enjoying the process » loving the journey, not just the destination

Do you miss me?

miss me

Have you missed me?  It’s been so long since I’ve blogged, I actually had to search for the button to insert my photo! I guess it’s been WAY too long!  In my defense, I’ve been at SON ROCK KIDS CAMP!!! and I’ve organized my entire house. Every single item, towel, what-have-you is clean, folded & put away. All of my photos are burned onto dvds, uploaded to my archives at smugmug and safely backed up onto 3 (that’s right) different external hard drives. That may seem like overkill, but I really, really, really don’t want to lose my photos.

I have a schedule (preliminary) for the coming semester, all my curriculum is ready to be ordered, I’m in the process of making a chore chart… things are running very smoothly- finally!  I think my nesting is kicking in a little early. I’m pretty nervous about having 3 children in my homeschool this year AND having a baby in December. I’m just trying to get everything in order. Yikes!

August 4, 2009 - 11:55 pm

Hallie - I was gonna say…and I totally missed you!

August 4, 2009 - 11:58 pm

Hallie - I was gonna say….(and I did miss you!)

August 5, 2009 - 12:00 am

Hallie - I’m not sure what happened. I think I’m retarded.

August 5, 2009 - 12:47 pm

Andrea - okay can I just say I’m jealous………you sound so organized that I’m actually relaxed right now just thinking about it how organized you are :). see you soon!!

August 8, 2009 - 10:07 am

Mary - Can you come to my house next? Can’t wait to see you. 🙂

Summer Reads.

One thing I LOVE about summer is all the time we have to read. We always require our kids to read at least an hour a day, but in the summer- it tends to happen a little more. Cade is flying through the Boxcar Children series & Canyon is re-reading some of the Magic Treehouse books. Kennedy & I are working on picture books and “light reads” she chooses from the library. Currently we’re reading Mercy Watson to the Rescue– she loves it (and the boys tend to gather ’round as I’m reading it to her, pretending they’re not interested but desperately wanting to see what happens next). Another thing I LOVE to do is read a book aloud to the kids before bed- a chapter book- usually one that’s slightly above their reading level. Currently we are reading Half Magic. I read it as a child and thought it was wonderful- I searched all over for a magic coin, but never found one. sigh.  Edward Eager is such a delightful writer (he was born in Ohio, after all. That’s says something about a person!  Oh, and he attended Harvard, which says something else entirely).  In the first 2 chapters he’s used words such as “sinister” and “talisman”  and he has made reference to the “White Queen” (anyone recognize that one?). I like that I don’t feel rushed. We can read one chapter a night, look up the words we don’t know, talk about any questions that come up, and just enjoy literature.  It’s fun to read a book as adult that you enjoyed as a child. You get a completely different story.

Here are a few other books we’ll be enjoying this summer. You may not really care, but I wanted to remind myself (you know, for later when I can’t remember what we did Summer 2009 🙂
The Curious Boy’s Book of Adventure
Billy & Blaze
Bats at the Library
The Emperor’s New Clothes
Encyclopedia Brown, Boy Detective
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
Baby Island

I’d love to hear any other suggestions!! Is it weird that I can’t wait for school to start up again?  My boys aren’t as excited as I am, but at least Kennedy is!

July 15, 2009 - 8:44 am

Amber Hanshaw - I loved The Boxcar Children! Also loved Indian in the Cupboard and The Castle in the Attic, Island of the Blue Dolphins (though that may be a bit advanced), Ramona (really, anything by Beverly Cleary), Hatchet (again, probably a bit “old” for your kids yet)…just to name a few!

July 15, 2009 - 9:24 am

Mary - Emily-
Too much fun. I just checked out Half Magic last week. We haven’t started it yet. We recently finished Sign of the Beaver. It was a great story. Your kids would really enjoy it. We’re just starting Shiloh now, but we have to wait for Megan to get back from camp. 🙂

Home from Oregon.

e&j

Susie took this picture on our date night 🙂 Thanks Susie!
We had so much fun, but I have to say- it went WAY too fast!! Some highlights from our trip: bike riding along the 35 miles of trails (pulling Kennedy & Keagan was not so much fun), Heidi’s 10th Birthday!, lots of fun cousin-time, golfing, tennis, nazi-pool, mountain biking, Project 365, Kennedy learning to ride a bike with no training wheels (YAY!), philly cheesesteaks, mint cindys, Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Arby’s Roast Beef, and lots of laughs

sunriver

July 14, 2009 - 12:40 am

Susie - Can we go back? Miss you already!

July 14, 2009 - 8:52 am

Hallie - I am so glad you’re home! Thanks for posting Oregon goodness. I have been waiting, and boy you don’t dissapoint. Good job Susie, I love the one of Emily and James!

July 14, 2009 - 11:55 am

Andrea - Glad you had a good time! Let’s chat soon and hang – hugs!!

More Goodness.

I think Senior Portraits might be my new favorite. If anyone knows a Senior (2010) who needs photos- send me an email!

grunge1

brick2

July 2, 2009 - 11:24 am

Sara - These pictures, and the ones below, are gorgeous! Well done. I can see why taking senior pictures would be appealing…they smile when told, they sit still…:)

July 2, 2009 - 10:57 pm

cari - I’m pretty much a senior citizen, do you want to take my picture? Really great pics.

B l o g s   t o   V i s i t