Adventures in Camping

We had our first family camp out this weekend. Friday we loaded up the car with mattresses, blankets, stuffed animals for each of the kids, clothing, and a partridge in a pear tree. We then drove about 2 minutes across the freeway to our friends backyard for a camp out. Baby steps people, baby steps. The kids LOVED it! We had such a great time. There were four families who were there and we had dinner, went for a hike, got sugared up on s'mores, and watched a movie outside before heading to our tents. Camden was a little apprehensive about sleeping in the tent but it only took a few minutes for him to settle in and they all slept fairly well. Of course they got up with the sun but that is okay, it is all part of the experience I suppose. We came home after breakfast and spent a good 20 minutes unloading the car. It is amazing to me how much stuff you need for one night! We were tired but the kids are already asking when we can do it again. I really liked the whole backyard part, it was nice being next to a bathroom and knowing that if we needed to run home in the middle of the night we could. As much as I want to be, I am not sure if I am a real camping kind of person. Call me crazy but I like showers and clean bathrooms, and I am pretty fond of my bed. Not to say I won't try it again, I just don't think I am ready yet for a backpacking trip in the Andes. Yet.
A special thank you to our amazing friends who hosted the whole thing, you guys are great :)

Fab Five for August

Since the month is almost over, I figured I should do this month's fab five before I forget. Here you go:
Fav Candy: My old standard is a Snickers bar, and has been forever. Have you seen the new M&M's though? They are chocolate, so of course they sound yummy, but they have different flavors and are in a sparkly box. I was going to try them until I saw the price - $4.29!!! Can you believe it? They may be good, but I don't think they could be that good.
Fav Olympic Event (still sad that they are over!): To watch would definitely be gymnastics. For some reason the three years of tumbling I took as a kid makes me feel like an old pro when I watch. I also love watching synchronized swimming but they rarely show the whole thing in prime time. If I was actually in the Olympics though, my event would be the 100 meter backstroke. That would probably be my best chance at a medal. Yeah, it could happen.
Fav Movie: This is incredibly hard to pick, but I am going to have to go with Emma. I love the romance of that time, although if I lived in it I would get tired of the corsets I am sure.
Fav Bible Verse: I think the passage that I always come back to is Philippians 4:4-7. For someone who is anxious alot this is a comfort.
Fav Book: I was thinking about this because I actually read a book last night, and reminded myself why I don't read. I can't pick up a book and start it unless I have the time to finish it, I hate putting it down and saving it for later. Part of it is probably because we live in a world filled with commercial interruptions, where it is okay to take a break because you won't miss out on anything. With books, it is all right there waiting for you. And yes, in suspenseful books I am one of those people who read the end. Usually I get to the middle, wonder if the characters I like will survive, then glance (just a quick glance mind you) to see if their names are in the end so that I know whether or not they live. Last night I read The Shack, and cried through almost the whole thing so this morning I woke up with a headache. Word to the wise, don't read it right before going to bed or you will wake up with puffy eyes! Anyway, as far as a favorite book it is hard to choose, but I am going to go with the Little House on the Prairie series. They are classics for me, and even though they are children's books I have probably read them a million times. I also love Anne of Green Gables.
Hope you enjoyed this month's list!

First Day of School

I can't believe that summer is already over! Probably because it is only August, why on earth does school start so early now? Anyway, today was our first day back at school! Everyone was very excited this morning, except for Camden.

Notice the backpack? He desperately wanted to join his siblings at school today. Bennett wasn't exactly helpful either, pointing out to his little brother that he had to wait three years before he could go. I think he meant well.

Kendall couldn't wait to get out the door today. First day of kindergarten!!!

I didn't know how she would do since she never went to preschool and she is usually shy when she is around strangers. She LOVES school so far. She was actually bummed when I picked her up at noon, she wanted to stay all day like her big brother. I guess that means she had fun! It helps that she already knew a lot of the girls in her class, and that she has been waiting to go to kindergarten ever since Bennett started two years ago.

And to answer those inquiring minds, no I didn't cry. Shocking, I know. I was hysterical on Bennett's first day of preschool, and teary on his first day of kindergarten. Not sure why the flood gates didn't open up today, although I do cry at all her ballet performances and got teary when she tried on her first soccer uniform the other day. Go figure. I think it helps that I love her school and trust her teachers, oh and maybe it helped that I was actually at the school all morning visiting with people and helping out where they needed it. Maybe the tears will come tomorrow when I actually leave her there by herself :)

Goodbye Olympics

Tonight will be the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. Sigh. Small tear falling down cheek. I have loved watching the Olympics this year. I always enjoy them, but it has been fun sharing it with my kids this year as well. I totally remember as a kid my dad taking me to watch the Olympic torch run through Santa Barbara during the Los Angeles Olympics. I can't tell you how many times I have teared up watching the events, and watching the medal ceremonies. This year I also did a lot of yelling at the TV because of judges scores that seemed off, but it was still fun. And it was fun watching someone you kind of know win an Olympic gold medal, how many people can say that? Okay, so the other thousand people that went to high school with Todd Rogers probably feel the same way. I am kind not sure what I am going to do with myself now, since for the past 2 weeks I have been glued to the television every night until midnight. I guess it is good that it is ending, since school starts tomorrow and I should probably get to bed earlier. And now I can spend my evenings planning for the Vancouver games. I think we are seriously going to try to go in 2010, and it will take a lot of planning and saving over the next 2 years to make it happen. Especially considering that I didn't even know where Vancouver was until a few weeks ago (yes I knew it was in Canada, but I thought it was on the other side). And I am pretty sure that we all need passports now, doesn't that sound exciting?

Playing the Odds

My son has a new fascination - sweepstakes. Matty was drinking something the other day that had a picture of Indiana Jones on it, so of course Bennett had to take a look. He started reading the can and got all excited and explained to us that we could win a bunch of prizes. Ah...youth. So young and hopeful, not yet discouraged by reality and honestly believing in the chance of winning. We tried to explain to Bennett about the odds of winning prizes but he is ever the optimist and insisted that we at least try. Since then he has discovered how many things in our house have prizes listed on them that you can win. I am so glad that he can read. What ever happened to the days of instant winners? Now you have to go online and punch in a special code before you can be told that you are a loser. I remember as a kid watching the Publishers Clearing House commercials and truly believing that my family would win. And I remember once that Pepsi did a game where once you drank your Pepsi you would find a letter at the bottom of the can and if you collected the letters to spell "Pepsi" you would win. My dad kept the cans lined up in the garage waiting for the winning can, I guess I know where Bennett gets it. Although I must confess that I do tend to frequent McDonald's more often when they are doing the Monopoly game. I suppose that there is a little something in all of us that believes that someday it will be us, we will win the prize or be the millionth customer. I guess it is not a bad thing, as long as it doesn't become all-consuming. Someone has to win, right?

Bass Lake Pictures

Here is a sampling of pictures from our Bass Lake vacation:

my three little monkeys poolside:

Camden getting a feel for the lake:
Kendall Joy creating a masterpiece in the sand:
Matt & Bennett in Yosemite
The three monkeys warming up next to the hot tub:
And finally, my favorite picture. Matt showing Cam the fine art of peeing in the woods. Its a right of passage, right? Hopefully no authorities will see this and give us a fine.

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Last night we were awakened at 2:00am by a noise that has yet to be determined. We have ruled out sonic boom, car backfire, and a gunshot. The fact that it was able to wake both of us up, and by that I mean that it was able to shoot us both straight out of bed despite the fact that my husband sleeps through everything, you know it was pretty loud. Stuff like that drives me crazy. We both looked around the house and didn't find anything wrong, so of course I was up forever trying to figure out what it could have been. We have only lived here a year and have already had our car broken into and our mailbox smashed, I think that the people who were evicted before we moved in are seeking their revenge. To top things off I set the kids in front of a video this morning so that I could take a shower (I know, I am a horrible mother, but cleanliness is next to godliness right?) and as soon as I was wet and soapy I hear Camden banging on the door and shouting. I immediately think about the crash last night and worry for my kids safety. What if someone had broken in last night and had been hiding out until I got in the shower? What if the noise had been some minor gas explosion and it had taken this long to ignite a small house fire? I jumped out of the shower and opened the door sopping wet only to find Camden with the phone in his hand, because apparently he heard it ringing and thought I might want to answer it. Wasn't that helpful of him? Thankful that the house hadn't caved in, I took the phone and thought maybe it was someone wanting to break the boredom of our day and play this morning. Wrong. Simply a reminder call that Bennett has a doctor's appointment on Thursday. I hopped out of the shower for that?!?!? Oh well, as I said before, at least I am thankful that the house hadn't caved in.

We're Home!

After a brief vacation we are all home and safe, back to the day to day which includes Staci doing 5 loads of laundry to catch up from our trip and Matt answering the 184 emails in his inbox. Crazy! We spent the past four days in Bass Lake, my home away from home. I have been going there since I was 5, and it is so amazing to be taking my kids there now. The drive is long but it is always worth it. Whenever we arrive there I feel an instant sense of peace. Isn't that weird? I can't explain it but I have a weird connection with the lake. As we drive up past the rolling hills filled with vineyards, through the dry flat lands filled with olive trees and dizzying rows of corn and raisins, when we finally reach the beginning of the tree line I feel amazingly calm and content. Although our trip was a little less than calm, but I guess that is life with three kids. Vacation isn't exactly the romantic and relaxing time that it once was before kids, but it is nice to get away from cell phones and computers and just "be" with our kids. Kendall was sick almost the entire time we were there with a fever, sore throat, and headache. She was sleepy a lot but still enjoyed the pool and train in Yosemite. Camden, as expected, had his first trip to the emergency room. We actually talked a few months ago about the fact that he would be our first kid to go but we didn't realize we would be in a different city when it happened. He was jumping around like a crazy monkey and gashed his head on a corner of a baseboard heater. It wasn't too bad, but deep enough that we thought he would need stitches. It turns out that he just needed some Dermabond, so thankfully no needles. Bennett was very upset and worried about his brother, it was really sweet to see his concern. Despite these minor mishaps we all had fun, and Bennett loved being in the water and showing off his swim lesson skills. Once we unpack and download the camera I will attach some pictures, but for now I am off to do more laundry and figure out what smells in the fridge.

Three Things

Okay faithful followers, so sorry I have been inconsistent this week. It probably won't get much better the rest of the week but I have a lot to say so just read slowly and it should get you through until Saturday. Sorry it is all random, but they all simply add up to the quirkiness that is me.
First of all, I had a thankful thought the other day. I saw these two guys who were dressed in suits on Monday afternoon who were not Mormon but actual guys who I assume had to dress that way everyday for work. I was kind of shocked. I know it has been a while since I was in the work force but I guess I just assumed that no one dressed that way anymore. Come on people, it is summer, in southern California, why on earth would you make some poor guy wear a suit? I was immediately thankful that Matthew doesn't have to dress like that for work. There is no way we could afford it, and there is no way that I would iron everyday to keep his clothes nice. Don't get me wrong, I love the way he looks all dressed up, but I hate ironing. And to be quite honest, all of Matt's clothing is worn out and somewhat holey (although I guess you could say "holy" since he is a pastor - ha ha just kidding, bad corny joke) because when we do have money for clothes he graciously lets me spend it on the kids and never complains about his attire. Which reminds me, I am also thankful that God has blessed him with friends who wear his size clothing so he can borrow stuff when he needs to do a wedding or funeral.
Second thing - why on earth do strippers make so much money? I was once again trying to figure out how to make it work for me to get a part time job. What I basically need is to work as few amount of hours as possible and make a decent amount of money. Sounds impossible, I know. However, as I was thinking, do you know the random job that came to mind? Stripper. Why on earth would that even pop into my head?!?!?!? Even if I did think I could get a job doing that I never would, but wow they make good money per hour. And what is the skill set required? Be under 25, wear a size 2, and be able to take off clothing? What if I just apply, and when I get denied I could sue for discrimination. Wouldn't that be an awesome headline? "Pastor's wife sues strip club for job". Yeah, that wouldn't embarrass my shy humble husband at all.
Finally, one last sad thing to confess. My children learned a new joke this week. Ready? Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide! Want to know what is so sad about that? When I heard it, I honestly started busting up. I think I am not only desperate to have my husband back for some witty conversation but incredibly tired. Usually I sleep great when he is gone, but this week has been a tough one emotionally for a bunch of different reasons and it has definitely put a damper on my evenings. Only a few more days to go :) Hope you all are having a great week!

Survival Mode

As of 8:00 this morning I am officially in survival mode. Matty left for camp today. It has taken me many years to not be bitter and resentful every time he leaves to spend time having fun with other people's kids, and while I try to be supportive it is still not easy. Usually survival mode for me means that I have the entire week scheduled; filled with play dates, dinner at friends houses, way too much fast food, and lots of carefully planned videos. Unfortunately this time since I have been so sick lately I haven't been able to plan much, so survival mode has now turned in to panic mode. And to make matters worse, all of our Zoo & Museum memberships have expired and we don't really have the extra money to do anything like that this week. Isn't it sad to that the thought of a week alone with my children with nothing to do would give me anxiety? I should be thankful for these bonding moments. I should cherish the extra alone time with them. I should spend the week humbly reminded of the years I spent yearning for children and praising God for the wonderful husband that I have who helps out so much around the house. I should do those things, instead of trying to figure out how we can afford a nanny the next time Matt leaves. I should also probably get off of the computer and actually pay attention to the children, who are currently knocking down block walls on the coffee table with space ship toys they got from their happy meals. Yes, the fast food has already started. Have a great week everyone!