Retreat

I feel like I have really been neglecting this blog lately but life has been so full! This weekend I was up in Cascade for a Keepers of the Home retreat. It was awesome. I really didn't know anyone who was going so that was kind of scary, but it turned out just fine.

I feel so refreshed and so much closer to God. It's amazing what a couple of days away will do. All three of the kids stayed with Grandpa and Grandma while I was gone. They had a blast and completely wore out my parents. :) Allie talked Grandma into buying her a new pair of shoes (sparkly red) and Emmie asked for "blue underwear". What a goof.

At the retreat a couple of the other girls and I tried to find this elusive "challenge course" that we heard was on the grounds. It was quite an adventure. We spent about an hour hiking around trying to find it, then took a truck out. We ended up doing a little off-roading (Ethan was so proud when I told him) and we finally found it. Unfortunately, the road we took didn't leave any room to turn around so we had to back down the hill with twists and turns for about a quarter of a mile. It was intense. I wasn't driving, and it's hard to just trust someone you barely know when the margin for error is so small! But I'm alive, obviously, so all is well.

The girls have been celebrating because they only have one more day of their "no treats" ban. We had to lay down the law about three weeks ago when a package of Andies Mints went missing. They thought they were so sneaky but I found all the wrappers underneath their beds. I think this punishment has really sunk in. Now anytime I tell Emmie she can't have anything (like when she wanted to sleep with her balloon, for example) she just looks sad and says "Yeah cuz I ate Andies Mints." It's kind of funny, but I am looking forward to this punishment being over as much as they are! Pretty soon we will be back to their regular diet of candy, cookies, and junk (just kidding).

Highway Robbery

It's good to have health insurance, right? At least I would assume so. However, I don't think we will be having any in the foreseeable future. Why? Ethan just got his health insurance packet at work and it was almost $900 a MONTH to insure our family!

From this amount you might assume we all had some sort of a medical problem. Not even close. We are all in great health. It's just that there are only fifty or so employees in his company.

I guess if we decide to have any more babies it will mean a midwife again. Which is okay, I guess. I just like to have my options.

Allie is reading!

I just had to share my happy news that my big girl is now learning to read! It's so fun. This was her first sentence:

See me eat.

Thrilling, huh? Actually, it was very exciting for both of us. We have been doing school now for over a month and it has been wonderful. Who doesn't want to be in preschool? Everything is fun again. :)

Now I just need to convince Daddy that we need a class pet!

(I'm thinking a horse.)

Heartbreaking

I was browsing through blogs the other day when I came across one that really broke my heart. It's from a couple who lost their baby shortly after she was born. What impressed me so much with this couple was the way they handled it. In a horrible, difficult situation they gave praise to God. The most amazing post was on July 5 (just a few short days later) when they listed all the things they were thankful for. You can see their story here:

http://babycrouch.blogspot.com

Praise God for people like this! They are an inspiration.

A Listening Walk

This morning in school we read a story called "The Listening Walk" and were inspired. So we invited some friends over and decided to take a listening walk of our own. Each of the kids had a little book to write down and draw pictures of the things they heard. We didn't go very far, just around the block, but it was amazing what they picked up on! Some examples:

* wind chimes

* an airplane

* a water fountain

* a cat's meow

* leaves rustling in the trees

It was probably the most relaxing walk I have taken with the kids in quite a while. When we got to the common area of our neighborhood we took a break for a picnic lunch. We were sitting in this grassy knoll with gentle hills all around. The kids decided to roll down the hills and before I knew it they had me rolling down with them. It was surprisingly fun! I actually didn't think I would roll . . . you know, being a full-size adult and all. But I had plenty of momentum! :)

Our little break was interrupted by a sound you never mistake: sprinklers turning on! We had six kids ages 4 and under, a double stroller, picnic blanket, food, and books that we had to quickly pack up. It was crazy, chaotic, and fun. Poor Ryan got a shot of water right in the face but he just grinned (after getting over the shock of it!) And of course, I was trying to haul the dumb stroller up the hill backwards and when I got to the top I realized the brakes were on! What an adventure. :)

I'm going to leave the picture out of this post

So a couple of days ago my mom was in town and she visited with the kids and I for a couple of hours. We got out the camera to take pictures of the kids getting their nails painted with Grandma's special silver polish.

Allison enjoys taking pictures so I let her take some shots. Big mistake. A few minutes after she took the camera I heard her snickering from under the table. She looked up at me with a big grin and said, "I just took a picture of Grandma's bottom!"

Sorry, Mom.

:)

Stick a fork in me; I'm done

This morning I stabbed myself in the foot with a fork. A fondue fork, no less. I would not recommend this to anyone who may have a fondue set. It hurts! Ryan had pulled the set onto the floor and I didn't see it in time. Yikes.

Hope everyone else is having a better day. :)