a chapter in our lives is ending. sniff...sniff...

today was a very special day. it was the first day all summer that we were all 8 together, and we celebrated by going to our local state park for hiking and swimming. unfortunately, it was also our last day all 8 together- tommorow M leaves for college. all the way down in south Carolina. that is very far away from Pennsylvania. but i wont' think about that now. i'll tell you about our very special day.

first, we had a special breakfast- i made PW's sleepin' in omelet. i thought that it was pretty good- but maybe next time i won't use the onion rolls. then we had a friend come over to do a family picture for us, as the last time we did that, i was in the hospital (still with my IV's in) after having B. she was only a few hours old.

then we were finally ready to take off- after packing a small mountain of stuff, preparing for every possible scenario and contingency. even though we were only going for a few hours. traveling with small children is like that. we went to rickett's glen state park ,and were able to do some hiking to see the beautiful waterfalls, and then spend a relaxing afternoon on the beach, playing and picnicking. we all took turns playing with the little ones, and even were able to have a short snooze!

it was important to me to do this today. it's our "last day" home as a family. i know that M will be home again, but it will never be the same. she is growing into a beautiful young lady, and when she comes home at thanksgiving, she will be a different person. today was a nice gift.

here we are at the trail head, ready to start down to see the waterfalls.

A has found a stick, and is enjoying her ride on dada's shoulders.

this is the largest waterfall, with a bridal veil drop of 94'. a fellow hiker was kind enough to take this picture for us. and i'm very happy with how well it turned out! we'll put this one in our hallway gallery.

M hiked down (and back) with B on her back. B loves to be outside, and look around.

the boys were busy being boys- climbing on all the rocks and fallen tree trunks.

A is ready to head for the beach. here she has her stuff, and is running for the water.

N took B down so she could dabble her feet in the water. she loved it, and ended up crawling all over in the shallow water. she only drank a little water, and ate a little bit of sand!

this is A after she took a sip of dada's mountain dew! how could i scold a cute little face like that?

M brought her knitting. smart thinking. but she forgot her shorts and swim suit. go figure!

and before we headed home, A took B for a little stroll. they both seemed to like it!

after we got home, M started packing the van with all her stuff. she's really excited to go, and can't wait to get started. i can't believe that she's old enough (already!)to go to college. just yesterday she was my little baby girl. I've been thinking back over the last 19+ years, and wishing that i could do some parts over. i was such a young mother! i would yell less and hug more. i would read more stories, and play more games. i would talk less and listen more. i would marvel more at this beautiful young child that was a gift from God. but the best part is that M turned out so well- in spite of all my flaws and shortcomings! and she is a beautiful young lady- I'm proud that she is my daughter. i think she will be homesick, and already I'm counting the days until all my children are home under the same roof again. until then, we'll be here ready to listen and encourage from afar. and going through tons of Kleenex. maybe I'll buy stock in Kimberly-Clark.