Summer has begun

I've not posted anything for a bit...I can't keep all my stuff straight!  I have been better about posting stuff on the ACT website, but then I forget about this one and the KNO website.  My mind can only handle so many details I suppose!

Summer is off to a great start here.  We enjoyed a visit from Jeannie and the boys for a few days.  Sawyer loved playing with the boys and Julia like sharing a room with Maddox.

Then we had Mama and Daddy come for Father's Day weekend.  We didn't do a whole lot besides the food truck rodeo Sunday, but nice to get some time together, especially in the midst of their house selling/buying craziness!

School ended well for the most part.  Gray got a bit out of control the last week--like out of his mind crazy.  I came to school to help with an ice cream party and he didn't get to take part in it due to his behavior.  Then the last day of school was supposed to be his time to make it up to his teacher, but her comments to me when I asked how it went were, "Well he didn't destroy anything or maim anyone and it's the last day of school so I will take it."  Basically, he did not redeem himself!  But I think he was just not sure how to deal with his feelings about the transition.  He was excited but he told me on the last day that he was sad b/c he kind of likes school and his teacher is really nice.  He did well on his report card aside from a few lines like handwriting and following the class rules:)  I think he thinks he awesome reading skills are going to carry him through on all the other areas...we will see how his future teachers feel about that!

Joshua finished the year with 2 field trips, which I got to go on.  I just love being with the class and getting to know the teachers and kids.  He got glowing reviews on his report card and did not mess up his good behavior streak.  He got slightly in trouble a couple of times for talking too much, but I am just happy he is social and has friends to talk to so we just let that roll off our backs:)  He has really blossomed in school and I continue to think Hillandale is a great school choice for him, in contrast to my feelings of uncertainty about what's best for his brother.

Julia is thrilled to have her brothers back at home.  We've been going to swim lessons this week and she loves being in the pool too and "swimming by herself" (which sometimes means with a flotation device on her arms, holding on to a kickboard, and a death grip on my hands).  The boys are doing awesome in the pool.  Joshua is finally swimming for real and just needs to get comfortable with the breathing.  He is determined and motivated.  Gray is a little fish in the water now, in stark contrast to last year!  He tried arms today for the first time and really just went "all in" and had it down by the second try.  He doesn't know how to breathe yet, but we'll get there.  We are so much later than many kids in learning how to swim, but that's okay--better late than never!  I think visiting Nanny and Pa's pool is going to be a lot more fun from now on!

Matt is still plugging away with school.  They are definitely piling on the material!  He studies most of his spare time and I know he is so ready for a break the first week of July.  Then it's just a matter of weeks before he's off to Nicaragua and halfway through his degree!  Very thankful this is a short process.

I have been enjoying the long afternoons at home, with no picking up kids from school and hours of homework!  We have been catching up on stuff like sending letters to our sponsored kids and cleaning out the craft shelf.  Last week we had an ACT meeting that went well, followed by a KNO birthday party that also was a good time.

I'm excited for our new church VBS next week, which I know will be great based on our participation awhile back.  I'm particularly looking forward to bringing some of my little KNO kids.  Love getting more time with them and sharing life together.  I only have a few more times left with the little girls coming over, so trying to squeeze in as much reading as I can with them!

Can hardly believe we're almost to July already!  Loving the summer, but know it will fly...

Gone Fishing

Barnette and Cindy took the kids to a fishing tournament this morning and it was a huge hit.  Here are some pictures they took.

Ready for the day!

Joshua catches a fish!  

 I think Julia caught one with Nanny.

 Gray caught two fish.

Change is in the air!

Well there is the obvious change in the forefront of our minds--summer vacation!  And something we tend to do around here when school is either almost out or about to begin, is make a trip to the Museum of Life and Science.  So Julia and I had our last "just us girls" day of fun before summer.

Julia loved the butterfly house and was thrilled that she got to touch one.

We got our closest look ever at the bears.  Julia was a bit nervous about this.

We had a rare treat and paid to ride the train, which Julia was super excited about, though got a bit serious when it was time to ride.  She gave her "pout and look at my feet" face during the tunnel part when the kids like to scream.  But overall, she liked it all and we had a good day together.

She can't wait for the boys to be out of school and I feel a bit of restlessness/tension in the air with the coming changes, but what I'm really contemplating these days is all the other exciting changes going on around us.

Like Kim getting a private school teaching job and 4 of her kids starting school there in the fall.

And my parents selling their house and making an offer on another one.

And the Moores getting geared up to welcome foster kids in their home for weekend respite care.

And the Leightons starting the adoption process for a child in Haiti.

Many big changes are definitely in the air and it feels weird that it's not us, since we have tended to have some life-altering event or decision come up every year-- moves, deployments, babies, new business, new career path, etc.

But no, we won't get on the change train quite yet.  This year we will just continue to plug away at school (or Matt will) and see what God has in store.  This time next year, we'll be there.  Looking for jobs, all our kids going to be in school, maybe other changes....time will tell.  Thankful that we are so privileged to live a life that has always been full of options, not just survival.  Looking forward to seeing our story keep unfolding and so excited to watch these family members live out theirs!

Quotable Quotes

I took a week or so to write down some of the things Miss Julia says and thought I'd share.  Besides saying "Perfect" and "Beautiful" more times a day than anyone should, she has some other little things she says that are out of the ordinary.

I discovered that she thinks "Diaries" is the name of a princess...as in "Princess Diaries" the movie.  She likes to pretend she is Queen Diaries when she's not pretending to be Elsa or a baby.

At Walmart she was holding on the cart and had one foot on the cart and one on the floor.  She asked if she looked like she was doing a "scootboard."  You just gotta love when kids mix up words and say it with a straight face.

She was absolutely delighted to be allowed to wear lipgloss to her recital, but couldn't quite get the name right.  She excitedly told one brother she was going to wear lipflops and another that she was going to wear lipfloss.

As we drove to get a friend of Joshua's she declared to us all, "I know this is Anthony's house because I am a good memory."  Well, she really is.

She got a little cut on her finger and dramatically moaned, "Mommy, my paper haircut is hurting!"

She has a sweet heart that she shows sometimes.  When Matt running late to meet us, she reassured everyone, "Well we want Daddy to be here but it's okay.  It's not his thought."  Of course today when Gray hit her accidentally she screamed, "And it's all Gray's thought!!!"

Out of the blue, while thinking of some of her creations, she said, "Mommy I am an artworker."

And finally, her sweetest comment this week as she gave me a big hug:  "Mommy we're best friends forever."

Prima Ballerina!

Julia loved her recital today!  She has been taking ballet this semester with her friend Addie and it's been great.  There isn't much she enjoys more than being with a bunch of little girls...the dancing is just a bonus.  Wish I had a camera Friday night for the rehearsal.  Beforehand, her teacher put on the Frozen soundtrack and the parents watched a room full of little pink ballerinas dancing and singing their hearts out to "Let it Go."  So adorable.

I love that her teacher emphasizes character and also that the recital is not a big overdramatic expensive long production.  It was very sweet and the only tense part was trying to get there on time and then me forgetting her shoes!  Here are some pictures from today and I'll try to get movies up soon.

"Smiling" (??) for her pre-recital picture.  You may be able to see her sparkly lip gloss I let her wear, which she was so excited about.

 I know I'm biased, but she is just beautiful!

 Addie and Julia

 Dancing with "my other ballerinas", as Julia calls them, before the show.

 Julia's class dance

 Julia moping over to the other side after one of the little girls "told me to move in a mean way".  I think she was on the wrong side and didn't like being told so one bit.

 Her "solo".  It took forever for her to get across the floor and she looked at her feet the whole time, but hey- she did it!

 Flowers from Nanny and Pa.  She loved them and then told me she was giving them to me and then decided we would share.  She is very sensitive to people getting left out!

 Group pictures at the end.  Somebody's sleepy.

 Miss Cooperative herself.  The teacher gave her the cooperative award, no matter the grumpy face Julia was making as she received it:)

Almost Summer Fun!

We've had lots of fun outings lately and sure are enjoying nice weather, friends, and lots of daylight.  Still 3 more weeks of school, but feels like summer!

1) Tornado warning retreat to the basement turned into a costume dance party

 (Elsa's power to "froze" v. Iron Man's machine gun)

 2) Baseball game- Daddy and Gray time

 3) Picnic with my girls

 4) Baseball game birthday party.  Both boys loved playing in the game in their own ways...Joshua in his "must hit a home run" serious way and Gray in his silly, giggly, "I'm going to be a professional baseball player when I grow up" way.  And Julia LOVED hanging out with one of her best buds, the birthday boy's little sister.  They even held the bat together and made a hit.  But mostly laughed and danced and talked and held hands.

 5) Cookout with folks from church.  Some old friends and some new...with about 20 kids.  Julia did her typical frown at the adults and smile and grab the hand of the little girl closest to her age.  There was a 5 year old and 3 year old and she had the best time hanging out with them.  She is a total social butterfly as long as she's with little girls.  All our kids were so, so happy to be hanging out with a big group of children and I'm really glad we went.

 6) Memorial Day cookout at Nanny and Pa's.  Always great to be with family!!

 Audrey cracking us up as usual...and being sweet to hang out with Julia.

You're worth so much more...

So based on a friend from college's recommendation (Jeannie- Brooke Moody), I bought this kids' cd and we've been listening to it this week.  There is one song about how God cares for the flowers and the birds so we shouldn't worry b/c we're worth so much more to him and he'll take care of us too.  This song was running through my head all day long yesterday and was very encouraging as different worries/complaints/desires came to mind.  As I'm weeding the garden, I keep hearing the song and remembering what Jesus said about sparrows.  Good message to ponder.  Flash forward to 11 pm.  

I had just fallen asleep when I hear Matt and Gray come home from a baseball game.  I wake up to Gray's excited voice that there's a bird in the house and then it comes flying over my head as I cower in fear.  (Really.)  It is a little sparrow.

"Don't you worry about a thing....you don't have petals and wings...you're worth so much more to the God who made everything," goes through my head as I crouch behind the covers.  "Hmm", I think. "God is trying to tell me something?  He has this little birdie in the palm of his hand, caring for it, and he'll care for me too?"

We cannot get this bird out for what seems like an eternity.  We open all the windows and take out the screens.  Matt finds the bird in a corner of my closet and then he jumps back scaring me to death as it flies at his head up to another hideout.  (Meanwhile I'm hiding myself...over in a corner with a full length mirror as my shield.  If you've seen The Office, I'm picturing Meredith and Dwight with the bat incident.)

Finally Matt captures the bird in his jacket.  It's the middle of the night, he's been taking out the contents of my closet, trying to sweet talk the bird, dodging the bird, dealing with his wimp of a wife and so when he finally catches it, he just dumps it out the window, with the highest priority of keeping it from flying back in.

Well the bird did not fly back in.  In went splat on the pavement.  Bye, bye birdie.  We were slightly stunned by this whole incident and I lay awake for quite awhile, coming down from my fear adrenaline I suppose.  My biggest thoughts were, "What it the world would I do if Matt wasn't here?" and "I am so glad we skipped that bird exhibit at the DC zoo where apparently they are so friendly that they land on your head."  and "Hmm, maybe that message I thought was from God wasn't what I imagined it was...because that little birdie went splat."

I can still hear that song in my head.  I guess regardless I can be glad I'm worth more than that bird!