BUGS!!!!

Stink bugs and moths. Seth and I saw about 15 of the stink bugs.



Do you see the grasshopper?



Do you see the cicada shell?



This is an "I hope that never lands on my head bug!"



This is Rocky! I need to find out what kind of spider he is. I think he might be a she.

Sunrise ; )

This is the sunrise from my back porch. God has blessed us. We have seen such amazing things right from our yard. We also have lots of bugs. Praying mantis, mayflies, huge spiders, a variety of beetles, cottonwood borers, stink bugs, and so many more. The usual ones, only there's 10 times more of them. We have a little spider that lives in our mailbox. I named him Rocky. I'll get a picture of him.

The Ranch

This is Rocky Fjord, about 5 minutes from the ranch

This is the kids sitting on the tailgate, fishing in our pond. We only got one fish this time.

This is the holey boat.

The grandparent Blakes, Scott's parent's, my dad, brother-in-law Kyle, My bestest pal Jacquie and her kiddos all came out. It was fun and exciting. We did s'mores, BB guns, and much more.

Serafina Violette

I'm an aunt, I'm an aunt, I'm an aunt aunt aunt
again!
Go ahead sing a long
I won't tell.

Baby

I am going to be an aunt again. She is going to be here anytime now. WOO-HOO. It is fun being an aunt, I just wish we got to spend more time with them. It is hard to have family in another state. And I'm not talking about the state of confusion. We are all in that state. My mother is going out there for a few weeks to help Donella and then I get to go when the baby is around 8 weeks old.

This weekend we are going to the ranch. Everyone is excited. It has been awhile since we have been out there. It is beautiful. We will fossil hunt, ride the 4-wheeler, explore, fish, and many other fun things you can't do in town.

My word!

We are getting back into the swing of things. The Tuesday after camp we got a call that my hubbies grandma ,who had surgery on her broken hip, was taking a turn for the worst. By the time we all got up there she had crashed and was on life support. Most of the family got to be there with her when ,only a few hours later, she passed on. She was a wonderful woman. She always looked at me with this twinkle in her eye like there was some private joke that only the two of us knew about. She probably made everyone feel that way. She will be missed, but I am sure she'd rather be partying with Jesus than down here with us. We also lost our sweet hamster during this time. Abby was 2 years, which is a good life span for a hamster. We will not be sad to see the end of August.

School Starts Wednesday

My baby starts school on Wednesday. It has gone so fast. I don't know if I really took full advantage of him being home. Now I have lost that time with him and didn't fully appreciate it. He grew up so quickly.

Royal Family Kids Camp

I'm back. It was fun and exhausting.

America the Beautiful

This is the Painted Desert.


This is part of the Grand Canyon. It is breathtaking!

This pic reminds me of the motel on Cars only that one was orange cones. This one is also on Route 66.

Feeling better

Well, I am feeling much better. Thank you to those who prayed. Now I just need to get started finding a maid. HA! My mother-in-law said she thought I could write a book, so I am now waiting for inspiration. Gotta go! Husband calling!

Recovery

We had a really long vacation. I confess I am more stressed than I am telling anyone. I don't know how much of my struggle is money, the business, depression, or lack of giving it to God. I know it all stems from my relationship with Him, but the harder I try at everything the harder I fall it seems. For instance there is a person in my life that I really want to love and become closer to, but they always lash out in ways I have never experienced. The more I force it the worse I feel when I am hurt. I am quitting my anti-depressant so that plus all the other things is making me feel like someone else. So if I pull away and act distant don't let me. And now to lighten up the mood, this would all stop if my maid would come back. Oh wait I don't have a maid. Well, crap! I guess maybe I'll just have to start drinking.

We're baa-aack!!!

We had a great vacation. The kids loved all of it and even my husband loosened up a little bit.(just don't tell anyone!) Now I want to go to DisneyWorld! We are glad to be home safe and semi-sane. Have you ever noticed your bed never feels as good as it does the first night home from vacation.

My Brother-in-law and my son !

It is kind of like a munchkin and a giant. He really loves his uncle and thinks he is the coolest and biggest guy in the world.

And they're off!!!!

We are off to Cali tomorrow. The kids and I are excited. My hubby is dreading it, but I believe he is also secretly excited as well. I am sure I will have tons of pics when I return. Please pray for safe travel and sanity for all. Be still!!!
Amanda

GUILT

Do you ever do things that you feel guilty about later, but you don't have the guts to admit it? I didn't do anything really bad, but I feel guilty very easily. This is probably a good thing. So when is it okay to just talk to God and admit it to him, but no one else?
Now onto a lighter subject. My house is vacation ready! Well as ready as it is gonna get. Now onto packing. If you are traveling I would reccomend going to flylady.net and using her what to pack list. It is a great tool for having some control of the mass chaos.
Ta Ta for now!
Manda

Vacate for vacation

We are getting ready to drive clear to California. We will be gone for 12 days, seeing all the sights there and back. AAAHHHH!!!! That is how I'm feeling right now. Can we handle that much time away from home with the kids in a van? Are we good enough parents to do it? I guess you don't know until you try. Prayer and patience and a really loud deep in your gut laugh. That is what will get us there. The kids and I haven't been farther west than Colorado so this is going to be exciting for us. Yeah for the beach!

Amanda

First Blog Ever

This is new to me. I am intrigued by this new world of blogging that I have not explored. I hope I can figure this out and make it worth your while to come back! Here is half the rainbow from my back porch and clouds from the front porch.