Our Florida Trip

We left Thursday for Florida. It was a nice quick trip down, with no problems. However, we were amazed at the amount of smoke around the Valdosta area. I don't know how people who live there can stand it.

We went to one of our favorite parks Thursday evening only to find they had taken down the kids favorite playground equipment. Oh well. We enjoyed Publix subs while the boys walked around and the girls played.

Friday we went to Sand Key, our favorite beach. It was beautiful. Not too hot with a cool breeze blowing. It was the first time Samuel had been to the beach and the first time Ellie remembered going to the beach.





































Friday afternoon we went to our favorite restaurant Johnny's. The food was as good as we remembered!


Friday evening we were able to visit with my brother and his family. We had such a nice visit, and enjoyed getting to know their children.

Saturday we went to another one of our favorite parks, Phillipe Park, and hung out for a while.
Saturday evening we went to the home of some of our dearest friends and had a get together with some of the people from our church in Flordia. It was great. I only wish I had taken some more pictures while we were there. (Thanks Rita and Jim)

Sunday, we went to my brothers church and then swam in the pool of the friends house we were staying at. The kids had a blast in their pool!



We went back over my brother's house for a cookout Sunday evening, and more swimming.

We had such a nice, relaxing weekend. It was a fun trip and we are so glad we were able to go.

We did pass around a stomach bug- Sam first, Anna next (and the worst), Ellie on way home, Zack after, me the day after we got home, and Paul Jr. today. Paul Sr. is the only one who hasn't gotten it. We were so nice, we even brought it home to Nana!

Pictures

The Camping Trip

(you can click on these pics to make them bigger) Paul being a kid

Anna intently carrying her egg in the spoon

Sam eating toast

Some of the church people

May 30th

Some thoughts to the baby I miscarried. 3 years ago today was his due date.


Today we should be having a three year olds birthday party. Today we should be wrapping toy trucks and baking a cake and getting ready for the party. Today we should be celebrating another child in our family. Today, none of that will happen.


Today was your due date- would it have been your birth date?

I'm not even sure you were a boy.

A child not held,
A baby not kissed,
A soul not born.

How can I have a child who I've not seen?
A baby I've never met?
A part of me I'll not know.

Will you know me when I get there?
Are you watching us right now?
Do you even understand your life?
Eleven short weeks was all you had.
Dreams, plans, all over in an instant.

I look back on your short life with delight.
I wanted you so.
I wanted to see you, hold you, smell your sweet smell.
I dreamed of the day you would be born.
I dreamed of the little boy you would become.
I was unprepared to let you go.
Your life was like a vapor.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
Yet your memory lives on inside of me.
I will never let that go.

All that's left is a few blurry ultrasound pictures and sympathy cards.
Not much to commemorate a life.
Few know, fewer still remember.
But I remember. And I always will.
You are a part of me.
And I will hold you in my heart until the day I can hold you in my arms.

Father's Day Photo contest

Finding Joy In the Morning at http://joyinthemorning.clubmom.com is having a Father's Day Photo Contest. I have so many nice pictures of my children and their father that it was hard narrowing it down! But this picture has always been one of my favorites. Ellie is about 4 in this picture.

Wordless Wednesday

We're Back!

We survived camping! Actually, we did more than survive- we had a blast. It was one of the most fun, unique experiences that I have ever been a part of. We had 16 famlies participate- 11 of them camped in tents and the others stayed in cabins. The tenting families all stayed next to each other in one section of the campground. We had houses without walls- children came and went and ran through each of our campsites all day long. We talked, laughed, fellowshipped and worshipped together.

The children had the most fun. They hit the ground running on Friday and didn't stop until we left on Sunday. Right behind our campsites was a ravine, full of trees that they ran through. There was also a dirt/mud slide and of course, a lake to swim in and fires to play with. They literally fell into their sleeping bags at night, so exhausted from the days activities.

Samuel kept the whole campground up Friday night. He could not fall asleep. He knew he was not where he was supposed to be and he let everyone know it. Paul and I got very little sleep that night and were dragging the next day. Saturday night, he went right to sleep and slept until we woke him up at 8:30 the next morning. Poor little guy was so exhausted!

It was interesting to go to the different campsites and see how people camped. It was easy to differentiate between those who had done it alot and those who were new at it. We did ok. We have along way to go to actually know what we are doing and until we are totally prepared. But, we did alot better than the last time we camped.

Now we are getting ready to go to Florida to visit family and friends. My girls are so excited to meet their cousins and I am ready to get to know my newest neice and nephew (they are 3 and 4). We've not spent any time with them and they have never seen Samuel. We will also get to visit with some very dear friends of ours. It should be a fun trip.

A Camping We Will Go...

Today we leave for our churchwide camping trip. Actually, everyone else in the family is there but Sam and I. We will go when he wakes up from his nap. I've been doing some last minute cleaning and cooking and trying to remember everything. About 75 people are coming from the church and we are praying God gives us a great, fun, worshipful time.

I am not a camper. We did not camp growing up, and I think I slept in a tent 2 or 3 times before last year. Paul's family grew up camping. We tried to take a camping trip about 13 years ago in Florida, but our tent was attacked by monster racoons (no joke!), so the campground put us up in a mobile home with a/c and cable tv- my kind of camping!

2 years ago, Paul wanted to go to CT for his family reunion, but we were financially strapped. There was no way we could go if we had to stay in hotels. We have too many children for one room, so to stay, we would have to get 2 rooms every night. We couldn't do it. So, he talked me into camping. It wasn't so bad. He did everything, from setting up the tent to cooking the meals. Last summer we camped a few nights on our way to Kansas. Again, he did everything, and it was actually fun.

This time around, I have taken care of all the food and the cooking of it. He has nothing to do with it, and I think I have surprised him. I'm actually looking forward to the campout, and to having fun times with our church family.

So, I'll be back on Sunday night with a full report. Hopefully, we will all survive~