Family Camp

We had a great time this year at family camp.  Of course, we have a great time every year!  This year was a bit different for me as I was 40+ weeks pregnant!  It was my choice to go and I thought it would be fine since I always go over my due date by at least 2 weeks.  My doc even gave the thumbs up.  I rested and enjoyed time with the family.  I did enjoy a couple of the preaching times and wished I had felt up to being at all of them!  The weather was perfect...warm and sunny with a breeze just for me!! ;-)  The children had so much fun.  Zeke loved being outside but did NOT like seeing his family members zipping past him on the zip line.... he cried as they went by, especially when daddy went zooming by!!  I thought this was quite sweet!  He didn't seem to mind when anyone else went by though!  Abigail had the same reaction when she saw Julia up in the trees doing the high ropes course.  Only Julia got scared and started to panic and that is what triggered Abby.  Abby started crying and later when she was praying, she thanked God that Julia got out of the trees and didn't die!  I think the favorite activity of the bigger kids was the "superman" swing.  I had a lot of fun watching them!  As always the food was great.  Though we are sad to be saying goodbye to the head cook, Victoria.  She is moving and this is the last time we get to have her amazing cooking!!!  We presented her with a card that everyone signed and of course, she cried.  We even sang, "God Be With You (till we meet again)"  with her.  All in all, it was another memory making time.  Going through old family camp pictures, and then looking at the most recent, our family has sure started looking older!  We get a picture of our family in front of our cabin every year and it has changed quite a bit since the first!!  These are wonderful memories to be treasured!!

My sweetheart and me!

Must've caught him on the move (blurry)

Say Cheese!

Our ever growing family!

The Answer

The baby in the photo is Michael!  Most of you got it right!!  Good job! (Found a good picture of him!)

The Latest In Houston Babies To Guess

Here is the next Houston to guess.  Sorry it has been a bit of time since the last one!!  Hopefully it won't take as long for me to post the next.  We are getting closer to the end of babies and then I will tally up the correct votes and announce the winner!!!!  Have fun everyone!

The Waiting Game

When I was younger, my dad and I did a lot of mountain bike riding.  I loved it.  It was a lot of hard work with a rewarding end.  There were hills that were so steep, you were practically standing parallel with the bike as you peddled.  It was those hills that you had thoughts of giving up.  Your lungs burn, your heart feels ready to burst, and your legs feel like they can't move another inch.  But you see the end in sight.  You are almost there.  If you stop now, you will not be able to get back on so you keep on going.  It is the hardest thing in the world at the time.  Then you get to the top and suddenly your body says, "I can keep going!"  You finish the last mile or two and you are home.  The feeling of accomplishment is amazing!

This is how I feel right now, waiting for baby to get here.  I see the end in sight but it seems so far away still.  I know that any time now I will be done, but still, I must wait.  The end will be rewarding...now to get to the finish line.  We are all anxiously awaiting baby's arrival....how can a person pray for and dread the same day at the same time?  Yikes!  I am tired.  I am excited.

Baby's carseat got here yesterday, you would have thought it was Christmas morning!  The children all started cheering.  I know it isn't the carseat they are actually thrilled about, but the knowledge that this means that very soon we will have a little person to put INTO it.  Someone is loaning me their beautiful bassinet and it is all set up.  It is the exact one I've been eyeing in stores and on line since I had Abigail.  What a blessing!

The end is in sight.  I can make it.  I will endure.  I look forward to a normal life again.  No more Dr. appts. and no more blood testing.  Yay!  Just the sweetness of soft downy hair and warm little body to cuddle.  Blessings to all!!!

Things That Make Me Smile

We are currently having our i photo "cleaned" out, so no pictures today!  I'll post about our wonderful family camp soon!  But today I'd like to share a few things that make me smile.....

Dirty little boy toes...
Toothless grins, both from those who need to grow them still and those who've lost some!
A husband who surprised me with a new fan!!!!  Awwww.......
A daddy who is willing to play taxi so his oldest girls can have an awesome evening.
Boys that we can "loan" out knowing they will work very hard.
More boys who will take up the slack at home while the others are gone by washing dishes, doing laundry, bathing the baby, washing the cars, and washing the dog.
My comfy bed that is like a piece of Heaven after the bed at family camp! ;-)
Little girls that giggle.
The excitement of a child who just pulled her own tooth.
A clean house.
The knowledge that very soon I will hold a precious newborn in my arms.
Finding out my brother's wife is having a boy and that my sister is having a girl!!!!
Knowing that all the effort being put into my little ones really does pay off....with the proof from my older children.....
Hearing "Joy to the World" on my piano upstairs in the middle of summer (thanks to Mrs. P!)
Thinking about the fact that Jesus loves me no matter what, and that He has given me the greatest gift of all and that it is free to all who will believe..................................

Blessings to all!

And The Answer Is.......

Yes indeed!  The baby in the picture is none other than Lydia Grace!!  What a sweetie pie she was and is!! There was no fooling you all this time!

Time For Name That Houston....

It's time again, to name the Houston baby!  Here is the next baby to guess:

Have fun!

Life Lately.....

Some may be wondering how things have been going lately.  Well, I must say life is pretty good.  As you all can see from the baby ticker, we are on the final countdown to baby!  Six more days until our "estimated due date".  Many are now snickering and asking, so how much longer does that mean?! (sarcasm spewing from you)  Ok, that is irritating but I live with it.  I can say that "skipping" the first 2 months has really helped my frame of mind in this! I really had been expecting to be "due" the end of September making it another October baby.  So to be "due" in August is mind boggling!  Though physically this has been the hardest pregnancy, and my body at times screams that it is soooo time to have this baby, my mind and emotions are fine with waiting.  I am enjoying this little person making it's presence known by stretching and kicking.  I truly am anxious to meet this person and to see just who God has blessed us with this time, but not impatient.  Though I am doing so well, I am definitely going into a hibernation mode.  I am desiring to be home, with just my family surrounding me, focusing on getting goals accomplished and getting the kind of rest that I need.  In our busy schedule, this doesn't always happen.

I am looking forward to family camp next week with mixed emotions.  Family camp starts one day after my "due date" and I KNOW nobody else would even consider going, but.... I will be there.  I decided it would be more relaxing to go than to stay home by myself.  Though a sweet lady from church volunteered to stay here with me if I changed my mind.  I just don't want to miss out on some family time.  And I don't have to cook or clean or worry about others doing it because this is the best family camp EVER!!!!!!  I know I will be allowed to rest the entire time if I need to and camp has been shortened for this year.  We get up there for lunch on Wednesday, and then leave for home Friday afternoon.  This also will give me something to keep my mind occupied instead of dwelling on when baby will be born.  :-)

We have been having Bible study over on the East side of the Puget Sound for months and for the summer we have been meeting at a park.  Last night, we had 30 people attend!!!!  And that was with 9 normal attendees not being there!!!!  We were and are soooooo very excited about what God is doing in this!  We had an Egyptian lady with her dad and two little ones last week and they were back this week with her husband!!  They are excited about this study as well.  They seem very eager to make new friends and to have fellowship.  Praying that through the hearing of the Word, they might be saved.  We are now looking for a facility to meet in when the weather gets colder.  The sky is already growing darker earlier each week.

The beginning of September brings with it a very wonderful answer to prayer!  We have a very dear family moving back to come on staff.  I say moving back, because he was a deacon at our church years ago but moved due to his job in the Coast Guard.  He is now retired from the C.G. and feels the leading of the Lord to work as a team with us at Westside.  We have been praying that somehow God would see fit to bring them back and are so very happy that He has!!!  "My cup runneth over" by all of this and I am looking forward to seeing just how the Lord will continue in His blessing here at our church.  Even in trials and tribulations, He has been blessing all along the way as He grows us spiritually.  We have been having so many visitors who have been staying and enjoying the preaching and teaching of God's Word as well as the wonderful fellowship that our church family experiences weekly.  There is great excitement and such a sweet spirit all around!

All in all, I can say the word to describe life lately is:  BLESSED!!!!  God's peace is running through me, His grace has saved me, His mercy endures.  We have just come through a bout with tummy bugs and are now pushing through colds, but nothing is too much with God!!  We know that joyous times are embarking soon with the upcoming arrival of a very precious little person, and exciting times are upon us with the ministry in full bloom!  A smile is upon my face and upon my heart.  May this joy be yours also.....

And the HOUSTON baby is...........

The HOUSTON baby in the picture is none other than my beloved husband, Craig!!!!!!  In all fairness, he IS a Houston after all!!!  Ha ha ha!  Wasn't he a cutie?!!  Sorry for the trick!  Ok, not really.  Craig is just glad you all got the gender correct!!  ;-)

Back in Business and Another Baby to Name.....

And the baby is......??????

Nathanael, as promised =)

Sorry it has been a bit of time between posts.  Our computer had some issues that have now been resolved. So, here is the "now" picture of Nathanael, and...... Here is the next Houston baby to name!  Have fun!