Cousin Camp 2011 Day Three

Cousin Camp began with everyone helping Chef Uncle Patrick/Daddy make a big breakfast! Patrick always amazes me when he cooks with the children. He is incredibly patient with them and they love helping him! He believes that no little one is to little to "help" him in some way!
















Plus, it's always delicious! CJ was eating "Uncle Patrick's Grits" and said, "mmmm, mmmm, mmm, mmm, mmmm!" It just doesn't come across the same in print. :)









Those who weren't helping cook busied themselves with a little tea party while they waited for their turn.



Then, I found out that Patrick was having some back pain. I couldn't believe how patient and wonderful he had been making breakfast in such pain. THEN, I found out he had been having the back pain for over a week and hadn't told me. THEN, I found out on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst pain, he was at an eight! And THEN I took Patrick to an urgent care center to get checked. Silly boy. I don't have any pictures of that little visit, but while Patrick and I did that, Nan held down the fort full of campers!

The campers painted some beautiful sun catchers in a western theme. I love how Abby, at 17 months old, is painting so well with a q-tip! Her fine motor skills amaze us!

















The finished products are gorgeous! Just look at those proud smiles!

















We finally got Patrick out of the doctor's office and on some high powered medication. We were thrilled to find out it was only a lower left lumbar strain. Nice! He hurt the right side of his back playing soccer back in high school. So, now he has a matching back!

We decided to head to Blackberry Farm for a little picnic and some fun! Blackberry Farm is a local place with really neat historical buildings. Throughout the year they do alot of special events that teach the children history. There are animals, a carousel, and a train to ride. It's a lot of fun! We enjoyed all of that and our Kentucky Fried Chicken lunch!






















It was a very hot day and right across the street from Blackberry Farm is Splash Country. We had never been to it before, but you can buy a joint ticket for Blackberry and there. We had so much fun here and will definitely be going back! We found out very quickly that all four of our campers are actually fish!!! Last year for Cousin Camp we went to a different water park. It was amazing to me the difference a year has made in our three big kids! They all have some Mad swimming skills now!!! The very cold water felt amazing! We don't have alot of pictures from this, mainly because, well we were having fun in the water! All of the big kids really enjoyed the lazy river, the slide, and the big pool. They were very sad when we said it was time to go.


























We left wet and happy! We stopped at Walmart and Patrick ran inside for some food. We all stayed in the car and waited since we were wet. Then, we finished off the day with sandwiches and a big slice of yummy watermelon. It was a great day!

Day Two Favorites

Mommy/Aunt Angie: Showing CJ the fireflies!

Daddy/Uncle Patrick: Taking the camper to the park to play!

Nan: The popcorn and movie!

Aiden: The Treasure Hunt! I liked finding the Gold!!! Gold I tell ya! Eureka!

CJ: Playing outside at the park with Aiden and Anthony!

Anthony: Finding the gold!

Abby: Seeing Dr. Kleinfeld! I love her!

Cousin Camp 2011 Day Two

Good Morning Cousin Campers!!! It's time to go on a Treasure Hunt!!!




Let's Go!




Our first clue was in the Big People Bunkhouse!




Found it!




To the kitchen!




It's in the refrigerator!




Where do we go now???




The Big Outhouse Mirror!




We Found the TREASURE!!!




Look at all of our loot!




Mustaches!
















What a band of cowboys and cowgirls!!!




Put your hands up!




Mommy, I don't feel good!!!




Off to the doctor we went. She is now on breathing treatments and steroids every four hours! This was Not on the Cousin Camp agenda today! The doctor has decided to put her on a preventative medication to see if we can cut out these respiratory issues she keeps having.




The cowhands had lunch while we were at the doctor's office. Counselor Nan cooked up some awesome grub!




The cowboy is sitting on a horse, there are cows to round up and some bales of hay!





Counselor Patrick took everyone to the park to play while Mommy, Nan, and Abby took a rest!












CJ was fascinated by the fireflies out our back door.





We had a pizza picnic, watched a movie, and had some popcorn. We also read the next chapter in our Hank the Cowdog book. Later, after everyone else went to bed, CJ and Aunt Angie went outside and watched the fireflies together. She said, "there are a THOUSAND!!!" Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Cousin Camp???

Day One Favorites

Mommy/Aunt Angie: Hugging my CJ!

Daddy/Uncle Patrick: I liked watching them play at the playground at the mall.

Nan: Grabbing my kids and taking a picture of all four of them together!

Aiden: Picking up CJ at the station!

CJ: Seeing Aiden, Anthony, Abby, Uncle Patrick and Aunt Angie!

Anthony: Seeing Nan and picking up Nan and CJ!

Abby: Stopping playing at the mall playground to go hug Nan every three minutes, over and over and over!

Cousin Camp 2011 Day One

Cousin Camp starts today! Nan and CJ have finally arrived! They came on the train from Texas, it took them 24 hours to get to us. Well, actually a little longer, because their train was running late!



After we picked them up we went to the mall to play on the playground for a little bit and get out some energy!





We ate dinner at Chic-Fil-A. We were so surprised and excited to find out that it was "Save your receipt" day! That means we can go back again and order everything on our receipt for Free! After dinner we headed to swim class, where Aiden and Anthony did a good job in the pool.

We finally headed home around 8:00 last night and we Officially began The Great Cousin Camp Round Up!



We read our memory verse for the week. It is Matthew 22:37-39, "Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."



We learned where everything is like the little outhouse, the bunkhouse, the chuck wagon, the saddle bags, and the great prairie!





In preperation for our adventures tomorrow we made some trail mix! We poured


















and then we mixed!


















Finally, we were all tired from a very long day! So, we started a chapter in our book about "Hank the Cowdog" and then went to bed!

Unexpected Light

Have you ever seen something so beautiful you wanted to photograph it, but no matter how hard you tried you couldn't do it justice? My happy place, the island, comes to mind. Sunsets and sunrises are that way. I have some beautiful pictures of both, but none of them do the actual moment justice.

We have lived in Illinois for nearly five years. That doesn't even seem possible to me. I have seen some beautiful sites in this state. It's one of the reasons I stayed. The beauty of the fresh fallen snow in the winter, the gorgeous fall leaves changing colors, and the amazing green turning into an indescribable golden color of the corn in the fields are all beautiful to me.

Yet, I'll never forget the first time I saw the unexpected lights. We lived in Macomb and it was our first summer here. We had such a wonderful and hard year all rolled into one. We had lost Colin and gained Anthony in less than a year. One night I was marveling at all God had brought us through in those few short months and a flash of light caught my eye out of my back window. I looked out over the huge backyard we had and saw them! Not one or two flashes of light, but hundreds of small, moving, twinkling lights! They were breath taking! I vaguely remembered seeing fireflies as a little girl in Texas, but it had been years! They've disappeared from my home state. I had never seen them like this though! They were so beautiful and it was like God was giving me my own special fireworks show, right in my backyard! I called Patrick and the boys and we went outside and stood in awe of these little bugs. Later that week my family visited from Texas and I will never forget the joy and excitement as my boys and their cousin, CJ, raced through our backyard catching fireflies. I tried to take pictures of it, but every picture was just a big blur. It was a moment that could only be recorded in our memories.

Every summer I watch expectantly for them. As we drive down the road at night I scan the sides of the roads and the fields, looking for their return. I can't even describe how excited I get when I see them for the first time every summer. Tonight, I'm holding Abby, she's asleep on my lap. She turned 17 months old today, that doesn't even seem possible. I don't want to move, not because I'm afraid of waking her, I'm ready to put her in her bed for the night, but because I don't want to miss the show out of my sliding glass door. Hundreds of them, twinkling, glowing, flying back and forth, spreading that light.

Within the span of several days I have had more than one person comment on this "surprise baby" we are having and mention some solutions for preventing that from happening again. A few months ago I would have whole heartedly agreed with them. But, today, I felt sorry for those people, the people that just don't understand.

From the very beginning God has told me over and over, "Angie, I will bring beauty from ashes through this child." I have seen that. Just as God used Abby to heal my heart, He is using this little boy to continue to heal places I didn't even realize were broken. Nearly five years ago I watched an ultrasound and the tech said, "well, God must think you are an excellent Mother to boys, because you are having another one." That was Colin. When he died those words haunted me. Satan would whisper in my ear, "excellent Mother to boys? God doesn't think so. Your body killed that little boy." There was still a part of me that deep down felt like Abby beat MFI and IUGR, the things that killed Colin, because she was a girl. Satan's lies were still ricocheting off of my head, even if I didn't realize it. We are not out of the woods, our issues start at 28 weeks, but this little one is coming home, and I strongly feel like he'll not have any issues. I've known from the moment I found out we were expecting that this was a boy. Our ultrasound recently confirmed that. It also confirmed what my heart knew, what God had been whispering in my ear. He is thriving!

As I watched this child on the ultrasound a few weeks ago I fell more and more head over heels in love. We've named him Andon Josiah. Andon is a Japanese word that means light. Andon was unexpected in My plan. Six months ago I was "unexpectedly expecting" and terrified. I was not prepared for another child, another extremely difficult pregnancy, and the possibility of another loss. Yet, God had his own special light show planned for me just like that night in Macomb. He knew this little boy, who is kicking me right now, would bring amazing light and joy. That night I saw the fireflies for the first time, God already knew Andon. God's plan was so much better than anything I could dream up. Just like the first time I saw those fireflies, I am in awe of this child. I find myself searching the calendar, like I do the fields in the summer, waiting for my first glimpse at him. The first half of the pregnancy flew by, but now it seems to be dragging. I am so grateful for God's unexpected light shows! I am so ready to meet this little lightening bug of mine!

You, LORD, are my lamp;
the LORD turns my darkness into light.
2 Samuel 22:29