Linking Up to Read Aloud Thursdays

This has been a busy week with Summer Bible Camp and beautiful days to spend outside!  Here are a few of the books we've squeezed in!

C.W. Anderson's Billy and Blaze series has been a hit with all of my children, especially the boys.  The books are full the classic adventures of a young boy and his horse.  I love the black and white sketches. Billy shows a somewhat understood respect for adults- a quality that's so good to reinforce through what we read.  Sammy has four or five of these checked out right now. Lots of fun reading!

All the kids and I read One Potato, Two Potato on the deck one afternoon.  When I saw it at the library, I assumed it was another version of the familiar children's rhyme.  Wrong!  It's a delightful "fairy tale-ish"  story of two old, poor people who are generally content with their one coat, one potato meals, and one chair.  They stumble on a way to change it all and while they have fun with the changing, they keep it simple.  We've read it several times this week and have had some good conversations about needs/wants and contentment.  My favorite quote:

"Yet it was the wish of her heart to have a friend, someone with whom she could share recipes for boiled potatoes and sweet memories of how it felt to touch her newborn babies' downy heads."

Linking up to Read Aloud Thursdays!   

Tuesday Afternoon

I can't believe how cool it is outside for late June!  A nice treat, especially for Summer Bible Camp week- the kids aren't worn out from the heat yet.  I hear it's coming, though.
Jack and Kayla are visiting with friends this afternoon.  Lucy is napping and Sammy is listening to My Father's Dragon on cd for his quiet time.  I'm enjoying the peace.
During lunch I mentioned to Sam that maybe a nap would help him to have a "happier" afternoon.
His reply:  "Nonsense!"
What?
He's picked up several new words lately- I think it must be the stories he's been listening to.  A couple others I've heard have been "evidently" and "supposedly."  Cute.

I know this picture is pretty dark but I love the story behind it.
I walked upstairs one evening and heard this, in a soft voice:
"Shhh...  It's alright.  Shh...You're ok."
And there was Kayla, swaying back and forth with Lucy, who woke up for some reason.
It was pretty sweet.

Firsts and Lasts

The firsts are mixing with the lasts.
Seems like a few more "lasts" are creeping up, as they must.
I realized Friday that Brian would preach his last sermon at GCPC today.
A last.
My heart was a little heavy but encouraged at the same time- a first is around the corner- his first of many at Providence PCA.
We are gearing up for Summer Bible Camp this week.
Another last.
Last night, though, we had a "first"- ice cream and yard games with the core group.  That was a lot of fun.  Great people to spend a few hours eating ice cream and watermelon with.

We're still excited.
Still laboring hard.
Not looking forward to saying good-bye.
Eagerly anticipating a launch come August 12.
Seems like I have been led to this often lately:

"Let your work be shown to your servants,

and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be 

upon us,

and establish the work of our hands

upon us;

yes, establish the work of our hands!"

Psalm 90:16-17

Friday Afternoon

I was feeling a little fried by lunchtime today.  I love this business of mothering but sometimes it plain wears me out.  We all had an extended quiet time and I am refreshed.
I set out two jars for sun tea- one for later and one because I didn't want to wait until later.  I think I'm addicted to it- with lemon, mint, whatever.
The deer and I are not on good terms.  They got into our green beans earlier in the week.  They also chewed down my potted impatiens- which were so pretty.  Each morning I'm finding something else they've been nibbling on.  I guess it's hard to be too, too mad since one has a baby following her around but it would be nice if they'd go snack somewhere else.
Been doing some rearranging this week.  Every once in a while I get an itch to move some sort of furniture.  I think I'm settled with what we moved.

A couple of thoughts on this little girl.
This picture sums her up- a baby and a sword.  She's happy being sweet to her dolls or chasing her brothers around the house with an intense look on her face.  Yesterday things got a little too quiet and Kayla found her painting her finger nails.  With red nail polish.  Once it all wore away from her skin her nails didn't look half bad.
It's been a while since I heard this but we were in the car and she said to Jack, "What's up dude?"  That gave us all a good laugh.
Have a good weekend!

The House at Pooh Corner and Nancy Drew

There is something wonderful about finding a new book, one we've never read.  I tend to get pretty excited.
There is something equally as wonderful, though, about returning to books I've read to my older children.  Books we enjoyed when they were younger and now it's Sammy's or Lucy's turn to hear a new tale, a new adventure.  That's comfort food for my heart and my brain!

This week, Sam and I are reading A.A. Milne's The House at Pooh Corner.  I love this as one of his first chapter books because each chapter could stand alone- it's a good introduction to longer listening with fewer pictures.  I also love it because it's Pooh- that's reason enough!  Sammy grins when he hears something silly, and even Jack has listened in occasionally, smiling and nodding at the funny parts he remembers hearing when he was little.

Thanks to someone's post from last week, we got some Nancy Drew at the library for Kayla.  She's hooked!  She spent about three hours yesterday listening to one mystery on cd while doing puzzles.  I didn't read Nancy Drew as a kid but it's been fun to hear other moms say, "Oh, I loved Nancy Drew!"

Linking up to Read Aloud Thursdays!   

Bike Ride

Last night Jack and Kayla took a first-aid class- I feel much safer now.   So, the rest of us went for a bike ride on the Huckleberry Trail.  It was Lucy's first time on the back of Brian's bike (I think).  She loved it.  Every once in a while she turned around, waved, and said, "Hi Mommy!"

Sammy had a great time riding.  It's a little hard, however, when you're five, to just concentrate on what's in front of you and not be looking all around.  A near collision with a guy walking his dog did not seem to dampen his spirits.  He took off at one point when the trail was clear and I heard him say, "I'm riding like the wind!"
Later I asked if he had a good time.  With his cheeks red and his hair wet with sweat he said, "I had a wonderful time, Mom!"

Lucy and the Ring Bearer

Lucy decided not to walk down the aisle but she and the ring bearer had fun after the wedding.

On to the reception...