Summer Reading 2024

We did our summer reading again this year, and the kids were more than excited to rack up their stickers to earn their reading rewards! :)

We used a different tracker this year, so our sticker count was a little different, but the concept was the same. The kids got a sticker for either doing a lesson in their book, or picking a book to read. I found there were better attitudes when they got to choose their reading for the day. Eli and Maddie are doing really well with their reading, but still need some help with getting through some tougher words. Aiden has made some good progress, but has needed some extra practice this summer. But they're all on track for their age and development, so we will keep practicing every day to get their reading skills up!

We started late in June because of our trip to Texas and having friends in town, so it was fairly easy to hit our first goal. The kids picked ice cream as their first reward, so we made a trip to Baskin Robbins. It was a definite winner!

July and August were pretty busy, but we continued plugging along with our reading. It was also a bit hotter outside, so we felt more stuck inside so might as well read, right? ;)  The chosen reward to wrap up the summer was Sweet Frog! :)

Our summer read-alouds were the books we didn't finish over the past school year. I'm trying to find more audio books so I don't have to do all of the reading myself; it just saves time when we can listen to our books, and Mommy can still get lunch started or fold laundry or make dinner. And it saves my voice :)

It was a good summer of reading, and we look forward to working more on our reading skills as we head into the new school year!

{iPhone Rewind} :: July

A nice cool morning = summer school on the porch

Sibling antics

Early morning walk in the neighborhood <3

We have bird eggs in our birdhouse! We have been watching 2 birds build and guard the nest, and we were pretty positive it meant eggs :)

Flower from my love

We had a great week at VBS! Our spent a week at the Son Harvest County Fair, learning about the fruits of the Spirit!

Brothers working nicely together :)

The kids sang one of their VBS songs at church :)

We had a heat wave, and it was starting to feel too much like Texas...feeling like 97 at 8:40pm!! We have gotten so spoiled with our Virginia weather haha.

Bedhead cutie!

Pooh Bear antics :)

I went out to fill the bird feeder and heard a ton of chirping coming from the birdhouse. Sure enough...four tiny baby birds!

We got to host our Catalyst young adult group this month. They make me feel old, but man, they encourage me so much.

July 2024 can be the month that chess took over our house :)

We had another great month of book club!

All the kids play all the time. And they have the board set up, ready and waiting for Mike when he gets home. And I love it :)

I couldn't figure out why I couldn't open Maddie's sock drawer. When I finally got it open, it was FILLED to the brim with socks. I started organizing them....and learned quickly that every sock that I had told her to throw away because it had a hole in it? She put back in her drawer. The reason why? She was going to organize them {??} My daughter and I are not the same LOL.

Poor kid ended up with a random 2 day fever.

We had a mid-summer Ice Cream Social for our women's ministry, and I got to add in a little creativity :)

Eli drew Mike with his Bible in his office :)

Our cutie girl took a nasty tumble and hit her front teeth/mouth. It involved lots of blood, lots of tears, and an after-hours visit to the dentist. She was such a trooper though!

Full prep for fall Bible study is underway! We're studying Ephesians, and I am so excited to dive in with our women :)

13 Years

We celebrated thirteen years of marriage!

The kids were so cute, because they wanted to celebrate with us. They told us to stay in the other room so they could work on secret projects and surprise us with fun things for our anniversary. We got sweet cards, and they were just so excited that it was our anniversary!

We exchanged gifts with each other earlier in the day. I got Mike an outdoor projector, because he has been talking about doing outdoor movies with the kids and neighbors, and Mike got me a beautiful pair of silver interlocking knot earrings from Brighton.

Mike also lined up babysitters, and we got to go out on a real date! We headed out to dinner at The Capital Grille, and we enjoyed a fabulous meal and uninterrupted conversation :)

While we were out, the kids were living their best life with Mr. James and Mrs. Siu...eating pizza, taking walks to the park, and also making us the sweetest anniversary poster. We are so thankful for these sweet friends who love our kids so well.

It's hard to believe that it has been 13 years since we said "I do." So much life has been lived in that time, so many good times, and some hard times too. But I love the life we have built and that we get to face it all together. I'm thankful for all the Lord has done, and I look forward to what He has for us in the years to come!

Happy Anniversary to us! :)

Happy Birthday, America!

We celebrated the 4th of July with our neighbors on the cul de sac. It poured down rain right before we were to meet, but thankful the rain cleared out, and we were able to still enjoy time together. We enjoyed a classic potluck dinner, some volleyball, and even some fireworks! They're actually allowed within the city limits, so there was no shortage of booms once the sun started going down. Everyone was celebrating, but everyone was respectful, and I love that :)

Every time we spend time with our neighbors, I am reminded of how much the Lord has provided for us in this home. We are grateful for this neighborhood, and that our kids get to grow up here. We love that our neighbors are excited to have the next generation of kids playing in the cul de sac, and we are just thankful for such great neighbors.

{iPhone Rewind} :: June

They have been pulling out this math game on their own...and they think it's fun! I call that a homeschool mom win! ;)

We have a full raspberry harvest!

We're shocked the deer haven't found them yet, and we have been enjoying these sweet treats in our backyard :)

Aiden lost his first tooth! It was an emotional roller coaster of a day {we were excited, and then we were fearful, and then we were sad to lose such a faithful tooth companion, and then we were brave and excited again}, but it finally came out and we geared up for the next one!

Mike ended up with Covid when we got back from Texas, and we did our best to quarantine, but Maddie ended up with a fever and going down for a couple of days. Thankfully it didn't last long, but poor thing was pretty pitiful for a bit...

Eli has really taken an interest in geography recently...I need to brush up on my map skills ;)

Summer is in full swing, and we are loving our time at the pool!

A sweet friend gifted us some Raddish boxes, and we have been enjoying honing our cooking skills

The deer are back! They found the berries in our backyard, and this doe paused long enough for Maddie to wave a "hello!" :)

Watching these two play games is fairly entertaining...the opposite personalities...at least until the frustrations rise ;)

We're doing some math review this summer...can you tell who is the least excited??

We kicked off our Women's Summer Book Club! Love these women and their hearts to stay connected with each other and God's Word :)