Fall had come and gone...and being thankful.

The leaves have almost all fallen to the ground, the air is much crisper, and family has come and gone from our Thanksgiving feast.  We have a lot to be thankful for this year.  Most importantly, we are thankful for our health and the health of those around us.  I always believe that God only will give us only a challenge we can handle, but this year we have been challenged to the edge. My mother was in the hospital for a very critical case of pnemonia. She also endured a shoulder surgery which she is still recovering from. My sister-in-law has been in the hospital a few times this year and her health continues to decline, it appears.  And most dramatically - our daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on October 7th.
There is nothing in this world that can prepare a parent for their child's life-threatening and chronic disease diagnosis.
Balance for our family is more important than ever now.  We have adjusted many things, including our mental state. We have adjusted our eating habits, portions and options. Although feeling burdened and overwhelmed at many times, we are still thankful. Thankful that mom has recovered from pnemonia, thankful that her shoulder is healing, thankful that we have hope for my sister-in-law's recovery, and very thankful that although it is a daunting diagnosis Josie's condition is controllable and she will have a long, healthy and active life.

Dancing Princess

Yesterday was Josie's first ever dance recital.  It was a tap routine, and she was a member of a three girl show - small, but sassy!  The event was larger than I expected, and held at a local high school.  There were a lot of people in attendance including grandma and grandpa Linden and grandma Jane, too. 

The show was about an hour, and Josie's routine was about 50 seconds.  And of course it was number 9 out of 11 (or something like that).  We all enjoyed the show and can't wait for her to perform again!

Video of Josie's Recital

Camping with Kids

Last month (May 2010), we went camping - twice - (yes, twice.) in the Shenandoah at the Big Meadows campground. The first weekend was Mother's Day weekend, and the second was over Memorial Day weekend.  And I must say... we had a great time! Thanks to my very prepared and comprehensive husband, we had everything we needed.  Well, almost.  The first trip we forgot our Friday night dinner and Sunday morning eggs (not a deal-breaker).  And the second trip we forgot the ax (again, not a deal-breaker).  Having stayed at the same camp site two times now, we have a routine, sort of.   (Routine is define by Dictionary.com as a customary or regular course of procedure.)

We set up the 'mess tent' first which holds all the food related stuff such as the grill, coolers, food bins, etc.  Then we focus on setting up the sleeping tent which includes blowing up the three air mattresses, unrolling sleeping bags, organizing clothes, etc.  During this time, the kids are either helping or wandering around.  We bring some outdoor type games like bean bag toss, t-ball, and some racket and ball thing.

The first weekend we decided to do a hike down to a waterfall.  The kids did great, most of the way, but the hike back was a bit more uphill than we expected... so there was alot of encouragement (for everyone!).  The waterfall was beautiful, and worth the effort.  We saw lots of deer during the weekend, and we were even greeted by four of them on our camp site when we arrived, and completely unaffected by our presence.  The weather this weekend was a little challenging.  The first night we were tourmented with wild winds howling through and around the tent.  I don't know how the kids slept.  I certainly didn't get a good nights rest.  The second night we were tourmented again with a chill we weren't expecting or planning for; I believe the low that night was 34 degrees. Can you say BRRRR?

The second weekend we visited the Big Meadow near the welcome center, which was a much easier walk for everyone.  The weather was much warmer and 'calmer' however we dodged a few showers here and there starting from our inital arrival.  Overall, it was a fabulous trip and we even got to see a mama bear and two baby cubs.

Our next camping trip is Father's Day weekend.  Wish us luck, but hey we're getting to be pros.

Start of Summer.. but I'm thinking of Fall already

Summer. Fun. Exhausting, already!  Although the kids are only out of  'pre-school' for the season, we've been busy, busy, busy little bees.  Kind of like our resident bee, named Bea Beatrice Suzy (aka BBS for short) who hoovers over our deck just outside the screen door.  Seems like she's interested in coming inside, or maybe she's just hanging out to see what our world is like inside.  She doesn't seem aggressive, she's large and round, and just hoovers around.  But I digress...

The kids are attending Camp Creation this week at St. David's, every morning.  It's been a little glimmer into the not so distant future of getting ready for school every day.  For those who have been through this phase already, you are probably thinking 'yeah, so what'.  But for myself and other's who are on the cusp of the next milestone of our child's life (kindergarten!), starting and maintaining a daily routine of preparing for school seems somewhat daunting.