June 18, 2025

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• Robby left early for his Dgroup meeting and then headed to physical therapy. He is about to finish his pt visits. He then ran some errands while I did my things at home. He made it home a little bit before I had to leave. He had a car full of groceries from Sams that we put up. 
• Then I took the girls to babysit again. This is their second time to babysit this week, plus they are already signed up to go there on Saturday night. If they keep working, and keep saving, Campbell, at least, will have her car bought by the time that she leaves for college for sure.
• This morning I noticed that Reagan had left her lunch bag at home. I text just to find out what her lunch plans are because I'm nosey. She was going out to eat with Ethan at Blue House so I know that she had a good meal. 
• Robby and I went to pick up the mini van-they fixed the brakes which were squeaking after they redid the brakes. The mechanic also tried to fix the leak, but he ended up saying that it was too expensive to fix, and we are just on borrowed time with the mini van.
• After picking up the van, we picked up Campbell and Keaton. Then we all met up at Kroger to do some shopping for tomorrow night and for this weekend. We hurried home so the girls would have a bit of time before they left again. 
• Tonight Reagan had a mission trip meeting at church for her mission trip to Monticello with the kids. Keaton and Whitman had a meeting for their mission trip to Starkville. Campbell had a meeting for her mission trip to Cincinnati. Graham and Anderson had a meeting for their mission trip to San Diego. I also had a parent's meeting-well, three different parent's meetings. I was able to make an appearance in all 3 of the meeting.
• Robby had a supper ready for us all when we came home. We all huddled around the tv watching the Hogs lose their game. Now, it's time for a snack around here to help make some people happy. 

June 17, 2025

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• Reagan left first this morning, and I was up not too soon after she left. Actually, I was awake at 6:30 this morning; I thought that I heard someone's alarm going off. I knew it wasn't Reagan's since it was too early for her alarm, and no one else in this house would be getting up that early. I puzzled if it was the refrigerator alarm (we now have 5 of those alarms), but it wasn't those. By this time, I had woken myself up with the alarm mystery. I still don't know what it was.
• The morning was kind of quiet-Keaton went to a friend's house this afternoon. Robby took her, and I had to take Graham's blood pressure cuff back to the nutrition center. I did leave with his complete payment so he was pretty pleased with that-I should have taken my mileage from him though. 
• Reagan came home at lunch, and then she headed to her dentist appointment for her fillings. She was going to play pickleball this evening, but work and the dentist completely wore her out. Campbell and Keaton were not happy that she is already asleep tonight.
• Whitman and I made bread today-I'm still not used to the new oven; I guess that it is just going to take some time to figure it all out. I'm not good with change, and it is kind of exasperating me a little bit-especially since our large loaf of bread got a bit burned, and the small loaves were a bit underdone. However, everyone didn't seem to mind when they were fresh out of the oven. 
• This evening Robby had just left the house to run some errands-he was still on Lawson-when he got rear ended. He was in Grandpa's car, and even though it wasn't his fault it is still a hassle. However, he is fine (a headache tonight and will probably be sore tomorrow) so there is still much to be thankful for.
• Anderson drove everyone to Raymar for Bible study tonight. The big boys were going to play pickleball afterwards so I left the Wilson's house where we were watching the ballgame to get them. There were a lot of kids there, and Whitman was playing with his buddy when I pulled up so I just let everyone play for a few more minutes. 
• I dropped them off at the house and then hurried back to the Wilson's house to watch the end of the baseball game. Now, we are home-Whitman is building a fort in the bonus room, Reagan is asleep, Campbell and Keaton are trying unsuccessfully to be quiet in their room, Robby is showering, and Anderson and Graham are out playing pickleball.

June 16, 2025

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• Reagan was the first one to leave this morning for work. I heard her in the kitchen making her sandwich before work. When the kids come in at night, I always get up and chat with them when they come in. However, I do not have the morning shift, and as much as I would like to say hi before she goes to work, I just can't do it.
• Robby left next to go to physical therapy. His shoulder is much better, but he is going to continue with his last few appointments. I left the house too next, but I didn't go far since I just walked around the neighborhood.
• When Bentley woke up, I made my same walk with her. The weather was pretty pleasant this morning so I wanted to get her walk over with. I came in and started on my things in the house-sometimes I feel like my mornings are like the movie Groundhog Day-I haven't actually seen the movie, but I at least know what happened.
• Keaton had Bible study at church at 11:45. I dropped her off and then ended up going home. I had thought that it was over at 12:30, but it was 12, so Robby ended up picking her up. I could have gone to the grocery store, but I didn't plan ahead and had no list.
• The next outing was to the dentist. Graham, Anderson, and Keaton all had to have fillings. There was a bit of confusion when we were leaving-I tried to make the second appointment for Anderson, who they told me last time would have to come back. Instead, it was Graham who had more fillings-this caused quite the drama. Graham was not happy about having to come back, and Anderson was thrilled about NOT having to come back.
• We did stop by Sonic on the way home-even those sugary drinks probably caused those cavities in the first place. Reagan goes tomorrow to get her filling filled so the Dennie family has paid the car payment for our dentist this month.
• We weren't home too long this afternoon-just long enough for me to work with Whitman-and then it was time for me to take the girls to go and babysit. They enjoy babysitting so much, and the family is so sweet to them-they gave them Chickfila and Crumbl tonight. 
• I was able to read and crochet this evening before getting the text "leave now" from Campbell. So I jumped in the car to go and pick them up. Now, it is after 10, and I'm just now working on the blog. 

June 15, 2025-Happy Father's Day

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• Reagan and I both had to work worship care this morning so we missed big church and had to leave the house a little bit early. Some of the kids had made Robby cards for Father's Day, and even though he had to read them quickly, he caught the mistake on Graham's card. 
• Graham had made block letters on the front and wrote Happy Fatter's Day. That's what happens when you have to make a card early on a Sunday morning. Even though everyone was rushed, we still managed to get a kid picture with Robby.
• After church we went to Grannymom's house. She had Mexican casserole for lunch along with ooey gooey. We stayed and visited for a while, but then we all came home. I, of course, had my nap this afternoon, and it was a lovely nap.
• Anderson was dressed and ready for church this morning, but he didn't feel good at all so I offered for him to stay home. He did, but I don't think that he really wanted to  miss church. By this afternoon though he was feeling well enough to go and play volleyball with Graham and a bunch of other people. 
• Campbell intended to go to Rock Creek tonight, but after her nap, she said that she was just too tired to go. I think that my kids are still recovering from camp-they are all tired. Well, they are all tired except for Whitman. He has rebounded the easiest which is kind of surprising.
• I went to see Pops and took him his Father's Day gift this evening. Jason had a spare camera and gave it to me for the girls. Campbell is the only one without a big camera so I told her that this one was mainly hers-she was excited. I love that our girls love taking pictures...if I could only get the boys to enjoy photography too.
• We all found supper on our own tonight, but Campbell did make cornflake cookies. We have a kind of crazy week, so I worked on my list trying to organize things in my head-it didn't work! Now, I'm going to read my book for a little bit. 

June 14, 2025

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• Graham was awake before I was this morning sending me notes about when he blood pressure cuff was going off. He was glad to yank that thing off this morning when the time was up. He then went on a run as soon as he could since he had missed not being able to do that yesterday.
• Robby and I left soon-he dropped me off to see Pops, who is now home from the hospital, while he ran an errand. Then we went to a gas station. On the way, we saw a Blue Bell ice cream truck at Bass Pro along with some blood mobiles. 
• After getting some free ice cream, Robby tried to give blood but his hemoglobin was too low. We then ran into Walmart for a few things followed by lunch at Texas Roadhouse. We took more things home than we ate-5 rolls, 5 potato skins, a complete side salad, 2 baked potatoes, a piece of steak, and most of my chicken fried chicken. 
• We then bought a few deals at Kroger before running by Dairy Queen for a mystery shop. It was well past lunch time, but the kids were clamoring at the door when we came home because they wanted our leftovers. 
• It wasn't too long after we came home, that I left again in the rain to go and pick up Campbell. She had a great time at the lake with Adilyn and her family. She came back a little burned but also exhausted. Tonight as we were waiting on Robby and supper to arrive home, she fell asleep while Graham, Keaton, and I were talking. She was even a part of the conversation.
• Ethan came over for supper, and then Reagan and Ethan went to play pickleball. Keaton has a friend coming over this evening, and the rest of us are anxiously watching the Hogs play.

June 13, 2025

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• Last night after church, Reagan wrote and said that she was going to Swig in Conway. It was a long way for a drink, but she went with friends and had fun. Though when she did get home, I tried her drink, and the one that she bought for Keaton, and wasn't too impressed. She said that she liked her Sonic drink better.
• Graham and I left right after Robby this morning. He had his last nutrition center visit-they made him do 30 minutes of "aerobic exercise." He really thought that he was going to get sweaty and even brought a change of clothes-he was underwhelmed since they just made him walk on a treadmill. He could have run for a few miles for them, but walking was all they needed. 
• He now has to wear a blood pressure cuff for 24 hours. It doesn't bother him, but I think that it makes him a little stir crazy. It makes me a little crazy though since I have to write down what he is doing every time it goes off. Last time they had to get 40 readings for it to be a success, and they only got 48 so I guess that was cutting it close. Hopefully, we will do better this time.
• He did luck out in that he didn't have to go to work this afternoon. When we came home, everyone was awake and stirring downstairs. It was nearly noon, but it is rather quite here most days so everyone downstairs talking can get a bit overwhelming. 
• The only real activity that anyone did this afternoon was a bit of school work. Tonight, Robby picked up pizzas for supper. Then Whitman and I made some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Reagan then left to play pickleball, and not too soon after that Campbell left to go to a friend's house for the night and possibly to the lake tomorrow. Graham offered to drive her so of course we let him do that!

June 12, 2025

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• The kids pretty much slept most of the day long. I had to wake Anderson up a bit after 8-I think that he had been asleep since yesterday afternoon. He at least did wake up fairly easily and then left to help a friend move.
• He was gone all morning long, but Reagan was here. She had a day off of work today-a paid day off, so that was a nice bonus.
• I left the house to go and check on Pops and Nonna. I brought them a few things from their house and set off their house alarm at the same time. Watching me try to get to the keypad would have been a funny sight for sure. 
• Robby left this afternoon for his physical therapy, and then he ran a few errands. While he was gone, Whitman and I made a batch of cookies, and Graham walked Bentley. When Robby came home, he had a few things for supper so I pulled out the fridge leftovers to supplement.
• Reagan and Anderson didn't eat supper because they went to church tonight for Bible study. They took two cars so one or both of them have plans afterwards-Reagan is the one who has plans now, but I'm not sure if Anderson will find some plans too.
• Even though all of the camp laundry has been done since yesterday, the girls haven't really put much of their things away-I can't do a final camp clean up until they put up a few more things, but overall most things are put away.
• Even though it is the middle of summer, I had some hot chocolate last night, and that is high on my list for tonight as well. 

June 11, 2025-June Lake Degray Trip

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Robby and I left the campground around 10:30ish. We didn't have much to clean up. Robby emptied the tanks while I ran on to a gas station for a quick shop. When he got close, I went ahead and got on the road. 

It took the whole hour, Robby did eventually catch up with me though. We met up at Kroger so we could fill up the camper and the white van with gas. Then we hurried home to start unloading. I didn't have a whole lot of time so I unloaded the van first. (I knew that in just a little bit, I would completely fill up the back with the kids luggage.)

Then I started working on everything in the camper. I grabbed my clothes and the food, but soon it was time to head to pick up the kids. I couldn't track them, but they were supposed to be home at 12:30. I was about 10 minute away from the house when I got a message that they had just left Arkadelphia. 

I went to the library really quickly. Then I knew I couldn't wait in my car for an hour, so I found Reagan in the church house. She was organizing the resource room-it looked like a huge project to me, but she said that she finished it before she came home this evening.

The campers were about 45 minutes late, but I believe that they all had fun. Whitman, who can be a bit of an Eeyore, said that it was a 5 out of 10. I will take that, and most of the pictures that I saw of him, he was having a good time. He is bent to see the negative more than the positive, so his reaction to camp was what I expected.

Anderson's group won the Collide Cup so that was good for them. Campbell and Keaton took a ton of pictures so there are quite a few that I have posted today. I have actually spent a good deal of time looking through picture today and trying to find the kids.

When we came home, I had 5 laundry baskets out so everyone put their laundry in a basket. I have been working through those all day long. It does make it nice folding clothes when I know that it is all one persons-my biggest laundry challenge right now is the boys' underwear. They all have the same type-it is just in 3 different sizes. I every pair of undies that I touch I have turn them inside out since no one seems to take off socks or underwear without it being inside out. Then I have to look at the size, but sometimes the sizes are worn off, so then I have to hold them up to measure the size and guess whose they are. Then I have to refold them. I know I'm blessed that my biggest drama is underwear folding! But my 5 laundry basket system did make things much easier today. 

June 10, 2025-June Lake Degray Trip

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I would have to assume that my campers are tired today, and by the lack of pictures posted I also assume that the camp workers are tired. I did see a few pictures of my kiddos, and one of those was the first picture all week that I have seen of Graham: him and about 7 other guys all wearing banana costumes. 

Robby and I have had a pretty slow day around here. We did the one mile loop this morning after waking up. He then had a few work calls that he did while I crocheted and read. I have actually read quite a bit today-so much that I think if we did this full time, I would have to read less or my eye sight would start to go. 

Actually, my eyes seem to bother me in the summer each year-more than once on a camping trip have we had to go and buy me eye drops for itchy eyes. I have to assume that it is something in the air and not the camper. Since it always happens in the summer and since we have spent nearly a year in the camper since 2020, it must just be allergies.

We had cheese and crackers for lunch. Today Robby added sausage since we were out of wheat thins. I also had salsa with my cheese and crackers-I believe that we have eaten cheese and crackers for 4 different meals on our little trip, and it has just been plain wonderful.

Now, we did have a fancy supper-lasagna. We had made some before we left for the trip and had some in a little container to heat up. Plus I made some toast to go along with it-not fancy, but the after dinner snow cones were a fun treat. I knew Robby would want to go back to the snow cone place tonight; Bentley was certainly happy to return too!

June 9, 2025-June Lake Degray Trip

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Very few Collide updates today, and very few Collide pictures so far tonight. There was one of Keaton having a "date" with a boy. He had spun the wheel which landed on "dinner date." His sister's group, also Campbell's group, picked who he would have to eat with, and Keaton was chosen. I have seen Whitman in one picture, and Anderson in a couple. 

Keaton and Campbell took their cameras so I know that they will come home with lots of pictures. However, there will be a lot fewer with Anderson and Graham. They needed Reagan there to take some pictures-maybe the girls will take a few pictures of their brothers. 

There were a few updates on the home front from Reagan. She reported that the trash did come and pick up our piles of trash. It was a lot, and she said that it was all gone except pieces that fell out. Robby looked on the camera, and it didn't look too bad, but I did tell her not to drive that way just in case there was something sharp.

Also, after Camp Geyer everything that was used was just shoved into a room. Grannymom and I put some things in that room early in the day on Thursday, and it wasn't that bad. However, the before pictures that Reagan sent was a bit overwhelming. By the end of the day though or really before then, Reagan had completed that project. That girl is a hard worker. 

Robby and I were in no hurry to get out of the bed this morning. We eventually did get up and go on a 5 mile walk around the campground. We had to let Bentley get a drink in the lake 3 different times. I did try to get her far in the water, but without my shoes on the bottom of the lake was too rocky for me to go very far. She did get pretty wet though. 

When we made it back to the camper, we had about .1 mile left so we walked past the camper. Bentley would not have any of that. She refused to walk any further-I guess she recognized the camper. We were able to get her to walk a bit more so we could make it a whole 5 miles. I was worried early in our walk that she was going to refuse to continue, and Robby would have to carry her 2 miles back.

After our walk, Robby worked, and I read and read. After a bit we sat outside some, but soon Robby and I were headed to get snow cones in Caddo. Bentley came too and had a pup cup. Robby had jolly rancher while I had something that had a scoop of ice cream in it. It was all very good!

On our way back, we drove and drove. We went through the Iron Mountain campground and then Alpine Ridge. It was quite a haul, and we were surprised to see people camping in so many different spots. And we were surprised to see how many campsites needed some repair. 

It didn't take us long to get back to the campground, so we went on one last walk of the day. After our walk, we made some crab cakes for our supper (don't think we are fancy, they were just from a box.) Now, we are watching some tv before we head to bed. 

June 8, 2025-June Lake Degray Trip

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Robby and I slept as late as we could this morning. It had rained some during the evening, and then another round of rain came through in the middle of the night. It was just rain so we still slept fine. When we first started camping, it was nice to see trees surrounding your site. However, after the close call we had one time with a tree falling close to the camper, I am sometimes pleased to not have any trees near us. There are tons of trees near us now, but the rain was gentle last night and lulled me back to sleep.

We took a quick walk around the loop this morning, and then we went to check in. Then on our way back to the campsite, we drove around this campground and Edgewood. We were probably gone an hour, but since Bentley went with us, she also enjoyed the ride. 

Robby and I then sat outside until 2-it was fairly pleasant outside as long as we were out of the sun. I read some and listened to my book some while crocheting. My goal is to make 11 squares while we are here, and so far I have 6 so I'm doing pretty good. 

At 2, we went inside to watch the Hogs baseball game. I watched most of it, but then I took a little nap since they were so far ahead. We headed into town to meet the Smiths at a Mexican restaurant in Arkadelphia for supper. It was pretty good, and then we walked around Walmart some before walking around the campground with Bentley.

I have been able to see a few pictures from the kids today. Whitman did move up to favorite child today-he came up to Candice and asked for her to take a picture of him and sent it to me. He was wearing different clothes and had a smile on his face so what more can I ask for. 

June 7, 2025-June Lake Degray Trip

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Robby was up first this morning. He left the house before I got out of bed (don't judge-I had done all of my work yesterday). He picked up Grannymom and then headed towards Ozark. After eating lunch out, they went to a restored cemetery and were able to visit with some family members. He didn't get back until almost five this evening.

My first task this morning was waking up Anderson at 9. Now, he had laid out a few things to pack last night, but since he is an adult now going off to college, I had to let him do things his way. I would have preferred that he make a detailed list two days before, then laid out clothes and things while checking off the list, and finally methodically packing each of the items. 

That, of course, is what I would have done. It is also what the girls pretty much did-maybe I have raised them right or maybe that is just a girl thing. However, by 9:30 Anderson was holding the list I had made it his hand while walking down the stairs with all of his things packed so I can't complain. 

The boys were all awake with Anderson packing-well, Whitman was pretending to be asleep. Then I woke up Campbell to tell her that we would be leaving in an hour. She usually has alarms set and is up when she wants to be, but I guess the time this morning snuck up on her. She still had plenty of time but had to have me make her a grilled cheese. 

I dropped off the big kids at church. I took the obligatory pre drop off camp picture. They were all excited to go, and on the way home someone sent a picture of Anderson's group when they were in the sixth grade at camp. He looks so much like Whitman-I have posted it so you will be able to see it. There was talk that maybe those boys would recreate it this week.

I hurried home, and soon I was back to church to drop off Whitman, Keaton, and Sophia. I stuck around a little bit longer this time-until one of Whitman's friends had arrived. Then I left and went towards Dollar Tree. We had watched a video about Dollar Tree where they mentioned some of the deals and neat things that they had-well, none of those things are at the store where I stopped.

I was then home for a bit more time, but soon Robby came rolling in. He didn't take him long to change and load a few more things. Then he was pulling out in the camper. I moved the suburban under the camper barn and then left in the white van. 

I stopped by Nonna and Pops' house to pick up some pork tenderloin on my way. That became our supper when we ate this evening. By the time that I got there, Robby had just finished leveling and most of his hooking up. 

The rain was starting, but we were able to take a short walk around our little loop before coming in. Then they rain really began, and it has rained steadily all evening long. We have eaten, and I have read and crocheted and soon there will be ice cream!

June 6, 2025

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• If I thought that a few days at VBS were tiring, I had actually forgotten about the day before camp. Gracious, getting 5 kids ready for camp is not for the faint of heart. Actually, Keaton and Campbell packed without any assistance by me. Graham pulled his things out but wanted me to put his things in his suitcase. Whitman and I packed together, and Anderson has not packed yet-this kind of makes me want to panic, but he isn't concerned and is slowly working on it.
• It took two walks today-the first one Bentley went with me. We were halfway done when it started sprinkling on us. We weren't too wet when we came in, but we both smelled like wet dog when we made it home. I tried to spray her with some good smelling dog spray, but she saw the spray bottle and took off.
• Around lunch time I went to pick up Keaton. She had spent the night at a friend's house and had a good time. When we came home, Robby was leaving to run some errands, and Graham and Campbell were leaving for work. 
• While the worked, Whitman and I did his packing plus I worked on the school room. It had gotten bad-the worst that it has ever been. During the day, I would work about 10 minutes at a time, and it took until mid afternoon before I did finally finished. Right now, it is so straight that it makes me just want to go and lay down in there.
• Tonight Robby and Whitman went to eat with Grannymom, and then they went to see Karate Kid. I haven't asked Whitman if he liked the movie, but he did like the popcorn. The big boys went to Rock Creek for Bible study (I guess they had Bible study) and then they played some type of game where Anderson and Graham won a 10 dollar ChickFilA gift card. 
• Robby had bought the girls and me chicken tacos from Sams for supper. We all made ourselves some big plates, but we didn't make a dent in our supper. Reagan can eat on it over the next few days. 
• When Robby came home, we made lasagna and salsa. Then he loaded a few things up in the camper before we both ended up sitting on the couch watching baseball.

June 5, 2025

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• Today was the last day of Camp Geyer. We all showed up early because they were passing out cinnamon rolls again for the workers for a breakfast treat. I took mine and Campbell's and put them in a baggie to take home-Reagan and Robby both had a cinnamon rolls this afternoon.
• I spent quite a bit of time prepping for Cam Geyer, and then ever day we would work for a couple of hours getting things ready for the day. When it is over though, it takes no time at all to put everything away. We cleaned our room, packed up my things and put them in my car, packed up the churches things and put them away, and moved the tables in our room. and we were done!
• Grannymom and I helped serve some hot dogs during family day. We didn't have a hard job at all, except that every so often it would get pretty sunny. I did drink two water bottles while we were working.
• Before I went outside at church, Keaton had a bag of things to take to a friend's house-a shirt and tie dye-because they were going to tie dye. I sat it on a desk in the church house, but when Keaton went to get it, it was gone. She looked and looked-it was not a huge deal though she was a bit panicked. We went to Walmart-and they didn't have a shirt her size or dye. I could have cried, but thankfully they had a shirt that would work plus we found dye on another aisle so that crisis was averted. 
• I dropped Keaton off at her friends and then dropped Campbell off to babysit for a few hours. Then I came home and helped Robby with our new oven. It's new, and it's an oven. I guess it is fun having new things, but none of the new things that we have gotten lately are not what I would like to have new.
• Soon it was time for me to pick up Keaton, drop off on of her friends, and then thankfully Campbell was done at the same time. When I came home that time, the project was to move all of the things to the street. We will have to take a picture of all of the things on the street-oven, microwave, washer, and so, so much more. The neighbor asked if we were moving, and we just hope that they pick everything up.
• It wasn't long after that project was done that we left to take Keaton to another friend's house to spend the night. Plus we dropped of the minivan since the new brakes are still pretty squeaky-embarrassingly so. 
• Robby and I stopped at Shannon's house for a few minutes, then we came home to an almost empty house. Reagan and Anderson went to church for the young adult's thing, and Graham was getting ready to leave to meet people for pickleball. Now those three are all playing pickleball while Campbell is packing, Whitman is eating supper, and Robby is testing out the new oven. 

June 4, 2025

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• Day 3 of Camp Geyer. They had cinnamon rolls for the workers this morning which was a big hit. Campbell did just tell me that she didn't get one-ugh! These children! We did get a text a few minutes ago saying that they have leftovers and to come to the kitchen today. I told her that she was going to get one tomorrow, and I would happily bring it home.
• There was a bit of excitement early when the lights went out briefly-people seemed to be relatively calm, but the janitor's walkie talkies were filled with chatter and all the staff that I saw were on their phones. Thankfully, the power did come back on quickly.
• Today, since I had a different group of kids come for cooking, we did the same first recipes again-they are really both winners: apple pies and pizza pies. Tomorrow is the crazy day, but maybe we have the kinks worked out.
• Robby got the oil changed on two cars while we were all parked at church. He then left the car he drove and went to eat with Grannymom. Reagan, of course, stayed at work to finish the day. Anderson went to eat, to Goodwill and bought a coat of tacky prom at camp, and to a friend's house to swim, Campbell and Graham went to work, and I went with Keaton, Sophia, and Whitman to Walmart for a few camp supplies and to Great Clips for a hair cut for Whitman. 
• People all started coming in this afternoon. They were all here for a bit-Reagan and Keaton have napped for a while, Campbell just finished making brownies for us, Anderson and Whitman are on their devices, and Graham went to play pickleball after the rain. 

June 3, 2025

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• Camp Geyer Day 2-I felt bad waking the kids up this morning, but as I was stirring everyone I knew that I would really feel bad when I have to wake everyone up on Thursday. For us homeschool families, waking up early and being gone most of the day along with having to deal with a lot of people is difficult for us! It makes us tired!
• Today was hat day, and Whitman was pretty pleased with his hat-he even said that he "won hat day." Tomorrow is sock day, and he has a plan for it!
• Anderson and Graham went out to eat on the way home. The rest of us dropped Keaton off at a friend's house to swim and plan for Collide. She was there until Whitman and I came back to pick her up on our way to his Collide tie dying party.
• Reagan made it home a bit early today, but the boys left this evening to go and play pickleball. We all don't really seem like we are at the house much at the same time this summer.
• Robby spent some time outside tonight watching the bats-or the lack of bats. Only 3 bats left their nest tonight so maybe that is a good sign, and the others can't get home-hopefully they aren't finding a spot in the eaves on the other side of the house. 

June 2, 2025

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• This morning was the first day of Camp Geyer here, so I was awake at 6:30. After I finished a few chores, I went upstairs to start waking everyone up. Keaton had spent a night with a friend, so it was just Campbell and Reagan in their room. They both were pretty quick to get up.
• However, Whitman was the quickest for sure to wake up. I woke him up, and he sat right up and started getting ready. He has been so exciting about working this week-only twice today was he mistaken for a kid and not a worker. 
• Reagan had to leave a few minutes before the rest of us, and Campbell and Graham went with her. Then Anderson, Whitman, and I left. Anderson and I both drove-Reagan drove the suburban so this morning Robby filled her car with gas and returned it during Camp Geyer.
• I did my cooking track today making apple pies and pizza pies. Everything went well in my group. And all of my kids that were guides said that everything went well in their groups too. 
• When it was over, Reagan went to lunch with all of the church interns, and then she worked until after her usual quitting time today. Anderson went out to eat with some of his buddies, and the rest of us headed to Nonna's house for lunch. She made quesadillas and had cheese dip for lunch. 
• At home this afternoon, I planned on taking a short nap, but I never got around to it. I really didn't even read much of my book. Robby was working outside and decided to clean the roof so I couldn't go back in and leave him unattended.
• Then the next activity was to hang a netting over some of the back of the house-we started working on mission bat removal. Robby hung the curtain in hopes that the bats could get out but then could not get back in again. After we hung the netting, we pulled out our chairs and waited.
• Eventually, the bats started coming out of the net-I'm not even going to tell you how many came out. It was enough to get most of the kids outside to watch at some point. A few got stuck so Robby had to encourage them with a long pole. Once the bats are out for a few days, Robby will work on sealing it up, and then we will move on to the next hole. We actually should be making a bat box to put in the yard, but hopefully they will figure out they are not welcome here!

June 1, 2025

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• We had church this morning, and when we left we bumped into Reagan working. She had to stay all afternoon today and help with Camp Geyer set up. It was a long day for her, but I do think that she enjoyed it.
• The rest of us left church and went to Grannymom's house. She made pork chops which were a hit with Robby-he even got the recipe. We stayed for a bit to visit, but then we had to hurry off so I could get to church too.
• I had to get everything ready for my cooking track this afternoon. It was a bit overwhelming-moving tables, finding more tables for our griddles, getting the tables as ready as I could-table cloths plus all the things the kids need except for the food, and their was an 8 foot table filled with all of the supplies that I had asked for. It was a lot, but Keaton, Graham, and Whitman were there to help. 
• Keaton would have been my best help, but she got an invite to a friend's house so she didn't stick around there long. I did discover that the intern (Reagan) didn't buy enough pie crusts for me, so I ran to Walmart on the way home.
• Robby had already been cooking when we came home. We planned supper-2 things of ooey gooey and lasagna-all of which need the oven that we don't have. However, the toaster oven did work for us, but you can just bake one thing at a time in there so he had to work all afternoon baking supper.
• The Wilsons came over to eat our Sunday supper plus we did some baseball watching. In the middle of it all, Campbell came home from the birthday lake party. She had lots of fun, but I'm not sure if her sunburn will be fun tomorrow. 
• Graham graciously offered to go and pick her up so that was nice. I think that he enjoys driving quite a bit right now. When she came home, she told us all about her outing as we watched the rest of the baseball games.
• I worked on the kitchen, but I also had to hem Reagan's shirts tonight-it was a rush order so I didn't have time to get them to Grannymom. I think the tshirt material was too soft for my sewing machine to work or maybe my sewing machine is dying-either way, I had to sew them by hand. As I worked all I could think about was that I was glad I don't live during Little House on the Prairie days or all of our clothing would be falling off of us!

May 31, 2025

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• The one chore that I didn't finish yesterday was cleaning the potties so I made sure that I did that pretty soon after waking up this morning. I don't really know why I dread it since it takes about 20 minutes if that. The worst part is having to walk all around the house-I sound like an 80 year old!
• Robby was the first one to leave this morning. He had a few errands plus he had to mail a package-Graham, Whitman, and Keaton sold one of their Coca cola things that they rescued from the dump pile. Now they just have about 200 coke bottle to sell. 
• I took Campbell to a friend's house, and they soon headed to the lake with 18 friends to celebrate Brooklyn's 16th birthday. I know that she is having a blast-I'm following their photo circle, and Campbell has posted most of the 300 pictures. All of my girls love taking pictures!
• When I came back from dropping her off, I left with Robby and Keaton. We stopped at Sams first and then 5 Guys. While we were in there, Keaton went into Platos to browse. After that stop, we dropped her off at Grannymom's house to help her with some yard work-they did a bit of bartering since Grannymom bought Keaton a dress as a payment for her work. Keaton was super pleased with her dress!
• The boys played pickleball this afternoon, but they were home in plenty of time for supper. We had hot dogs, beans, chili, and mac and cheese (per Graham's request). There was also brownies-the fridge is working well today, so that is one good thing. However, it is a wee bit difficult to cook a meal without a functioning oven or stove. It does make things challenging...and a bit exciting.

May 30, 2025

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• I had a pretty big list of things to do today-and I did most everything except clean the potties and a few other non fun things like that. I almost did mess up pretty early this morning-I had not heard Reagan moving around upstairs, and I was about to text her when I realized that it was Friday, and she didn't have to go to work.
• I had to leave a note for everyone when I took a walk this morning, and then when I went to Nonna and Pops' house for a few minutes, I had to leave a note again because no one was out of bed yet so I assumed that they were all still asleep. 
• When I was getting ready to leave, Bentley was following me around like I had asked if she wanted to come. I relented and let her climb in the car to join me on our trip. I think that it wore her out because Bentley slept the rest f the day away.
• Graham wore his blood pressure cuff all night long, but he was ready to get it off this morning. I went upstairs to gather everything, and he said that he was going right back to sleep. Indeed he did; Campbell had me wake him up before he had to go to work this afternoon.
• Not too long after they left for work, Reagan left to spend the night at Kennedy's house, and Anderson went to play basketball with some friends for most of the afternoon. 
• Robby and I left with Keaton and Campbell to pick up Grannymom, Nonna, and Pops. Then we dropped off the girls to babysit once again-this girls have done well babysitting the last few days. If they had some more families to work for Campbell would already have enough saved for a car.
• After dropping the girls off, the rest of us went to Riverside Grocery for some catfish for supper. The line wasn't too long, and we found a seat easily. The food was good, and it was a fun evening. After eating, we dropped everyone back off at Nonna's house. 
• Whitman opted to stay at the house. When I invited him to come, he said that it sounded like a good adult meal. He enjoyed hanging back at the house sneaking a gatorade or two. 
• Back at the house, Graham left to play pickleball while Robby worked on the fridge some more-this morning it wasn't working, but right now it is-it has been cleaned, defrosted, vacuumed, and prayed over so maybe it will last a bit longer. 
• I had to run and pick up the girls from babysitting, and Graham is currently still out playing pickleball. Since I'm full from supper, I'll skip ice cream (most of it actually melted this morning), but I'll work on finishing my book.

May 29, 2025

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• This morning started off with Graham and me going to the nutrition center for his second of three visits. This visit was fairly short, but he did leave with a blood pressure cuff that he has to wear for 24 hours. 
• I had assumed that it would be smaller than a regular blood pressure cuff, but no it is a big massive thing that makes some noises when it takes his blood pressure every 20 minutes. Not only does he had to deal with that, but I have to write down what he was doing every time it goes off. Thankfully, it is just for a few more hours. 
• I made it home with him just as Robby was taking Campbell and Keaton to babysit for the afternoon. They spent the whole afternoon with their two favorite little people. 
• I guess everyone was working for a little bit today. On our way home from the Nutrition Center, I dropped Graham off to help friends move. When I came home with the car, Anderson left to go and help as well. 
• Reagan was at work as well. I have heard that she is very efficient at work and finishes every task they give her pretty quickly. I wonder where she gets that from-she a mini me, but shhh, don't tell her. 
• After a few weeks of juggling life without all of the cars here, we were able to pick up the van this evening. Robby and I picked up the van before picking up the girls. Robby took Keaton home while I took Campbell to a birthday party. 
• After dropping her off, I went to eat supper with my friends. We visited until they closed the restaurant, and then we stood out in the parking lot until it was time for me to go and pick up Campbell. I thought that I might be finished in time to run to the library or even Pops' house, but we were a bit too chatty for that. 
• I picked up Campbell and made it home, soon afterwards the boys were home from their pickleballing. They had fun with quite a few friends this evening. Now, I'm finishing the blog while trying to get all of the information about the kids' evenings. 

May 28, 2025

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• I tried to get up a bit earlier this morning because Campbell, Keaton, and I were going shopping pretty early. We had to run our errands and get home before Campbell had to go to work. We moved pretty quickly this morning.
• Our first stop was Mardels for me to have Anderson's name put on his new Bible that the church gave him for graduation. While I was getting that done, Campbell and Keaton got started in Hobby Lobby. They had already moved through the list and met me to find one last thing.
• Next up was Walmart where we all split up. The list was fairly long as the bill reflected, but we managed to find everything that we needed. I did have to run into Sams to complete the list-shampoo for Graham. 
• We hurried home so Campbell would have a little bit of time at home before leaving for work. Her and Graham left, and Whitman and I started on his school work. We were able to finish a lot faster today than yesterday-some days Whitman just works faster than other days. I guess we are all like that a little bit. 
• Tonight Reagan had to go to work to help with decorating night while everyone else had to go for their first mission trip meeting. The big boys went to eat and to play pickleball afterwards while everyone else came home with Reagan. They were all quick to put a frozen pizza in the oven (toaster over) when they came home.
• The new oven was supposed to be here today, but last night Robby saw that it was delayed until next week. We are improvising just fine around here-especially with the toaster oven. Robby and I are watching a movie, and it is his turn to get the ice cream tonight. 

May 27, 2025

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• I had plans to walk outside this morning, but since it was raining, and I'm not that dedicated, that never happened. When I left to pick up Keaton from her sleepover, it wasn't raining so I renewed my walking plans. However, by the time that we made it home, it was raining once again. 
• Campbell's friend left just about when Keaton and I made it home. I think both of them went upstairs and went back to sleep. I worked on straightening the bonus room from Campbell's sleepover and straightening the school room from the coke bottle selling, Collide prep, and Campbell and Keaton's nail salon. 
• Then I'm not really sure what I did next, but I did manage to stay busy all morning-of course, I did manage to find some time to read as well. Soon though, Robby and I were leaving with Bentley. She had a vet appointment for her shots. She doesn't mind going to the vet and really enjoys all of the smells plus the treats she received after her shots. 
• When we came home, I did some school work with Whitman, and soon Reagan arrived home from her day at work. She works harder at work than at school-she's even been turning down pickleball. The boys left for Bible study tonight, and they even ended up playing pickleball. 
• Whitman made supper tonight-one pot pasta. I told him he could make a recipe from his cookbook each week this summer-he even has a recipe picked out for next week. Robby and I are now watching a movie from a book that I have read-I don't think that he is that interested in it, but now I want to read the book again. 

May 26, 2025

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• This was a fairly quiet Memorial day. I woke up this morning to go to the bathroom, and I thought it was 6:30 and still early. When I climbed back in bed, I saw the time on my phone and was not happy to see that it was already 8:30. It still looked dark outside because the rain was coming down all morning. 
• We stayed in bed a little bit longer, but I finally climbed out and started doing a few things around the house. At one point, Robby asked me if I was being productive. My answer was "kind of." I spent a good deal of time this morning working on the kids' cookbooks-I have been collecting recipes times 6 for years now so every few months I have to organize the recipes and put them in the cookbooks. Since these cookbooks are for when the kids leave the house, I am not really sure if working on them is actually being productive.
• Robby made the kids breakfast-it was actually closer to lunch time. He made biscuits, bacon, sausage, and eggs. Everyone was sleeping when he started on breakfast, but the kids came slowly creeping down the stair once they started smelling the bacon frying...or maybe it was the smoke alarms going off. 
• After breakfast, Robby and I went to work-this week is operation clean out the house. We managed to move a few things out of the bonus room, the bonus room bathroom attic, and the bonus room attic-it is nice to have all these attics in this house, but I have filled them completely. 
• We took load after load to the garage including Robby's old collection of Coke bottles. The kids were helping us haul things to the garage until we got to the Coke bottles-then we lost all of our help. Graham, Keaton, and Whitman found seats and worked for over an hour checking the price of everything on Ebay. They have now stored over half of the bottles in the school room to sell-so we are kind of just moving our junk around the house!
• Robby and I ran to Grannymom's house for a little bit and then to Sams. While he was picking up our pretzels at Sams, I ran into Walmart. The pretzels took a while so I just kept adding things to my arms.
• We picked Keaton up when we rolled in the driveway and left to take her to a friend's house to spend the night. Campbell also has a friend over here spending the night. The big boys had had enough of time at the house, so they went to play pickeball with their friends after we made chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, and cheese dip for our supper. Robby and I were pretty pleased that we have fed everyone two meals tonight. 
• I have read and worked on school things tonight, but now we are watching tv and about to eat some ice cream.  

May 25, 2025

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• We woke up to the news that the church picnic was cancelled today. I guess the radar looked iffy, but we hated for them to cancel. After church, instead of the picnic we went to Panda Express for our lunch. We split the family pack, and everyone had plenty of food-plus leftovers which the girls will fuss over.
• When we came home, Reagan took Campbell and Keaton shopping. They all found things and were possibly in a contest to see who could spend the most money. I think that they all managed to find a few things.
• The big boys went to Raymar and played soccer for a few hours. I think that there were quite a few boys playing. They both came home pretty sweaty and had to have showers.
• While they were gone, Robby and I both had very long naps this afternoon, but it wasn't raining when we went to sleep-that would have made it so much better.
• I did a few productive things after our naps, but soon it was time to go to the Wilsons for our Sunday supper. They had sliders which we pretty much devoured. The kids played a game while we visited-we were busy looking for deals and planning trips!

May 24, 2025-Following the Hogs

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We all slept very well and even showered very well despite the lack of shower curtain. I would have made a super big mess if I would have had to wash my hair. We were downstairs for breakfast around 8:30ish. This breakfast was a little different since they had Nutty Buddys and Oatmeal Cream Pies on the buffet. This, of course, made everyone happy except for Robby who would have liked a biscuit for the toast and sausage. 

It didn't take long for the rain to start on the way home. It would rain for a bit and then stop. Then it would pour for a bit and stop again for the entire ride home. We stopped twice for potty stops, but other than that we just kept on trucking. 

When we did make it home, everyone quickly unloaded the van. Whitman said that he enjoys camper trips more, but he wishes that unpacking from camper trips was easy like unloading the van. We had the van unloaded, all the cars vacuumed out, two loads of laundry started, and most things put away within 45 minutes of getting home. 

When Robby and I camped at Maumelle a few weekends ago, we were surprised at how messy the house was when we came home. It didn't take too long to realize that was because Reagan wasn't there. This time, however, she has been the only one home, and the house was cleaner than when we left it-that definitely helped with the unloading and unpacking. 

I gave everyone some supper options and made supper while I folded some laundry. There is still more for me to fold. After supper, Graham went to play pickleball while others started on their showers. Now, I guess I will work on that laundry and settled in to finish my book. 

May 23, 2025-Following the Hogs

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Since I usually don't share a room with Keaton, we have been surprised at how much she still talks in her sleep. Each night so far she has talked and made all kind of sounds during the night-Campbell said that she wakes up each morning mad at her.

We went down to breakfast this morning-it was a pretty good breakfast. I had a cinnamon roll plus a sausage biscuit. I probably shouldn't have eaten that much breakfast because after breakfast we loaded up the car, and then drove to our next stop....the Blue Bell Factory!

The main Blue Bell Factory is in Texas, but there is a factory here along with a visitor center and gift shop. We love Blue Bell, and we dropped a small fortune at the gift shop. Then we walked in the ice cream shop, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that each scoop was only a dollar. 

Seriously, a tub of Blue Bell is ten dollars so we only get it when it is on sale, but that lady was giving you a huge serving today for just 1 dollar. It was a dream come true! But really how much ice cream can you eat? Well, I can actually eat a lot, but between Robby and I we had 3 different ice creams and almost didn't touch the third. I always feel a bit bad for my non-ice cream eaters when we do go out and get ice cream-Anderson don't eat ice cream, and Keaton doesn't like it. We have slightly wondered if they were switched at birth and are not true Dennies.

We then left the town of Sylacauga and headed towards Buccees in Leeds, Alabama. We drove up, and the kids recognized the Buccees and the Bass Pro (changed a tired at Buccees and spent the night twice at Bass Pro.) The gas station was pretty crazy since it is the holiday weekend, but we still managed to find the bathrooms plus 2 icees and 2 things of nuts.

We met Les in Hoover at Saw's BBQ. He already had a huge table right when we walked in. I was still full from ice cream so I split a sandwhich with Keaton, but Robby had a brisket grilled cheese with a pepper jelly. I tried a bite, and it was pretty meaty, but I really did like it. The lunch was a hit, and it kept everyone full throughout the game.

Before we went into the game, we walked through the Fan Zone. Whitman quickly decided that he wanted to return there, so after we found our seats, Robby, Whitman, and I walked around some and then took him back to the Fan Zone. He stayed over there for a while exploring all of the games and things-he found us back at our seats and watched some of the game.

Actually, by the time that Whitman returned from the Fan Zone, the game was pretty much over since we lost the game in the first inning. It was still fun to watch a baseball game-and thankfully, the clouds were out so we were not baking in the sun the entire time. Whitman returned back to the Fan Zone for a while, and Robby did buy everyone a frozen lemonade which also helped with the loss.

After the game, we walked around Costco before sitting down for pizza, chicken bakes, and a few cookies at the front of the store. Robby bought a whole pizza so it took a bit longer, but it was worth the wait because we ate all of it. 

When we were done eating, we drove to the hotel-tonight we are in a big room. It has 2 double beds and a king so we are all together. The girls and I were going to share the king, but since Graham opted for the floor Robby and I are spread out in it. 

The kids played Clue with Brett while the Wilsons visited with us a little bit tonight. Then I worked on this blog. Anderson came through to take a shower-he quickly realized that there wasn't a shower curtain. So even though our room is big, it is missing a vital item!

Now, my blog is coming to an end...and I guess I'll go take a shower curtain-less shower!

May 22, 2025-Following the Hogs

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Robby left the room around 8 this morning to go and pick up breakfast. He stopped at Krispy Kreme and McDonalds so we had quite the assortment. When he did get back, the girls and I had already left our room and loaded the car with out things. 

The boys came down to eat with their bags. Robby ran upstairs to pack up his things, and soon we were on our way to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. It was just down the road, and even though we were here in 2012, I can barely remember stopping here-maybe because we had 5 kids under 6 at the time...and I was quite possibly pregnant with Whitman.

Just as we did last time, it was still cheaper for us to buy the membership for the museum. When I told Whitman that we would go to the Museum of Discovery and Mid American now, he was pretty excited about that. 

We all walked around the museum-they had quite a few interesting exhibits which were pretty modern. There was one of the big up and down rides behind the building that you could ride-Campbell, wisely, chose not to ride. One of the seat belts from the group of people who rode before our people came undone-Campbell and I saw that seat belt dangling in the air. We both turned around so we didn't have to see a tragedy...but when the ride came down, the operator didn't seem to be concerned about that seat belt. 

So trust me, I did a little more praying that usual when our people rode-their ride was successful. There was one more ride included with our admission-the gravitron. Enclosed rides are not for Anderson and Campbell sure didn't trust the rides at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center so she didn't ride either. Whitman absolutely loved the gravitron. 

When we left there, we headed to the Unclaimed Baggage Center. It was much different than we remember-we bought a baby carrier there last time, but this time Graham found 2 tshirts, and Keaton bought two pair of pants. It is a pretty interesting place for sure-there were so many things, but it is a bit overwhelming. Campbell can be a shopper, but I think that she was just overwhelmed with everything. Whitman and Anderson are just not shoppers at all so they didn't even really think about looking for anything at all.

When we left the baggage center, we stopped at Whataburger and KFC for our late lunch. Campbell loves her some chicken so that is what she ate along with Keaton and Whitman. The drive from Scottsboro to Sylacauga was about 2 and a half hours. It was a nice drive with lots to see-after we had already left Northern Alabama I found a post talking about all of the beautiful nature spots that I put on the list for the next time we are in the area. 

When we made it to this hotel, we had a few minutes of down time before we left again. This time we were just leaving for Walmart which was right next door. Our big purchases tonight were a few boxes of candy and a black tank top for me (I have been looking for one.) 

Then we the Wilsons came to our room, and we all ate our suppers-we both had meat, cheese, and crackers. Then the kids went next door to play Clue-Graham won a round, and Anderson won the next round. The girls are now back in our room and are showering. When they are finished, I'm going to be next! (Last night's hotel had water that was not warm at all-there is nothing worse!)

May 21, 2025-Following the Hogs!

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The working girl was the first one to leave the house this morning. She made her peanut butter and jelly sandwich before she left-Robby and I tried to ask her what she would like for lunch instead of a pbj. Maybe we can find her a few more fun lunch items, because I bet that she is already looking forward to going back to school just for the cafeteria.

The rest of us headed out a bit after Reagan. We have taken trips in the camper without everyone, but this trip I was a bit sad leaving with out Reagan. She didn't mind at all though! And maybe I missed her more on this trip because we were not in the camper too.

We haven't gone on a road trip in the big white van in a good long while. The van had been at the shop until yesterday-they had been working on the air in the back. It works well now, and before the oven broke, Robby dropped off the mini van for some brake work. After he had to order a new oven last night, he regretted dropping off the van-maybe brakes could wait?

Even though it has been a long time since we have traveled in the white van, I can still tell you where every single bin of ours would go-ice chest between seats, drawers with food on the front row, and then bins of clothes under each row with sleeping bags stuffed everywhere. Those were good days but a lot harder!

The Wilson's pulled up at 9, and we were already getting in the car. We followed them on towards Memphis where we took a different detour than them plus we had to stop for a quick bathroom stop. We met back up with each other in Holly Springs at our lunch spot at Phillips Grocery. It probably would have been a great stop, but it was closed up.

We found a plan B-Mexican, and it was pretty good, but we had hamburgers on our mind so it kind of wasn't as exciting. After eating, we were soon back on the road headed towards Shiloh National Battlefield-of course we needed to stop and get some stamps for our National Passport books. 

Robby went to Shiloh when he was in Scouts and camped here. He remembers coming on a yellow school bus with no air conditioning. Thankfully, the air conditioning is fixed well in the van on this trip. We walked around the visitor center and opted to skip the 45 minute movie! (I could help these National Park sites-a long movie is fine, but also have a 12 minute movie to give an overview. Same thing with the Jr. Ranger book. I asked for one thinking that we could complete it at home, but it would take a whole day at the park to finish that thing. They need a simple version where you are able to learn a few things, but not one where you have to become a Civil War historian to complete.)

After Shiloh, we headed towards our hotel in Huntsville. We found it and unloaded into our two rooms. Campbell asked if we were going to have to sneak in like we did in the olden days. Since Robby had two rooms for us, there didn't have to be any sneaking in. 

We were at the hotel for a bit, but then we left again. Tonight's bit activity, and the highlight of the trip for Whitman, was an escape room. Keaton was the only one in our group that had ever been to an escape room. The rest of us didn't have a clue!

We divided into two teams-the adults and Whitman and then everyone else. Our room was about a man that escaped from the psych ward and was going to poison the water supply. We were able to escape with only 2 minutes left-we did have to ask for 2 or 3 clues. It was all very interesting-Robby and I were just talking about if we could have even solved it by ourselves and how incredibly long it would have taken us. Whitman loved it! His mind just works differently, and he was pretty good it this. From here on out, I know that he will be asking for Escape room visits for all of his birthday and Christmas gifts. 

The other group did have a harder room than we did-the worker told us this. They weren't able to escape, but they were working on their last clue when their timer went off. For them to even be on the last clue was great. 

It was after nine when we were done, and since we hadn't eaten supper, we headed to Zaxbys for some chicken. Robby bought a huge family box for all of us, and everyone had plenty. Then it was back to the hotel. It is almost 11 now, and our room is fairly quiet-I'm going to take my shower, and Robby is working on some work.

May 20, 2025

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• Today was one of those days that felt full from the moment I got up. I started the morning with my usual round of chores—nothing exciting, just the daily routine of straightening up the house, dishes, laundry, and making sure everything was in order. There’s something kind of grounding about starting the day that way, even if it’s not the most glamorous part of life.
• Once the basics were out of the way, the focus shifted to packing. We’re getting ready for a trip, so everyone had a to-do list. Packing always takes longer than I think it will, especially when you’re trying to make sure nothing essential gets left behind. Clothes, toiletries, snacks, chargers, books, backup outfits—it’s like a puzzle, trying to fit it all together and still zip the suitcase shut. The kids were mostly helpful... mostly.
• Reagan, my oldest, was gone all day at work. It’s still a little surreal sometimes, seeing her head out the door like a full-grown adult. She’s juggling a lot and doing it well, but I missed having her around during the packing chaos. It’s always easier with more hands.
• The big event for the day was the round of dentist appointments. All of us loaded up and headed over, and it turned into quite the ordeal. Reagan, Keaton, Anderson, and Graham all had cavities. Four kids, four sets of bad news. Not exactly the outcome we were hoping for, but at least we caught them early. The dentist was great—patient and kind—and the kids handled it all surprisingly well. Still, I think we’re all going to be brushing a little more carefully from now on!
• By the time we got home, it felt like we’d packed a whole week into one day. But even with the busyness, I’m thankful. Thankful for a full house, a trip to look forward to, and even dentist visits that keep us on track (cavities and all). Some days are just about getting things done, and today was one of those days.
• If you are still reading, can you tell that Reagan helped me write the blog tonight using ChatGPT? With just a few prompts, that silly thing was able to write a pretty accurate description of our day. The girls have packed, and Whitman and I have packed, but the big boys haven't even thought about packing. Currently, they are out playing pickleball, but they will have to pack when they do get home tonight.
• Another mistake from the above is that all 6 kids went to the dentist-Whitman and Campbell did not have cavities. The others all did-Reagan almost had a panic attack when she checked out after the rest of us (she drove from work) and saw how much her cavity would cost without insurance. I had to tell her where to see what we would pay-that made her feel better, and then we discussed the benefits of dental insurance. 
• This afternoon I was sitting in the living room and heard something beep in the kitchen. I went in there to see some letters on the oven where the clock should have been. I did some research and moved it to unplug it. Of course this meant I had to then clean under neath it. It did the same thing tonight, but hopefully Robby was able to fix it-he tried to tighten all of the wires-but this all probably means that the oven is going out (in the last month we have replaced a microwave, washer, and dryer.)
• We all ate supper at the table this evening, and then the boys left for pickleball. Now we are all just doing pretty much nothing!

May 19, 2025

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• Reagan left this morning-I was moving around in our closet getting ready when she did leave. I did a few things around the house but then I left with Graham so we could get hair cuts. He did think that his hair was too short, but it does really look good.
• We came home, and I made Graham and Campbell a grilled cheese sandwich before they left for work. Anderson and Keaton were up around noon, but Whitman might could have slept all day long. I finally woke him up at 2. 
• This afternoon Whitman and I were talking about something, but in our conversation he used the word "sentient." Maybe that is some word that all of you know the meaning to, but I sure didn't. I had him say it about 10 times until I realized I was going to have to get some help from google. In case you are wondering, sentient means having the capacity to feel things (like feel emotions, be aware, and experience things). 
• When our conversation was over, I began googling if people with good vocabularies do better on the SAT rather than the ACT. I feel that I have a decent vocabulary, but he sure hasn't been learning words like sentient in our school!
• Graham was meeting some friends at the Goodwill tonight after work to look for things for camp. Since he was leaving early, I started to make his supper-meatball sub. I had planned on just making everyone else's at 6ish, but Anderson walked through and said that he would eat now. Then Reagan said she was used to eating supper at 4:30 at school, so I made everyone a meatball sub. 
• We only had 4 things of loaves for fancy bread, but I supplemented with some sister shubert rolls from the freezer. Whitman had made some pizza chips that we all ate as well. 
• Graham went to Goodwill and then ended up playing pickleball for a bit. While he was gone, the rest of us pretty much did nothing-and it was nice. 

May 18, 2025

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• This was Reagan's first official Sunday working at church. I think that she enjoyed working in a Sunday school class-and she even promised a bunch of girls that she would remember their names.
• After church, we all went to Grannymom's house to eat Sunday lunch. We stayed around and visited for a bit, but then most of the kids rode home with Reagan and stopped by Sonic on the way home. They were pretty happy about their drinks.
• When we all made it home, Reagan took a few pictures of Anderson is his graduation robe-I didn't feel that I had adequate pictures from the Sunday that he walked across the stage at church. Then before I could even lay down for my nap, the boys were leaving to go to Cole's house to watch basketball (possibly).
• From there, they went to Raymar for Collide night. Robby took Keaton, Campbell, and Whitman there as well. They all had hot dogs and played quite a bit.
• While they were gone, Robby and I made spaghetti for us and the Wilsons. I had made a brownie pie while the Robby was taking the kids-it was a new recipe for me that I picked because I had a pie crust in the refrigerator that needed to be used.  I was surprised by how good that it actually was.
• When the Wilsons left, we picked up a little bit, and then everyone headed towards bed. 

May 17, 2025

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• I didn't sleep too well last night, but it did help that even after playing on my phone a few times, I was able to take a few naps this morning. Of course by doing this, I pretty much wasted the entire morning, but it was worth it.
• I left a little bit before one with Keaton and Campbell to go and help at a wedding shower. I had door duty, and I really kind of enjoyed that task. Campbell and Keaton helped take people who came in the wrong doors to other parties happening around the church. They also worked the sign in book some along with door duty too. 
• When it was over, we had to load up my dishes, but the girls didn't load up in my car. They went out with Sara to Target. They didn't buy anything...probably because Campbell's wallet was at home, and Keaton's was in my car.
• When I came home, I found my spot on the couch and have pretty much stayed here since. I have a good bit left on a book to read, but I don't think I will finish that tonight. Reagan has been going through her boxes, bags, and bins of clothes that she brought home from school. Keaton just walked through with a few things, and I even got a few things to try.
• Robby left to go and buy some Blue Bell-ice cream is important. While he was gone, Anderson and Graham got a pickleball call so they headed off to play. 
• They did miss the ice cream, but so did Whitman. He couldn't find a flavor that he liked so he opted for a cookie that Keaton and her friends made last night-they were really delicious.

May 16, 2025

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• Reagan went camping with some friends last night. They had pancakes for breakfast, but they had to go to Walmart to buy plates! She was home fairly early this morning, and the first thing that she did was hop in the shower.
• Everyone else slept in last night. I had a few things that I tried to get done this morning, but soon I was taking Campbell and Graham to work. Then Keaton and I took my plates to church for a shower tomorrow. We ended up washing plates and even helping with some flowers.
• We then had to leave-Sonic was calling Keaton's name, and the library was calling my name. We picked up Campbell and Graham from work a little bit early so we could get Campbell to her next thing.
• She changed clothes, and we dropped her off at a friend's house. Then Keaton and I picked up Sophia and two other friends. I took those girls to 2 Goodwills, Platos, and Hobby Lobby. We drove all over creation, but unfortunately, they didn't find too many things. Keaton did get some shorts and a pair of shoes, and I bought a shirt for Whitman to wear to camp.
• I picked up pizza for supper on the way home. We all ate, and then the girls went out to play volleyball. I sat down for a little bit and then had to leave to pick up Campbell. The girls made cookies while I settled in on the couch for the rest of the evening. 

May 15, 2025

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• Reagan was the first one to leave this morning-she went to work. I think that she was busy most of the day long-I know that she went to Walmart at least twice. On her last trip, she was buying food for my cooking track. I will be interested to see what she bought-she had to send me a picture of cooking spray (Pam) to make sure that it was the right thing.
• Keaton and Campbell left next for their last day at Mother's Day Out. Keaton is the main teacher in her class since all the other ones have left, and she wrote me around noon saying that all the other classes had a little gift for their students. We hadn't even thought about it, but I was able to print out a tag, cut some ribbon, and run to Walmart to buy some bubbles for her people before it was over.
• Before I left to pick up the girls, Graham came home to pick up Anderson to take him to basketball. They played with a pretty big group of guys, but they didn't play for too long today. Graham brought Anderson home as well-I know that he will be tired of driving after this week!
• When I came home, Whitman and I worked on school. It is 10 right now, and I just reminded him that he didn't do two pages for me-so he ran to do them while his popcorn is cooking. He is actually doing a good bit of school-and he is knocking it all out for next year (but don't tell him that.)
• Adi came over tonight so Campbell could do her nails. They had been doing nails in their bedroom, but now their nail studio has moved to the school room. I think that is fine-I guess I can help keep all their things a little bit clean especially if I have to walk past them 100 times a day.
• Robby and I went out with the Wilsons to celebrate Tony's birthday. We ate at Layne's chicken-the honey mustard sauce was really good, and the desserts that Shannon had were really good as well. We watched the baseball game-or at least I tried to watch the baseball game. My eyes were so incredibly heavy!...and they still are!

May 14, 2025

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• Graham came by to pick me up this morning, and we headed to his nutrition center visit. They had sent me a text a bit ago, and when he saw what he would make he decided he wanted to try it.
• As always, at the Nutrition Center, they read pretty much the whole consent form to you which makes me a bit crazy-word for word page after page. Plus I've already read the form because you emailed it to me...and in the form it said today's visit would just be 3 hours. However, the lady today said our visit could take 5 hours-Graham and I started to worry a bit about getting him to work. 
• It all worked out just fine though because we were out of there in exactly 3 hours. The study is basically seeing if isometric exercise or aerobic exercises are betting at lowering blood pressure-though Graham's blood pressure today was like incredibly low (or at least I thought it was incredibly low compared to mine-though my blood pressure was crazy low for me yesterday.)
• We raced home, and I jumped out of the car and the girls jumped in, and he headed to work. They wrote asking if Keaton wanted to work again today so she took them up on that. She proofed most of the afternoon long.
• While they were all gone, Anderson and Whitman did a little bit of school work. Whitman was still sleeping around noon today-I did make sure that he woke up and got out of bed. I'm keeping a close watch on him so he doesn't pull any more all nighters-that boy has never required much sleep.
• Reagan went to work-today she ran some errands buying things for Camp Geyer. I know that she enjoyed getting out of the office for a little bit. She was finished early this afternoon and hung out at Graham's house sitting house for a little bit before going back to church.
• We all met back up at church this evening for the Camp Geyer meeting. The meeting didn't last too long so afterwards the big boys went to play pickleball-we hurried home so Anderson could take the car. Right now everyone seems to be crazy busy with plans every day-all of our people are coming and going, but I think that it will all slow down once summer gets started (at least I hope that it will.)

May 13, 2025

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• I woke up this morning and discovered that I'm truly a pretty bad mother. I was raising the blinds in the living room, when Whitman popped his head from a chair and chipperly said, "hey, Mom!" Turns out the boy had stayed up all night long. He was so proud of himself, and he was so wide awake! Before Robby and I had left the house he had already started on his school work for the day. 
• Robby dropped me off at Grannymom's house this morning. He went on to his doctor's appointment-he has a frozen shoulder. He also had a steroid shot today and will start going to PT next week. 
• When Robby's appointment was over, Grannymom dropped me off at the hospital for my colonoscopy. It wasn't too bad at all-of course, yesterday was the worst part. When it was all over, I was still a bit dizzy. When Robby had finished his last year, he wanted to go to Sams to eat pizza. I would not have been able to walk that far at all. Now, I was able to request a hamburger and gobbled that up when I got home.
• Robby eventually headed off to run some errands at about the same time that Anderson left to go and play basketball with Graham and some other guys. I napped this afternoon a bit, but so did Whitman. I think that he went to sleep pretty soon after we left this morning. I woke up him around 4, but it took me a while to actually finally wake him up. 
• Robby sped home to pick up the girls to take them to babysit for a few hours. Then he hung out with the boys until it was time to drop off the car (white van-working on the air this time) and pick up the girls. 
• Reagan worked today and was home for about 20 minutes before she left again with Kennedy. They went to eat and then to a friend's house. She said that there were a lot of meeting at church today that she had to go to, but I know that she is enjoying seeing all of her friends from home this summer.
• I had supper ready when Robby and everyone else came home (Graham is still house sitting). I thought that it was pretty decent, but my supper ratings were Ds from the girls and B- from the boys (Anderson and Whitman are just a like in that they will tell me whatever they think will make me happy so I can't really trust their ratings.)

May 12, 2025

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• I was barely up as Reagan left for work this morning, She had a good first day working on Camp Geyer things all day and even came home with a goody basket. As soon as she did come in tonight, she said that she was about to leave to go and play pickleball and has even spent some time at Sonic.
• Bentley and I almost didn't get our walk in this morning. I thought that it was sprinkling so we turned back, but then by the time I made it back to the house it had stopped so we left again. 
• It rained on Anderson a bit these last few days when he was camping, but thankfully the tent that he was in stayed dry. I went to pick him up this afternoon when they made it back to church. He had a great time-he didn't canoe because the canoes were crowded, and he stayed back with someone that didn't feel great. His favorite meal was the breakfast burritos that he even helped make. 
• Campbell and Graham went to work this afternoon. Graham came and picked up Campbell and then dropped her off. He also picked up some clothe for himself. He tried to also pick up some food, but we didn't have any supper plans around here tonight.
• Keaton has played volleyball today and even taken a walk. She did her bit of summer school, but she might get a little bit bored this summer with so many people gone so often. Whitman won't get bored, but he sure wasn't a fan of me and him working on his school work today-it took less than an hour, but he was a bit surprised when I told him that we were going to do spelling every day.

May 11, 2025

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• It wasn't as difficult as I thought this morning to wake everyone up. I know that they were all exhausted yesterday, but the girls woke up on their own so that just left Whitman to wake up. 
• By the time that I got out of the shower, Whitman was already dressed and in the living room. Soon the three kids here and Robby and I were heading for church. Reagan had spent the night at Graham's house sitting house so they both met us at church.
• We did the church thing, and afterwards we headed to Nonna and Pops' house for Sunday lunch. Nonna did have to cook her own Mother's Day meal, but Pops did help since they had pork tenderloin-a kid favorite. I did bring a strawberry cake to add to the meal, but she had already bought a cake so there were two.
• The girls all left to go shopping after lunch, and Graham went back to the house he is staying at. Whitman, Robby, and I ran to Kroger to pick up a few things. Then it was home for a nap-Robby and I were both pretty sound asleep when my alarm and a few snoozes happened. I finally had to tell him that we had 10 minutes and needed to get up.
• We left the house and picked up Grannymom and Graham on our way to Dana's house. We celebrated Cash's graduation with all of his family along with pizza, salad, and cookies. While we were there, we were able to give Grannymom her Mother's Day present.
• When we left Grannymom's house, Graham left to play pickleball, and the rest of us headed home. Shannon came over to eat some dessert this evening and stayed to chat for a little bit. I made my list for tomorrow-tomorrow we will see if I will actually be as productive this summer as I would like to be. 

May 10, 2025

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• It was a long day around here-Anderson and Keaton left at 6:40 this morning to head to Raymar. He was the only intern on this last day of games so I'm sure that Keaton helped him quite a bit setting things up.
• Robby, Campbell, Whitman, and I were not far behind them. We arrived at 8 and went to work at the concession stand. This was the coldest soccer game that we have had, so I was busy the whole time making hot chocolate and coffee. 
• I don't drink coffee, but I have googled how many tablespoons to put in the coffee pot for each cup, but I do forget a little bit between each Saturday. I'm pretty sure that my coffee is not weak, and it is probably the strongest coffee people have ever had. 
• One lady today asked me to put a packet of hot chocolate in her coffee (she offered to pay for both), and she called it a mocha. I was so impressed that I briefly thought about having me some of her creation. Instead I had my third cup of hot chocolate-I was struggling to stay warm.
• Keaton and Campbell both reffed one game. Graham reffed two this afternoon, and I think that Anderson also reffed two. Keaton and Whitman's team came up short today, but the team they played had double the amount of players so they were all exhausted. Either way, I think that they had fun, but I also think that they were glad that this season was over!
• There were two championship games late this afternoon, so none of us left Raymar until almost 6. Robby and I had done everything we could to clean up so Anderson could leave as soon as he could. He had to run to the house that Graham is house sitting at to shower, and then Robby delivered him to his senior camp out with his Sunday school class. (He could have driven but we are putting the suburban in the shop early Monday morning.)
• Since Graham is house sitting near where Reagan was going tonight, she just decided that she was going to spend the night there too so she didn't have to drive home late. Keaton and Campbell didn't even get to go home today because they went straight to babysitting. 
• I have made a strawberry cake, and Robby is almost home from taking Anderson. We will have to get out again to pick up Campbell and Keaton, and then I'll have to make sure that Graham and then Reagan both get home from their outings tonight.