he's gonna be 3 in 2 weeks.
will someone get over here and potty train him?
stat.
highly specialized training required. preferably navy seals, army ranger, counter terrorism or any other experience in cracking the strongest of all resistance.
be advised: this job is not for sissies.
so the last time we went camping was 6 years ago.
this little precious angel was up all night and even though we put our tent far away from my sisters family, the woods are not sound proof and i'm sure we kept the whole forest up.
then, on day 2, it started raining.
and never stopped.
so we did what any logical person would do and packed up all our stuff and headed for our parents house. i'm sure they were thrilled to see our filthy faces.
after all, we brought a package of donuts with us.
and then after ella, there was bennett. then there was mason. and there was very little sleep mixed in there. so while camping occasionally came up as a thrilling adventure for our family, we always opted instead for our own beds and stay-at-home sanity.
but now that insanity has become the new norm we decided it was TIME!
time to head out and enjoy God's beautiful creation. (especially before this next little one comes and i never leave the house again.)
so we ventured to the mountains and had a fantastic time.
we saw the giant sequoias that have been firmly rooted for thousands of years. 
and yes, i'm certain these were far more fascinating to anthony and i than our children. they got excited about the ones you could walk inside and would say, "wow, cool..." but were way more interested in having a snack and hopefully seeing a moose. (which of course we did not.) 
but i must just say about these trees... God is pretty fantastic.
the details of his creation are simply amazing.
back at camp the kids kept busy making a "wood store" and for the life of me i can't figure out why they were surprised i wouldn't give them actual dollar bills for their wood. surely they know how cheap i am by now. 
we played tarzan
caused serious anxiety in dear old mommy
and enjoyed all kinds of big and little creations.
there was some creek playing, nature walks, bear fear and most of all... the joy of dirt. 
the clothes have come clean but the memories will last forever.
and didn't even get eaten by bears.
more to come after some serious baths and a few hundred loads of laundry.
so yes, its been awhile since i've posted.
other than mourning over the fact that i'm not having a girl, not much else is going on around here.
well, other than a mono patient being almost completely healed, fun trips to the beach, visits with dear family and just the typical i love living in southern california summer.
while anthony has been in costa rica, roughing it for the Lord, we got to have a visit with grammy and grandma darlene.
it was such a treat to have them here. (not like grammy is old news or anything) but it was especially nice to have gramma D make the trip.
i have such found memories with my gramma D. she's always been simply amazing. generous, giving, kind, joyful.
me and gramma D.
(and that cute girl coming out of the house is my cousin lisa. apparently, according to every adult relative we have, we couldn't be left alone in the same room as children or we'd practically kill each other. but we grew up to be best friends and totally love each other even though i can't get her to play another game of words with friends with me.)
we used to visit gramma back in nebraska and it never ceased to amaze me how hard working she was, running a farm and always having enough energy to put up with the gaggles of grandchildren invading her house for the summer.
making us lemonade dessert, not yelling at us when we picked all the petals off her roses...
the family. gramma D is second from the left. (i'm of course the adorable child on the left.)
(i'm not sure why she isn't smiling here. rare, because she was always smiling. even when she cooked all those elaborate meals for all of us and instituted that nonsense about never ever ever putting the saucepans on the table and always always always using a serving dish in order to wash dishes pretty much around the clock.)
and then she moved closer and we'd visit her in phoenix and she'd always open her home to us and even let me live with her for a year after college. i've never heard the woman complain. and it wasn't like her life was easy. she's been a caregiver to almost everyone close to her and has tragically buried too many of her own children. she has a true servant's heart and i admire her sacrifice, peace, and joy.
when i was first getting to know anthony, i was telling him how my grandma was pretty much a superhero and how she could do anything at all. and he's nodding to me and smiling because everything i said back then was completely mesmerizing. but he probably didn't really believe me but as if on cue, she walked around the corner with a chainsaw and said, "well, i gotta go take care of that tree out there that is starting to scrape the roof." he's never doubted me since.
i'm so glad my kids could experience their great grandma. and while i wish they knew the gramma from a few years ago, i'm sure they'll still find memories of her whistling at the birds and talking to every single person we see extremely delightful. 
and while they are still trying to sort out things like why are the puzzle pieces supposed to be upside down? and isn't grammy actually her daughter, not her nurse? and why am i supposed to raise my hand over my head when i cough? they still really enjoyed having her here.
she's a kid herself, as happy as can be.
and i must say, she makes getting old look like a whole lot of fun.
so the amazing women in my life went back to arizona and anthony returns tonight!
and while i'm thrilled about the fact that while many men out there travel frequently for work and are gone for excessive hours every week building corporations and generating revenue and my husband gets to go on missions trips and tell people about Jesus (!!!!), i'm absolutely ecstatic that he'll be home tonight and my boys will again have someone tossing them around and slamming into them with pillows.
because lets face it, there is just no substitute for daddy in the life of little boys. and based on the amount of screaming and restlessness going on here, they. have. missed. him.
boys.
have i've mentioned how thrilled i am about another boy?
its not that i completely despise soccer season.
i think its pretty cool.
she did awesome and scored the first goal of the season! here's the picture:
oh yeah, that's right. i was with my five year old's little bladder in the bathrooms and totally missed it.
bennett also had his first game and loved it. 
good times for our little family.
