Pheww! Fun weekend!

This past weekend I went to the ladies retreat up at Texoma Youth camp with some great friends from church. We piled in Jen Mall's van and took off fast...literally, we even got a ticket in some little town on the way there. he he he...always the adventure with us!! We still got there in plenty of time to get some good bunks (you know that is important) and got in some good laughs before the actual program part of the retreat started. It was fun. We stayed up WAY too late playing spoons and some Balderdash game while eating gummy worms and popcorn. We spent Saturday "digging" into God's word and got to know some other people in our small groups sessions. I had a wonderful time.

I love being out at camp. I spent many a summer growing up at Camp Takodah in Arkansas and then as a college student, I spent every summer at Florida Bible Camp in High Springs Florida, representing Harding. I have so many great memories of those camps. I can't wait for our kids to have those fun, "mountaintop" camp experiences. I'm so thankful that my parents always made it open for us to go and have our own growing time, too. Hopefully, we can get out to camp on Memorial day and help Texoma Youth camp celebrate the opening of their new cabin and boat dock!

Aaron and the kids had a great time here at home. Parker was still in his PJ's when I got home Saturday night, but they had a great time together! Oh, and Parker is now using the potty!! YES!! I haven't changed a yucky diaper all week. He just comes up and says, "Mama, POO, POO!" and drags us to the potty! It's great! Now we just have to teach him to pee pee and we will be good! I know that ya'll wanted to know all of that didn't you?? Oh, it's the little things that make my day and not changing a poopy diaper is one of them!!! :)

Seattle pictures

The trip to and from Seattle to visit Aaron's parents was great. We loved being there with the family and we even more loved the cool weather. I think the hottest day may have been 75 degrees. It was a dream! Aaron's parents have 2 apple trees in their front yard that are both full of apples. Everyday we would go out with the wheelbarrow and pick the old ones off the ground and pile them in to go throw into the woods...the kids loved it, for a little while, anyway. Parker never got tired of picking them up, I guess he hasn't learned to say NO yet...oh, it will come, I know.
They liked the rides after all the picking up, the best....and they still like their brother! How amazing, right? He gets into their stuff, chews on their arms (that's how he gives kisses and zerberts) and they don't even mind! I love it!!
Aaron's mom can grow the biggest flowers that I have ever seen up in Seattle. Because of the cool summers and wet, well, all the rest of the time, they thrive. Her yard is just beautiful and Parker wanted to pick every petal!!
They had a huge area in their backyard that was full (and I mean FULL) of blackberries. We picked them several different days and one day I made this....it's a blackberry roll. Basically it is a blackberry cobbler but instead of just having a cobbler top, the blackberries are rolled up in the crust. It's a little crispier than normal cobbler and I loved it! Of course, I made it so I'm a bit biased...made a normal cobbler later in the week, but this one was much better...neither look very good, but MAN, they were both awesome with a little ice cream on top!!
Here are my main men brushing their teeth when we went camping near the Taylor River. It was a fun camping trip, but I think next year I would rather spend my anniversary in a hotel or on a cruise ship.... Parker did great on the camping trip. Little kids love to get dirty and that is what they did....I think we all ran for the showers when we got home that week.