Poor Mr. Phil...

Phil Roberts came by today to play with the kids and to drop off a wake board, but mainly to play with the kids... I love that about him :)

This poor horsey is all out of gas!

Okay Abby, my turn now...

Despite the mayhem that was occurring inside (then outside and then back inside) the house, I got so much packing done in the 2+ hours that he was here!!! My kids loved having Mr. Phil come by :) Abby was begging him not to go... so sweet!



We leave for Lake Almanor tomorrow, immediately after church. I think we are about as packed as we will be! It really is amazing how much stuff we cart up there for just one week. Oh... but what fun!!! Best of all... good-bye to PVM (refer to last blog)... for now.



Going to bed. Night-night!

Happy Belated Independence Day!!!

Sorry for the long silence... life has been too time consuming for me to blog these last few weeks :)

This is our newest "tradition" (4th year in the running)... on the 4th of July, our family drives down to Laguna Niguel to participate in the YMCA Run in the Park. This year, Isaac and Seth ran the 5K (3.1 miles - for those of you who aren't familiar with the metric system) instead of the Kiddie Run!

10K? No sweat!!!

After Matthew's easy 10K, he and Abby cheered us on :) The boys did great... Isaac finished at 34 minutes and Seth at 36 minutes. Quite impressive for those little legs.

C'mon Seth... beat Mommy!!!

We had quite a little group of friends there this year -- the Sciarras, the Gnewuchs, the Cech girls (plus Matt), Timothy, and Eden. It was fun to hang out after the races and eat the traditional pancake breakfast!

After a nice nap in the afternoon, we headed over to Mom and Dad's for a lovely barbecue (another tradition!). It is always such a treat to be able to spend time with our family! I love that the littlest cousins (Ezekiel and Cami) are now recognizing their cousins, calling out their names, and are so excited to see and play with them!!! Soooo adorable!

Here is Abby, wishing you a happy 4th...

Hume Lake

Go... Roboguts!!!

Because Christ was not an important part of my High School growing up years, I never went to a Christian Summer Camp. Boy, was I in for a treat (and culture shock?!?)... when Matthew "voluntold" me that I was going to be a counselor for the High School girls this summer :)

With great fear and trepidation, I, along with a car full of girls (and 50 other people), departed from Grace Church early Sunday morning on 7/6 and arrived at Hume Lake Christian Camp around 3pm. We were assigned to Pinyon 203 & 204 (the Ritz of the dorms, I was told) - we had 2 private showers and 2 private bathroom stalls!!! For the 1st day or so, Jolene was Ms. Confused and I was Ms. Lost -- so, together, us 2 Rookie Counselors were "Lost and Confused".

We didn't live up to that name for long. By Monday at lunch, we had it all figured out... well, not exactly, but good enough to not starve at meal times and survive having to be at 4 different places within a 15 minute period. I even figured out how to play some of the uber (just learned that word!) fun games (oh yeah... I own Kajabe Can Can!). Our cabin even got chosen to be in the "Drew Fan Club" (Drew is the lead singer of the band, Exodus). On Wednesday night, the girls and I got all decked out and made signs and backstage passes to show our "love" :) What a riot!!!

Drew's Fan Club - waiting to rush the stage :)

Matthew and the kids drove up on Wednesday night, just to visit for a day. They got there just in time to see me in the counselors' round of Kajabe Finals. It was great to see my family... until Seth plugged his nose and said, "Oh Mom... you stink!" I guess I can't fault him for being honest :)



On Friday at Mail Call, I received this beautiful poem from my dear husband:

Dear Pink-Legged, Tutu Wearing, Glitter-faced, Big Bow wife and mom,

It was fun to see you (like that) yesterday -- practically dressed for the Prom!

After seeing you all cheer and yell while wearing such outfits on a day so sunny,

Abby just had to inquire, "Why do people at camp all dress so funny?"

But it seems that you and your boisterous girls are all having such a great time,

After our visit, I was motivated and inspired to write you this silly little rhyme!

And I thought it important to let you know that we all arrived home safe and sound,

But now we all are missing you and our smiles have turned into a frown.

Our drive back was mostly quiet and boring - we flew down the road like a comet,

Except for that little pit stop we made when our little Seth decided to vomit.

Coming down the winding mountain road, Seth announced for all to hear,

"Dad, I need to spit up -- I hope that there is a place to stop that is near!"

So, I skidded to a stop at the side of the road and Seth's door flew open wide,

His head leaned over the edge of the car and out gushed everything from his inside.

After the first colossal heave, Seth's curiosity caused him to really start to think,

So he asked everyone in the car, "Does anyone know what I ate today that was pink?"

Then he heaved again and out spewed chunks to the ground with a splash,

"Cuz all my spit up is a cool pink color," he quickly said in a flash.

But then he was done and wiped his face on my T-Shirt as he got in the car,

And we continued down the road knowing that our home was still very far.

Later, when I asked the kids who'd want to go to camp when they are older,

"I don't know. They play very hard games," Abby answered shrugging her shoulders.

I'm sure, though, that you are now having a great conclusion to this special time,

For tonight is the banquet - a night full of promise and mystery and food so divine.

So, enjoy the sights and the sounds of your last night at the place called Hume Lake,

And feast on that banquet of shrimp, potatoes, rice pilaf and finely cooked steak.

Then drive safely back down the hill tomorrow -- we can't wait to see you at home,

And, um, yep, I think that's about all I have to say for this particular little poem.

All in all, I had a blast of a week! It was great to "bond" with some of the girls in the High School group! God has given me a greater love for these girls and I hope they had fun getting to know me better. Hey... thanks, Matthew, for forcing me to have fun :) I am totally sold on the spiritual value to sending kids to Hume Lake - everything from the staff, the theology, the philosophy, the energy, to the games, and even free time stuff! I was blessed to have been a part of a special High School memory for the girls in our group!!!

God's Big Big Big Big Big Backyard...

What a great week of Vacation Bible School! This year, our curriculum focused on service. So cool... because theme of our church has been Unselfish Service this year. It's always a great thing when our children are learning and focusing on the same concepts and ideas as what is being taught from the pulpit to "the grown-ups".

We had a fabulous week, first focusing on serving our family, then our friends, then our neighbors, and finally, our community! I love that kids are being taught to consider others as more important than ourselves and that little people can make a difference too :)

Sorry... no pictures. My camera died at Hume. When I get some pictures from the "VBS Photographers", I might post some pictures of this Crazy Rec Girl :)

Next stop... Lake Almanor!!! Gotta pack this week... my kids (and husband) had better watch out for the PVM (Pre-Vacation Monster). ROAR!!!!!! Please pray for them :)