Our eight-year-old girl

Nine years ago, we were at a point where we were wondering if we would ever have children. We had been trying for 9 months with no success and were starting to have tests run and doctor appointments. I remember the awful unknown feeling, wondering if I would ever know what it would be like to be pregnant and have a child of our own. I had prayed and prayed, and finally came to the point where I was accepting that my plans may not be God's plans. Right when the doctor's reports were not looking good, I found out I was pregnant. How amazingly blessed we felt! I know that many others have been through so many more struggles with infertility or miscarriages, and that I only had a little taste of that. But I have to say that nothing in my life has built my faith more, because I absolutely had no control and I was able to see how God was in complete control. That is true, whether he had blessed us with children or not. The work he did in me during that time was invaluable, and I am so thankful for the lessons I learned and the comfort and peace that I know only he could have provided.

That being said, how grateful I am that he blessed us with our first little girl! I can't believe Symantha is 8. I say that with every age, and she seems to be growing up faster and faster.

First birthday

Second birthday

Third birthday

Fourth birthday

Fifth birthday

Sixth birthday

Seventh birthday

Eighth birthday

Symantha at 8

Animated

Bright eyes

Cheerful and easily excited

Sometimes too loud

Scheming, always making a plan or having big, crazy ideas

Creative

Dramatic - Super highs and super lows

Very talkative

Lost in books

Loves Jesus and wants other to also

Good vocabulary

Social butterfly, social planner - always wants to get together with or call friends

Active, loves to go

Deep thinker, questions many things

Caretaker - awesome with Addison and loves little kids

Can be stubborn, argumentative (like her Daddy)

Sensitive, gets her feelings hurt easily by friends. Wants to be friends with everyone

Makes her Daddy and Mommy very proud

Spoiled by Aunt Karen

We were able to visit my aunt while we were in Spokane, and she planned a whirlwind day of fun for us. The girls had been missing Aunt Karen and it was great to do all these fun things with her.

First stop, McDonalds. Then on to the mayor's office. Who was out of the office, but the girls still got to sit in her desk.

Then, on to Riverfront park. Took a relaxing little train ride and had some snowcones.

Of course we had to do the carousel, and reach for the rings. Hailey couldn't reach and didn't even try, but Symantha did.

Then, slide down the red wagon. It was pretty hot at this point.

We were going to go in the gondolas but they were registering at 100 degrees inside, and it did not sound so fun. So instead we hit the fountain area.

Then on to our personal tour of a very cool fire station by the nicest fireman ever. He took us all over the station, gave the girls candy from their personal stash, and even put on all his gear for them.

Addison just looked at this picture and said, "See, I got scared." She liked him much more before he put the noisy, scary mask on. But the big girls loved the whole thing.

After all this excitement, Aunt Karen took us to a book store for our last stop and let each of the girls pick out a book.

Thanks for a great day, Aunt Karen!

We love you.

Feeling a little overwhelmed

Just got back from vacation on Saturday, and we had such a great time. I have hundreds of pictures that I love and I am sitting here staring at them, feeling completely overwhelmed. Plus, we had Symantha's birthday party today, so I have added another 150 pictures that I love. I seriously love taking pictures and love looking at them and love editing them and love blogging about them and love thinking of one day scrapbooking them.... there is a lot of love here. However, I do NOT love feeling overwhelmed by them. So I am just going to post a few of my favorites for now, and leave it at that. There will be more to come, when I am more ambitious and not overwhelmed, and it is not VBS week and I am not celebrating birthdays. I will also then stop writing run-on sentences. But for now, this is it.

Hope your summer is overwhelming you, as well!

Chasing sun

Due to depression over the pouring down rain, I decided at the last minute to go back to Cle Elum for the day on Saturday. Some of the Edwards' clan was there, and we usually go see the Pioneer Days Parade, so we got up early and headed over. The sun was there, thank goodness, but so was the wind and it was pretty chilly. Still not as depressing as home.

Brayden was the only cousin there, but the girls were happy to play with him. Here they are watching the parade and waiting for the most important thing to them....

which would be the candy they throw out at the crowd. Most of the parade is loud fire trucks and logging trucks (which is why you  may notice ear plugs in some ears), but the candy makes it all much more exciting.

After the parade, we spent the day at the property, relaxing and playing outside. The wind wasn't as bad there, and it stayed sunny. We went home at dinner time, eagerly awaiting Daddy's return the next morning.

What a wild and crazy fourth of July we had. The girls created a little surprise party for Derek to come home to, then we proceeded to cuddle and nap and chat the afternoon away. We went to Red Robin for dinner and home to do some big fireworks. Like sparklers.

Oh, and it rained.

So we stood on the porch under a little bit of cover and did sparklers. 

Which they are a little afraid of.

But still like.

Then we played a game and went to bed. 

Super awesome celebration. 

But we are glad Daddy is home and ready to head off on a family vacation today to Spokane and Silverwood, where I KNOW THERE IS SUN!!!

More positive blog posts are coming, I promise:)

The camping trip that almost wasn't

Wouldn't you know it, the day that Derek leaves on his trip Addison comes down with a fever of 103. And that fever stays for the next 3 days, along with a nasty cough. This is when I am extra thankful for Grandma to help out, so I didn't have to cancel all of our other plans. Thank you, thank you Grandma!! We love you!!   

What a bummer for this poor girl.

 
I was sure she was going to be better by the time we were going to Cle Elum with friends, but we did have to delay our trip by one day. I'm so glad we still went though, because despite the work (all the things Derek usually does and I had to figure out), it was so much fun to get to hang out with these girls...

Amy Jo, Sara, Andrea, and me

plus 5 more little girls and 2 boys

equals a great (sometimes crazy) couple of days.

We have a ton of pictures between us, because we were doing a lot of things like this....

but I will focus on my kids mostly so that Andrea and Sara (if she ever gets around to posting:)) can show theirs. Andrea already did a post, and I love the action she used on her pics - see here. 

How many kids can fit in one little sandbox??

Amy Jo managed to get a nice little fire going for us, with the kids bringing her lots of things they wanted to burn. And notice the duraflame log Sara brought to help us out.

There was flower picking,

Card playing (we only managed to stay up until midnight, which sadly to say we were very proud of). Camping really takes it out of you!

and s'more making

along with a bunch of cuddling of the littlest ones.

Addison wasn't 100%, but she did really well.

And it was warmer in Cle Elum than at home, which gave us a little bit of summer.

The only bummer was when we left, I forgot Addison's blanky in a trailer and didn't realize it until we were 40 minutes into our drive. Had to turn around to get it, and we ended up spending a nice 2 1/2 hours in the car. I know to some of you road-trippers, this is no big deal, but it was a serious bummer for us! 

Looking forward to doing this trip again sometime.