Highlights of Summer

I'm a little bit saddened to see how much time has gone by since I have blogged!  It means there have been so many things that have happened over the past four (!!!!) months that will very likely not be remembered...because I didn't write them down!  There is only so much this brain is retaining these days...

Summer flew by as quickly as the leaves are falling off the big tree in our front yard right now.  Previous summers have tended to drag on for me, but with three little ones this year to care for/referee/manage, a larger house to spread out in, and two boys old enough to play out on our lawn by themselves...wow, what a difference. It was fun and full.

Family pictures with four three little kids are no joke! (Just keep smiling, just keep smiling....)

I also spent a fair amount of time cooking, enjoying Whole30 compliant meals for much of summer.  [Yes, the Whole30 program was a bit challenging, but in different ways than I expected.  The food was great, and I loved how amazing I felt eating like that that I kept it up, only slightly modified, for almost a whole extra month and then some.]  We enjoyed many meals cooked on the grill, and lots of fresh produce from Andrew's garden.

A wonderful chicken salad (drizzled with balsamic vinegar) on a hot summer evening.  Clearly I suffered.... :)

A typical breakfast -egg in ham cups, orange roasted carrots, sliced avocado.  Yum!

Apart from that, summer contained much of what it should:  Boys in dirt, boys in grass, boys in the pool, boys on bikes, boys with sticks, boys at the park, boys in the sand pit, boys playing SuperHeros! Here are some pictures to prove it...

Ezra having a blast at the beach

we enjoyed several campfire right in our front yard

Ezra getting a ride on Andrew's unicycle / Isaiah practicing on his pedal bike

Camping with Daddy!  I don't think there was a whole lot of sleeping done, but they sure had fun!

This little guy loves his 'pouch'.  Together we ran around all summer after his big brothers!

Judah at 6 months.  What a cutie!

Judah at 4 months...the smiles never stop.

7 months. Oh my goodness. We can't get enough of this kid.

We also had a visit from my parents in July - a great highlight of our summer!

Oh yeah, and it was a big summer for Andrew and I:  we celebrated our 10th anniversary in June, and the big 3-0 in July!  Whew.  I was less than excited to turn 30, but I've come to grips with it...I think. Haha!  Andrew has been sporting distinguished patches of [rapidly multiplying] gray hairs for quite some time, and he continues to look forward to being an old man.  (No really, he does.)

Our 10th Anniversary....we enjoyed a wonderful ( kid-free) steak dinner and quality time together

Blowing out all 30 candles on our birthday.  We shared an ice cream cake:  Andrew's side was Oreo/Peanut Butter, and my side was Vanilla with lemon curd and fresh raspberry sauce.   Both were delicious! :)

I also 'enjoyed' taking up running this summer in preparation to run in the annual cross-country race that is hosted by the Bible school where we work.  It felt like a slow and painful journey to fitness after over a year of non-strenuous physical activity--apart from child-growing and birth!--but I really loved being outside and challenging myself.  Last Saturday I ran the race, not as fast as I'd hoped but still a personal best! With three little ones to care for and my part-time work to be done each week, I am proud of where I've come so far in my quest towards strength and fitness.

After the race with my friends Laura and Melissa. 

A big first for our family has also been...school!  After much prayer and consideration, we decided to have Isaiah start kindergarten. I am using a full curriculum that lays everything out clearly and has pretty much everything included in the kit, which is great because otherwise I think it would be way too overwhelming--for me!  Our goal during this year is to encourage his love of learning, have fun, explore new things, and still have plenty of time to wrestle with his brother, build Legos, and play outside.

I wasn't quite sure what to call it...but he sure wanted his picture taken too!

What a beautiful family the Lord has given us!
We live in constant thankfulness for God's care over us.