Sunday- Wednesday Memories {June 2K16}

Today is Hump Day!! Woot woot!!

Sunday night we stayed at an amazing condo, thank you Kazens!! The condo was bigger than our town house... so clearly way more space than our last living quarters of Terry the trailer too :) It was a much needed refresher ...
Leavenworth was hot... perfect summer weather... perfect summer evening... our meal was delish... late night pizza was delish too... we enjoyed our 1st TV night in a while and loved watching the swimmers and divers and gymnasts get ready for Rio
Monday was another beautiful morning.... park date... baseball... breakfast out at Louie's cafe and a stop at the Gingerbread Factory had us on our way...
my least favorite part of the journey is the trek down Steven's Pass massive mountainous area... think the drop of Splash Mountain but for 7 miles... My stomach knots up.. I was trying feverishly to distract myself while pretending to support my fearless captain... we survived... and the Lord gets the props ... again :)

Arrived at Hotel Kazen... their gift is selfless love and sharing... and our kids and theirs get along great..

VBS is each evening, which made Monday fast... but yesterday after a little sleep in and pedi time, it was just fun playing together, sunning, and then grabbibg a 4 course meal during Senior Special time at Anthonys,,, just us 4.. very yummy & awesome chats...

VBS day 2 a bigger night by about 10 kiddos...

Today we trekked to Deception Pass which is a state park and just beautiful. God's creation is beautiful although I am too calloused and spoiled to be in awe and let it soak it.. Everywhere we look we see green and trees and beauty and see wild life... and give thanks that Our God thought about pleasing us every day by this amazing creation...


Picture Updates:
1st picture of the trio on Wednesday June 22.. Reunited!!

 Thank you Uncle Dusty for this amazing sugar overload for  the plane! (Yes I was good and did not eat all of it ... although I think it was all for Hudson :) )

Hudson rocked another plane ride. Having 1 kiddo made flying a BREEZE!! He was snuggled and cuddled and out pretty fast! (limiting the candy helped ;))

  The views upon arrival!! Amazing..

June 23.. Harrison Allen is 11!!
Birthday candle in the toast was a cute way to start the day :)

 Loving all things dirt,

Loving all things dog ( no this isnt ours... it was a stray that someone took in and let Hannah "walk" all day :)) 

Last weekend in Okanogan

Tina & Wolter kindly shared their fun toys :)

 Love the two additions to our Party of 5... Isabella and Madison ( pray for her)

 Sunday June 26: Playing as waited HUNGRILY for supper :)

 Her beautiful souvenir 

Encouragement

LOVE that our kids love napping as we drive...

This is en route from Leavenworth to Kazens

 Yay!! Our friends!! Gavin Hannah Janae and Mylah

 VBS Games ( Harrison is in blue and neon orange)

 Sorry for a creepy toe picture... buttttt I am lovin' this cuteness...

 Deja Vu! Wednesday going to Deception Pass

 We made it! Ocean!

 Goofballs!

 Smiling Studs

 Bathed and smelling yummy.... loving allllllll the toys that Gavin kindly shares... 

 Hudson Heaven 

All for now! XOXO

Counting our blessings...

(Written Saturday 6-25)

This is only a shout out to God's goodness and to give glory to God's people... the idea that we all are God's family when we are believers... is something that I have known from my earliest childhood days, but now as a momma.... having total strangers and friends who we only see once a year, love on our family ... is seriously too much.
The trio was out here, and fully cared for .... every aspect... every need... met.
Hudson & I were fully cared for by our family in New Lennox... every need... met.

As I sit in Wolter and Tina's breakfast nook, with animals making their morning sounds, and kids are still asleep, I am seriously just overflowing with thankfulness.... I am most definitely thinking of ways to pay it forward... to keep sharing the love of Christ in practical, physical ways with others ... Reality glimpse: my selfish side always shows up & makes a grand stage appearance... thankfully just between matt & I... and he gets it...I try not to be high maintenance every time I come out here... and this year the Lord knew and only allowed me to be here for a short time :) The biggest obstacles were the camping showers... creepy crawlies included... & Hudson's extreme love of dirt. Deep breath. Dirty everything is part of childhood?!?! So I did embrace it... thank you Bleach.... and to say we are excited for an inside Hall VBS this week is an understatement :)

Next trek: We  leave Okanogan after their nursing home outreach tomorrow (Sunday) and drive to an adorably quaint town called Leavenworth ( this ski town is apparently amazing in the winter, but we find it equally amazing in the summer with all the little local shops, the yummy eateries and the views!) to regroup as our 5some... ( I am a huge fan of making sure we are all connected and reset... after a long stint of BUSY... just sitting back and being together with no plans... should be a welcome retreat for a day) and then head to Marysville Monday, to stay the week with our friends Dennis and Donna Lynn Kazen. We will, Lord willing, help with their evening VBS that week, and then drive to Montana as our 1st stop of our 2700 mile road trip back East :)



Prayer List:
Dustin & Amy &  their 6 kids.
(Visitors to VBS for the 3rd year, came to meetings some nights. She homeschools. Their oldest is 10. Family dynamics are strange & we need to pray for those cutie pie kiddos & for Amy to find salvation. She is troubled. Something seems way off..)

Madison
( a sweet teen, who has a very troubled home life, and is seeking a way to fill that dark void of being ignored and abused)

End of Year Wrap Up

(Week of June 13th)


Thankful today for my big bro and sis in law... Thankful that we connected for another yummy meal and had good, real chats.

Thankful for the 1st meeting starting off well in Okanogan. Good crowds. God gave help. Let the next 2 weeks be FULL of blessing and encouragement :)

Thankful for friend's invitations to hang out. Although my tired self wanted to retreat- I said YES and had such a good night... Hudson swam and swam until 10:30pm!! And yes he slept til 9am the next day :)

Thankful for answered prayers and the safe healthy arrival of our friends Princess T!

Thankful for reminders that the Lord could come... today... and to not let the stresses of the day to day life get us down...
Today's Wisdom Hunter quote: "The deeper your relationship with Jesus, the broader your influence for Jesus"

Thankful that we have 6 days left of school.

(Week of June 20th)


Thankful for already walking down the dark grief road, so I can be a better encourager & comforter to my dear sis during her grief road

Thankful to have survived another Father's Day... Not my fave holiday

Thankful to have heard news about Hudson receiving special Ed preschool in the fall for speech & OT. They qualified him as having a developmental delay & although I'm
Thrilled by the services & early intervention ... Hearing the deficits that they think he has was emotionally draining... But he's a tough kiddo & will work hard :)

Thankful for mark & Brenda bacherts visit in Sunday & encouragement during ministry... words from The Word that hit.home.hard. Yes. Thank you.

Thankful for continued blessing in WA - (week one done, week 2 begins. Week 1 Schedule: mornings free, afternoon Teen Time, Supper all together, Gospel Meeting. Week 2 Schedule: VBS in the mornings, lunch together, teen time, supper together, gospel meeting)
VBS day 1 had 53 kiddos in attendance!

Thankful that my principal is a crazy go getter & made sure our non educational field trip was approved

Thankful for my friends on here, that knew about my crazy 1st year in this amazingly crazy and increasingly dangerous city and prayed me through and supplied my kiddos with amazing resources.... love you... very much. xo

Thankful that today I get to announce 24 kindergarten "graduates" and that they all will get some sort of award... even if it's the "Triers Award".... they will all get recognized... and I am alive and smiling to tell about it :) It was the longest year ever.... but thankful for being stretched totally outta my pintrest comfort zone :)

Thankful to be CHECKED IN!!! Sea Tac here we come tomorrow morning!!!!! Party of 5 time!!!!!

 ( Blue Grass Festival WA)

 ( Saturday before Father's Day)

 Park date with Mimi

 Guys... seriously.... why me!!?? When the hubby's away... the mice will play... Love living by a forest preserve... hate the cute little mice that come in to play... This guy... was... eek... not even dead yet... seriously heart breaking... but THEN two days later, my 11 remaining traps ( I dont even play), caught ANOTHER little cutie.... AHH.... my 10 traps will remain set  the entire time we're gone ( all july and some of august lord willing and we better not come home to 10 mice... for real...)

 ADORE frankie... adore the fact that our place is spotless EVERY afternoon. 

 Love  that Hannah has friends in WA... new to us friends... never met this amazingly sweet family Sammy and Daniella.. a new couple that breaks bread in Okanogan... and they love on Hannah like she's theirs...

 Play hard. Sleep hard.

 So this is the trip... totally a celebratory event... the kids LOVED IT!!! I LOVED IT!! Win win and win for the best principal ...

 My score- WOOT WOOT :)

=

 They found a festival by the little library :)

 We found a new to us Custard spot... All smiles!

 Ms Williams Bey ( My awesome team mate in Kinder this year and a child who has caused tears tears and lots of prayers... look at that smile... she is worth all those tears and then some... she changed my life...)

 Pool side with this handsome hunk 

 Look at this updated hall!!! I am SO excited to see it Sunday!! They totally re did it... 

Birthday Boys :)

 

Homeless mission in Omak

 Love this guy. SO. Much. 

 Love this chick. So. much. The joy she has with Hudson is amazing... the fact she helped him call her Key Key since he cant even begin to say Frankie.. was adorably sweet. 

 VBS day 1

 Yay for Auntie Roz who is Hannah's hair lady :)

 Zoo trip with 19 out of 24 kiddos