Thursday with sis!!

It was a full and very busy day.  Poor Chris....when it's a run all day kind of day and I see him saunter to the shower in the morning, and come in late from mushroom picking, only to have to heat his meal up....I'm really fine, just tired, but I'm mad.  But it really was a good day with time well spent.  I worked this morning....and then I pulled the boys for the afternoon so they could spend time with family.   They all had a good afternoon:

Had a sweet talk with the folks at dinner....always nice to see their face.   Got to love Skype.....I miss them.  

After dinner, Her kids went down, we finished cleaning the kitchen for the 5th time that day....it was time for a mojito.  The cow cafe was shutting down and when I called to see how late they would stay open - they agreed to wait for Carrie and I to arrive!  Got to love small towns.   

Turns out I brought my purse but left my wallet.   Good thing Rachel was there too with an auxano student!!!  

I loved this spontaneous cousin time!

So sweet to watch Isaac crawl up beside Ellie as she was sitting on the couch with his book, asking if she'd like him to read to her.  So he did.  

Waffle Wednesday.....

Here is a bit of an "aftershot" as the kids had already eaten and run off to play.....it left the adults to sit around to just chat.  Not sure why we weren't around the table at this point, but Chris had just gotten back from being in the bush all day...and he picked 8 lbs shy of 100 pounds!!!!   I made an amazing tortilla soup that most of my friends and even my sister!! went back for a second bowl!!!

I love having my sister here.....here she is reading to the gang.....its been a good day, this woman works so hard with her kids...she is such a good mom.  So great spending some real life time with her and the kids.....

This is what 100 pounds of mushrooms looks like!!!!

Well.... 92 pounds.   Amazing man of mine!!!

Yanin....

Yanin changed her facebook profile picture today to this.....kindof made my day.

Best shot of the weekend: Bella and Derek

Derek and Bella Martin.......she sure seems to like him!!

Waffles by Isaac....

Before I got out of bed this morning, little Addie came to say goodbye.  It's been so wonderful having Trish here with her sweet little miracle baby.  But Trish started feeling sick yesturday so they decided to leave early today.....it was a really nice way to wake up.

So,  I am in the middle of a 7 day library book, so I am making the boys do all the work today.  Isaac wanted waffles, and I wasn't going to get up, but I agreed to make the batter if he did the rest.   Here he is waiting for the orange light to go:

He did a great job.  I love Sundays.  

Carnival Night 2013

Trish, Mel and I spent some time up at the house together with their beautiful baby girls before the carnival.  Addison (Trish's baby), won me over this weekend.....it was so nice to spend some time with this little gal who we have been walking beside her mom through trauma after trauma, praying and crying with Trish through the last few years of heartbreak.....but that heartbreak has turned to joy now that she is here.  I was walking around the camp for a few hours with Addie saturday morning, and Trish came hunting me down saying 'my arms feel empty and I need my baby back'.....;-)  I am so glad that mel lives close, and that I will get to know Quinn and see her grow up .... I won't see this girl until probably next summer when she turns a year old.

Carnival Night!!  The iphone doesn't do the evening picture justice, but 150 kids plus staff - had a fantastic time in a space that chris has created pretty much single-handedly the last few months!!  As you can tell, the whole gym is full of christmas lights, and it was "christmas carnival" {mainly because Rona was going out of business and christmas lights were 75% off!!! ;-)}.....

He walked around with a microphone all evening, broadcasting the different areas where kids to play: smores out at the bonfire pit, plasma car racing, cotton candy and popcorn, carnival games, interior atom ball and nine square in the air (huge hits! lineups of kids wanting to play!!--even Isaac got to the top of the chain into the King spot of nine square!!)...there was the cardboard maze that was a huge hit as well as a wood structure with cotton batting on top as a gingerbread house where the kids could decorate gingerbread men!  It was a huge hit!  Except half way through the night, Jon Lampard comes up to me and says "Elliot is alone in the gingerbread house, and shoving, as quickly as he can, all the marshmallows and m&m's into his mouth"

This is always my favorite spot of carnival night.  This also makes me super easy to find.

Nice to spend time with these girls.....

Rachel came up at dinner tonight.....we had a bit of a hashing out near the fire when she arrived.  I have missed her this past year, and wanted to let her know that.  She caught me up to where she's at now, and I am hopeful that she is yielding onto a better road for her life.  I really do love this girl.

I wondered where my boys were, and I walked outside to see the tractor pulling the huge wagon and saw them both amidst all the teenagers!!  It was pretty funny to see them among all the big kids, holding their own!  I love that Derek and Daniel photobombed.....those 2 guys have been an important part of camp and have helped chris immensely the past few years....

POST-CARNIVAL HIGH......

Baptisms at teen retreat....

You can see Elliot overseeing these lake baptisms in the far lifeguard chair. 

Teen retreat! Record number of campers!!

What used to be a weekend of perhaps 50 kids when we first arrived here at camp, there are over 140 here now for this weekend !  It's all very exciting and chris is fully back in his element.  

The morning started out with Addie and I taking a walk so Trish could help in the kitchen.   

Then it was chapel time and here is chris explaining the game to Derek and Daniel like old days!!!

The game is Kings Quest'

Here he is explaining the game to everyone;

As the kids all prepped to play, the boys and I headed home for lunch and a rest.  

Can anyone tell me why these 5 campkids who  live here, are so bored down camp and just itch to go home.    

Some kids lives eh?

Can't believe I have a 40 year old friend and I am close behind!!

I remember my dads 40th birthday at Bruce and heathers.  It was a huge party with lots of their friends and even a band!!!  Here is Cristin on the day she turned 40!

Happy birthday Cristin!!!

9 years old.....but asleep looks 4.

So precious....

Their adventure has begun.....

In hotter news.....my parents melted today putting their boat in the water.  The adventure has begun!!!  All the dreaming and scheming and planning has all come down to this!!  Their dream boat is being put in!!!

 I am pretty excited to sit next to this guy in that front seat in a few months while we look over the Caribbean sea and go exploring together!!

Perhaps by the time we get there, he will be able to close his mouth while he is concentrating......

Work and a visit to see Nicole!!

I worked right until I had to race to grab the kids from school.  There were some very big meetings at work today, one that has been 6 months in the making, so I was happy to sit down with all these women to work through contracts that Mary helped me put all together yesturday in Nanaimo.

After work today, we heading to Crofton to see Nic and the girls.  This was an exciting picture to take because the 4 kids took off up the hill and played at the playground on their OWN!!  It was wonderful to sit with my sweet friend and talk life with no interuptions.

My boys love Amara....why wouldn't they?  She is the most adorable girl.

Once we got home, we had dinner (thank you crock pot mongolian beef, a little overcooked since it was on for like 10 hours).....and then I crashed into bed and Isaac worked beside me on his math, and huge spelling test.....

He left and put elliot to sleep and then came and crawled back in with me......Chris is working late again on the fall teen retreat prep (I will be happy when its over).....so here we are.  Its been a good week....but its nice to have the weekend here!!

I am supposed to go to work tommorow, but I have cancelled my appointments and won't be working because I am losing this battle with the cold--so I am going to take it easy, sortof.  Still going to hit the ground running tommorow to meet for coffee with a woman who puts my life to shame by the amount she works and cares for her kids.....its Cristins birthday on Saturday, so we have a coffee date tommorow morning, so i am going to head in for that.

And then Elliot is swimming in the afternoon and wants me to come so he doesn't have to wear a lifejacket.  With this cold, I am not sure if I should go....but it worries me that he is so repelled by the lifejacket and it only takes a second to go under the water....so I will probably go.  MILESTONE: {since we are on the topic of Elliot}....first time ever, he gets out of the car this morning, is about to slam the door, and looks back at me and says "Love you mom"....and skips away to school.  {...melt}

And then....150 teens descend for FALL TEEN RETREAT!!!!

Family Dinner and the super long day......

Today was a long day in Nanaimo.....there is much to do and not enough time in the day to do it - and I am firing on all cylinders while I am there.  Marg was kind enough to pick the kids up for early dismissal so I was able to stay for the full day.  It was alot of driving today and we all arrived to the Rentons for dinner just before 6.  This little guy was one of the first people to see me and say "who's sick!!!?"...if only he knew that it was me.  (its not the kind of thing you announce at family dinner though, but I was wiped--fighting this cold for almost 2 weeks now!)

Madi turned 19....JL made amazing Souvlaki....Chris picked $50 worth of mushrooms before dinner....Jordyn and I spent some sweet couch time together.....it was a really nice evening after a really long day.  

When we got home, kicked into gear for lunches, homework, and here are my boys getting additional flossing lessons.....

It's tuesday....and no crock pot dinner for us!!

It was a very rushed day at work today as there wasn't enough time in my work day.....but I was there to pick up the boys as they got out of school.  I love being there when they are finished...I love that they don't really know that mommy has a job!!!

It was alot of driving today -- can you say taxi!!?  As I drove the boys to piano, then to a playdate, then to the grocery store:  they are big helpers!!

When we finally pulled into the driveway, it was after 5, I was starving, and had been dreaming of mongolian beef that had been slow cooking all day!! with rice, veggies, yum!!  And i WATCHED chris put the beef in the crock pot, but you know what I DIDN'T do?  I didn't make sure he plugged the crock pot IN!!!  This was me after walking into home that did NOT smell like simmering dinner, with my arms loaded with groceries, totally bagged from the day......Isaac rubbed my back for awhile.

Since said husband was out picking mushrooms all afternoon and MIA when I madly was texting him angry messages to his phone, this is where we ended up doing our homework. 

 I read them french books and Isaac did his math homework.

The night turned out all right.......