From Picasso to Squirrel

Emma hasn't quite discovered her passion in life. She dips her toes in whatever meets her fancy in the given moment. I think I'm a little bit like that...okay, a lot like that at times. In May and June, Emma's life was all about paint brushes, drawing and her first ever art show. In July she dabbled in Musical Theater, playing the very exciting role of "squirrel" in A Year in the Life of Frog and Toad. Then in August she traded in her artsy, acting self for her swimsuit. Whatever she decides, we are by her side and will cheer loudly for her newest achievements.

Oh, What do you Do in the Summer Time?

"Oh, what do you do in the summer time, when all the world is green? Do you fish in a stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by? Is that what you do?" (pg. 245 Primary Children's Song Book)
YES...SOMETIMESWE ALSO

Took Swimming Lessons
Walked in a Parade Attended a Parade (I ran a 5K that morning, but sadly there are no pictures to prove it)Ate lots of Otter Pops and Corn on the Cob
Went on some Field TripsPlayed with CousinsAnd proved that wishes really can come true. (Meet Cassidy, Peaches and Baby Star - the horses that Emma can visit and feed any time she wants thanks to our awesome friends.)

Painting the garage

I am a messy painter. I'm talking seriously messy, to the point that some may be mildly amused or even shocked at the little amount of effort I make to keep paint from dripping between my toes. I am also a fast painter which is helpful when it comes to painting 500 square feet garages.
While standing on some scaffolding today I glanced over at my other half who was handling a paint stick with great ease. He might as well have been wearing his suit and tie for the amount of paint on his clothes. I thought for just a minute while I looked at my own attire, "Do my painted hands, feet, legs, jeans, t-shirt, hair and glasses say something about me?" Sure they do. I encourage my children to make messes - mud pies, finger painting, block villages, pillow forts, even playing with food on occasion. Why shouldn't I have the liberating experience of doing something without worrying about the mess? It is somehow exhilarating to me to engage in messy work.

Don't panic everyone. By Sunday, which is the next time it will be important for me to look my best, I will have thoroughly cleaned my toes and traded in my painting jeans for something a little more ...public appropriate. Today though, Dave & I still have another layer of paint to slap on our previously unfinished garage before the walls get lined with shelves tomorrow.

Free Enterprise

8 Keys to a successful Lemonade Stand

1. Pick a day when the temperature is at least 95 degrees. If you are sweating your customers will be too.

2. Choose your location wisely. Corners are a good choice, particularly corners with pedestrians.

3. Put your cutest and most charming sales people in the front.
4. Make sure your sales people sample the wares. They must be able to vouch for the freshness of your lemonade.5. Remember your target market. The little extras like animal crackers, straws and hand sanitizer for your young clients go a long way and show that you care.6. Price your offerings correctly.
7. Willingly accept donations.

8. Remember to be friendly and smile really big when customers come to YOUR stand instead of the stand down the street.

Chocolate Chips

"My Mom" - By Nathan

I don't understand my mom, but I do know that she likes chocolate chips.

Yesterday I heard mom and dad talking about how much mom wants new carpet. Today my mom decided that her Navy Blue carpet is AWESOME ! Why would she do that? Maybe it is because I dumped some red drink mix on the floor and then sprayed it with a water bottle. I couldn't even see the red color when I was done. This dark carpet just will not change colors no matter how hard I try.

My mom layed on the floor for awhile with her eyes closed while I jumped all over her this afternoon. I wonder why. Maybe it is because I unplugged the vacuum 10 times while she was trying to clean the floors. Then I saw my mom sneak downstairs and grab a handful of chocolate chips from her secret stash. She shared with me. Mom put me in the bathtub after the drink mix incident. The carpet may not have changed colors, but my skin sure did. While she was taking care of me mom forgot about the pork chops on the stove. I wasn't sure what the loud noise was when the fire alarms went off so I screamed as loudly as I could . Mom explained that because I was naked I didn't have to go outside, but I am not NORMALLY supposed to ignore fire alarms. Mom snuck another handful of chocolate chips right before dinner.While mom was cleaning up dinner, Emma and I threw a party in the living room. We tore all the pom-pom strings out of Emma's pink and white pom poms. It was so COOL! I saw mom go downstairs to find her chocolate chips.

Emma's Art Show

"As the sun colors flowers, so does Art color life." - John Lubbock

FAB, FAB, FABULOUS!

Tender Moments

Once in awhile I have the privilege to have a moment that makes me want to always remember the way it made me feel . Today I had one of the those moments. While I was doing the laundry, Emma read some books to Nathan. I walked into the room to see the two of them looking at a special book I created. Both Emma and Nathan have a story book that tells their adoption stories. I listened to Emma as she pointed out important people in Nathan's book and described what it means to come to a family through adoption. She told Nathan that we prayed for him to come to our family. She also told him how much his birth family loves him. She showed him the pictures and told him who everybody was. I felt gratitude, love, and pride for my sweet babies.