Summer Break Fun Continues!

Natalie loved taking part in the church's musical this year.  She enjoyed speaking and singing a small solo.  We were proud of her!  

I like to encourage sharing among the siblings, but I may take that back when it comes to the saxophone.  One sax player is enough for this family.  That thing is LOUD!

Beautiful day for a Holiday World trip!   I was comfortable all day in long sleeves and jeans despite it being mid-June.   Perfect weather!

 The girls sat facing the boys on the Mayflower. 

 One of our favorite family rides...the swings!

Kate had grown a bit since our last visit, so she didn't have to sit any rides out this year.  It was so fun to watch Scott and Natalie look at Kate on the rides and ask if she liked it or was having fun.   They were eager for her to experience the rides that they have been able to go on for the past couple of years.  It was sweet to watch them watch her and then ask her what she thought when the ride was over. 

Jon and I found that we are becoming more of a fan of the boring old cars that drive slowly around the guided track.  No spinning, no jerking, no speed...did I mention no spinning?  Yes, we are getting old.  

As a grand finale, Scott and Natalie wanted to ride the Raven again this year.  I was shocked when I heard Kate say that she wanted to ride it too.  It was our longest line to wait in all day, and so I kept asking Kate if she REALLY wanted to do it.  She assured me that she did even though I felt her heart was pumping soooo fast as we waited.  She was just on the edge for being tall enough.  They measured her once...then pulled her aside, and measured her again.  With a high ponytail, she barely squeaked through.  Kate did great!!  I didn't know what to expect.  Here she is AFTER her very first real roller coaster!

All in all, it was a great day and the three turkeys had a blast!

SPOTLIGHT on SCOTT

Scott turned ELEVEN last month!  I can't believe how quickly he is growing up. 

 

Scott enjoys biking, so he was thrilled for our entire family to go riding at a local park. 

Scott has always fallen into the first-born responsible role well.   It was apparent on our recent vacation how much he is becoming like Jon in some areas.  Scott took it upon himself to be our family's tech guy on the trip.  He immediately started charging everyone's electronic devices when we arrived at the hotel each evening.  He was also so thorough at checking the hotel rooms each morning as we departed to make sure everyone got their belongings.  Scott would look under the bedding...and then Jon would.  Jon would scan the shower...and then Scott would.  Sometimes I never thought we would get out of there, but the guys definitely had us covered and nothing was ever left behind!:) 

Not too many people get to see Scott's silly side, but we enjoy many of his antics at home. 

Scott made the "A" honor roll again this year, but informed us halfway through the year that he wasn't going to even make that a goal for fifth grade.  He said he'd go ahead and try to get all A's for the rest of fourth since it was 50% done, but was making no promises for the future!  Ha! 

Scott continues to play the keyboard for fun, but has also recently gotten very excited about the saxophone!  The grandparents spotted one at a garage sale, and Scott has been having so much fun figuring out some songs on it already.  He's excited for band to begin! 

He still loves to read, but has been wanting to find a new series to get into lately.   He enjoys reading every story in a series once he finds a good one.  Any suggestions?! 

God seems to have gifted Scott with the ability to fix things/figure out electronics.  We wonder if this will come into play for a future career.  He actually READS product manuals and has taught me so many new things.  Even today, we were planning to take the vacuum in to have it repaired, and Scott helped to take it apart and get it working again.  He's handy to have around...once again...just like his dad!  

Scott, you are certainly a special son and good big brother to your sisters!  We love you!!

Early June Hodge-Podge

Celebrating Jon on Father's Day...The kids have such a good dad, and I am so grateful!

Natalie was fed up with her brother and sister one day.  She fumed, "I can't take Scott right now!  And I can't take Kate either!"

Kate turned to her and lectured, "Well, you have siblings, and you're in a family.  It will be just you and your husband in a couple of years."    ??!?!?!!!

The kids LOVED swim lessons this year!  They made some good progress.  Last year, Kate wouldn't put her head under and by the end of the two week session this year, she was jumping in!  They were so eager to go to lessons each day and had a wonderful experience with some super sweet teachers!

 Scott drives Scout crazy when he flies his drone around the room!

Awhile back, I shared a news story with the kids about a Bible that had been unscathed during a tornado even though the house around it had been blown away.  Fast forward a few weeks later.  There were tornadoes in the area and as an extra precaution, I took the kids to the basement.  Kate asked if she could get something upstairs and returned holding her Bible on top of her head.   :)  Thankfully, the storms passed, and we didn't need any news worthy miracles that night. 

Scout sat like this at the top of the stairs during our tornado precautions that night- poor girl!

Fun with Faithful Friends...

Fun with Silly Siblings...

And Fun with Tortured Turtles...

The kids and I got into watching Jeopardy awhile back when the popular contestant, James, was on a winning streak.  Prior to that, the kids hadn't watched much regular television with commercials.  They were like little sponges and on commercials that I would easily tune out, they were memorizing and glued to the TV. 

One night, I was in the other room and Kate called enthusiastically, "Mom!  You should come see all these good commercials."

After a short time of watching, they started quoting them...like ALL THE TIME!  We'd be driving down the road, and they would see a "SAIA" truck.  (Never knew what a SAIA truck was until the kids started pointing them out.)  Then, they would all start saying, "We're driving business!  We're hauling the goods!" 

Or..."LOOK!  It's a Williams Comfort Air Truck!..."I will do my best to find a solution..."  

Or when we pull into Culver's- the kids in unison..."Slow churning at the right temperature is the key to perfect custard!"

Even Kate exclaimed one day in carpool as she pointed to the vehicle infront of us, "MOM!  Look!  THEY SWITCHED TO CHEVY!" 

Jon and I have learned so many slogans and jingles in the last month, and can't help ourselves but looking for SAIA trucks now too.  I told Jon that we need them to put some Bible verses on commercials for quick memorization.  WOW!  

We took our entire zoo to the vet!  Talk about family fun!:)  The young veterinarian was trying to be oh-so-professional.  He looked over our cats thoroughly and said they seem to be on the..."fluffy" side.  He was dancing around with his words, but was trying to politely tell us something we already knew.  We have FAT CATS!  (It's okay...you can say it.)  We left with some tips to help them keep their weight down.  So far, they've had about as much success with that as I have had this summer!  But we will persevere- lest anyone straight up calls us fat or fluffy.  

More to come!

Natalie is NINE!

Natalie is my most faithful blog reader...so this one's for her!:)  Sometimes I will catch her up early in the morning reading past blog entries- she let's me know which phrases I use too often and wants to start her own blog soon.  She loves to write and create stories, so I am sure she would enjoy it.

Natalie recently celebrated her 9th birthday.  Nine words to describe Natalie would be...sweet, smart, driven, a peacemaker, mature, thoughtful, conscientious, artistic, and joyful.  I love to watch her interact with her siblings- she loves to be the leader but tries to make it fun so everyone stays involved.  She puts a lot of extra pressure on herself to excel at whatever she tries.  She LOVES to sing and make up dances.  It's been fun sharing some of my old favorite songs with her this past year and having her sing along with me.  Another Point of Grace fan- alright!!  One of these days, we're going to win Jon over too!:)  Natalie got the "Go-Getter" award for her 3rd grade class, and this certainly describes her...and always has.  We're excited to see what the Lord has in store for her!  Happy (Belated) Birthday, Natalie!

Last Day of School Pics!:)

Farewell Fourth!

That's the end of Third!

Knocked Out Kindergarten!

And if one child wants their end of the year picture taken with the dog, then each child needs their end of the year picture taken with the dog...

Scott watched me go ahead and print off "First" and "Last" day pages through 12th grade and file them away.  He groaned, "Are you really going to make me do this when I'm in high school?"  

You betcha!  Smile, Buddy!:)