"We Home!!!"

I meant to post sooner - like, during the weekend, but wi-fi was down! Bummer...

I'm sure I'll elaborate sooner or later, but let's just say a good time was had by all:

(Extra Daughter = 12 year old niece!!!)

Vacation!

Is a vacation really a vacation if you're the one packing for 4 of 5 people? (completely rhetorical question)

I think if the view is anything like this when you get there, it is!

Every year we take a trip to Door County WI with John's parents who own a condo in one of the bay towns.

We arrive on a June friday and hit up the local ice cream joint right away. By evening John and the kids have already gone swimming (in a pool - that lake water is the definition of COLD) and I've taken a long hot shower to release all of the pent up nerves of getting us there.

(Pardon me - John gets us there, I get our stuff there)

Per Usual, John is the first one up in the morning and gets to witness this gorgeousness....

He takes a picture while I sleep....zzzzz

During the day we find places to have adventures! This is #1 about two years ago - she's looking for the queen bee!

My determined little girls are willing put their feet into the waters of Lake Michigan - Green Bay side. Still...Tres Cute!

We definitely need to have some swinging:

And the adults always enjoy fresh coffee, fresh air and fresh fudge from the local candy store! (Oh and if there's a fresh baby along, we enjoy her too)

When the weather isn't so good....

We find a place to do stuff like this:

And the days usually end Just...Like....This:

Have a great weekend!

10 Minutes

I have ten minutes to say one thing.

I forgot to take any - ANY - pictures at the farm on Saturday!

I can't believe it! There were cows, chickens, pigs, cats & kittens, dogs and lots of lots of photo opportunities. Alas, no pictures.

Early Saturday morning before we left I took pictures of the garden:

Then I took a picture of one dew-covered peony:

And I know I haven't introduced #2 yet:

One Smore down - Lots to go!

Aaaaand Time's UP!

Off to brown burger for sloppy joes...Yum...

Our Friend Henrietta

Matthew 6:26 'See the birds of the sky: they don't sow, nor do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you of much more value than they?'


My husband would like to introduce you to the new additions to our friend Henrietta's family:

Now, we know Henrietta very well - every summer she leaves us an empty nest in a special bush that seems an unlikely place to raise babies.....but this time - she had some chicks!!!

John named Henrietta but he's given me the task of naming the babies so without further ado:

George (otherwise known as Ugly in a Painfully Cute Way #1)

Maria (otherwise known as Ugly in a Painfully Cute Way #2)

George is the more agressive of the two - he often pokes his head up looking for a snack. Usually he's a little startled because whenever I take a peek, Henrietta (or George Sr) flit away to the nearest low hanging branch to yell at me. The quality of my pictures may reflect my trepidation... ahem...

But Oh My Word do you see those gorgeous eyes!? I tell you one thing - it's pretty fortunate we don't have many stray cats around here because you are about to see how easily accessible these babies are...

I don't know how to do arrows, but do you see the thin diagonal lines - that would be the nest...

And zooming out below you see same clump of the bush and what's this??? Brick?

We have our own darn welcoming committee!!!

This last picture of George and Maria is from two days later - look! They have started getting their wing feathers!!! (I know it's hard to see, but it's the darkness that you can imagine is their wings - you can see the texture up close, but remember...Henrietta and George Sr. are very intimidating...)

Tomorrow we head to one of John's college friend's Dairy farm for some fun, fellowship, and HOMEMADE ICE CREAM with fresh milk! Yummmmmm

Many Blessings!

Time of Adjustment

Today was our first Monday after the last day of school...
There was a lot of attitude and a lot of whining and the kids were crabby too.


#1's coughing is started to fade, #2 was acting a little funky (enough to check her heart a couple times), and #3 - well - she's started to scream for attention.


While #2's heart is on my mind, I've just read that Stellan's blood pressure is elevated and he will be going in for an echo and ekg tomorrow morning. I'm sad for MckMama's stress and will keep all that lifted up in prayer tomorrow. There are those times when Drs tell you things or you listen to your baby's chest and your heart drops. It more than drops - it feels like it's turning inside out...


I don't have a whole lot to say on that matter. It just makes me really really tired (Yawn)



Goodnight....

Zzzzzz

Rainy Weekend In

Everybody seems tired and I think it may be the weather.

I don't mind a little rain, I'm all caught up on folding and have plans for tomorrow to get completely caught up on the laundry. We'll see...

Watching the Tony Awards while folding clothes is a really fun activity...too bad the Tony Awards aren't on every night....(nah)

#1 & #2 and I did do a craft this weekend - I had some stuff lying around the house - but we needed sparkles so we took a little trip to Michaels....this is what we ended up with:

I believe this is what you would call a fun mess.

And for a little beauty, I present you with #3:

Don't worry, #2 will make her way in here somehow....just not today!

Blessings!

"The Best Laid Plans....

....of mice and men, often go awry..."

Isn't it just so?

The day was meant for playing. We planned, we waited...we anticipated and then: It just didn't work. I looked around my clean house today a little deflated but very happy that I had accomplished so much. I swept the basement! (unfinished basement that is)

Seems like that happens in life. We plan, we execute, we wait and wonder yet the result is completely out of our hands. God knows our dreams and hears our desires and while we use a lot of energy relying on our own strength He is holding in His hands the best outcome.

Speaking of plans...I have more plans....Plans to homeschool...(But By The Grace Of God)

(that sound you just heard was me - gnashing my teeth in fear and uncertainty)

Not really - I refuse to operate from a spirit of fear or uncertainty. That is just where my enemy wants me and I will not give him the foothold. Without further ado, the start of my plans:

Today was #1's last day of second grade! We've moved ahead with the science portion of our Sonlight Core 3 curriculum: Introduction to Biology. We're kind of starting at week 4 because it just so happens we put in a garden and started some radishes! Radishes are yummy with a little salt by the way. But really, I knew that we needed to plant radishes because I had planned ahead!

Here are the beginnings of radishes:

Would you like to see the rest of said garden? Of course you would!

We have in the two corners roma tomatoes and pink brandywine heirloom tomatoes. Between the two is a marigold plant. Not my favorite, but they are said to discourage tomato eating bugs...

The next row from left to right, from lower to upper is a singular marigold, followed by the next row being 3 marigolds! (Isn't this exciting!?) The next row is cherry tomato, marigold and cilantro; final row: chives, basil, chives. The radishes were planted from seed in the other half of the box garden. There is a row of radishes, a row of green onions, a row of bush-snap green beans and along the edges are flat leaf parsley and curly parsley. Whew! I'm exhausted! (not really - it's a very small garden)

By the way, here is #1:

She is wonderful...