Timberdoodle Sign About Books

I have recently been accepted into the Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team!  Can you believe it?  I was so excited that I actually did a little jig.  ;-)

Well, for my first review with Timberdoodle I was fortunate to get the Sign About Books that teach Sign Language to young children (and their families!)   We have had so much fun teaching the youngest member of our household new signs that the older girls can frequently be found reading the books and practicing their signs.  It is truly a family affair!

But first, let me start off telling you a bit about Timberdoodle's Complete Curriculum Packages.  This page has a great video about their Curriculum Packages that I highly recommend watching.  It explains that Timberdoodle has been serving homeschoolers with products and saw a need in new homeschoolers.  This need was the overwhelmed feeling or as I like to call it, the deer in the headlights look, new homeschoolers get when faced with what to buy and what to teach.  It can be overwhelming and confusing.  Sometimes it can even be the reason that new homeschoolers quit before they've given it a chance. 

Timberdoodle saw that need and came up with their Curriculum Packages to help out.  They provide everything needed to give your children a wonderful education without the hassle of hunting and picking.  Granted, sometimes that is fun for the experienced homeschooler, but not necessarily so for the new homeschooler.

Wait a minute, you say you've never heard of Timberdoodle?  Oh my are you missing out!  Head on over to this page and read all about the company and then head over to this page to start checking out all the amazing products they have to offer.  You will be in awe and then you will start your wish list-I guarantee it!

Are you back?  Are you drooling yet?  I know I do every time I visit their website!  lol

Okay, back to the review.  Timberdoodle sent me the Sign About books that are designed to teach sign language to young kids.  As you know, babies and toddlers do not have the vocabulary they need to communicate and so they get frustrated very quickly.  This can lead to little ones getting in trouble because of a temper tantrum caused by that frustration.  I know I have seen that many times with our older four girls and am starting to see it with the youngest one now.  But when we can teach them signs so they can tell us what they need, there is less frustration.  For everyone!

The Sign About Books are just adorable.  They are board books that are full of color and cute drawings.  They are appealing to little ones for the colors and to adults and older children for the easy to understand descriptions of the signs.  Since the descriptions are short it is easy to read them quickly and then teach them to you child.  We have already taught Bug "more", "please", "stop", "eat", "finished/all done", and we are working on "cup", "thank you", and "milk".  I just love seeing the light in her eyes when she understands the sign and then uses it to get what she wants.  There is nothing better than seeing the light bulb of understanding go on in their eyes.  

I just missed her doing "more, please!"

See the 6yo in the background?  She is learning some new signs as well!

Learning signs.

These books are durable with tight bindings and thick pages that make it easy for little hands to turn them.  There is no danger of the littles tearing these pages while they are "reading" them.  Plus, with the set of four being only $18.95 they are affordable since they will last a long time and be handed down and used over and over again.  Or you can take a look at the Baby Core Curriculum Package and see what they include in this amazing package.  There is so much fun waiting to be had with this package.

Aren't these drawings adorable?

Let me say something here that I think needs said.  I am not a proponent of the whole teaching babies to read.  I think they need to be babies as long as they can.  So when I saw this Baby Core Curriculum Package I was a little worried.  But, when I saw what was in the package and read the philosophy behind it, I was no longer worried but excited.  You only need to scan down the page to see what's included and you'll understand what I mean.  The package includes balls, rattles, board books to read together, toys that help with fine motor development, all things that babies need to do anyway.  This package just includes all those items so they are right at your fingertips.  It is definitely worth checking out.

Interested in looking around at Timberdoodle but don't want to spend hours pouring over the website?  I have the solution, get a free catalogue.  That's right, I said FREE!  Follow this link and fill out the form to get yours in the mail.  You can also check them out on Facebook. 



**As a member of Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team I received a free copy of these books in exchange for a frank and unbiased review.

Oh What Fun!

Yes, this is post dated.  Life is just running that way right now.  Maybe someday I will get it all done on the day it should be done on but I wouldn't hold your breath if I were you! lol

So the family was sitting around after supper the other night (last week really) and my 11yo decided to make pumpkin muffins.  These were introduced to us by Grandma Ida and we love them so much.  One because they are delicious and two because they remind us of Grandma Ida.  (we miss you)  As we are sitting around talking, S starts to make the muffins.  B is getting ready to grease the muffin tins (no, I didn't have any cupcake paper things I ran out and was too lazy to get more) so she had way to many paper towels for the job.  My sister Robin, Steven and I were just leaving the table when we heard the screaming.  Now mind you, the screaming child was no more than three feet away from me but it felt like miles because I had Bug in my arms and couldn't just rush over to see what was wrong.  I did get Bug put down safely and rushed over to the screaming child.  She had moved past the shrieking and was on to the "Mommy, oh Mommy, it hurts, aagghhh!"  The wide-eyed look from the 13yo should have given me a clue as to how bad it was but it didn't. 

I looked down to see blood gushing from S's fingers and then saw that B had shoved the paper towels onto her fingers.  I immediately started squeezing her fingers to try and get the bleeding to stop.  There was quite a bit of blood.  I didn't want to take the paper towels off because I had already gotten a glimpse of one of the cuts and it was flayed pretty good.  The other two cuts weren't as bad but still bleeding.  As I was squeezing her fingers she starts to have a seizure.  I am not even kidding.  She has a vasovagal response to pain and has seizures.  It was pretty freaky when she almost drowned bc of it but now we just yell at her to keep her from passing out!  Anyway, after we get her snapped out of it my practical and pragmatic husband asked me a question that I will never forget.  "Is it still there?"  Yeah, I never want to hear that again.  Esp. when it is in reference to one of my children's body parts.  I almost threw up.  Not from the blood or the wound but from the thought of having to pick up a piece of a finger!  It still makes me queasy just thinking about it.

Her finger was still there but the cut was deep enough and long enough that Steven thought it would need stitches.  Oh joy.  The minor emergency office got us right in and the nurse informed us that one of the fingers needed stitches.  The cut on the thumb was only minor and the cut to the ring finger had sealed up due to the extreme pressure I had been putting on it.  One thing I remember about wound care was to keep pressure on it to stop the blood flow.  It worked!  :-D  I got that one to seal up nicely.  Yay me!  The other cut would need stitches though.  But when the doc came in he didn't want to put stitches in since we had been able to get the blood flow stopped and it appeared that it would come together okay.  It wasn't gaping anymore and he wanted to leave it alone to let the body heal naturally. 

Yeah, I am not in favor of that.  Why you ask?  Because then we have to be super careful to not open the stupid thing back up and cause an infection.  I guess he didn't know our track record for odd medical things happening to us.  But I let have his way and we left after getting her a tetanus shot.  It was time anyway and I figured that lock jaw was not something we want to see if we can catch. 

It has been fun trying to keep her fingertip from falling off.  yes, that was sarcasm.  I am done with drama and doctors and blood.  Do not call me if there are any of those items involved I won't come.  Yes, children if you are reading this, I mean you too.  ;-)

It looks like the tips of her fingers were cut off, it is just freaky but I couldn't get the pics to come out any better than this.  The cut on her naughty finger goes almost all the way around from one side of her finger nail to the other.  It is pretty awesome!  I just wish I had gotten pictures of her fingers before we stopped all the blood.  That way I could tell her when I am old, "Look what I had to put up with!"  heehee jk

Training

It is time once again for Steven and I to get ready to go to camp.  I have been going to Royal Family Kids Camp for 11 going on 12 years and Steven has been going for 10 going on 11 years.  It is a passion that we feel deep within our souls and can't imagine not going.

Royal Family Kids Camp is a camp for kids in the Foster Care system that are ages 7-11/12.  They get to come to our camp and just be regular kids for a week.  No worries, no struggles, just fun and safety.  It is an awesome responsibility that we do not take lightly.  We get these kids who are so precious to Jesus and we get to love on them and show them His love.  It makes me cry just thinking about it.

Training with these people is really like a big ole party.  They are a family to us and we love serving with them.  I can't think of any other people I would rather be in the trenches of heartbreak with than these people.  Their hearts are burdened for these hurting kids just like ours and that creates a bond that nothing can break. 

If you haven't heard of Royal Family Kids Camp and the difference they are making in the lives of these special children, check them out and be in prayer for the camps going on this summer.

Items for Sale

I have a new list of items for sale for homeschooling. Some I had listed before and some are new. :-)


*The Teaching Company The History of ANcient Rome VHS tapes.  Four sets of three tapes each.  Each set of tapes has a course guidebook with lecture notes.  I got these from the library and was told they work well.  Sol;d as is.  $30

*The Bedford Anthology of World Literature Book 5 The 19th Century, 1800-1900 $5

*Visual Perceptual Skill Building Book 2 from The Critical Thinking Co.  about 10 pages done in pencil out of 187. $5

*Our Living Constitution Then and Now from The Good Apple Co.  for Grades 5-8+  This is a 1987 copyrighted book but is not used.  $3

*The Constitution Yesterday, today, and tomorrow from Scholastic, Inc. $2

*Character Education Book of Plays Middle Grade Level from Incentive Publications $7

*Personal Finance Set 7th Edition  McGraw Hill set of three.  Includes a Student CD.,  Hardback book, and Workbook $25

*Math on the Level set of 7-full set.  New. $200

*The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling 2001 edition with CD $3

*Thinkwell Intermediate Algebra CDs  (5 CDs)  good condition? $10 obo I don't know anything about these or what's on them.

*Pre-Algebra Tutor vol. 1 Math Tutor DVD $5

*Texas Instruments TI-83/TI-84 Calculator Tutor Math Tutor DVD $5

*Math U See Delta Teacher Manual and DVD set $20

*Bob Jones English 2 Teacher's Edition with CD $35

*Bob Jones English 3 Worktext Answer Key $25

*Bob Jones Writing & Grammar 7 Teacher's Edition with CD $30

*Bob Jones English 4 Writing and Grammar full set.  Includes: Student Text, Tests, Tests Answer Key, and Teacher's Edition with CD $65

*Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algegra Set:
-Pre-Algebra A Teaching Textbook-it looks like the text book and is 612 pages long.  There is some minimal writing in it such as when to take the test.  I didn't notice any other writing.  

-Pre-Algebra Answer Key and Test Bank-this is 83 pages long and seems to be in good condition.

-Pre-Algebra Lecture and Practice CDs-there are three CD's that cover lectures and practice for Lessons 1-126.  They appear to be in good condition.  I was told they were all working.

-Pre-Algebra Solutions CDS-there are four CDs covering lessons 1-126.  They appear to be in good condition.

-Pre-Algebra Test Solutions CD-this is just one CD that covers tests 1-15.  

Shipping is extra and will be Media Mail.  Email me if interested.

These Hearts "Forever Ended Yesterday" Review

I love getting new music to listen to.  If you spend any amount of time in our house or car you realize that we almost always have music going.  So when we get more to listen to, it's a bonus for the whole family.

These Hearts is a group worth listening to.  Although they are classified as hard rock, judging by this album I wouldn't call them that.  Rock, yes; but Hard Rock?  Probably not. 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this album quite a bit.  I wasn't necessarily expecting to since Hard Rock isn't usually my type of music.  I enjoy a few songs of Hard Rock here and there but not as a rule and for a whole album.  So, when we put this album in and most of it had played before I realized it, I was surprised and pleased. 

My 13yo dd that does enjoy Hard Rock was thrilled to get this album and try it out.  She was a little disappointed that it wasn't more Hard Rock but she enjoyed it for what it was.  Good music.  We have listened to it several times a day and have put it into our regular rotation of music.  :) 

I like that it is a little edgier than most music but it still has vocals and harmonies that has musicality to it-not just screaming or yelling like so much of Hard Rock.  I think this album is a good mix and would be a great intro into Hard Rock or maybe a nice alternative to some of the harder stuff for those parents out there that don't want the screaming rock music! lol

Here are a few links you can check out to find out for yourself what I am talking about.

        Facebook:     http://www.facebook.com/thesehearts

My Space: http://www.myspace.com/thesehearts

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Apology-Rejected-Live-Point-Tears/dp/B004ZVPZUU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307388377&sr=8-1

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He68FlaEMYc

About These Hearts

In a time when an infinite amount of genres seem to be concocted daily, it takes quite a bit of creativity to blur the lines across so many.  These Hearts understand that it takes that dash of ingenuity paired with an innate desire to put forth the hard work that comes along with being a band in this day and age.

Among a sea of like-sounding music, These Hearts have raised the bar and then some by bringing a fresh, upbeat rock sound to ears everywhere in strong conjunction with a meaningful, church-based upbringing that has everything to do with the quintet’s musical and writing process.  The band’s unquestionable commitment to their faith in Christ is present in all aspects of their musical journey.  With an urgency to declare to fans, friends and family that “they are loved, and there is hope,” These Hearts demonstrate the ever-present effect that faith plays in the group’s life.

While it’s understood that hardships are an unavoidable bump in the road, These Hearts note that they solely rely on their faith for guidance.  “Whether it's the loss of a loved one, a previous band member leaving, or even being in financial trouble, friendship and having Jesus in our lives has played a pivotal role in getting us through these tough times,” says guitarist Daryl Van Been. 

The group has certainly put their own blood, sweat, and tears into creating and sharing their music with the masses.   “Being in a band is about the most unstable job you can have but we want to glorify God with the gifts that he has blessed us with,” says Van Been.  Impressively touring across the US while unsigned,  they performed with notable acts such as MXPX, Bouncing Souls, The Devil Wears Prada, Silverstein, and Four Letter Lie, and selling over 3,000 copies of their self-produced EP Mistakes and Second Takes on their own gives some insight into the band’s dedication to their craft. 

These Hearts was formed in August of 2007 by way of Fargo, ND. Consisting of Ryan Saunders on vocals, Isaiah Folk on drums, Kyle Colby and Daryl Van Beek on guitars, and Tyler Rice on bass, the band began playing shows in October and quickly began establishing a name for themselves in the upper Midwest.

The Christian, post-hardcore group has no intention of slowing down any time soon; recently signing to the legendary Victory Records, These Hearts will release their debut album Forever Ended Yesterday, produced by Craig Owens (Chiodos), on June 21st.  These Hearts have graced the stages at festivals like Cornerstone, Agape, Ichthus, and Sonshine, and it will be hard to miss the band out spreading their positivity and faith-based values to the world in the coming year, as they intend to continue touring and playing music for fans new and old.

This group is worth checking out.  Head on over and give 'em a listen. 

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Why am I always behind?

What a week!  It's not at all what I expected and in some ways it was way worse.  lol

The week was marked by sleeping in and recovering from VBS week.  We really haven't done much this week besides just get by.  We have tried to get caught up on house cleaning, sleep, rest, and family time.  It's not like we don't spend most of our time together anyway but when school is in session it's just different together time.  kwim?

So, Tuesday we went with friends to see Soul Surfer at our dollar theater.  I had already seen it but I wanted to take the kids to this amazing movie.  I can not recommend this movie enough.  We will buy it when it comes out and watch it over and over. lol  The girls were in awe of the movie and of the main character, Bethany.  It is such a testimony to what God can do in your life if you praise Him even in the bad things.  Awesome movie.

There were some attitudes this week but nothing too out of the ordinary. ;-)  Theirs and mine! heehee

The TOS Homeschool Crew started up again and I get to be on it...again!!  I was asked back for another year on this amazing review team for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  I am so privileged and blessed to be part of this team.  I absolutely loved my year last year with this group and can't wait for the coming year.  I have seen a short list of some of the upcoming vendors and let me just say-Wow!  Be on the lookout for some great homeschooling products as well as family and home keeping products.

Wednesday we went for a family bike ride up to a field so we could play some soccer.  Luckily I wasn't asked to kick the ball around, I got to chase Bug instead.  We had a good time playing with the grass and picking flowers.  When she got tired of picking flowers she would yell at the girls!  It was pretty cute.  She would look at one of them and yell some gibberish to get their attention.  She would then clap when they looked at her!  She loves attention from the girls.  :-)

As we were getting ready to leave, H and N, were riding around the parking lot for a few minutes when we heard shrill screeching.  N was laying on the ground screaming and holding her leg and arm.  I was in the middle of strapping Bug into her bike trailer so Steven ran ahead to N to check out the damage.  She ended up having some road rash on her arm, a little on her knee, and a good bruise on her hip.  She was able to rider her bike home-but just barely. lol  She cried most of the way but she did it.  I was proud of her for pushing through it.  I need to get pictures of her arm, I just haven't done it yet. 

There has been more to this week but it will have to wait for another post-dated post! lol

Bug has been learning more new signs this week!  So now we have "Please","Eat", "More", "All Done", "Stop", and we are working on "Thank You."  She is also working on a few words, speaking wise.  She is starting to say Mom and Dad which breaks my heart.  The girls call us Nita and Steve around Bug so that she will hear it and know to call us that but my heart still aches when she looks at me and calls me Mom.  What a lovely pain to love one of God's precious babies.  Bug is also saying "Stop" when she does the sign, and "Doggie" when she sees the dog.  She has been saying the name of our oldest girl for a few weeks now and it is too adorable.  We love watching her new accomplishments every day and seeing her excitement when she knows that she learned something new.  Precious times. 

And The Winner Is...

There were 16 entries in the Flexi Clip drawing so I had my 9yo pick a number between 1 & 16 and she chose number...10!!

Who is that you ask? Here is the winning entry:

Bubbles said...
I love the Freestyle that you got, it can be worn with brown or black silver or gold...but I also really like the Smokey Topaz and the Etched Diamond Shape Gold. Hope I win this one...it would be perfect for putting up my hair in Tanzania!!!! I'll let everyone know about your giveaway too!

I will make sure that Resa gets your information so you can get your $15 gift certificate. Yay!! I know you will love this clip!

Don't Forget to Enter

Don't forget to enter the drawing for a fabulous Flexi Clip from Lilla Rose. The Give Away ends on June 21st so don't wait!!

http://crazyhomedaze.blogspot.com/2011/06/flexi-clip-giveaway.html

This Week

This week has been great. It is the week of VBS for the four older girls. The oldest is helping out with second graders at our new church, the second born is helping out with VBS at our old church, and the next two are attending at our new church! Whew. What that means for me is mucho running around shuttling kids back and forth.

It also means that I get the mornings alone with Bug. We have done some shopping, done some banking, and spent time snuggling. It has been pretty sweet to get some one on one time with her but she is so giddy to see the girls again whenwe pick them up. It's like she hasn't seen them in weeks every time we pick them up. Too sweet!

This week has also seen a new sign being used by Bug. She has started using the Please sign! It is too adorable. She will use the More sign and the rub her chest for Please. She gets this huge grin on her face when she does it because she knows she is going to get something and because we all go mooney over her when she does it! She has also started using the Eat sign more frequently, too. I love seeing the world of words open up to them when they start putting the words with the signs.

On Tuesday while we were waiting for S, Bug reached up and put her arms around my head and kissed me and then just snuggled with me. It brought me to tears, it was so sweet. She has enjoyed seeing all the people at the different churches and all the decorations.

I am enjoying seeing my oldest two serve others. It is making my heart swell with pride at seeing them give of themselves for others. They are both growing and maturing in their faith and in being young ladies following after Christ. What a blessing they are to us.

Scenery

I just thought these were pretty and was feeling proud that I had taken them! lol  God's creation is so amazing.  What a privilege we have of living in it and taking care of it.

Trying More Things

I have been wanting to try blogging with my ipad but couldn't get blogger to let me upload pictures so I went to the app store and am trying blog press, I think it's called. I don't know how this is going to work, we'll see.







Well, it let me get to the pics on my ipad but they weren't all there so...hmm. I guess I will play around some more and see what it has to offer!

Playing around

 

 

 

 

I just had to play around with Windows Live Writer and their picture effects and watermarking!  That is just too much fun!

Flexi Clip GIVEAWAY!!!!

I am finally getting to this give away.  I have been using this clip for about two months and I am still absolutely in love with it! In fact, the other day I was getting ready to do my hair and wanted to do a quick up do and couldn't find my Flexi Clip.  I panicked and made the girls scour the house until we found it.  I just had to have this clip! 

So, a few months ago a good friend approached me about hosting a give away on my blog for her newly started business with Lilla Rose and I jumped at the chance.  Resa is a wonderful homeschooling momma that I know you would love to support with your business.  ;-)

AND...

These clips are totally awesome!  I am not just saying that because I know Resa.  I am completely in love with these clips and plan on buying more for the girls in the very near future.  They are AH-MAY-ZING!!

Let me tell you a bit about the hair situation at our house.  As you have probably noticed, we have a lot of girls and they have a lot of hair!  Well, that hair ranges from pretty short to long and from thin to extremely thick.  We run the gambit in just about every way.  We actually have a difficult time finding clips or rubber bands that will fit around my oldest and third born dds hair.  They regularly break rubber bands on the first usage.  It is frustrating for them and for me.  Consequently they don't put their hair up that often.  Then we have the 6yo that has fine hair and we struggle to keep her hair up.  That is just as frustrating.

When Resa approached me about reviewing a Flexi Clip, I wasn't holding out much hope.  I had seen them before and was curious but didn't see how they would be any different than what we could buy in the store.  Boy was I wrong!

I got our Flexi Clip and started playing around with it.  It was so much fun!  heehee  When I looked at the guide that came with it I started having even more fun.  There are so many options with this clip that I don't think I have found them all yet.  And it is so easy to use.  Did I mention that I love this clip?  ;-)

Curious?  I bet you are!  Resa's website is here.  Head over there and look around.  There all sizes ranging from Mini to Extra Large.  We got the Large Freestyle Princess Tiara and have used it for all the girls.  There are also other items for sale that I am drooling over.  There are also How To videos and Sizing and Styling Videos that I strongly recommend watching.  They are very informative and helpful. 

Isn't it Gorgeous?

Here are some pictures of a few ways we have used this Flexi Clip.

This is the 6yos hair that we put in a full bun.

It looks beautiful like that and it will stay all day.  Seriously!

This was the only way she would wear her hair after she donated it!

This girl has such thick hair!  She loves this clip too because it is pretty but not girly!

Her hair is chin length but thick.  She likes the funky, fun hairstyles and this clip is perfect for it.

This is my hair and my go to quick style I have been doing lately.

It's a little sloppy here but it will hold until I take it down. 

So, want to know how you can get your hands on one of these amazing clips?  I HAVE ONE TO GIVE AWAY!!!  All you have to do is check out Resa's website, find one you love and leave a comment here with the name of the clip.  Resa is going to award one lucky reader a $15 gift certificate so you can have your own Flexi Clip or other item from Lilla Rose.  

This Give Away is going to be open until the June 21st.  I will draw the winner on Tuesday and let them know by email so be sure to leave me a way to get a hold of you.  Tell everyone you know about this Give Away and Resa's website!!

Thursday

Thursday oh Thursday.  This was possibly the longest day of the week.  This was the day scheduled for the boating event.  Steven was scheduled to take three of the girls and I had two because I hate boating. 

Since it was going to be a short day we went on a nature walk up to see the horses.  It seemed like a good idea at the time and I'm glad we did it but there were some major flaws in the plan.  First, I had forgotten to do the laundry on Wednesday so H was left with a long sleeve shirt and corduroys pants.  Yeah, I have each of them take a long sleeve shirt and a pair of pants just in case but the corduroys...I don't even know what to say about that.  I didn't see her pack them.  Anyway,  We rolled up her sleeves and started off.  Everyone was in good spirits but we were soon met by the first hill.  It was a major downhill jaunt!  I knew by the time we go to the bottom that we were in trouble. 

Just how much trouble wasn't apparent until we came to the first drive-way that we thought was the one we wanted and it wasn't.  Thankfully we had Bug in the stroller so we kept walking to the next drive-way.  Did I mention that we were walking on the shoulder because we thought the first drive-way was the one we wanted?  By the time we figured out that it wasn't, it was too late to get to the trail!  We came to the second drive-way and lo and behold it wasn't the right one either. 

We kept walking.  I rolled up the corduroys pant legs and hoped that we would be there soon. 

One more drive-way and we finally found the one we were looking for.  What I hadn't considered, okay another thing I hadn't considered, was the walk up the hill to get to the horses! lol  Yeah, I am a little short-sided when it comes to walking places!  Can anyone say walking to the Library? The girls were reminding me of that trip every step of this one.

We finally made it up the hill and got to pet the horses.  They were very friendly and I got kisses from two of them.  H was in heaven and didn't want to leave.  But we had to because the day was heating up quickly and I was afraid that she was going to suffer heat exhaustion.

We started back down and found a trail to follow.  B and I stopped to take pictures while Steven took the others on back to the room.  Let me tell you that I barely made it back up that first hill.  I am not even kidding.  It was brutal. 

We made it back just in time to get lunch and send the boaters on their way.  Bug, S, and I decided to head into town to do some more shopping.  I was terrified to drive those hills by myself, but I did it!  It was a really nice shopping trip and we found a few things to buy.  Bug slept all the way through Target and fell asleep on the way back to the lodge.

Supper was not as fun.  We had steak, which was yummy, but Bug was completely out of sorts and cried most of the time.  She calmed down when we headed to the pool one last time.  She and I sat on the side again since it was so late and visited.  She mellowed out and started enjoying watching and talking to everyone. 

Sleep didn't come too early that night and thankfully everyone slept through the night!

And Thursday was finished!  Sleep again came and went and all were in their own beds!  The big girls all fell asleep with the t.v. on but didn't seem to notice. lol

One more wake up and we go home.