July Happenings!

I trust you all had a wonderful 4th of July!  The mister had to work, so I enjoyed a day off from work, and focused on enjoying life.  I was able to do just that.  I was able to catch up with my father-in-law on the phone for a while, go into town to take advantage of my free Starbucks birthday drink {even if they did mis-spell my name}, slowly meander through some stores, and have a lengthy phone conversation with my mom.

{May I just insert here how very much I love my Mom?!  It is true that when you grow up, a wonderful change happens in the relationship between a parent and child.  My mom has become one of my best friends.  I am constantly calling her asking for advice on how to handle a situation from school (goodness knows that with me and my siblings as her children, she has probably been through every scenario imaginable), and she offers such wisdom. She helps work through my kitchen fiascos and simply is a sounding board on a lot of things.  I am thankful to call her Mom, and one of my best friends. And now back to the post...}

It was a relaxing morning and afternoon.  I had never grilled portobello mushrooms before, so this was a first, and definitely not the last.  To celebrate Independence day, we went to town to watch the parade.  Much to our surprise, the parade consisted of a firetruck, followed by a few hundred people walking/riding/biking with decorated bikes, wagons, strollers, etc.  We were able to catch a few fireworks that people were setting off in the complex's parking lot {which I found a little scary, to say the least}.


On a school note, the summer is over halfway done and I can hardly believe it!  Where has the time gone?  Here a few [not so good...aka: cell phone] pictures from over the weeks!

For "Sea of Fun" week, we decorated the room to help us feel like we were at the beach!

On Friday, we had a beach party where we decorated cupcakes and then ate them outside on our beach towels before water day! So messy, yet so fun.

For "Start your Engines" week, we drew a "race track" out in the parking lot and then the munchkins had fun driving their cars around the track.  One child even tried to teach his mommy how to drive that afternoon after telling her "Mrs. Miller let me drive on the road this morning"!

For "Celebrate Summer" week, we packed it with fun summer activities.  One of those fun things was making sidewalk chalk paint.  Again, messy, but oh so fun!

This past week we celebrated our country, leading up to Independence Day.  I was so proud of the munchkins for how respectful they were when standing still, with their hand over their heart, for the national anthem, and pledge of allegiance.  It was a needed reminder that even children as young as three-years-old, can do way more then we give them credit for.

We made patriotic parfaits, and they really enjoyed them.  They kept exclaiming "this is just like ice cream".

We made soldiers on Monday, where I let them draw the soldier's face.  I am so pleased with how they turned out!

Monday will be the start of Week#7: Our Family and Home. Please pray for strength that I would finish strong, and continue to learn as we go.  Pray also as we seek God in what he has for us in the fall!

What did you do for Independence Day? Comment below.