Eli Goes Camping

My husband rocks! He loves to camp and wants to instill that love of the outdoors in our boys. Eli is at the age where he is completely aware of what everyone else is doing and doesn't want to miss out. But he's never slept in a tent or a sleeping bag and we weren't quite sure how to manage that. True confessions: I can't stand camping and after a difficult week, it was not even remotely on my list of ways to spend the weekend. So Steve loaded all the boys and all of the camping supplies into the SUV on Saturday afternoon and off they went. I, of course, savored every second of my 22 hours of free time. I almost didn't want to go to sleep, but decided that plan would backfire on Sunday. Great job, Steve! Proud of you. We are blessed to have you as a husband and a father.

5 Things I Learned From My Grandparents

Both of my grandmothers passed away this year, one in March and the other on Friday. Today marks my first Grandparents day without any grandparents on this earth. I have thought about all four of them a lot this weekend and the impact they had on my life. Here are 5 life lessons I have taken from my time with them.
1. Love the Lord. Two verses that are on my heart today are Deuteronomy 4:39-40 "Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land your God gives you for all time." 
It is no secret that my grandparents loved the Lord and passed on their faith to the generations after them. Although they weren't perfect and perhaps we wouldn't necessarily see eye to eye in all matters of theology, I am grateful that I was raised in a Christian home and they deserve part of the credit.

2. Time flies when you are enjoying a good book: some of my fondest memories of early childhood include listening to a story. My favorite children's book is still The Little House, which my grandmother read to me numerous times.

3. Love one another: since we lived in Alaska and ran a family business, all of my grandparents made the arduous journey to visit us. Nothing says love like driving a motor home thousands of miles to see your family.

Grammie died just a few weeks after her 97th birthday. We gathered to celebrate her 95th birthday and this was the last time I saw her. I'm thankful she had the opportunity to see our boys.

4. Celebrate and be present in the big moments: as long as they were in good health, my grandparents tried to attend and celebrate special occasions. Sometimes that required the help of extended family, and I'm grateful for the aunts, uncles and cousins who brought my grandmothers to our wedding.

5. Laugh often and sometimes at yourself. There are a lot of pictures of Grammie, but this one has been a resounding favorite this week as we have reflected on her passing. I don't know any other 95 year old women who would sit on the back of a Harley for a photo op. Okay, I don't know any other 95 year old women, but my point is this...all of my grandparents had a funny, unique sense of humor. More often than not, our times together were joyful and I'm thankful for that.