Work before play, that's what I say...

There are benefits to living on a campground...

You get to drive a tractor.

There will always be plenty of chores for your children...

They'll spend a lot of time outside,

And (cross your fingers) they'll be close!


And... you meet some amazing people! This summer, we met wonderful people from all over the world and had great conversations with them. There were two families that stand out because of the neat things they were doing.


The first one is the Story family. This faithful couple saved for three years so that he could bike across America, earning money for African widows and orphans. Dad would bike out in the morning, and then the family would follow him in a motor home. Sometimes the older ones would bike with him for a while. As they traveled, they would tell their story, and people would donate. They felt really strongly about their cause, and you can find details in The Story Bike Trip 2008


And, the Clements family....They were so very sweet and fun to talk to! They were taking their girls on a trip to see ALL 50 STATES! Wow! You can see their story here. I think they have a lot of money, but they were not snooty at all!
And there were many more great people...

So anyway back to working at the campground...
After working all morning, we played all afternoon at the children's museum!

Thankfulness from the kids...

Ellie's Thankful list...

1.Church
2.School
3.Family
4.Movies
5.Computer

Brinley...
1.Church
2.Family
3.School
4.Friends
5.Holidays!

Saxton...
1.Going with my grandmas to the beach
2.and I wuv my famiwy
3.and I'm sankful it's almost my birsday
4.and I'm sankful for Jesus
5.and I'm sankful for kitty

Nathan....
1.Food
2.Brothers and Sisters
3.Drinks
4.Laughter
5.Hugs and kisses!
6.Did I mention food?

Lots of posts below!

Yeah! My computer is working better now, thanks to a tech guy named Derek who I talked to for an hour! So....I've caught up on our life some and I can catch up on yours! Love to all who read this!

Daddy's Birthday

Things we love about our dad....
He loves us more than money!
He loves us more than status!
He loves us more than any material thing!
He'd rather be with us than anyone!
He does a cool Kung Fu trick (flips from his back to his feet!)
He loves cheesecake, so we get it on his birthday!
Happy 32! We love you!

Family Fun

We had a "Kung Fu Panda" night-- the admission was that you dress as a kung fu warrior and do a kung fu trick! Cute show. We went to a fun event at the CM Russell Museum, and also received a fun New York package from our friends who served a mission there!

Saxton...

Will sit for hours on end working on a puzzle, gets excited about his birthday and Christmas coming right up!

Nathan...

Loves candy, going places, coming home, and watching shows!

Ellie...

Will play any part...princess, cowgirl, or homie!

Brinley...

Is taking ballet, likes to make up new hair do's, loves friends!

How to play the flour tower game

This was a fun FHE activity I remembered from my youth...
Pack a tall cup with flour-- press the flour into the cup with a spoon and level off. Put a plate over the cup and upturn. Set the plate on a table and slowly pull the cup off. Set a piece of candy on top. Take turns slicing a section of the tower off with a butter knife. The knife must go from top to bottom of the tower. You can slice a little or a lot, depending on strategy. The person to make the candy fall off the tower has to eat it-- without hands! Don't inhale through the nose! Discard flour and start again! The kids want to do this all the time now...

Halloween Fun

Trunk or treat here at the campground, fun crocheted pumpkins from Grandma Sue, Trick or treating with friends on the military base (my friend Miranda dressed up as "Super Mom"-- hilarious idea--check out the tool belt! Her cape is made of an apron!), A "spooky" dinner with "bone" breadsticks, "eyeball" salad, "ghoul" punch, witches' teeth, etc. It was the warmest Halloween Day in my memory-- no need to wear coats or to rush the trick or treating thing because of cold. I loved it. Nathan loved getting candy at each door. This was his first year of really getting that concept. He would turn his backpack to the door and say "trick or treat", and then turn forward and say "thank you". So funny.