Still kicking

Hello everyone - sorry I haven't posted anything this entire summer. I have lots of excuses, but I would get carpal tunnel just enumerating them, so I just won't go there. We have been having a decent summer. It is very hot this week (the fire over the ridge is not helping that any) and lately is has been hideously humid. For any of you who might not be aware, a swamp cooler stops being effective at a certain level of humidity - and we just have the swamp cooler. Yuck!
Joshua has started saying prayers all by himself - he always wants to be the one to say family prayers and he keeps thanking the Lord for "swimming in pools and going to the park." When the camera comes out (as below) he yells "Cheese me Mommy!" I LOVE that dimple!!!! I can't help him with the cheese part though - he has plenty (wonder where that came from)

Some notable happenings this summer so far include: I have, with Bryce's help, acquired the entire 10-season collection of Stargate SG-1. This is something that Bryce hooked us on last year and we were able to get most of the episodes through Netflix. We really enjoy watching it - of course who doesn't enjoy watching that McGuyver guy? Bryce and Tess are with us for the summer and are trying to survice this humid/heat wave as well. Bryce has played his clarinet for two years now and (at least before Stargate arrived) has been diligent about practicing every day. I had to run out and get him a music book to keep him from playing from "memory" and now we are just working on counting so that he can play with the cd that comes with the book. Tess is working on her journal - I need to take lessons from her, she writes EVERYTHING down! She is also has been enjoying being a little mother to her youngest brothers and sisters - she's pretty good at it too. I wish I could have gotten pictures of her trying to teach Bryce how to change Ben's pull-up ... it was priceless!

Genevieve is growing ... again! Brandy sent me home with a new box of clothes and it is a good thing because she is completely into 24 mos/2T now. This little dress (which was her cousing Brooke's 8 years ago) was too adorable to miss - and we had to be very carefull to get the hat back without smashing it ... and she only got to wear it once! Here is Byron "patiently" trying to help me document the occasion - isn't that a great look? This was on Father's Day and we all gave him a tie with a picture of all 6 kids printed on it ... the older kids remember that picture day with particular clarity as they had to do literal cartwheels to get the babies to participate. Byron loved the tie, but wished the background was not white - now he wants me to get a him a colored Sunday shirt so that he can wear it more often. Who is the fashion guru in our house???

We have gotten to go swimming a couple of times now - thanks to Jenny who lets us use her pool (she's soooo cool!). I got new suits for the boys that have the floats built in so that they look like little body builders (with scrawny legs). The pool has be a bit of a fiasco still - Josh is petrified of the water and will cling like a barnacle to my neck - usually screaming the whole time. Ben, on the other hand could use a bit more fear. He tries to "walk" away. The problem is that he doesn't use his arms at all and the suit tends to over-balance him on his face ... and I say again - he just won't use his arms AT ALL (he is going to give me a heart attack). Ginny on the other hand, just floats along in her little ring and talk to anything and everything.

Well, I will try to be better about posting, but summer is not turning out to be so easy as far as schedules go. To add to that, we are trying to buy a house in Squirrel Valley. I have never tried to buy a house before and the process is complicated beyond all reason. Things have gone smoother than we deserve however. In fact, Byron and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. It's in the Lord's hands and if He is willing, this will be our 5th anniversary present.