group activities (5)

we had the privilege of spending the week there with friends of ours
they generously offered seats in their jumbo van (they have two boys, triplet girls and an exchange student for the summer)
and a ride to a close-by private beach for the evening
tons of fun!
(can you find my three kiddos and Marvin?)

the kids all really enjoyed playing together and my three loved the cultural experience of spending time with a non-English-speaking child
{top row, left to right: Grace,Benji, Alec, Elizabeth, John, Joshua, Olivia}
{bottom row: Yuto, Ava}

one of our favorite spots in our summer cottage
this was the only time we let kids be up there unsupervised; the cottage was built in 1881 and has had very few updates!
we don't mind, though

enjoying one last pizza from Sloopy's on the last day
pizza for 13, anyone?

this is the amazing family we spent the week with
Jennifer home educates their five children
and is constantly providing cool opportunities for them like bee-keeping classes, chickens in the back yard, and a Japanese exchange student for the summer!

fishing on pier was a favorite activity
Marvin was always the man with the bait
and the willingness to thread it on the hook!

I wasn't there to see this, but I'm guessing that
Benji's pole caught the fish and he didn't want to touch it!

scenic views (6)

what the boys call the "eye cannon"
free telescope can be used to view Perry's Monument
or approaching pirate ships

oh look, I was on vacation too!
I always forget to have Marvin take pictures of me

S-O-S!
{save our sis!}

on the rocks (7)

the first day we were there, Joshua (from the other family) started stacking these smooth stones by the shore line
by the time we left at the end of the week, there were probably 50 or more stacks like his covering the boulders
I don't have the skill or camera equipment to do the display justice, but it was really cool!
I'm sure we'll go down and stack a few next year...

first day of {home} school

I know, I know...we're back from vacation, so where are the beach photos??

Well, slightly more important things have taken precedence, like our first day of school! I really wanted to get started a little early so that I could take my time and not feel rushed and pressured to finish on time.
I'm still getting used to the notion that it's totally up to me when I do and what I do.

I have a massive white board on the door of the closet in the kitchen with our family, school, and my schedules written on it. It was an absolute live saver today as I was bouncing through the school day.

To give you a rough idea...

I now get up at 6am
I am exercised, showered, dressed, laundry started, dishwasher unloaded, email checked by 8am when I start breakfast.

The kids are dressed and full of breakfast with their laundry downstairs and beds made by 9am when we start our school day with Bible.

At around 11:15 we break for lunch, and finish up the school day by around 1. We've covered Bible, language arts (reading, spelling, handwriting), geography, science, math, art, and music. And probably a couple hard-learned lessons in patience and grace for momma!

I'm teaching a third grader, a Kindergartner, and a toddler.

The afternoons are still a bit of a jumble. I left them loose on purpose until I get farther into the school year and figure out how we're going to do field trips, errands, and such.

I'm not perfect, but I'm following the perfect will of my heavenly Father, who chose this path for our family to walk. I'm looking forward to seeing how He provides for us during this journey!

We're leaving tomorrow for our week at the lake. We're all super excited. I can't believe it's finally here; I think about this week all year until it finally comes again!!

I'm mostly packed, my lists have served me well again. I still need to pack our personal care items and vitamins and food in the morning, and then we need to stuff ALL of it into our van.

For some reason Twitter won't let me post anything right now...ARRgh!

AND, my 80% of my hard drive is now taken up with my pictures and won't let me load any more in. Which means we have to find some sneaky way to get rid of some so I can empty one of my CF cards before the trip. Last year I filled two, 1GB, cards before we came home!

So, no pictures and no Twitter! What's a girl to do?

See y'all later! Peace out.

Treasure in his heart

Benji loves treasure. Anytime we’re at a craft store, he begs to look at the “cwystals”. I had him with me tonight on a quick trip to get some office supplies and other little stuff. I got sidetracked in a “make-your-own-jewlery” aisle and of course we had to look at all the “cwystals”. Benji chose a glass cross pendant.

In the car on the way home, I said, “So Benji, what are you going to do with your treasure? Are you going to hide it in your castle?” As the two action figures in his hands waged a deadly battle, he said, “No, I think I’m just gonna look at it all day and night.” I said, “Oh, and will it remind you of Jesus since it’s a cross?” All I heard this time was “arrrgh, oooof, kaPow!”

Trying again, I asked, “Benji, did you know that Jesus died for you on a cross and it means that if you ask Him to be in your heart, He’ll forgive all your sins and be with you forever?” After a few more battle noises Benji commented, “Well, He’s most likely in my heart already because I have this cwoss” Chuckling to myself, I corrected him. “No, honey, you have to ask him to be in your heart.”

“Jesus, will you be in my heart? Fwa-poom! Bammm! Whumpf! Is that how I ask?” said Benji and his action figures. “Yep, it sure is honey” I said, stifling my laughter. So, in a sweet, sincere tone, Benji said, “Jesus, will you come in my heart?” and after a brief pause, in his deep action figure voice said, “Yes I will son!”

I’m not sure if it was Benji or Commander Rex that made a life-changing decision on the car ride home, but someone’s going to heaven!!

Summer fun, anyone?

ava's been naked and the boys have been covered in sand and scabs for the majority of the summer

it's been awesome!

we've had millions of playdates, lazy days in the wading pool, and time at the zoo

things are speeding up now

time to pack for our week away at the lake cottage

time to finish my year of lesson plans for my maiden voyage into home schooling

time to squeeze my eyes shut and wish that summer would last just a little bit longer

time to really, really start missing my missing friend

time to say goodbye for a while

till things slow again

This is my last week of freedom, as I know it. Between now and Aug. 8, I have to finish planning our year of school, and plan for our annual beach house vacation.

Planning for the beach vacation is a full-time job in itself. Being as obsessed with lists as I am, this year I have decided to make a master list that I will just print out and change as needed. I'm hoping that will make things go more smoothly for everyone.

I'm also planning on putting the boys totally in charge of packing all their stuff like I did last year. I do have to check their clothes before we leave, though...they have a tendancy to pick "spy outfits" which consist of black or navy blue athletic shorts and black or navy blue t-shirts! Not exactly what I'd like to take pictures of them in at the beach!!

As far as planning school goes, I'm excited to finish up, but a little nervous too. Fortunately I have many good friends who have been home schooling for many years and will be more than happy to hold my hand if I need it! I just have to score some "alone time" in the office and then I'll be fine...

The week we get back, I plan on starting school. I know that sounds crazy, but I just want to sort of "dip our toes in the water", so to speak. I'm planning on the week not going well and I'd like to get the rough bumpy spots out of the way before we really need to get down to business. After I get in my grove, I'm sure I'll delay the start of school as long as I can next year!! I love me some summer time laziness!

WeekEnd

Monday I opened the revolving door again! Two friends here for Alec, one here for Benji, lunch made for six kids. Ava played in her new pool twice, despite the un-seasonably cool weather. She didn't mind her blue lips or chattering teeth! Dinner was leftovers, and we took another bike ride.

Tuesday Yet again more people in my house!  My sister in law and her two kids came.  We spent a leisurely morning and afternoon watching the kids play outside in the sand box and baby pool.  My nephew ended up staying to spend the night. We had a great time, but by about 5:00 I realized that I hadn't lifted a finger and Mt. Washmore was toppling and the kitchen floor looked horrendous from all the sand and water tracked on it all day.  I remembered with a jolt that I was hosting our women's Bible study the next day, and had a mild panic attack that caused Marvin to frantically start loading the dishwasher.

Wednesday My nephew did make it all night here (it was his first official sleep over any where) and my friend Sarah needed a place for her kids to go for an hour before Bible study, so while 7 children lounged on my couches, I exercised, showered, and tried to feed most of them breakfast.  The house was still terrifically messy at 9:30 am when all the ladies arrived, but I put on a brave face and played the gracious hostess anyways.  I think probably I might have been a little tired after that because as I'm typing this, I really can't remember what happened the rest of the day!

Thursday Alec had a playdate scheduled with a friend for the early afternoon. I got out of bed thinking that we'd all stay home today with no guests.  Looking forward to a day of solitude and quiet, I went up to get Ava out of her bed. I was greeted with two squabbling boys and a petulant toddler who wanted anything but the pair of underwear I was trying to put her windmilling legs through.  I decided right then and there to give up for the day.  I ignored the boys, fed Ava, and plopped her on our bed in front of several episodes of Dora while I read a book in my nightgown.  The whole day pretty much consisted of too much TV, not enough clothing, and the wrong kind of food.

Friday Off to the zoo with my MIL, SIL, her MIL, and all the kids.  The weather was beautiful, the kids were happy (for the most part) and we really enjoyed a new show involving animals rescued from shelters.  We stayed longer than I would have liked, and didn't get home till after 3:00.  I usually only have a one-hour tolerance for things like that! We had a much needed quiet time when we got home and then went off to homegroup in the evening.  I didn't see Marvin all day until 9:00 when we got back; he was at a work event in the evening.

Saturday Marvin had to work, we all slept in because of the late night and long day before.  We were ultra lazy again, and I kinda had a moment of feeling totally overwhelmed and inadequate.  When Marvin got home from work, he took the kids to a very large vintage car show in town, and I showered and did some housework while they were gone.  We went to Sat. evening church, and put the kids to bed right away when we got home.  I worked for a while on some meeUps and then went to bed.

Happy Sunday, everyone!!  So far today, I've loaded and started the dishwasher, fed everyone once, and we've been to the local flea market...

the little things...

My good friend Beth invited us over a couple weeks ago for an afternoon of fun in the sun. I always feel so welcome at her house; she is attentive to the little things that are important.

She had lugged out their huge, never used wading pool and filled it earlier so it wouldn't be freezing. They put a sprinkler under the trampoline so that the boys would also have a place to get wet and have fun.

Her daughter, Evie (at the top with Ava) generously gave Ava an old bike that she had outgrown, along with some princess accessories.

We stayed for hours, enjoying the each other's company, sunshine, and the kid's laughter. Thanks, Beth!