Camping

You know when you just have to get away, when you need a break from everything?  You know when you want your family all to yourself?  You know when you just have to get AWAY?!?

Well that was me, SO we loaded up the tent, a few camping things and headed to the mountains.  It was exactly what we needed!

We climbed a lot of rocks.  Some climbed quite a bit higher than others.  This picture doesn’t even do justice to how high the boys really were.

    The kids LOVE foil dinners.  We fill them with seasonings, BBQ sauce, and a bit of water.I don’t know if it’s because we are starving or what, but they are delicious EVERY time!

 

The kids were sad that we didn’t bring tubes.  We’ve already decided to go back again this summer because it’s so close to us.  We’ve marked what tent site we want and WON’T forget the tubes!

   We found treasures.  These are “American Girl Doll pinecones”.  :)  

Nathan roasted a cool hollow marshmallow that had a heart at the end. 

 

Some pretended they were pirates on the sea….

 

Others were ninjas that could sneak up rocks…

  

Rebecca made a cute friend named “Rockella”

 

We brought our summer read aloud book with us.  We are reading “Hatchet”.  Stephen read for a bit and Rebecca read an extra chapter for us.

We found a branch off of a Bristlecone Pine tree.  Kaylee did a little rendition of “I Whip my Tail back and forth…”

 

A fun cave     And the one and only picture of me from the trip, compliments of Kaylee.  :)  I told Stephen that next time we should do a camping trip getaway without the kids, and then we could literally get away from EVERYTHING!

Phelan Gardens

I love gardening and planting!  Before all of that begins, I enjoy the planning of where and what I’m going to plant.  Mom and I always order seeds together.  Jerrica and I always head over to Phelan’s for plant ideas and to buy seedlings.  Oh how bright and beautiful ALL of the colors are!

I try to always take pictures there at Phelan for ideas of groupings and colors.  It always amazes me how each flower adds it’s own special color and texture to a grouping.  It is like my little family, with each member adding their own unique talents and strengths.  All together we are beautiful!

Hoola Hoops

Our neighbor brought over these giant hoola hoops.  In my head I thought, “great, more stuff to fill my garage”.  My girls however showed me a ton of different tricks and stunts with them. 

The favorite was walking through a rolling hoop.

Here it is in slow motion.  

 

It seems like the kids always find some game in ordinary toys.

Cheese Balls

Jerrica devours cheese balls.  Every afternoon you can find her sitting at the kitchen table with that huge container, just going to town on them.  She always has her big smile and always offers me some.  ( I don’t care for them).  These little cheese ball afternoons are a ritual for her, and so I thought I better document it!

I think she is the only one in the family that eats these, which really makes it unbelievable at how many she has eaten!

Blooming

Everything is blooming!  After a long, dreary winter, we finally have color everywhere.  I love the wildflowers all over our lot.

We have lilac bushes on the side of our garden.  The scent in the air as the breeze blows is heavenly.  Of course we have to bring in bouquets.  

 

Each flower and blossom is so unique with it’s petals.  I love the beady, big rhubarb blooms. 

The chives are the same color as the lilac blossoms.  So beautiful next to the green foliage. 

Loving the color and fragrant scents on the afternoon breezes!  BUT I especially love the thoughtful bouquets that are brought into me along with sweet smiles spread across their faces. 

Oh the JOY of flowers!

Summer Camp

I arranged for a group of moms to run a summer camp for all of our girls.  We alternated houses and classes.  Some of our classes were Nifty Knitting, Super Science, Dazzling Desserts, Outdoor Fun,  All about ME, Gardening, and Beautiful Birdhouses.

The girls LOVED each and every class.  There is just something about learning and crafting with friends.

     

Mom’s summer camp is the best camp in town!!!  :)

Hold Tight

I was out working in our garden and couldn’t help but notice how pretty the peas were growing on their little fence.  I noticed all the stretching and coiling to hold on to the fence.

The peas don’t just lean against the fence, they grab a hold of it.  The fence will support them and the tighter they wrap, the more support they will have.  It’s not a loose grasp either.  They coil around and around in numerous places along the fence.

The winds may blow, but the peas won’t move because the fence keeps them strong.

It made me think of the iron rod, and how we are to hold fast to the rod.  We are to grasp it and not let go.  Is my life tightly coiled around the iron rod?  Or am I just leaning casually?  I know that I need to reach out with everything that I have and hold strong.  I know that the more I wrap around my support, the stronger I will be.

Grateful for my little pea reminder today!

Kaylee is BACK!

The day that school got out Kaylee headed down to my parent’s house with my brother.  She was gone for FIVE days, which seemed SO long!

She had a blast while she was down there.  My parents kept her busy.  Mom sent her home with a little photo album filled will pictures and captions that documented her trip.  One of her highlights was going down to the dairy and jumping from the haystacks into the cotton with cousins.

We are so happy to have her home again!  The little girls made a giant chalk sign in our driveway to welcome her back.  :)

  

Thanks for having her mom!  She is filled with memories of her trip down there..