Getting Ready for the 4th

This weekend we traveled to Lancaster for my neice Amanda's 6th birthday and my mother-in-law's retirement party. I have no photos to show for it...sorry. Congrats again to Bill's mom who is finally finished teaching in Yonkers. The kids played, ate alot of junk, and played some more. Last night was rough as both Adrienne & Matthew were up all night throwing up. I'm hoping it was because of all the junk they ate & not some lingering stomach virus...especially since we are leaving on Wednesday for Grand Island to visit my family. Matthew made it to the potty, but A was not as fortunate. I'm thankful for stain-resistant carpet this morning...and for my husband who helped me clean it up (gagging all the while...yuck!) He's a trooper. The kids are now watching TV...all day I'm sure since moving around irritates their stomach even more. I'll be cleaning, doing wash & packing...looking forward to spending time with family for the 4th!

Let the Season Begin!

Swim season has begun with swim practice every morning from 9-10, meets every Wednesday night and every Saturday morning. Madison is really enjoying competing & meeting new friends. She just isn't too thrilled with swimming in freezing cold water however...I wouldn't be either. So far she has swam backstroke, butterfly, and breast stroke & does the freestyle relay. We love watching her cheer on her team members while she is standing on the block ready to dive in. She's placed in the top 3 in all of her races so far, but more exciting than that is watching her learn the technique to all the strokes. She has improved by leaps & bounds...we are so proud of her. Adrienne decided not to swim on the team this year but wants to try it next year when she will be 6. And Matthew, when not playing with the many ants down at the pool, enjoys yelling, I mean cheering for his big sister. One of these days I'll video her swimming for you all to see.

In the Beginning

Yesterday we took the kids to Lancaster to see the musical/play "In the Beginning" at the Sight & Sound Theater. It was awesome! Bill and I both cried and the kids sat amazed at all that was going on. Planets appearing in the sky, animals running in the aisle and on stage & even dinosaurs and a giant serpent. At one point Madison tried to call out to convince Eve not to eat the fruit. My favorite part was when God brought Eve to Adam & the look on his face when he saw this beautiful woman...his wife. They were created for each other. What a great reminder. I was so blessed to be able to watch the kids see the bible come to life and be in awe of all that God has made! Have a great weekend...and Happy Father's day to my honey, my dad and my father-in-law. You guys are the best!!

She's 8!

I cannot believe it! Time is flying! Every day Madison does or says something that makes Bill & I say..."She's really growing up!" It's sad to say goodbye to that little girl but we are also full of joy watching her become a young lady. My parents, my sister & Jordyn & Jenna spent the weekend with us and Bill's parents & John & Amy & kids came to party on Sunday. The kids enjoyed the giant waterslide & climbing trees. Here are some shots of the weekend.

Leaving the Nest

There were 3....

Then 2....

And now only one....

The baby robins are leaving the nest! We watched yesterday as momma & dad coaxed them one at a time out of the nest with a simple call. It was amazing to watch. It was like they knew exactly what she was telling them. One flew into our garage but soon found her way out after some gentle prodding from me. After they were out, momma would fly a little & hop back to the baby as if to say, "this is how you do it, watch me". With each flight the baby would make, momma would go up to her as if to encourage. What an awesome experience it was for me & the kids to watch. It reminded me how my example to my kids speaks volumes more than simple words. Soon all my babies will be leaving the nest. I pray Bill and I can be good examples to them...and eventually watch them fly on their own.

***UPDATE: Hesitant baby #3 took flight as we watched from our laundry room window. We all cheered and clapped. Since then we have spotted momma continue to feed, watch over & encourage her little ones. But now, I'm a little sad they are gone :(

Sahara Sams

Busy weekend with Madison's pool party with her girlfriends on Saturday and Sahara Sam's indoor waterpark after church on Sunday. Hip-Hop did an appearance there and asked if he could bring his family. We had a great time! Here are some pics of us at the waterpark...
Madison boogie boardin on the giant wave...wiped out a few times but got right back up & did it again!

Bill had to try it too...of course.
Matthew & A went down the kiddie slide like 100 times.

School's Out!

We completed 36 weeks of 2nd grade for Madison yesterday so we celebrated last night. I took her to Partyland to pick out plates & party needs for her pool party on Saturday, and then we went for ice cream. It was nice just having her with me...we talked & ate & enjoyed shopping together. Here's Madison in the Indian dress Ruhee sent her for her birthday...isn't it beautiful?

We have decided to continue homeschooling for 3rd grade. We feel like we have seen such good fruit in her. Her desire to learn new things, her listening skills from listening to so many great books, and she's really learning & doing well overall. She continues to read well & we have seen her creative writing skills improve. Math (her least favorite) seemed easy for her to grasp most concepts...if only now we can memorize those dreaded multiplication tables! We completed World History & learned about many wars & good & bad leaders. We are looking forward to diving into American History next year. All of that said, next year will be more challenging as I will be doing a formal K/1st curriculum with Adrienne as well. I will need to be more scheduled & organized (God help me)...I know He will. Here's an interesting article about the rise in homeschooling across the country. So we officially came out of hibernating season and began summer today...outside all day, eating ice pops, climbing trees, and painting. Oh happy day!

Up

We had a really nice weekend. We enjoyed the pool, ate a giant taco salad followed by strawberry shortcake, we watched mama bird feed her babies, Madison and I painted some chairs, church on Sunday was amazing as usual (they baptized new believers...always awesome to hear stories of changed lives), and we went to see the new movie Up. We loved the movie...go see it! I think Bill & I laughed harder than the kids!