15-3

 15-3!

15 wins, 3 losses!  What an amazing season and such phenomenal boys.  After playing four games in the playoffs they lost.  They may not me division champions but they are winners in my books.  In all my son's years in baseball this one was by far the best.  I'm so, so proud of him and all of them.  

Now that he has a break from all of those practices and games he can now have a summer vacation filled with fun, aside from scouts and guitar practice.  

Poconos pt 2

 On the way to the Poconos we stopped at The Country Junction "the world's largest general store."   This store has so many things, including colorful rocks, my daughter's favorite thing to collect.  Then after we checked in at the hotel we took a drive to Scranton to a park we had discovered before.  It's called Nay Aug Park and they have this incredible tree house that we think is pretty cool.  

The next day we went to our favorite zoo, Claws n Paws where we saw a lot of animals, talked to birds, fed and petted some goats and fed a giraffe named Jethro.  Our last full day we went to Bushkill Falls  "the Niagra of Pennsylvania."  We had gone there on our honeymoon and couldn't wait to take the kids.  So many beautiful water falls and a lot of hiking.  We did the Red trail which was the entire two miles and I was so impressed my kids got through it, with very little whining from the girl.  We also did some shopping and I was disappointed that my favorite pretzel shop with the left-handed store had closed down.  I was excited to take my son, another lefty, there.  

It was a fun trip.  I'll let the pictures do the talking.  

Poconos Vacation pt 1

 If you are looking for a relaxing, affordable, quiet vacation in the Pocono Mountains I highly recommend Countryside Cabins in Bartonsville, PA.  It's a family owned business with several different size cabins to choose from.  This one was our home last week and we loved it.  

We enjoyed the firepit in the evenings.  

This was our view from the front door.  

A quiet morning on the porch drinking coffee from a mug that was provided by the cabin, along with other dishes and utensils.  

There's a playground that the kids enjoyed.  

The inside was small but cozy.  A great way to spend the evenings after a long day of fun.  

There's a pool that the kids enjoyed.  

A lot of land to practice baseball with dad and throw a football around with mom (thankfully, my son was very patient with having a mother who throws and catches like a girl).  

Basketball court, tennis court, horseshoe pits and lots of other things.  There's also a gameroom but that is currently closed.  

It was a much needed and enjoyable trip.  The Poconos is where my husband and I went to for our honeymoon, our first anniversary, fifth anniversary, and another trip when both kids were smaller.  The kids absolutely loved this place and we are planning to make this a yearly tradition.  Our schedules are always so busy so it was nice to have a chance to unwind and relax, although our days were filled with visiting a zoo or hiking along the waterfalls (that will be on part 2).  

And I can't forget to show you these adorable goats.  Countryside Cabins is building a petting zoo so these guys are a new addition.   They enjoy eating animal crackers.

Rainy Day

 It's a rainy day here in southern Pennsylvania and my dog loves licking puddles on the back deck. 

We were going to have a yard sale today and my kids were looking forward to selling handmade jewelry and lemonade but that will have to wait until tomorrow.   

I slept in today, enjoyed a slow morning and now I'm trying to work through an endless amount of messes.  No matter how much I work at it this house is never clean and we have too much clutter but I'm learning not to complain.   

My mood is down and this weather is keeping us stuck at home but on days like these I like being in my house.  

Psalm 121

 "I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from?  
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of the heavens and earth.  
He will not let your foot slip -- he who watches over you will not slumber, 

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  
The Lord watches over you -- he is your shade at your right hand; 

the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  
The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life, 

the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." 

-- Psalm 121

There are more spots on my face.  July is my next checkup with the dermatologist and I know he's going to want to biopsy at least a few of those spots and there is one particular one that I'm sure will need to be removed by Moe's Surgery.  Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome is no joke but it's been one of the cards I've been dealt with.  Even with a hat and loads of sunscreen these spots keep appearing.  What's even scarier is that my kids have a 50% chance of getting this and I've noticed some spots on my daughter's face that are concerning.  I do not want her to have to go through this, especially at 9, almost 10, years old.  I would feel terrible!  I'm already feeling terrible and I can't imagine how she is going to feel if she needs to have surgery.  

Recently I was reading from the Bible and this particular Psalms really struck me.  It's what I needed to hear at that moment as I was thinking about the possibility of more skin cancer surgeries.  "The Lord watches over you -- he is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day; nor the moon by night."  What an amazing reminder that God is my protector in all of this.  I know He's there, even if I don't always feel His presence.  My faith is the only thing getting me through this hereditary disease.  

Summer Vacation Is Here

 

Another school year has ended and summer vacation has begun.  My daughter ended her 6th year of dance with an amazing recital where she danced 6 different times.  She did so great.  My son's baseball season has ended and now he's onto the playoffs.  

I'm going to be working every Wednesday this summer helping with the school's summer feeding program.   It won't be much money but every little bit helps.  It cost $50 to fill up my gas tank last week.  😒  Unbelievable. 

I'm looking forward to a slow paced summer, though we will be keeping busy.  I finally have time to give the house the attention it needs.  What a mess!  Maybe I'll have more time to blog, too.  And get back on my book, which seems to be an unending project.