Summer Camp for the Kids

Well.....

i did it.

i finally had enough...

and i sent the children off for a while.

I packed them some towels and swim wear....

and bid them adieu.

Farewell my little ones....

always remember mommy loves you!

I'll see you in the Fall....

Just in time for School to start.

....and they were out the door.

I waved them on....

I thought i might cry...

they were....

but i just felt an overwhelming peace wash over our home....

i would miss them...

well: i woulda that is.......if i couldnt have heard them...

 the

whole

time....

bummer...i know...

the little summer camp beach cottage trip that i

banished them to

was only in our backyard.

before you consider social services....

they would have been perfectly fine.

there is a ripe cherry tree, pea pods, lettuce...

and strawberries,  all just right around ...

the neighborhood...

throughout various gardens and such.

Pretty nature was at thier fingertips....

it wasnt like they were being banished to

outer darkness or anything....

i just needed an afternoon all to myself...

but then guess who came home and put a stop

to all this "nonsense"... (i think thats what he called it).

.....

Ya~huh.

Hubby.

He was frowning upon my plan....

He thought they should be allowed in the house...

and that i should just learn to cope better with noise....

so just go ahead and guess where he slept that night?

Ya~huh.

Theyre all officially banished now.

It's Exile for that back talkin crew!

and i got the house to myself for ...

well....

(like only a half hour really....)

but it was worth all the nieghbors dirty looks.

xoxo  shell

The Family that Stays Together....

Gets to PLAY together!

i am aware it is a statement more commonly known the other way around....

but in our current circumstances...ie  traveling to keep the family together...

this seemed to fit us better!

this is what happens when Dad is home on Sundays.

Meet Shrek Hawker.

Kids Gone Wild....

we had a bouncy fun playdate with some new friends.

the "R" family.

then we played in the backyard of another

new family of friends...

the "E"  family.

We adore them both!

We will miss them when we leave Cali.

xoxo  shell

Spirit Week

This week we recieved a most wonderful package!

Inside there was this monkey.

We named him Chippy.

He was sent to us as our family Mascott

for Hawker Family Spirit Week!

Each day had a theme!

There was Monkey Story Day.

We enjoyed reading a monkey book and

the kids got a chance to write their very own

monkey stories!

There was a Crazy Hair Day.

(i didn't have the memory card in my camera

so the pictures are trapped in my cameras memory)

:(

and a craft day....

We got to paint our own magnets in the park!

On Gratitude Day....

We got to decorate cards and write things

that we are grateful for on them!

This Pen pal of ours thought of everything!

She too is a mom and  knows how

days can get overwhelming....

so she included

"just for mom"

gifts.

Like this beautiful watch.

which she maked just for me!!!

and some chocolate and a very pretty bookmark

and some lovely smelling soap.

A spirit week was exactly what we needed.

It's like this friend was living her life in such a

manner that she was in tune enough to be an instrument

in God's hands!

I don't know that she will ever know how much i love her

and appreciate her!

xoxo  shell

Tiny and Terrifying

How can something so itsy bitsy...

be so scary???

We were screaming and  shivering while

trying to save this tiny mouse  from the parking lot.

lou kept trying to convince me that we

should keep it....

Couldn't do it.

Isn't it funny that we can be so much bigger than

something ,  yet so afraid of it?

what freaks you out?

shell

Random Dancing (in my head)

This post is going to be about ....

....nothing in particular.

I just want to be able to look back and remember

the little things someday.

(like my cool friend jillo)

I am loving the  playgrounds here.

But i have to say.....

Castle Playgrounds are not  for the lazy

mom.

You can  never see all your kids at once

so you are running like mad all over the castle grounds

and peering into the lil' buildings calling out your

kids names.

****

Chuck E Cheese is the man.

He has my back  on the days i cant do it all by myself.

He even has lunch handled.

Love that guy.

****

Everyday is a fight to get

Kenzie to do homeschooling.

It's gotten really stressful.  She just wants to

be back home.  at school.  like "everyone else does".

sighhhhh

*****

Doing really good with the money thing.

budgeting, saving,  putting off purchases

whenever possible.

I'm really getting a hang of this -delayed gratification- thingy.

feels good!  Empowering.

Life isn't about money.  It is about God.  it's about Love.

It's about Family and Relationships. 

It's about Personal Evolution, learning, and growth.

                                                   Richard paul Evans

It's not about ...What can i buy?

but about who can i call?  who can i spend time with?

who can show love to?

How can i better the world today?

Who needs me this day?

                             rachelle

I'm feeding my good wolf.

How about you?

what  wolf are you trying to feed?

or  What wolf are you trying to starve for that matter?

xoxo  shell

A Birthday for Bubby!

Have you ever watched

a women giving birth on tv and

wondered why they were acting so crazy?

grungting and screaming and yelling at their hubby.

I have.

I rolled my eyes...

Until Bubby was born.

(stay tuned for further details)

Our Bubby is 4

He was  born a week early

 on February 24, 206

at Cottonwood Hospital

He was my smallest baby

6 lbs 13  oz

It was about 9 o'clock at night and I

was getting ready for bed but i hadn't been sleeping well

so i told Matt i was gonna take a hot shower and

a sleeping pill!

My friend jecca lived down the street and had

come down to chat a minute.

That is when the 

Contractions started.

I doubted myself and figured they were Braxton hicks

contractions and that they would go away.

Matt was getting really excited.

He kept saying ....

"let's just go to the Hospital and see how much your dialated"

It was our 2nd child but our first BOY.

Daddy could hardly wait.

I ended up going to bed.

about 10 minutes later (10 pm)

I was in sooooo much pain

but i  was soooo tired from the unisom sleeping pill,

that i could barely force myself to wake up and go get Matt.

I finally was in so much pain that i was fully alert!

I told Matt....

" WE GOTTA GO....NOW!"

My neighbor and sis in law came down to be with

kenzie as she slept.

I got to the Hospital and told them that i wasnt sure

but i thought that i might be in labor.

The nurse told me Probably not if i was walking

so easily and filling out paperwork at the counter

and was fine.

Inside the exam room,

They checked me and said 

that i was dialated to a 7.

I had about 5 more minutes to get the

epidural or it would be pointless and too late.

I figured that if i was a 7 and i was still doing pretty good....

What the heck....

what's another 3 centimeters???

the nurse said i should just go for a natural

birth.

I agreed...(all brave and dumb like)...

One centimeter later ....

I was cussing and  hateful.

I was sure my body was going to explode.

I just knew i was dying.

One could not survive this much pain.

I really felt for the savior in the garden.

every nerve in my body was screaming pain!

at 11:40 Kade Harley Hawker was born. 

He cried from that point on.

All night....All day...

for the most part of 4 years now.

...and You know what????

I thank him for teaching me patience!

He has made me a better person by far!

I love him just the way he is!

He is my little man and i couldn't ask

for a sweeter child.

He is the gentlest soul and the most loving

boy i have ever met.

He is going to make a wonderful

man someday!

Happy Birthday my Bubby!

Nobody knows what a boy is worth,

we'll have to wait and see.

But every man in a noble place,

a boy  once use to be.

xoxo  mom

Kie's Bedtime Rundown

Kie rie has a nightly list she has to

run down before she can do her little

wiggle back and forth,  while humming,

 (with her blanky tag rubbing her nose).

The lights in the hotel room are shut off.

It is dark, and quiet,  and from down low in the playpen,

this is what we hear..... 

 

"Goodnight Mama"

 

"Goodnight Dada"

"Goodnight Lou lou"

"Goodnight Kade"

and then unexpectedly......

........

........

...

"NIGHT    PIG!"

.....  Life is so entertaining with that

character around.

Sweetcakes now has a new nickname...

PIG.

:)

HIde and PeEk

I am officially renaming the

childhood game of

"hide and seek"

to:

"You go Hide and i will Peek"

is that too long of a name???

i was kinda thinkin' that too.

Ok,

let's go with :

"hide and peek"

short and to the point!

:)

my kiddos are the funniest.

they can play hide and peek in our hotel room for hours.

Lou Lou just gets annoyed cuz the 2

younger siblings just hide in the same spot over and

over again.

if she hasnt found them within 7 seconds of

calling out

"READY OR NOT!".....

they yell...

"We're OVER HERE!"

and honestly....

How many places can you hide in

a one room hotel space?

My lil'  troopers!

they are so wonderful through all this.

love

shell

Fashion and Faux Pas

My Lou Lou is fond of using her creative ideas

to put together Fru fru outfits...

She's not partial to Fru fru ....

She designs "sweetie" outfits

and...

she goes funky somedays too!

Pants rolled up, purple hightops,

crazy hair with a bubble yum tee!

But........

The thing about Fashion ...

Well,  it sometimes goes horribly wrong.

she said...

"It seemed like a good idea!"

I'll give her this...

It is very Origional!  :)

Never stop Being yourself Lou!

I adore you just the way you are!

xoxo mom