Because of a very strange but welcomed change in the weather pattern, the past two mornings we have been able to have all the windows in our house open and cool, fresh air has filled our home. The air conditioner hasn't been running non-stop like it has been for the past month and a half. Although, it doesn't look like this weather is going to continue and the temps will be back up in the 90s all week long, the brief respite from our 95 to 100+ was much needed and almost seems to be a reflection of our lives - finally slowing down, giving us a chance to breathe and to rest and to enjoy a quieter schedule.
The month of July was a busy one for us. There were only 2 or 3 days the whole month in which there was nothing on the calendar. But, it was also a good month, filled with family, friends, and our church family. As I plugged in my camera to upload some pictures, I realized that the only pictures I took during the month of July were on Silas' birthday - July 3rd. So much happened since then!
We started the month with two weeks of daily parent/child swimming lessons. Both boys did a fantastic job! Jonah still doesn't like to put his whole head under water, but he loves doing his front and back floats with kicking and arm movement. Silas enjoyed blowing bubbles the most but also liked jumping in and hanging out with Daddy and Mommy in the water.
The Fourth of July was pretty low key for us. We planned to go to a picnic in the city park, but by noon it was already close to 100 degrees outside. Our boys (especially Jonah) get heat rash easily and I am not much for the heat these days, so we stayed home. We walked to a park nearby for fireworks in the evening. Being from MN, Mike and I aren't used to so many types of fireworks being legal. Even after two summers of living here, it is strange to walk to the park and see people lighting off some impressive fireworks from their yards/driveways! Once at the park, the other people there were putting on pretty good pre-show entertainment with their own fireworks...so strange for us who grew up with even sparklers being illegal until we were teenagers. The boys loved the fireworks. The city of Wahoo puts on a great show for being a small town.
Toward the middle of the month, my parents came to visit for a week. I agreed to cover some vacation time for a couple of SLPs that I work with. So, my parents stayed with the boys while I worked. My dad tackled the big project of painting our kitchen cupboards. The cupboards were stained very dark and had extremely dated 1970s hardware on them. My dad painted them a color called "Cracker Bitz" and replaced the door knobs and drawer pulls. The kitchen/dining room walls had been white with a dated border and one wall covered in dark paneling. We removed the border and paneling not long after we moved in and then painted our kitchen/dining room "Kimono Red" during the winter. It completely changed the look! It is SO much better than before. My dad still has one small section of cupboards to finish. Also, I need to get things hung on the walls and we need to replace the 1970s light fixture in the kitchen, but it is good to be close to done with these rooms! I don't have good before/after pictures right now. Hopefully, I can get some up soon.
The week after my parents left was Vacation Bible School week at church. I directed the program this year, which was a new experience for me! It was a fantastic week. We used Go Fish's "Backstage With the Bible" curriculum. It was a great curriculum for exposing our children to the gospel. The Lord had his hand on every aspect of the week. There is no way that we could have pulled off such a week by our own strength. Even now as I write, I am amazed at some of the ways that the Lord directly answered specific prayers I had regarding how the week would come together. Over 90 children were exposed to the gospel that week! I really enjoyed connecting with some fantastic women of God from within our church family and from other evangelical churches in town. VBS really was a family event for us this year. Even though he is not yet 4, Jonah participated in the 4-year-old class. He had a blast! Mike taught the 3rd graders. I taught the 5-year-olds. And, Silas was cared for by a sweet young woman from our church. We turned Mike's office into a nursery for the week (our nursery became a classroom) so Silas, Elana, and another little boy could be a part of VBS when they wanted to but also had their own space. By Friday of VBS week, we were WIPED OUT! It truly was by God's grace that we made it through such a full week.
Most of last week was spent trying to recover from VBS the week before. Last weekend was quite busy for me as I was wrapping things up from VBS and had a lot of clean up and organizing to take care of. We enjoyed having a guest preacher last Sunday so Mike didn't have to prepare a sermon that week. The boys got into a habit of waking up early during VBS week since we had to be at church by 8:00 each morning. This week, we have been trying to adjust naps and bed times to work with their fatigue from the week and to get them back to sleeping longer in the mornings. It has been a trying week with disobedience and discipline, but we are thankful for God's grace to help us keep the right focus although it has been difficult at times.
Trying to cool down on one of our 100 degree days this past week
This past week has been county fair week in Wahoo. Thursday night was the big parade in town. Thankfully, Mike was able to find some spots for us that would be in the shade at the time of the parade and set out chairs early. It was so much better than
last year!
Cooling down with a freezie
Our boys aren't too into candy. They definitely like a piece or two when they can have it but don't go crazy over collecting it at parades, which is alright by us! Right after I took this picture a group of kids sitting nearby came over to get it. One boy exclaimed, "I'M IN HEAVEN!" Thankfully, one of the girls he was with corrected him by saying, "No, heaven is much better than this!"
3-year-old children make great campaign ads for candidates. Ask a 3-year-old if they want a sticker, of course they will say yes!
I worked two days last week and will work two days again next week. We are working on saving up a bit for me to have some time off once this baby arrives. This busy schedule has definitely caught up to me. Friday night into Saturday morning, I slept over 10 hours (thank you, Mike!). Apparently I didn't wake up to a thunderstorm or to Jonah getting up. We enjoyed a quiet day at home yesterday. We watched a fair amount of the Olympics and took care of some things around the house. I am feeling much more rested today and didn't even take a nap when everyone else was this afternoon.
We are now off to see Go Fish in concert in Lincoln. Should be a good time!
