{ Unexpected Blessing }

Yesterday we returned from two days of visiting new friends. I should say new to me. Tim and Andrew met during their National Guard days and have kept in contact occasionally over the years. Also, Andrew's wife Anna is our friend Kevin's sister. We had such a good time with them. What we planned to be an overnight trip turned into two nights, thanks to their kind invitation to stay another day. We felt so at home with them. They too have three kids, three boys mostly grown. Anna, our hostess, took to having three tiny kids around again like a duck to water. Our kids just loved her and Andrew.

They have a lovely home out in the country. We met their dog and kitties and their 4H pigs. The kids played on the swing set, slide and trampoline. Oliver ran around to his hearts content and we didn't have to tell him "No, stay away from the street" and "Don't go off the sidewalk." The perfect place for busy toddlers! We walked around their property at dusk and came back for a bonfire and s'mores. And did I mention they cooked for us the whole time we were there? It was amazing! We brought food to contribute, but they seriously took such good care of us and spoiled up rotten.

We had planned to camp out in tents, but when they offered their entire basement up to us we decided to "camp" in there. That is exactly the way that camping should be done with three little kids!

Next day Tim and Andrew loaded our trailer full of wood. This was the reason we had gone up there. They graciously offered to give us a load of seasoned tamarack. Not only seasoned, but split! What a blessing. The guys were done by 10:30 in the morning so we had the rest of the day to play.

Andrew took Tim and I up into the mountains above their house on a 4 wheeler, while Anna stayed back and watched the kids. It was so much fun to get to do something like this on our own! It was Tim's first time to be on a 4 wheeler and he got to drive so he was one happy man. I'd been on one before, but didn't remember it very much. I just knew how much fun I'd had and was ready for another try. We sure got dusty, but it was worth it. From the top we saw 5 or 6 lakes, including one little piece of Lake Coeur d'Alene.

When we got back, lunch was made, the kids were happy and then they took really good long naps! I did a little reading and Tim and Andrew when out for some guy time. When the kids woke up we all met down at the lake and went swimming. The kids had a great time. There is no doubt our children are water bugs!

Anna watched the kids again at the beach while Andrew took Tim and I (along with a sleeping Wret) to his friend's private dock where the water was crystal clear and we could jump off. Was that ever a treat! Wret slept happily in his car seat there on the dock, rocked to sleep with the water lapping against the sides and we enjoyed a good swim before heading home for a bbq and another campfire.

This little trip was such an unexpected break and really felt like a vacation. We came back refreshed and rested and so thankful for the blessings God showered on us. So often they come in the most unexpected ways!

{ Camping }

Last weekend we went camping. We really needed to get away and take a break after working long and hard on cleaning up since the trees came down at the beginning of July. Our plans changed several times, but we made it and over all we had a good time. It is always a challenge to camp with little kids, but they loved it and once they went to sleep, they slept well :) The first night my parents joined us and we enjoyed the lake.

The second day they went home and we headed into the Idaho mountains for some exploration. Tim had found couple of mountain lakes that we intended to hike in about 1/2 mile to find. After driving for a couple of hours and only making it about half as far as we needed to go, with a vehicle not really meant for the kind of road we were on, we decided to head back toward home. We found a nice creek that was very clean and shallow and we all had a great time getting wet and relaxing before heading home. We had thought we'd maybe spend another night, but by then we were just wanting showers! Not sure how much camping we will continue to do while our kids are this little, but I'm glad we did it, all things considered. In fact, this coming Monday we're planning to camp again, only this time on someone's property. We are going up there to pick up a load of firewood they are giving us. Looking forward to camping, but also having access to a house with amenities!

{ Surprise Party :: 1930s Style }

This past Friday night I attended a surprise party for a very sweet friend, Tessa. She turned 30 yesterday, and to celebrate a couple of her friends planned a 1930s Hollywood Glamor party to welcome her to the new decade.

A lot of us know her through church, but she is also very involved with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) so there were a lot of ladies who knew her from there, including our very gracious hostess.

It was SO. MUCH. FUN. Seriously it was the funnest evening I have spent in a very long time. I'm not trying to imply that my life is dull and void of fun, but I am also not exaggerating when I say how much fun it was. It was due in part, I'm sure, to the fact that we all got to dress up and go out for an entire evening for girl-time, kid free. I counted 14 ladies at one point, and from what I could tell, we were all having an equally fabulous time. It was so much fun finding out about the 1930s, a time period I have never thought much about before. The hairstyles and clothes are so feminine and charmingly elegant. Other than the Great Depression, I think I would have loved living back then! Well, and heels. As pretty as they are, living in a time when women wore them all the time, even to clean house doesn't really sound appealing. We had all kicked off our shoes about an hour into the evening. The co-hostess of the evening brought her grandmother's jewels from the 1930s to decorate with. So many pearls, furs and sparkly things! The decor was white, pink and soft silver. So airy and feminine. There was plenty of delicious chocolate to eat and fun time spent learning to dance the Charleston, accompanied by music from the decade.

But enough said, here are some pictures to give you a feel for the evening. How I wished I'd brought along a better camera, but thankfully I had my phone and was able to capture a little of the elegance of the evening.

{ Busy Mamas CAN Study the Bible }

It was one of those dry times, when I was feeling discouraged about my quiet times with God, struggling to find time in the day amidst juggling all of my responsibilities.

Then a friend at church came up, out of the blue, and handed me a Bible study book.

I was standing there, talking to another friend, holding my baby and diaper bag, keeping an eye on our busy 18 month old, trying to admire the 2 year old's Sunday School project and to get him to stop playing with my skirt in an embarrassing way, when she handed it to me. She said she thought of me when she saw it, and when I glanced at the title, I was immediately blessed. Thirty Days of Bible Study for Busy Mamas: Inspiring, in-depth Bible Study, five minutes at a time

Here is a nice little picture of the cover. And let me just say, it has been SUCH a blessing to go through. I am still working on it, but I just had to take a moment and let all of you other busy mamas out there that it might be worth looking into.

 If you're anything like me, I need a program or Bible study just feels daunting. This little book has given me a taste for manageable study techniques and I'm already looking forward to tackling other chapters and books in the future. This particular book covers only chapter 3 of Colossians, but it is amazing how much there is in one chapter.

I encourage you to take a look at this book, and when you're done pass it on. That is what I plan to do.

{ Miss Katy Grace :: 18 Months }

Our little miss is 18 months old. *sniff* It blows me away. 

She is so full of life. 

A little mommy.  She loves to carry her baby with her. Dress her. Burp her. Change her.  She takes it all very seriously. 

She is such a snuggler

and

a daddy's girl .

We've been threw so much with our precious little girl in this short time she's been in our family.  

There is not a day that goes by that we don't praise God for protecting her and giving us the blessing of watching her grow into a happy and healthy little girl.

Having a daughter has been such an unexpectedly wonderful experience.  I always knew I'd love having a daughter, but until Katy Grace came along I never knew just how much!  I can't wait to see how our relationship will develop as the months and years go by.  She is already a very special little friend to me.

{ A Day with Friends }

My kids went to sleep very unusually early tonight, which is the only reason I'm blogging about what we did today, the very day that it happened.  They were tuckered out after a very fun, full day of hanging out with some very special friends. 

My dear childhood friend came down for the day to keep us company as Tim has been away all week on a business trip.  Between us there are seven children!  The fact that we packed them off to the park after lunch, then walked to town and bought ice cream and walked back still amazes me.  Wowza!  So tired tonight, but such fun we all had.

 The Girls 2 yrs, 7 yrs and 18 months

 And Boys 4 years and 2.5 years

 The Babies 9 months and 3 months

 Couldn't get over Ruby's bows!

 The Troop Snacking

They were soooo dirty and hungry after playing at the park