My Big Little Man

I am a sucker for a man in a suit and a good deal.

Every other Saturday our Goodwill has everything in the store for half off. I couldn't resist this Polo sports coat for $1.98.

Larissa is 5

Happy Birthday!

She will not be proven wrong. At Goodwill, we got Larissa rollerblades. The peanut gallery was very quick to point out that she was only five. Rollerblading is too hard for five year olds; let alone 7 year olds. We went home, and she immediately put them on. (Yes, I am one of those mothers that didn't protest her wearing them inside the house.) She even experimented going down our little driveway hill.

In case you didn't know, she is amazing.

Independence Day

Have I mentioned how much I love my kids? What they say and what they do!?

Makes any holiday loving and great.

4 little monkeys sleeping in my bed

While Grant was gone, I allowed a different kid to sleep with me in his place each night. After everyone had their turn, I just let everyone pile in.

prayer changes everything

For summer fun, my kids spent some time painting wooden cars. I lined the kitchen table to prevent accidents.

As I was returning from the bathroom, I saw three kids diligently scrubbing a kitchen chair. Ethan had spilled the water cup used for cleansing the brushes onto the fabric chair.

Ethan saw my [not happy] face and froze.

"Get cleaning now!!"

Now Ethan is a very unique individual. Sometimes I feel like he is in his own world, so I wasn't too surprised when he just got on the floor and on his knees hunched over the water bottles for a couple seconds. Then he popped right up.

And then it hit me.

With tears in my eyes and now in my throat I said, "Did you just say a prayer?!?"

"yes."

I couldn't be mad anymore. I grabbed a magic eraser and started helping out. We then took the chair outside to spray it with the hose.

So... if you come to my house and literally see a rainbow on my kitchen chair, you will know that you are seeing the love of Christ.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY.

children are perceptive

Raea: Mom, can I go to a friend's?
Me: I guess.
Raea sits down next to me, hugs me, and then rubs my back.
Raea: Is everything ok?
Puzzled.
Me: I guess.
Raea: I have known you for eight years. You only say "I guess" if you are sad or tired.

I love Raea and her caring soul. I am so blessed to have her in my life.

Grant does come home tomorrow.

Memorial Day

We went hiking.

Machu Pichu

Today someone asked me what is Machu Pichu. Shocked, I explained it to her. In case you need a refresher, here is a brief history. 100 years ago (another anniversary ...see my love for numbers) a professor from Yale was on a journey to find the last Incan village. No one knew where it was, but local Peruvians showed him this large village on the Mountain Machu Pichu ("old mountain"). Because no one knew the name of the village, it was just named Machu Pichu after the mountain it was hidden on. It was actually hidden in the tropical rain forest, and the trees have since been removed to be able to see the large majesty of it all. No one knows for sure when it was built, but it is speculated that is was built in the 1400s by the Incans. However, the Spaniards overtook the Incans in the 1500s. It is thought the Spaniards didn't know about this village because the Spanish destroyed all the other Incan buildings in the town, and this was still intake. The tricky thing is that only leaves 100 years to build this large city and then abandon it. There were no bones found, which makes researchers believe that the inhabitants really did leave and abandon this huge city of stone work.


To get there, you have to take a train to a small village in the mountains called Agua Calientes.

Then you can hike or ride a bus even more up the mountain.
Then you hike a little more.
Once you have hiked higher than the clouds, the city of Machu Pichu pops out at you.

Walk through the city.
Enjoy the amazing stone work walls.
Enjoy your company.

Quick Peru Review

We saw multiple historical sites and saw Incan ruins in Cusco.

We biked through multiple towns in the sacred valley.

We hiked the Incan trail and saw the Incan bridge.

We saw Machu Pichu and were amazed at its complexity.

We are home now and are trying to settle back in. Thanks for all the help with our kids while Grant and I were able to sneak away for the week. In the (almost) 10 years since we have been married, we have never left the kids this long. Much needed.

Our New Cousin