Summer Summary - Part II

Around here the end of August usually finishes off with some drastic changes in the weather. Although we have had that, just as quickly it has gone back to being hot again, followed by some milder temps, but still summer-like. This is not a meteorologist report, just to let you know that it has been an unusual, but good transition away from summer vacation and into school. And yet it doesn't feel like summer vacation should be over at all.
I miss them already, but I do look forward to this "fall" season. It is fun to do some more looking back over the summer. We made some good memories. We had lots of late nights, tons of swimming (even though we battled the algae bug for a month!), time with friends and family, a vacation, summer camp for the first time, trips to the library, and best of all, time to play, be carefree, and enjoy being with one another. I will once again let the pictures tell the story.

Chilling out with my honeys.

Had a blast at Di & Mike's!

What a "great" Aunt we have. We are so blessed!

 The birthday girl! Mom, you are so beautiful, inside and out!

The boys went to Bible camp for the first time ever. They're already begging to go again next year.

It was a hot, humid week. But a week of sun, swimming, fun, friends and God's blessings.

The first day of vacation I managed to back into a tree. (There were plenty of them.) The rest of the week Kaylee reminded me "don't hit a tree Mommy"!

Nevertheless, we still had an awesome time of hiking, relaxing, enjoying God's creation and each other.

Aunt Di and munchkins at the cabin.

What would summer be without a car show? Jeremy took a hundred pictures,

ate his heart out at all the hot rods,

and drooled over all the Mustangs.

To my sister: I am thankful to you for being so involved in the lives of my kids and going along with us on vacation and some other outings. You are the best encourager, friend and sister a girl could ever have.              

To my kids: I enjoyed my summer immensely with you. Daddy and I are so thankful for you and the joy you bring to our lives. Despite the fact that Daddy was very busy this summer, he encouraged and allowed us to do many things. For a person who craves routine, summer is usually a great challenge for me. I am thankful that the Lord gave me ideas and the resources to carry them out. I have enjoyed watching you grow and mature this summer. You are the best kids a Mom could have.  

Summer Summary - Part I

As summer winds down, I thought I would get back on the blog-wagon with a snapshot of our summer - in pictures. Saves me from having to think too much, except that I have to remember how to upload the pictures!

I am not always johnny-on-the-spot with the camera, so this only consists of activities for which I remembered to grab the camera. Actually, with all that goes on, sometimes I just would prefer to be "in the moment" instead of running for the camera.

We started off the summer with a birthday. Travis turned 9!

My little tradition - to take a group photo on birthdays. It's fun comparing from year to year!

Little pals chilling out during monsoon season in early June!

Brianna & Jeremy picked fresh strawberries for me at one of the local farms.! (Eating while picking was fun, too! Oops!)

Turning strawberries into jam late at night with my neighbor and friend!

The kids posted their own lists of rules. I think they stuck to them pretty well.

We asked the Lord to help us be more intentional about this.

Swimming with Dad....tons of fun!

Dressed up and ready to go to church on the 4th of July. (They LIKE matching! I don't make them do this.)

We enjoyed a pleasant 4th with my parents....

...and Carl's parents.

The closing program for our church camp, "Summer Surge". I love seeing their enthusiasm for the Lord.

I promised my big kids that I would take them to a major league baseball game. We were lucky to get some tickets given to us. Great seats, too!

 I pulled Travis down the steps in a hurry to get his picture taken when I saw the Pirate parrot coming towards us.

Well, I've realized that this is turning into a very long post. And since I'm having issues aligning my text, for now I'm going to sign off, til I get the rest of my pictures uploaded. Stay tuned for Part II.

Losing Weight

Wow, it's been quite awhile since I've posted anything. And not because there's nothing going on. More like everything is going on right now. Having all the kids home for the summer is a blessing, but it is also keeping me hopping!

All that to say that I need to shed a little weight. Lay some things aside for awhile, at least until fall.

I keep thinking about the verse Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight...." I have my 5 little witnesses by my side this summer. They require my time, my energy, my life feeding into theirs. I know that I need to lay aside some weight right now, and blogging is one thing that needs to go, for now.

Think I'll go throw the Frisbee with my kids, pop popcorn and play some Monopoly, watch my 10 year old try to walk on stilts, help the boys build a "house" in the backyard, go to the park and have a picnic, read a funny book before bed. They're growing up so fast. Be back in the fall hopefully. I needed to lose some weight anyways!