Summer Days Coming To An End

I haven't written on here for a while, so I thought I'd update.  This summer is like many others in that it has gone fast and we have really enjoyed it.  This next week school starts, our bathroom remodel begins, and my working at a preschool starts up again.  (i.e. back in the crazy)  I hope I can maintain some balance in these coming weeks.  

I've been working these past few weeks on lasting change when it comes to my issues with food.  I love to eat and for many different reasons.  This devotional has helped me a lot and the program that I am on (Optavia) has been great for me.  I've lost 19lbs so far.  I still have a ways to go, but I'm hopeful for the first time about this issue basically because I feel God empowering me and I realize I can't do it on my own. 

I've been meaning to post this and I keep forgetting.  Back in the spring we spruced up the kid's bedrooms and I bought some stuff at the thrift store and this is in Zeke's room.  The theme in his room is nature and animals- which he loves.  I love how it turned out.

One of the things on our summer bucket list was shaved ice.  Here we are doing that one.

The kids have had fun this summer making forts.

I've had fun making cauliflower pizza crusts and trying that out.  I highly recommend them.  These two pizzas feed my entire family.  For some reason, cauliflower crusts are more filling than regular to me.

Zeke has begun to mow, and he learned to swim this summer. So proud of him.

My nephew, Noah Jacob, was born a couple of weeks ago.  He's just precious and easy going.  Beki and Jeff are so thankful.

Ben and I on a date.

I've been trying spaghetti squash too.  It is very good and I'm not sure why I didn't give it more of a chance before.

The kids had a great time playing in the creek.  I like the sound of the water.

Max is such a mess and he's very curious.  It almost got this cat.

Dental check ups

I've heard "I'm bored" a lot lately, so I brought up some dress up clothes from the basement.  Here is Gwen and Zeke playing "wizards".

I think Romy may be a cat for Halloween.  I asked her to pose and she insisted on doing a peace sign.

Lots of coloring this summer with neighbors.

and then exercise.  Healthy living takes effort, but I want to be around a while if I can.

This one is a total mama's girl and she is with me most everywhere I go... I secretly like it... most of the time.

Summer Days

We've been in swimming lessons this week and afterwards we've been going to a local elementary school that provides free lunches to kids ages 1-18.  Believe it or not, I don't pass off as under 18 so I just sit there with them. :) 

Not only are we finding frogs in our own backyard, but we found one at a local park.  Once the kids got wind of it being there, they barely left it alone.  You know it slept well that night.

I took the kids roller skating the other day.  I even skated or once.  I do enjoy skating.  I think I'd like to try it on a date sometime with Ben.  (who else would I be going on a date with?)

This cat.  He gets so much love and attention.  He's so fluffy and nice to snuggle with, as long as he doesn't think it's a game and playfully bite you.

Gwen has a real way with cats.  She's been reading more lately.  She just finished Black Beauty.  She really liked it.  Now she's on to Tom Sawyer.  She has been "babysitting" for us too... just for short spurts like when I have to drive Zeke to tutoring a mile down the road.  Yesterday when I was gone for 10 minutes she unloaded and loaded the dishwasher and started it.  I'm starting to like the look of a responsible person!

I've been thinking of trying my hand at writing.  Maybe taking some of my better blog posts and editing them or my poems that I particularly like and compiling them and self publishing a memoir. What do you think?  I think everyone should write their life stories out.  I wish my relatives had.

July Days

This summer has been so full and enjoyable.  Looking back on my pictures I am so thankful.  I watched a couple of kids recently while their mom went on a mission trip.  Here are the girls taking an exploring trip into the woods.  

Romy was supposed to be cleaning her room and this is what happened.

Backyard gatherings.  This was a homemade ice cream party and I'm on a new weight loss program... so no ice cream for me, but I survived. (9 lbs down so far)

We went on a trip this last week.  First to Kentucky to see the Ark Encounter and then on to my mom's house. Here's Romy the good traveler.

We got Gwen a discman so she could listen to CDs or books on tape on the way.  Here she is listening to Johnny Cash.

Here we are in front of the ark.  It is absolutely mind blowing at the size of this thing.

Although I didn't get to read many of the signs because my children's patience wasn't very long, I did read this one.  There is an undercurrent there that basically says that God judged the earth during Noah's time with a flood, and He will judge it again, but this time with fire.  Kinda sobering don't you think?

The door that God shut.  I can't imagine how terrifying that experience must have been.

My niece, Chloe.

We saw an Alabama cat with a mouse in his mouth.  They get the job done!

I always look for new things to do when we visit and we went to this place called Shockalaka.  It was lots of fun and honestly, I wish I had jumped too.

I saw lots of cotton fields.  They are beautiful in their own way.

I had to go to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur cause it's one of my favorite places that I never tire of, but the mosquitoes were so bad Romy and I had to run through it.

Whooping cranes winter here and this is what they look like.

We usually go to the Delano Park in Decatur because there is a free splash pad there.  Some of dad's ashes are in the Rose Garden there and I go visit and admire the beauty in that garden every time I come.  Somehow us laughing and having fun close by to his ashes makes sense to me and is a comfort to me.  It reminds me that life does go on and we are happy and that he is too.

I was sitting on a bench watching my family and I turned around and noticed this inscription on the bench.  You never know if somewhere you are just casually sitting is a sacred spot to someone else.

I had it in my mind that I wanted to go to have dinner one night in a cave I had heard about in Tuscumbia, Alabama.  It was an interesting experience because you park up in this parking lot and the "saloon taxi" takes you down into the cave.  It was exciting.

My nephew sent me this funny.  It's funny because it is from Alabama and the reason this guy got arrested and his name.  We had a chuckle over it.

On the way home Ben wore my dad's sunglasses that go over his glasses.  Dad would have been pleased.

When we got home the kids asked if they could dig in my garden boxes. Since I'm not gardening this year I said they could.  They have really enjoyed looking for gems and fossils.  They swear they have found some.

Yesterday Zeke found a toad. It was exciting.

I tried taking a picture with me swinging.  Let's just say my bottom doesn't fit in those seats all that well.

Gwen was in a cooking class during a VBS recently and learned all kinds of recipes.  She's been asking if she can cook for us and last night she made sliders.  She did a fantastic job and did it all.  I decided to sign her up for a couple of cooking classes up the road from us.  I signed her up for a class teaching how to make Asian take out food and also one on bread making.  I hope she enjoys them.