It's a Vivas Thing!

No Words Needed

This is what the past few days have been like for me.

Camp, Day 2

Day 2 of camp was probably one of , my favorite days. It was our first official full day, so we really didn't know what to expect. There were however, two things, that would happen this day. The first was that it was one of our girl's birthday; the second was it was water day at rec...and we were told to be prepared to get soaked.

Ok then!

At breakfast, birthday girl needed a little glamour to get the day going. In order to get her day started out the right way, we announced her birthday to the dining room and had a combined effort of singing, "Happy Birthday!" We also made sure her birthday was announced in front of the 1900 teens attending worship, although they did say her last name wrong. (I'm sorry for laughing, dear.)

And then there was recreation. Not sure what to expect, we threw on some shorts and t-shirts and headed over.

Our youth group was split into two family groups. We still did everything together, but for recreation, we were on opposite teams. It'd probably be a good thing to know that we are all pretty competitive. I'll also state, that as a leader, I have the option of not participating, (instead delegating) if I don't want to. Yeah, well, ok.

Our first game was holding a thick pvc pipe full of holes over a bucket. We had to work as a team to cover the holes while other's poured cups of water down the pipe. First one to fill the bucket wins. We didn't do too bad and I managed to stay completely dry.

I may get them a bit jumbled as we went quickly from one game to the next. I'll say this: for the first two or three games, I stayed dry. And then it happened.

We came to a game where we had to run to a trash can and fill our hair with water, then run to our bucket and ring it out. The first team to fill their bucket wins. Ah ha! Birthday Girl has long, thick, hair! She'd also just stubbed her toe and wasn't really up to running back and forth. (She did anyway!) We had another girl who had long hair, so she was up for the challenge, too. Our other family group's team was a bunch of shorter hair, so I thought we had it in the bag. But then, things started to really become well, um, competitive...and before I knew it, I was ducking my long hair into the trash and rining it into the bucket, too! And I was, um, well, rather wet. And laughing.

And we headed to the next game. Which involved a trash can full of water, a bowl, a sponge, and a bucket. Rules: line up up in an assembly. One at bucket, one with sponge, one with bowl. Person with bowl runs to trash can, fills up bowl. Throws bowl of water from designated spot to person with sponge at designated spot. Person with sponge catches water from bowl with sponge. Sponge person then throws sponge at person with bucket. If sponge lands in bucket, person with bucket rings out sponge and they all move forward a spot. If sponge misses, person with bucket rings sponge over head, then moves on. Object: fill the bucket.

I'm sure it all started innocently enough. Our two family groups were standing on the same side, next to each other. In order to get to the trash can of water, we had to pass by each other. And it was a race, after all. And we were wet. And hot. And did I mention competitive?

Somehow, someone's bowl of water was, I'm sure of it, mistakenly bumped into. And then, somehow as we were running back and forth, we just kept spilling each other's water. And then somehow, we all ended up soaked and lost track of what we were supposed to be doing. And then somehow, we were in the absolute best waterfight that we've ever been in! (I felt sorry for the poor referee who gave up on us.) And somehow, we were in fits of hysterical laughter. And boy, did we have fun!

We moved on to the other games and followed the rules. We played water dodge ball and other stuff, and then it ended. And we headed over to the tree to listen to our Red Rumble leader share the Word with us.

And I won't say who, but one of those trouble making teens of ours thought it was funny to toss a bucket of water unexpectly over my head!

Later, we talked about our fun and agreed while it was a great bonding moment, we definately would set the example and follow all the rules the rest of the week.

And much later, we ended the day with hostess cupcakes, hearts, and laughter to celebrate the birthday. And we laughed and laughed at pillows and popping cupcakes and a near food fight.

Yeah, these types of days are just a little part of what makes camp so fun!

 

 

 

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Camp Day 1

This week's blog is for the parents of the wonderful teens I went to camp with! I know as a parent, there is nothing greater than your teen coming home from camp and sharing their wonderful stories of the past week. But let's face it, they don't always tell you everything. Ha ha

I thought it might be nice to share some of the things from a leader perspective. So...

On Monday, we finally arrived after driving all night on the charter bus. We were tired, but the weather was beaufitul. I'll have to say, personally I loved the registration process because they were so organized! Anyway, it was a huge blessing to find out our dorms were only a few steps away rather than a trek across the college! We spent the first few hours unpacking and hanging, waiting for dinner and worship.

I tried to take notes during the week of things that stood out to me so I'd remember when I came home. Monday night we were singing in worship. I'm not one that usually looks around while we are singing and praising the Lord, but I happened to have been...well, sneezing.  When I was in control again, I looked beside me. What  I saw really blessed me. It was a room full of teens just singing and praising in full worship; one in particular struck me. He was standing there, eyes closed, face lifted up, just singing to our Lord. Honestly, he reminded me of an angel at that moment.

I quickly looked away, not wanting to interrupt his moment, and went back to my own singing. I remember thinking later, "What a great way to start the week."

And what a great week I had to look forward to.

My Kids

There is just nothing better than having children. Really. And a day spent with them is especially fun! We started off with the Smart One getting his long hair cut. What a shock! He looks older, and we can see his beautiful eyes again! He was at camp all week, so it was really nice to have him back and listen to him as he talked about his week; what he liked, what moved him, etc.

I spent this evening with B-boo at her dance pool party. We took along a couple of her friends and the Drama Queen. I got a kick out of watching them tumble in the grass. It brought back memories of when they used to compete together in gymnastics.

After, we went home and the Drama Queen put on a concert of us. My dearest friend was there to share it with me. It brought tears when she sang, "The Climb." When she was finished and her voice could sing no more, the Talented One lowered the lights and graced us with his music. I cannot tell you how much his music moves me. When he plays, a peace just comes over you. It is beautiful. Sitting there in silence while he played is about the best way to end a day. Even more, watching his younger brother sitting there beside him, just listening, while he plays, and his sister on the other side, again, sitting and listening.

I love how supportive my kids are of each other and their talents. We are so blessed with wonderful children!

Tomorrow I leave for camp and my blog will be shut down for a week. I love spending a week at camp with my favorite teens, but I also miss my family while I am gone.

I'll see them in a week though, for a much needed vacation with my older brother, all of my kids, and my parents.

It doesn't get much better than that, either!

Haircut!

 Before

After

It's been a while since he had shorter hair!

Quotable Quote #9

B-boo and I were working on her final essay for her health today, when the Talented One started printing.

We waited.

And we waited.

Finally, she spoke up.

"What are you printing? A tree?"

Ya just gotta love her.

5th of the Month

It's been over a year since I wrote about the Steven's family and the loss of their son, and our dear friend, Josh Stevens. I thought today would be a good day to share more.

It has been almost two years now. Up until I became sick a few months ago, we continued our monthly tradition of Steven's Soup. During that time, my sweet friend, Barb, was grabbing the Drama Queen and taking care of her (including feeding her, which is hard with all of her food allergies!), and helping us out tremendously! Now that I am better, my kids (and Shelbie) are ready for soup again. So today, we make soup!

These days, a gigantimous pot is needed. It involves 20 lbs of potatoes, and lots and lots of love! I thought I'd re-post the recipe in a larger quantity for anyone who might want to make it for their family and share it with another family! You can still find the original recipe, in smaller quantities, on the link above.

But first, let me share a little of what has happened in the past several months. The Steven's family has started the Josh Steven Foundation. Here is a small quote from their web site:

"Josh was always doing something kind for someone else. We believe that when he was kind to others, seeing how it made them feel, it inspired him to pour out more kindness. It was a necessity to him. And when a person would say “thank you” to him, it filled him so full, that it would make his day. This is how and why we came up with The Josh Stevens Foundation and the Kindness Card. It’s a simple way to “catch” a child and let them know that their genuine kindness can change the world. Our hope is that children being “caught” will be inspired to be more kind, more often."

I'd like to encourage you to check out their site and see how you can be involved in passing on some kindness!

Ingredients

Love, as much as you can put into it

1 cup butter (I use earth balance to keep this dairy free)
6 qts organic chicken broth
2 diced sweet onions
20 lbs red potatoes, peeled, chopped
1 1/2 tsp cayenne
2tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 12 oz tub sour cream ( I use tub Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream)
3 8oz  tub cream cheese (I use tub of Tofuttie Better Than Cream Cheese)
3 heaping tsp dill (fresh is best)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 bunch of fresh chives chopped up

Place onions and potatoes into a large pot. Add chicken broth, garlic, cayenne, pepper, and salt and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until potatoes are tender. Mash potatoes with a potato masher (or a larger spoon thingy) until there are small little chunks of potato mixed in. Add butter, sour cream and cream cheese, chives and dill and simmer for about 15 minutes. If soup is a little watery, you can add in a bit of potato starch to thicken it up.

Here's a little added tip: the broth should just cover the potatoes, giving enough liquid to boil; add a little more, add a little less. The soup is much better if the spices are added in while the potatoes are boiling, but you can add them in later if you forget.

For those who can have dairy, top off your bowl with colby jack or cheddar cheese and enjoy. the Smart One likes bacon bits added to his!

But before you take a bite, please remember Barb, Drew, Shelbie and Sammie in your prayers...and if you knew Joshi, share a few memories as you sit around your table eating the Stevens Soup!

Charlie's Angels

I was going over my pictures from the Fourth of July. I noticed a recurring theme.

2007

2008

2010

 

And then, there are the open mouth pictures. What's up with that?


 

I wonder if the next generation will turn into the crazy teens, too!

I hope everyone else had a great 4th, too!

I love food, friends, family, and fireworks!

It just doesn't get any better!

Swimming

Now that I am free to be me!!!

I just had to say that, sorry...on with my blog. :-)

Anyway, now that I am no longer under restriction, I have taken up swimming to try and get my body back into shape. And IT IS H A R D! But I'm doing it. I started out swimming in my friend's pool, but then my children wanted to join in and swim in the mornings, so I bought a punch pass for our new local pool and went to it! I have swam every day for the past six days! I'm losing weight and I'm sure inches.

I love this pool for so many reasons:

1) They let kids swim laps in the mornings. The other pools only allow adults to swim during lap time. My kids are old enough to swim laps and not bother others, so I like having them. Plus, they encourage me!

2) They have swim toys. OK, they're not really toys, but they have swim weights and those flat float things that help me to last longer.

3) They're pretty nice...and it's not crowded at all.

4) It's indoor, which means I can keep doing this all year!

I started out with a goal to swim for 30 straight minutes, making sure to do water exercises, too. When I moved to the competition pool, I realized it would be harder...because you have to be able to swim ALL the way across and back. I do get tired, but I made it all the way up to 600 yards today, plus a bunch of exercises, crunches, stretches, etc! I told hubby,

"I swam six football fields today!"

Along with exercising, I'm finding that I'm working on making choices to not eat or drink certain things. For instance, I've also had no coffee in over a week! And, the exercising is giving me back my energy, so I'm up early waiting to get my swim in.

Tomorrow we're having a bbq. My friend is making dessert. I told her that if I am going to ruin my diet, it'd better be worth it, especially since I won't be swimming tomorrow!

It just HAS to be a Vivas Thing!

Wednesday evening we were hanging out with the family for my brother-in-law's birthday. Now, when we get together, there is usually something bound to happen. Honestly, we have well grounded, well behaved children....until they come together. (I personally am thinking that is really does come from the Vivas side of the family, because the genetic link is my hubby and his sister. Don't you think that makes sense? My brother-in-law thought it did!) The thing is, these cousins BEG to be together. I'm not exaggerating, they will BEG us, please, please, please???

Anyway, you can kind of see where this is leading up to, just by looking a t a few pictures from the other night. Notice how these two think they have everything under control. (BTW..that was an amazing fruit by made by none other than one of our favorite non-Vivas family members.)

 

You can see where things start to turn around. These two have a lot in common...I'll explain later.

Ok, I had to put this one in, because, well, they're my boys....and also, to show how calm they look. They try to avoid trouble now that their all grown up. Please note that I said, try. (And notice how the Good Looking One is smiling..that's because he knows I will continue to take pictures if he doesn't, so he tries to get it right the first time. Obviously, hubby and the Talented One don't have it quite down yet, the smiling thing.)

So anyway, we had a nice little time of chatting while eating cake and fruit pie. We even had time to take family pictures, but I was in the pictures so didn't get them on my camera. That probably should have been the first warning signal. Trying to force our tweens to take family pictures. Of course, as soon as they were done, they ran to escape any more torture upstairs.

Warning to all parents: If you torture your children, they will find a way to torture you back.

We remained downstairs trying to have a nice, relaxing chat.

By the way, screaming from upstairs when you are relaxing downstairs is usually not a good sign. You probably should check on things. We did.

I'll admit it, I didn't literally expect a tornado. In the brief moments that they were upstairs alone together, all of the mattresses on the two beds managed to come off, have their sheets torn off, and the room looked like a tornado had come through just the boys room. There was obvious jumping going on, only the response was,

"It wasn't me!"

"I wasn't jumping, I was just watching."

"I didn't want to."

Um, all of your faces are red and you are dripping sweat. Children also apparently have this gift of not realizing that WE KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING!

Because see, when my hubby was younger, he had this thing for mattresses. He liked to put his sister (the one with the knife) under them and jump on her. I never did that.

I did lame things like stick my older brother's finger in warm water to see if it really made you wet your pants. (It didn't. I tried his toes, too, but that didn't work.)

After the yelling to put the room back together NOW began, my oldest son quickly gathered my two teens and they rushed out the door. See, they've been on that side and know the wrath of mom....and Tia. They know when the party has come to an end.

Hubby was next to leave, taking the Princess (not tonight) and Chicken Noodle Butt with him.This is after he found his sock and shoes even though he didn't want to do any of it.

My non-Vivas family member then volunteered to take the Drama Queen and I home. We got her together and left after explaining to her that no indeed, they would not be doing any overnights tonight!

This is the part I was going to explain, remember? Tia was the one that was left behind as a child. We usually hear this story at family gatherings; how the whole family (HUGE family) left the park and each thought the other had her and well, 2 hours later, they found her at the park with a nice lady sitting with her, while she waited for someone to come back and pick her up. That's Tia, the one hold the knife in the picture above. She's also the one who was smashed under mattresses by my hubby.

So, as we are driving down the road, headed home, my phone rings. It's Tia.

"Hello?"

"Um, hello. Your forgot a child?" followed by laughter.

"Oh, which one did we forget?"

That would be the Smart One...whom, I will admit, has been forgotten left behind, on more than one occasion. (Please note that he's always been left in an air conditioned home, not at a park with strangers.) Apparently moments after we left, he came sauntering down the stairs. He was informed that we'd left without him. He said he was used to it and that he'd walk home. (Seriously, we live close by each other.) Tia said she knew how he felt (they have that special left-behind-bond), and had her birthday boy husband give him a ride home.