Summer 2008

Saturday morning, we will embark on our last hurrah for summer 2008. A camping trip with some of our FAVORITE people!! Lisa & Lonnie and Ashley, Kaitlyn, Brittany and Lauren. We are so excited to go. We have ben looking forward to this camping trip all summer long . The truck is packed to the gills and if we've forgotten anything that's just too bad because there ain't NO MORE ROOM!!!

We have experienced a lot this summer, and it has been such a WONDERFUL summer!!! A few things that we did this summer are...

flew on several air planes
went swimming at MANY different pools
rode bikes
went to Disney Land
went to California beach
went to Hermit Park
watched movies
planted flowers
played at the health club
celebrated birthdays
got a new kitty
lost teeth
had treats at Starbucks with Grandma
learned to sew
played with friends
went to Florida
collected seashells
played with dolls
read
rode rapids
stayed up late
made Kool Aid play doh
had picnics
shopped with Grandma
cooked and baked
went to VBS
passed swimming lessons
saw the Kit movie with friends and Grandma

Now, here's to a great camping trip and a super duper fall!!!

It's on everything

I went to 4 stores today, shopping for home and for our camping trip. What I discovered most of all is that Lightning McQueen is on EVERYTHING. I knew that he was well-liked but after having spent SO much time in the stores today I have come to the realization that he is an american obsession (at least if you are a little dude about 2 1/2.). Today Michael got a Lightning fishing rod, bike helmet, coloring book, reading book, and Lightning and Mater (the best friend) shaped mac and cheese. A few days ago it was a Lightning pair of shoes, which he hasn't taken off even to go to bed. He really is everywhere, that Lightning. Just take a look at my sweet, Lightning obsessed son, sleeping in his Lightning jammies, with his Lightning shoes on, and his Mater book right next to him. Way too precious!!!!!

Research

I spent most of yesterday doing research on a new washer and dryer. The old set has just past it's prime and isn't working well anymore. Who knew that there were SO many out there!! I have annoyed many people around me by asking me what kind they have, I have looked at the store, I have done MANY on-line searches... I think that I have settled on this
set. It will barely fit in my laundry room, but it seems to be the one that will do what I want. The washer is HUGE!!! It can wash enormous loads!!! It doesn't come in any other color but white, and I was disappointed in that, but I guess it doesn't really matter. The nice sales man at Sears was very surprised that I said that I loved doing laundry. His name was Patrick Power - what a cool name, huh! He got a kick out of Michael and Meredith. He was about 70 years old and nice as could be. So, I think we will go back tomorrow to make our purchase and the set should hopefully arrive by Friday. I'm going to have LOTS of laundry to try the new set out on, but I don't think that it would be very worthwhile to wash them in the old one since it isn't really getting anything clean. I'm really excited for Friday!! WHOO HOO!!

I wonder...

if I will someday forget what these days are like. I'm not wanting pity, I truly am just wondering if someday I won't remember and I won't empathize with those that have what I "used" to have. The days that you try to do your best at taking care of yourself, your home, your kids, your husband, their needs, the household, outside activities, church, job, friends, family, etc. the days when someone thinks that you didn't do enough or your weren't good enough. The days go by and the things that you thought you were going to get to (phone calls, emails, staying in touch with others) just don't get done. It isn't about not being considerate or forgetting or choosing not to do it. It's about just plain not getting to it. You want to - you thought you would, and you don't. It's about an interruption that you thought was going to take 5 minutes and ends up taking 25 minutes. It's about something not going as smoothly as you thought it was going to. At the end of the day you just have to realize that you can't do everything. The hours for today are gone. Some things will have to be left undone until tomorrow. And then what if tomorrow never gets here... someone will need to be understanding, and not so demanding, and more kind and more tolerant and so much less critical. I'm just wondering.

Marky's Garden Photos

Tonight, we had a garden tour with a group of ladies from our church. I was planning on there being about 5 women - there were about 20. I couldn't believe it when they all drove up!!!! My girls (and the neighbor girls) helped me get the garden all ready; Patrick and Michael have had there share of helping out too. It has been a really fun family project. I should have a garden tour every year because it helps give you a KITP and get stuff done!! My mom and dad have come over and given me their thoughts about the garden - they liked it; several friends have seen it - they liked it; I liked it; and finally, everyone who came tonight liked it!! While I was mopping the kitchen floor (WHY??? This was a garden tour - why did I think the kitchen floor needed washed? Sigh...) Marky went out into the backyard and took some pictures. She took A LOT, but they were really great pictures!! So, I am posting a "few" of them, and taking you on a virtual tour.

SO cute!

I made these pillows this afternoon. They are made from 2 napkins that I found at a thrift store for $ .99. I made the back out of a crib sheet and I already had the pillow forms. They are so cute I can barely stand it. I would have paid OODLES for them if I had seen them in a store!!!

2 delightful hours

My 3 darling daughters were at school, and sweet Michael was napping. Need I say more???

Our first days of school were everything we could have hoped for. Fun friends, great teachers, a 4th grade planner for Marky, new computers for Maddie, a High School Musical folder for Meredith. I am so thankful for the girls' schools and teachers this year. it's going to be a GREAT one!!

Preschool Princess

Meredith's new preschool teacher came over tonight to meet her. Meredith showed her teacher her new clothes, spelled her name for her, and told her what her sister's names were. The important things. Miss Mielke asked Meredith what she liked to do, and we named a few things. Playing dress up, coloring, playing dress up... and then Miss Mielke gave Meredith the BEST news. She told her that there is a Belle costume at school to play dress up in. I wish that I had captured the delight on Meredith's face with the camera. She just couldn't believe how good she was going to have it - a Belle dress at home AND at school!! Only 1 more day!!!

Treasures

Yesterday afternoon, the kids and I went to the flea markets to "treasure hunt". It was a great time! I hope that I can pass on to my kids the enjoyment of looking for something special. Although I prefer to go by myself, it was really fun to hear them when they found something "cool" or "beautiful". Here is a view of what I found yesterday.

Proverbs 11:23

"He who refreshes others will be refreshed himself." I have had this verse written on the chalkboard in our kitchen for about 6 months. Usually when I put a verse up, it is a concept or character quality that I am trying to implement into our family. Often it is something that I want to nurture in my own life, and I just try to get the rest of the family to join me in the pursuit.

A few days ago, the girls and I had an unpleasant encounter downstairs in the basement playroom. Daddy told them that they needed to clean the playroom up before they went to bed down there (it was WAY TOO hot to sleep upstairs in their bedrooms), and then he took Michael upstairs to put him to bed. About 15 minutes later, I went down to check on the progress and they were all three sitting on the floor playing a game. Needless to say, mama was NOT happy. They were sent to bed, I was frustrated, it didn't end well.

The next morning, Maddie and Meredith came upstairs and had breakfast; where's Marky? I decided to let Marky keep sleeping. After about another 30 minutes, I went downstairs to check on her; lo and behold she wasn't sleeping but had been up for about an hour CLEANING UP THE PLAYROOM!! I was so surprised and so happy. SHE was so happy that she had done it. She had done such a great job, and I was so thrilled (it was a real mess). I asked her what had possessed her to do such a thing and she said, "Well, you know that verse that is upstairs on the chalkboard? I thought that if I cleaned up the playroom then I would be helping you and that I would feel good too." What a sweet heart my Marky has. I am blessed everyday by her helpful spirit. I am so proud of the little girl that she is. She is growing and changing into the person that God has planned for her to be.

Some days, something actually sinks in!! WHOO HOOOO!!!

Reader beware

This is what I heard Meredith shriek from the bathroom this evening...

"Mommy!!! My poopy melted when I flushed it!!"

Oh my goodness... where does she get this stuff???

August 13

I feel like it has taken an entire week for me to recover from being gone on vacation for a week. I got unpacked "right away" and of course, did the laundry that needed to be done, but from then on I feel like I've been a race horse going around a track. Getting ready for school, keeping up with summer activities like swimming and friends, not letting the yard be neglected, looking in Michael's drawers and realizing that all of his clothes are too small, staying on top of all of the ordinary tasks that don't thrill me like dishes and mopping - these are the things that have kept me busy these past few days. I'm waiting for a moment for it to all slow down so that I can catch my breath before school starts next week!! I'm really looking forward to school starting again, but I keep trying to remind myself that summer isn't over yet. We still have a few days, and thankfully the big girls are home with us this weekend so we can have a final summer celebration. Today we are going to ride our bikes over to school because the class lists for the big girls have been posted. This is such a fun time for them to find out which friends they are in class with.

Today is my sweet niece Brittany's birthday. She is 9 and "oh so FINE". I remember driving out to Nebraska very early in the morning to see her shortly after she was born. I remember being on the phone with Lisa as she was starting labor, and then Lisa called me an hour or so later and Brittany had already been born - I couldn' t believe how fast she had been born. Brittany was a very beautiful and very "long" baby. She is 9 months younger than Marky, and seemed inches longer when she was born. She still is much taller than Marky and is still so very beautiful!! So... Happy Birthday, sweet Brittany. You are precious to me and I love you. I hope that your birthday is as sweet and special as you are.

Michael

Michael told us many times on this trip that he was a big boy. And really, he was! He walked every where, slept good, ate the same food that we ate, sat on the plane in his own seat the whole flight - it was my first vacation that I didn't feel like we had a baby with us. He really is a big boy!

Back home

We traveled to Florida and back and had the best time ever. I think that it is always so good to get away and come back refreshed and ready to face the same old stuff with a new spirit. It is always exhausting to get everything and everyone ready to go on vacation, but the memories that we make and the fun that we have is always worth it. Some of the highlights of our trip were...
1. This was our first trip that we didn't take a stroller - everyone walked! (except when they "had" to be carried somewhere.)
2. Our big rental car - a Tahoe - which was initially called by Marky a "taco". The kids liked driving in something other than a van.
3. Seeing Grandpop Henricks, cousins Trase and Trisdyn, and Aunt Lynn and Uncle Stephen.
4. The drive to Naples was shorter this time. 2 hours instead of 5
5. Coming down the street to our favorite spot - the Ritz Carlton
6. Sleeping until 10:00 am one morning!
7. Michael got his first pair of flip flops
8. Ritz Carlton staff in the hotel and at the pool and on the beach.
9. Canoeing on the canal
10. Mommy and Daddy getting pictures taken on the beach.
11. Cable tv in the hotel room
12. playing video games with Trase
13. 90 degree ocean water
14. no sunburn or sickness!!!!!
15. the house was clean (just like mommy left it) when we got home!!!