We're still living anyway

     Hi ya'll! It's been forever and a day since I last wrote. What's going on with us? Well, let's see...we finished up school early on May 16th, and went for a week long work-related trip to Lopez island from the May 18th-24th. We had an interesting time there, though not quite as much vacation was in it as I had hoped. Since then we've been enjoying summer-like weather with some rain mixed in, teaching Emily to drive(she got her permit recently), making strawberry jam, putting berries in the freezer, playing with, walking, & enjoying Caleb Benjamin (7 months), and just generally spinning our wheels and not getting anywhere. Lol! not quite so bad as that, but I feel like I have a lot to do and not much is getting done.
       We are graduating our two oldest this year. Colten will be 18 in September & I think I'm having somewhat of a hard time with it. I guess I don't like him working fulltime for keeps(he worked fulltime last summer) & I'm quite sure this is the beginning of the rest of our lives. I know he has to make his own way whether he is living here at home or not, and actually I am very proud of him and how responsible & mature he is, but I am still his mom. AND more importantly he is still my boy. Lol! I know it's for the best, but it's not without emotion, I guess.
     As far as Colten is concerned, I think he's excited to be a recognized as an adult. He enjoys working on rigs, but has no plans to make a career of it. He still draws, but doesn't have much time for it now that he's working so much, mostly he's working, making & saving his money & looking forward to meeting someone he can spend the rest of his life with. (Not that he'd admit that. Lol!)
   I am glad to have Emily here with us for a while even if she's graduating. She will definitely be a help next year & I know she'll continue to learn as we go. She's interested in learning New Testament Greek, biology, more crocheting & knitting, piano, ethnic recipes, writing her own Bible promise book, and poetry, as always. She is such a help to me, and sometimes I wonder if I depend on her too much!
    It's hard to believe Dustin will be my oldest still in school next year. He is getting to think he's a man, and he's not far from it, being 14. He is working part-time for Carson this summer. He is making money so he can go hiking with Grandpa & Nana Sue, Marissa, Marita, & cousins. He enjoys animals & teaching himself to play guitar. Sometimes I wonder where the time went.
      It's refreshing that Kenyon(12) is still unashamed & unencumbered being a boy. He spends hours reading, roaming the outdoors alone, imagining military scenarios & he still plays with the little kids quite a bit. He enjoys all things military. He's also very responsible & a good help with supper, cleaning, and taking care of the little kids. We sure enjoy his unique personality.
    As it appears I am going through each kid sequentially, I guess I will continue on with Damara(9). I am realizing we aren't far from saying goodbye to the hours of play that she still enjoys with Jamen. Hopefully it is a few years away, but how the years fly! They mostly play Legos & "rubber girls" ,but they love to spend hours outside in the sandbox & on the swings. They'll play store & to be honest with you they spend hours playing & too often I'm not sure what it's even all about. Damara enjoys reading now, but it's still something she's working on. She likes to write her own stories, however, & has her own series about a girl named Sally. She is a very good help with the little kids especially when I remember to have her help instead of a "big" kid.
     Jamen is kind of a daddy's boy still. He is not nearly so high-strung as some of our other boys & more tender-hearted. Is that just a nice way to say he's a sissy? Lol!  Well, I hope he's not & that he can learn to do the hard stuff expected of men. He loves the sandbox, four-wheelers, matchbox cars, and he enjoys the play station & computer when he has a chance too. He is a good helper though he doesn't like dirty work. And did I say he loves his dad?
      Awww...Evelyn(2). What to say about Evelyn? If you know her, you know what I'm talking about & if you don't know her I can't help you. Lol! Well, let me try. She likes to repeat interesting sayings, she is very inquisitive, she is independent, she is loving, she is creative, she is sometimes spoiled & we love her to bits! If only I could remember a story so you would know what I'm talking about, but for now you'll just have to take my word for it.
    Then there is Caleb(7 months). He has not learned to crawl yet(he is held so often & has a temper), he does pull himself up by things, he sits & moves by leaning & sort of rocking across the floor. Caleb sleeps pretty good when he isn't sick or teething, he is beginning to eat more baby food & begs for table food at every meal. He loves Daddy's attention which is a precious commodity around here. Lol! We all could use more most of the time.
    Carson & I are loving each other more than ever. Sometimes it takes hard times to learn to appreciate what you have & to protect it with all you've got. Carson is busy with work & I'm busy with the kids. We are doing a date night every Friday night "rain or shine" so to speak, and we're enjoying it immensely. We are trying to take time out from making a living, so that we have time to make a life together. Key word there: together. If everything worth doing is worth doing well, than everything worth doing alone is worth twice as much together. Lol! Sounds good anyway.
   So there you have it, a quick update on where we've been & where we are.