gratituesday #212

For the first time in 2018, I am caught up on work.  WOOT WOOT  This is obviously the lifting of a huge back-of-the-mind weight off my shoulders.  Sure, that's a mixed metaphor of body parts, but you get my drift.

Our co-op is going exceedingly well.  Every mother is responsible, positive, and kind. In my years of co-op observation/participation, the truest measure of the co-op is its mothers, not its children.  Good mothers usually have good children, both of which make for a good co-op.

Our local library is such a rich resource.  I use a library book almost every week at co-op; we read physical books daily; we access audiobooks via overdrive every day; and "books on tape" narrate most minutes spent in the car. Just this week I used the new scanner for the first time - how easy and fast!  13 pages with the push of a button sure beats 1 page/minute on my machine at home! Even if I went to the library just to scan, I'm convinced it would be faster than one page at a time at home. :)

Hazel got to play her first 2 games of soccer 2 Saturdays ago.  Of the 4 Saturdays scheduled for soccer, only 1 has actually happened due to the rain.  It looks like we'll be bunching up double headers for the remainder of the season.  She has a great coach (knowledgeable, kind, encouraging), she had 3 friends on the same team, and she's enjoying the opportunity to meet new girls.

Rain.  We've had so much of it in Sept/Oct, and it's amazingly green around here.  In years past I've heard that a wet autumn means brighter colors on the falling leaves.  Wouldn't that be beautiful?

I had a "personal" meeting last night with a student who is struggling in life and confused about her educational pursuits.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to speak honestly and faithfully into the lives of students at crossroads.  It's a trust I don't want to waste.

We're going through a couple of great studies right now: Praying the Names of Jesus and The Hole in Our Holiness.  Both have provided great weekly small group discussions and truths to ponder daily.

The windows and doors are open right now letting in the delicious cool air.

Wes and Zeke are planning a camping trip soon. I'm excited for the memories they'll make outside and the memories the girls and I will make while they're away. Those BOGO Dairy Queen coupons we got in the paper this morning will come in pretty handy, I think. ;)

Unlike last time, Betty neither pooped nor peed in Petsmart this afternoon while there to get her nails trimmed.  Phew.

okra harvest

Due to some overgrown cantaloupe vines (that I pulled for not producing only to find a softball sized melon hiding at the end of a vine - argh!), the okra was overshadowed and didn't grow until the end of the summer.  It's not every year you can harvest your first okra of the year in September.

Someone was super excited his crop had come in and wanted to know if we had enough for some fried okra for supper.  :)

numero quatro

True to form, he said something about it being loose about an hour before it came out.

Zeke, the volunteer

It is an odd phenomenon, but more often than not, Zeke is selected to participate as a volunteer from even a very large group.

Today he was selected at the library to take part in a science show.

I was talking to his MawMaw about it later and commented on how often he seems to be chosen.  She had a very biased response: "Well, who could resist a cute face like that?!"

I think she may be right. :)

the boy is seven.

His requests were minimal, but he did choose stromboli for dinner followed by a yellow cake with blue writing and bright candles spelling 7 for dessert. :)

 It didn't take the girls long to choose this lego set complete with porta-potty for their brother.  As you can imagine, it was a big hit with this 7 year-old boy. :)

 I love it when everyone is just as excited as the birthday boy.

Hazel caught a glimpse of his present through the window and was obviously happy for her little bro.

birthday park day

gratituesday: tractors and hay bales

It's not every PawPaw that will let you drive the tractor and put up with your shenanigans when he's trying to load hay, but then again, not every PawPaw has a grandson this cute. :)

oh deer

Although it made me SO sad (as in I cried at goodbye even), I knew that Zeke was SO excited to head to deer camp with the burly menfolk who share his surname.  And thankfully, my sadness was somewhat mitigated by the pictures Wes sent throughout the week.  Knowing Zeke was having such a good time made it easier for me.

And if I had known about the sweetest longest hugs and kisses Zeke was going to give me when we reunited Thanksgiving Day, I would have felt even better. :)

1 + 1 = no front teeth

October 31, 2015

November 20, 2015

gratituesday

archery practice

This little guy was STOKED to get a bow and arrows from his dad on his birthday, but he was even more excited to try it out with his dad by his side.

ready...

aim...

bullseye!  (almost!)

the son is six

Cliché to be sure, but I can't believe my precious baby boy is six years old. He gives us so many reasons to celebrate!

Forced to use just a few words to describe him, I'd choose intelligent, sensitive, focused, silly, and curious.

He loves to provoke his older sister and lead the younger one.  He can eat his weight in cherries or strawberries and often prefers to eat his sandwiches distinctly - meat, cheese, or naked bread eaten individually and completely before moving on to another component.

Hands down, he has the best giggle.  His cuteness knows no bounds and often wins others over before he utters a word.  He loves to tell jokes but only if he can do so on his own terms.  In fact, his own terms can be surprisingly important from time to time.

My favorite time with him is listening to him tell a story that excites him enough to involve his hands.  Seeing him talk with his hands makes me absurdly happy.

His birthday was cram-packed with one low-key event after another. We met some friends for breakfast in the park before moving on to the summer program at Chick-fil-a where everyone took a tour of the kitchen and got to make (and eat!) their very own biscuit. I still don't think he knows that was a coincidence. :) We stayed there for lunch with friends and then had other friends over that afternoon. We ate his request (stromboli and sour cream and onion lays and strawberries) for dinner and then whooped it up with cake and ice cream and our favorite neighbors. Some of us whooped it up more than others...

We were delighted when MawPaw came the next day and treated us to some more ice cream.  A birthday can't have too much ice cream, right? Not for a boy as special as this one.

6 days 'til 6 years