Summer Summary (thus far)

It has been an eventful summer.  I spent three weeks working, which was a bit tedious for all of us.  The first two weeks I had to commute to DC and the last week was spent locally.  To make the time more interesting, I opted to get books on tape (well, iPhone).  Because I am cheap, I looked for the free ones in the public domain and found myself listening to Anne of Green Gables.  My grandmother's family was among the first to settle Prince Edward Island, so it had added meaning for me.  In fact, after I finished the three books (it's a long commute), I tried to persuade Thomas to take a last minute vacation to Canada.  Because he is a wonderful husband, he was willing to indulge me, but reality set in and I decided it was too ambitious for a last-minute endeavor.  I still hope to one day see the old family farm, but I think it will have to be on more than a whim.  Whims are good for weekend getaways, but are not so practical with 3 little kids.

The kids spent those 3 weeks at a camp at a local Catholic church.  One day, we walked into Jack's room and he was holding "church."  I am not sure what the Priests are like for camp, but Jack was pretty mean to the girls.  He had a spot for them to sit, stand, and kneel and seemed grievously insulted that they were not appropriately reverent.  The really enjoyed their time at camp (minus the getting up early, which was a huge struggle for Thomas every day).

He moves so much, that it was impossible to get a good picture, but you can see his priest garb

The week after that the kids were invited to attend a Backyard Bible Camp at a neighbor's house.   The camp was held for four days from 9:30-11 and they loved it!  Every day they would come home and repeat the Bible stories they learned and the songs they had sung.  My favorite is J-U-S-U-S.  No amount of correction will convince them that the lyrics are anything other than that.

After that fun week, we had more exciting news.  My oldest brother and his family were coming for a short visit! This brother lives in England, so we rarely seem him.  In fact,  we hadn't seen the kids in over 4 years. One of their children is grown and is serving in the Air Force.  So, it was my brother Jim, my sister-in-law Sheryl, and three of their kids: Joshua (15), Jessica (12), and Emily (8).  My kids loved being with their cousins!  They came in Friday afternoon and left around 11 on Saturday, so it was a very quick visit, but we are glad they made the effort to see us.  I was super impressed with what nice kids my nieces and nephew are.  They were so patient with their little cousins and were just nice to be around.  We had a great time and hope that we see them again soon.