Luca has Another Birthday

Today is my darling Luca's birthday. She only asked for stuffies, so from her family and grandparents, that's what she got. So many stuffies that brought such joy to her heart and yet she is not satisfied and longs for more. Oh goodness, that child. After breakfast of Danishes and opening family presents she and Dude went off to watch a movie. I thought I would have a few minutes to prep for the party, but they really wanted me to watch with them. I honestly felt touched that they insisted.

So many presents

All of Luca's presents from her family (including grandparents)

Luca's cumulative stuffie collection

Thankfully, even with the down-time with my babes I still had time to get everything ready; especially because I delegated tasks to the kids and to Matthew. The party went well. The kids enjoyed their make-your-own pizzas, they enjoyed being together, and I think all of us enjoyed when it was time to send the girls home. Luca LOVES her social time, but like me, also likes her alone time.

After everyone left, we did a little bit of tidying up and then played a game as a family before Luca had to go off to her activity days pool party and then on to dinner - sushi. The kids were allowed to watch another movie in their room after bedtime, capping off a great birthday for our girl.

Happy Birthday sweet girl. I've always loved her loving heart but I'm also loving watching her find her voice to stand up for herself and others. I love that she has started coming to me with her concerns. I love that she is such a good influence to us, how brave she is to remind us to pray when we go out to eat, explain prayer to her friends, or to invite them to church activities. I love her diligence in reading her scriptures every night along with doing her homework workbook she got to complete over the course of the summer. I love her and the special relationship he has cultivated with each member of our family.

What a beautiful daughter I have.

Art Camp

 For the last two weeks the kids have been involved in an art camp run by a lovely young women I met this summer at Young Women Camp. She lives in Monmouth. One week was for 6-9 year olds and was mostly nature crafts. The second week was geared towards 10-12 year olds and was more art theory based. I signed Luca up for the first week and Dude up for the second. It was a perfect way to spend two weeks with so little else planned. Luca could not have been more in love with camp, the young women's cat, her trampoline, the forest in her back yard, or the things she brought home. She raved about it everyday.

Dude is not one to be effusive in his praise of things apart from what he deems "cool" so art camp with four girls was not going to make the list, and yet he never complained and never gave me a hard time about having to get ready to go earlier than he would have otherwise liked so I am going to give it a big thumbs up from him as well.

Here are some pictures from either of their weeks.

The Kids and I Go Camping Again

Matthew likes to backpack and hike but doesn't like to car camp. Dude likes to car camp and thinks he likes to backpack (it is yet to be tested) but doesn't like to hike. Thankfully we have a friend who LOVES to camp and has a husband who also doesn't. It means that she plans camping trips that the kids and I get invited to join since I am not great at planning ahead. The one time I did, we ended up not being able to go because my niece got married and I haven't tried again. That was multiple years ago. Oregon has some amazing options for camping but you have to really be on the ball.

I told Emily that she is under no obligation to continue inviting us to join her and her son but we will never say no to her invitations. 

My children had been looking forward to this camping trip for the several weeks leading up to it. Being away from home, going to the beach, having regular fires with marshmallows, having the excuse not to shower, hanging out with a friend, sleeping in a tent - all reasons why camping is just about the best thing to do for my children.

We got there Monday late afternoon, the day being overcast and kind of cold. Everyone else seemed to be holding up ok but I was ready to feel the sun on my face. After the chill of our Alaskan Cruise and then coming back to scorching heat, then back to the chill of the Oregon Coast, I really needed a happy medium. Thankfully the sun came out Tuesday afternoon. The warmth on my skin was just what my soul craved. Everything was right with the world even if it was still kind of windy. But then we were gifted Wednesday, one of those rare glorious days on the coast when the sun shines and the wind is light. Absolute perfection. We ate it up until the moment we had to leave.

Tuesday evening was so lovely that we went to watch the sunset. After watching until the sun had dipped below the horizon, Luca admitted that it didn't live up to her expectations. Yeah, some sunrises and sunsets are kind of like that. They seem like can't miss events everyday and yet . . . they are a bit anti-climactic.

Some kind soul went through a lot of work to make forts on the beach. My children were grateful for the hours of fun they had thanks to the kindness of strangers.

Because my children need to have memories of what their mother looked like during their childhood.

The wonderful woman who makes so many of my children's childhood adventures come true.