Happy Birthday Samantha!

Yesterday Samantha turned 12 years old. Seems like just yesterday, she looked like this:How did she grow into this?And here are the guests:

Notice my parents in the above picture? This is the first time they have been able to be up here since Mom's fall over a year ago (March 2008). So today was a milestone! Yea, Mom, for finally getting the OK to do our stairs!! Uncle Sock and Aunty Lynn came up, as well as Omi, so it was a good day!! Aunt Lynn even played Samantha's new game from Grandma and Grandpa, "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader". I'm not sure who was the smartest, but they had fun. It's good to have loving family who are willing to come up and spend birthdays with us, and I don't take that for granted.
:-)

Two Goofballs---Ur, I mean--Two Knights?

Happy Fathers Day

to my dad, who is a wonderful example of a Christian husband, father, and grandfather. He is patient and kind, loves and looks after his family, and serves the Lord. He made sure we went to church and learned about Jesus. And I can always remember him serving in the church. When I was a kid, my dad would go out every Saturday for our church's bus route and see if the regulars were coming to Sunday School the next day, and invite new kids to come. Many times I went with him. I was pretty shy and didn't enjoy talking to people I didn't know, so I guess I just went so I could spend time with my Dad. He didn't have to give up part of his Saturdays like that, and he probably would have rather been golfing, but he had a heart for those kids and wanted them to come to church so they could come to know Jesus. Now, that's a real man.
I thank God for giving me the dad he did.
I love you, Daddy.

Happy Father's Day

to my sweet husband, who spent his Father's Day weekend, well, fathering these little beauties:

We went to our favorite camping place, Hope Valley,

where there was some cloud watching,

baseball playing,

fishing, (sorry, no fishing pictures, so here's a cute Rebecca picture instead),barbecuing by the "master barbecuer", and lots of family fun.

I just have to say that my husband is a great dad! He spent this morning patiently untangling fishing lines dozens of times, so little ones could try out their new fishing gear. He makes us laugh with his jokes, gets up very early and works so hard for his family, and he is our solid rock. I am so proud of the man he is. Happy Father's day to my love.
:-)

Our tree stump

This huge partially-hollowed-out tree stump was in our campsite and was very popular with the kids. They had pine cone wars and played inside it and had alot of fun. Well, one day, I decided to climb up there and check it out. I guess I forgot that what goes up must also come down. Climbing in was easy, climbing out and down--not so much. It didn't help that my husband and children were laughing at me as I tried to figure out how to get down without killing myself, or more likely, breaking one of my much needed bones. But finally, I made it out. :-)
Here's one last picture of my lovely family from our camping trip, just because.
We are planning on a short trip up to Hope Valley this weekend. Then we have to stick around here for several weeks, with other commitments.

The Ultimate Smackdown!

Yesterday, Ralph, Danny, Cara, Nick, and Samantha (along with Nathaniel) went to Manteca for a Karate Tournament--The Ultimate Smackdown. Danny entered 4 events. He brought home 2 First place trophies, and 2 Second place trophies. Ok, so there wasn't alot of participation in a couple of his events, but still, something to be proud of. Now, why do they make those trophies so big? Where are they gonna go in this house? No pictures of the tournament, the family forgot the camera, but I'm pretty sure Nathaniel (who brought home a trophy too for the event he entered), took about 6 million of them, so maybe he will send me a couple.
In one sparring event, Danny got his nose cut and it started bleeding. So they had to stop til it was taken care of. Their description of the first aid lady was really funny; I'm sure I can't describe her like they did. But I guess she had all kinds of stuff hanging off her including this huge fanny pack with a billion things in it, except small bandaids. She was searching and searching for something to put on Danny's nose and finally pulls out some gauze and holds it on his nose with one hand while she keeps searching in her pack for a bandaid with the other. Then, one of the judges said, "Uh, I think he can hold his own gauze on his nose."
"Oh, yeah, the lady says, you can hold your own gauze, then I can have two hands to search." She never found any bandaids, so she pulled out scotch tape and taped the gauze on his nose and kept searching for a bandaid. Finally, a judge said, "Why don't we just see if it's done bleeding," and ripped the tape off. It was done, so they finished the sparring match. Kinda silla for a first aid person not to have any regular bandaids.
One girl got her nose broke in a sparring match, which makes me rethink having my girls in karate. Cara said, "You don't care if the boys get their noses broke?" Well......I do, just not as much as if one of the girls would. Oh well, I'll just pray no one gets their nose broke. Or anything else for that matter!
Well, gotta get this family ready for church.
Happy Sunday!

Quote from This Morning

Cara: "Becca, you talk too much."

Rebecca: "That's why I'm glad I'm in a big family. When someone gets tired of me talking, I just move on to the next."

:-)

Here he is:

And he better like mice!
For more pictures, go to Cara's blog.

Vacation Pictures

This is at the Visitors Center at Humbolt Redwoods State Park.

Inside a log.

Danny and Nick

Rebecca

Ralph
Our CampsiteRoasting marshmallows

This was the day it rained and we had to stay inside.
In a Tree House
At Confusion Hill

Samantha

On the last day, it was drizzly again. So we did what any good campers (or not so good campers) would do on a rainy day. We pigged out at Hometown Buffet for lunch, and then went to see UP in 3-D.

A good time was had by all of the Houseful of Blessings! God is good!

Cara Wins!

Ok, well, we all know how Cara has been pining and whining for a cat. Just before vacation, I was close to giving in, but last night was the final straw and now I can't wait to get a cat. I love them! No matter that they make me sneeze, cats are my new best friends. Here's the scoop......
We got home, unpacked, did a bunch of laundry, etc., the usual after vacation routine. Then it was time to fall into our nice, clean beds. Ahhh, the house was quiet, the children were sleeping, and......what was that? I sat up in bed. I distinctly heard scratching and gnawing sounds. From the area of my dresser!!! But no, Ralph says, that's in the wall. There's nothing he can do about it tonight, he says. He'll set traps and set decon out tomorrow, he says. Hmm, I swear it sounds like it's in the room. No, no, says Ralph, surely they are in the wall. Boy does it sound like it's coming from inside my dresser, but I must be crazy! Ralph starts snoring and I just lay there, listening to the sounds of something...mouse? rat? what is it???? I can't stand it, I can't sleep!!! Jackson likes to sleep on a little mattress next to our bed-----that's a long story, I know, spoiled child and all that, but at this time in our lives, with 9 people in the house, it works---back to last night.....where was I? Oh, yes, Jackson likes to sleep on his little mattress next to our bed, but in his dreams he yells out "Ow, stop!". All I can think is a big, fat, evil rat is biting him. Scurry, scratch, gnaw. So I let Jack up in my bed. I can't stand the thought him on the floor with all that gnawing going on, while Ralph snores away, so I let him into my side of the bed so I can protect him from killer rodents, and so now I am listening to the noises and being squashed by a snuggly boy. I lay there til long past midnight, listening to the noises and getting really freaked out!! I just kept telling myself, Monday morning, I am going to the animal shelter and getting a mouser! Finally, sleep won.....
This morning, there were waffles to make, littles to get ready, and church to get to, and so the mice were put into the back of my mind. Ok, can you believe it? I actually forgot for the moment, in all the Sunday morning hussle. But as soon as we were on our way home from church, I remember! Gave Ralph the long lecture about how something must be done and I am getting a CAT, because when we had Buddy, we never had mice, he saw to that. Oh, forgot to mention, Nick was the last one to get the cold and so he stayed home from church. When we get here, he explains that he heard noises and finally went exploring to see what the noise was and has found 2 baby mice. Where, you ask? IN RALPH'S SOCK DRAWER!!! (That would be in my dresser. In my BEDROOM.) Further research finds another baby and a deceased mama mouse in another drawer! Oh, the awfulness, of all the horrible, terrible, disgusting things! I couldn't look. The rest of the family had to deal with it, because I could NOT.
Sigh. Go away for a week, and the mice think they can move in..
Traps have been set, the drawers have all been cleaned out (and mice disposed of, much to Samantha's and Rebecca's sorrow--"Can't we keep them?"), the bedroom searched for any more signs of rodents. So far, so good.
We're still getting a cat.

We're Back,

and despite Cara's sicki stuff, a few colds spread out through the week, an ear infection that needed antibiotics, which meant finding a place to take Rebecca, and some drizzle, we had a good time!
I have lots of pictures to post, and I will, but right now, I must fix Jackson a sandwich before he starves to death. So the vacation post will have to wait, but I also have a post about last night's adventures. Stay tuned.....