"Snip-its"...

Lately I've been so busy.

And at precisely the same time as this whirlwind of business, my kids are changing right before my very eyes and I feel like I'm blinking right over it.

So here is a quick "snapshot" of what they are doing and saying at this very moment in time:

Chandler says "oh tay" (usually sounds like "a-day") which I absolutely love the sound of and will be sad when he goes ahead and "figures it out" one of these days.

Hallie yells the word "mom" at the top of her lungs about fifteen times a day.  It's usually because of some crisis mysteriously involving Chandler....or because she needs me to wipe her.  Seriously, when can a mom be confident that her child is doing a good enough job in that department?...Sorry if that's a bit graphic. :/

Chandler is an acrobat.  This kid could "pump" his legs in his vibrating/rocking chair when he was three months old...perfectly!  He skinnys up every ladder he sees.  I never knew that taking him to the public playground would be the best workout ever for me.

Hallie is completely obsessed with dogs.  She recently said something that made me smile ear to ear.  She said, "can you imagine a black puppy poking his cute little face out of a flower patch?"  Of course it was said in her "mellow dramatic" way, which made me giggle inside.  She's such a girl, and I love it. 

Chandler is my Romeo.  I was bouncing him on my knees while singing some little song, and when I would finish he'd lean forward and give me a kiss right on the lips, and then a hug....while saying "momma."  Then I'd sing it again, and he'd finish with another kiss and a hug. 

Hallie loves to wear dresses and hopes to high heaven that people will think she looks "ravishing."  I'll often hear her ask, "mom, do you think they'll think I look ravishing?"

Not to be out of order but something just popped into my head and if I don't type it now, I'll lose it.  While I was putting a band-aid on Hallie's finger, she leaned down and kissed my hand, then looked up at me with those sparkly blues and smiled.  It's something small I know, but my heart melted a little.

Chandler's a comedian.  The other night he was eating his corn...with his eyes closed...and a huge smile on his face.  The missionaries were over and we all laughed so hard.  He's constantly doing things that he knows will make people laugh.  I love that he's funny.

Hallie picks flowers for me every day...or so it seems.  In fact she lovingly handed me a single blade of grass the other day....which I seriously tried to sincerely thank her for. :)

Chandler loves shoes.  He's constantly wearing someone else's shoes.  He will point and tell whoever is within earshot exactly whose shoes belong to who.  He loves his dad's shoes the most though.

 

 

    

I love these little specimens.

Girls Camp

A couple weeks ago I got to go to girls camp.  I serve as a counselor in the Young Womens program in my church, and every year a camp is held for all the girls in our stake, ages 12-18.


And I have to admit I was a little nervous because it's been years since I've camped.

I also regard foundation in the same way I do a shirt...I never leave the house without it.

So needless to say, I was curious to find out how far I'd come in the last ten years....yeah ten!


The other part of me was excited because I would have a break from all the mommy-related responsibilities of taking care of home and kids (and husband). 

Elon and I drove down together the first night because it was "Bishops Night", and he got to give the girls a little fireside meeting after they did their skits. He gave them a great message.  I hope they thought it was as great as I did.

Then he left me there....with the elements....and the most beautiful girls ever.  Seriously, these girls were SO pretty...each and every one of them.  There were about 85.

Lucky for us a scout camp left before we got there and they left behind a big tent they had used. 

It became known as the "ugly tent" and it housed all the food and mail boxes:

 Anne brought her pop-up camper and shared it with Tara, Amy, and I.  And boy was I ever grateful to have that as my sleeping quarters!

...because starting at midnight that night, the rains came...and about three quarters of our super cute tent dwellers got soaked.

But to our amazement...the inhabitants of one of the wettest tents (our first-year girls), woke up with smiles stretched across their faces and the desire to go swimming in the lake! 

 
 























My niece, Leah (on the right) is actually a second-year girl.

Unfortunately the clouds never lifted and the forecast looked wet for the remainder of camp, so our stake leader made the ultra-tough decision to cut it one day short.  

But from what I saw, the girls were extremely mature about that decision.  

So that last day, all of the activities that the YCL's (youth camp leaders) had planned for these girls were put into action.  And boy did it look like they had a blast.

Then I think the favorite activity that the YCL's did for these girls was the spiritual one at the end that involved blind folding all of them, and then sending them out to search for something. 

After hopelessly wondering around for a while, alone, and no doubt discouraged, they heard distant singing.  Each one walked toward the sound where they were then embraced by a youth leader. They were "home".

It was the spiritual parallel that really touched these girls to the core. 

While these activities were happening, I got to work with these lovely ladies to take down camp:

 Sue (above, left) helped with the food.  She had the girls eating like the queens that they are:

Here is Anne "mopping" herself out of the pop-up.  

Why?

...because she's a princess. ;)

Camp ended with a testimony meeting that tugged at my heart strings and had my eyes swimming by the end of it.  I am so blessed to work with these amazing girls.  The way they treat themselves and each other reveals their heightened perspective that is so needed in the world we live in today.  

The whole time I was there, I felt nourished and fed by their example.

Oh...and a little ways in, I forgot to care that I wasn't wearing foundation. :)

I came home to a pristine clean house, and the best hugs ever from my handsome husband and adorable little ones.

I swear those two grew while I was gone.