my time.

Since the kids have all been in school the last few years, I have been able to have time in the mornings for bible study and the occasional workouts (!).  And when I don't get that time, I get super grumpy and especially nasty.  So when this summer rolled around, I found myself not getting/making this time for myself cause I was waking when some of the kiddos woke, around 7:30--and that is late around here.  But for the last week, I have been praying, asking Christ to wake me in the morning so I can have this time; time for a walk and maybe some yoga and bible study.  He is faithful.  He has helped me wake early to be able to get these things done--and I think I have found a good schedule of how it needs to work too.  And guess what!  I'm not grumpy and nasty!!!  Glory to God!

--I think my kids and hubby are especially grateful for this!  =)

The girls have been hanging in their bedrooms after they wake; playing together, reading or talking until I call them out for breakfast around 8.

Basil is sleeping until I wake him at breakfast time.

And my beloved devotion.  I am studying the book of Ruth with my sisters and mother; most definitely one of my favorite books of the Bible.

We are almost finished...what will we do next?

just a little fun

Playing a game, Colors, where the person out of the pool calls out colors with their back to the pool.  While she/he does this, the people in the pool dart from one side to the other when their color is called out.  As soon as the person out of the pool hears any movement, they turn and jump in the pool, aiming to tag someone trying to get to the other side.

And then, this is Helena being a goof, just because.

i don't have strange kids!

i dunno know...

Not sure who took this pic but I think it's kinda cool.  =)

blerg. i mean, serious blerg. ...and then happy yays.

Before:

Our chicks are on our playset all. the. time.  It's {many times} where they eat lunches {when at home} when the weather is nice, {many times} do homework, have plum wars, hide for hide-and-seek (when you think about it, not a very good place when you hide there often)...  this 'fort' is our kid's favorite pastime.


After:

This is what we came home to after a weekend of camping.  Nice, huh?  Well, after a long Sunday afternoon of listening to the roaring scream of a chainsaw, we and some friends had this dang tree off our beloved playset.  As you can see, the front right section of the fort was still standing and along with a small part of the right end of the swings.  But if you could see what we saw of what was really left of the playset, you'd realize that these two small sections were all that was left standing.  The rest of it is smashed to smitherines.  Mere splinters.  FAAAN-tastic.



Wellllllllllllllllllllll.....
Many calls and about a month and a half later, we got our insurance claim $ to replace the playset.  A couple upgrades on the new set (thanks to Mom Z.):  instead of 6 feet of head room in the gazebo, there is now 7 feet---hey, we've got some tall kids.  ...not 7 feet tall.  A 'bumpy' slide instead of the straight one.  And the swings changed a bit: instead of 3, we now have 4 and as you can see, we got rid of that ball thing and replaced it with a trapeze bar.  And we added the skateboard swing, as a surprise for 2 out of 3 of the chicks...which I think that will be used by all 3.  =)

So here it is.  The new playset.  YAY!