July Trip 2011

I LOVE traveling with my little family. I find it somewhat funny, because there are some days where I find that if I were a bit more nutty, it would be quite easy for me to be an agoraphobic. You know, to keep all of my littles safe and to kid myself into thinking that I can control pieces of my silly little world. (Just kidding, of course. Somewhat.) But most days, there are so many places that I want to see in this world! And when you want to see the world, staying home is not always the best option. So a few times a year, we go. We venture off of the compound, just the five of us (with sometimes a grandparent or two thrown into the mix for good measure!), and head for parts unknown. To see more and more pieces of this beautiful world that God created, to put more pegs in our map, to make more memories, and most of all, to just be together. In our regular world, we don't get much together time, the five of us, so we cherish the time that we get to be away. Time to turn off the distractions and focus on our children. For a few weeks a year, they get all of us, and I love those times. They are necessary in the line of work that we do. And we always come home feeling refreshed and ready to serve once again!

This year, my parents treated us to a trip to the Pocono's. We definitely had a wonderful time being together! We went hiking, attempted paddle boating (Side Note: about half way out into the lake the boat started to sink. Of course I panicked, but bravely decided to be the one to bail out and swim to shore for help. My heart was racing, my palms were sweating. Paddle boating was not how I wanted to die. Thank goodness when I jumped out the water only came up to my shins! It made my trip to the shore so much easier!), we played putt putt, played games, danced to the music in the yard, and consumed massive amounts of ice cream. But having said all of that, we will never venture to the Pocono's again. They were not mountains. They were small hills. Very small hills. And overall, we found the area to be quite overpriced for the amenities and activities that were offered. Oh well, live and learn.

The highlight of our trip? The day we spent in NYC! It was simply amazing. We rode the train in from Jersey, visited Ground Zero, ate a hot dog by the harbor, took a boat cruise out to see Lady Liberty, walked and shopped in Times Square, paid an outrageous amount for supper downtown, played in Central Park, and took a Taxi ride (where my children learned that the Easter Bunny is not real). It was seriously one of my most favorite days of my life! I was quite proud of my little agoraphobic self. I only suspected a few people to be terrorists, and only almost had a panic attack once. And that, my friends, is progress.

But do you know what they very best part of traveling always is, and forever will be? Coming home. Because there really is no place like home.

PS. I just noticed that the name of our paddle boat was ESCAPE. That should have been a warning to us, no?

Aloha!

For her seventh birthday, Emma wanted a Hawaiin party. Grammy made her a beautiful layered cake with flowers, we decorated the school cafeteria with pineapples, streamers, and balloons, her favorite friends came, and it was so much fun! We played pass the pineapple (hot potatoe),a hula hoop game, we did the limbo, smashed a pinata, and slid down a slip n' slide. She had such a great time! Thank you to everyone who came and helped out with her special night! Our family is so blessed to have such wonderful people who love our children and are invested in their lives. To end her special day, Emma got to host her very first sleep over, something she has wanted for quite some time. The Boverie sisters were her guests, and they had such a fun time watching movies, playing Barbies, being silly, and splashing in the hot tub. Emma is one blessed little girl! What a great seven years!

Seven Years

It's completely true. My Emma is now seven years old. I can hardly believe it and I am her mother. When people ask me how old my children are, I still say six, four, and one. And then my girls quietly whisper to me that they are now seven and five. And I struggle to believe it every single time. But their birthdays keep on coming, year after year, and for that I am so grateful. Grateful for the gift of another year together, another year of growing and memories. Another year to laugh. Another year to celebrate the miracle that is their lives. And today that is exactly what we did! We celebrated Emma!

When asked what she wanted for her birthday breakfast (and her selections even included cake!) this girl of mine chose Cocoa Pebbles. She is a woman who knows what she wants and cannot be swayed. I love that about her. After breakfast, we gifted her with a Barbie Horse set and a gift certificate for a horse lesson once the weather begins to cool down. Off to her room she ran to play with her new toy and her sister for the rest of the morning. Later in the day we headed up to Kings Island (area amusement park) where we met up with Grammy and Da, and enjoyed a day of fun, laughter, rides, and being together. Awesome. We also let the girls get string and beads braided into their hair, something that they have both been wanting done for quite some time. It was a special birthday treat! We ended the day with blue ice cream. Pure deliciousness.

There are so many things about Emma at age seven that I want to remember. Kate, Anna, and Avery are her best friends. She is an amazing big sister. She always lets Jack hold her hand to fall asleep, just like my brother used to do for me. She is helpful in our home (usually cheerful in doing chores), loves playing Barbies, and has a mild case of OCD (wonder who she inherited this trait from?). Her favorite food is still spaghetti, though she is a huge fan of strawberries, yogurt, and popsicles, too. Her smile is beautiful, with as many teeth missing as are actually still there. She still falls asleep in her Daddy's arms each night at bedtime, still kisses her Mama every day, and creates beautiful pictures for everyone in our house all the time. My life got so much better seven years ago when God gave her to me.

HAPPY SEVENTH BIRTHDAY, EMMA LEIGH!

Fort Hill

This year, for the first time ever, my Emma (who turns seven years old tomorrow!) went away to a week of church camp. To the very same camp that her daddy went to when he was a boy! The most we have ever been apart in the last seven years of her life was for three nights when Boss and I went to interview for a job in New Mexico. Other than that, she has spent several weekends at Grandma's with cousins, she has slept over several times at Grammy's (including when I had her sister and brother), and she has slept over at other houses on campus three different times. But the vast majority of her nights are spent here at home. With us all together as a family. Where she belongs. So her going away for an entire week was a really big deal for us! As her mama, I was super nervous and worried about how she would sleep, but she did great! Boss did go to camp as kitchen staff, so he was there if she needed him, but we were so proud of how she did. Our biggest girl really is growing up. She had an awesome time, and she informed me that the very best part about camp was getting to eat her dessert first, because I was not there to tell her not to. Ha! Love that girl. She also loved all of the cabin activities, camp fire, skit night, and being with her friends. Her least favorite part? Dodge ball. Just like her mama. She is so my girl. Boss said his favorite part of camp was watching his biggest girl learn about God. Lord willing, the 'Z' family has many more weeks of Fort Hill camp in their future!

Kate's Party Pictures

COME JUMP, BOUNCE, and JIVE
KATE IS TURNING FIVE!