Reading

It’s great having a big brother to read to you!

Laundry Party

“Oooo!  Look how neat of a pile that is!” 

Those were the words I heard from my child as we finished up our “laundry party.”  It’s not really much of a party.  There aren’t any snacks, but we do turn on music and we do spend time together.  Anyway. 

Those were not the words I was thinking as I raised my eyebrow. 

Thankfully I didn’t say what I was thinking because the next thing I heard was:

“The biggest are on the bottom, and the smallest are on the top.”

Pause.

Yes.  By that standard it is a very neat, organized pile of towels.  The corners aren’t matched.  The wrinkles aren’t smoothed.  The pile is in danger of collapsing.  It is by no means perfect.  But the towels are folded.  And they were folded without complaint.  That’s something to be proud of. 

Lord, help me look past the wrinkles to see achievement, to withhold judgment when I (as always) don’t see the full picture, and to extend grace instead of expecting perfection.

Thank you that you do see the full picture and you still extend grace to me!

Caleb’s 5th Birthday Party

Thank you too all who made Caleb’s birthday special this year.  Not only did he get to celebrate with both sets of grandparents, but he also got to celebrate with his friends.  Caleb is blessed to have some great, kind, and fun friends! 

Caleb thought it’d be fun to have a camping adventure with his friends, so we kicked off the party by making toothpick and marshmallow tents…mostly just an excuse to play and eat some marshmallows.

Each of Caleb’s friends brought their favorite book to “show and tell” for a mini story time in the tent.

Then they went on a scavenger hunt through our backyard.

After they found all their “treasures,” they made a picture with them using clear contact paper. 

We sang.

And we ate some dirt and worms.

They were all excited for the opening of presents.

What’s better than building Legos with friends?

Where has the time gone?

Happy Birthday, Caleb!

Outdoor Fun

Ava, enjoying the nice weather and the entertainment her siblings provide:

It’s hard to keep up with older siblings!

Bubble blowing

A sweet moment with Daddy:

Someone needs to learn to step back before swinging the bubble wand: