September Beginnings

The new arrangement above the piano- no more pictures to dust or knock over on the piano!

DUE DATE FUN!!! So, Baby Baxter #7 was due on September 1st. As those who know are family already know, our babies are not born before their due dates, nor anywhere near their due dates! We figured this kiddo would be the same, so the kids and the mama packed up for a day of fun in the sun. First stop, though, was the Kokapelli Produce Stand along I-70 in the DeBeque Canyon to purchase some amazingly delicious fried peach pies. Oh yes, folks, these are one of the most AMAZING use of calories that I can think of! Yum, yum!!!

The kids always have fun playing in the corn bin out front.

Our last hurrah at Island Acres State Park. Here's a view across the Colorado River at the state park turn off.

The motley crew...

... and the very pregnant mama. D-day!!!
(No, that is not an inflated beach ball under her top!)

We had five roses on one stem that weekend. They were so beautiful!

The sweet ladies at the chapel gave a mommy shower. There were all sorts of amazing, delicious goodies to eat, including a chocolate fondue fountain!

Foot scrubs and soaks and pretty pedicures were the order of the day.

Each lady enjoyed a gourmet foot scrub and lotion just for the day.

Our sweet girls enjoyed their pampering as well!

Here's another baby at the shower- totally in awe at his own photo.

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That week Amelie found a cricket who had apparently gorged herself on something inside the chell of a dead snail (perhaps the dead snail itself?). She got stuck trying to exit through a small hole on the side. This reminds me of sin- very inticing, until we get stuck trying to escape after partaking. Amelie thought she could just pull the cricket through. When I pointed out that would completely kill the cricket, she opted to smash the snail shell instead. She loves snails and snail shells as well, but the live cricket had her heart this time.

ART NIGHT!  

August Beginnings at Twin Peaks Bible Camp

August started with one more week at Twin Peaks Bible Camp and a new camera to try out.

A daytime moon...

This tree keeps an eye out on everyone and everything happening at camp.

The nurse cabin and health station

Just a neat close-up (let me know if you know what kind of flower this is!).

The dining hall and central "hang-out" place

High school camp always includes a fun, themed dinner night. This year is was a carnival theme. Silas helped set up and then manned a bean bag toss. The rest of the Baxter children were ecstatic that their tickets would buy them popcorn, cotton candy, and snowcones alongside all of the other super-yummy treats that were served that night!

"This cotton candy stuff is AMAZING, Mom!" 

Every afternoon... there were a few Baxter children occupying any spots at the archery range that weren't occupied by campers. 

Lemuel found a tie and sported that for the rest of the week.

In order to be a youth camp director, you must be endowed with a sick sense of humor.

Case and point: here the campers are participating in a game which involves balls, a suprise water balloon attack by staff, and several wet, slimy cow tongues!

The Twin Peaks Bible Camp director fits the profile perfectly.

If you ever wonder about the hunting in Colorado, well, we just pull up to the fence next to the road, pick the biggest rack and ka-blam! Elk meat for the next year... just kidding. :-) This is an elk ranch located on the Grand Mesa, a couple of miles above Collbran.

This is the canyon that follows Plateau Creek- Highway 65 aka the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway.
This is a great place to see the fantastic results of massive amounts of fast water erosion.

 Here's the beautiful early evening view from our front door after some rainstorms moved through the area.