Long week!

Well Monday when I went to the doctor I was 1cm and 50% effaced! Kinda insane! She didn't tell me not to go to camp but she didn't advise me to go either... so you guessed it, I WENT! ha ha! My feet were swollen 110% of the time! lol yay!... gross! I've never had ogre feet before and let me tell you, it was no fun!!! The picture above of my feet, was about 50% of how bad they had gotten by last night but I would like to inform everyone, I now have ankles again! :) YAY!

We had an incredible week at camp, I do not regret going AT ALL! Monday night with our girl's devotionals started out strong... usually the girls don't open up until the 2nd or 3rd night so it was awesome to see them already thinking about what they wanted to get out of camp.

Several of our kids surrendered their lives to Christ... so basically whatever he wants for them they are now willing to let him use them! :) I think that's HUGE! We had one of our girl's gain reassurance of her salvation and I know that was a big big big decision for her, because it was really scary for her! There were many other decisions and self realizations that were made this week that just topped everything off! :)

I seriously love our kids so much... not only are they funny and laid back... but they helped me all week long. I didn't even have to ask and they would offer to get things for me like one of a million cups of ice, or food in the cafeteria, and so much more. It made me feel loved for sure! :) There were a few teams that were VERY VERY competitive and that pretty much turned our kids off immediately but they still did every game with stride, ease and a good attitude for the most part! :) I love that they don't care about the small things like that, they just love to have fun with each other... and yet they each are still so very different. VERY REFRESHING! Their different personalities compliment our youth group perfectly so that we are made up of so many different people but have that one common bond in Christ... love it! :)

Thank you guys for an amazing week and parents for letting your kids go! We love you so much!

Well...

... It's that time of year again... yep that's right! Tomorrow around 1pm we will be leaving with 35 of our kids to head to Fruitland Park, Florida for The REFUGE! WOOT WOOT!

At 8:15am I have an appt. where they will check for the first time to see if I've progressed any, as far as labor goes. I will also find out if and when I have to be induced. Last Monday she weighed 6lbs and 14oz... and I was also measuring further along... SOOO their plan is for me not to have to have a csection... and if that means inducing I'm fine with that because I'd like a semi natural process lol YES I AM STILL GETTING AN EPIDURAL! ha ha! Anyhow, I will update on facebook tomorrow to let everyone know what the verdict is! :)

Regardless of my progression lol my plan is still to attend camp this week... I guess we'll see what the doctor says but I'm pretty dead set. I've expressed my feelings to a few people but my main thing is, camp is the one time every year when we can get these kids out of the norm and get them to think about life and open up. If I miss out on these connections, I will feel disconnected all year long. Obviously if it comes down to Avery's health I will stay but I won't be happy about it at all. :( I will have a golf cart all week and will be in a downstairs cabin!

Please pray that everything works out well and that kids lives are changed and that the few we are taking that are unsure of their salvation make it right! I'm so excited to spend some time with my girls!

Getting there!

Well this Friday will make me 34 weeks... which is absolutely insane! I cannot believe that time has flown by this quickly! I have 2 1/2 weeks of work left and then it's off to camp with the kiddos!

I'm going to miss Maddie Grace so much... I've been taking care of this precious girl since she was 3 months old and in just one short week she'll be 2. Again, TIME FLIES!!!! I definitely feel like she's apart of my own family and I am already beginning to become territorial over her with the new nanny that's coming in... she's mine still! :) Avery and I will have to go over and visit with her often!

Although it is sad leaving this chapter of my life, I am so excited to begin the next... becoming a mommy! I have been having frequent dreams about her arrival... some precious and some just plain weird, but they say that's normal during pregnancy lol. My last dream was yesterday during my nap... I was visiting my grandmother (who passed away in 2005) and we were talking about baby Avery and me being a mommy. I had my hand on my stomach and I could feel her hand pressing against mine and all of the sudden she popped out of my belly... NO LIE... I gave birth not through the birth canal but through my freaking stomach! lol weirdest ever! But this just shows you how much I have been thinking about her and wanting to meet her so soon! :)

Florida Baby Shower (Cont.)

All because of the two very special ladies above... my day was so extremely special! :) When I walked in there were near 60 ladies there from our church! There was a crib set up with all of the presents in and around it... can we say overwhelming?

I've said this before but when you aren't from somewhere you don't always feel at home... which is how I feel quite often here in Florida.... sometimes I'm not sure why but other times I just feel out of place. Because I feel like this a lot, I wasn't quite sure how the shower would go... but it made me feel special they were doing one none the less... I can say now that the ladies in our church went above and beyond themselves to make me feel at home on Saturday and for that I am extremely blessed. It's so nice to be proven wrong sometimes! ;) I feel so overwhelmed with how much people showed they care and I appreciate it so much. One thing that happened that was amazing was, Cindy's Sunday school class (my mother in law), took it upon themselves to gather up money from the entire class in order to give to me in cash so that Sheldon and I were able to buy a big item that we still needed. THEY GAVE US NEARLY $250!!!! (That night we went straight to BabysRus and bought the stroller travel system we registered for!) Talk about a good slap in the face! AMAZING! The whole time was just very emotional! AGAIN, I knew God would provide for us in every way needed but yet again, I AM SHOCKED! lol and I shouldn't be! :) HE IS GOOD! Thank you so much to everyone that took part in the shower and helped to make it special for Avery and I, we appreciate it so much and I cannot wait for her to meet and get to know all of you! :)

AMAZING, yet again... why am I surprised?

Well we had our Florida shower this past Saturday and it was amazing yet again... Mike and Mickey came down on Friday night with Emma so that Mickey and Emma could go to the shower with me! We went to Cheddars and watched Wipeout... and then crashed of course! They're parents already so they get tired early too but Sheldon and I are definitely there too! Sheldon fell asleep before everyone on the couch lol... such a nerd!

Saturday morning Mike went with Sheldon up to the church so Sheldon could help set up for the Men's prayer breakfast... after that they went fishing! Mickey and I got up and started getting ready a little later and then headed to the shower at the church. I got pretty nervous on the way because sitting in front of people opening up presents is so awkward lol. If you've been married or had a baby you know exactly what I'm talking about! My friend Nicole was able to come to the shower so having she and Mickey there made everything all the better! I'll post more about our day and more pictures later on, for now I have to go to work!