A Wonderful toy "Bilibo"

So I found this online and had to have one right away. Cameron and his cousins have lots of fun with it. Check out all the cool things it can be used for http://bilibo.com I have a love for swiss and german based toy companies but this on takes the cake for it's unique way of providing hours upon hours of entertainment. The sky is the limit with this fabulous toy. So come on and jump on the Bilibo bandwagon you won't be disappointed.


Cameron Likes to "chill" in his Bilibo

If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies

As I get older I realize that change is inevitable, A part of life, although sad for some can be rewarding for Others. As Becky and her family make their move to Alaska I know they will be happy and are excited for a new adventure. I on the other hand, have often sat in sadness and pondered deeply the year that Cameron and I spent with our dear Aunt/Sister and each one of her wonderful children each of whom individually brought something special into our lives.

It was never a dull moment with Ty. He called Cameron, and I quote "his best Buddy, Because he listens to me." Cameron loved having him around as did I. I never got enough of his energy and love for life. He could light up a room and was always the life of the party. One night I had them over for dinner, I think we were having rotisserie chicken or something like that anyways, all the kids were sitting at the table anxious to eat with just there place settings in front of them. Mind you there wasn't a morsel of food on the table at this time and Ty says very loud and out of the blue, "can someone please pass the chicken nuggets. I'll never forget the time he invited two neighborhood girls on his "father and son" camping trip. They showed up at the front door, bags packed and asking Becky to come and meet their parents before departure.

Rylie, what can I say she is such a little sweetie. She is starting to bear some of the same traits of Ty but in a more.... sophisticated way???.... She loved to come and stay the night with us. Her and Cameron were a riot when they were together. She always tried her hardest to make us all laugh. A miniature comedian.

Cayley also liked to have sleep overs with us. She loved to stay up late and watch Grandma's collection of little house on the prairie. She is an old soul. I have a drawing on my fridge of a red headed little girl and underneath are written the words "If you are red head, you are special." She had a knack for poetry, "Cayley Style," and loved making thank you cards or just I love you, everyday cards.

hmmm what can I say about colton? When he wasn't playing video games.... No... he is a good boy who reminds me so much of chip. You can really tell that he loves his family and would do anything for them, of course all the while trying his hardest to seem tough and unemotional. And... SMART... he will grow up to do great things. there are so many things that come easy to him. He is truly gifted.

I am so glad that all the kids and Becky have Eric as a father and husband. Although I haven't had the opportunity to spend that much time with him I know that he is a hardworking man of integrity who loves his family very much.

Last but not least my sister Becky. (tears are falling down my cheeks) I honestly don't know what I am going to do without her here. She was my rock, my encouragement for hope. My mother once quoted something that encompasses all that Becky is... It goes something like this "when you can keep you head about you when everyone around you is loosing theirs, and blaming it on you ..." She forgot the rest :)... In a nut shell, I rarely saw Becky get angry. even when the kids were shouting at each other and at her she always knew how to handle it like a saint. She reminds me so much of our mother, another rock in my life. She has taught me so much. I will miss her dearly as I will them all.

Here is a few random favorite pictures of our time together. I wish them the best of luck on their new endeavors. I know that each one of them will make the part of the world they now inhabit a better and more loving place than it was before their arrival. I know this because that is what they did here. Love to you all.

Kenley Vause Blessing

I have been meaning to post pictures of our visit to Chipley, Fl. Here is the only one I have on my camera of the family at Kenley's Blessing. Jared Gave her a very spiritual blessing, it brought tears to my eyes. He is going to be such a great daddy. It is just hard for me to believe that he IS a Daddy.

Merinda and her family were great as always. You could not ask for a nicer group of people. They would give you the shirt off their back and are just real salt to the earth.

We had a great Time. Jared and Dad did a little fishing, all the kids had fun in the pool. Cameron had his first Moto experience. Uncle Jared took him for a ride on the dirt bike he seemed to really like it. I on the other hand was a nervous wreck but he must not have been to bad of a driver because I agreed to let him take Me, Mom, and Ty on the Kabota. He's was a crazy man running over trees going through mud ponds. He really is in his element. Country living has been good to him :) Ty fell asleep a third way into the experience(that kid would fall asleep durring a 7.5 Earthquake). I wish I had a picture it was a funny sight. All the kids played hard as well as some of the adults. We all needed the six hour drive home to catch up on some zzzzz's. It was great Fun

A face that turns Camerons' Frown upside Down

All that it Entails

I felt compelled to write this down in my journal this evening and thought I would share a little about what I felt in a blog entry.

I often think about how drastically my life has changed since the first day I found out I was going to be a mother. I would have never considered my self a bad person, I believe that I have always had a good heart. I was however, lost.

There was a moment this evening that could never escape my memory. Time nor age, nor a thousand tear jerking events could ever replace what my heart felt tonight. This is what life is all about I thought. It's not about how much money I can make, what clothes I wish I had and how smart I want to be. It's about taking care of the ones I love. Since being a mother I have found my empathetic heart. It didn't matter that I was covered in vomit and that my make up was running down my face because He would only get in the bath if I were holding him. What mattered most to me was that he knew I was there for him, and that I will always be there. As his fever of 104 broke he laid so calmly in my arms and looked up at me and his eyes told me he loved me.

Independence Day Celebration

The Fourth was a fun filled day. We started off by going to the Beach in the late Am rather than the afternoon to somewhat beat the holiday chaos. Cameron and his cousins had fun in the sea and sand. It was surprisingly comfortable and the water was a nice 72 degrees which always helps cool things down. By noon cameron was ready to head home for a nap. Later that afternoon we cooked out at Grandma's and Grandpa's with yummy chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, water melon... the works! Around 6:30 it was off to Port Orange City Center for the fireworks show. I popped corn for all the kids. We had sparklers and firecrackers to boot. A funny story... I thought I was reading the right packaging directions for one of the firecrackers I bought. It said to hold in hand, with arm outreached pointing flam away from you. So I handed to Colton and told him to hold it and I would light the fuse. I freaked out and shouted for him to drop it when flames and sparks started flying towards his face and arms with loud crackling sounds. In a nut shell I was reading the directions for the giant morning glories not the bottle rockets. Luckily Colton was okay. I felt to guilty all evening. I was worried he thought his aunt Rachel was trying to do him in. He are some fun Pics of festivities

Waiting......



Playing ball...Killing Time



Grandma Pre-Fireworks. I think she was watching, hoping they would come early so she could go home and go to bed :)



Cameron Post Fireworks, Exausted!



After the BBQ







Cameron Loves his Uncle "BEAR"




The Girls putting on a smile though the Pain of their sunburns. Such Troopers



Sisters Jen If I had Photoshop I'd stick you in there with us :(

Bubblely Toes

I love days when I don't have anything important to do. I can always tell a difference in Cameron's disposition when I don't have to rush around, get in and out of the car, and have to eat on the fly. Today we had a fun day at the park then came home and blew bubbles barefoot in the front yard until the afternoon thunderstorm rolled in. Then we sat on the front porch swing and enjoyed the rain and cool breeze (a rare thing this time of year) It was a prefect day.