Summer Schedule

The public and private schools start next week (Thursday, August 6th). 

Our homeschool group starts August 26th, and I'm always glad to have a little more time than most to "officially" start.

The kids and I vacationed in Texas the month of June, took a quick trip to Pensacola July 4th, and shortly thereafter Chet returned home from deployment. A few days after his return he and I decided our days needed more structure. So we came up with this schedule (Sydney wrote it out for me):

It has truly kept us sane these hot summer days.

Tonight the kids played outside until late, and as I was ushering (crying) Ruthie upstairs to the bathroom she said, "I have an ant bite! Why did God even make ants? I wish He didn't! And I wish He didn't make dinosaurs, because they bite and they chase you and they scratch you with their claws! They're MEAN!"

I didn't remind her dinosaurs were extinct.

TGIF!

Throwback Thursday

This isn't very far in the past, but I was scrolling through my pictures and found this cute one of Sydney, Ford, and Ruthie:

This was in May, and I was trying to get them to look at me, but they were more interested in the movie ("Up").

Lorelei was in Pensacola, spending a few days with her friend Nora, and the rest of the kids and I were enjoying one of life's sweet spots in which we had finished the school year, the weather wasn't too hot, and our fun Texas trip was far enough in the future that I didn't feel the need to start packing yet (I DETEST packing -- I think because I don't like things to be out of place, and that's ALL packing is). 

I love how even a fairly nondescript picture can take you right back to a specific moment in time.

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday

This evening was one of those evenings where all six of us were on edge for no apparent reason, but it meant we were all snippety toward each other (present company not excluded).

So here's a funny picture of Monster, who was wearing a homemade tie a few nights ago:

I'm thankful that "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great it your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Finished Bathroom

Here's what the bathroom with its new peel-and-stick wallpaper looks like from (semi) afar:

I JUST took this picture, which is why it's so dark (it's nearly 8 p.m. here). But I love, love, LOVE how it looks, and I find myself looking at it multiple times a day (it's also hard to miss since our downstairs is basically a giant room and the bathroom door is always open unless someone is using it).

Ruthie (again; and Ford)

This picture feels like a glimpse of Ruthie 10 years from now:

She and I were sitting on the back porch, listening to the "Frozen 2" soundtrack on that speaker.

I thought of two more funny things she said, plus something funny Ford said this summer.

When we were in Lufkin with my dad we visited the cemetery where my grandmother is buried. There was a statue of Jesus, and Ruthie asked, "Did Jesus turn into gold?!"

Along the same line, each week her Sunday school teacher mails to our house the materials (coloring page, etc.) Ruthie would be completing in Sunday school (if not for COVID). Ruthie exasperatingly asked, "Why does God keep mailing these things to me?!"

Now Ford. In Lufkin we took walks around my dad's neighborhood. There were a few houses who had graduating seniors living there, because there were yards signs that said so. One of the yard signs included a picture of the graduating senior with her cat in her lap. I pointed out the cat in the picture to the kids (because it was cute), and Ford (after studying the sign for SEVERAL seconds) asked, "Did the cat graduate?"

He's so literal. I love it (usually).

Reading

Sydney, Lorelei, and Ford read for 30+ minutes each afternoon when Ruthie goes down for a nap (around 1 p.m.).

This is a recently-instituted part of our summer routine, and IT'S MY FAVORITE. (I often sit down and read too, and sometimes doze.)

Apparently today reading and snuggle time coincided, because there was plenty of couch (and an armchair, not pictured) either one of them could have used. (Sydney prefers to read in her room.)

Lorelei's closest neighborhood friend moved last week, so she and Ford have been spending more time together. It's very sweet, but please pray for a (neighborhood) friend for Lorelei!

Happy Saturday!

14 Years

Me: "Hurry, we have to take a picture before the day ends!"

Our 14th anniversary has been just like (I'm assuming) all of the other pandemic anniversaries: mostly uneventful.

Today was the last day of Chet's post-deployment 14-day quarantine at home, and we spent most of it checking off the remaining items on our "quarantine to-do list."

One of which was hanging this (peel-and-stick) wallpaper in the downstairs bathroom. (Make no mistake: I came up with the idea, and selected and bought the paper, but DID NOT help. Unless you count handing the ruler to Chet once helping.)

Other tasks included: washing the cars (Chet's choice) and reorganizing the various electronic cords in our house (my choice).

I'm sure Chet would have preferred to watch woodworking videos on YouTube rather than answer questions like, "Should the extra iPhone cords go in the kitchen drawer with the scissors or the buffet drawer with the rubber bands?"

But Chet is patient and kind, which is one reason we're celebrating our 14th anniversary.

(He also makes me laugh, hence my wrinkled nose in the picture.)

(For example:

Chet: "The wallpaper's not perfect. If you lay on the floor you can see a few creases and bubbles."

Me: "That's okay. Wait...NO ONE is going to be laying on the bathroom floor!"

Chet: "Well, I just did. And I saw creases and bubbles.")

Also, Sydney wrote us an unsolicited anniversary card that said, "Happy anniversary! Sorry your day was just normal."

That's okay, Syd. It suited us, because we're "just normal." 

(Except when we're fretting over iPhone cords and laying on bathroom floors.)

Ruthie

Ruthie has said some funny things lately.

After experiencing a gas bubble, "Mommy, my heart popped!" (She probably said this a year ago, but it still makes me chuckle.)

Us: "Don't chase the cat, because it will scare him and he might scratch or bite you."
Ruthie: "But what about bad guys?!"
Us: "What about them?"
Ruthie: "We WANT him scratch and bite bad guys!"
Us: "True..."

Ruthie: "Mommy, if God turned me into Sydney I would have bad attitudes."
***I didn't respond, but I DID decide that she's a world-class eavesdropper.***

Me: "Ruthie, are you finished eating?"
Ruthie: "Yes."
Me: "Okay, then I'm going to eat the last bite of your donut."
Ruthie: "Uh, it has my germs on it."
Me: "I don't mind."
***Ruthie gestures toward the donut like "Be my guest, but don't blame ME if you get any germs."

Me, while firing up the iPad Sunday morning to watch the kids' service: "The iPad is dead."
Ruthie: "Maybe it has a broken heart!"
Her siblings: "IPADS DON'T HAVE HEARTS!"
***Ruthie looks at them like "That's what YOU think."

Pseudo-Update

This isn't really an update, because I don't have any fun, cool pictures or news to share.

(There are tons of cat pictures on my phone, thanks to the kids.)

We're just REALLY enjoying having Chet home. He is required to quarantine at home for 14 days post-deployment, and we are making the most of it.

We eat, play, watch movies, go outside when the heat index isn't 112 degrees, and generally just enjoy each other.

Welcome home, Chet!

Look who returned home from deployment last night!

We took this picture before leaving to pick him up:

I have more lovely pictures that I'll share soon, thanks to my friend who went with us. 

We had a great day today, enjoying our family's reunion.

And I didn't have to bathe Ruthie tonight, so blessings abound.

Welcome home, Chet! We LOVE you!!!