I can hardly believe we are already in July! This summer has been especially fun-filled and has gone by extremely fast! I thought it would be nice for those of you who have read my blog for years to have a little family update on us every so often. So, as I get back to blogging, here is my Summer Edition.

This summer has been action packed! With no baby that needed a morning nap we’ve been off doing things more than we’ve been home. And we’ve had more playdates than I even knew we had friends! It seriously got me thinking about the whole socialization issue that many like to make about homeschoolers. Without getting too off topic here on this post: What issue?! I’ve had to intentionally clear days just so we can stay home and get some things done around here because we were too busy with social events!!

It’s been nice having a 4 and almost 2 year old this summer. We’ve been able to do so many fun things that were just hard to do last year with a baby that still slept all the time! We just got back from a 9 day trip that virtually went off without a hitch. It was the first vacation that I truly felt like I was able to relax and enjoy the entire trip because the girls were older and not so sensitive to missed sleep, which is bound to happen on vacations.

We are absolutely loving our new house. The location could not be better. It is like we are in our own little retreat back here, but with the city just outside our neighborhood. It is fabulous and I am astounded how God gives us more than we even ask for sometimes. When we started the house hunt at the end of last year, we never dreamed we’d end up where we are today. The people in this neighborhood are so friendly and actually get out and talk to each other instead of just the occasional wave from across the street. I love this.

Since we moved, Little Bug has matured greatly. I don’t think it has anything to do with moving and instead has everything to do with turning four. I think it is safe to say she has grown out of the “gets into everything stage”. Little Bug has started doing chores (I have a post coming about this) and life with both girls has been pretty smooth sailing since summer started (I have another post coming about that) – except meal times, of course!

Sweet Pea is a couple weeks away from turning two!! My baby is going to be two. I officially won’t have a baby come August. It is a bittersweet thought. I love my babies, but it is nice to be moving into the two preschoolers phase! I went back recently and read some old posts on my blog from that summer two years ago when we were waiting for her to be born and we really had no clue when that would be. And now that tiny baby girl is a walking, talking, sweet little two year old who, amazingly enough, does speak her mind on certain matters and lets it be known what she wants! Most of the time, though, she lets us know in the sweetest way although, while on vacation, I had to get up with her and leave the restaurant as she was having a temper tantrum! We were at Cracker Barrel so I walked outside and plopped her crying booty onto the bench out front and told her to sit there until she could be sweet. Then I went and sat a couple rocking chairs away (and waved to all the people staring at us!). A couple minutes later I looked at Sweet Pea and asked her if she was ready to be sweet. She said yes so I told her to walk to Mommy. She slide off the bench and walked over to me and I told her that we are quiet and polite in restaurants and do not cry and scream. And then she politely held my hand and we walked back to our table. This baby cracks me up.

Dave returned to Haiti again this year with our church and was there the first week of July. One of the highlights was walking down the street and seeing a young man he had talked a lot with last year and had lead to the Lord, come running up to him so excited to see him again. Dave said seeing him after a whole year and seeing the changes in his life from the previous year made him realize the difference that is being made by these mission trips. Our church is possibly going to be involved in several other different mission trips over the next year and Dave is praying about which the Lord might desire him to go on.

I am looking forward to starting Ready Made Preschool with Little Bug among a few other things I’ve bought to try with her this year! I know since she is not going to go to preschool this year, I’ve got to find things to keep her mind busy before we start Kindergarten next year, but at the same time, I believe these first few years of homeschool should be relaxed and FUN for children so they begin “school” with a true love of learning. I’ve got another post coming about our “2013 Homeschool Curriculum”.

I’m using this year as our Guinea Pig year so I can figure out a good schedule that will meet both girls’ needs and then get into the routine of “doing school” daily, which won’t be much different (I assume) to what we are doing now since we’ve had a Learning Time for over a year now. I look forward to this season of my life with great expectation. It is going to be challenging, fun, exhausting, rewarding and one of my greatest privileges in life.

- Elaine