Lindsey weekend



After a rough month (more on that in a minute), I wanted to make Lindsey feel extra special on her birthday weekend.  We decided to have a "Lindsey weekend," where she got to be properly celebrated.  On Friday Ryan got off work early so we could pack up and go camping as a family.  It was beautiful weather, and spending uninterrupted time as a family sounded like the perfect weekend.  We set up our tent, let the kids run around and play, cooked up some hot dogs, made ooey-gooey s'mores, made a batch of dutch oven peach cobbler.  One by one, we started to head into the tent to call it a night.  Bryn and I were the last ones awake, and we sat by the campfire talking about life for a long time. 

 

It was the perfect camping experience until about 3:00 am when I had an awful allergy attack and was miserable for the rest of the night.  I don't know why I thought I'd be fine to sleep out in nature when I haven't even been doing fine hibernating inside my house until the ragweed dies down.  We also realized that it gets pretty cold at night and we didn't bring quite enough blankets.  Poor Brevan was freezing for much of the night, so Ryan and I were constantly trying to rearrange the blanket situation to make him more comfortable.  The other three kids slept well.  When the sun was finally shining enough to wake everyone up, I suggested we break down camp and head home immediately.  Some wanted to stay and eat breakfast at the campsite, but I convinced them to let me get home to my allergy meds and comfortable bed. 

 

I guess it was a successful camping trip, but it always amazes me how much WORK it is to camp as a family.  From now on, I vote we roast hot dogs and s'mores, tell some stories around the campfire and then go HOME to sleep in our own beds.

 

This sweetheart has this look on her face most of the time now.  It is her anxious look.  She is struggling with very high anxiety and some obsessive, destructive thoughts that seem to control her.  After trying to hold her emotions together during the school day, she has been coming home and literally falling apart.  Crying for 5 hours straight, spending hours pacing and telling me all her thoughts and concerns, unable to eat, sleep or even sit still long enough to watch a tv show.  It has been heart-breaking for me, and my prayers have been full of pleading for her.  She has an appointment with a therapist next week, where she will hopefully start learning how to control the demons she is fighting.

After a long night of camping, it was off to Lindsey's first soccer game.  Anytime she was put in the game she would score within minutes, so she would be pulled out to give the other players an opportunity to participate.  It's the sad reality of being a great little athlete.

In the picture below, she left the goalie confused as the ball soared into the goal.

After soccer, it was time for presents.  Brevan gave her a new pen set, Brynlie gave her earrings, Logan gave her the new Barbie movie, and she received clothes, an alarm clock, slippers and a $20 from me and Ryan.

Then it was off to Zona Rosa with Lindsey and Brynlie for some serious girl shopping at Charming Charlie and Claire's.  Many accessories and earrings were purchased before we met the boys for dinner at Culver's (Lindsey's choice).  We finished off the evening with more shopping at Target to spend the birthday money.

After church on Sunday, Lindsey blew out the 8 candles on her very-cheap-and-yucky-cake that she requested.  This small round owl cake was what she wanted to eat instead of one of my delicious cake recipes, which was just fine with me since it meant I didn't consume too many calories.

 

And I took this picture right before she went to school this morning, on her ACTUAL birthday.  Her teacher had wrapped her desk with wrapping paper and a bow.  Me and Logan took lunch to Lindsey and ate with her in the cafeteria.  This evening we finished off a weekend of birthday fun by watching The Wizard of Oz together (which means Logan will be sleeping in my bed thanks to the wicked witch).  I love this angel girl so much, and hope she had a FABULOUS weekend.  Lindsey will be getting baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on October 13th.