The Past Few Days

I have had a busy but fun last few days. Here are some of the highlights.

Highlight #1-Heartsong...a group of 8 students from Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio. They arrived Tuesday afternoon. I made a huge pot of spaghetti and the Yo-Ads contributed garlic bread and cookies. I burnt the noodles BAD but they were all so sweet about it. After eating spaghetti, Heartsong put on the most excellent concert at our church. After hearing them sing and hearing some of their testimonies our family purchased 3 of their CD's. When the concert was over they separated and went to host families for the night. They met back here Wednesday morning, we packed sack lunches and said our good-byes. They informed us they had a concert Wed. night and had somewhere to stay but they didn't have anywhere to go Thursday and Friday. So we were blessed again Thursday afternoon when their white 15-passenger van and trailer pulled back into our driveway. Late Thursday afternoon Tim took them on a short journey toward Mt. St. Helens. They didn't get all the way to the lookout, but they did get to see some sights. After their road trip to the mountain, we met up at Pollman's for a bonfire and hot dog roast. Some took walks, shot guns and rode horses. A great time was had by all. We left Pollman's around 11:00. Friday morning started with Monkey Bread. What a way to start the day. Overall it was a pretty relaxing day. Six of the group, along with Justin and Matthew, went hiking. Tim took a few for a short ride to see some more sights. I stayed home all day...did house work, visited and took two naps. Yes, two naps. Being pregnant and staying up til 1:30 AM is not a good combination for me. Heartsong wrote Tim and I a note, gave us cash, babysat all 6 kids and told us to go on a date. WOW!!! They are down-right cool. We went to the local restaurant and enjoyed our time away. When we returned, dinner for everyone else was ready and the kitchen was cleaned. They had made homemade pizza. Like I stated previously...they are down-right cool. Right now ( Friday night at 10:52 PM) they are all in our living room watching Madea's Family Reunion. They are pulling out tomorrow morning around 9:00 to head toward Spokane and at that time we will have to say our final good-byes. It will be a sad few moments. Especially for our kids. They have fallen in love with the team. Saying good-bye is always hard, but knowing we will spend eternity with them helps. Sometime tomorrow I will post a picture of the team with our kids.

Highlight #2-Matthew's new tooth. MadDog had a dentist appointment Wednesday morning at 8:00. Needless to say...he didn't wake up in a very good mood. As a matter of fact, a few tears were shed. He got an extra-long morning hug from Mama. After sitting in the chair for over 2 hours and falling asleep 3 times, he came home with a new front tooth. He is very proud of it. He smiles more and shows it to everyone he sees.

Highlight #3-Thursday morning Tim went to Longview to pick up Lucas and Cayla. They spent 3 days at Karen and David's house. It was a long 3 days. We are used to having all of our kids around 24/7. To have two of them gone was quite different. The plan was for them to stay in Longview til Saturday but Tim got to missing them...BAD. So he went and picked them up early. I think they were glad to come home. They did have a great time, though. I thank the Lord for adopted grandparents who love our children and want to spend time with them.

Hightlight #4-Thursday afternoon Larah and I met two friends at the restaurant for lunch. I put Larah in her jog stroller with Mr. Bacon, I put on my ipod and we walked and we walked and we walked. It was wonderful. We walked from our house to the restaurant. I don't know if we made good time or not, but we enjoyed ourselves. We were able to wave at several people we knew, talk to some horses and we each got some sun. Next time I will have to remember sunblock. After lunch we trekked back home, meeting up with Matthew about half way. I did have to take a quick detour to One Stop...my bladder was so full, I couldn't make it home. I had to stop for a potty break. I was impressed by the cleanness of the bathroom. It was not what I expected. Thanks One Stop.

Highlight #5-Friday afternoon I received a phone call from a friend, Anne, asking if she could come over. Of course I said yes and an hour later she came for a visit. She stayed for about an hour and a half. We haven't visited together for quite sometime. I see her every Sunday and we always talk, but today we really talked. It blessed my heart that she took time out of her busy schedule to visit with me.

That pretty much sums up my last few days. It is 11:22 PM and I think it would be wise to hit the sack. Morning comes so fast. Sleep tight and I will post a few pictures tomorrow.