Memorial Day Weekend, 2013

This is probably the most looked forwards to weekend for this bunch of friends!  It continues to be such a blast and we never have dull moments!  I took so many pictures, again, of our weekend and if you care to join me for our detailed fun weekend events, keep reading!!!

It started out early Friday morning with Hadassah and I going together on a class field trip to the zoo.  The rain was disappointing but we just kept opening and closing the umbrella!  The whole day was really fun and the animals were all amazing and what a creative God we serve!!!  (I will have a post on this trip soon!)

We returned home from the zoo tired and we both felt like we walked miles.  We probably did!!!  It was a fast, refreshing shower for me and then as I quickly packed up the cooler, I breathed a prayer that I would stay calm and be polite to my family that was waiting for me to head out the door ... again.  I think I did it in good time of 1/2 hour!  Mike did a great job picking up the two youngest at my sisters house (thanks again so much, Jody!).  He had them and all our suitcases loaded up and ready for the cabin!  Hadassah and I hoped in the truck still tired but ready for our upcoming, exciting weekend with some of our very best friends!

It was a drive through stop at Chick-fil-a for us and then to the Turnpike!  We had a great drive and at 10 PM, we were unpacking our things and greeting our friends on the cabin porch!  Ashlyn slept on the way up and she was laid down for her night of rest when we arrived.  Hadassah and Matthew hung out with their friends and us adults had a late night of chats!  By 11:30 PM, let's just say it was high time for rest.  A nights rest!!!

Saturday was cool and windy.  Other years, it has been hot and warm and the need for the AC to be cranked.  Not this year.  We actually had a small heater on for the morning hours and enjoyed sitting around the camp fires. 

The kids are doing the scavenger hunt organized by Martha!  She always thinks of the kids and has some kind of party/event for them!  She had a prize for each kid!  Wow!  Matthew is trying out his smoke bomb!

 It would not be a complete weekend without a photo with Jordon!  These two have such fun and here they caught some cray fish in the creek!

 Ava and Ashlyn are so cute!  Bath time was wet and fun!

 Golf cart rides were loaded with all our precious children!

 Poor Jen ... this girl was brave and did good under her circumstances!  She got stung by a bee and her foot swelled up terribly!  Between sprays, creams, and wraps ... she did good though.  Her foot swelled up bad and yet she hobbled around to play with the other children!

 Matthew and Jordon had a great time together too.  Between playing outdoors and with gadgets, they posed for a picture!

 Daddy time!!! 

The kids loved the button candies!  These were from Martha too!

 Going to the creek is an annual event for this trip!  Mike and I walked down to the creek and she went on the golf cart!  Her greeting was way adorable!

 Girl creek time ...

 I'm just saying that this bunch of guys have a hilarious time together!!!

 She wanted to walk back to the cabin from the creek.  We had left her shoes at the cabin, so she used my flip flops to walk!

Our beautiful photo session ...

 

 

I am so sorry Suz, it's the best photo I had of us ladies!  I will have to have a copy of one of yours if it's better!!!  :)  These ladies are great!  I treasure our friendships like gold!

The discussions, chats, laughter, and memories all stem from God putting these friends into our lives!  We love each couple and their children are our children's friends too!  Thanks everyone for loving our family and for being such great influences!  We hope to continue such friendships for many more years!!!

The weekend did get a little warmer and we soaked up the sunshine and laughed as the men pitched quates and the kids did a scavenger hunt created by Martha Rose.  Matthew loved his smoke bombs that he was given!  The button candy was a hit too.  Between four wheeler rides, golf cart rides, a four hour Acquire game played by the men, plus a golf outing for some of them, a five mile run, creek time, a photo session for Ashlyn, naps, snacking, drinking coffee (even hazelnut decaf on Monday because that was all that was available!), kids crying, kids laughing ... it was a BLAST!!!

Each meal time consisted of wonderful food!  Seriously the best steak and BBQ chicken!  Our chefs are amazing up there!!!  Thanks!

Clean up time always comes too fast!  We ended the weekend by a nice drive home, picked up Ginger (thanks again Sadie), and then off for Matthews little league game last night.  My laundry pile was crazy!  I had piles washed and folded and needed put away.  Piles that were dirty and needed washed.  Blankets, sheets, and shoes to wash.  I got some done last evening and the rest today.  The suitcases are cleaned out and the cooler back up to the attic!  Memorial Day memories will last for a lifetime!

Thanks so much Dave and Suz for hosting us all at the cabin!  These weekends are truly the best!!!

 

Batter Up!

We had a delightful night at the ball park last night!  The weather seemed to cooperate with those of us that like the warmer ballgame nights! 

Matthew's team played so well against the Flames!  15 - 12 was the final score!  The Rookies had a win!!!  They deserved it too!  Each boy played the game so well!  I just love to watch these little guys play.  I know I mentioned it before, but they are really good!  Really good for 7 - 10 year old boys! 

Matthew had some hard hits and he was so proud to say that he only made one out the whole game!  All the other hits he got to bases!  Good job Matthew!!!

 Because this is a church organized little league, there are boys that Matthew knows from church, school and just friends.  I love to see them have fun together!

Because the weather was warm and I didn't just want to stay in my cozy chair, I was able to capture some fun photos!

Little miss here was cheering, "Go Matthew!  Go Matthew!"  :)  She loves, loves her big brother!  Hadassah loves Matthew too but she's entering the 'hang out with friends in public places' stage!  :)  She took off looking for friends as soon as we got there and we never seen her again till it was time to get ice cream!

 

We finished off the game by celebrating at Rita's for some soft ice cream!  The night was such fun!

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Here is Ashlyn this morning.  The sunshine is warm already at 9 AM.  It's fore casted to get up to 84 degrees today.  Ashlyn and Ginger love to walk around outside each morning.  They go to the gazebo to the barn to the swing and then to the garden.  Just walking around in the morning dew.  I am loving these beautiful mornings and warm days!

 

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The windows are open.  The ceiling fan is already turned on high.  It will be warm today ... but that's what we dreamed of in March!  Thanks Lord for sending us the sunshine and warmer weather!

Electronics ...

This is only an opinion.  Nothing to get all worked up about!

I find myself asking the question in my mind, "When are kids going to be real kids?  Kids that live a 'real life' are ones that play outdoors.  Explore.  Get dirty.  Climb trees.  Play in the sand box.  Swing on the swings for hours!  My opinion here.

I think it's so sad when all the little kids know how to do is play on electronics or press the buttons on the remote.  It's becoming such an issue in America families and I really am not welcoming that pattern of life.  I love it when Hadassah and Matthew come home from school and go outside to play.  (Well, after they give me their lunch boxes, papers, and grab a snack!) 

The weather plays a huge factor in this routine.  Thanks to our lovely Spring time right now, it welcomes them outdoors in the late afternoon!  Matthew is more prone to go outside and swing.  He loves doing that with Ashlyn!  He likes to ride his bike.  He begs for a dirt bike or motorized something.  He shots basketballs and collects sticks.  He enjoys it outside a lot.  That is why when he started to ask for a Gameboy or DS, I shot the idea down pretty fast.  I find it hard at times to limit the computer time and TV shows with the children.  I just didn't feel it was necessary to be putting more limits to another electronic. 

Buying a DS was something he wanted for long time.  He had it on his Christmas list.  He really hoped my mom would bite for it!  :)  He had it on birthday lists.  It was always a wish!  Well, if you remember that a few weeks ago he won $100 from the trash-a-thon fundraiser that they worked so hard at collecting funds for school.  Matthew was so proud of his prize!  We left it up to him with what he wanted to buy with his money.  Of course, I suggested a new basketball backstop and net.  They really need one and that would be perfect ... I thought!  He wanted a Nintendo DS.  Oh, boy.  I sighed.

I asked him on the way home from school once when he was suggesting to buy a DS, "Matthew, if we buy a DS, when will you go outside and get dirty and be a kid?"  He looked at me and smiled.  I think he thought that was going a little far with my assumptions.  He said he would still play with other toys!

He knew the place to buy one.  He thought he knew the price.  (He's been asking the boys on the school bus and at school for some info.)  We agreed that on Mike and I's date night, we would check out the game and consider the purchase.

Well, the night of our date came.  The kids and I went to some yard sales in Strasburg after school.  We knew we didn't have much time to browse but I remembered of one house in particular that I wanted to go to.  Previous years we have done well there with clothing.  It was one of our first stops.  Hadassah and I jumped out of the van and looked around.  There laid a blue, Nintendo DS.  Only $40!  Great condition.  Works.  Includes a charger!!!  Wow?!!!  I immediately called Mike and asked for his guidance.  Should we?  Great price!!!  His reply was, "Yes!"

I bought the DS and we returned back to the van with one happy seven year old boy!  He was so delighted!!!  He wanted to get the game insert of Mario Brothers yet.  So, later that night on our date, Mike and I went to the game store where Matthew knew they were for sale.  Yes, they sold them for $160 new!  I was proud of our earlier purchase.  We did buy Matthew a case and the Mario Brothers game.

Now, he has a Nintendo DS, charger, three games and a case for a total of $98!!!  I think we did great with the prices!!!  That's just one reason yard saling is sooooo much fun and at times very rewarding!

The kids have been doing great with not over playing on it.  I really am proud of how they have kept it to a minimum!  If needed, we will set limits!  :)

Here he is playing on his Nintendo DS for the first.  He's so happy!

   
Let your children get dirty today.  It won't be long when they will be all grown up!

Blessings!

Making Memories in May ~

This has been another busy May week.  One that went really fast and was packed full of fun, spring events!  Take a look ...

We started the week with another little league game for Matthew.  What a game!!!  I'm telling you, these are such fun to watch!  The Rookies started off the cold night with being down 0-7 in the first inning.  They gained more and more fun each inning, finishing the game at a tie of 17-17!!!  It was exciting!  Us moms were cheering and loving all the great hits!  These young boys are good!  :)  Matthew just thought to finish off the night, he had to eat another cheeseburger!  This is by far one of his favorite foods.

Then I had the day out with my sisters and mom on Wednesday.  They wanted to take me out for my birthday and I choose to eat lunch at Bonefish Grill.  The only problem was that when we arrived, Bonefish opens at 4 PM and does not serve lunch.  We went with the second best option and ate at Olive Garden.  It was a tasty lunch, as expected!  Thanks ladies for the treat and the fun time hanging out together shopping and eating lunch!  It's always way fun when we get together!

I was a bit rushed to leave the restaurant and go to school to pick up the kids because I made a doctors appointment for Matthew.  He's been complaining the past few days of belly ache.  It comes and goes in spurts.  I've been trying to pay more attention of what he's been eating and causing the belly ache.  Sometimes it hurts after drinking and eating.  Well, when I picked him up at school, he said that his belly felt good all day and it wasn't hurting anymore.  We've been praying that his stomach ache goes away and even that morning before school, Hadassah laid hands on him and prayed.  Now, I wasn't sure what to do.  That morning I was certain that we should finally get him checked by a doctor but now I felt like a fool (and one of little faith) if I take a well feeling child to get checked.  I canceled the appointment.  He's been feeling better and we praise God for that!  Join us in prayer that the stomach aches will stay away and that Matthew's belly is healed!

Thursday was such a busy day!  Track and Field for Hadassah and Matthew!!!  This is a day that both of them have been looking so forwards to and Ashlyn and I were not going to miss it!  Mike came at lunch and joined us for some hours of track too!  I took so many pictures! 

The morning events had to be done in the gym because of passing showers!  We were able to eat lunch outdoors and the tempts went to warm and humid.  80 degrees.  The afternoon was packed full with running events, soft ball/basketball throws, etc.. 

Here are the team relay races.  Hadassah was on the RED team and Matthew on the GREEN team.

Tossing bean bags into a trash can ...

Going through a hula hoop while holding hands ...

 She was a team trooper!!!  She cheered and screamed loud!  The noise level was crazy in the gym!!!

 I love this picture!  She's all for the gold!!!  Try hard and try your best.  It's a good motto!!!

 Matthew didn't get so fired up but still did great for his team!

Broomball ...

 Dribble or kick a ball ...

 Circle Relay ...

 Scooter Races ...

 Ashlyn was into the cheering too!

We were able to move outdoors for the track events at lunch time.  The weather was warm and tough for the long runs but the kids did great!  Really!!!

Zach and Matthew are best buds in school!  Matthew will miss this young man so much next year.  Zach is moving to Colorado to help do mission work with his family.  Many, many blessings to you guys!!!

 After running the 50 Meter Race ...     Mike, Ashlyn, Lena and Hunter were all there to cheer them on!!!  Thanks for coming!

 Matthew's second grade class boys!

 Softball throw!  One throw was 66 feet!

This was the intense run!!!  Hadassah signed up to do the 1600 Meter (which is one mile)!  She's a great runner and often went with Mike already.  She was prepared for this run but with it being soon after lunch and mentally knowing that she has to run around the track eight times was a lot to ponder.  She's like me and runs better with one destination in mind and really does not like running in circles or back tracking.  Here she's listening with Laurie at the instructions.  And ... off she goes!

 It was so warm but she did great!!!  (Oops ... picture out of order here but she's ready for take off.)

 Here Mike is talking to her for her next run.  100 Meter.

 A fifth grade girls class photo ...

 Lena brought two big dill pickles along for the kids.  Guess who wanted some too???

 Matthew ran in the 100, 200 & 400 Meter races!  Amazing endurance!  He's a great runner.  Mike asked him if he got tired?  His response, "Ahh ... I just ran."  :)))

 Running and then smiling at his daddy after his good run!

 Water breaks were necessary!  Softball throws ...

 More running ...

To finish off the hard running day and hot weather, everyone was treated to Popsicles!  What a great treat!

 

 

You would think that after running, the kids would be tired.  They were a little but that night they were both in the back yard timing themselves and running again!  I got the house cleaned and by 7:30, I was ready to relax on the back porch! 

 

I sat down on the back porch with some decaf coffee and listened to the working farmers in the fields.  They were mowing and racking and bailing hay.  We are surrounded by fields and THAT is one reason why we absolutely love the area we live in!  Everything is so fresh and green outside!  Our garden is at its best!  However, the birds are making a mess on the driveway and on my windows with all their droppings but they are enjoying all the pines to rest and sing in too!  We have a mother robin bird that faithfully sits in the front tree on her nest! 

 

It's Spring time and it's one of my favorite seasons!  We are enjoying each day the Lord gave to us at it's fullest!  Why just yesterday, after picking up the kids at school, we went straight to Rita's for some soft serve custard.  I watched Hadassah, Matthew and Ashlyn as they licked their ice cream and like all children do, they loved it!  I love moments like these!  Then the moment lasted too short and we were suddenly putting lotion of Hadassah's finger, trying to pry it from the table.  It got stuck in the table holes.  (There were small holes on the top of the table and she was sticking her fingers through them.  Her figure got stuck and for just a little while she was in pain trying to pry it loose.)

 

 

Enjoy your weekend!!!  Blessings!