Lately...

I've been taking a lot of pictures of sunsets lately.  Maybe they are prettier toward the end of summer?  Or, maybe I have just been noticing them lately?  I cannot believe the sun has set on summer vacation.  Where did time go?  I had so many plans, so many things that I hoped to accomplish....

But, time has moved too quickly, and I have been too busy.  I'm afraid if it wasn't for this blog I might not remember one single thing about this summer ~ except the chaos...

Due to the renovation, we have a lot of extra stuff everywhere!  Our dining/school room is filled to the brim.  We are not able to do school in there this fall!  And, our foyer is our temporary playroom! (cringe!!)  Here is James reading in our very cluttered foyer...

And, that picture alone shows that even amidst the craziness we have been able to maintain some sort of routine and flow to our days.  But, all in all, this summer has been a challenge for this mama in so many ways.

The boys, however do not seem to notice the challenges.  They are having a fun summer just being little boys!

 Slipping and Sliding in the MUD...

 Squish, squish between the toes...

One day things like this...

And, this....

will be distant memories. :-(  I love finding their toys in odd places.  Makes me smile :-)

I also love watching them play...

A stack of favorite books!  I love Children's literature!

Joshua put his hand in an ant bed!!! Ouch!

And, I don't have a picture, but JCT got stung by a red wasp while we were playing at the park with friends.  This was our first sting!  None of the boys have been stung before this.  I'm sure there will be many more!

In other news the addition is coming along, bit by bit...

Nana came for a quick visit before we began school...

JCT loves to do experiments with freezing things.  This time he froze soapy water.  I'm not sure where he comes up with this stuff!  The frozen soapy water had the consistency of snow!  He was very pleased with his results!

Due to some unfortunate circumstances involving our sewer system, our contractor had to blaze a trail through several acres of our woods.  The boys love the trail he created! Fun for them, not for us!

I looked out the window one day last week and saw this...

I had to laugh out loud!!!!  They are too cute, and they don't even know it!

James likes to freeze his toys in water.  After he does this, and he does it quite often, he either takes the frozen toys outside and throws them on the ground until the ice all breaks off, or he puts them in hot water and watches the ice melt off of them.  He is a funny kid!

And, one more sunset to say goodbye...

Heavy

I bear a heavy, heavy heart these days.  And, I lie somewhere between the conviction and the action.  How do we act when we have a houseful of children?  Breath by breath, God, guide.  Let us love what you love, be drawn to what you are drawn to.

I listened to Christine Caine the other night.  She talked about her ministry to rescued slaves.  The stories were horrific, but we must listen.  We are the body of Christ.  We have to hear their cries.  If we don't listen, who will?

And, I can't get it off my mind and out of my heart.  That young trafficked girl sitting across the room from Christine. Christine pleads with her about Jesus and His love for her and her love for her.  And, the young girl says, and it breaks my heart to type it....

(This is a paraphrase from memory)

"If what you say is true about Christ, about His love, about your love, then why, why didn't you come sooner?"

How many young girls are there?  How many hurting, broken, used little girls crying and scared hiding in corners of dark rooms?

And, I sit in my big comfortable air conditioned house and sip coffee highlighting my Bible in yellow and drawing cute little pink hearts next to my favorite verses.....

The Elijah Shark!!

My guys really like nature shows.  They love the crocodile hunter and the Kratt brothers.  And, lately this love has dominated their pool-time play!  In the picture above James has caught the predator of all predators, the king of the ocean, the meanest and scariest of all the sharks...  He has caught the Elijah Shark!!!  James handles this wild and ruthless animal as if he were a mere kitten.  He is so calm and careful ~ every move calculated with perfection.  He appears to have no fear at all even though his life is very much in danger.  He is so brave!

I love listening to James teach his imaginary audience about the animals.  He is so cute!

And, here is the Elijah Shark enjoying a little snake snack...

Things got a little exciting in this particular episode!  The Elijah Shark, when released, turned on James and swam after him!  Thankfully, James is a good swimmer and the Elijah Shark did not catch him!

Just another day at the office for this crew!  Gotta love it!

Snickerdoodles

I'm catching up on posts today! :-)  I don't know what has come over me!!!  But, while I am on a roll,  I am going to post one more!  The boys and I made snickerdoodles this afternoon.  As I watched 8 little hands rolling dough in cinnamon and sugar, I remembered that I had written a post about making snickerdoodles with them years ago ~ I mean like years and years ago!!!!  So, I searched my blogger and found it.  I never published it???  I have no idea why!  So, here it is many years late!  Oh, how fun to see my two big boys looking so... well.... LITTLE!!!!! :-)


It rained most of the morning yesterday which meant the grass was wet and the ground was muddy. So, rather than go outside after school, I decided that the boys and I would make cookies together.

Snickerdoodles were a favorite of mine growing up ~which may explain my affinity for Bifferdoodle coffee?? Anyway, I have always loved to bake, and growing up I had only one cookbook. And, this was it. . .

I think that I over the span of my 18 years at home I most likely attempted every recipe in the entire cookbook. But, the one that I kept going back to over and over was. . .

Snickerdoodles! The page is a little yellowed with age, and a good bit thickened by years of being touched by my sticky fingers! I remember realizing one day when I was in 6th grade or so that I had the recipe memorized. I used to love these cookies, but even more importantly my mom always had all of the ingredients on hand. Easy and convenient!

The last time that I made these cookies with the boys had to have been over a year ago, and Joshua was ready, but JCT kept making the wrong sized balls, and he just couldn't grasp the rolling them in sugar without flattening them. I expected to have the same problems this time, but we did not! It was easy, low stress, and they did a great job. In fact, I only made one or two of the cookies. They did most of the work while I supervised and, of course, took a multitude of pictures.

Forming the dough into balls. . .

Rolling the balls in cinnamon and sugar. . .

Having fun doing it together. . .

Joshua thought that it was fun to throw his cookies on the cookie sheet. . .

I love sweet little hands reaching for something homemade!

After we got our cookies and our milk we settled in for reading time...

A word about this book. . . I really like it! It is a sweet tale, and I have already had to choke back tears through an entire chapter! We are nearly finished with it, and I almost hate to see it end ~ although I have something really fun to read next!

Sweet memories!  Oh, how young they look!  Makes Mama's heart a little sad....  Unfortunately, what they say is true...  They grow up too fast!  The days are long, but, man, the years are short!!!!!

An Afternoon Thunderstorm...

And, so, I sat coffee in hand.  I had just begun reading chapter 12.  It was the second chapter I had read aloud this afternoon.  The boys were busy playing legos quietly and listening to Mama read.  It was then that I heard it, the distant rumble.

Is there anything more soothing than an early afternoon thunderstorm?

A few seconds later lightning flashed, and the boys smiled and moved away from the window. The rumbles slowly grew closer and closer, and the rain fell harder and harder.  The once still pond became wild with the ripples of dancing raindrops penetrating its surface.  I continued to read and sip, read and sip.

Pure bliss.

Slowly, gently, the storm rolled past.

But, the peace it brought to my home did not.

This Morning I'm Pondering This...

From a collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions...


"I thank Thee for personal mercies,
a measure of health,
preservation of body,
comforts of house and home, 
sufficiency of food and clothing,
continuance of mental powers, 
my family, their mutual help and support,
the delights of domestic harmony and peace, 
the seats now filled that might have been vacant, :-) 
my country, church, Bible, faith.

JCT's Alone Trip with Dad

Erik takes "alone" trips with the boys.  When he asked James where he wanted to go, he said he wanted to go to Orlando to visit his cousins!  So, this past weekend he and Erik flew to Florida for a fun little trip!

JCT loves sea animals.  He has always been fascinated with sharks and whales.  When he was 3 and most mothers were reading their children Green Eggs and Ham and The Velveteen Rabbit, I was curling up on the couch with my little man reading Close Encounters with Sharks in Their Natural Surroundings.  Yeah.  He has always been his own little person, and I love him for it! :-) All that to say, he wanted to go to Seaworld with his cousins!  He had a blast!

On the way home...

Joshua waited in the rain for his little brother to return home!  I think he may have missed him a tiny bit!

Sweet friends...

Before James left I overheard him boasting to his little brothers about all the wonderful things he would bring home to them.  He did not disappoint.  Nothing brought him more joy than opening his suitcase and presenting his gifts to each of his brothers....

The boys loved their happies!

 A successful trip! :-)

Duke Basketball Camp

All packed up and ready to fly to North Carolina...

The coolest Pic of the trip....

Joshua and Erik met up with Pop, Jason, and Caleb in Durham.  The fathers and sons had a blast together! And, I think they ate pretty well, too! Joshua is still talking about Elmo's??

Anyway, Coack K, who they said took lots of time with each person in line...

Though Erik bleeds baby blue, he has great respect for Coach K.  He really enjoyed getting to meet him.

Joshua with the ball ~ playing at Cameron...

Joshua and Caleb...

Listening to Coach K speak. Joshua and Caleb are right to his left...

Camp...

 Joshua had a blast, but I think he was glad to be home...

Erik, too...

Joshua's signed balls...

Joshua fell asleep in a chair, without eating dinner, at 7:00 the evening they came home...

I think he was a bit worn out!