Trenton's Celebration

Has it really been 13 years since I brought your sweet butt home?  I remember walking into our apartment and Eric and I sat on the couch, you in your carrier and we just looked at you and wondered.....what next?  They really let us take you home!  I was a mom!  I had NO idea what to do except keep food in your belly, your diaper changed and play with you in those tiny moments when your eyes were open.  Through trial and error, tears and screaming.....we might have figured it out.  You now are out of diapers (thank flippin' goodness), you can fill you own belly, and I love to play and spend time with you in those moments when you consider me "cool!"  Happy 13th my sweet boy! 

Angie(my SIL) is GM for a restaurant in Chattanooga called "The Boat House" and it serves seafood of all types and my favorite...a raw bar! If you are in the area, make sure to go for some awesome food, amazing service and a view of the river out the rear of the restaurant.  Trenton selected the catfish platter and he loved it considering it was his first time eating catfish.   

They even gave him a brownie with ice cream and we sang to him.  He got pink in the face and very embarrassed which means we did a great job celebrating.  

Family pictures are hard to come by.  We often get together but to stop and pose for the camera...not so much.  This is Eric's grandmother, parents and 4 of the kids with family.  We are still missing tons in this picture but hey...at least we got some of us! 

All Trenton asked for was a $100 bill!  EASY and DONE!  No gifts, no wrapping and no huge party with friends! Score!

13 trick candles that didn't work on an ice cream cake is our final way at home to celebrate.  Trenton is saving his money for something big, but he won't share it with me.  I love my teenager and I'm looking forward to the next few years.  I'm also sad that our time is short before he leaves the nest and makes this momma bird super sad.  

Girl's Camp

Anyone that spends any amount of time with me knows that I live and breath Girl's Camp!  I love the atmosphere, the fun, the being out in nature, watching the girls become friends and most of all...seeing their testimonies grow.  I LOVE every part of the no sleeping, flag raising, hikes, campfire songs, skits and testimony meetings and lets not forget the pranks.  Here is some of my fun from this summers camp! 

I was asked to go to camp with my Ward and then again with the Stake so I filled in and helped with both.  As a Stake, we had to come up with a skit and we brainstormed for a bit and decided to do a flashmob for the girls!  We danced to Cotton Eye Joe and even blackened out our teeth for the dance.  The girls loved it and I'm guessing this will be a new tradition with these girls and leaders! 

Emory and Leslie are two of the biggest pranksters in camp.  Water, balloons and even cupcakes are all fair game with them.  While washing dishes during kitchen duty, Leslie smeared a sweet chocolate cupcake all over my face.  Instead of ruining another cupcake, I grabbed her face and rubbed my face all over her!  Someone took a picture and I will post it once it surfaces.  

The first night at camp, Linda planned an awesome version of Fear Factor for all of us to play as a Ward.  Andrea here stuffed 11 marshmallows in her mouth and still said fuzzy bunny! Haley is counting off the marshmallows as they stuff and talk....without spewing! 

One of the other parts of Fear Factor was chugging down 3 different types of baby food mixed with water.  Trust me when I say that this was the most nasty tasting stuff I've ever had in my mouth.  I did win and 1 point for team...Unstoppables! 

The Dalton girls and leaders! 

Buddy burner cooking!  We cooked our own biscuit, eggs and bacon on a buddy burner.  All the food turned out "eggs"cellent and we enjoyed the time cooking together! 

One of the girls at camp, Ty, was a fabulous braider!  She took time out after breakfast to braid my hair in exchange for me washing up her breakfast dishes.  

Paige and Andrea showing off our dessert "Lemon Arise Sweet Surprise" for the dessert bake off.  We came out with a 2nd place finish and full bellies since we made extra for us to eat later that night! 

The men slept in a cabin down from ours so we thought we should share the prank love and string the cabin.  I have years and years worth of awesome memories and laughs while stringing cabins and tents.  

One of the things I love to do is pillow treats.  Above are some of them as well as handouts other leaders made for the girls and for us leaders.  

This Stake does something I have never seen before...bead decorating.  You get 20 beads before camp and you paint and decorate your bead into whatever.  You then at camp exchange your bead as you make a new friend.  These girls/leaders are amazingly talented!  Above is my necklace before I finished trading beads.  Mine are the lime green with eyeballs.  

I can't put into words the joy and fulfillment I get by serving with the girls!  This year was the 100 year anniversary of Girl's Camp and I am so happy to have enjoyed another year at camp....doing what I love most!