Spontaneous Overnight Trip to Camp

Yay!  We got lucky and were able to go up to camp today and spend the night.  It was low key, just the 3 of us.  Hurricane Irene came through but wasn't bad at all-we missed the whole thing being cut off from the rest of the world!  Good news is that THE RIG IS UP!!  Whoop whoop!  We met a nice engineer-y guy who told us they were down about 400 feet and if all went well they should be where they need to in about 3 weeks.  Wow, I can't believe it's actually happening!  So here's what the rig looks like, with Irene looming in the background...

 approaching the rig heading from camp (above and below)

 ...top...and bottom...

 the dump trucks were lined up at least 8 deep for something-not sure exactly what...we started talking about it and then met the engineer and got sidetracked...

 last shot before we ran from Irene...she looks nasty, right??

We awoke to rain the next morning and made a leisurely and creative breakfast, then took a ride...

 found some interesting fungii...

 ...it was actually a really pretty bright orange-the natural light of the caopy didn't allow it to show up well (that was straight up Nat Geo with that comment!)

 I loved these guys...right in the middle of the road.  The bigger of the two is about 8" high and because they were in the middle of the road, we had to go over them.  We knocked over the big one which made me a bit sad.  I love how there's a little pool of water in the big one.

 Gazing out the back window through the forest...quiet and content...

 We didn't happen to see any wildlife at all that morning, not to our surprise.  Throughout the ride we told Mitchell that he was our navigator, just to make it more fun for him, plus we are trying to teach him the different names of places on the property.  So at our last turn before camp, we asked him which way to go, he told us, but for some reason Reese stopped the Jeep and put down his window.  Just as he did this little guy hopped right in onto his lap...

 ...a big, beautiful walking stick!!  He was about 5-6" long-a good sized one!  So there always is some kind of wildlife to be found!  But actually, we're lucky he found us!

After our ride we went back to the cabin and packed it up.  It was a quick 22 hour mini-vacation but so worth it!  Going to camp is like going to another planet!

F-O-U-R

Okay so before you read this, make sure to work your way backwards, or forwards, whatever you prefer.  By that I mean check out the new posts prior to today...I hadn't posted since June (wha???)  so I'm catching up.  I just can't believe it's the end of summer...AND...my sweet little man is F-O-U-R.

It does go as fast as everyone says it will...maybe even faster.  When I think back at the morning we had him, when he was handed to us, I cannot believe what a miracle I was blessed with.  Especially after the misfortunes we've suffered since trying after him.  Were we really THAT lucky?  Lucky enough to be given him, Mitchell.  Yes, we were-we are.  He makes our lives so fun, full of love and laughs and surprises.  He's made me a better person.  As I tell him, "Mitchell, I'm the luckiest Mommy in the whole wide world", and to that he always replies, "I'm the luckiest Mitchell in the wide world" (yes, he leaves out the "wide").

He wanted his birthday theme to be blue and black cars...yesssss, not the run-of-the-mill theme...I have some creative freedom here!  So one day as we were driving around and I was pondering how to interpret blue and black cars for his theme and it hit me that he always points out the same cars, over-and-over, and that I should incorporate those on his cake.  So there is was, the inspiration for the cake-which, by the way, for those of you who haven't picked up on it, I have a slight obsession with...fun cakes.  So there-in lies the reason for me to design a car cake based on the top 5 cars that my son loves most.

We had an afternoon party with his buddies from school and family/friends.  It was simple-just filled all the kids with sugar and sent them home with their parents (thanks fellow parents...I suffered too!)  I got a cold 2 days before the party so I wasn't able to finish the games for the kids, which meant they ate even more sugar (thanks again, fellow parents).  So here it is...

 corvette...

 pt cruiser...

 jeep (da)...

 audi...(tt)...

 and "beetle bug" as he calls it...all around the circumference of the cake!

 construction cone sippy cups for favors...and stripey paper straws for the grown-ups...

 and here he is...doesn't he LOOK 4???

he sang along with everyone during "happy birthday"...so excited and proud to be FOUR...and when it was done he yelled, "we're getting married!!"

 dig in...

 this is the newest addition to our extended family-Bryson.  Reese's cousin Rich, and his wife Diane, adopted Bryson about 4 months ago.  Rich told me he feels so lucky because he doesn't think he could have made a baby this cute...

 I disagree with Rich-mostly because he'd be saved by Diane (haha), but it's crazy how well Bryson's looks match those that Rich and Diane could have-his big blue eyes and fair hair and complexion-he's beautiful and we're so incredibly happy for them.

 time to open presents...(notice there's only girls in these photos-and not because of the present opening...because most of Mitchell's buddies are girls!)

 time to watch one of the new movies...

The above pic says it all...a blissfully happy afternoon for a boy to turn 4.

God bless everyone!