Rollercoaster part 2

I just got back in line to ride the rollercoaster again. Ben and I went to Jordanelle yesterday to check out the campground I reserved for camp. We had a fun day together as a family, but our trip was a bummer. I'm not sure how the state parks and rec. people can feel good about calling what we saw a campground. It has a nice pavilion and a beautiful view of the reservoir, but that's about all it has. There was a steep hill that dropped off from the pavilion with about four new "tent pads". These were just a few places where the weeds had been cleared, they were only big enough for a small 2 man tent. There was no real trail to the tent sites, they were spread out and super muddy. We figured if there were a rainstorm, tents would slide down the hill into the water. The campsite also had an ampitheater which consisted of a broken down rock wall with 5 benches. I was not at all impressed. By the time we got back to Heber and stopped for lunch, the tears were flowing again, and it wasn't because my french fries were battered in glutenous gunk. I was ready to quit and say forget it all. I'm so grateful we checked things out yesterday, I would be sick if we got up there for camp and discovered the mess they call a campground. Even though I feel like I'm back to square one, I'm feeling okay about things. I have a new plan, Plan C as I call it in the works. I'm thinking that Willow Park in Lehi will be our new site for girls camp. It's nice and shady with level campgrounds and flush toilets. It's not ideal, but it will work. My mom mentioned that she thinks Heavenly Father is trying to protect us from the weather by keeping us out of the mountains. I think she might be right. I know I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again. Things will work out. Heavenly Father knows our needs and he will help us find a location for camp. Hopefully this is the last ride on the rollercoaster for now. I'm sure there will be bumps along the way, but nothing quite as crazy.

Randomness

my cosmo seedlings

Maren loves my shoes

long mop-top hair

I think Addy might be getting a little big for my lap

after first real hair cut

we tried rag curls, they worked, a little too well!

I'm so far behind, I think I will just post a few pics of the kiddos.

A long time in the making

The only shot I have of the front of our house.
This is from right after we moved in, our front yard looks a lot better now,
but you can see the wall where a garage door should be.

When we bought our house, it had a nice little garage. The only problem is that it didn't have a door, well, at least not one big enough for a car to fit through. After scraping windows for 3 years now, I have been begging for a garage door. Doors are expensive, and so I figured it wouldn't happen for a few more years. The same neighbor that put the wall up in our garage put one up in his to make it a workshop. He gave us his garage door, and it has been sitting on our patio for a while. Once again I begged for a garage and Ben and my dad took a few days and now, I have a garage door. It doesn't open yet, but, it's getting closer. In a few weeks I should be able to park my car in our garage. There is still more work to do, but it's coming along.

Mother's day and birthday

I don't like change, I bought the same shoes again

my new bedspread

Maren modeling my shoes

The quilted wall hanging my mom made

my other pair of shoes

nutella ice cream, mmmmmmm!

We stretched out our celebrations this year over 3 days. Saturday we celebrated Mother's day with Ben's family, Sunday mine and Monday was my birthday. We celebrated with lots of food and laughter which to me is the perfect celebration. I love the homemade mother's day gifts my children made for me. Sydnee painted a picture of me and answered questions about my favorite things. Addy made me a wind chime and wrote me a poem. Ben and Maren gave me a new pair of shoes because my old ones were falling apart. We made both grandma's lady bugs out of rock's to go in their gardens.
Monday, Ben surprised me by taking the day off. We celebrated with dinner at a Mexican restaurant and then Ben made me homemade Nutella ice cream. Mmmmm, it was delicious! I could go on and on about the ice cream. Ben and the girls gave me some new running shoes ,not that I will ever run in them ;) a solar shower for camp, and some weed spray. Addy made me a headband with pipe cleaners spelling out mom. She found the idea in a craft book at school and made it at home. My MIL gave Ben and I a bedspread for both of our birthdays, my mom gave me pillows to go in the pillow shams and a beautiful quilt. My room is looking pretty good now, it just needs a few more touches. All in all, I had 3 wonderful days. I just love being a mom and I love my mom and all the women in my life very much.