Perrin and Micah looking for tadpoles in the river.
Sam hunting for crawdads, tadpoles and fish. He literally spent hours at the river and could have stayed till it got dark. He loved it.
Perrin and the kids had a container they were collecting the tadpoles in. They had a quite a collection.
Perrin and Madeline Mountcastle hanging out in the water.
Madeline and Perrin. They said more than once this weekend that their "BFF". 
Isn't camping with friends what summer is all about?
Sam is getting good at catching the ball.
Sam and Micah playing catch. 
I always make plans that sound good at the time but when the event arrives I think, "What was I thinking?" Actually, with the kids 4&5 camping by myself (without Balin that is) wasn't as hard as it was in the past. Sam got to invite a friend Micah Buettner so that he'd have a playmate as Perrin's friend and her family were meeting us at the campground for the weekend. We took the Sportsmobile and the Mountcastle's rented a cabin, which was probably a good call on their part.
The kids so enjoyed riding their bikes everywhere and Perrin and Madeline loved to go to the swings together. We had a rule that you had to have a safety buddy, which also helped everyone feel included. The river was gorgeous and full of interesting creatures, including trout. Sam is hankering to go back I think with his dad and go fishing and crawdad catching'. There must be something at a core level that draws out the fisherman/catcher in boys. Meanwhile, the girls were playing in the dirt road making mud pots with water. They were happy and content so we were reluctant to offer other choices. Rule #1: never disturb a happy and safe child!
By 8 o'clock all the kids were asleep and I was dozing while I listened to my iPod. Unfortunately the kids liked getting up around 5 - 5:30, which made for a very long day with a good couple of fights between the kids, parents and other kids. We made it through the day though and were ready for bed when it came.
I unfortunately have been suffering from terrible allergies lately and it makes me feel terrible. I want to scratch my eyes out, blow my nose till it's raw and hack something nasty up every once in a while. I finally would get it under control at night but by Saturday night my throat was raw from talking and nasal drip. Yuck. By Sunday morning - and it continues - all I could do was whisper. My voice is totally gone. I wonder how long it will take for it to come back????
I've been noticing that the children actually respond better to me when I'm whispering. Maybe it has to do something with the fact that I can't talk at them from across the room and actually have to get off my butt and participate in what their trying to communicate. I also get to use them as a mouth piece on the phone, with neighbors etc. And the best part of all it causes me to listen more and talk less. That's a good deal.
So all in all camping was a great success. I still like going to the resorts in Scottsdale, but camping is a close second.
The rest of life is going pretty well. My dad unfortunately, but not surprisingly, has taken a turn for the worse. His defibrillator went off on Friday and he has been going down hill ever since. His heart is so weak at this point that it's really tough for the fluid to be pumped around in his body. My mom has been sleeping in his office with him and has been giving him pain medication, which makes dad in coherent and loopy, but it takes away the difficulty breathing. The roller coaster continues as he declines. We'll see if he bounces back or if it continues.
One happy note on my dad was last week I had the opportunity to discuss Heaven with him and what it takes to get there. He accepted Jesus' offer to take him there and in a different place spiritually. It was something he had a great amount of fear around and had been thinking a lot about. Once he made a decision to walk with Jesus, he was very interested in talking about the Bible, Jesus and all the details surrounding it. Balin went over and shared his experiences with dad as did I. My brother even read him the bible (he read dad the King James Version....hello!) Some very good discussions were had and I think he's now at peace with his faith. Very, very cool.
Balin is still in Columbia - it's a 10 day trip - in which he'll return this Thursday sometime. We're not going to meet him in Scottsdale this time because he has to turn around and head to Denver on Sunday and I think we all just want to be home. We're planning on my going with him to Denver with my sister watching the kids, but it is going to be tentative depending on my dad's health. I am supposed to take my girlfriend Angie out for a spa and dinner - perhaps an overnighter - so that she can have some rest from her 18 month old and her 3 month old. I feel her pain and know how hard it is with two little ones. I'm really looking forward to it but we'll see if it all comes together.
The house and yard are doing well. I have stopped decorating as I think I'm pretty well done here in this house. The yard is done being designed, but now it just needs upkeep. There is so much to be done around here in the yard that I can't keep up. So, I'm going to get some help otherwise I swear we'll sell this house and move. It's just too much by myself. I've been looking at real estate in town and drooling over a 1/2 lot or less inside a community with a pool. But...we're going to try getting some help first and see how I feel after that. Granted I am feeling a little bored since all the gardens are finished and the greenhouse is up. Bored is the wrong word for what I'm feeling. I need a creative outlet so I need to find something cheaper than moving and putting a new garden in....any thoughts anyone?
I am continuing to work out with Crossfit and I'm really enjoying it. The workouts make me want to puke sometimes, but it's fun to be with other people experiencing the same, general feeling. Most of the women there can do quite a bit more than me but everyone is so encouraging. I'm looking forward to working out tomorrow. I have a 6 month contract, but I don't know if I'll stop when we're done with the contract.
Not much else going on. I'm trying so hard not to fall asleep as I'm typing this so I best go and hit the hay - actually my lovely bed with clean sheets on it. Yummy.
Good night~
Comments