A Little Bitta'........

Today was all about a little bitta' this and a little bitta' that.....

A little bitta' sharing my profession with some promising high school students.......
A little bitta' cleaning..........
A little bitta' finishing up my 30-page Spanish paper...................
A little bitta' swimming...............
A little bitta' cleaning up after our {sweet} puppy.................
A little bitta' shopping at Target (Super Soakers for everyone along with a new outfit and a few scrapbooking odds and ends)
A little bitta' watering flowers.............

and now I'm ready for a little bitta' sleep. Good-bye May, Hello first of June.

Reaching A Goal.

Yesterday, Kennedy set a goal that by the end of the summer, she would be able to swim across the full length of the pool underwater. The goal was set. And today, just one day later, my little fish met her goal.....look at that smile as her head popped up by the ladder! Following my lecture about setting goals and telling yourself "I can do it" and not giving up and believing in yourself.......she got back to the business of the next goal, which is to learn to backfloat for more than a few seconds. You go, Girl! I'm proud of you.

Nighttime Quiet.

I am sitting at my kitchen table at 11:39 PM to sit down to write today's thoughts, and I am struck with how quiet it is in the house at this time of night. I can hear the purr of the pool filter in the backyard, the occasional creak of the house, and the frog medley outside, but other than that, it is silent. And it is beautiful and so very, very needed.

Today was a hard day. I am still not feeling well and it was very, very humid. And, of course, the kids wanted to swim all day now that the pool is up, which means that I had to be outside to supervise. And, to tell you the truth, I was just ornery today, plain and simple. If I had had my way today, every one of my children's toys would have been boxed up and sent to the local mission. They just seemed to be EVERYWHERE. And papers....wow, can paper eat up a day or what? I mean, the junk mail and the fliers people stick in your front door and mailbox, and the school papers, and the newspapers.......I just really felt like things were piling up today, and it was choking.

So now, in the quiet of my house, I have had a chance to get the toys and papers under control, and my soul is much more at peace. But, hey, what would life be without a few near-the-edge-of-the-deep-end days now and then. Rest well.

We Remember.

Today, we are bouncing back from yesterday's sick day and trying to get some early-summer projects done.....getting the garden in, getting the pool chemicals balanced, spring house cleaning, Memorial Day BBQ parties. But, we don't want to get too caught up in these things that we don't remember what today is really all about. Today, WE REMEMBER......

My grandpa Hank, who served bravely in the armed services and served in wars. I am embarrassed to admit that I don't even know which specific wars he served in. That will be my next project, to learn more about his history and service.

My father-in-law, Ed, who served in the Air Force in the Vietnam War. He was just honored by the State of Michigan a few months back with several service awards. Thank You, Grandpa Ed, for all you have done and continue to do.

All the wives who are raising children alone right now because their husbands are serving our country in Iraq.

All of the servicewomen who have left their husbands and children to serve their country in Iraq. What bravery and faith it must take to leave all that you know to do what you have been trained to do.

All of the children whose parents serve in the armed forces. How confusing and scary it must be to be separated from their parents, but how proud they must be.

All of the men and women who have lost their lives so that me, my family, my community, and my country can experience the sweet taste of freedom.

May we not underestimate the price that has been paid for the freedom we enjoy today. And may we always remember those who have paid that price for us.

Sick.

I have a nasty bug that had me in bed most of the day yesterday, achy and shivery and running a fever. Today, I seem to feel better but am pretty weak. So, I'm sticking pretty close to my house today, though we have a few engagements later this afternoon. It really stinks to be sick on a holiday weekend.

Holiday Weekend.

We are making a conscious effort to stay home this holiday weekend. Our lives have been so busy and fast-paced these last few weeks, that we really need a weekend to just be home and work on home projects and do things together. Just be together. Some highlights of the last few days around here:

Hayden's last day of 3-year-old preschool. The day included painting (my favorite and his!), a show-and-tell visit from Ruby, and an after-school picnic at Frog Hollow. Here is my little boy giving his very best end-of-preschool one-eyed pirate smile:

Kennedy had her Reading Party at school on Friday, where the kids were rewarded for meeting their reading goals in March. The morning included a movie, ice-cream sundaes complete with Gummy Bears, Skittles and lots of whipped cream (of course). We are so proud of how far she's come in one little year....from reading a few little words like "dog" and "big" to now sounding out words like "eventually" and "skepticism." As she said, "There's no book that can stop me now, mom."



And last night, I went flower shopping and found some great baskets and flowers. I am especially loving these "straw daisies" that really feel like straw. Amazing the complexity and diversity in God's flower gardens! We are also working on getting our pool cleaned and set up, getting the garden planted, and getting the yard ship-shape.

Feels Like Summer.

Summertime-summertime...sum-sum-er-summertime. That little song can't help but run through my mind today. The last two days here have been nearly 90 degrees and sunny, and I am feelin' the summer fever! The kids are loving playing in the water and running in the lush grass and chasing the puppy and giving the puppy turns on the water slide (!). So, Monday we had our own little beach in the front yard....and today......

We are Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn floating on the Mississippi River!

I decided to sport a new look for spring/early summer here on my blog. I like the color spectrum but need to work on the title i.e., making the print more readable and dimming down the photo colors a bit....bear with the work in progress, but enjoy the fun new colors!