Our Weekend  

Posted by cokelady

Katie has spent a great deal of her time the past two weeks talking to the neighbors across the fence. They're fixing the place up and have been outside a lot, so that's provided lots of opportunities for Katie to visit. I keep a pretty close eye and ear on things and I love it that she's so friendly and personable... but she's become almost obsessed with it! Every time I go outside to check on her she's standing down by their yard, peering over the fence, waiting for somebody to show up to talk to! I called to her on Friday and sat down and had a good talk with her. I told her she's a whole lot like her mother, except not shy. (I was PAINFULLY shy as a child.) I told her I always wanted to be with people and right in the middle of things, too (I'm still that way!), I just never had the guts to actually do it. Still, I understand that "people person" thing that she has. I also told her how her family is missing her because she's spending all of her time with the neighbors! I asked if she'd come and spend some time with me and help me finish cleaning up the school desk. That lasted all of about 60 seconds before her Dad had recruited her for a different job!

I had finished up on the Regional Paper the night before and James was busy compiling it, so he got Katie busy labeling envelopes for him. :-) She did a GREAT job. After she had finished putting address labels and return labels on everything I sat down to help, too. Katie would arrange the papers in the correct order, I'd fold them, she'd stack them, and James would stuff the envelopes. It worked great and was so fun to have Katie helping out--and she had a blast.

(I post this next picture mainly to show off my freshly organized school table! :-) Even though it's on the wrong side of the room. James has been ripping up the kitchen floor, so it had to be temporarily moved.)
It made me think back to the good ole' days when our family did the Evening Light. Mom did all of the formatting, but when we got it back from the print shop I (and whatever friends were available--Tammy and Cathy and Melissa in 'Springs or Em & Lib in Howard) would do all of the folding and tabbing and labeling and binding and sorting... and noting. :-) We wrote lots and lots of notes to all of our favorite people! It was so fun. We were going to let Katie write some notes on a few of the envelopes but we forgot to go back and do it. Maybe next time. She's going to be such a great helper with stuff like this. It's right down her alley. What a great kid she is! :-)

I found a couple of paint books in the school desk, so I let the kids purty up a few pages that night.

James was in a playful mood that night. I was in the house trying to concentrate on something on the computer, but all I could hear was laughing and screaming and squealing! I finally just gave up and went to take some pictures.
They'll all been on the trampoline for at least 20 minutes, having a ball. Such great memories with their Dad! :-)

After the trampoline everybody headed over to the play fort for some more fun.




Then it was down to the pond to sit and relax for a while. Hershey joined us, of course. I just love this picture. You can almost SEE the relationship between James and the dog! Ha! Enlarge it and look at Hershey's eyes...

The whole fam! (Minus Mom, of course)

I've noticed that Hershey very rarely drinks water out of his dish in the house anymore. I see him almost every day outside drinking out of the pond. He LOVES it. But that's not all he loves. James threw a handful of fish food into the pond that night and we watched as Hershey circled around the pond, finally picked a spot, crawled down next to the water and began scooping the fish food toward him with his paws--then eating it! He goes nutty any time James gets it out (James has given him a few pieces here and there--and I think it has a really strong smell or something), but we had no idea he actually got into the pond and stole food from the fish! Weird dog!!!

I don't remember Saturday at all. Unless that was Saturday. Hhmmm. Oh well.

We had a really great Sunday. Good Sunday School (story of Abraham and Isaac), good worship, and a good message. Afterwards we had a pot-luck. Ah! I just remembered Saturday! I spent most of the day getting ready for the pot-luck! I made punch, party meatballs, a HUGE taco salad (twice as big as I thought it would be!) and dump cake. Anyway, the pot luck was lots of fun and everybody really seemed to enjoy our time of fellowship together. We didn't have a service scheduled for last night, but nobody wanted to leave after the pot luck without doing something, so we headed back into the sanctuary and spent about 45 minutes singing and sharing scriptures and things like that. It was soooooooo neat! It was very informal, of course, but the Lord really blessed us. Aaron went up front and shared a scripture and a few thoughts, then a little while later he said he had another passage on his mind and asked if he could share some more! It was SO COOL! How exciting is that?! It was just such a neat "service."

James took this picture of me outside the building before we left. It's for you, Mom. :-)

(I don't think that window has been washed in the past 29 years! Ha!)

We went to Borders to pick up the CD that James had ordered there last week. So, of course, the kids had to play in the fountain some more...



Joe got shot right in the face by one of the streams...
But Sam won the Over-All Wettest Award. :-) For being such a chicken last week he sure didn't have any qualms about diving in this week!
We met Sister Galaviz for dinner before heading home for the night. That was really nice, too. I just really, really enjoy visiting with her!

I got some house cleaning done last night when we got home, but you wouldn't know it now! We did some school today and the James and the kids worked outside quite a bit. James got a whole bunch of weeds and stuff mowed down and the kids have been busy working on the retaining wall out back again. I went and helped them for a little while and we're pretty close to done now.

I got all of the laundry done today and the ironing, as well as the ironing I never did get around to last week. It feels great! Tomorrow I'll probably start the beginning stages of packing for The Big Trip. I'm always SO excited about this trip... and I always DREAD it, too! Ha! I LOVE going to the Assembly and I LOVE being with my family and James' family. I don't even mind the trip itself--we always have fun traveling. It's just so much work to get ready for it! But much more than that, I already dread getting home from the trip and having to recover from it! We'll have bratty kids who have had no routine, very little sleep, and only a bunch of rotten grandparents around to spoil them and make them think the world revolves around them; we'll be tired and worn out from everything; we'll have TONS of stuff to unload and unpack (going to James' mother's house is like winning the food and clothing lottery--she's already been gathering "good deals" for us, I'm sure!); and I'll have at least 42 loads of laundry: dress clothes, play clothes, casual clothes--everything we own goes on this trip, and gets used on this trip. I never mind the laundry, it's the hours upon hours of ironing that follows it! Ugh. I'll have to try to push it out of my mind so I can enjoy the trip itself and not just dread the end of it! Ha!

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4 comments

Vicki Smith  
7:11 AM, July 29, 2008

I wonder how much it costs to have your ironing done? For the first time in my life, I've considered doing that this summer! Another one of your dad's trips right now would send me over the edge. But he's not flying anywhere for a while so I may be recuperated enough to handle it by his next trip.
Love the pictures! Thanks for the picture in front of the church. ;-) You look cute, but not as cute as the one from 29 years ago. It's just not the same, you know? Maybe if you'd have been holding an Easter basket and had an Easter hat on it would have helped?
That picture of Hershey looking sideways at James is hysterical! How funny! Hmmm. Speaking of Hershey . . . I guess he's coming with you? You haven't mentioned it.
I'm so glad you've got a little secretary growing up in your house. She'll be a great assistance in the ministry. Use her often. You can see how meticulous she is. HA! A little Sanguine/Melancholy after my own heart. :-)

cokelady  
8:34 AM, July 29, 2008

Just be glad you only have ironing for TWO. ;-)

James said the same thing about the picture in front of the church--"Too bad we don't have a basket for you to hold!"

Hershey... Ah, yes. I haven't mentioned it. It's one of those things you don't really want to bring up until the very end. Why get everybody all flurbbed out weeks in advance?! I thought we might be able to sneak him into your house and perhaps you wouldn't notice him. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! ~sigh~ It's too long of a trip to leave him home alone and it HAS been some time since he's made a run for it, so it SHOULD be fine. He'll be lonely while we're gone to the Assembly all day, but I intend to go "home" for naps where possible anyway, so that will make him happy. :-) Too bad we couldn't just get him to Stacey to keep for us, hu?!

And yes, Katie is going to be a terrific little secretary. It's good for us and good for her. I love it when I see "purpose" in her eyes--a reason for being here, a job to do, a necessary function to perform. :-)

Marcia Brooks  
11:45 AM, July 29, 2008

Loved all the pictures of your family playing together. You are very blessed which I'm sure you know already. Made me wonder is the swing set new? I don't remember it just the trampoline. :) That Hershey, I really like that dog. He has such a personality. Be praying for a safe trip to the assembly. Just put all that ironing out of your mind. I am having to go to a laundry mat right now. After camp twice I have to say I am not looking forward to the laundry mat trip after assembly. I'm still holding hope I will have a laundry room complete in the house when I return. Oh! how nice it would be.

Rebekah Doran  
4:55 PM, July 30, 2008

Elijah and Alana were the same way when our neighbors moved in next door. They would just sit on the fence WAITING for the kids to come out so they could talk or play with them. I finally talked to them and told them they are just wasting time just sitting on the fence waiting while they could be PLAYING with each other etc.

Katie looks like she is having alot of fun helping you out with those labels. I know Elijah and Alana would just love getting to stick those things on. :)

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