Now playing Ketchup in a different way.....

This is very confusing seeing as I have to post the second part of our adventures first for you to be able to read them in the order they happened. :o) So now the second part of our adventure is Sunday when we got home from Utah..... Kirk's sister Rhonda and her husband Andy are now trying to adopt a little girl who will be three on the 2nd. She is absolutely adorable. We left for Utah not knowing anything about this and we came home to a new niece. :o) Rhonda works at a daycare as the assistant director and there is a little girl whose mom is in foster care. She was 16 when she had her and is now going to be out of the foster care system and doesn't want to have to worry about a little one. Makes me sad someone could walk away from a child, but what a blessing it is for us!!!! Her mom signed away her rights and Winona, (her name will be changed to Kylie if and when the adoption is final,) is now living with Rhonda and Andy. They have had her for just over a week now and they are loving every minute. She has calmed Andy down quite a bit and it's fun to watch them get to experience life with a cute little girl. :o) So, Sunday night we got to meet our new niece/cousin Winona..... after which Rhonda and Andy headed up to Camp Helaman.

Winona and Erika getting to know each other....

Loving on Aunt Rhonda

Giving her new Uncle Kirk loves

I had one day to unpack, do laundry and re-pack to head up to Camp Helaman. For those of you who don't know, Camp Helaman is a church camp for Priest age boys to help prepare them for a mission. The leadership boys come up on Monday and the rest of the boys join us on Wednesday morning and we all got to come home Saturday. I took Monday to regroup and we headed up Tuesday morning for a LLLLOONNGGGG week of cooking, cleaning and camping. :o) (and of course filling lots of ketchup bottles, hence the title.....) Monday and Tuesday we only had 120 boys to cook for and then Wednesday through Saturday we jumped up to 300 boys, plus the adult leaders. It is one crazy week!

The kids spent lots of time in boxes, it kept them happy and out of the way!!! :o)

Sister Natter taking them on an adventure in their "boats" in the ocean. :o)

Erika and Winona helping Rhonda break dinner rolls apart.

Kaden LOVED the golf cart and spent many hours sitting in it. What a great babysitter! :o)

Erika and Winona get along really well until it's nap time and then we of course have many melt downs, but all in all they did great!!!! Bishop and Tammy Natter came up as well and they were FABULOUS with the kids!!! Bishop kept making Kaden walk, he'd hold onto one hand and keep going and going, even if Kaden was crying. :o) Thanks to his efforts Kaden took 17 steps by himself!!!! (Although he now will only take two and then sit down, he refuses to walk!!!) Thanks to the Natters for all your help! Camp was a little different this year, the boys seemed not so willing to help, and more demanding than ever. We were beginning to wonder why we do this year after year. One of the young men received his mission call during camp and his letter was delivered by his bishop. It was an amazing opportunity, one which I had never been a part of and it was that which reminded me why we go cook every year. It is a small part of making this camp a HUGE success in preparing these young men and it is my small part to serve the Lord in missionary work. So, it was good to go, good to come home... 6 days, 3 meals and 1 snack a day, many many hours on my feet standing on concrete floors, and sleeping in a strange bed makes for one sore and tired Mom!!!!

This last picture is of this morning, Erika left one of her small chairs in the kitchen and this is how I found Kaden, what a Turkey!!!