A Camping We Will Go, A Camping We Will Go...

Well, we decided at the last minute to take a end of the year camping trip with the kids this weekend and we all had a lot of fun despite the fact that it rained everyday. We didn't go far from home. Allentown has a little KOA site that's very kid friendly with lots of local attractions for the munchkins. Our kids loved dreary weather camping. It's the best type of camping because it's a lisence to get muddy, dirty and soaking wet.


They splashed each other in the puddles.

They went fishing (in those same puddles)

They went creek stomping.

And one evening the campsite offered a hayride for the kids.

About a 40 minute drive from our campsite was the Crayola Factory and this place was amazing. Me kids love arts and crafts and this was a factory devoted to all of that.

They had sidewalks to draw on.

Buildings to construct.

And lots and lots of crafts!

Then on the way home we hit the Roadside America Miniture Village. It's a huge train set with replicas of old buildings and landmarks right here in PA. Trey was in total amazement.


I love spending time with my family and it makes all the soggy weather worth it when you see them happy and smiling.

A Lasting Moment

Lately I've been finding that Trey and Bre have formed a closer bond then they did when they were little. I remember months ago dealing with sibling rivalry and feeling like a refuree all day long. But recently I've been finding the two of them playing together (especially laying on the floor and coloring together while talking about trains or princesses), telling stories together and having adorable reunions of hugs and kisses when they've been seperated for several hours. I've even found that they will sneek into the other siblings bed at night if they are scared and need a secure place to rest. It brings tears to my eyes as a mom and I pray that the friendship they share now will only grow stronger and more caring as they reach those pre teen and teen years.

Clifford

Today Clifford came!!! My kids really enjoy reading all the Clifford books and watching the morning cartoon show. They also LOVE the library. It's normal to find me walking to the car with 10-12 books once or twice a week with my kids. They love to read. So when Clifford the Big Red Dog came to the library it was the makings of a great day for Trey and Bre. They talked non-stop about it on the ride there.

Trey was a little cautious about getting too close to this dog because it just didn't seem quite "right" in his mind. He kept asking questions like, 'why can't you bark?', 'do you have teeth?', 'why aren't you talking like Clifford cartoon does?'

Bre on the other hand couldn't hug Clifford enough and when he left the building she just cried and wanted to know where his dog house is because we should move it onto the farm so he has a nice place to live.

A New Day

Tuesday was Trey's first day of preschool and he was extremelly excited to get there although he still thought the school bus was coming to pick him up just like his big cousin Brady gets picked up. It took a lot of explaining when we loaded up the Subaru and headed to school but he finally caved and realized if he enjoys preschool then next year the bus will pick him up for big, big boy school at Paradise Elementary.


Anyway, Breanne is going to 2yr. old story hour (which we are calling little girl school) so she dug out her backpack to be just like her big brother.



Suprisingly, I wasn't very emotional when we got to school however, when the teacher reached out to take Trey's hand and led him to the toy area with oodles of children that Trey did not know I got a very dazed, deer in the headlights look and just stood there for a few minutes thinking, 'this is it....the beginnning of a new journey'
I'm praying it's a good and enjoyable one.

thinking of you

I want to lift up Jared and Mindi Bruckhart today as they are experiencing sorrow in the death of Jared's father due to a motorcycle accident.
A few of us girls were with Mindi when she got the call and it hit me again how just one minute, one split second can change our lives forever. I pray that God's hand will close around the Bruckhart family and give them comfort during a time of pain and uneasiness.
We love you and our hearts go out to all of you!