Our 4th of July and Maryhill Museum

We went to Cascade Locks park for the fireworks show. We had an awesome time. We got there about 5pm and didn't get home until after Midnight (we were a tired bunch at church!). We had a picnic dinner got KFC (finally got to try the "grilled chicken") for the main course, I made some sidedishes and dessert, packed in some pops, water and chips.

We had several hours to kill before the firework show. The kids got DRENCHED running through the sprinklers, we took walks and watched other people's firecrackers,

played catch, talked, laughed, bickered, nursed, potty trips, snacked, played dinosaurs,

and just had such a great time together.

When the fireworks came, Paul and I braced ourselves for scared children (mainly the girls). We used to take the boys to the fireworks shows in Eugene when we lived in Springfield and the boys were always terrified (they were much younger). We were so suprised at what troopers the girls are!! (I guess that makes the boys sissies when they were that age!ha!ha!) Ann LOVED the fireworks, sat in her own chair and took it all in. Hannah got nervous at first and sat on Daddy's lap. She got really into it though when Daddy told her to name the purple ones. From then on she was a screaming color narrorator for our side of the park. It was so funny! Mary nursed, for comfort I think. I kept her exposed ear plugged with my finger. The boys are really into it now... no crying from them anymore!

It was an amazing show, with the fireworks smack dab over our heads.

We went to Maryhill Museum on Friday. It was even better than I expected. We loved looking at the art. I especially liked the miniature fashion displays on the the dolls. Ann and Hannah really liked them too. We hunted for Peacocks afterwards. There were supposed to be 36 on the grounds, but we only found 5. Elijah and I practiced our Peacock calls. They sound like screaming women. Easy to imitate. Paul and Ann did the road runner call ("meep, meep") (I don't know what they were thinking) Our family is big enough to circle around them so they can't get away and we got some good, up-close looks.

They know now to watch out for the Chouinards....

Daddy and his little girls.

The boys and the girls had plans for today. We're still on furlough (but, unfortunately, that hasn't stopped us from doing some "emergency" Corps work). Anyways....
The boys were to go to the WAAM Museum in Hood River, the girls to the Tea Parlour.
We only had one vehicle between us, so Paul decided to take the truck. The boys were SO EXCITED! They love riding in that thing. For some reason though, Paul wouldn't let me drive it ;). (I'm the girl that runs over curbs in my mini-van.)


They loaded up to head to Hood River and do the museum.


Paul, David, and Elijah are in the cab leaving.
(For some reason they didn't show up in the picture.)



Us girls went to the Tea Parlour.
I am so blessed to have 3 daughters!!
We had a good time. Everyone was "age approppriate" good.
I held Mary most of the time because she seemed to know she was missing out on something when I put her in her car seat.


Ann's favorite thing to do is to add sugar cubes and milk to her tea and stir, stir, stir. She was quite the little lady and even re-applied her "lipstick" (chapstick) after eating.
I swear she did not get that from me! Ann also felt like hot stuff when I let her use the Powder Room all by herself. (Like I was really going to haul everyone in there!)



Hannah had to get up a few times to spin around in her dress. Thankfully, the Parlour wasn't crowded. She liked stirring her tea too and eating spoonfuls of jam that were meant for the scones. And while I was holding Mary, I caught Hannah putting whipped cream on Mary's hands. At least she was sharing...

Mary was content in her car seat for about 5 minutes.

After that she was in my arms the whole time. She stayed happy that way.

I was hoping she'd sleep, but thats the way it goes.

Her favorite part was when Hannah put whip cream on her hands.

We tried on about every hat Bev (the owner/operator) had. Even Mary.

We went to Freddy's afterwards to pick up a few groceries. It was CROWDED!! All of the migrants are in town.

Buster also had some professional teeth cleaning done today.

The vet had to put him under for it so he had to skip breakfast.

I made fish (Tilapia), Brown Rice and Peas for dinner. Icecream cake for dessert.

It's been nice eating outside. We hardly ever eat dinner inside anymore.

Baker City/Twin Falls Trip

Paul went to do some Thrift Store consulting in Baker City and Twin Falls. I went along, taking some furlough days, and then we took some furlough days together so we could stay and camp in Twin Falls. We had a great time, but boy were we on the move! We stayed in 4 different places in 6 days. The kids are great travelers and enjoyed the adventure! Here are some highlights from our trip:

Hannah was terified of this man.

She's not in the picture because she's hanging onto my leg for dear life.

In Baker City, Paul was in meetings so I took the kids to the Baker City Interpretive Center. We spent close to 4 hours there. Paul dropped us off and we went over every inch of that museum. I loved it! It was especially nice to go after David just finished a unit studying the Pioneers.

We all learned so much.

(I am an expert at asking stranges to take our picture!)

My pioneer children. ;)



I'm feeling pretty confident with this horse... it's dead!

Hannah and Ann chatted with this Beaver while I had to sit down and nurse Mary.

The boys looked at exhibits in my sight.

Mary liked the museum too!

There was a great play room at the end. Ann dressed up but I told her that Pioneers never smiled in their pictures so neither could she.

I broke my own rule and smiled because Ann was crackin' me up while she took my picture. I don't look as cute in a bonnet as her.

Elijah and David loaded and uloaded this wagon forever. They had so much fun decided which "cargo" they would bring along on their trip.

Hannah finds her own way to play.

The outside display was incredible!! The view was breathtaking. It was surreal to look around and know that 150 years ago, thing looked the same as the Pioneers headed west.

Thier stories are fascinating.

We played hide-n-seek to kill time while we waited for Paul to pick us up.

The next morning, Paul had more meetings in Baker City, so the kids and I walked all around the Safeway, Rite Aid and Bi-Mart Area. People were staring (as always). I kept teasing different kids... "They're staring at YOU!" We were laughing so hard. Went went into Rite-Aid and Safeway and bought junk food (candy and goldfish crackers) for the drive. I figured it's cheaper than buying treats at the gas stations! They loved getting so much candy! I picked out Black Licorice and Pnt. Butter cups for me. We still have candy left... the novelty wore off.

Okay.... so in Twin Falls the kids and I had more time to kill while Paul was in meetings. Paul dropped us off at Target. I had a plan to do a "triangle". First go to Target (the kids save up thier allowance to spend on vacations), then to KFC for lunch, then to a HUGE Petsmart to look at the animals. We didn't make it far... I'm in Target, had already been there over an hour, and here comes Tania G. from our first appointment in Bullhead City, Arizona! We have stayed in touch off and on, she even came up and visited when we were in Springfield. I was shocked and wrapped my arms around her, so glad to see her! She had heard that Paul would be in town and tracked us down! She has two little girls now and is no longer one of our youth... she's a grown woman. We caught up as best we could while I'm trying to handle my kids. We ended up just going to KFC for lunch after checking out at Target. The kids played outside on a strip of lawn until Paul picked us up. What a SMALL world to run into Tania!!

All our days are ordained...what a divine "coincidence".

This is the cabin we "camped" in at the KOA in Twin Fall.

We got one night free because the AC was broke. It was hot, but worth the $ we saved!

The boys do such a great job reading to their little sisters. They love to do it, even on vacation.

Daddy and Mary.

Daddy bought Ann a new bike at Wal-Mart in Twin Falls. He didn't want her riding a boy bike. She was so excited and rode that thing all over the place

trying to keep up with her brothers on thiers.

Daddy is the fix-it guy.

Hannah on a bike we've had since David was 2. Paul strapped his belt to it so he could pull her since she can't pedal the thing.

I LOOOOOVE Banana Bikes. In fact that's one reason we camp at KOA's... so mommy can rent a Banana Bike. The boys and I go all over the place on them.

It will be nice when Ann can keep up!

The Chouinards SWIM!

That is one of our favorite things to do.

Paul and Hannah.

Ann

Elijah

David

Mary didn't swim yet. She can't sit up to keep her head out of the water. I'm hoping she can by the time we go to the KOA in Astoria for Labor Day.

David, Hannah and Mommy. We had so much fun with our Alligator and Whale. When Paul and I both got on there, I laughed so hard I almost drowned... literally.

Shoshonne Falls in Twin Falls.

Seattle Trip

I thought I'd better post about our Seattle trip before I post about our Twin Falls trip.

I have tried several times to post our pics from Seattle but am having trouble. They were on a CD from a disposable camera... they're in my computer but it won't post (how annoying!).

Anyways, Seattle turned out to be a great trip! We took a furlough day and went up a day early, before the United Meeting to do some stuff in Seattle.

First we went to the Space Needle. It was really fun taking an elevator to the top and then hanging out up there for more than an hour taking in all the views. There were some interactive stations that the kids got into. Last June we did the Sears tower in Chicago. The kids weren't quite as impressed with the view after doing the Sears Tower, but they could still appreciate it,especially because of the architecture of the Stratosphere.

Then we rode the monorail to downtown and walked to Pikes market. Pikes market was a real happening place! We bought cherries, ate them. Bought rasberries, ate them, Bought organic dried apples, ate them. Bought honey sticks, ate them. Bought tomatoes, ate them. All while looking around at the different vendors. We stopped at the golden pig and watched the fishstand guys throw fish and yell. We went down to the water and ate a real nice early dinner outside right along the water. Ann puked all over, I was glad we were outside! Poor girl hadn't been feeling top notch, but we just thought she was tired from all the walking.

The next day we headed for our hotel downtown. We were on the 18th floor, smack dab downtown. We checked in and went swimming in the pool on the 28th floor with an amazing view. Then we trekked around downtown some more and found a neat resturaunt to eat at. The kids got to make thier own pizza and then the cooks baked it.

On Wednesday was the meetings. Officers Councils in the morning and afternoon and the United meeting at night. I went with Paul and took Mary, but waited in the Lobby during the meetings. Turned out I couldn't hear anything anyway, but Paul and the other Officers were really blessed. The other kids stayed in the hotel room and were babysat by some Comrades of ours 3 daughters. Two of them were teenagers, the other much younger who was along for the ride. Those girls were such great girls and the kids had fun with them. They got to order room service and everything for lunch. For the evening meeting, I stayed behind with Hannah and Mary (we made our own fun) and Paul took David, Elijah and Ann to the United Meeting. The boys wore their Jr. Soldier uniforms and I put Ann in a NavyBlue and White dress, (co-ordination of course!). They got back late (the meeting Hall was several blocks away, walking) but they had such a great time with thousands of other Salvationists. The boys even commented how much they like the sermon and what a great speaker Commissioner Gaither is (our National Commander). They also really liked the band music and songsters and seeing so many other Salvationists.

We came back the next day and hit the ground running to be ready to leave again 5 days later to Baker City and Twin Falls (business for Paul, furlough for me and then furlough together). I will post about that tomorrow with pictures because I finally have my beloved digital camera back!

I Slept Till 9!

I slept until 9:00am this morning!!! Paul took care of the kids and I stayed in bed with Mary. I was up off and on, but decided, I'm staying put. Boy did it feel good!! I don't think I've ever slept in like that since well before kids. My body is programmed to wake up between 5:30-6:00am every morning. I woke up at 5:30am this morning, the house was quiet so I got myself back to sleep. I remember when I was a teenager that 9am was way to early to get up. Oh my how things have changed!

I am entirely unpacked from our trip. I get to start packing again today for the next trip on Wednesday. I will also finish working on my sermon (Jonah 3- Repentance), take care of a sicky-Elijah, get gifts together for Father's Day Recognition at Church tomorrow, and all the little "extras". It feels like a good day for me, no schedule and just let the kids just kind of roam around the house/backyard for the day. Chicken noodle soup and grapes for lunch, Meat dip, Tostitos and veggie tray for dinner.

Paul will be taking my disposable camera to Walgreens today where they load up the pics onto a CD. Then I will be able to post all about our Seattle trip and National Commander meetings, so stay tuned! It was a such a good time.

The Hated Word

THE HATED WORD (by Nancy Campbell)
Psalm 104:24, "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." Filled. It doesn't sound such a bad word, does it? I wonder why so many people hate it. It's strange that so many Christians hate it when God loves it! In fact, this word describes who God is. He fills the heavens and the earth. He fills all in all--and Jesus is the fullness of Him who fills all in all. The whole earth is full of His glory. He is filled with majesty, filled with righteousness, filled with compassion. He does not have these attributes in a little measure but is filled with them. God does not take long to introduce this word to us. He uses it in the very first chapter of the Bible.Genesis 1:28, "And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it'..." It is interesting that the very first words that God spoke to man included the word fill. It is obviously very much part of God's heart. He loves abundance.After God destroyed mankind through the flood, apart from Noah and his family, He repeated the same command again. This time He repeated it twice. Genesis 9:1 and v. 7, "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth'..." The Hebrew word is male which means "fill to overflowing". Many take objection to God's command today. They certainly don't want to fill their families to overflowing. They would rather fill their homes with "stuff"--more gadgets, more furniture, bigger TVs and computers. Yet it seems that every time God speaks about children, He uses this despised word. When Jacob and his family went down to Egypt there were only 70 of them. Four hundred years later they emerged a mighty nation.Exodus 7:7 says, "The children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them." They became "more and mightier" than the Egyptians who began to fear them. Their fear turned to persecuting them and making them slaves. But the more the Egyptians afflicted them the more they multiplied. This is God's purpose for His people. He wants them to fill the earth with His glory--His love, peace, truth and salvation. Numbers 14:21 says, "But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord." This is not talking about creation, but God's people who bear His image in the earth. God wants this earth to be filled with His image. God wants His land to be "filled with flocks of men." (Ezekiel 36:38, Psalm 80:8-9) God's picture of a blessed family is one filled with children. Once again it is this detested word. Society is brainwashed to think differently than God thinks. And of course, we think that we know better than God. But what does He say? "As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that has his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127:4-5) The parents who have their quiver full are happy! Actually, the Hebrew word in this Scripture is a double word which should be translated, "happy, happy". The parents who have their quiver full will not be ashamed. The parents who have their quiver full will have children who know how to speak against the evil things in the land, even in high places. The gate in Bible days was the civic center of the town, the place of administration of justice. Zechariah 8:4-5 is one of my favorite Scriptures. It is a picture of what Jerusalem will be like when God dwells there. "Thus saith the Lord of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof." What a beautiful picture of children playing while the old people walk the city streets with their canes and watch the children in the city squares. And do you notice that there are not a few children playing? The streets are filled with boys and girls. How God delights to see them playing together. Here's one more Scripture. Luke 14:23 says, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." God loves to have a full house. It's part of His character. If we have God's heart, we'll want to have a full house too. Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

Our 12th Wedding Anniversary and General's Meeting

Today was our 12th Wedding Anniversary. We didn't do anything to "celebrate". Didn't feel the need to. But we said Happy Anniversary all day long and told each other why we're still in love and glad to be married to each other. (I'll keep that private though!) Precious Ann also made us an Anniversary card.

We met our good friends, the Browns, for a tour of a Life Flight Helicopter and Airplane. The kids and Paul REALLY liked it, so did I! It was a great time, including a free barbeque lunch. We also just love when our families can get together. The kids all get along so well. The Brown kids are so fantastic and fun-loving. Steve and Stacie are terrific parents- they know when to tow the line and when to let it all out!! We just love being around them. It's nice to have a "set" of friends, there is someone for everyone.

Then I spent the afternoon packing and getting all the last little things ready for our trip to Seattle. Oh boy is there a lot to do! I'm still not finished, but am taking a break. I am about 75% done. It is a lot of work for one days worth of meetings, but we attached a couple furlough day to it too.

I'm looking forward to taking the kids to the Space Needle. We looked it up in the Encyclopedia at dinner (a regular thing in our home). Of course we'll do lots of swimming at the hotels! And whatever other trouble us Chouinards can get ourselves into. When we go to hotels, Mommy always takes us on a late night "mission" to the vending machine on one night. Hannah is old enough to go this time and the kids are already talking about when it will be. We sneak out in our jammies and take the stairs but have to act like "secret agents" so nobody catches us in our jammies. We laugh so hard at some of our "moves"! It is soooo silly! But you know how it is with kids... you do it once and they want it every time. We've been doing it since before Ann was born. (I do make sure to wear a bra at least, LOL!)

It dawned on me tonight that there are 3 Divisions getting together for the General's Meeting (which is now the National Commanders meeting due to our dear General not being able to travel from the UK). I am really excited to see some of our old friends!! I will be sitting in the Lobby outside of the meetings because this time we were told no nursing babies. I was actually even excused from coming! I have to admit I was quite surprised by this. First time I've been told that. But I do know what it's like to be in a meeting with screaming children when the parent won't take them out. I have taken all my babies to all sorts of meetings, and one little peep and we're outta there. I will just trust their judgement on this one. Wednesday morning is the Officer's Councils and we have some sitters for that (except Mary). We will be accross the street at the meetings and the kids will be in the hotel room with the sitters. I went to Fred Meyer today and bought them each a surprise activitiy to do. Paper Dolls and 3D coloring books. Paul will take David, Elijah, and Ann to the evening meeting. That will of course be a FULL ON Salvation Army Meeting!! They will love it and I am praying for their soft, little hearts. Hannah, Mary and I will wait in the Lobby. Maybe we should just be the greeting committee.

Baby is crying... time to go!!