On The Road Again...

We continued to head south in search of a campground and came upon the Coulee Lodge Campground. A tiny little campground that was right along the road and the water. I'm guessing that most of the people staying there were permanent residents. Nice for us, we were the noisiest bunch there. Sad for them, we were the noisiest bunch there...

It was beautiful. It was peaceful. After getting the RV situated we took a little walk, which consisted of throwing LOTS of rocks into the water. We found a little hill we could climb up and look over much of the lake. It was gorgeous!

We enjoyed a little camping meal consisting of hot dogs and chips (while longing for veggies and fruit!) and headed out to the campfire. Smores were enjoyed by all and then we put the kids down for the night...

Cory and I had great plans to celebrate. It was our 11th anniversary. We had bought some wine in the little campground store. The same kind we had toasted to on our anniversary. We planned on sitting by the campfire, enjoying a glass of wine, enjoying being together in the quiet...

But then. We put the kids down. I was exhausted. Cory was exhausted. We put the fire out and headed to bed. Nothing says a romantic anniversary like camping in an RV with 5 kids and going to bed at 9:30. Woohooo.

The next morning we enjoyed eggs and bacon cooked by the worlds greatest cook...

The kids searched for sticks...

And colored so sweetly...

Once everything was packed up, we headed for the lake while Cory finished up at the RV. It was perfect. The water was warm, there was no one else swimming when we got there, it was our own private paradise...

A rare glimpse of our 13 year old...

They searched for shells...

And posed for pictures. Unfortunately, my little cheese was NOT wanting to get her picture taken.

Until we threatened that she would not get to enjoy ANY treats the whole ride home...

Then we made silly faces...

And searched for more shells...

And headed home. After one last pose...

Love you Babe!

What In The World???

I was getting in the shower the other day and Brenton happened to be in the bathroom with me. (He is my shadow. It's not surprising. He's always there with me.) As I stripped my clothes off he took one look. Got a shocked look on his face and exclaimed,

"YOU DON'T HAVE A PENIS?!?! WHAT IN THE WORLD???"

Calming down he then said,

"Where's your penis?? What in the WORLD?? WHY don't you have a penis, Mama?"

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Last week, as Ella and I were getting in the shower, Ella asked,

"Mom, only girls can see girls naked, right?"

"Yes, babe."

"But, you and Daddy are married. So, you can see Daddy naked, right?"

"Yes, babe."

"So someday, when I get married..." Then she just giggles.

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What in the world?? What is it with my kids, showers and nakedness?? And WHY is my 4 year old talking about seeing her naked husband?? I guess I should be thankful. At least she didn't say, "So someday, when I get older..." At LEAST she's waiting until she gets married!!

10 Minutes

10 minutes. It can seem like an eternity...

When waiting in line at the grocery store...

When driving home and your little one has to pee, "we'll be home in 10 minutes"

When being told you need to wait to push. Later being told you were only waiting for 10 minutes...

When you're late to work, church, an appointment...

When you're at said appointment and sitting in the room, in a gown, waiting...

10 minutes. Really. It can take F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!!

But sometimes. 10 minutes is simply NOT enough..

When your 4 year old comes out of her room after 10 minutes, "can I wake up yet?"

When you tell your 13 year old that you need some quiet and he's back, hanging over your shoulder, 10 minutes later.

When you go to check email, blogs or whatever else might interest you and your 13 year old is back. Again. 10 minutes later.

When your 4 year old comes out AGAIN. 10 minutes later.

10 minutes. The blink of an eye. Or an eternity.

Happy Birthday Jack Jack!!

My Sweet Boy,

I cannot believe you are 6 years old today. How in the world can you be 6?

We sat and looked at your baby book this morning. We read all the words I had written... the story of your birth. Notes I had written. You loved every minute.

In so many of the pictures you were found right next to your brother. Your best friend. Snuggling. Laughing. Playing. Watching.

You are both older now. Often found fighting. Yelling. Hitting. Yet, there are still sweet moments. Reminders of those sweet days...

Caden wasn't feeling well last night. He had been playing with cattails earlier in the day and he had broken out in a rash. He needed to shower and didn't have the energy to do so by himself. I offered to help. Instead, he asked for you. His brother. He wanted you to comfort him and help take care of him. My heart swelled as I watched the two of you walk up the stairs.

Then, this morning, you started to ask if I would play Mario Cart with you. You stopped. And said, "I mean, Caden, will you play with me?"

You are such a sweetheart. You are so loving and caring. You are opinionated. You like things your way... yet, when you see someone saddened because you did get your way, you often offer up whatever it was that was being fought for.

Jackson, you are headed off to kindergarten next week. Kindergarten! Oh, how I will miss you. Miss your laugh. Miss your smile. I know you won't be gone everyday yet, but still. My days will be so different without you by my side.

You are going to LOVE school. You are so curious about life. You love to learn. You are going to have so much fun. I cannot wait to hear about your first day and everyday after.

I love you sweet boy. My peanut. My jokester. Happy Happy Birthday!

Breathtaking

After we left my brother's house, we spent the night at my parents. We so enjoyed our quick visit and hit the road early (well, early for us with 5 kids!) Saturday morning. We headed out for who knows where and decided to steer towards the Grand Coulee Dam. Neither Cory nor I had ever been there and it sounded like a good adventure. It was beautiful and we all enjoyed learning how dam's work and where the power goes.

I truly did NOT put her up to this. I just looked over and there she was...

Replica of the diving suits used by the divers while building the dam.

After leaving the dam we headed south to Dry Falls. It was breathtaking. If it were still a waterfall, it would be the worlds largest falls at 3.5 miles wide and a 400 and some odd foot drop. Crazy!

A look at Cory's sense of humor...

No. They weren't actually peeing.

From Dry Falls, we continued south in search of a campground with room for us and our home on wheels. Truly, I knew that we lived in a beautiful state. And truly, I had NO idea that it was THIS beautiful...
While driving along Banks Lake we had to scoop our jaws off the floor. Again. Breathtaking! We had to pull over just to take a longer look. Beauty for miles on end. Wonderful little campgrounds speckling the drive. After stopping by 2 in Sun Lakes we were starting to get a little worried. It was a Saturday night and we were in a big old RV and there appeared to be no room at the inn...