Saturday, August 18, 2018

the rest of July



























We were invited back to our old neighborhood to have a community bbq with our good friends and neighbors and to celebrate Laura's ninth birthday with all of them. Although it rained a bit, the canopy tents provided good shelter and we ate each other's good food and chased kids around. I took a quick walk around the property checking to see what summer looked like this year on the little river.  It seemed a bit overgrown in several areas, especially where we were used to walking. I suppose we visited our side of the bank so often, the brush and weeds didn't get a chance to take over.
Our church had a week of kids camp and all three of my kids went everyday with the girls being campers and Seth a counselor. I packed lunches and snacks and did the drop-off and pick-up. A very sweet newlywed girl was assigned to care for Kate and the other camp leaders and volunteers worked so hard to give everyone a great week. I tried to make the best use of my at-home-alone time each day, including taking time to wrap Laura's birthday gifts several days early. Ever ambitious, I still had plenty of projects and reading that didn't get done, but that wasn't surprising given the list I made myself.
I did some late summer/early fall clothes shopping for all the kids(their pants keep getting shorter!) and saved most of the girls' stuff for Kate to open on Laura's birthday since her birthday isn't until December. Clothes are her very favorite and she was not disappointed, neither was Mama. A new doll outfit with easy-fitting boots also make Kate's day. Laura was very pleased when at last she opened the Lego Minecraft set she had asked for. 
In our house, we generally do what my Mom did for us, open a couple gifts in the morning and then the rest with the birthday cake after dinner. Not everything is a flashy toy, but I do try to follow the birthday lists they give while exercising my own ideas of what I want them to have. In between the gift openings, we had a pancake and sausage breakfast and then lunch and beach time with good friends who we hadn't seen since early June. The angel food cake that Laura asked for didn't happen since the box with my cake-baking pans is hiding somewhere in the house. So she settled for a mini store-bought chocolate cake and the promise to make the angel food cake later this summer.  I hope I don't run out of summer before I find the right box.