Gabe Is 6!

This weekend was Gabe's sixth birthday. I can hardly believe that my first baby is six! In so many ways he is such a little adult, but then again, he's been that way since he was little!
I am so proud of my son. He really is a good kid, with a very sensitive heart. He hates to disappoint us, and revels in our affection. He is so stinkin' smart it's challenging at times. His personality is very strong. There are several times throughout my weeks, that he completely exasperates me, and I know he feels the same about me! But I love my little man. When I look at him, I see so much for his future. I know that parents are supposed to tell their children that they can be anything they want to when they grow up, if they put their minds to it, but with Gabe, I really do believe that he will go far in life. He was created to do big things for God, and I pray that his heart will always stay sensitive towards Him. I could go on and on about him, but I will spare you.
So, for his birthday, he asked to go camping. It has become our new weekend pastime. This was our third trip out since we bought the trailer, and this was by far out best trip. We went to this great campground where we got the choice camping spot right close to the pond. The kids had a lot of fun riding their bikes and climbing the tree. They were totally fascinated with how high they could climb in it! Monkeys!
The pond was really great. It was probably 50 feet wide and maybe 1/4 mile long. Anyway they stock it with some sizable trout, and all together we caught 6 of them. I have become completely addicted to fishing! It is so much fun! Clint caught some very beautiful fish, I on the other hand managed to catch two ugliest trout in the pond! They were absolutely heinous! Here's hoping they don't taste that way!
Funny story, there were lots of people fishing this pond. Some people put their fish on a stringer back in the water, and some were just throwing them in buckets. Well, while we were fishing, we were letting the kids and dogs run around playing and stuff, when all of the sudden we heard this guy yell "Hey"! We turned around and to our horror, our dog Bear (appropriately named) had stolen this 6 lb. trout from this guys bucket and was running off with it!!!!! SOOOO embarrassing!
Anywho we had a blast. Here are some picture of the kids in the tree, and the fish, and the dogs, and the campfire. Needless to say the family is getting real tired of moms obsession with the camera! I didn't take any of Gabe opening his presents and blowing out the candles, I was manning the video camera instead. I will try to get some of those videos posted on out other account. If your interested in having access to those, send me an email and I will shoot you the link. We keep all that stuff private.
Enjoy!

Campin'

Clint and I have been wanting to get a camping trailer for a long time. We set some money aside for one and waited for the right deal to come along. We kept praying that God would bring the right one across our path, and we shopped and waited and looked and waited, and then we found this amazing trailer! God answered our prayer abundantly above all that we asked for! We got the most amazing deal!
So anyway, we took it out a couple of weekends ago, and the kids loved it! We will most likely be camping as much as possible this summer. It is such an inexpensive way to enjoy some family time. Watching the kids play together and really enjoy themselves was so much fun.
We even tried to do some fishing. Didn't catch anything, but it was just nice to get out and try roughin' it! (let me tell you it was rough!) ;)
So here's to a great summer ahead!

Counting My Blessings

I'm not even going to begin to appologize for the length of time that has lapsed since my last post. I'm busy. Get over it.
So we made an attempt as a family to drive out to Seattle to see family for a great vacation. And guess what. We all got the flu. AGAIN! We have pretty much decided that our country-fied, redneck, systems can't handle the city. So for now, unltil we come up with a remedy, if you want to see us, you know where we live.
Since it made for such a lousy vacation, we all came home kinda cranky. Me in particular. I was soooooooo looking forward to all the family fun I would have with my family and niecies and nephew. I really felt like the trip was a total wash. But then my wonderful sister sent me some of the pictures she took, (b/c I never once took my camera out) and when I looked at them I felt sooooo blessed. My children and their cousins make me smile. They really make my heart feel like it's gonna explode! I just love them so much.
So I made a little slide show with pictures of my kids, and niecies and nephew and my man. They are NOT portraits! Just my kids being kids. Infact, they even have dirty faces in most of them. But this is my life, and all my blessings. I am one blessed woman! Thank You God!
Enjoy.

Make photo slide shows at onetruemedia.com

"I'm TWO"

On Sunday, February 11th, our baby girl turned 2! I can hardly believe that she is two already! Of course in some ways she seems so much older than that. She talks sooo much and and is just so BIG. She has been off of the binkie for 6 months at least, and has been in a big girl bed for almost as long. We flew out of the high chair because she wanted to be with her siblings right up to the table, so she could feed herself. Whatever they are doing, she is attempting to do. All with the exception of the potty. She is more than willing to sit on the silly thing all day long, but as far as put what belongs in there in it, no success yet. But I am hopeful that it will come soon.

She is such a great little girl. She makes me smile all the time. Not to say that she doesn't drive me nuts some days, she certainly is a bossy little stinker, but she melts my heart. She is just sooooooooo beautiful, and she laughs with her whole little self. You just can't help but laugh with her.

For her candles this year I used ones that looked like crayons. After she blew one of them out she looked surprised and says, "Uh-oh, I turn off the crayon!"

It's quirky things like these that remind me to try my best to hang on to every day. God knows they go by so fast.

Here's a few pictures of her and her daddy just being themselves! He loves to make her laugh. And I love him for being such a great daddy.

Well there you have it, our beautiful two year old.