Happy Gotcha day Anaya!!!

Wow, I can't believe it has been 2 years already since that amazing day I scooped you out of your crib at Hannah's Hope!  It has been an amazing adventure to have you in our home, we went from trucks and mud pies to princesses and tea parties!!  You are loved so much and we are truly blessed to have you in our family!

John 14:18

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

Good news from Lisa!

YAY!  Lisa had an appointment at the Mayo Clinic this week and here is a bit of her email:

"Hey y'all!  I will get right to the point....GOOD NEWS!!The tumor in my back is definitely shrinking....especially along the spinal chord.....which was the most complicated area.  My radiation oncologist was very pleased with what she saw and hopes to see even better things as time goes on.  They did see a little lung damage due to the radiation, so they will be keeping an eye on that for the next year or so.  I will go back in three months for another MRI and check-up.  So over-all my appointments were very encouraging and an answer to all our prayers. 

This coming weekend, the whole Lampen family will be sailing away to the Bahamas on the Carnival cruise ship, a Christmas gift from mom and dad!!  We are excited to have some relaxation and fun with the family."

Praise God for answered prayer! Have a great trip Lampen Family!!! 

Guess what Ryan caught today...

Himself! (sorry, no picture of that one!)  He got this hook stuck in his index finger today just before leaving on a fishing date with Jayden!

He knew what needed to be done; {from all of his reading of outdoor magazines...} but I knew I would not be brave enough/strong enough to do it!  It was in there pretty deep!  I told him he needed..."a man, a manly man, a strong manly man!"  So, he drove down the driveway and enlisted the help of one of the guys from the shop below!  He came back up and hooked up the boat and took Jayden fishing as planned!  What a tough man he is!  A big thanks to Gary for being "the man" to yank it out!  In all his years of fishing he has never done this before{at least to himself!} He did manage to hook my mom's finger with a hook still in the package, {while standing in the kitchen of all places} way back when we were dating!  She ended up going to the emergency room to have it removed and had to have stitches!!

Jayden was a happy boy, while his date was a bit late getting started, he did catch this nice steelhead!  He picked out the lure, set the hook and reeled it in all by himself!

let the games begin...

Spencer {in his element} wearing the red jog pants.

Easton's first time in a 'real' game!  He is the one with the black hat on.

Jayden in action{wearing his John Deere hooded sweatshirt *like always*} with the ball coming at him.

This year we have all 4 boys on different teams!  This could get interesting, 4 kids 2 drivers, and Ryan is coaching... that means I get to be the 'runner!'  I love watching them play, but it was a tad bit chilly today.  {Dylan had hunters safety class today and had to miss his first game.}

Tonight we took a walk in the woods, the boys were trying to convince me that it is so much better to walk in the woods than in the city.  I of course do not agree, while I love to take walks in the woods with them, I could never do it alone.  I get so turned around, if they left me, I'd be LOST!!  They somehow know which way is what, and can decipher one path from the other...crazy!  I nearly got ran over by a doe running full speed ahead, I got slapped in the face by a branch(thanks Easton,) and hit in the knee with a stick(thanks again Easton!)  But it was a fun walk, and I just love to be with the family!  We came home and made pizzas.  Good times were had by all! 

 James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift comes from above...

Thank you Lord for the gift of family!

 

My creative kids...

This is how they decided to set the table tonight!  Um...okay!  As long as I don't have to do it, it works for me!

I love this weather!!

One of my favorite things is the smell of line dried sheets! 

This morning as I was taking the sheets off our bed to wash, 

Easton came in and asked me,

"who peed?"

Girls weekend...

Livi giving me 'the look!'

Anaya and I went down to Chicago with my sister Steph, Taylor, Rylie, and my Mom to visit Jen, Olivia and Eric(poor guy, gets invaded by all of us women!)

On the way down, Anaya was being...a tad bit naughty, and at one point she took her ear ring out ~ when I turned around to try to find it, I gave her 'the look' at which she asked..."Am I a princess?"  My immediate response was "NO" and within a second, she was bawling!!  Well, I didn't think I would get that kind of response, after all, I had just gotten after her for something else, and she, quite frankly, could not have cared less!  So I really was not prepared for this emotional breakdown!  I felt bad so I  started saying she was a princess, and that mommy was sorry, and cousin Taylor came to the rescue with some lipstick(gloss)!  Which, of course, makes all princesses happy and she stopped crying!  From that point on she kept asking "I a princess?" several times a day, to which I instructed every one just to say "yes" to avoid all future break downs!

She was very good all weekend long (after the princess drama on the drive down!)  We had a great time in Chicago.  Now, she keeps asking "I go Cago again?"  "Yes Anaya, you will be invited to girls weekend again!"  I LOVE having a daughter to spend girl time with!!!  I am also thankful for a great Mom, awesome sisters and sweet nieces too!!  {And a great brother-in-law who puts up with all of us!}
*wish I had more pictures, but I forgot to haul out the camera!*

Our week in {scattered} review...

                     Friday we decorated Easter Eggs...              

and blew bubbles!  We are loving this awesome weather!

On Thursday night we went down and celebrated Easter with {part} of my family, we missed you Eric, Jen, Olivia and Taylor!  But the kids had a blast searching for Easter eggs.

Sunday night Ryan didn't have youth group so we were able to go fishing, and catch lots{80 in an hour!} of {little} fish!!

I was actually home with a few kids, but Ryan called and said they were catching lots of fish, so I headed straight down there.  I LOVE bobber fishing, even if they are little!

Last week Tuesday I had my date with Easton, he wanted to go to Chuckie Cheese and go to the grocery store to get a doughnut!  However, there isn't a Chuckie Cheese around here, but we found something not very similar and he was thrilled...

and tonight Ryan had his date with Anaya, yep, another tea party!!

Great news from Lisa...

Hi everyone!  Sorry for the wait with this update.  The last few days have been a whirlwind.  I had a long day of waiting on Thursday before they actually did surgery.  I was after a surgery that turned very complicated so I waited most the day.  I was remembering back to Christmas Eve when I took someone's place in the surgery line and probably caused them to wait all day too.  I was just thankful to have the surgeon I had....he was worth the wait!  My surgery went well...my lymph nodes came back negative for cancer and I did not need a skin graph.  Huge answers to prayer!  The incision was very big on my ankle, so they put a cast on to minimize movement in that area.  If you want a laugh, watch me try to walk on crutches....not good!!!  I was released yesterday from the hospital and Robb drove me all the way home(I was longing for my own bed).  I am taking some pretty good pain medication so I am a little groggy, even as I write this!  I am going to go back to sleep now....I will update with more details later.....Have a great Easter(I hope to make it to church tomorrow...YEAH!!)  I am so thankful for the RISEN Lord and the fact that He gives us HOPE!  Hope of a life spent with Him forever in a perfect world with no more sadness, CANCER, or sin.  Love you all!  Lisa 

Amen sister!!!  Have a wonderful Easter everyone!