Today we didn't have to get up early and get on that big yellow school bus that has been dictating our schedule for what seemed like ages!
This is where we are instead!...:)
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| I just LOVE the boots with swimsuit!! |
The pony loves this girl and its no wonder! She babies him with carrots and apples and even some sweet puffs now and then!...:)
The feeling of summer in the air these past few days has us so excited to stay up later and enjoy the outdoors all day long!!
The three school children had a great school year! First grade is a huge step and it is so exciting to hear Javon reading! We will make many trips to the library in hopes to keep them reading all summer despite the "carefree" summer schedule!..:)
Jenika was really getting fast on her x-tra math and I want to keep up with that to. It will take effort but we will try.
The piles of school stuff that came home in backpacks last week is now organized and in lugs... in the closet. It marks lots of fun memories made during the last school term! Belize broke it up for them... as the year came to a close it felt like they really missed out on a chunk of the school term when we were away. It was a great opportunity but we are still not sure if we will do another winter in Belize. The opportunity is there but we are still talking out the details...:)
Jordan loves his class friends and he did so well in seventh grade! I saw so much growth in him this year!!
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Our Weekend with Friends!!... It's our SUMMER kick off!! We LOVE our time away with this group!
The kids all get along so well! They all hangout with there age group and even though the place is swarming with kids it really don't seem that way since they all entertain each other so well!!
This was the first year ever that we all have four kids...:)
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| A few babies missing and Jordan had two twin friends with this year... What a riot they are!!! |
So much to do here! This was a new place for us. Owned by the same family that owns Hidden Hollow. (our usual place) They made this a nice small retreat and we were the first renters to enjoy it! We all had a small bedroom. The kids just gave out on floors and couches when they were to tired to go anymore! My two youngest made up for it today by sleeping in until almost ten o'clock AM!
We learn new things from friends!...
Jenika became a good rip sticker and she has been trying Jordan's rip stick out ever since we are home!... She LOVED this!...
These two feed off of each others energy!! I love how they are so comfortable around each other and the giggles they leave behind are contagious!...:) Javon and Ty... I wonder what will become of these two yet!??...:)
They just went and went non stop!... Friends are truly one of God's biggest blessings to us!!.
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| Colson and Ashlyn will often be seen playing super nice together!! |
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| Rip Stick and Basketball... In the same court! They make it work...:() |
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| Crazy Bunch! |
From Jr. Roses steaks to Dutchy Jr's chicken with all the extras and sides to go with it to the desserts and breakfasts... Lori's party mix and my puppy chow... Ruthie's dips... Oh I could go on and on!! We have a routine down by now but the food is one of the highlights of this trip for sure! We just kind of throw all diet aside and just recover later...:)!!
Many of the best conversations take place around the table at meal time! We laugh until our bellies hurt and we get serious at times to.
The guys play Aquire every night until late into the night! (early mornings rather!) The snacks come out late at night. Us ladies chat until we dribble off to bed with the kids then the guys come whenever they get done playing and chatting. The fun campfire discussion this year was on "what is on your Bucket List" It got interesting!
The one night Dave had just come to bed and I heard a few other guys outside our bedroom door. They called in and asked Dave if he still wants the van running!? (1:30 in the morning by now!) He had started the van with jumper cables after supper since the kids had been using it for volleyball lights. It was running for ALL those hours!! They made sure and waited until he was just in bed to tell him so he had to get up again and go shut the van off! They followed and laughed the whole time! He even slipped going down the bank outside in just his boxers! This gave them a laugh that only these guys would appreciate!... They will be telling this story for ages and making sure to remind Dave of it to!...:) Seriously they get crazy!...
Jordan and his friends made some goals. They keep in contact with phones and this morning he was puffing through a workout and they are also doing a "no sweets" week! He has willpower and I'm happy to see him using it on the first morning of "no school"! School keeps kids active so it will take an effort to keep him active enough during the summer months. He does have more summer jobs lined up so this will help. His diet is less strict then it was last year on this weekend and it was so fun for him! His gut has healed and if we are careful he can enjoy normal foods just like the rest of us!
The weather!!! It was HOT/SUNNY yet perfect!! Campfire was great! Runs were hard and hot. Shade is what we went for when we sat outside!
We have full hearts this morning... We have memories to ponder on. We have been sleep deprived and we are hanging over a bit but it was and always is worth it to do this weekend with this crew!
We all go into this Memorial Day Weekend pretty exhausted! We have last days of school that can get demanding. We have packing. We have cleaning. We have yard work. We try to keep it together because we know we can soon rest with a great group of friends and get refreshed together as we think of the whole summer before us! It is truly a BLESSING to have this group of ladies in my life!!
Thank You Jesus for these BLESSINGS!
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Today we just BREATH.
We sleep in.
We start the day SLOW.
We eat greens and drink lemon water!
Today we catch up... Laundry. Unpacking. Yard work.
Today we think about SUMMER goals.
Chores.
Screen time.
What will be our routine?
Breakfast all at once or just whenever we wake up and feel like eating?
Eat all day long?
Reading and Writing time?
Playing with next door cousins...
All Day?
Everyday?
~sigh~ Sorry Marilyn we will find a new summer normal...:) It starts with "Can I go see the new puppies with there eyes now open!?" "Okay Sure".
Next thing I know they are playing at Jonathan's. It is great to have best friends and cousins right next door!! I had it growing up and I wouldn't want to trade those years for anything but it does come along with the challenges of knowing how to make boundaries and rules that will work for everybody.
How much time together is to much? Is there such a thing as to much?.... It just takes a bit.... We LOVE Summer and its carefree schedule!!
The house is getting maintenance work done to it...
Our Flexlite was cracking bad. It will feel nice to have this fixed!
Next week we have a Pressure Washer guy coming to wash down the north side of the house. It has been almost ten years since we are here at this house and it seems like maintenance work is a necessity in more and more areas of the house. We get to them eventually but we could always be maintaining something!...:) It's called blessings in disguise...:)
The Garden is sprouting up!! The Memorial Day Weekend away always brings a burst of growth! It's often a hot weekend and I remember coming home from our three day get away and being amazed at the growth that took place in such a short time! Again this year much has had a growth spurt!
The strawberries are turning red! The blueberries are hanging thick! The greens are ready and being picked daily! The blueberries will be a few weeks yet but they look great and are hanging thick! (if we can only beat the birds to them!)
This is my favorite place to buy food but when summer hits I'm able to do away with many foods from Wegman's!! I love the garden foods so much but we also LOVE Wegman's!!... I have been spending more time here since Justin spends a few hours each week at the Chiropractor just down the road! If you want to get creative with "Whole Foods" just visit here!... "Justin is doing and feeling great by the way! We are feeling so blessed!"
These things are back in season!!... White Face Hornet!! I kill the bees around here!! Not Dave!!
They tried to make a home on our back porch! We noticed them one evening when Dave and I were sitting on the porch! He wanted to shoot at them with a pellet gun!! Yes he is highly allergic! If I were him I'd boogie for the house but he is way to calm about these bees and it has me a bit worried at times! I carry the Epipens with me but he don't carry them with him! I just hope we don't ever have to find out what happens if he were to get stung again!
Dave has the big boys at the Oriel's game tonight. I think they got the tickets given through business and all Dave's brothers went to! They did a guys trip out and left at noon already to tour the stadium and then eat supper before the game. I'm not even sure who all went but I hope to get a few pictures from Dave sometime tonight. They were excited! Tomorrow they head to the cabin to plant crops in the some of the new fields up there! It will be a different schedule then our normal weekly schedule but we are happy its finally SUMMER VACATION!
We... The Little's and I are off to the library... They like to look at and get DVDs when they are supposed to get books... Why is watching something so much better then looking at or reading it!? I wish the benefits were the same!...:}
Enjoy this LOVELY weather!!! It Is Summer Vacation and we are THRILLED!!
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