August 2018!

Trail West continued....

Our Jeep ride!! We had been so looking forward to it, and it did not disappoint! Christie & I just happened to be twins, down to our pull overs and black chacos!

Our jeep tour was amazing- fantastic views & glorious weather. The younger two boys rode with us & the older two rode with the college leaders leading the caravan. We drove out to Saint Elmo's where you can hand feed chipmunks, and ironically I came to the same spot about the same age as my kids! How fun to have that memory in common.

Here is me in my 80s sweatshirt outfit & my mom in her 80s black jeans!

Our next big activity was the camp hike, and the boys did great! Here we are at the top!

That night we had parents' night out together! We got to go to dinner without our kids & get to know each other better. After the stress of eating in a high intensity environment wore off, we were able to settle in and enjoy ourselves. But not having to serve our kids dinner (even one we didn't make) is always a treat! 

Me & my sweet bestie. Traveling with you is so much fun, you make me want to plan all my trips including you & your precious family!! Love ya friend.

Rangler breakfast came next for us, and James was the only one old enough to ride the horses. Daddy volunteered to take him on that ride, and I brought the younger three with me on the truck ride to meet them. What an absolutely breathtaking sunrise! And it was fun to catch flying French toast as a special treat. The boys really loved that part best.

Family day at Frontier Ranch!! Matt got to do the big swing with Mike & Chris. The boys got to do the big water slide (which they turned the speed down on, thankfully! It was really fast!) and they could not get enough. They went over&over. They only stopped for milkshakes and the bus leaving for Trial West. It was really great to get to spend time there too!

Square dance night at Trail West!! We loved getting dress up for this occasion, and I could just squeeze those boys up tight! They looked absolutely adorable as cowboys. They didn't like dancing with their momma, so the square dance for me was pretty disappointing. I remember sitting out and giving up while the boys went around in the circle, and I lost sight of them. It was my least favorite night of the week, but I don't think anyone else felt that way. A week that full of activity catches up to you at one point or another, and I had my hopes for the dance disappointed. The boys loved the carnival though- and they really enjoyed choosing daddy to pie in the face. All except for David, who chose mommy! So glad their daddy is such a great sport.

Our last activity was the ropes course! David wasn't supposed to be old enough, but I think because of his size someone thought he could go. So we took him & got all suited up, only for someone else to say he was too young. Which is all honesty, was a good decision. It was hard for him because he was disappointed, and Matt didn't get to go because he stayed back with David and watched us. Calvin got to do this activity, and he really loved the zipline best!

We turned in our family sundae coupon & enjoyed this snack with a view after our ropes course. But David fell asleep, so we enjoyed the view of him too.

Trail West, we had an absolute blast! We loved the excitement & all the activity. We loved the surprises & the beautiful setting. It was hard to take 4 kids 8 & under to Colorado for a week of camp, but it was worth going. I would do it again for sure!

We got home just in time for school to start back & I found a piano for sale at a neighbor's garage sale. I couldn't help but snap this picture of my boys in their undies sitting all together, haha!

Calvin started kindergarten & was nervous, but was brave! He had a hard time saying goodbye in the morning for most of the year. He would say he wanted to stay with me, he would cry, but he would get in the door of the class and forget all about it! It was the strangest thing; I felt so bad for his nerves, but thankful that he wasn't having trouble during the school day. Only before it began! Bless his sweet heart.

The difference a year can make.

Calvin and Mrs. Bowie!

Hayden started 2nd grade and had Mrs. Gullett (who also had James!). Every year I wonder if he is really ready, but he always is. Hayden's before & after is backwards, but its first day of 1st grade and 1st day of second. Wow!

I was too slow getting to James' class on his first day. His teacher was very punctual, and no parents were still hanging around after the first bell. This is the problem with having a few kids in school together! I took a picture through the window & cried about it on the way home. James' first day picture with his teacher was really from day 2, and I wasn't tardy in asking. That was mostly what 3rd grade was like for me: challenging my concept of what school would be like. But James was awesome; he has a personality that is less swayed by circumstance than his momma!

David couldn't wait to have his first day of school too! I still laugh about how he would steal the boys' backpacks and wear them around the house for fun. They would get to mad! haha, especially Calvin. We bought him his own for Christmas, because I knew he would love it. And he totally did. There is no stopping this kid!

The first football game we attended for OPHS!! Being volunteer Young Life leaders is an incredible joy, but contact work is almost always hard to do. It makes you get outside your comfort zone to go where kids are in order to become a familiar face. The perseverance is paying off over time, slowly, because I'm not a super big personality. But every time I walk away from the school or a game, I always feel spent in the best possible way. It is so worth it.

Despite what it looks like, they dressed alike on purpose, shorts even match! I was surprised at this age that they would enjoy matching, not often, but I agree: it is cool to look just like your brother. ;-)

Matt & I were able to go on the YL volunteer training weekend together this Fall, and it was a blast! We were able to bond with the Fleming Island team, which was great because our club joined with theirs for the year. We lost most of our leaders for Orange Park and our meeting place, so we decided to try a rebuilding. year and share the work of putting on club with our closest schools. It was a great year to watch & learn, and I wouldn't trade it!

And then you have normal life: all four piled on the couch to play iPad, and the introduction of a new spin mop making all the boys want to help clean the kitchen floor. I'll take the help when it is offered!

My sweet momma&dad & my dear Hannah, arms full of babies!! How unbelievable cute they all are.

Lord, thank you for one of the most fun family trips we've ever taken. Thank you for our third born starting his journey in school, and how brave he was even when he was nervous. Thank you for how different these experiences are for each child, despite how I continue to expect them to be the same. Thank you for how to knit us together as a family, and how you knit us to our friends. Thank you for Young Life and the opportunity to be a light for you in this world Lord; you always show up when we step out in faith!! Thank you for my dear husband & my 4 wild sons. You have given me more than I deserve! Give me what I need to do this good work you have given to me as a mother. Thank you Lord, amen.