It was a great dream, wasn't it? I got the stomach flu instead, but we did manage dinner before it set in for the rest of the night.

Yesterday I managed to make it to California and back, despite this yucky flu that has hung on longer than I'd like. A sweet friend kept me company on the way up and finished the drive back. We took five of our teens up to camp for a week. They'll spend the week having a blast and babysitting children that are part of the family camp. This is B-Boo's second year and I'm sure she'll have even more fun than last year!

It is also the Smart One's first camp! He REALLY wanted to go and it seemed like a great way to end his *children* years at church before he starts youth in another two weeks. It was fun to watch the two older teens give him advice on the do's and don't's of camp…what to pack, how to pack, what to do, what not to do, etc! We finally got him all packed and at the church when we discover that no, the flashlight battery wasn't dead, the flashlight was broken. As he frantically asked me what should he do, I replied,

"I suggest you make friends..and then borrow one!"

The teen girls were appalled at my answer, but then laughed about it on the drive up!

So…life this week should be interesting with only four children in the house, but it will be different for sure!

Teens. What is it about them that scares so many off? I happen to adore them. Yes, I know they can be loud, annoying, obnoxious, messy and they most definitely will eat all of the food out of your home…but they are also fun, eager to please…and well, they keep ya hoppin'!

My life with them includes anything from cleaning and decorating for parties at my house to babysitting on a whim to staying up half a night playing yahtzee or hearts with them (or watching Alias)!

Highlights of my summer with teens:

A party full of teens and reptiles.

Another party with amazing chili dogs and hamburgers.

A week at camp which included much laughter, walking, running, games, chair stealing, food…and yes, hearts!

Numerous texts and facebook messages while I was away on vacation. (Rule #1 for hanging with teens: you must be able to text!)

Ambushed by those same teens when I came home.

Teens that have moved in and won't go home…ever.

Teens that if, you just happen to get rid of them…they come back. Like a boomerang.

A newly painted bathroom upstairs!

Things that come with these teens:

Spontaneous,free babysitting; as in, I have to leave, you have to watch the little ones. It works.

Free trips to the grocery store…well, not free actually, they like to add things in. Beware of that one!

Coloring hair.

Kitchen workers; they'll do things like mop the floor, peel 20 lbs of potatoes and take out trash. Sometimes you'll get burned…literally, but they don't mean it.

They're honest. Brutally honest. As in…if they don't like your shoes, or your shades of purple don't match…they'll tell you. I ignore them, of course, but they'll insist on repeating themselves the next time you wear it.

They're kiss ups. They'll tell you whatever you want to hear in hopes of staying at your home or trying to talk you into taking them somewhere…like Walmart or 7-11, but as long as you are aware of this, the relationship works. For instance, "I'd love to take you, but I have to clean."

Mostly, they're fun. Really. They know I love 'em…and that they can call me at the drop of the hat and I'll give them a ride home from work or a place to stay when needed.

Teens….can't live with them, can't live without them. And I like it that way!

It's been one of those weeks again; you know, one of those "Whew, I made it through!" weeks! A recap, if you will:

Monday was full of, well, to be honest…I don't remember! I really can't remember what I did on Monday, isn't that terrible?

Tuesday; ah, I remember Tuesday! It started off with me taking my niece for an eye exam. She has various struggles with school, so I wanted to make sure that her vision isn't part of the cause. Turns out she is far sighted and needs reading glasses. Hmmm….that could interfere with reading then, couldn't it? We had fun picking out some awesome "Bratz" frames; red and black with fireworks on the side. Any girl will love them! From there we took B-Boo to the dentist, then home for a quick bit, then back to the dentist and finally, we made it home by 6:30.

Wednesday I got back up, EARLY, for more eye exams for my nephew, and two of my own kids. Turns out my kids eyes are pretty decent, but my nephew was even more farsighted than my niece! So, we spent time picking out awesome eyeglasses for him, too! The rest of the day is a fog, but sleep didn't come quickly enough!

Thursday, I woke up early. I then decided to go back to bed and cuddle with my youngest for a bit since I didn't have any appointments until 9 am. At 8 am, I realized that it was Thursday and that I had 15 minutes to get ready in order to get the Talented One to make up bowling by 8:30. Needless to say, I was one of those moms who ended up driving him to bowling in my pajamas! But I didn't stop there! I then headed over to my in-laws to pick up my nephews, still in my pajamas! By the time I made a couple of phone calls and headed for the shower, the Talented One called me to tell me he was ready to be picked up. So, still in my pajamas, I headed back to the bowling alley and rushed home just in time to grab a quick shower before taking my nephew to school. I managed to drop him off at 12:20, rush to Walmart and make it home by one for a meeting with our Youth Pastor. He's great and didn't mind that I by this time I had 9 kids in my house! We managed to wrap it up just in time for me to go back and get my nephew and get the kids ready for an afternoon swim at the aquatic center down the street! We'd planned to just eat hot dogs while we were there, but the pool hours had been changed so we lost an hour. No problem, we'd head home and cook something fabulous, right? Not, because a friend of the Talented One called to ask for a ride home because his car broke down. We headed over in our swim suits and brought him home with us for grilled chicken and fried potatoes! Finally, at the end of the day, we attempted to watch Alias, but I fell asleep. Sorry, girls!

Friday was back up again, for yet another session across town by 9 am. After my niece was done, we headed to the allergist for the Drama Queen. Once we got her settled, we headed home to find that B-Boo and a friend had primed the upstairs bathroom and were ready for me to start painting. (Oh, did I mention that we were remodeling the upstairs bathroom?) The girls helped until it was time for them to shower while I finished up. I managed to finish just as 5:30 rolled around, giving me enough time for a quick shower before we headed off to another niece's birthday party after we dropped the Smart One off for karate!

And finally, today, Saturday, I thought I'd sleep in. Nope! Hubby headed off to the men's breakfast first thing while I got up and finished putting the bathroom back together before taking the Talented One to bowling. I met hubby at home and we proceeded to put the cabinet back into the bathroom so that we'd have another functioning bathroom! Whew! Just as we were done, we headed off to Karate since the Smart One was testing for 1st Degree Red Belt. He passed! A bite of sushi in celebration and we headed home for the rest of the day!

I managed to get my bible study done and type this blog and watch Alias, all before bed.

Whew!

I spent the past week in San Diego at camp with our youth. I've had the privilege of doing this for a few years now and it is neat to see them grow! Highlights…hmmmm

Well, on Monday, after chapel, we did this.
 

And after Rec, we added in some of this!

We spent the evenings memorizing verses and then playing our traditional game of hearts, but I'm not willing to share those pics!

Tuesday's rec time looked like this

That's me on the far right…the mom

And our free time was spent here!

It was cloudy, but I still managed to get a sunburn!

Wednesday I got up early and went to Dawn Patrol. Starting off the day with worship and a view of the ocean is  indescribable! Wednesday was full of more rec, but I forgot to take my camera with me! After rec, we played speed…we can be pretty competitive, but it's all in fun! By now several verses had been not only memorized, but explained as well! Thursday was a hard day, but a great experience! Recreation was "the Amazing Race"…and it was indeed, amazing! Our team, the Noodles, was in dead last at the beginning of the game. We found the bonus 5000 points! Unfortunately, it was a 340 pound man that had to be carried everywhere…and he had to give only dead wait. Whew! In the end, when the team was starting to become pretty discouraged and near giving up carrying him around, another team showed up to help us carry him. It was a fabulous show of teamwork and encouragement. By the time we got him down the hundreds of stairs and hills, we were exhausted; but we still had a few games left to play before we could finish. Lunch had already started and it was hot and yucky. But our teams stayed on and encouraged us to the end; going as far as to create a line that we could run through in celebration of what we'd endured! What a display of …well, you get the picture!

Thursday night's chapel was outside where we experienced worship and an amazing sunset. More on that, later. There were also some pretty cool photo moments!

And Friday, well, we headed home. What a great week!