we found some sparklers left over from 4th of July that added some excitement to his cake
in this picture you can see his box of football guys that is his absolute favorite
he plays on the kitchen floor while I cook (and think about that....there's not much foot room to begin with).
he plays on the coffee table anytime anyone is watching television
this is not a hug. it's a "mmmoooommmmm, juliet is on my football field, get her OFF"
It's been hard enough for him to have "his kids" at school all day, he hated to wait until they got home from school to open his presents (especially since a big brother had football practice, which meant he couldn't celebrate until after 8 pm). so he waited until mom was busy with laundry/dinner and snuck into mom and dad's room where the presents were wrapped and had a fine time unwrapping them by himself.
this was his expression for opening the presents from Grandma and Grandpa
doing the Happy Birthday dance after finding candy in his package.....
He got a bunch of "practical life activities" stuff which is Montessori slang for kitchen stuff from the dollar section at Target. He didn't like the chef's hat, but big bro Mike did
so, since he's 3 now and has all this kitchen stuff, he decided to make his own cake. fun!
Spy stuff is all the rage this year to this boy, anyway. His sister already knows she's his partner.
The cake was a visual disaster, but a taste bud feast. It was chocolate mousse filling/icing but it was just a little too runny (I'm thinking the extreme heat/humidity had something to do with it).
Just one of the examples of how this boy brings smiles and hands them out as he goes around. We love you, Jack, and are so glad we get to be your family....
why we love it---white sand, clear blue water (then emerald, deep blue) no wonder they call it the "emerald coast."
a beautiful 16yo under a colorful umbrella
end of day "party of 7" photo---how very, deeply thankful I am for these precious seven....
and the creative 16yo who knows how to do this...... (must. request. tutorial.)
It was so humid out the camera lens kept fogging up. Here's the dock (which last week was overlooking a DRY lake).
Here's the boat ramp (where? you say? exactly. under water) and the parking lot.
Jack found this worm which looks to me a little too much like a snake. it was dead, so no bother.
this is the street that looks towards our street. the water actually was coming out the drainway.
and this is the smaller lake that the bigger lake is supposed to drain into. again, it was completely dry last week, and now you can barely even see the tunnel.
These boys were intensely reading all the statistics in this book while the olympics were on tv.
Mike (kindergarten) and Jack (4th grade) on their way to De Soto Trail Elementary.
Haley (10th), Nick (9th), and Karis (12th) on their way to Lawton Chiles High School.
last but not least, Olivia (7th) on her way to Montford Middle School
and Pete, just not sure where his place is, or what he's supposed to do.
Here's what the flowers you sent me look like. The ones just stuck in are gone now, but the plant is doing well as a centerpiece on the kitchen table. It brings a smile to my face every time I walk by.
Mike learned to read pretty easily--right after his 5th birthday. He continues to surprise us with his interpretation of the English language.
A few months ago, when Chick-fil-A was giving away free (.....I can't remember what. a sandwhich? milkshake? something worth wearing 9) to everyone who wore the number 9 (their anniversary) I took these pictures of the 9s we found on clothing.
We talked in the car while at Disney about what we've come to call the Disney principle. How over-the-top well Disney does all things. How they never miss a detail, expend more than the amount of energy (and time, and expense, and workers) to keep things way beyond average. We talked about how our lives as followers of Christ should reflect the same.
