Lately from the iPhone

Here's a little update of pictures from my phone. I still have a 5s, so don't get envious over my picture quality:

 

 Lark was moved to a stool, and Burl thought it was the precious. I love little Lark doing big-boy things, but I love even more how my big boy is looking at our little Lark.

This was Day 2 or reading and writing. The kids have stayed consistent with their reading and journaling every day this summer. When the babies and mama nap, then these big kids get their books and read. Then they journal three sentences. I've been impressed with their consistency and good attitudes.  

I got over zealous one morning and cut down our VERY overgrown hedges. Once I was done, the kids said, "mama, you've done all the work and now it's time for us to help. We will take it to the front for you." Burl, Fern, and Ridge hauled 60% of the brush for me.  

Lark is getting the hang of his float. He's quite brave and excited at the pool. His favorite is walking on the edge of the pool. He misstepped and finally fell in the pool. I knew it was going to happen and I was curious to see what he would do. He stayed calm and found his water balance. Now he's going down the slide and popping up with a big smile on his face. 

My kids love to stop and see Daddy at that magical place he spends his time, Work. We've never been in his factory, because we aren't allowed. John comes out to see us with the coolest protection gear and the babies go cross-eyed when they wear his hat!

We made cinnamon sugar doughnuts for Father's Day and they were a huge hit. Lark was adorable in his crystal-covered face. 

Burl has had an engineering streak in him and really wants to build stuff. Even if it's hammering nails in a board, he's happy and proud. 

Naps are well loved in this house, even if our feet hang like ornaments. 

We are doing some preliminary orthodontics for Burl, and he had a funny streak at our last appointment. He's at the age where he loves to clown around. 

My mom took the three big kids to a buffet dinner recently, so we snuck away for some great BBQ with our sweet baby. He held both our hands and enjoyed  seeing the goats after dinner. We couldn't get over how cute he always is. What a treasure to have him all to ourselves. 

I've been told that your school mom friends are friends for life. The three of us formed a close bond this school year. Jessica went to seminary for a counseling degree, and Katie has her masters in school counseling, and I've had counseling since I was a child! You can imagine that we can go pretty deep, pretty quickly but also have a deep sense of joy from the Lord. We are often praying with and for each other, and I'm very thankful for them. 

There's a little drop-in update via my phone pictures. I hope to get back to regular blogging soon. Our summer has been off to a very fun and exciting pace. Thankfully, July looks a little bit more slow and boring-just as summer should be!

Ug & Gish

Meals have been getting under my skin lately. Three meals every day, day in and day out, and I get to clean up what look like a minor food fight. The six of us can make quite a mess and it's made me a kind of crazy lately. 

Then I came across this picture taken a few weeks ago. It serves as a reminder of what the meal times are right now: relationships. As much as we nourish our bodies with food, we nourish our family with being together. When it's going exceptionally well, the three year old has to grab the eight year old and give him a "ug and gish," or a hug and kiss...

"Me No Wanna Take A Baf"

Sometimes hearts are broken at the end of the night. The rain has come and gone. There are puddles, mud, and slime for the playing. Then, Mama and Daddy drop five words that cause tears, fits, and running away. 

"Time to take a bath!"

Cades Cove By Ourselves

John and I went away together to camp at Cades Cove, a place that we have experienced together for several years. It's John's favorite place on earth, something that I can see now. Settled among rolling green mountains, it's a huge cove where a community lived before they were pushed out to create the park. We always wonder about what their days looked like there. It offers a beauty and quiet that pushes peace down into our bones. 

Without our children, we were able to do things that we aren't normally able to do. We found a covered porch on an old house and sat there with our camping chairs and books as a storm rolled through. 

We had slow, involved meals and only had to run our food in our tent once because of rain. It was enough of a mild adventure for our simpleton selves that made us laugh. We have no edge, but we pretend to. 

Our favorite experience was hiking 5 1/2 miles up a mountain to Gregory Bald. It offers big views on either side, to which we didn't see. We were hoping to catch good weather, but when we reached the top, clouds were quickly moving over the bald. We watched them come in while we enjoyed salami, cheeses, and a baguette. We both agreed that it was better than the good view. It was a very unique experience, and probably goes into my top ten things that I've done in my life. When we got down the mountain, we sprinted the last mile, jumped in the creek, and celebrated a good day. 

We finished our trip by heading to the highest point in the Great Smokies Park for great views. That proved to be breathtaking. 

We pulled back to our house after three days gone, and the kids were having the time of their lives. They said we should have stayed away longer (so next time we just might). It's always great to get away together and invest in our relationship, but it's such a treat to get to experience such amazing moments together.