New York, Gold Mining and Sick Days

What do those three things have in common?  Absolutely nothing.  Except for those are the three things that have happened around here lately.  I'm so creative sometimes, I just can't contain it! ;)

Let me begin by telling you about the trip that Camden and I took to New York to visit our good friends, Luis, Cara, Eli and the soon to be newborn baby.  Cara and I met our Sophomore year of high school and have been the best of friends ever since.  It's one of those friendships that you have, and they just feel like they've been there forever.

Anyways, Cara was pregnant with her second baby and was restricted from most activity towards the end.  Luis was traveling fairly close to due date, so I found it an opportune time to visit, help take care of Eli and Mama, and spend some time with my sweet friend.

So Camden and I hopped on a plane!  Camden was an excellent travel partner and didn't cry at all.   While at Cara's, we really kept it low key since she had to sit as much as possible.  We ate, played, shopped, and stocked for when the baby arrived.

Eli got his first dose of what it might mean to have a baby around.  He did very well sharing with Camden with some coaching from mom.  All that to say, he's going to be a great big brother!

We even snuck out of the house on Sunday morning for a delicious lunch with our boys. 

 Cara and I talked about how we used to talk (in high school) about one day being married, and having kids.  We both always looked forward to and desired those things, but we realized we were living what we had wanted so badly at one point.  We have both been blessed with so much!

 My flight ended up getting delayed for a night, and Cara so graciously took me to the airport in the wee hours of the morning.  This was our one time in the city while we were there.  Next time we will do a little more exploring. :)

 The day after I left, Cara was induced and this little beauty came to be a part of this sweet family.  I am sad that I just missed her, but also glad that daddy got to be there for the moment.

Olivia, 5 lbs. 5 oz, tiny little thing

When I got home it was so nice to be able to spend time with both my boys.  They are so fun to be around, and so sweet to each other.  (usually) 

Speaking of my boys, on Fridays Philip has his day off.  We like to use this day to do things together as a family.  One of our most recent adventures was to a gold mine just out of the city.  We like finding cheap options for these outings, and this totally fit the bill.  There was a free museum with the history of the mine and all that was found there.

Then there was the walk to the mine which was gorgeous. 

 The mine itself was fun to walk through and learn about how they mined for the gold.  

 At the end we bought our three dollar bucket of dirt and Philip and Parker started shifting all the dirt out.  I didn't know mining for gold took so long!  Luckily Parker was incredibly patient and sifted through all the dirt, and got the big rocks out.  Just kidding.  He hardly helped at all! He got bored pretty quickly, but Philip didn't, and his hard work paid off!  He found three largish pieces of gold!  The person that was helping us said it was the best pan he'd seen in a while.

We will definitely visit again soon!

I am sitting here, writing this at the end of a pretty tough week.  I don't know if this happens in your family,  but every now and then we just have a season of lots of sickness in our house.  It seems like one person gets it, and then everyone gets it, and we are all susceptible to anything else going around!

We've all been sick and are hopefully on the up.  After a week like this, I am so grateful that I get to have someone help me in all of this and that my boys are normally healthy.  But I think God used this week to remind me to remain close to him.  I find when I don't feel well, or when one of my boys doesn't feel well I seek the Lord more often than normal.  What if I were to rely on him at this level all the time?  Rather than when I need more strength, because mine ran out.  I want to draw close to God all the time, because when I do I am running on His energy and His strength, which is so much better and longer lasting than mine.  

I am grateful for new health, a new week, and a new perspective on my dependence on Him.  Have a blessed week!

With Love, From Charlotte