camp was a hit!

ok, i have to report that we had a blast at our first annual camp cousinfun. and yes, i'm going to bore you with lots of pictures. and you must look at each one, please. :)

my sister decorated the front door with this...

ella and grace wearing their funny glasses

before our first "camp meeting"...when we talked about the rules :)

each cousin had a chore after meals, either clean up (sweeping and wiping table) or dishes

here i am with the kids with the "guess who's nose" game

my mom helped the big girls bake a cake

here's evan enjoying the cake at the pool

my baby jumped off the diving board (with some assistance from aunt stacy)

each night rusty played his guitar and we sang some fun songs

my dad with all the kids

the cousins in their "camp cousinfun" tshirts that they decorated on the back

the big girls showing off their craft called "God's eyes"

we had a campfire and made smores one night...and yes, sang songs too!

the blindfold game brought lots of giggles

my little cheater...evan kept peeking

so if you've made it this far, i might as well continue and tell you some of the things we did other than the activities above (keep in mind our theme of the five senses):

• guess the scent game
• taste tests
• scavenger hunt at the farmers market
• fingerprint craft, made fingerprint animals
• learned about helen keller and watched "the miracle worker"
• family charades
• sound bingo
• guess the objects (by smelling, touching or tasting)
• talent show

our time at my sister's house was packed full of fun. at times, the kids were worn out...but for the most part, they really had SOOO much fun. i'm thrilled that they will have these special memories with their cousins and am thankful for the time together to bond even more. they were already asking if we were going to do it next year!

countdown to cousin camp!

tomorrow my sister and i will kick off our first annual "Camp Cousinfun"! my sister first came to me with the idea last summer and we never got our act together to do it. she has 4 kids (ages, 7 1/2, 6, and twin 3 yr olds). i think the whole camp will go over much better this year with our little ones being older.

what is a cousin camp you might ask? well, basically its going to be 3 fun-filled days of activities, crafts, games, field trips with our cousins (obviously!) and we are all centering it around our theme of "the five senses". the ideas were endless! everyone has been assigned to be in charge of different things, including meals. we even have my parents and our hubbies involved!

my kids are SO excited they can hardly stand it! i will report back after camp is over and post some things we did, along with some pictures!

more quotes!

what comes out of my 4 yr old's mouth is much different than my 2 yr old. she is now figuring things out and much of what she says is factual and a reality....therefore, not as cute as what my little man says. however, last night she said some pretty cute things that were blogworthy and i must share!

the kids and i were eating dinner out while daddy was at a meeting. evan decided it would be fun to lift up his shirt and laugh real loud. ella decided to do it too and i immediately told her to put her shirt down because i am trying to teach her modesty and how to be lady-like. being the mommy-like older sister, she says to evan, "bud, put your shirt down, it's not man-like!"

then during our after dinner trip to target, we passed a lady in a tank top with LOTS of tattoo's on her chest and arms. ella says, "look mommy, she has lots of stamps on her body!" (the kids have been stamping their arms lately with this smiley face stamp that we have...).

thanks for the giggles ella!

oh the funny things he says...part 2

as we were getting ready to leave for church this morning, evan looks at ella (who had just put on her sparkly lip gloss) and says, "i like your chap lips ella." ella proceeds to let evan put on some chapstick and he proudly says, "look at my chap lips mama!"

also, he has a boo boo on his foot and i put a bandaid on it the other day. he frequently talks about the fact that he has a boo boo and he said "i got my boo boo on." but he was calling his bandaid the boo boo. and he told his daddy that it was a "monster street" bandaid (aka sesame street)....monster street makes total sense, doesn't it!!?

oh the funny things he says

as i was checking my email this morning, evan wanted me to open a puzzle box for him. he said to me, "ella will help me when you kick (click) on da pooter (computer)." hee hee.

my new favorite drink

i'm a coke fan. i don't like pepsi. i don't like diet coke. but i do like diet coke with splenda. and i like coke zero. i love vanilla coke, but i don't like vanilla diet coke. and so...much to my surprise, i saw a 12 pack of VANILLA COKE ZERO at the store last week! oh yipeee! so now i can enjoy my vanilla coke with zero calories. i guess it doesn't take much to make me happy these days.

summer memories

after lunch today, i was reading the "your words" section in my RealSimple magazine. the question for last month was "what's your best summer memory?" and it got me thinking. i don't have many vivid memories from childhood. but one thing i recall was how much i loved that swirly slide in iowa. let me explain...

growing up, my dad was a hot air balloon pilot. interesting career path, huh? so as a child, my family often traveled all over the country as my dad competed in hot air balloon races. the one that i remember the most was the national hot air balloon championship that was held in indianola, iowa every summer. and it was there that i fell in love with the huge swirly slide at this playground my sister and i would insist on visiting while we were there. i guess they didn't have those slides in atlanta?! i don't know. as my sister and i grew older, we got rather bored with the whole ballooning life. all the traveling and chasing my dad while he was soaring high above us seemed to get old. although everyone around us thought it was the most exciting thing ever. and the thing that excited me most among the sight of hundreds of hot air balloons taking off in the sky was a simple slide on a playground.

now that i look back and think about all the great things i got to experience as a result of being a balloonist's daughter, i understand that it really is such a unique childhood. i am now thankful for those travels and the many hot air balloon rides that i got to take to see the world from a different view...but as i raise my own family...i can rest assured that the simplest things like a slide can bring much joy for a child! (kind of ironic that as i was thinking about all of this, i read "Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon" to evan before his nap today!).

so, what's your best summer memory?

extreme makeover: blog edition

like the new bloggy makeover? i discovered how easy it is to change my header from a friend, so i thought i would give it a try! i love that photo of the kids running and knew i wanted to use it somehow. anyway, it's kinda funky...but it's something new and change is good! (wish i could change my wardrobe this easily!)

** updated to add: can you help a girl out!? being the indecisive person that i am...i can't decide which template to use. go here to see the other color palette (which i tend to think is more me) and tell me...what is your vote? thanks!!

update on josh

thanks for the prayers. here's the latest update:

July 07, 2007 at 09:50 AM EDT
Praise!! God answered again! Surgery has been cancelled. The Dr.s said the shunt seems to be pumping properly. However, his colon is so impacted that they think it is affecting on the shunt. They will help him clean out his colon & see what happens. Gino & Diedere have been looking into Joshua's next step & don't see a lot of medical options. They have found hope & testimonies through diet & natural intervention & complete overhaul. They are seriously considering this. It will be a huge change. Praising the God who heard!! Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. Is. 65:24

it's going to be a long road....they are taking it one day at a time.

josh

i just checked my cousin's online care page and he needs prayer. this is what my cousin erin wrote on the update:

24 July 06, 2007 at 08:50 PM EDT
PRAYER ALERT!!! JOSHUA HAD A HARD DAY YESTERDAY & TODAY WITH A SEVERE HEADACHE & VOMITING. LATE THIS AFTERNOON THEY DID A CT SCAN TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON & SAID THE SHUNT WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THEY EXTRACTED 3 VILES OF FLUID FROM HIS BRAIN TO RELIEVE THE PRESSURE & JOSHUA'S HEADACHE WENT AWAY. HE IS SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY TOMORROW TO SEE WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE SHUNT. PRAY: *THAT JOSHUA WILL QUIT THE EXCESSIVE VOMITING, *HE & HIS FAMILY WILL REST WELL & NOT FEAR SURGERY, *THE SURGERY WILL FIX THE PROBLEM, *FOR STRENGTH TO FINISH THE CHEMO & 10 RADIATION TREATMENTS, *WISDOM IN FUTURE DECISIONS, *TOTAL & COMPLETE HEALING FOR JOSHUA!

can you please pray for him? he has now been in the hospital for over a month. his body has been through so much with the radiation and chemo. his parents are worn out and josh is so weary.... anyway, just wanted to give an update and pass on this urgent request. (in the photo, my cousin Gino and his wife Diedere are in the middle. Victoria is 13 and Caleb is 16). thanks for praying!!

a happy 4th

i think july 4th is becoming one of my favorite holidays. to me, it means all things summer. time to be with friends and family, getting wet in the pool from the hot summer sun, celebrating our country and our freedom, eating burgers and hot dogs, watching fireworks, and all things red, white & blue. last night was one of those nights that make me so thankful for what i have been given. our community group gathered at one family's house and we spent hours enjoying our time with each other. memories were made and fun was had by all. i took a ton of photos last nite....so here are some of them...





here are the kids after they decorated their bikes and scooters with streamers, etc.


the kids were so cute playing throwing the ball in the grass and playing duck duck goose. we made them make this pyramid for a good photo opportunity :)


we couldn't wait until dark to start the fireworks...here are the kids watching them.


ella doesn't like the loud noise from the fireworks...so she wore ear plugs!

oh yeah

instead of saying "yes ma'am" or "ok" or just plain "yes"...evan's new answer to questions is "oh yeah!" and it is said in a soulful way...kind of reminds me of the "oh yeah" from the bomp bomp..chicka chicka song (i have no other idea of how to describe that!) --i think it was in the ferris bueller movie?? anyone, anyone?

me: evan, do you want some ice cream?
evan: oh yeah!

me: evan, can you close the door?
evan: oh yeah!

me: will you please come here?
evan: oh yeah!

anyway, you get the point. when you hear it in person (if you get the opportunity), you will surely laugh.

and in an attempt to teach ella a little about why we celebrate July 4th....i noticed that she calls the United States the "Whonited States".

i love the things these kids say.

help help...we can't stop watching!

r and i just finished watching 4 episodes straight of 24...season 2. oh yeah! we really couldn't stop. so it got to be 11:30pm and we decided that was enough. there's like a permament indention in my couch where my butt has been all night. good grief. do we need to go to 24aholic's anonymous or something? we only have season 2 and 3 to watch and then we will be all caught up.

so far, jack has only killed a few people and he's only said "da**it" 15 million times. at least his character stays consistent.

going to bed now. glad i could write such an exciting post....especially for you angela.

pure sweetness

a couple months ago i started singing the Zephaniah 3:17 song to evan at bedtime. we like to call it "the Lord our God" song. only after a few times of singing it, he started singing along with me. and oh my...did my heart completely melt when i heard his sweet little voice singing that song! of course, he doesn't know how to pronounce all of the words, but he sure tries. I was finally able to capture it on video the other day. he has gotten so much better at singing it...and the boy can carry a tune!

in the video...he gets almost done singing the whole song and ella chimes in...he did NOT like that! so he starts the song from the beginning again! very funny. also, i don't know where he got the "wax on wax off" hand motions from the karate kid! maybe the kitchen table needed a little cleaning!




and here is my sweet ella singing to her brother one year ago. i'm amazed at how much she has matured in a year...in not only her voice but her little face! i love this video of them. it is absolutely one of the most precious things to hear my children sing...i love it!!!

scrapbook camp

9 girls. 1 house. 3 hours away from home. 3 am bedtime. 30 pages scrapbooked.

this pretty much summed up my weekend away at "scrapbook camp" (as i labeled it during our late night laugh-so-hard-our-stomachs-were-hurting fests). i had such a great time with my friends as we scrapbooked our little hearts out. it was so fun to see what everyone else was working on. i'm certainly not a die-hard scrapbooker...considering it had been one year since i had done it. but once i get started, i really enjoy it. below are 2 of my favorite spreads that i did for evan's first year book. his book is all i worked on. i still have 3 more months to finish and then some of my journaling. it's all worth the work and effort after i came home and showed r and the kids. to hear the excitement over each page makes me so happy! and they have looked at their books 3 times since i got home last night! for more pics of our weekend...go to sam's blog.

hard questions

it's free summer movie time at our mall and we are enjoying it! anything for free is a good time in my opinion! i took evan to see "curious george" a couple weeks ago when ella was at vbs. and today we went and saw "charlotte's web". we have never read the book to ella so the story was new to her. she had many questions about it when it was over. like "mommy, why did charlotte have to die?" and "will charlotte come back to life?" and "how long will charlotte be dead?" and "what will happen to her babies...who will take care of them?" and "what happens when spider's die?" and "did charlotte turn white after she died?" and on and on....many of those questions were repeated by her....maybe because i didn't give a good answer!? the questions were tough and it was so difficult to come up with an easy answer that her little mind could understand! sometimes after i hear myself give an answer, i just have to chuckle inside because it sounds so ridiculous! i tried. and she is curious....which is great! and then...try explaining it to your 2 yr old who copies his sister and asks "mama, why da charlotte die, huh mama?"

sharks in the swimming pool

well tonight was the beginning of our two weeks of swim lessons for the kids. when i first told evan what we were going to do, he started crying and said he didn't want to go. then, once he saw that sister was excited, he calmed down and was excited as well. his only hesitation was wondering if "dere are sharks in da swimming pool??" now where did he come up with that one?! once we got to the pool, he had a hard time waiting his turn to get in...he was super excited! ella had her lesson first and she was so brave! no tears, no fear...just a big girl who was willing to try it! she had a great time and can't wait for tomorrow. little man had a great time as well....doing the hokey pokey in the water with his daddy, going down the water slide, and floating along the lazy river learning how to blow bubbles! and there were no sharks to be found! he had so much fun that he cried and cried when we were leaving because he wanted to stay. and then it was all smiles when they both got to eat their "popkissles" (as evan calls them) when we got home!

how cute is it...

• that my boy calls McDonald's "Old MacDonald's"
• that after mommy & daddy put on his tennis shoes that were too small (shame on us!) he got a blister on his big toe and he kept saying "i have a broken toe"
• that he helped me pick up pine cones on saturday and he kept calling them "porcipines"
• that after i helped him put on his elbow and knee pads to ride his scooter (because he wanted me to...not because i'm overly cautious!) he would call his elbows "bo bo's"
• that when we say "i love you buddy", he responds with "loves shoo" (not quite sure how to type it to sound right!)
  
• and i know i should try stopping him of this...but i still think it's too sweet...how cute is it that he still sucks on 2 fingers

updated because i thought of a few more....

• that he goes to bed and wakes up singing "itsy bitsy spider" (i like to go to his door and listen)
• that he finds our chapstick and he puts it on and says "i got some chap lips mama!"
• that he says "allright" after everything...he never says "ok"
• that when he doesn't remember someone's name, he asks "what dat name?"
• that he sings the Zephaniah 3:17 (the Lord our God is with you...) with me at bedtime with THE SWEETEST little voice
  

vbs

ella went to her first vacation bible school last week. our church does not do one so i sent her to another local church and she had such a great time. evan and i would stay for the joint worship time at the beginning. the music was so fun and i loved watching and hearing the kids sing and do all the motions to the songs. each day they would learn a new bible point for the day with a verse that went with it. the bible points were simple yet full of truth. they actually made me ponder them throughout the week...especially considering what has been going on lately. they were:
God is REAL.
God is WITH US.
God is STRONG.
God is AWESOME.
God is IN CHARGE.

like i said, such simple truths that have gripped my heart this past week. and i can't help but think of these truths as i pray for my cousin Josh. i pray that God would be real to him...that he would KNOW that God is with him on this journey...that Josh would see God's strength and trust that His strength can heal him...that he would worship our awesome God in spite of his suffering, and that he and his family would know that God is in charge of all things...Josh's body, his radiation, his doctors, and this tumor. and even though my struggles seem like nothing compared to what my cousin is going through....i pray these things for myself too! that during my day when i'm at my wits end with the complaining and whining coming from my daughter, that i would know that i'm not alone. that i would believe that God is real and he is with me. and when i find myself worried and anxious about the silliest of things...that i would trust that He is in charge and i have nothing to fear.

so thanks to vbs for encouraging my heart!

my first attempts at french braiding...this was the night of the vbs finale/ice cream social.

quick update

thank you for your sweet comments and prayers about my last couple posts. my cousin, josh, started his radiation today. it's going to be a long haul...but they are determined to fight this fierce brain tumor. when we were getting word of all this news this weekend, r was practicing a song that he was going to be singing on sunday. he came and woke me up saturday night to tell me that the song had brought him to tears (and if any of you know him...that is rare!). he read me some of the lyrics that night and we couldn't help but think about joshua's situation. and it also encouraged my heart and the struggles i have been facing. the lyrics are a great reminder to us all that our suffering is only temporary. his glory is eternal.

Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right
©1998 David Braud Music. Words: Samuel Rodigast. Music: David Braud.

1. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Holy His will abideth.
I will be still whate’er He does, And follow where He guideth.
He is my God, Though dark my road.
He holds me that I shall not fall, Wherefore to Him I leave it all

2. Whate’er my God ordains is right, He never will deceive me
He leads me by the proper path, I know He will not leave me
I take, content, What He hath sent
His hand can turn my griefs away, And patiently I wait His day

3. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Though now this cup in drinking
May bitter seem to my faint heart, I take it all unshrinking
My God is true, Each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart And pain and sorrow shall depart

4. Whate’er my God ordains is right, Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine, Yet I am not forsaken
My Father’s care Is round me there
He holds me that I shall not fall, And so to Him I leave it all

PLEASE pray for Joshua

well i wish this post was going to be a happy one, considering my last post. but i just got difficult news from my cousin who just left Egleston Children's Hospital in Atlanta where my 14 year old (2nd) cousin (i said nephew by mistake in my last post) got transferred. They confirmed that he has a brain tumor and discovered that it is inoperable. the tumor has attached itself so closely to the brain that the risks are too severe to operate on it. the only thing to do is chemo and radiation. things look dim. they mentioned that he might have a year to live. just having to type this makes me cry. joshua is such a sweet boy. he is the middle child of three. he loves hunting and fishing. and he is fearful. he is shocked. and he needs lots of prayer. his father, Gino (my 1st cousin) is a pastor. in fact, he married rusty and i 9 years ago. they are a family with strong faith. they have sisters and brothers in Christ who are rallying around them through this news. and so...i ask you...as my brothers and sisters...please pray for joshua. we believe that God can heal him if He desires. pray for joshua that he would fight and not give up. pray that he would cast his fear on Him. pray for Gino and Diedere (his parents) and Caleb and Victoria (his siblings) as they stand by Josh. if you have a minute...please ask Him to be merciful and to bring healing for Josh. thank you my friends.

sinking

the past few days have been hard. my energy level is low. i'd rather stay in bed. i've had a couple of good cries. i just can't get myself going. evan has had a fever for 5 days. ella is going on 3 days with a fever and she has thrown up twice. every night i've been woken up several times and i just haven't had good sleep. so..i'm tired...but not just physically. emotionally i've just been down on myself. i'm feeling like a horrible housekeeper. i'm bummed about the weight i've gained. just going through one of those phases where i'm feeling like a failure in all areas. and i don't write this to get sympathy. i write this just to let it out. i have delt with depression in the past and i'm not afraid to admit it. and i feel like i'm gradually sinking into it again. but then i have those moments where my kids are just super sweet. evan "read" a book to ella and i today and it just made us giggle and giggle. and ella will just randomly come to me and give me a kiss. these are the sweet moments that i believe God gives me to help me know He is there...He wants me to have joy and hope. He wants me to know He loves me. He uses these precious children to remind me of that constantly.

and then i'm reminded of those around me who are struggling and actually have a good reason for it....i just got word from my cousin that my nephew (who is 13 i think) has a brain tumor. and then i think about one of my dearest friend's whose husband just graduated from seminary and he has no job. they are moving today with their 3 children...1 in which they are dealing with her continued challenges and special needs. and then there is another friend (rusty went to high school with) who just had preemie twin boys. one of them got to go home yesterday and the other one is still struggling with complications.

overall, my heart is heavy. yet, i have too many things to be thankful for right now. i will get through this...i know. i am confident in my savior. and my medication. :)

what to do with my prime time

may sweeps are over. no american idol, no grey's anatomy, no 24 or lost...now how do i spend my time?! oh yeah, maybe i could finish cleaning out my laundry room or actually vaccuum my bedroom. or maybe i could pick up one of the many books that are sitting on my shelf that i have never read. i've never been a big reader. it's just not something that i would choose to do in my spare time...other than reading my Real Simple magazine (does that count as reading?!). i think i want to become a reader though. in the past, i have tended to choose non-fiction Christian theological books to read in hopes that i might gain some spiritual ground. i then get halfway through the book and get bored with it because 1. i often have no idea what they are talking about and 2. i don't read regularly and i end up having to read previous chapters over again and then i just get frustrated at how long it takes me to finish it! so, those books end up dusty and back on my bookshelf. however, there are a few fiction books that i have been sucked into because they are fun to read and i can't put them down. this is what i need. i think if i found some great books that will take me to another place (just like my tv shows!), then i will enjoy it. and maybe...just maybe...i could call myself a reader. so i need your help. will you give me some recommendations of some GREAT books you have read? help me become a better reader, ya'll!

i couldn't write a post without posting a picture. this has nothing to do with reading but everything to do with our weekend in nashville with the walters. here are the kids having fun on a swing. they had a great time playing together this weekend!! thanks walters...we miss you!

picking strawberries

yesterday we went with my parents, sister, and her kids to pick strawberries at a local farm. evan mainly just walked around picking a few random strawberries that didn't look so good...but i give him an 'A' for trying! he also was obsessed with the pink flags that were supposed to be markers of where you leave off so the next person will know where to start. so a lot of help he was when he started pulling up flags everywhere! ella mainly stayed with her cousins, lane and grace, because they are much more fun to be with than mommy evidently! she had fun and that's what matters! then we had a picnic at a beautiful park near the strawberry farm and they played their little hearts out. it was a great day. (except for the HORRIBLE meltdown that ella had when she had to say goodbye to her cousins!! i had to literally drag her to the car.)

they were watching a grasshopper.

they oughta be in pictures

i had some fun taking pictures of the kids last night. they were outside playing "hitball", as evan calls it, with their new tee ball set. these were some of my favorites.

motherhood

motherhood is the most challenging, exhausting, selfless, yet rewarding job i've ever experienced. i never knew how much love i could give until i had my two children. and i never knew just how much God would use them to show me how much i need Jesus. i will never be the perfect mother....but i have a perfect God. and i hope that some day my children will be able to look back and see how God used them to help me run to Him in desperation....repent to Him with a sorrowful heart...and love and enjoy all the things that He does. my kids have changed my life....they have brought joy to me that i've never known before. they bring smiles and laughter to my life every day. every day also brings struggles in motherhood, but it's things like these sweet little duck duck goose games that i want to be engraved in my memory forever.....



HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

yesterday and today

what a difference a day makes. here's my little peanut showing off her amazing talent of writing block letters yesterday. she did this for the first time several months ago and i was quite impressed! my friend sara was actually concerned that her 4 yr old boy was not up to par after she saw ella's writing! but i think its probably unusual for little ones to be able to do this at this age....or maybe i'm just fooling myself in thinking i have a super talented little one! at any rate, mama was proud and wanted to show the world. i remember when i was younger doing the same thing...so i guess it's in the genes!



and then comes today. it actually started last night. we were at community group and the kids were playing outside. ella suddenly started screaming and crying and complaining about something being in her eye. we flushed out her eye and let her hold a wet washcloth on it. she cried off and on the rest of the night. she was miserable. she tends to be overly dramatic over her injuries....so i gradually lost compassion as the night progressed. about 5 times during the night she cried out in pain. this morning when she got up, her eye was all red and swollen. i knew then that all of it wasn't an act. we took her to our pediatrician and he immediately said we needed to take her to a pediatric opthomologist. thankfully, rusty cleared his schedule to go with me (and thanks to sam for watching evan!). he held her the whole time while the doctor scanned her eye and then had to fold the eyelid back to find a big brown speck that had been in there all night! poor thing...when i took a look at that piece of dirt or whatever it was, i felt so sorry for her and it certainly explained all the crying! ella did a GREAT job and we were so proud of her going through all of that. she now has a cool eye patch that she will wear til the morning. she also had an abrasion on her eye which we will have to treat with ointment. she has been such a trooper today....she was rewarded with a milkshake after her dr. visit and a mexican dinner tonight! we are just so happy that she is ok!