Our summer is off to a great start!  BW received a new gas grill as his Father's Day present just in time as the heat came and we are adjusting to no air conditioning.  I do have to say that while it's been hot, it hasn't been unbearable compared to all those years of 105+ temperatures.  I don't think we've hit the century mark which really makes all the difference.  However, it is great to have the option to cook outside.

Father's Day weekend we celebrated Girl4's 5th Birthday, making her new name Girl5!  I hope to have pictures up soon.  She wanted a unicorn party.  We had a full house and so much fun!  My parents, brother, sister and dear seminary family made long drives to make it.  My friend's daughter, Caitlyn, made the most adorable Unicorn for the "pin the horn on the unicorn" game along with horns made out of wedding wrapping paper!  It even matched the unicorn pinata even though she didn't even know we were having a pinata!  BW inagurated the aforementioned BBQ  and we enjoyed hamburgers and hot dogs.  Girl5 was blessed with so many wonderful presents, but the theme seemed to be shoes!  She got play shoes and clogs and 2 other fun pairs. 

We started swim lessons last week and God blessed us that all 3 kids' lessons are at the SAME TIME.  Our community pool also has a 1 ft deep "baby pool" for Boy2 to play in since I didn't really think he was ready for lessons of his own.  We are continuing a very light school schedule for now.  Looks something like this:

We are going through a chapter of Proverbs each morning, choosing a few that are most applicable. Then,

Monday - Language Arts

Tuesday - Math

Wednesday - Spelling/Handwriting

Thursday - Konos Activity

Friday - Cleaning & Organizing

Girl8 is also reading Pollyanna to me aloud.  I don't ever remember reading it before, but it is a great book!  I'm trying to resist the urge to read ahead to see what happens next. 

This gives us all a little break while helping them to not forget everything they learned before we start up again and keeps us in some sort of routine.

Last weekend, we enjoyed a visit from my sister in law & her family.  It's always so cool to see all the cousins just pick right up where they left off.  We enjoyed a trip to the park for a birthday party(so they got to meet some of our friends from church) and some time at the pool.  They left after church on Sunday, and the heat seemed to leave with them - Sorry, guys! 

This weekend my mom will be here to visit and babysit as BW will be presiding over his first wedding!!  It is so wonderful to watch God put to use all that BW has learned in the past few years.  (As an aside, there really were times when I wasn't quite sure all those seminary classes could possibly be useful for anything, but turns out that they really know what they are doing:) and have taken a man who loves God's Word and helped him to be able to use it as a tool to teach, reproof, correct, train in righteousness and be adequate, equipped for every good work.(2 Tim 3:16-17). )  It is pure joy to watch him minister to our new church body.

That's about all for now. 

Blessings!

-J