we still got to enjoy a fun dinner out, a group of waiters we don't know singing some goofy song- which brought delight to our small ones- and a homemade cake like-none-other at home. We made a triple layer wedding type cake, so that each child could personally decorate a portion. Wow, it would be my suggestion (and wish) that the manufacturers of those pretty colored sprinkles would make the holes smaller to prevent the tidal wave of mess that I later got to embrace. None the less, a wonderful day with a wonderful man who is progressively getting older- strange that I continue to remain untouched by the years : )- I will take this moment to say that I am thankful for each and every minute that our gracious Lord has given to Dan and I, and the entire hairball of our world, as long as we get to try and unravel it together. He is a good man, a wonderful husband and a goofy,loving father- we are a lucky bunch to have him in our world! Even if he was grumpy on his birthday!

Today holds laundry (and more laundry, and still yet probably more laundry), a trip to the store to look for boots for Allyson-which will probably prove to be a challenge considering its June-, and packing for Allyson and Dans fun weekend geocaching/camping adventure this weekend, Oh! and I almost forgot, OUTSIDE as Sam as been screaming since 8:30am hanging from the front door. Should we not get that young man out there for at least a couple hours, his entire world will come crashing down. And, apparently (I just found out) I need to vacume as they (the three little ones) just dumped out an entire box of dog treats for our entirely too-big-already beagle (no one tell our vet- he is supposed to be on a diet). If I were focusing on them, and not this silly blog update (which I am enjoying) perhaps I could have prevented that, so I suppose I bought and paid for that one. Did I mention adding the gym to the list, I'm going to need a moment to release some stress, I can see it coming. Oh, and painting- Emily just produced herself (as Allyson just made her leave the dog treat room disaster)- so now she thinks we should paint. So there you go- laundry, shopping, packing, laundry, OUTSIDE, laundry, dog treat vacuming, gym, painting, laundry, dinner, baths, laundry, bed. A day in the life of us- wouldn't trade it for the world (but I wouldn't mind a housekeeper- should there be one who would donate her services!)

Hidden talent

I may not have told some of you, but Emily has taken up photography...........

And yes- I do think she is wise beyond her years. (she absolutely will never cease to crack me up!)

Thought for the day

Yesterday Emily said to me "Don't listen to that Bub (her name for Sam), he has evil thoughts". The profound knowledge of a four year old...............who knew?

Just thought I would throw on a picture from our weekend in Cincinatti. This is the world famous port-a-potty at Jungle Jims Grocery. We probably need to get a hobby.

A visitor..............

Yesterday we were blessed with a visitor, a small frog or toad (who really knows the difference) whom Emily called Tomy. Allyson of course didn't hesitate to run out in the rain and scoop him up, she has grown into a young woman who is not afraid of much. It is not uncommon to be woken by her with her clenched hand in my face saying "mom, look what I've got!" So frog in hand, she bends down and holds it close to Sam, whom I assumed would find delight in this little guy- boy was I wrong! He screamed like a girl- long and loud- until she pulled 'Tomy' back. Emily was not afraid of him, she too was thrilled to have this little visitor- but she was not going to hold him.

By the end of the evening, Tomy had been down the slide (several times while Emily spun in circles singing "I believe he can Slide"), swam in our baby pool (yes, I will change the water) and had a near death experience with Lew, our dog. Finally, through much begging and finally a threat, Tomy was released back to his 'home' under the garden hose and this morning he has relocated (I can't imagine why). But not to worry, Allyson is on the hunt- determined to find him again! Have a wonderful day!

The many sides of Sam

Industrious...... (one sister is on the other side of that door, the other is taking the picture)

A ladies man......

In touch with his feminine side............



But not to worry, he is an all american boy!

We are here

Here we are, our first official stamp on the world wide web! Who know's what will come of this, and who will even care what we do in our little corner of the world, but it's worth a whirl!

These pictures are from the evening we stole an hour to do absolutely nothing at the park. Silly me thought we would take loaf of bread and feed the ducks, what I didn't anticipate was the hord of rude geese that surrounded us (scary!) None the less, Allyson loved climbing on anything that would stand still, and Sam and Emily got to serve us 'ice cream' from the window at the playset.