I got the kids back on Saturday! They were gone for 6 weeks! Wow. I was ready to have them back and they were ready to come home. We (including Mom & Dad) agreed that 6 weeks is too long. In the future if the kids stay with them it's only going to be for 2-3 weeks at the most. Mom & Dad brought the kids to Bend from Colorado, they had promised Grandma that they would pick up some more of her stuff she wanted. I drove the 3 hours to Bend on Saturday morning. We visited, did some shopping and then the kids and I visited their other grandparents for a few hours. We then went out to an Italian dinner where we took lots of pictures and said our goodbyes afterwards. I think Mom & Dad had were leaving with some emptiness in their hearts, but probably some relief too. The kids were ecstatic to see Clue and Furby. Derek gave Micki's hermit crab a proper burial in the garbage can. (I left it for him) There were no tears between us with this one.

Sunday we went to church and then Derek went to his best friend's house to stay the night. I wasn't going to let him with him just getting home, but he missed him so much and I decided that I'd rather have him here with me when Micki went to camp, so Micki and I had a girl's night Sunday. We were going to see a movie, but she'd seen all the kids ones between her grandparents and her dad taking them so we decided to rent a couple. We watched tv and played a hand of rummy.

Monday Micki needed to be at the church by 9:00 AM to leave for camp. She has been looking forward to this all year. It is for 4th - 6th grades and she is finally going into 4th grade. We got to the church and they got everyone accounted for and settled to leave. Micki was excited that one of her good friends was going, although they weren't riding in the same van. They left at about 9:25. This is the second year our church is having their own camp and it is in Gold Beach along the Rogue River, just east of the ocean. She comes home tomorrow (Thurs) in the late afternoon.

Derek has his Jr. High camp in a couple of weeks, it is at the All For One camp at Camp Crestview outside of Portland. This camp services all the Foursquare churches in Oregon who want to participate. He went to this one when he was going into 4th grade, this was before our church decided to have their own for kids in this age group. I hope Derek has fun, it sure is expensive and he didn't want to go at all but now is kind of ok with it. He just had so much fun last year with the one in Gold Beach that he felt it wouldn't be as much fun and he has been the only one in his grade this past year and doesn't really know the 8th graders since he is just moving up to the next level in youth group. He went to his new youth group class on Sunday which actually was combined with Jr. High and High schoolers and he had a good time, but didn't know who was in what group. Even though he started Middle School last year in 6th grade, our church is in a city that starts in 7th grade and that is what they go by even though all the surrounding cities are like ours.

Well, it is Wednesday and I'm about to start my last hour of work. Yippee. Saturday can't come soon enough for me.