Our last summer trip

Two weeks ago the girls and I went to my dads for one last summer trip away. This week I'll be 4 weeks from my due date, so from here on out, I'll be sticking close to home until the little one arrives.

We had a great time at my dads and, of course, the girls were spoiled with a ton of fun! Our dear friends, the Coopers, were also in the area on vacation, so we got to see them one day at the beach.

Laura and her sister, Katie, each had baby girls a few months apart...Here they are:




The girls having fun...







We had a few showers while there and the girls, in between rain drops, played in the hot tub and even in the rain. Addie was content to just play with a bucket of water while the girls were in the hot tub.









A few activities have become tradition every summer when we go to dads, one of which is the Pirate Ship...













After the Pirate ship we went to dinner and Addie showed off her new found love...KETCHUP! She discovered it this summer and is quickly taking after her "K."

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Selah, Addie and the bug

Selah has already begun to instill in Addie her love for bugs!

Selah, Addie and the bug from Heather Castro on Vimeo.

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Mckenna thoroughly enjoyed the horse camp she participated in a few weeks ago. It was a great experience for her and she learned a good bit. The weather that week was amazing!

The farm where she went also had kittens! They were so cute and would let you hold and cuddle them. Mckenna was in heaven. I think she's a farm girl at heart, just like her momma.

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9 years!

Today Dave and I celebrate our 9th year anniversary. Hard to believe the years have gone by so fast. I think this is the first year we are apart for it (tears). He is on a business trip and I'm down at my dads with the girls. Not sure when we'll get to celebrate, but hoping in the next few weeks we can before this baby arrives.

Once again this year has been full of ups and downs. But there also has been, once again, the constant theme that God is faithful, sovereign and continually drawing us close through all the trials we walk through. We have seen God's goodness in our marriage and I'm so grateful for that.

The one thing I love about Dave is that he really does seek to grow in loving me, his family and pursuing his role as a godly husband and father. This year has not been easy on him. He's been working an incredibly demanding job of constant 12-15 hour days and almost weekly travel.

Dave, I love being your wife! And I'm grateful to God for you and for the ways you seek to provide, love and cherish your family. I'm missing you today. Happy Anniversary!

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Our week

This past week ended up being very different than I would have thought just a few weeks ago. The plan was for Selah to go to my dad's for the week with Ty, while Mckenna participated in a horse camp. and I was going to get a lot done...or so I thought! I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish and tackle, many in preparation for upcoming baby's arrival and also things that I can't get done because of homeschooling most days. Obviously the Lord had other plans for me. A number of unexpected events turned the week into a roller coaster ride of emotions and happenings. Every single evening except one was full of meetings and long talks. Some bed times were well after 2am and up early the next morning. I am, once again, in a place of not understanding much, but grateful to know the One who holds it all in His hand and is sovereign over all.

In between driving Mckenna to camp (thanks, mom, for all the help with this!) and trying to keep Addie occupied and happy (she is not a happy baby without her sisters!), I was also getting things ready for the fair. Mckenna and I both entered some pictures and the girls also entered in some artwork and crafts. Mckenna wanted to enter some sugar cookies too, so somehow we managed a batch of those as well. With all the happenings of this week, I kept asking myself, "why am I doing this????" But the girls love it and it makes a memory. Next week we'll go and see how we made out. I have a feeling not as great as last year and I've been trying to prepare the girls that we don't always win!

Here are some shots of Mckenna baking her cookies...

My little baker with confectionary sugar on her nose...and a few funny faces.

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Our greatest need

"The deepest need that you and I have in weakness and adversity is not quick relief, but a well-grounded confidence that what is happening to us is part of the greatest purpose of God in the universe - the glorification of the grace and power of his Son - the grace and power that bore him to the cross and kept him there until the work of love was done. That's what God is building into our lives. That is the meaning of weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, calamity." - John Piper

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