On Sending Her Off to Camp

 Every once in a while I'm allowed to catch a glimpse into why I kept on doing something that was uncomfortable. For the last 4 years we have attended the Wednesday evening activities at Immanuel Baptist Church. Until COVID we had supper at the church before the children's and adult classes. I found the suppers to be rather lonely times while I generally sat alone and Jeremy came late when he got off work. I never felt like it was the right thing to do to stop going just because it was uncomfortable. I always had the sense that it was good for all of the children to have a social outlet and the prospect of friends. Interestingly, it was during quarantine that several friendships solidified and have very much enhanced my life as well as the children.

Aliza went to a week long camp with the youth group and it was in sending her off that I saw why I stuck with this for so long. She was SO excited. This group of friends has been the biggest gift. The leaders are not just there to provide a good time. They are calling these kids up to make commitments to Jesus and to follow Him in all of their decisions. So when it was time for Aliza to go and she could barely make time to say good bye, I held her face, looked her straight in the eyes and told her to have so much fun. I could only smile.

 Every picture I've seen she has the biggest smile. The girls did stay up until 1am the second night...there weren't as many pictures from that day!

Meanwhile, on the home front, the house is a little quieter. Anna is missing her sister. Anna got to be with her friend one day and we went to the cove. It was a really pretty day.

Aliza was doing the zip line....

....and swimming. This is seriously my favorite picture. Joy. Security. Freedom.

 

All the Fun Stuff

 This month our social calendar has been full. Today is the first day in several weeks where there is nothing on the calendar and I couldn't be happier about it. I love people and doing fun things and then I love coming home and having a day to catch up. I blame COVID for making me a full fledged introvert.

We had an afternoon at Pemberton Park hiking with friends.

Isaiah had his first follow up appointment with orthopedic. I was surprised and beyond thrilled when they fitted him with an Exos cast. It is REMOVEABLE and WASHABLE. Do you know what that means?! It can get wet! He takes it off to take a bath. The weekend after he got it we went to the beach. Jeremy is the master of problem solving so I wanted him with me the first go around at the beach with a cast. It went great. Isaiah played in the water. When we got home we washed and dried his cast while he took a bath and put it back on again.

Meanwhile, Aliza had Driver's Ed for 10 nights. She was the youngest in her class but it made so much sense for her take it with three of her friends from youth group. This was Aliza's first classroom experience. She adjusted and did great. I knew she would pass the test but I was anxiously waiting for her to get home that night to tell that she had, indeed, passed. One night the Moms of these kids went out to supper. Jeremy and I did a date night swap with another couple whose daughter was in the class.

Janell invited us to go to a Maui Jack's water park with her and girls. The water a bit chilly, but it was a really nice day to be out in the sun.

While we were there, Aliza was at a pool party with her dance class.

Josiah and Anna were all kinds of adventurous (for them) and went down the water slides. They LOVED it. Isaiah was pretty bummed that they didn't want to play with him the whole time.

Josiah, Renee and Lydia did the fast slides. Josiah went down more than once!

I hung out with Isaiah in the kids pool. He did have fun. Everyone wants to go back soon. Isaiah says, though, that he wants to wait until his arm is healed and he grows another inch to be able to go on the big slides.

Yesterday afternoon and evening Aliza was at the beach with her friends celebrating Alena's birthday. She had so much fun. I'm so grateful that she has this group to do life with.

 

 

Foundation

 I found it fascinating to watch the precision that the mason's used to lay the foundation perfectly square and straight. Aliza thought it was pretty creepy, but I kept peeking out the boys window to check on progress.

This will be the porch to the new back door.

It is fun to see the space defined.

And it was all finished in one day.
 

Joy Dare::May

8079. Jeremy got to go golfing
8080. Janell willing to help me pick out an outfit
8081. Aliza and Anna approved of my dress
8082. The most beautiful day to be outside
8083. Time with Jeremy
8084. Proposal story, engagement pictures and all the wedding talk
8085. School is finished!
8086. A trip to the store with all the kids (hadn't done that in a very long time!)
8087. Walking in the quiet this morning
8088. Mowed and trimmed yard
8089. Pink cheeked and sweaty kids
8090. Foundation that matches my skin
8091. Car time with Aliza
8092. Sitting around Mom's table
8093. Changing the supper plan on a whim
8094. Testing complete; officially summer vacation
8095. Safe trip
8096. Evelyn and Florence so excited to see their cousins
8097. Aliza and Anna willing to reach out to make a friend
8098. Sun at the right moments
8099. The happiest of couple
8100. A perfect succulent
8101. The 3 Heslop boys with their Mom on Mother's Day
8102. The opportunity to really visit with Sarah
8103. Looking at pictures with Florence
8104. The drive home was so smooth
8105. Anna's heart
8106. I slept all night.
8107. Home.
8108. Sore muscles
8109. Quiet evening
8110. Finished a book
8111. It's feeling like summer vacation has started
8112. Wednesday evening hour sitting beside Jeremy
8113. Perfect strawberry picking morning
8114. Hugging Grandad
8115. Anna being so helpful
8116. My barn sign bench made with love
8117. Perfectly roasted marshmallows
8118. Isaiah wanted to sit close to me and talk
8119. Gorgeous spring days
8120. Going into a store without a mask
8121. Bible studying
8122. Painting project
8123. Fire pit burning
8124. The call I wasn't sure would ever come
8125. Family work evening
8126. Some time with Josiah
8127. Aliza baking for book club
8128. Cleaning day
8129. Time to talk to Maria
8130. Jeremy made it possible or me to away most of the day
8131. Lines painted on the ground
8132. A beautiful day by the water
8133. Jeremy was with me when Isaiah got hurt
8134. Aliza, Josiah and Anna with wonderful friends
8135. Isaiah was so brave
8136. A warm blanket
8137. Mom willing to pick up the oldest 3 and get them settled
8138. Everyone pitching in to help Isaiah and make him comfortable
8139. My spirit encouraged and strengthened
8140. My family and friends
8141. Feeling all my feelings to the fullest
8142. Just enough strength to do the next thing
8143. Isaiah is so very very brave
8144. His thumbs up when I look over at him
8145. Back in our safe place--HOME
8146. A pretty decent first night
8147. Our second church
8148. Sweet gestures of friendship for Isaiah

8149. In the library checking out books!
8150. The childhood tradition--library, McDonald's, movie
8151. Foundation dug and footer poured
8152. Visiting with Mom and Dad on the deck
8153. Isaiah running around enough that he made me nervous
8154. Much needed rain
8155. Isaiah woke up happy this morning!
8156. Rainy weekend calls for a long nap
8157. Enjoyed putting together a scrapbook page
8158. The drive was shorter than I had planned on
8159. Aliza proud of trying something new
8160. The kids had a day with Grandma
 

Beginnings of a Foundation

 I was on the couch with Isaiah by 5:30am the second morning after his surgery. He was still very uncomfortable and not eating right. I had drifted off to a light sleep by 6:30 and had the most bizarre dream. I dreamed that Straight Edge Construction had a weekend company campout in our backyard. They were having all kinds of fun and at some point I had had enough of watching them have fun. I finally asked why they were playing instead of working on our addition project. After some discussion they told me that the project was just too complicated and had already been delayed so long that it just wasn't worth the work involved. They were withdrawing. Next thing I knew it was 8:00 and there was a truck driving in the driveway. It was Ryan, our project manager, coming in to get the mason's set up and oversee the digging of our foundation. I knew there was a chance they would come that day, but it was not for sure until they showed up. Needless to say, the project is still on! 

We are that creepy family that watches. Since the addition is going out from our sliding door we have front row seats right now.

For all the time we've waited, it was almost disappointing that the digging only lasted an hour!

The frame was installed for the concrete footer. While they did that, the children and I went INTO the library for the first time in over a year. It felt so good! It was McDonald's for lunch...because I was willing to feed Isaiah pretty much anything he would eat. The kids thought it was really great that the mason crew pulled up right beside us in the McDonald's drive through line.

Foundation trench looking down from upstairs.

We weren't home long before the concrete mixer pulled in. That was very exciting to watch. We watched from the girls room upstairs which ended up being a great view. We could see into the mixer while water was being added and the cement turned.

It was a hot afternoon and those guys worked hard. They had to move the concrete by wheelbarrow load to reach the far side of the foundation. They were still done by 2:30.

One day of work and now we've been sitting for a week so far. At that rate....well, we won't think about that!