Eighth Annual Deterding-Sanders Camping Adventure!

It's hard to believe we've been camping with Kevin and Alison for eight years in a row!
It all started in 2006 as newlyweds:



And look at us now!



Six little girls later, meals are a little noisier...



we no longer fit in two small tents pitched on one shared campsite (instead it was one rustic cabin and one yurt, with two minivans parked in front):



relaxation means contentedly playing in mud puddles...



there are lots of tiny camp chairs around the fire...



many more changes of clothes...




























many more giggles...



and Heather and Alison certainly have their hands full at shower time!

















We're already looking forward to next year!

Is this thing still on??

Hello.

There is so much to tell you about.

There is so much frustration going on right now because I can't get onto flickr.com, where I now host the photos that I share here on the blog (remember I ran out of storage space on Blogger?)

I'm trying, really I am.

Let's see, since the last post in April...

JANE    has two new bottom teeth, can sit up all by herself for about 5 minutes- before toppling over, does the army crawl all over the place, and no longer likes to be left alone in a swing or on a play mat.  I've also started supplementing with formula, as I did with Avery.  It's disappointing to have to go that route once again, but at least it's making her full enough to finally give us a full night's sleep.  She's just as smiley and cute as ever.

AVERY    is talking up a storm.  She's stringing many words together to make choppy-sounding sentences, and often pauses to think or lick her lips in between words.  It's really, really adorable.  Here's something she said to me yesterday:  "Mom Mom Poppy plane...my plane.... sit... buckle seat...my window...my seat... Uncle Matt Rachel."  She's telling me that she will get on a plane with Mom Mom and Poppy, sit in her seat and put on her seat belt, then look out the window and fly to Uncle Matt and Aunt Rachel.

Speaking of Matt and Rachel and their upcoming London wedding, Avery has no idea that she will be a flower girl along with Grace and Leah, but she will do a stellar job performing her role.  She is very good and following her big sisters' lead.

LEAH    is finishing up Pre-K on Tuesday.  She was awarded "Joyful" at the Character Trait Awards in school, and is proud of the fact that she can write "Leah Deterding" all by herself.  She'll be reading by the end of the summer, I'm sure of it!  She also has newly pierced ears!

GRACE    has earrings in her ears now, too, as of Wednesday.  As someone who really dislikes needles I was very impressed at how brave she was.  Grace was awarded "Initiative" at the Character Trait Awards in school-- she has really shown a desire to get to the bottom of a question and find truth. She is a deep thinker, has a lot of insight into how things are, and as she likes to say, she has a "math brain."  Well, that certainly didn't come from her mother.  Don't tell anyone, but Grace secretly loves romance and is head-over-heels excited to be a flower girl!

Dad visits the Classroom!

This morning was Leah's HIGHLY anticipated pre-K event entitled, "Donuts with Dads".

She made that tie for Steve, gave him some other cute gifts, and then ate a donut that was apparently the size of her head.

Leah, my Photographer

"The plumber always has leaky pipes," or so the saying goes.  This photographer doesn't have many photos of herself, or of her whole family together.

Yesterday my mini-photographer, Leah, took some steps in resolving that for me!  She held my very bulky and heavy camera up to her little face and snapped some pictures of Mama and Jane.  Yes, in these photos I have a hairstyle that is decidedly *not* styled, I don't have make-up on, and more than likely I have spit up all over my shoulder.

I love them!!!










Thanks, Leah-loo.

She's Six!

Grace Olivia is such a smart, passionate, clever young lady! She asks lots of questions, always wants to know exactly how and why things are the way they are, is good at math, and is now interested in collecting coins and rocks. Grace loves to be outdoors having adventures. Out of all the kids, she is the one that likes to be in the garden. Some more favorites: "I like to play baseball when it's hot and eating cake" she says! Also, the color yellow, speaking in a British accent, Skyping with Uncle Matt, wearing pants (last year, she mostly refused them), trying new things, and her absolute favorite food is Chinese, especially stir fry.

Happy Resurrection Day!

She's Two!

We had a whirlwind week this past week, traveling all the way to Birmingham, AL to visit with friends for the first part of Spring Break.

Throw in two birthdays, two birthday parties to plan for, and Easter celebrations, and you've got one neglected blog for the month of March!

Here's one photo of the birthday girl for now.  We now have an unshakable family tradition of getting donuts from Carlson's for breakfast on a birthday.  Then the birthday person gets to open gifts from our family and blow out candles at the breakfast table.

Avery doesn't realize what's going on one way or another, so during breakfast time I was actually still asleep recovering from returning home from Alabama at 4am that same morning.  This photo was taken later in the morning when we stuck candles into a chunk of donut that was left over.  And she didn't get her gifts until bed time.  And we "shopped" for said gifts in our attic, where we store toys and clothes that are out of rotation.

Yes, we re-gifted.

She loved the baby doll bath tub and fancy Moroccan slippers (that Leah outgrew).

Happy Birthday to the sweetest, most affectionate, goofiest, funniest two year old Avery!