Family Camp

We spent the weekend in Las Vegas, NM at Family Camp. It's a church camp-out that our church has every August at Camp Bluehaven. I never attended Camp Bluehaven as a camper, so the last four years have been my only experience. Brad and Eli love it. They love being outdoors, getting dirty, hiking, campfires, cool weather, the whole shebang. I like it because they like it so much and the church secretary made sure I had a cabin with a good shower. (Really, it's the small things in life that make me happy.) A bunch of our friends went this year, too, so that was fun. Brad tells me we weren't really camping because we stayed in a cabin with a bathroom and a bed. I told him that anytime you have to take your own bedding and Diet Cokes, it's camping.

This might have been the very last picture of Eli clean the whole weekend. It was very rainy (and cold) this year at camp so there was mud everywhere. I never felt dry or warm the entire weekend. Eli seems to be a mud magnet so it was inevitable. I did remember to bring a garbage sack for his dirty clothes and they are now crusted together waiting for me to attempt to clean them in the washing machine. Every once in a while, I have thoughts of just taking the garbage sack to the dumpster, but that would be a waste so I just lock that thought away in the corner of my mind for anther day and just dump the whole sack in the washer with lots of Biz and hope for the best!


Too cute for camp!


Three sweet girls enjoying the fire. Not one of those cute little chairs belonged to any of those girls. Thanks for sharing!


Eli and Dayton around the fire. I think Eli might be a pyromaniac. The boy could not stay away from the fire! If it was lit, he spent his time throwing rocks or sticks or dirt into it to watch the sparks fly. There were only a few close calls when I thought he was actually going to fall in, but that's Eli for you...living on the edge of danger.


I had an epiphany about Eli this weekend. It was during the devotional around the campfire on Friday night. He spent the entire 30-minute devo throwing rocks into the fire. At first, I was stressing out a little because he was throwing rocks while all the other children (except the littlest ones) were sitting and singing. What would people think? Why is he so unable to sit still? Have I not done enough to show my child the beauty of praising God? Does this mean I have failed as a mom?! (I know I'm a little crazy.) But then I wondered if maybe God created this little boy just like this for a reason. Maybe, just maybe, his "doingness" will find a place in the Kingdom of God. Maybe I should spend less time trying to make him quieter and more still and spend more time just revealing to him who He is. Maybe I should focus more on where I want Eli's heart to be instead of making him a cookie-cutter, compliant child...because let's be honest, I have tried and failed in the compliance department. Now I know, better than anybody, that Eli still has his issues. He challenges everything and is less than willing to do anything anybody tells him to do when he doesn't want to do it or has another idea of how it should be done. We need to work on that. But maybe if I just let some of the other stuff go, if I embrace the fact that his exuberance will always overcome him, then maybe some of the other issues will just fall into place. If nothing else, my epiphany just gave me a little hope.

This is what Phoebe spent most of the weekend doing. I'm not sure if you can tell, but there were a lot of these of steps and Phoebe wanted to walk up and down them by herself. It took forever, but what else is there to do? She even grunted dramatically on every step.


This picture is of the bane of my existence of Family Camp...family craft time! Every year it's painting and every year we knock over paint or get it all over our clothes and I wind up a dithering, exasperated mess while everybody else's family quietly and contentedly paints beautiful flower pots. It's not the kids aren't interested (just look at the concentration!), it's just that this year we were inside because of the rain with instructions to not spill the non-washable paint on the chapel floor or on our clothes. Well, we did both! Really, we are over achievers.



Soon after these pictures were taken, I left our backpack (with the camera inside) up in the dining hall. We did lots more fun things that I did not photo-document. Eli caught a fish, Phoebe played on the slides, I lost a riveting game of Skip-Boo for all my highly competitive girlfriends (Liz, I told you that you didn't really want me to come play...you should have listened), I read a book...all kinds of good stuff!

Now we're home and Phoebe is helping me unpack by taking everything out of the suitcases and trying to put them on. So very, very helpful!

Popcorn Pals

Sometimes I am just struck by how sweet Eli is with his baby sister. He's not the kindest or sweetest or gentlest of boys, so I was always worried about how he would treat her. Most of the time it brings a smile to my face to watch him share and be silly and sweet with her. Even when he's rough, it's because he just wants to play with her and that's how he plays. It's the nature of brothers, I guess. Like yesterday evening as we were having "Olympic races" in our front yard (more like little boys running helter-skelter across the yard and coming to a dead stop at the sidewalk!) and he tackled his sister, who was standing still, and they rolled over and over each other in the grass. She wasn't impressed. It makes me remember how frustrated and exasperated I would get at my own brother growing up...and yet, there is no one who could (and still can) make me laugh harder! I am so grateful that Phoebe and Eli will have that.

Happy Birthday to Sarah! We are so thankful that Ben married her because she's our "missing link!" I hope your day is wonderful and awesome and amazing and happy. God sent us a gift in you. Happy Birthday!

Yeah For Brad!

There are two reasons this week why Brad is a great husband: Las Vegas and cucumbers.

Let me explain.

I went to Las Vegas this weekend with some girlfriends. Brad stayed home and kept the house clean, made sure Phoebe was wearing a bow at most times, took Eli to the driving range, and made the bed. I walked, shopped, and ate the entire weekend. I don't have any pictures yet because I didn't take many on my camera and the ones I do have aren't that great. Maybe one of the other gals will send me better ones. :)

While I was in Vegas, my friend, Dixie, gave us some cucumbers. She's been working on her garden all summer and she keeps telling me about all the wonderful zucchini, squash, tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos she's growing, but all I'm getting is cucumbers. Not that I'm complaining. Homegrown veggies are homegrown veggies, but seriously, ten giant cucumbers? There was only one thing to do: make refrigerator pickles. Mostly, you're making pickles without all the canning involved. It's perfect because I have no idea how to can...I'd like to learn, but that's another post for another time. So to make refrigerator pickles, you have to peel and slice all the cucumbers to soak in a sugar/vinegar mixture overnight. I dutifully peeled all the cucumbers into the sink and turned on the garbage disposal. Did you know that cucumber peelings will not go down the garbage disposal? Neither did I. Brad had to come in and scrape all the little cucumber giblets out of the disposal (the blade did chop them up into inconvenient, tiny, slimy pieces for us). The disposal is up and running again (thank heavens) and it just goes to show that Brad is a really great guy!

I'll be sure to let you know how the pickles turn out!

**So many of you have been wondering about my latest scans. We haven't heard from the doctors in Boston and Dallas, yet (it's time to start being a squeaky wheel!), but my GI doctor here said they look good. That's all we've got for now, but I'll be sure to keep you updated.

One Of Those Weeks

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it seems like you're busy from sun up till sun down and it still feels like you've gotten nothing done? That's what it's been like around here this week. It's due, in part, to Phoebe running fever since Sunday night. It's gotten higher and higher everyday so this morning I took her the doctor. $25 to tell me it was just a virus and she'll be over it in a day or less. Thanks so much. She's been extra clingy and grouchy the last few days and it's very hard to get anything done while holding a 22lb. 17-month-old. My mom's been here so that's helped. She's been the one teaching Eli how to ride his bike without training wheels. Yeah for Nena!

Our house is officially on the market as of yesterday evening. So far, no one has called...which is probably a good thing since I haven't actually finished unpacking from our trip and today I felt the need to wash and dry four loads of laundry. I should be folding them, but I'm blogging instead! :) Luckily, I have some help here. Hee Hee.

As promised, here are some of the pictures from our trip to Canton.

Sarah and Carrie on the way to Canton. They were covered up with my picnic blanket because it was too cold (maybe the only time that day they were cold!) but I had to have the air conditioner on full blast because I was getting carsick. Maybe it had something to do with turning around backwards to take pictures.


This was before we got all hot and sweaty. It was in the parking lot.


This was after we got all hot and sweaty. Sarah told us we could take the picture as long as we didn't touch her. I'm still not sure if she's recovered.


This is my very shabby trunk and old window. The picture was actually taken on Sunday as we were loading the car to drive home.


This picture has absolutely nothing to do with Canton. On Monday night, Brad wanted paninis for dinner...but we don't have a panini press.

Seriously, who needs a panini press?

And, if you're wondering, my paninis had pesto, deli chicken, provolone cheese, roasted red pepper, and arugula on them. They were delish!

Why I Was Late For My Hair Appointment

Be sure to watch it all the way to the end.

As Nena was patching his skinned-up knee, he said, "I want to go out and practice some more when I stop crying." That's my boy!

Canton: Great Deals, Hot Times

The "Jolly Girls" went to Canton yesterday. (Although my last name may be McCall, they still let me call myself a Jolly Girl). I took some great pictures, but I'm not sure how to download them on my parents computer so I'll have to wait until I get home to post those. We left the children with my dad at home because this was a "serious" Canton trip (read: no children and no complaining boys).

I really like to go to Canton First Monday Trade Days. It just might be the biggest flea market in North America. You can find absolutely anything you are looking for! From golf clubs to jalepeno popper cookers to old fans to funky jewelry and everything in between. The deals there on the "junk" (my personal favorite part of Canton) are great. Here is what I scored yesterday:
* a blue, "shabby chic" wood trunk-I think it's my favorite find! I'll post pictures of it later.
* a Blueridge bowl and platter for $5 each
* a pendant with my initial
* an old window for $5
* a dress for Phoebe with a sparkly cupcake on the front
* a pirate puzzle for Eli that has a motorized pirate ship to "float" around the puzzle

Here is what I thought about buying (but didn't):
* a red and white, wooden "office" arrow sign. I'm looking for some old wooden signs for my house, but this just wasn't the right one
* a initial pendant made out of a Yahtzee piece (I'm a little sad today I didn't buy it)
* a child's red rocking chair
* a picture frame made out of old ceiling tiles

Most of the pieces were left behind because of space issues or the fact that it was extremely hot and it was too much to think about while I willed my blood to literally not boil. I do not recommend first-time Canton goers to go in August. I thought my sweet sister-in-law from Minnesota was going to expire in the heat and humidity. My own southern sister implored me not to buy anything else we had to carry to the car. Our saving grace was the new, clean, air-conditioned bathrooms in that we made two trips to from across the park. They might be out of the way, but soooo worth it!

Every time I leave, I'm always thinking about the next time I can go. Hmmm, probably not until January (probably the other worst month to go)!

Quote of the Week

"I love people. I love my family,my children- but inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that's where you renew your springs that never dry up." Pearl S. Buck

It would have been amazing not just to recognize the words that give voice to my soul, but to actually speak them. That is the mark of a true poet.

Mommy Confessions

I had peach cobbler for breakfast...and I'm not even going to justify it.

I haven't spent any time working on my house. Well, except for buying all the appliances for the new house yesterday at Sears. I think it might have been the most money Brad and I have ever spent in a day not including house or car purchases.

My plans for today include a stop at Starbucks and a pedicure.

I have felt extremely guilty for enjoying the time away from my babies. We've left the children before with both sets of grandparents, but usually we were going somewhere on vacation. I haven't spent that much time at my house without my children in the last five years...and I've discovered I really, really like it! I haven't even missed them that much. I'm pretty sure that makes me a "really bad mom."

I'll see them tomorrow and it will be a glorious reunion. In the meantime, I've got to stop blogging so I can fit in all the other things I had planned to do while my children were away!

A Full Weekend

I feel very satisfied this Sunday evening.

On Friday, my sister flew into town to pick up my children and fly with them back to Dallas for the week to visit my parents. Eli was so excited to see his Aunt Carrie and had planned all the games they were going to play when she got here. Thank you Aunt Carrie for playing multiple rounds of Hungry, Hungry Hippo! The three of them flew out early Saturday morning and I'm already missing my sweet Phoebe hugs and my crazy conversations with Eli. (On Saturday morning, I was getting ready for my garage sale and Carrie was getting the children ready to go. Eli looked out the window and exclaimed in a very frantic voice, "They are selling all my stuff!" We weren't...only his little baby toys he hasn't played with in four years.)

My friend from college, Jenny, came into town to help me out and just have a little "girl time." She was my first real friend at college and it was fabulous to spend the weekend with her. She came to talk and help and just to be my friend. I think she is one of the most compassionate and positive people I have ever known and I just soaked up that time with her. I loved going to the grocery store with her (twice!), having deep conversations while sitting in the shade of the garage during my garage sale, lots and lots of Sonic Diet Cokes, and just talking and talking and talking.

I had a garage sale. We gave up when it got too hot and we found ourselves scooting farther and farther into the garage, but I did make $141.20. We sold alot of junk and then we hauled the rest off to Goodwill. Not too shabby for a morning's work.

We cleaned out the playroom. I waited until my children were gone so Eli could not proclaim that every broken toy from McDonald's was his favorite. I even made the executive decisions about which (few) toys they would play with until we move. The rest were boxed up and sent to storage, but it will be like Christmas when we finally move!

I cried through yet another sermon on prayer. At least this time Jenny was crying with me so I certainly felt better about myself.

Tonight I will sleep the rest of someone who has worked really, really hard. There are still things to be done to our house, but my part of the to-do list is getting shorter and shorter. We still have to finish cleaning out the garage, but we'll finish that this week. Brad still has some things on his part of the list (I will not be scraping and repainting the trim!)and most of that involves small maintenance repairs. There is still packing and moving left to do, but it doesn't have to be done before we put the house on the market.

Brad mentioned in passing yesterday that he thought maybe we should wait a few more weeks to put the house on the market because he was worried it was going to sell too fast. I almost strangled him!

My Fearless Phoebe

We went to the pool on Tuesday afternoon after replacing the knobs in my kitchen and bathroom and taking down all the family pictures off the walls and refrigerator and cleaning out Phoebe's closet. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Liz! I could not have done it without this very driven lady. It was two days worth of projects done in one morning.

This is what Phoebe did while we were cleaning out the closet.



She played with markers for the very first time! Notice the marker on her face. :)

This is how Phoebe celebrated the day's accomplishments.



I think she might have run through this water a couple dozen times. I can't imagine what it did to her sinuses!



This baby is fearless!