Gratefulness comes in small packages

Summer is so wonderful. Tonight, as we drove home, I thought of how happy I am. The windows were down, letting in the warm air as it whipped my hair all around, beatiful music played, but it only barely covered the tree sounds of the locusts singing... the sky was clear with bright stars against a black velvet background. And to top it all off, I had an Andy's Heath bar concrete in my lap. I almost cried. I needed that moment and I thanked God for it.

Summer Highlights... so far

 

There is still a little over 2 weeks left of this crazy summer, and still several things on our "to do" list. For instance, you may notice there are no pictures of a chicken coop, and no chickens either. The fish tank still sits dead and empty (I prefer it to stay that way forever), and the canoe is in the barn, not a creek. The kids have not yet had nearly enough whiplash from tubing at the lake as they would like. We have, however, stayed up late every chance we get, renewed some old friendships, hugged on our grandma's, and swam so much it warrants the green highlights in Emma's hair.

So, here is an explanation of the pictures you're looking at:
1. Discovery Cove in Florida. One word: Wow.
2. Busch Gardens in Tampa with the Eastin's and the Hoffman's
3. My Bday - goin' out to dinner
4. Father's Day at SDC
5. Lauren's 13th (oh my gosh I have a teenager) birthday!
6. Makin' plum jelly the old fashioned way
7. our 17th on the 7th day of the 7th month of 2007 - cool huh?
8. Just a bunch of kids (it's the Hoffman boys, Roy's and Reynold's)
9. Emma's 9th bday - and No, that pink is NOT from the chlorine in our pool
10. Piano recital - the only really responsible thing we've done all summer
11. Hike on Fox Acres
12. Mom's 67th BDay - I took her to "Cattlemen's" and made her a Tres Leche cake topped with strawberries!
13. Dinner out with the Reynolds and Eastins: we saw Big Smith at the Landing where we had Gourmet Mexican. "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea" could never have sounded better.
14. That's my sweet Mom... and doesn't she look great?!
15. A visit from the Armstrong's!! We talked all night, swam all day, learned to ride the 4 wheelers and played the Wii. Whew!
16. Swimming, swimming, swimming...