A Few Slices of Our Summer

Whew! Is is really the start of another school year already? Jonathan has been back in the classroom for a couple weeks now, and we are so thankful for this fifth year in the same job for him. Due to some problems with his charter school's supporting district, his job security was in question just a short month ago. We are praising the Lord that is in the past.

Next week marks a rather important milestone in our lives... Katie begins homeschooling! I am excited for this process to begin, and Katie seems eager too! Of course, Ellie will also be in on a lot of it, and hopefully Silas continues to nap during the time I want to have school!

Silas is almost four months old, and doing fabulous as far as we can tell. He has been to see his team of CF specialists three times now, and we couldn't be happier with the doctors to which the Lord led us. Dr. J strives to give Jonathan and me lots of knowledge in order to assess Silas' condition, and make good choices. He doesn't treat Silas as just another case, but as an individual who needs care specific to his needs. Silas is approaching 15 pounds and is a little over 2 feet long. He's really strong, and very happy and expressive. He smiled at himself in the mirror for the first time just yesterday, and loves to give his sisters big grins when they give him attention. WE just love our little guy.


Our summer began with a trip to Tacoma to see my sister's family. What a blessing it was for all the cousins to be together... all five of them now! We spent a good week up there, enjoying the sights and good fellowship with friends and family. WE returned home for a short five days, and then headed to Copperopolis for our annual BMW reunion.




July was a slower month, and we enjoyed lots of good family time. The girls got lots of time to play outside as Jonathan did yard work. We loved afternoons of reading together and evenings with popcorn and a movie. The girls relished coloring and cutting out images from their coloring books, and then acting out stories with them. We had a family picnic by a beautiful creek on a return trip from visiting an elderly lady who used to attend our church. Katie and Ellie got to attend VBS for the first time, and had a fun "prairie day" thanks to my friend Melissa. Jonathan took the girls camping in our backyard (after all, we live right in the forest!), complete with the tent set up and a junk food dinner. They roasted their hot dogs over the bbq, and made s'mores, too!


Here are the girls with their VBS teachers

August marked our last big trip, spending several days down south visiting Jonathan's parents and grandmother. Then, my parents took the girls camping while Jonathan and I enjoyed our 10th anniversary in Tahoe. Of course, Silas went along, too. We did some hiking, got to visit some relatives in Tahoe City, and hit several art galleries (one of our favorite things to do).



Very recently, I got to can tomatoes for the very first time! Some good friends picked, delivered, and then helped me to process 50 pounds of tomatoes! Together, Lynn and I did 22 quarts of stewed tomatoes and 12 pints plus 2 quarts of salsa. it was such fun, and I hope to continue trying out my new kitchen equipment. Apples and peaches are ripe...

Overall, I am so thankful for a summer to visit family and friends, and just have quiet time at home, too. I am thankful for the Lord providing us with strength and wisdom through the normal ups and downs that happen. I am thankful for my sweet husband, who spent so much time helping out this summer, as we adjusted to being a family of five. God's blessings are abundant!