The Week That Felt Like a Month!

Last week my dad and all the boys went hiking in Wyoming. To ease our misery of being without our men, my dad very generously rented us girls a beach house so we could be together for half of the week! The cousins loved being together and getting to go to the beach and the boardwalk! The mommies didn't get very much sleep, the one-year-olds didn't sleep very soundly, but Memom did her best taking them out for early morning walks so the mommies could go back to sleep for a little! So grateful for her heart to serve everyone the whole time! She kept saying, "I can sleep when I get home,"and kept pushing on! Being together really did make the week go by a lot faster then in years past. 

 Cousin kisses!

 Just a little snack...

 Letting his hair gently blow in the breeze... tempting Lucy to grab handfuls of it any chance she could get!

 The was the bravest Aubrey was the whole time... usually she was found wearing her floatation device and about 50 ft. from the water's edge.

 I love that they will grow up together!

 Hmmm... wonder what she was doing :-)

 Happy Feet!

 Hmm... this tastes unusual... but heck, it beats avocado and peas...

 Eww... my  baby is eating sand!!!

 Isaac and Aunt Brittany!

 Proof that I was a fun mom who sat and played in the sand...

 Aubrey was into making these lips, that went along with a really annoying sound, and telling us that it was how "mermaid's talk!"

 Tia being a fun mom digging in the sand!

 Lucy is so funny! I love that she put the bucket on her head!

 Speaking of mermaids... Aunt Brittany and Tia made Aubrey into one!

 And of course Kenzie is never to be left behind!

 Just a couple of mermaids hanging out!

 Mermaid kisses!

 Mermaids and the bride-to-be!

 All done!

 The many expressions of Tia!

 Sophie and Lucy ran around the house pushing their babies in these strollers the whole time!

 I love that Sophie already loves to color!

 We watched a scary movie on the last night... worst idea ever...

 That's Brit hiding under the blue towel...

 Memom with her morning moochers...

  Memom is the best sharer ever!

 Isaac... after being awake since 4 a.m.... not so perky now are we Mister? Despite all the babies having some rough nights, I'm glad we were together and for the extra hands of Brit and Mom who served all of the kids and the moms the whole time!

So update on our house situation... we are officially moving in less then a week! I'm so grateful just to KNOW what's happening... this back and forth business has been really hard. Especially last week when Jake was in the mountains and I couldn't get a hold of him and there was a whole bunch of negotiating going on back and forth about stuff we would and wouldn't be fixing on the house. They are coming through to "re-inspect" on Tuesday and we should be good. Home inspections are just brutal, they rip apart something you love so much and nit-pick at stuff that has never even bothered us! Anyway, hopefully this time next week we will be unpacking boxes!

Jake really enjoyed his hike. They ended a day shorter then they expected because Andrew was suffering from altitude sickness, but Jake said the 3 days they did were pretty rough and he was ready to come down too. Jeff was healthy the whole time with his Crohn's, so that was a real answer to prayer. And Stephen did an awesome job too! Jake came home with a million fun stories to tell and I'm so glad he had the opportunity to go and make those memories!

I'm also very grateful that while Jake and all the men I love and respect in my life were up on a mountain out of reach, God gently led me the whole week. There were numerous men in our church who gave me advice about house stuff and served us in our situation. There was a time of prayer at church that I was really ministered to by. And being together at the shore was just one more tangible way of God carrying all of us through the week together without our husbands. I honestly don't know how military wives do it... it was so hard on the kids, let alone me! So grateful for Jake's job and for the new house God is providing for us!