Camp trip - get together

I had so much fun at our camping get-together. And I got alot of pictures. unfortunately I didn't realize that I had the date stamp setting selected on my camera.We camped at Seaquest State Park, and our campsights were filled with beautiful old growth trees.

Randy and Pam, Jeff's family, Aunt Loa Jean and Uncle Alen, Mom, Steve and I were there.

We had fun around the campfire and started a new tradition of each telling about something that happened in the last year.

Then we went to see Mount St. Helens at the Johnston observitory.

Here are some pictures:

Aunt Loa Jean visits and pics of my appartment

Aunt Loa Jean Came to visit and it was wonderful. Mom took us out to lunch at a wonderful place and we had delicious pieces of pie.

Then Aunt Loa Jean came to visit my house. She is such a wonderful aunt. I hope she knows how special she is to me.

I have been having fun scrapbooking with my best friend Leta. We've been best friends since Becca was 4. (She just happened to move to Enumclaw two weeks before I got here.) We also do beading together. It's so awesome to be around her again. Here is a picture of her and I together.

Leta is truly a friend that knows the song of my heart, and she has reminded me of it many times when my memory has failed.

Enumclaw WA

I wish I had pictures to show you my new place, or my friends here. I'm living in Enumclaw, WA now. I love my appartment. It has a large living room window with a tree right outside, which gives me the fealing of living in a tree house. It's layout flows well and my furniture fits. I'm having fun decorating it. I've gotten lots of help from my old friend Leta, my new friend Sandy, and Mom. I'll show pictures when I get them.

Fun with Halloween

Kylee and Mia came over to trunk or treat at the church. Mia dressed up as a polar bear. Kylee made the polar bear hat, (with no pattern, just thought it up). Candy (Mia's guardian) painted her face with make-up. Mia loved the hat. She didn't even try to take it off once! When we took it off of her, she grabbed it up to make sure she got to keep it. She had a blast! She was just in wonder over all the dressed up kids and adults!

When we got home she had fun playing. She knows where her toy box is. She has the cutest expressions and it's fun to see her figuring things out.

Her favorite thing about Grandma's house, though, is that I let her get into the pots and pan cupboard. She is so amazed at this because she can't do this at home. She acts like the cupboard is a treasure chest. These pictures didn't turn out so well, but it shows how much she loves getting into it.

She is such a musical baby and dances to anything that makes noise. So as the clanked together rhythm with the pots, strainer, and lids. She danced and had a blast!

Is she cute, or what?

Kylee's Back & Mia's visit

Kylee moved back in and I am enjoying her company. She is so helpful and fun!

I got to have Mia here for a while. She just loved that she could go almost everywhere in my place, and she could slide on the linoleum, and play with my pots and pans. There is just more room for her to play here, and lots of empty boxes! Which, of course, was her favorite toy. She just walked around the house making happy noises. It is so fun to watch her!

Recent pictures of her are in the above slide show. I had to add the one of her holding a big stick. It is so much like her mom when she was younger, finding a big stick to play with!

My Wonderful Becca and Beautiful Memories

As most of you know, My wonderful daughter, Becca, is being adopted by my brother Paul and his family. This was not an easy decision to make. She has been living with them while I was homeless (There was no way I would let my daughters be homeless) and while I have struggled with my debilitating chronic fatigue. This fatigue had gotten so bad that my body shuts down and I end up sleeping all the time, though I prayed and prayed to be able to be awake for my daughters. If I kept her, she would be neglected, and there is no way I would let my wonderful Becca be neglected.

So I asked Paul and Denise if they would keep her longer. She had become a part of their family and they loved her and wanted to keep her. I talk to her all the time on the phone. I miss her and love her so much!!! But I have had to think of what is best for Becca. She is getting wonderful care there, and is very attached to her little cousins.

When I was asked if they may adopt her and have her sealed to them, it was emotionally difficult, because I love her so. But I prayed and prayed and the answer was to let this happen. I trust my Heavenly Father and know that he knows and can see all things. So I agreed based on my prayers. I talked to Becca and wanted her to know that I was doing this out of a great love for her and deep pondering and prayer with my Heavenly Father. And many tears.

The adoption will most likely be finalized on Monday June 8th.

So now, though I cry that she is leaving our family, I smile because of the wonderful memories we shared together.

Becca, I remember when we would wait at the bus stop for your kindergarten bus to pick you up. It was so fun because we got to spend time together just you and me. There was a foot stump there that looked like a foot without the toes. so every day we would find rocks the right size to make toes. By the next day the toes would be missing because of foot traffic, so we got to do it all over again. We both loved it.

It was also fun to spend the half of the day that Kylee was in school and you weren't, we would swing on the swing set, take walks to parks, look at the clouds, enjoy all the beauty of outside, and of course - make things together.

We would often go to Newport Beach. We would walk on the pier together. We would build sand castles. And there was a fun playground with a train in it that you could go in and look out the windows at me and wave.

You have always been so smart and serious about school. It was fun when I got to walk you to your school and eat blackberries, and point out things we liked, talked about dreams we had, and
even just be silly. But when you got to school, you were a serious student, and you always have been. Even when you got home you delved right into your homework, and even added more to it.

There are so many other memories too. But this post is getting long. I just want to tell everyone, especially Becca, How I love her, how I miss her, and that I will still always be her mom.

So smile with me about the happy memories we share. These are to keep as Becca goes on to a new family, she can always look back at good times with her old one.