We let the girls host a Christmas Party. We did crafts. Lots of them. These girls worked FAST.
We frosted cookies.
We ate some pretzels, grapes, punch and Rudolph cupcakes.
And they had a lot of fun.
I’m so glad we let them do it. They were overjoyed. 
Marie
It’s 6:30 AM,
Do you know where your daughter is?
Mine is at the dining room table doing school. Reading, math, spelling, piano are routinely all done before breakfast.
(Brothers sleep until they are cajoled out of bed.)
It's 6:30 AM,
Do you know where your daughter is?
Mine is at the dining room table doing school. Reading, math, spelling, piano are routinely all done before breakfast.
(Brothers sleep until they are cajoled out of bed.)
Party-time [again]
It wouldn’t be summer for these Disciples if we didn’t have parties. Lots of them.
On July 9th we celebrated Beau’s 11th, Champ’s 9th, and Skeezix’s 7th. We were blessed with a gorgeous day to share with our awesome family, and friends-who-might-as-well-be-family!
Just because it wasn’t her birthday didn’t mean Angel had to go without! Nope – there are always a few family members that feel badly that she is “left out.”
BiRThdAy! BIrtHDaY!
On 7/13, our sweet Skeezix turned 7. I still vividly remember when the doctor announced, “It’s a girl!” I was floored! I was looking forward to my third son. She has been a joy! A light! A jewel! She rains down sunshine into our family with her happy heart.
We had presents before Daddy left for work.
They included some Star Wars toys, circa 1978.
And a new dress!
Her breakfast choice was fruit-filled puff pastries.
At 2PM we picked Nanny up and headed to Seabreeze. The place was the most empty we have EVER seen it. We walked onto the rides. 
Scooter had her first train ride.
After Daddy arrived with pizza and wings we had a pool-side party and then headed into the all-but-abandoned waterpark.
Mommy and Skeezix rode every waterslide together. I had a BLAST!
We dried off around 7:30PM and sang Happy Birthday with her requested chocolate chip cookies.
We all went to bed tired, but happy, around 10PM. SUPER SUPER DAY.
Not to be outdone, we celebrated with friends on 7/14. Skeezix, Angel, and two of our friends went to mini-golf. Each of the girls had either never gone before, or it was so long ago they did not remember doing it. It went well. By the 5th hole I was thinking how much fun it would be to have another appendectomy… 😉
I gave them the rules off the bat. By the second hole we had abandoned all of them. If you are a mini-golf purist I apologize. I allowed them to cheat with reckless abandon all in the name of getting it done before my 40th birthday. They had a great time, I believe. They were just so sweet with one another and encouraged one another. We did not keep score. And what is great is not one of them asked, “Who won?” at the end of the game.
We scooted by Ella’s house to pick her up [she’d JUST gotten back in town] and we headed to Pizza Hut!
If you have never enjoyed a meal in the accompaniment of 5 young ladies, I highly recommend it!
Home for presents and cake. It was a splendid, splendid day.
Two birthday celebrations for my daughter who has enjoy energy to be counted as two girls!!!
I ♥ her.
Hunting for black raspberries and bunnies…
They didn’t find bunnies today, but they did find black raspberries.
Angel and I had gone out the evening before and saw that the black raspberries were starting to ripen. She escorted Skeezix out to show her. They noticed me with my camera and headed up to share their bounty.
See all the bushes on either side of them back there?
That only represents about 30% of the bushes!!!
Here they are at another patch…
God-willing, these should be ready by the end of next week. YUM!
I still get giddy when we pick the berries. I can’t help but think in amazement, “God gave US all this free food!” It always blows my mind. Why would He be so generous??? Why? ♥
They meandered out further and further… our house looks so far away.
I almost NEVER go out that far.
But who could resist the beckoning of such sweet guides?
While I was out there I took some shots of Daddy’s garden…
YUM!
A picture worth blogging about
This is a few weeks old. It was taken when I was healing from the appendectomy.
I am sure you can see why it made me feel good all over. ♥
Although – I know that she isn’t just a Disney Princess…
she is God’s little Princess!
[And her Mommy and Daddy’s, too!]
HIS baseball
Our baseball/T-ball season was short this year. Really short. Kids played three games.
We were out of town for two, two got rained out, I had my appendix out one week… 
Boys didn’t get shirts as we missed the first two games.
But they still had fun. 
It was Angel’s first year.
Dayspring Disciples 