I missed them BEFORE they even left!

Well, 3 of my babies went off to church camp this morning! :(

It is the first time for Payge...in fact this is only the 3rd time she has slept somewhere else other than home...once at a friend's house and once at our friend's house when I had Cayden, and now...camp...for 5 days and 4 nights!

This is the third year for Shayne and Kyle...they really enjoy going, although when they leave, it is always a "bittersweet" feeling. This is most likely their last year too since Shayne is moving up and next year will qualify to be in the "youth group" at church, which will mean he'll only be able to attend the "teen week" and no longer the "junior week". And Kyle will more than likely not go since Shayne won't be there (they are 1 year apart and are more like twins than anything!).

So, I'm glad all 3 of them have this opportunity to go, but it is has been tearing me up and just killing me inside! My stomach has been miserable for the last week as I approached this time and now it is doing loopy loops at 100 mph! It is about a 3 hour ride to get there and is in a different state, so those two things don't help make this any easier on me LOL. ;)

It is just myself, Trey, and Cayden at home (with no car :( ) and Dylan, who is working full-time hours this summer. I have a lot to do in my house...cleaning, organizing, etc., but this feels so incredibly strange!

Oddly enough, I almost cannot stand the quietness!!!

So, Trey and I got busy right after the kids left and made them some cards with special drawings for each of them and quickly got them in the mailbox for today's mail. Hopefully, the kids will get these pictures/notes by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

We have this ongoing joke in our home...Shayne and Kyle have a dog they've had for almost a year. His name is Barney and he is a dachshund/basset hound mix and he is a pain in the "you know what"! Well, lucky me, I'm in charge of this demon dog stupid mutt stubborn thing called "a dog" until they get back. He is the most high-maintenance dog I've ever had and truly is a pain in the neck...most everyone agrees as we verbalize this on a daily basis!

Well, as a joke (because one of my boys at camp needs to laugh or else he'll do more crying), I wrote him a "Ransom Note" for his dog, LOL. They'll all get a kick out of it LOL. I've included our pictures, drawings, and Ransom note below for your viewing pleasure! (CLICK ON BELOW PICTURE FOR A CLOSE UP)

Here are our "nice" notes to the kids:

Annual Rocket Launch

Last night was our annual rocket launch at our church. The weather was absolutely perfect, thank you Lord!

The winners are decided by random choice...the person in charge of the rocket launch is very fair about it and makes sure the winners are not the same ones year after year. :) He hides a special color ribbon inside some of the rockets, and when each rocket is launched, the ribbons pop out and if it is the right color, that child has won.

This year they let the girls participate, as this event is usually only for the boys. Payge won 2nd place and Trey won 3rd place! Here are pictures of my children with their rockets (unfortunately the one of Kyle is very blurry, but I cannot take another picture of him until he returns home from camp!):

ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!!

I strongly encourage EVERY one to watch this...you won't be sorry.

"The below is the hottest thing on the internet and on Fox News today.
Lizzie Palmer who put this YouTube program together is 15 years old.
There have been over 3,000,000 hits as of this morning. In case you
missed it, here it is. ENJOY!"

I think THIS IS ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I just want to say "THANK YOU LIZZIE!" for making such a beautiful tribute to those who have sacrificed and who are currently sacrificing their lives for ALL of us. I have watched this about 7 times already today, showed it to my children and husband, and emailed it to several people and a few of my email groups. I still have tear-filled eyes as I think of this video and the profound impact it has left on me.

My family and I thank ALL of the American military who continue to give so much for us and our freedom. In our eyes, you will NOT be forgotten and we will forever be in debt to you. You continue to be in our prayers.

Below is a collection of images I've collected over the past few years and I think this is the perfect time to display them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. :)

Ribbet…Ribbet…Ribbet

Well, we had so much fun this afternoon! Out in our backyard, we have a small pond...not a pretty landscaped pond, but a very, very natural pond that is not pretty. Well, Cayden and I went outside to swing on the swing and then met up with Tim and Trey (they were already out in the back). We took a short walk around the pond when all of a sudden my husband showed Trey a tiny little frog hidden in some mowed, long grass. Well there it was...a frog here, a frog there, MANY frogs EVERYWHERE!

Well I handed Cayden to Tim and Trey and I started jumping after the frogs trying to catch them, and I'll tell you, they are FAST!!! When we finally caught one, we'd catch another and attempt to add it to the other hand with the other frog in it and so on. We ended up with 5 or 6 frogs in one hand and it tickled! They jump in your closed fist and when you have several in there, it feels funny LOL.

Trey got a plastic bucket for us to put them all in, but without a lid, it was useless as they can climb the sides of the bucket and jump out! Well, Kyle also came out to catch some and below you can see all the pictures we have to show you. You'll be surprised to know that all together, we caught 29 of these frogs. After I was done taking pictures of them, we released them back outside where we found them. :)

We researched and researched on the internet and FINALLY discovered what type of treefrogs these are. It was so hard to tell because they closely resemble the Spring Peeper frog, but they do not have the "X" on their backs that is exclusive to the Spring Peeper. They are the Boreal Chorus Frogs. If you want to hear what they sound like, click the below link. I hope you will enjoy our pictures! :) (the last 2 images show all 29 frogs together!!!)

http://weaselhead.org/sounds/asprwf/cd_boreal_chorus_frog_02.wav

Wordless Wednesday! 6/13/07

I couldn't decide so I did both. These are pictures from last year when my 6th blessing was born. I just love how the baby is looking up at his one & only sister with such adoration! I also love the look on my 2nd youngest as he is just fascinated with his new baby brother! :)

For other Wordless Wednesday participants, click on Wordless Wednesday

A Bluebird!!!

Yes, a bluebird! We had a bluebird in our yard!!! Since bluebirds don't normally come to feeders (they don't eat birdseed) this was a fantastic treat for us!

Since we live in the northeast, naturally it was the Eastern Bluebird that we saw. It was the most beautiful shade of blue I've ever seen!

I was doing dishes and noticed this gorgeous blue bird on the ground so I took another look and thought to myself, "hmmm, that doesn't look like a bluejay, what is that?" I watched this bird as he went from the ground up to the tree, then back down to the ground and up to the tree again. He did this 3 or 4 times. I can only assume he hit the jackpot and found some yummy insects to eat. After watching this behavior, I immediately thought "could that be a bluebird???"

Kyle ran and got his binoculars and soon confirmed that yes indeed, it was a bluebird--a MALE bluebird. Wooohooo! I was both so excited and grateful to have gotten a glimpse of this gorgeous bird.

Thankful Thursday 6/7/07

I found this "Thankful Thursday" on a blog I was visiting and thought it was a wonderful idea, so today is the first day I'm participating in it. :)

Today, on this Thankful Thursday, I am grateful for:

The fact that we awoke to another brand new day, since we are never guaranteed more days.

My husband and his dedication to his family to get up and go to work everyday, especially since he is not overly thrilled with his work environment.

Each one of my 6 children because each one is so incredibly special in their own way and I'm extremely grateful for the privilege of having them all in my life.

My extended family and the repaired relationships that have taken place over the last few years.

Our church and our Pastor--mainly for the wisdom the Lord gives him and his incredible preaching.

My church family and friends because it is so comforting to have them in our lives.

My pets--they provide me with a never-ending amount of unconditional love and comfort.

My computer, the internet, emails, and blogs--it provides me with the ability to communicate with other women and receive support and encouragement, especially since I don't have a car to go out with (we only have one and hubby uses it to go to & from work).

The fact that so far, we've had very tolerable, pleasant weather (I do not function/cope well in humid/hot weather) AND we've also had many, many sunny days and that is not the "norm" in our area.

For this "Thankful Thursday" activity, that we all may praise the Lord's name and have the opportunity to count and share our blessings with each other.

I do thank you, Lord, for all of these things and so many more that I haven't even listed here. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

If you'd like to participate in "Thankful Thursday" or just read other lists, visit Sting My Heart.