A good stress?

Is there such a thing? I hope so! I leave for WA tomorrow evening to visit my brother for his 30th birthday! Yikes, the more I think about him being 30, the more the reality that I am 31 seems to sink in. Hahaahha! Anyway, I have been trying to get my stuff packed, which has been easy since it is so much cooler and there is defiantly no need to pants and long sleeve shirts here. I also have the privilege of packing all the kids as they will all be going various places throughout the weekend. Jacob and Samantha get to spend two nights with my parents, which they can't stop talking about. Nathan will be going to the Burleson's for Thurs night and my In Laws for Fri night. Asjiah and Ayana are going to a wonderful respite home until Sunday afternoon. I am looking forward to rain and beautiful mountains in addition to seeing my brother! My dad and his wife live in Olympia and I will get to see them too. I am hoping to visit my Aunt and Uncle and a Cousin and her family, but my cousin's husband was in a car accident last week and has some challenges facing him this weekend just to get out of the hospital. All in all it will be a fabulous trip even though fairly short. The joys us mom's look forward to when getting away! I will try to post pics throughout the weekend if I can!

All Church Camp 2008

Our friend Tammy brought a tire swing which was the hit of the weekend! Everyone had plenty of swing time...thanks Tammy!!!

Camp Studs at their best...they even played poker at night!

Nathan is here enjoying some camp food...always the good eater!

We had a wonderful time! This was by far the best camping trip to date...Shane and I didn't even have one fight, a break through for us, especially when camping! hahahahah! We left Thurs. late morning and arrived at the camp site just after a rain shower. I had no idea how ready I was for some cooler temps. The weather was fabulous! Oh I can't wait for "fall" to get here! Anyway, we spent several days reconnecting with old friends and strengthening bonds with others. This camp site is divided into 3 separate "pods" and we took the award for the most kids...in our pod alone I think we had 20+ kids, we of course were 1/4 of the grand total! It rained every day, and Saturday was the biggest of the weekend. We figure we got 2 inches of rain in an hour. Several tent campers were forced to pack up and return a day early due to complete flooding of their tents which once again reaffirmed our love of the pop-up trailer. All in all we are happy to be home and sleep in our own beds, but will definitely make plans for this weekend again next year.

During the rain you have to take shelter and everyone sat in the pop-up. Shane played Candyland with the kids while I closed my eyes and listened to the mesmerizing sounds of the rain on the trailer!

Getting ready for camping

I am in my final preparations for our annual church camping trip. We leave Thurs and return on Sun. We absolutely love this trip every year and look forward to spending several days in cooler temps and afternoon rain. The kids are being as helpful as I can expect...hahahahah, like "unpacking" what I have started to pack. Anyway, we are praying for relaxation and awesome memories to be created together as a family.

Long days...

Today I am choosing to have fun...I am tired of the stress this week has been. Kids have been a struggle and I think it has got to be the long, hot days of the same old thing. We have spent 5 days in this house...not going anywhere special. I realized last night that I really thrive when I have a schedule to adhere to. I am looking forward to school starting just so there is routine every day. I do not do this being home, doing "nothing" well! And I say "nothing" a little tongue and cheek because of course I have things that need to be done, just not in any sort of time table. I have found myself watching way too much TV and neglecting or putting off more productive activities. I have even found myself envying my friend Julie as she counts down the final days until her new little man is born and how productive she has been....nesting can be a great motivator. Anyway, we had goofy picture time this morning and the kids of course never let me down. We are on our way to a fun...I promise!

Little Man

Jacob spent several days with my good friend Suzy and her sweet boys this week. I have been trying to get hime to wear his hair in a hip style for over a year now, but no, he wanted to be like his Daddy. Well, I am not sure what Suzy said to him, but he let her "do up" his hair. This is his new look and he is loving it. Such a handsome little man!

Say "Cheese"!

Ok, just when I begin thinking about the fact that Nathan does not talk much, he goes and starts saying words and even using them correctly. When ever he sees me with the camera he comes running and saying "Cheeeeeeese". That is what he was saying when I took this picture. So darn cute!!! Also this week, he has been saying "please", "tank too" (thank you), "all done", and "mo mamma mo" (More mom more). His other hysterical word to use is "what". If I call for him from around the house he comes saying "wwwwhaaaaaat". If only you could get a chance to hear it for real...I am laughing out load even as I write this when I think about him saying that word. So funny!

In Honor of Stetson Cowan

Nathan's Great Uncle Stetson went home to be with Jesus last night after a courageous battle with cancer. He was an extraordinary man and true American hero. He was retired USAF and was a test pilot for Boeing. He was a quiet, gentle soul who loved Jesus! As I worshiped in church today I was overcome with the peace of our Lord and the truth that Stetson is with Him and pain free. We sang this song today...this one is for you Stetson...

Jesus, be the center

Be my source,

be my light, Jesus

Jesus, be the center

Be my hope

Be my song, Jesus

Be the fire in my heart.

Be the wind in my sail,

Be the reason that I live,

Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, be my vision

Be my help,

Be my guide, Jesus

Here is a picture of Uncle Stetson on the day Nathan came into our family.

Kids at heart

We are lucky to have Zion, our foster girl's brother spend the weekend with us. Asjiah and Ayana are so excited to be spending time with Zion. He is a sweetheart and very handsome. He is 5 yrs. old and going into kindergarten this fall. Anyway, we went swimming and everyone had a blast! My hubby is a big kid at heart that is for sure. I am blessed daily by his love and support. Enjoy the pictures...I hope they bring a smile to your face!

Happy Birthday USA!

Sick Boy

Well, I got the privilege once again of spending a few hours in the Banner Desert Pediatric ER yesterday. Poor Nathan was completely fine on Wed. but when he woke up Thurs morning I knew he was just off. He didn't act sick, but was needy...we all know about needy kiddos. Anyway, as the morning progressed i noticed his breathing becoming more and more labored. He did have a bit of a runny nose, all clear, so I thought he just had some drainage. I proceeded to give him cough and cold medicine. After about 4 hours of no change I felt like I needed to get him some help. His chest was working over time to get him a breath. Poor Shane had a big fancy work lunch and he had to miss it to come home...have I mentioned how much I love him? One thing that was in the back of my mind was that Nathan's birth mom has severe asthma and I just knew he will be some what predispostioned to breathing problems. So off I went! And it was a good thing! He was really struggling once I got there and they took him back pretty quickly. He got a breathing treatment and a chest xray. Have any of you seen 'Over the Hedge'? The squirrel is given an energy drink or soda at one point and he goes bonkers...hahahahah! Well, the breathing treatment made Nathan bounce off the walls...he was in a great mood and it was actually really fun to play with him so full of energy. So after a few hours his chest xray came back clear he was diagnosed with a bad case of bronchitis and we came home with a breathing machine of our own. He did not improve much the rest of the day and had a doctor friend come over and check him out last night. My nerves were shot. I have decided I am not a big fan of breathing issues! He did go to sleep finally, and this morning is back to his normal Nathan-A-tor self! I can still hear the chest congestion and we will see how he does once he begins playing. Happy 4th everyone!

Desperate for summer fun!

So, we all know about those long, hot summer days when the kids are dying to release energy and you , the Mom are just dying for them to leave you alone. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but man are there some days when I wish I could just let them play outside without having worry about heat stroke. I finally remembered today that we have a hose attached water toy. I am just not brave enough to take 5 kids swimming all on my own so this will have to do. The kids enjoyed it and I got a much needed 20 min break from the "I'm sooooo bored" comment!