Giving Thanks

It comes as no surprise I am sure that this is on being thankful. This time of year how could it not.I am usually really good at this. Being thankful that is. My husband and kids are amazing . I know I have alot to praise God for. But sometimes life gets in the way So read on about my week of gratitude.
Well the kids and I made a tree in our kitchen and they each wrote on the leaves what they were thankful for. It was a fun way to get them to really think about all God has given us and how all things come from Him. We also looked up a bunch of verses about giving thanks to God. But all to often giving thanks always is overlooked. This has been a hard year for us , between job instability and craziness with the kids there have been some stressful times. But time and again God has provided. He has used different angels at different times, but his provision was there none the less. And it is an understatement to say how grateful I am. But sometimes I falter........ The other day I was not showing gratitude it was actually well , attitude and not in a good way. I was stressed about Christmas and how we were going to make it all come together. The tree, presents for the kids, Christmas cards,....... the list just keeps getting longer. But I should have known my God was bigger than all that. He let me have my stupid pity party then proceeded to answer my worries ( because I did not actually give those requests over to him ) and in one week God showered me with grace.
First I got 100 free Christmas cards. Yes Free I did not even have to pay for shipping or buy anything else. 100 is exactly the number of cards I normally buy. Next was the tree. I just could not justify spending money we do not have on a tree. I was thinking maybe we could make and decorate a big paper tree . My sister called and said they were getting a new artificial tree and wanted to know if we wanted there old one. YES! Next Scott's mom dropped by with stamps. I know it just keeps getting better, she thought it would help. I almost cried. But wait there is still more. My neighbor was cleaning out her girls room and wanted to know if the girls liked American Girl dolls. Her daughters have outgrown them, and have 2 doll beds , not just 1 but 2 and a bunch of doll clothes. These were actual things on my girls Christmas list. Now they are hidden in the rafters waiting for Christmas. I am sure my neighbor was a bit surprised as I choked back tears and asked if she was sure they wanted to give them to us. With a big smile she assured me they did. And you know what God sent us 2 other angels this week that know exactly how they helped and at just exactly the right moment. I am so blessed, and awed by my God. In the midst of my pity party He did all of this. I know these are all lame and materialistic just wants not NEEDS. That is one reason I feel so touched. There is no way these things happened without God. To prove it he hit me with exacts. I never doubted I just thought they were to small and lame for God. Well I can tell you my attitude is better! Thank you so much to all who touched my heart this week ! God used you this week and I am soooooo Thankful !
The other night as I tucked Jake in I asked him what he was thankful for ? He looked up at me with those big brown eyes and said " me thankful for you mom " AGGGHHH he melts my heart.

The Fair

Almost every year we make are way down to the Orange County Fair. This year my niece Shayna's dance team preformed. So stinkin cute ! The only bad thing was it was over 100 degrees that day and she went on right in the middle of the day. Being the good Aunty and Uncle that we are , we had front row seats. It was a great day with the cousins. Thanks Cleo for the tickets and great parking place ! Shayna during her dance. Seriously is she not the cutest thing !

Travis and Cate won this for Tay . She was so excited and still sleeps with slush every night.

We waited in line forever for these boats. Thankfully the kids loved it !

Jake

Shayna

How sweet is this ? Sammy and Jake !

Luke and Tay

Sammy

Taylor

Jake said he wanted to go and climbed all the way to the top. He looked down the slide and turned and walked all the way down again. There was no convincing him to go . Oh well maybe next year !

Cate and Elise the third musketeers is Tyler but he would not play for the camera

Our favorite part petting all the animals

Hume Lake Hume

Hume Lake is one of my very favorite places. I have been going there since I was 2. My parents,Grandparents,Aunt and Uncle built it from the ground up . For those of you who have never heard of it it is a Christian camp ground in the Sequoia's. All around it there are private cabins. God has used this place to touch many lives. We try and go up every summer at least once. This year we went while Caitlen was at camp. It is always fun to watch all the crazy games they play and see God at work in there lives. Here is a glimpse of our little adventure. Part of the Lake

This is a huge mud pit. One of many dirty ,crazy games the kids played.Sam of course thought this was great and begged Cate to let her go in.

Sam ,Jake and little flopsy. Yes that is a bunny on a leash!

Sammy girl and little Flopsy. We could not leave our little bunny at home. So Sam would take her for walks during game time.

Taylor had a few turns too. She was afraid the bunny would escape so she let Sam have most of the turns.

Swimming in the Lake. Very brave its a little cold !

Jake refused to swim in the pool. But loved the lake. Weird kid !

Everyday the girls would search for tadpoles. They found a bunch which we had to bring back to the cabin. Thankfully they did not spill in the car. This would be something that would typically happen to me.

The BLOB....... Taylor is normally my reserved child. She does not like to try scary new things. But this year she said she was ready to go on the blob and Noah's nightmare. So up she went to the top and much to my surprise she jumped right off ! I was so proud of her ! Way to go little one ! She did not let the next person blob her she slid off and swam to shore. The kid in line behind her was huge it was a good call.

OK so this is Noah's nightmare. It is a ring you swing out on and then in the MIDDLE of the lake you let go. We went over how this is done and she was ready to go. Well she swung out and I yelled LET GO ! But Tay decided it might be cold and she did not want to swim that far. So she dropped right next to shore. I mean she was so close I don't even think it took 1 stroke to make it to shore. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Here is my little girl and there is nothing I can do but watch what I am sure is going to be her death at worst and a broken neck at best. The lifeguard was up on his feet and almost jumped in too. I was not the only one with a heart beating on over drive. Thankfully she was fine and calmly explained she did not want to swim that far. Got to love her ! Oh and this is the only picture because of the drama in my head.

A sea of crazy High School kids. How fun does this look. It was spirit day so they are all dressed up.

Caitlens team they took first place this year ! Way to go guys!

The fearless leaders! These are 2 of my sweet friends who answered the call to lead this wild pack of girls. They are women who love God and I admire them greatly ! Thanks girlies for being willing to leave your families for a week and council our kids. You do a great job !

The girls from Grace ! Yes this is after the mud games I was talking about. Love it !

Caitlen and Ellen. They have known each other since birth. I love these girlies !

Ok so let me explain......There is a game at Hume that has been played well forever. It was my favorite and I am proud to say my daughter loves it as well. It is called Kajabe can can . Now this will bring back found memories for some. The deal is you each hold on to a small rope and make a circle around a trash can. Then you try and force your opponent into the can. Usually there are about 12 girls to start. Cate will not like the picture above but she fought the good fight and was the last one in. Good job baby !

Not out !Good save babe

Mud Run Baby

It all started with a call from my girlfriend Christina....... She had 2 extra tickets to the mud run and I had thought this looked like a lot of fun. I know I am crazy but well you know ! Anyway we had no extra money for the race so when che called I really was excited. So off we went. At the last minute Christina and I decided we should run with the girls. Good thing because it was caos. The course was not well marked and a lot of kids got lost for a while. Taylor is very competitive so as soon as they said go she was off. We met up with her at a double back point and Sam just turned around and finished the race with Tay. So Fun ! After the race we found a spicket on a hill and sprayed the kids off. They were gross. Thanks Chris for sharing in the crazy fun and scoring us the tickets . This is an event we will not soon forget ! I love this picture. Seriously look at her scale this wall !

The mud was so thick it ate Sammy's shoes ! It took a while to dig them out. They were so caked in mud she ran the rest of the race in her sockies. I am not sure Sam could have gotten them out by herself. Just one more reason I was glad I ran with her.

At one point in the crazyness we met up with Tay. So Sam turned around and ran with her. The look on Taylor's face is my favorite. She is having a great time !

Sammy,Brooke,Mariah,Taylor and Miranda
Some of the kids after the race. I love that my kids are athletic and love this kind of stuff. It makes my heart smile !

Sammy's Dance Recital

It has been a while since I posted so this will be a catch-up for a bit. This summer Sam had her first dance recital. She had so much fun. The pictures are not very good because we were not alloweded to use the flash. Still you can tell by the look on her face she had a great time . Way to go Sammy girl !

Caitlens Graduation

Ok so I know its been a while now but we have been busy ! So sit back relax and enjoy the update.
What a fun and exciting day Cates graduation was. There was no stress over whether she would or would not graduate. In fact she did very well ! I just can't believe my baby is done with High School. NO more Volleyball or Water Polo games or swim meets. Wow that went fast. I am so proud of her. Caitlen will be heading to Cal Poly Pomona to start her next adventure. The plan is to commute , and major in business. Proud Mom and Dad with our graduation girl

This is a huge swarm of bees that flew over us during the ceremony. There are thousands of them and we were all stuck in the stands. Made it a little more exciting as the called the 600+ graduates. Oh we also had a streaker . Crazy kids !

That's my girl !

She was not thrilled with the gold gown . But I thought she looked great !

Her cute new dress to hide under the gown.

Yeah we are done !!! Nothing like the excitement of a job well done and complete.

Daddy's girl !

What a journey this was. Not that its done .... I got choked up as they played the graduation song , then pulled it together. But on the way home with just Scotty and I in the car I started to cry . He thought I was kidding but , no I was really crying. It's just I started this mom thing at such a young age and have always felt like people were waiting for me to fail. This felt like one more step to proving we could do it and do it well. I know its been 18 years and 3 more kids later and who really cares. Well I guess I did ,I just didn't realize it until that moment. So I was surprised at how much this hit me. My girl did it she graduated and got in to a great school. God is faithful ! He brought us through this journey. It has been a long one filled with some (ok many ) mistakes . Yet God has been there picking up the pieces when I fail Him, He never fails me. How comforting to know that we have such an amazing God filled with grace and mercy for us. So I will continue to trust in the Lord as the journey continues. Please continue to pray for us as we take on this next step of life.

Grandma Cleo and Grandpa Mel (Scott's parents )

Grandma Melodie and Grandpa Steve (My parents )