Retreat, Retreat!

this year the retreat was large - 34 women in attendance - and noisy and fun and full of new ideas and different fabrics and good food! (chocolate is food, right?

I used Mom's '56 singer featherweight. It ran like a dream. Those old machines always do!

Here is a tiny glimpse of part of my blocks - I'll show you more soon!

It was so peaceful in Weaverville! The weather was fantastic and it smelled like pine and grass and flowers and woodsmoke. Yum.

Notes

1. You can't really see it in the photo, but Van's little james bond-style swimsuit kills me. when he is shirtless and his belly is hanging over and his chunky thighs are scootching the legs up...so fantastic! also - he's a water baby. obsessed. addicted. in love. Van + Water = True Love.

2. Hearing the sound of a 6 year old's voice singing "I Need Thee Every Hour" so strong and sweet makes one's heart burst. I couldn't even sing with him, just pointed at the words and held back the tears.

3. Suddenly my 9 year old is grown up. Suddenly he understands everything. Suddenly he wants to stay home alone instead of walking across the street for yogurt. Suddenly he wants to do the right thing because it's the right thing. I'm thinking he could run a small country on his own. I'm thinking I'm not ready to treat him like he's acting like he needs to be treated. HE'S MY BABY!

4. So busy. Jog-A-Thon is tomorrow (I'm in charge, so I've been doing a lot of prep work) and then the funeral this weekend, and then a week in the 'ville and the Quilt Retreat and then. Then I should have "lack of busy" for awhile.

please, oh, please.

absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?  we've been busy! 

Van turned 1 last month and we mostly did nothing but he got a balloon and a giant ball and was happy as a clam. 

A friend got married and we went to San Francisco and back in one weekend with all of the kids in tow. Whirlwind and crazy though it was, it still completely rocked to have Craig around for two whole days in a row! 

I turned 31. blah.  Hannah came and made the day wonderful by bringing over flowers, presents, chocolate cake, magazines and a movie after work. It was perfect. 

We got a couple of extra kids on Wednesday (boys the same ages as my two oldest) and they boarded a plane home an hour ago. 

we saw an IMAX 3D movie

went to round table pizza (heaven)

played laser tag in the park

went to the beach

swam in the pool many times

played hours and hours of video games

cast spells and defeated sith (not at the same time, of course)

now i'm thinking about preparing easter dinner. hopefully i'll get beyond the "thinking about" part before our guests arrive... :)