Where do the days go?

I can't believe how fast these summer days are already whizzing by! I always think summer will be a leisurely time - and in some ways it is - but our calendar is just jam-packed for the next 3 months. Amazing. Anyway, I'm absolutely loving having my boys home with me again - I love it that they come and crawl in bed with me in the morning and we just lay there and cuddle and talk and we aren't in any hurry and we don't have anywhere to go - it's just awesome. They'll always do this, won't they? :) They have been spending most of their free time outside - lately on their new bikes they got for their birthday (see pictures below), and have also been spending a fair amount of time at baseball.

We had a refreshing weekend AT HOME last weekend -we'd been gone the previous 4 weekends, and we will be busy the next 7 weekends, so this was our little "oasis" in the middle of it all. We put some heavy-duty work into the yard, but it felt so good to get it done and to just pay attention to some things around here we'd been ignoring. We spent quite a while at Jolly Lane nursery on Sat. morning with the boys, which was actually a lot of fun. I could spend a lot of time there, and the boys like checking out the cactuses and the vegetable plants. Now we're trying to figure out how to put a garden into our hilly yard . . . hmmm . . . .

This week Jack and Noah are in a basketball camp in the mornings, and at Vacation Bible School in the evenings . . .I'm trying to get caught up on housework and preparing for a 4-night camping trip this weekend.

Here's Jack's new thing - when he talks to you, he spells your name - I hear him calling for me "M-O-M-M-Y!" and I here he is talking to Noah - "N-o-a-h!" It's so funny, I don't know where he picked this up, but I guess it's good practice. We also dealt with his first "questionable" word while we were in Okoboji (!). We were finishing dinner at a restaurant when Jack said "Well let's get the h_ _ l out of here!" WHAT?!?!? Luckily I was the only one who heard it, and after I picked my jaw up off the floor, I explained that we do NOT talk that way. He got upset and said he didn't know - he'd heard it on TV - and I believe him, the way he was looking at me with huge eyes. Anyway, I hope we don't hear that again for several years!!

Here's Noah's new thing - reading. This child can't get enough - he even brings books with him in the car and reads while we are running errands. LOVE it. Here's his other new thing: endless goodnights at bedtime. After devotions and prayers, both Mark and I give him hugs and kisses goodnight, etc.

30 seconds after we leave his room - Noah: "Goodnight!"

Us: "Goodnight Noah"

Him: "I love you!"

Us: "We love you too!"

Him: "Come check on me in a little bit!"

Us: "Yes Noah"

Him: "Goodnight"

Us: "Goodnight"

20 seconds later:

Noah: "Goodnight!"
Us: "Goodnight Noah"
Him: "I love you!"
Us: "We love you too!"
Him: "Come check on me in a little bit!"
Us: "Yes Noah"

Him: "Goodnight"
Us: "Goodnight"

And this literally repeats itself 2 or 3 more times until we finally have to say ENOUGH! Actually, he's not at all mischevious about it - it's really quite cute, but we always have to cut him off . . .

I'm signing off with some pictures of my little rock stars on their birthday:

With the all-important cake in our hotel room:

The gang at the water park:

Jack with his remote control helicopter - he was a litte excited about this particular gift:

And the kids on their new bikes - we were confined to the garage because of the rain: