The Sun Sets on Summer

Today was it, the last day. Emma is beside herself with excitement, Victoria got excited about a week a go in a big way, and just today Caedmon got on the wagon. I don't influence them or manipulate their feelings in anyway either way, so it's fun to see them develop their thoughts on their own. I was shocked though when Caedmon said he was excited. When I asked him what made him excited he said "having a new teacher". He loved Mrs.E. from last year, but am glad he is excited to be in Mrs.B's class. The amazing thing to me is that when I was 13, Mrs.B was my teacher through home study and she came out to bring me all my things and check in with me and my mom. I liked her then, and she is so the same. She just has silver hair instead of black. She always had the sweetest caring face. I've learned from observing her style at school, that she is very caring, but is also very intent on holding the children to account for their behavior. I see her out almost every day after school chatting with a parent to fill them in on what the issues of the day might have been, or what positive things she sees.

Today, we went to church after Rick picked up the kids from our friends who kept them all night. Not the best idea. Victoria had saved all her tiredness attitude for us and was immediately negative about how the boys in the next tent kept the girls up all night. We tried to explain that was part of the fun of the outing. She just was showing obvious signs of not getting enough sleep. So, after church they took naps.

Now, usually, they don't sleep, but they do just read or play quietly while daddy and mommy sleep a bit. Today, Rick had to wake them up to squeeze in their last trip to the pool for the summer. He took them for about an hour and I did some clean up.

They came home and I made a big batch of Pesto Pasta w/ fresh tomatoes and shrimp. I've been blessed with a neighbor who grows basil so Rick just went down and got some and I made the pesto fresh....ah, yum. Shrimp is a delicacy in our house and all the kids were elated to get it. We ate outside in front of the house, they on a blanket, and daddy and I on patio chairs. It was very relaxing. They finish and climb in daddy's lap, or swing on the tree branch while we chat about their excitement for school tomorrow.

We came in and they got ready for bed while I made a peach cobbler from the peaches we picked with friends the other day. Rick read some bible stories to them and Emma read from Psalms. She loves to read Psalms. They were given their schedules and read over each of their own. Not too complicated, and very similar except Victoria wakes up a half an hour earlier to shower and have her quiet time, and she goes to bed a half an hour later.

Then, it was off to bed as quick as you can! They have all been asleep for a while now and I'm loving that it's only ten! I cleaned up the peach mess and the counters to be ready for my morning tasks. The cool air is coming in and the bedroom fan is inviting me to put my feet up and chat with my sweetie.

The summer was good. It was not as hot as usual. The kids had lots of fun that was free (and funny!:) and we are all very ready for the fall season and all the people we see each day. God is good and his mercies are new every morning. I'm so thankful for the joy we have of following him.

I also start my new job tomorrow which is only for an hour and a half but it will be different to do any kind of work outside of home. I'm excited. I'm also excited to finally mop the kitchen which has not been mopped all summer! AHHHHH!

Thankful .....Friday?

Sorry, missed again. I was all over the place yesterday. I'm not sure how many people actually anticipate these anyway so I've probably not let anyone down at all :) .

Still...

This week I have one big one!



I'M SO THANKFUL SCHOOL IS STARTING MONDAY!



I don't care if I get criticism for saying that...bring it on. You don't live with my restless and mounting-ly fidgety children every day so you can say what you want. You don't have my personality that can't seem to start a project or anything really and get it done when they are around all day.

I am so reminded the last month why our family works so much better with the kids in school. Rick and I were in the bubbles together last night just saying "oh, man, now we remember why homeschooling was tough on us!".

We are looking forward to the schedule, the structure, and all of us doing the jobs we do best. The kids really need the interaction and brain stimulation again. I guess if we lived out in the country or on some land where there was more to it may be different, but here in our little modular park, I have to be outside with them most of the time.

I really click well as the housewife/mom. That is what I'm so anxious to take on again. Structuring my errand schedule and housework, making their coming home treat for the day, organizing the house....I'm so in my element with that.

I'm also looking forward to the interaction with the teachers and the kids again. Some of them have become extended family to us. My kids do so well, having the accountability to us and other adults and so far we have been blessed with great christian teachers for them as well as a great christian principal. I'm just reminded how wonderful the situation is for now.

I'm loving their excitement to go through the supplies we got mostly free from CVS and load up what they need. I'm anxious to make a gift basket for each teacher for their room as well as some scones and a jar of our apricot jam from the summer.

The season is changing and I love it! I was genuinely excited to have them home in June and we did have fun but as the summer went on and July ended, the mood changed to boredom, bickering more, cabin fever, heat exhaustion, and I knew it was time for change. Now, it's here...

and...

FOR THAT I'M SO THANKFUL!

We are heading up to the school in a few minutes to see what classes they are in and if they got the teachers I requested. They are excited for even that and I'm right behind them with excitement!

Late On Thankful Thursday

We were at the beach yesterday and I did not get to blog. I broke my next to baby toe so that took out the evening. Been laid up with it today too. Man oh, man.
But...I am thankful for:

• a great husband who is helpful
• children who are old enough to fend a bit for themselves even though my house is falling apart with mess by now
• time to get out to the coast. before i got hurt, it had been a great family day.
• another batch of cucumbers given to me to pickle when I can stand up longer.
• creative children who are always coming up with stuff to show me
• upcoming schedule structure, i'm looking forward to that
• brave men to fight these awful calif. fires.

I think that's about it for now.

I would like to ask for prayer that this silly toe heals quick. It hurts to be up on it and I cannot take much time out. I'm also worried about it healing right. Thanks.

Thankful Thursday

Here we go!

1. So thankful God is intimately involved in our lives and leading us. GO HERE.


2. Thankful my friend gave us a laptop. It's old but actually works better than our other one. It's not officially ours yet since they have to clean out their stuff but I'm so blessed.


3. Thankful for a huge bag of strawberries that were given us and for the chance to pick wild blackberries with Rick yesterday so that I can make jam from them and maybe a pie. It was so painful though and next time I will NOT wear Crocks. I ruined them. Tons of thorns went into the bottom of them and when I pull them all out I will have a ton of holes.


4. An older couple in our church said they wanted to watch our kids! We only have one this week but we took them up on it and went to the beach for a sunset dinner. It was lovely.


5. Somehow our electric bill was WAY low. By about 50 dollars under budget. Amazing how setting that air conditioner at 80 helped.


6. Emma's teacher from last year is such a blessing to me over and over. She is on Rick's mail route and sent home a bag that had a pencil bag LOADED for each of the kids for the first day of school. There was even a snack for them. I love her so much. What a dear woman.


7. I'm thankful for time with just Caed this week even though he has been bored, hyper and restless for lots of it. It's been fun to have just three of us.


8. I'm amazed at the overtime Rick has been getting and it looks like although they are tearing up his route into a bunch of swings, he may get to be a T-6 for a while (the guy who does others routes when they have their days off so he does a different route every day) which would mean at least a dollar more an hour.


9. I'm thankful we get to go help harvest food for the food bank tonight and bring a little home. I don't know just what to expect but I think just going out to do the harvesting with Caedmon, Rick and I will be a lot of fun.


10. I'm thankful my husband has a heart that is always longing to do what is right. He is always willing to hear me out when I need to vent and He has an openness to change. I'm very blessed by that.