A Look Back on the Fourth of July

This summer is going by toooooo fast! In one month from today students will arrive at school. I have a lot of work to do before that!!! We have had a busy but FUN 4th of July weekend. My brother and sister-in-law, as well as the rest of the clan minus Sarah and her family, went to my parent's camphouse for the weekend. We grilled out on Saturday night, went to church on Sunday, then spent Independence Day with the Malone's on the river! Whoever knew that tubing behind a fishing boat could keep four children occupied for hours! Sam, Hayden, Darby, and Allie had such a good time tubing and swimming in that nasty river! Nasty and muddy didn't keep them from enjoying themselves. They tubed and swam, tubed and swam until they couldn't even hold their heads up. Later in the afternoon, Shay grilled chicken and ribs....then came the fireworks! I am not an experienced fireworks buyer so when I called Hayden from the fireworks stand to ask him what type of fireworks he wanted he said, "Sparklers, roman candles, and rottle bockets!!" Really.... rottle bockets! We will never forget that and bottle rockets now have a new name! I didn't take pictures of the fireworks because it was too dark, however, I did get some fun pictures from the day. I hope you enjoy looking at them. We are thankful for our independence as well as family and friends who enjoy a good time!

Hebrews 3:13a.....But encourage one another daily. Sometimes this is such a hard task for many of us but what a good reminder to all of us to do just as Jesus did....build up and encourage one another! I hope that you will take this challenge with me as we strive to be like Jesus.

Let's Try This Again!

July 1....WOW! As I looked at the calendar today I realized that in one month and two days I will be back on contract then in 3 more days from that Austin will be a seventh grader and Hayden a Kindergartener. Way too much to wrap my mind around right now!! As I thought of this I also thought of how far behind I am on both boy's scrapbook. I have a goal to catch up on them but I also want to remember right now the things that we are doing right now. I enjoy reading my friend's blogs and have noticed that they are a computer version of a scrapbook. I failed miserably on the first blog I tried to create so I'm putting forth lots of effort and am going to do my very best at keeping this one current and full of information that I wouldn't want to forget.

We have had a very busy summer, as usual. Not long after we got out of school we enjoyed a vacation in Orlando with my sister and her family....Busch Gardens and Disney!!! I believe that the boys enjoyed Busch Gardens more than Disney because it was ride after ride after ride. However, nothing makes a girl more happy than seeing Cinderella's castle and of course, meeting Mickey and Minnie. Disney was my favorite!! We also went to Hollywood Studios which was a lot of fun. The favorite part of Hollywood was not doubt.....Tower of Terror!!!! The boys rode it at least 6 times. I did ride it once, but only to say I did it. It was definitely terror!! We also visited Downtown Disney, which I loved, but was of course boring to two boys. We had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe' and we enjoyed that. Our condo was amazing--thanks, Brad and Sarah. It was complete with 7 swimming pools and a water slide that kept 2 children busy for hours! We had a fun week but our feet hurt and we were tired when it was all over.

We have had Kid's Character Camp- Mt. Vernon's edition of Vacation Bible School. My friend Callie did an amazing job at organizing and planning a Galactic Blast! Hayden talked about it every day and could not wait to go back at night. Austin helped in Recreation and loved playing "Jesus Dodge Ball" with the leaders. It was an amazing week to learn about God's creation and how small we are in comparison to it all but he loves us more than anything. Such an eye-opener for even an adult.

We are getting ready to enjoy a trip to Kansas City for my friend Leslie's wedding. This will be a two-fold week of fun...we will also get to see my uncle, aunt, and cousin who live there. They are so full of life and from sun-up to sun-down never stop....yes, they exhaust us with all their energy. I know we will have a blast and enjoy seeing them.

Before I close, I would like to share one more thought. Our church is reading through the Bible in one year and journaling about our reading in a Life Journal. I have read so many things that I have never read before and am learning so much. At the end of my posts I am going to attempt to share a verse from that day's reading. I hope it will encourage and comfort you.
But you:, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God...abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15

Heather