Family Update

It's been a long time since I've blogged!  We spent 10 days on vacation in MN visiting my husband's family and seeing many relatives and friends.  I was a bridesmaid in my friend Hannah's wedding and it was so exciting to see the culmination of 12 years of waiting and praying as she wed her wonderful, godly guy.  She had a beautiful wedding and it was so special to be a part of everything.  Upon our return we had MOUNTAINS of laundry thanks to some potty accidents and a throw-up explosion in the car.  We spent over 40 hours in the van with the kids, went to Mall of America, a zoo, Sea Life Aquarium, went boating, shopped Target, etc. etc. etc.  Upon our return we hit the ground running with getting everything washed and put away and getting back into a routine.  I helped my sweet friend Amanda, above in the blue shirt, with a Ladies Prayer Retreat the Saturday after we returned.  About 15 ladies attended in a nearby canyon and we had a WONDERFUL time of meeting with God down by the river.  It was a really neat time. 

Then, Justus turned 4 and he and Jer wanted a joint summer birthday this time around, so we had 11 little boys over for some "Splish Splash Birthday" fun!  Grammy got the boys hermit crabs so we have pets in the house!  To top off all of this craziness, a week ago I found mouse droppings and was HORRIFIED to find that we had an unwanted guest living in the house.  There is nothing that terrifies me more than a mouse, and it was so discouraging to find that he had left droppings on my bed, all over Ali's bed, in Kate's crib and all over her wall ledge, in all of Ali's clothes and most of Kate's and on all of the bedding on the top closet shelf and all over the laundry table.  After setting 12 traps we have still not caught a single mouse, but they seem to be gone.  So, while I'd hoped to start school on Monday, it has been pushed back to tomorrow as I've washed 30+ loads of laundry and sealed the clean laundry in plastic bags/tubs.  The good news is that my whole house, in all its' exhausting hugeness, is sanitized and scrubbed and vacuumed and de-cluttered, down to the very last shelf and closet.  The bad news is, this means I've been putting in 14 hour days and am very weary! 

But, by tomorrow morning I should be caught up and we can begin the adventure of a new school year!