Family Camp: Day #3

Cuddle time for Hannah and Mommy (Daddy got up early)...so we enjoyed a lazy morning in the tent together.

then Ben made donuts....yum!

of course we had to fit in a bike ride before Amelia, and Addison headed for home.

and more singing time at the Sissoms trailer

after our friends went home we had a quick lunch then headed to the beach for some more fun in the sun.

By the time Hannah woke up from her nap, new friends had arrived to play with. We all had dinner together..then headed to the ice cream stand for a sweet treat.

enjoying some milk and cookies as a bedtime snack..this camping thing is GREAT!

Reading bedtime Bible stories with Daddy. You can't see very well, but it's sweet to hear her read along and sing God is so good. :)

Family Camp....more of day #2

On Wed. evening we had our annual potluck dinner. The watermelon was a favorite for all the girls!

Katie and Rebecca taught them how to play hopscotch. Hannah didn't quite get the concept....but loved jumping on the numbers.

more sidewalk chalk fun...they are decorating a picture of Katie

an evening bike ride with Amelia :)

we ended this great day with a BIG bowl of popcorn cooked over the fire...yum!!

Swimming with Friends

After fishing, we met up with friends Olivia, Amelia, and Addison for some swimming fun!

swim tubes on and ready to go.

Mia and Hannah

tickling Addy's toes

playing in the sand with Addy and Mia

Sheri taught the girls how to make a river around their sandcastle.

Fishing with Daddy

On Wednesday morning, we headed to the dock for Hannah's first fishing experience with her Daddy. This is one excited little fisher-lady.

Watching Daddy put the worm on the hook

Enjoying the first catch of the day. Seth caught a ton of little blue gill...nothing to excited for him, esp. after his Canada trip...but for Hannah it was a thrill!

Learning about the sharp fins on top

the girl had no fear of holding a fish...look what a great job she did!

helping Daddy

posing with her fish

Seth would catch the fish then lay them on the dock. Hannah would pick them up by the tail then send them back to swim with their friends in the water.

Family Camp Day #1

We enjoy camping with our church family every summer. I couldn't imagine a summer without it, so yes...I went camping...in a tent...8 months pregnant. :) It turned out to be a great week! The weather was perfect, the fellowship was sweet, and memories were made!

Hannah was SO excited to go camping. We got to camp around lunch time so Hannah and I ate while Seth and some of the guys set up our site. After lunch we played a little then it was time for nap. Hannah never did end up sleeping...she was way too excited! It was very exciting to have Olivia, Amelia, and Addison camping right next to us! After they got up from their naps we enjoyed some playtime together.

All week long the girls enjoyed paying a visit to Mrs. Sissom...she always had a treat to share!

song time at the Sissoms camp site

The twins (esp Mia) were fascinated with the baby in my belly. Before long...Mia came back from her camper with a baby in her belly too and Addy had to join in!

(baby in da belly-33 weeks)

Hannah was SO thrilled to have lots of space to ride her bike. The whole first day she rode around with a swim tube around her waist...too many things to be exited about!

Kimmy joined in the fun!

a great day ended with a yummy campfire treat!

Rise N Shine

One of my new favorite songs to sing is "Rise and Shine". I love it when Mommy sings it to me as I'm waking up, and I love to sing it to Daddy. It's fun to have him pretend to be sleeping and sing him the song like I am here:

First taste of roasted marshmellows

On Tuesday, we spent the evening outside. We grilled burgers and ate on the deck, then after dinner had a small fire before Hannah was headed off to bed. Hannah was excited to sit in her chair and watch Daddy build the fire and she loved the eating marshmallows part too!

I can't believe that this was her first time tasting a fire roasted marshmallow...so it's either because we always have a fire after she's in bed, or I just forgot...but whatever the case, we had a fun and delicious time!

Outdoor service and picnic

Sunday was our outdoor service and picnic. It was neat to worship on the lawn our church family. I kept Hannah with me during the music portion of the service...she loved it! She even tried to sing some of the songs. When the kids played their bells for bell choir...she looked up at me and said "Mommy, I want to do that". She loved watching the teens sing "One Way" and sang right along doing the motions. It was neat to have her be a part of the worship service. Afterwards, we enjoyed great food and fellowship with our dear church family. The kids played in the bounce house and on the giant water slide. Hannah even tried the water slide...it was quite the drop...but she loved it!

Wearing her watermelon picnic dress and ready for Sunday morning

my little girl who has no fear...going down the giant water slide. I love Graces face next to her...all the big kids loved watching Hannah go down.

Founders Festival Parade

Saturday was the Founders Festival. We had a float in the parade again....and although it was rather hot, we enjoyed being in the parade and passing out gospel tracks to those in the community. The parade route was shortened this year, which was better...but the wait to get started felt like it was forever...probably because it was 90 degrees :) Hannah did a great job and loved being a part of the parade. She walked the whole way and happily passed out tracks to everyone that she could. The theme this year was beach party...so we all wore beach clothes and our float was a big wave that shared the verse:

John 3:17 "For God did not send his Son to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Ready to share life savers and Jesus with Farmington

After the parade we were at church passing out free water and sharing more tracks and info about the church (including kids kamp and outdoor service invites) for the afternoon. We moved kids kamp this year to the week right after the festival. We are praying that many unsaved kids and families will come to kids kamp as a result. It's always neat to see the church come together to serve. It was a full and exhausting day, but we pray that the Lord will bless the work of the many who were involved.

Happy Homemaker Monday: July 19

The weather in my neck of the woods:
84 degrees and cloudy...it actually feels really nice outside.

Things that make me happy:
listening to Hannah sing. Today she is singing "when I get to heaven" and "One Way Jesus"

Book I'm reading:
In between books right now.

What I'm enjoying on TV:
haven't watched tv is quite a while..

On the menu for dinner:
Tortellini-shrimp caesar salad

On my To Do List:

fold and put away laundry

ironing
work on our bedroom: clean blinds, dust and de-clutter the dressers
finish menu planning and maybe get to the grocery store.

In the craft basket:
umm...kids kamp craft shop this week! :)

Looking forward to this week:
seeing God work through the ministry of Kids Kamp at our church

Tips and Tricks:
make sure dishes are clean, counters are cleared and toys are put away before going to bed...sure makes for a nice way to wake up in the morning.

My favorite blog post this week:
seriously...way too busy for blog reading lately.

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

On my mind:
praying for our kids kamp going on at church this week. Praying for my dear husband who is running the whole thing. It's neat to see him use his gifts and talents for the Lord!

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Prov. 14:1 "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."

Fun with Mari, Ezra, and Tobin

Today I watched Mari, Ezra, and Tobin for my friend Trenda. It was fun for us to have friends to play with during the day. The kids were so patient with Hannah and shared their toys with her so well! She esp. had fun playing a great sandwich game with them and pretending to be in space. This was their spaceship. It was a challenge to get them to all look at the camera at one time...so I figured 50% was decent....funny thing is...I got the two youngest. Anyway...thanks Trenda for sharing your kids today...they're great! :)

ABC cereal

It stormed this afternoon...Mom and I enjoyed sitting on the front porch and watching the storm come in. After it started raining harder...we decided to go inside and find a rainy day activity...so we pulled out the ABC cereal for some alphabet fun. I had fun telling mom all the letters that I know and then eating them. Check out this video of me saying my letters..the funny part is my reaction to the thunder outside. :)

See my hands?!

I love to trace my hands. Mom and Dad were really excited about how well I did this evening...check out my art work!

Splash Park fun

We've been wanting to check out the new splash park that was put in at Heritage Park, and finally had the chance on Friday. The weather was sunny and warm...perfect day for some splashing!

Here's a very two year old very serious about going to the splash park :)

she loved:

the water guns

splashing in the puddles with daddy...

standing over the water spouts

and filling her bucket with water.

the water would turn off every few minutes. Hannah started doing this little dance to try to get the water to come back on.