What my Garden looked like the end of June

My tomato plants

My beans and Basil

Pumpkins and behind it is my squash

and corn!!!

An Eventful Week

On Sunday it began with several people getting sick, and more people getting sick on Monday and Tuesday morning....like the flu. Heidi came down with a fever on Tuesday evening that was 102, but the medicine worked and she was great all night and Wednesday morning. That afternoon however she started getting hotter and more ouchy and right before bed after I had given her motrin for the night we took her temperature because she still felt really hot. The thermometer read 104.5 the first time and the second time it read 104.9!!! We decided it best to take her into the ER and when they took her temp rectally (poor thing) it read 105.3...her file was marked urgent and we were wisked away to the last room available in the ER and the nurse quickly brought her a dose of Tylenol, but it didn't do anything for the fever so they gave her a dose of Motrin and then began the waiting game. The ER was really busy that night, and while we were an urgent case they had so many others as well! There was one kid that had gotten a fishing hook stuck in his jaw and the grandfather decided to cut it (the fish hook) off, but he cut it right at the face so the hook kind of sunk into the skin....and I heard the nurses and doctors talking that that one was going to take a while to get out and restitch up....poor kid. We waited a while and then Heidi was of course tested for swine flu...which is a swab stuck up your nose lightly and another one really small, but deep and extremely uncomfortable. Then we had chest x-rays and a urine test, which they had to cath. her for because she did not pea on her own :(. All the tests came back clear, and after 5 hours of being there (9:15pm-2:15am) and the fever subsided we were relesed and told to watch for a virus that might apear in a few days!! :( Not very comforting knowing that Chad and I were planning on going to Anchorage on Friday for his eye appoitment where they are going to take a few stitches and loosen them and move his cornea around a little just to make sure it is in the most perfect position possible. We had a friend lined up to watch the kids here at home and we were going to get a little shopping in before he had his appoitment and then I was going to drive home while Chad recovered from his little ordeal. Alas Heidi is still a little iffy and Mason has not been feeling we either, and I am extremely fatigued because of so many late nights with Mason and Heidi tag teaming their awakenings throughout the night and then Wednesdays ordeal, I just figured it was best not to go and put whatever may happen with the kids on my friends shoulders. Who knows what else can happen before this week is over!!!
On a side note all the staff that took care of Heidi that evening was the same staff that took care of Mason exactly two weeks earlier at exactly the same time!!! And yes they all recognized me!!! :} Oh boy....we are already becoming aquainted with the emergency room staff on a first name basis. On top of all that my friend also had her baby the same night/morning as we were there and we are so happy for her!

Taking a Break

After 4 weeks of solid swimming lessons we are taking a two week break before we start up again for another two weeks! I felt like we needed to put into practice what the girls were learning before we start another set. Emma is going to be working on her elementary back stroke so we can go in and hopefully get her retested so she can go on to level 4. She has been a little slow at this same thing for the last half a year and I felt we just needed to get her some one on one time and test her out of it to move on. Level 4 groups are generally a lot smaller and she will get a lot more attention that way. My overall goal was to try and get her through all the levels (5 in all) so she can join the swim team....so we will see what will happen.

On another note this is the last week of Lakeside camp and we will have one more for Wagon Train after this but our summer camps are quickly coming to a close. It seems amazing to me that it has gone by so quickly. Now we are getting ready for rental groups and switching to our winter mode, and I am getting ready for another year of homeschooling. The kids seem to be excited about it and tonight they are playing school with some friends!

Adventures!

So last night I left Chad at about 7pm so I could swim and then at 8 I had a baby shower to go to. He was able to spend lots of time with the kids and ran around and played with them outside. I came home from the shower about 10 and no sooner had I walked in the door, Mason started to cough and choke on something. I rushed over and patted his back and swiped my finger through his mouth and felt nothing, but he was still kind of coughing and sputtering so I went over to where Chad was and angled him down, patting his back while Chad swiped his mouth and as far down his throat that his finger could get but still felt nothing. Mason finally calmed down and I took him upstairs to try and put him to sleep, but as I was doing this he still was restless and could not quite get himself to sleep, which is not normal. I took him back downstairs and we decided to head to the ER because I was pretty sure that whatever he had swallowed was still in there, and if it was having a hard time going down the throat it probably would not do well in his intestines either! When I got the the ER I had to retell my story at least 7 times to 7 different people, but since it was a throat thing they were quick to get things moving. Within a half an hour they had decided to get full body x-ray's to see what was in his throat! He was still gagging a lot and had thrown up a lot of frothy saliva, so I think the ER doc. thought that he might have the flu, just by the persistent questions about him showing signs of being sick or not. We soon got our diagnosis though....they had found what looked to be a quarter at the end of his esophagus, so the surgeon was called and the IV was then attempted to be put in! :) The first one they tried blew out so we had to hold Mason still for a second time, which took 5 people in all....two to get the IV in and blood drawn, and three of us to hold his body arm and legs :), yes he is a bit of a fighter! Once that was over with he was pretty calm just because he had worn himself out trying to fight with us, and the fact that it was now 11:45. Soon we were taken down to the surgery room at the other end of the hospital and that is where I had to leave him. They stuck a tube down his throat to knock him out and then the surgeon took an arthroscopic camera with a pincher thing and put that down his throat so he could see where it was and grab it and pulled it out! The object ended up being a penny instead of the quarter we all thought it was (I guess the x-ray machine tends to magnify things a little :)) and 10 minutes later I was able to go in and see Mason, and 10 minutes after that we went home! He slept from then until 7am, and then he needed food, before he slept until 9:30am. He is doing just fine now. Sometimes he gets a little cough, or whines a little because of the raw spot where the penny sat, but other than that no noticeable side effects, and we got to keep the penny, and are hoping to get a copy of the x-ray for the baby book. I am afraid though that this is just one of many occurrences that I will be taking at the ER room the way my kids play!!! The nurses told me not to say that, but I was like, "Yea, but you don't know my children! :)" I agree with the nurse....I just have a feeling about the next 18 years! We thank God that it was not more serious and that he came through anesthesia without incident.

Trip to Summit Lake

We headed up to Summit Lake for me to meet up with a friend that I had not seen in 15 years!! It was only for a few minutes because they had to get back to Wasilla that night, but it was worth the drive. After my friends left, we played at the lake a little and then headed back for home. It was a beautiful day except the smoke from our fires down here on the peninsula are really making things hazy. There was a day last week when it was thick like clouds and when the sun peered through it looked and felt just like it does at sunset except it was the middle of the afternoon!
When we got home it was dinner time and I made some pizzas on the grill and then the girls and I sat down and watched a movie together before it was time for bed. It was a fun full day!


Kids are playing in Summit Lake, at Summit Lake Lodge

Madison and Emma starring out at Summit Lake

Summit Lake

Swan Lake (I believe), aka...lake at the turnoff down to Soldotna

Fireweed Turnoff to Soldotna from Anchorage

On the road home....out running off the car ride jitters!

Camping a few nights ago

Camping out with friends!

Camping in Homer

Last night as soon as Chad was done working we headed down to Homer to camp out on the beach. It has been awesome weather and we enjoyed watching the tide come in, walking on the beach, and picking up every shell that we came across! I forgot my camera at home, which I am extremely miserable over, so there are no pictures for you all to see. We are hoping to do it again so hopefully we will get pictures next time. We had a tough night with Mason who was a little sick and not really enjoying the camping experience like the rest of us were. So Chad and I took turns bouncing and driving him to keep him asleep! I think next time we will bring a port a crib with us so he is confined and feels more at home. I enjoyed sitting outside watching the tide come a few feet from our tent and seeing the orange moon overhead. The sound of waves has always been one of my favorite things to listen to, so it was nice being able to fall asleep to it! This morning we were all up bright and early and took another walk before having a little coffee break and breakfast. We packed up our stuff and headed home. Now Chad is trying to catch up on some lost sleep and then who knows what adventure we will do next!

Summer..........!

So much is happening that I feel that I get behind in my stories for posting. Since last week Emma and Madison have been to camp and started swimming lessons and today we had a wonderful tea party with friends outside! The weather has been absolutely amazing which has made the garden amazing and producing tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, chives, basil, cilantro, and zucchini! Oh and a beautiful pepper which was so nice and fresh. I have pictures but not loaded onto the computer yet.
This year I planted corn in my green house to see how it will do. So far it is doing great and it is already past my knee, so I just might get some corn this fall! We have had a nice mix of rain and sun, and it makes everyone in such a better mood here in our great state. After last summer with the weather not reaching over 60 more than 5 days out of the entire summer and only that amount in sunny days, we were all depressed and very pessimistic about the outcome of our summer this year. We have already had more sunny days this summer than the last 3 years combined and that is not too much of an exaggeration.

Camp is in its 3rd full week and next week is water ski camp. Today was the end of primary camp, which is what Emma and Madison attended, and tonight started our family camp which gives families a great opportunity to spend a few days together and not have to worry about cooking or cleaning and just do fun things. There are trail rides, boating, swimming, the "country fair", archery, walks, riflery, across the lake swim, and several other activities that families can do together. Chad has been busy getting things ready for volunteer groups that are coming and for the SOWER's (servants on wheels ever ready) that comes for 4 weeks at a time. He and James have to keep them busy and make sure that they have what they need. In addition to that we sometimes play tour guide and fishing guide for them! Chad is also driving the van with all of the campers luggage that follows the bus to Anchorage every weekend. He is also in charge of work crew again this year and meets with them several times a day to keep up with their needs. When he is not busy with that he drives the wilderness group out to the drop off site and picks them up when they are finished every other week. All the work during the summer keeps our full time staff and our volunteer staff hopping! It is the children that come to camp and the difference that we see in their lives that keeps us all going. Knowing that just one child might know Jesus just a little better, or invite Him into their heart makes all the work stuff worth it. This is why we are here....to make a difference in their lives and hopefully in the community.
Please keep these kids in your prayers each day. Please keep our staff, both full and volunteer, in your prayers as well. Pray for their strength to finish the summer strong and not give up because of tiredness.