Summer Vacation - Day 1

I gave the boys fair warning that when they got home from their last day of school, I wanted a picture. I have to do this because I still don't have the most cooperative subjects. I have to promise that I will only take a certain number of shots and then I do a lot of praying that at least one will turn out. I think they act this way now just to get a rise out of their mom. 

What I wanted to capture was the look of pure happiness that school was finally out. Or even a great action shot of them running up the hill to the house wishing farewell to school days and hello days of summer.

I said, "Can you just give me a thumbs up or something?"

But this is what I got...

I've learned to just go with it and take what I can get. 

So, here we are on our first day of summer vacation. And it looks like this outside...

I suppose we all will be staying inside today.

Summer... It's Finally Here

There has been no need for our two sons to count down the final days of school these last two weeks because they have a mom who has been more than happy to do it for them. I long for the days of summer just as much as they do.

It's finally here. The last day of school which officially marks the beginning of summer. In several hours, they will be running through the door, backpacks in hand of all the things that have been kept in their lockers all year long. Worn out binders, tattered and torn folders, pencils that are about an inch in length, and piles of papers for me to go through and decide which ones will be saved in their memory boxes.

The routine that has filled our days for the last nine months is going to be replaced with spontaneity and a whole lot of relaxing.

Summertime... where living is easy.

Where days are longer and filled with being with those I love the most.

I so welcome the days of summer. Later nights which lend themselves to lazy mornings. There will be days spent by the pool with a good book in hand while I watch and listen to the boys having the time of their lives.

We will have cook-outs, ice-cream rides (my family called them this growing up... we go get ice cream and take rides in the country), and movies at the drive-in. This summer will be filled with a youth trip, baseball games, having family here over the 4th of July, and a much anticipated vacation to Virginia.

It's a new season and one that I am embracing with a very thankful heart.

chattingatthesky.com

Extreme Home Makeover...

Things are back to normal once again here in my hometown after a week of Extreme Makeover Home Edition being here to give a very deserving family a new home. It has been one of the neatest experiences seeing our community coming together in support of this family. I am very proud to call Beavercreek, Ohio my home. 

Many local businesses and churches were involved in supporting this huge effort. Our church (where my husband is on staff) was even used for the interviews with Ty and his crew, as well as the family. We had the privilege of meeting, Andrew, who is one of the locations managers. He gave our family passes to use for the week so that we could walk around the set and pretty much get a front row seat of everything that took place. This was such an extraordinary experience... one that we will always remember.

Here are just a few highlights from the week...

Day 1 - Demolition Day and Ty coming in with his crew...

Sam and Ben enjoyed watching all the heavy construction throughout the week...

My friend Carrie...

The house is coming along...

The day before "The Reveal", Kelli Pickler (who also a part of the makeover) had a concert in front of the house... 

I think the concert was Jessica's favorite part of the week...

The evening before the family comes home...

Welcome Home Terpenning Family...

photo from Dayton Daily News

What Cooler Days Bring...

We have found ourselves inside the last couple of days due to the fact that here in Ohio we are having anything but hot summer days. The temperatures have been somewhat cooler and the sun seems to have found a home behind the clouds the past couple of days. I know that I shouldn't be complaining because these cooler, overcast days have caused me to get some things done around the house. Important stuff like cleaning out closets and desk drawers. It has also given me the opportunity to sit here at my desk this morning and write a new post. I haven't been blogging much these days, so for all of you faithful readers out there, I appreciate you still following along! So, perhaps just one more day of being inside isn't such a bad thing. I just took the dogs outside and the sun is shining and I do feel some humidity in the air once again. Maybe warmer temperatures are just around the corner and I can sit by the pool, drink iced tea, watch the boys play and enjoy my summer reading.

I am currently reading The Moment Between by Nicole Baart. This is definitely unlike any book I have ever read, but I m really enjoying it and it is one I recommend. She is a very talented and creative writer.  I love books that are unpredictable and have really strong character development. You know, where you feel this connection to the characters and you find yourself thinking about them even after you have closed the book for awhile. I have made a few orders with Amazon over the summer and let me just say that it's pretty much the highlight of my day when I see the mailbox with a brown box inside. Yes, I love my books! Because I love hearing about good books to read, I thought I would pass onto you some of the books I have recently added to list of books I want to read...

The Power of Praying For Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian. With having an 18-year old daughter who is leaving home this September, I am thinking this is exactly what I will need. Oh, the power of prayer!

The Time Traveler's Wife  by Audrey Niffenegger. Although I generally stick to Christian fiction, I thought I would give this a try. It is now a movie, and from the previews, it looks pretty good. The book is always better than the movie too, right? Have any of you read it? 

Of course, there has to be a couple of cookbooks thrown in here, so check out Coming Home With Gooseberry Patch and Ina Garten's Back To Basics. 

If there are any good books you have read this summer, I would love for you to leave me a comment. Until then, enjoy the summer days, no matter what the temperatures outside may be, and enjoy those books!

Days of Summer...

What do you do with a big hill in your backyard.....

How about a BIG slip-n-slide.....

For the last several years, the youth group from our church has an event called Hillslide (the name of our church is Hillside Chapel) because the location of the church is obviously on a hill. Our home (we live in the parsonage) sits on the highest point in the county so it's a great location for this. In the summer we have the Hillslide and come the snowy days of winter, we have sledding.

Here comes Sam....

Then there is Jessica...

And finally Ben, holding on for dear life....

If you only knew how fast the kids come down on this. I guess there is something to be said for the baby soap they put on it:) 

School starts tomorrow for my kids, so today we enjoying one last day of summer vacation. Unfortunately the weather is not cooperating, so it looks like we will be inside. Maybe I can send them outside to play in the rain? 

So this is July...

Here we are halfway through the summer. It's this point of the summer when I start thinking it's going to be over instead of thinking over what we've done. I've always loved summer. Summer means the sunshine on my face, wearing flip-flops every single day, vacations, ice cream, swimming, lightening bugs and knowing you have the whole day ahead of you. What I love the most though is not being confined to a schedule. Even though I am a planner, organizer, and far from being spontaneous, when summer comes I simply don't care as much. A couple days will go by that I don't look at my calendar. That isn't normal for me.

My summer days are filled with being some of my favorite people in the whole world... my kids. I am a mom that starts counting down summer vacation after January 1st. I enjoy summer vacation just as much as they do. Every other summer we go to our favorite place, the beach. This summer, however, we are home making memories. Staying up late watching movies, having bonfires and making s'mores, having cook-outs and picnics, swimming all day long, and spending time with friends and family. Does it really get any better?

I don't want the second half to go by as fast as the first. I want to welcome the days with excitement and anticipation. Sometimes this is hard for me. I can be a half empty kind of person. I don't want to think about back-to-school shopping, the fact that this is my daughter's last year of high school, my oldest son is going to middle school, my youngest is going to a new school, commitments that will come again when summer has ended, and that it will soon be cold. I want to hold onto these days and the moments that God gives me. A reminder that He is always faithful and good. No matter what the season.