Musings on Life and Beauty Archives - Page 38 of 146

They’re off!

August 20, 2012 jennifer crafts & activities, Musings on Life and Beauty

It has begun. They got up, put on uniforms, donned backpacks and smiles. We cooked a yummy breakfast, laughed, prayed and took some pictures. As we stood for prayer I thought about how nice it was to have my husband standing on both legs again. It gave me a sense of normalcy that has been scarce around here. And then they drove away with their Dad to start another adventure. After they left I sat outside on my back porch to read my scriptures and enjoy the cool air and sounds of the sprinklers in nearby yards.

They’re all a little nervous, some more than others. One has been in tears off and on since Thursday. I remind myself how resilient children are, how quickly they adapt to new rules and new settings and I feel confident that all will turn out well.

I purchased these little wood “conversation bubbles” a while ago from Pick Your Plum and they’ve been sitting in my pile of things to paint for months. They got a few coats of chalkboard paint over the weekend and at last they’re in use!

I hope we have a lot of fun with them in coming months. Someone was already enjoying them this morning:

I’m not sure if he is crazy nervous about first grade, or if he was just in an obnoxious mood, but this little guy was full of yelling and goofy all morning. I’ve got my fingers crossed for him. First grade is such a big deal, bringing a lot of exhaustion up front as their little bodies adjust to such long days.

We’re off for orientation at the high school and a long list of things to take care of. It’s going to be a great year!

One comment 8 kids

It’s someone’s birthday!

August 2, 2012 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

Our family is scattered for the day (some of us for a few days) so we had a mini-celebration early this morning, complete with donuts.

She opened a few gifts, including a new bike helmet, to which her comment was “I wanted a new BIKE, not a helmet!”

Thank goodness there was a surprise waiting on the front porch!

I love this girl so much! We’re going to try to make it a super-fun day.
Happy birthday, sweetie!

Mom

One comment 8 kids, birthday

Trip to the Skate Park

July 21, 2012 jennifer Musings on Life and Beauty

Looks like he’s back, doesn’t it? It sure is great to have this young man walking around in two shoes again! (Although it is quite funny to see how worn his left shoe looks compared to his right.) His ankle still swells and hurts him plenty, but it looks like we’re on our way.

On the 4th of July we went to the skate park for a little family outing.

Two of the boys took their bikes and we brought a few skateboards along.

It made me a little nervous to have my little guy out there, but he did just fine.

Doesn’t he look tiny down in the bowl?

My four year old spent most of the time at the top of the slide keeping an eye on the fire that was burning on a few miles away at the time.

The rest of us went back and forth from the shade of a lone tree. It was my husband’s first time out of the house for something other than a doctor’s appointment. It was also his first trip to a skate park as a spectator instead of a participant, which was a bummer.

I love my boys!

This little lady was so adorable as she strapped on a helmet and tried skateboarding for the first time.

We had a great time until the 100+ degree heat got to us. It’s been a while since we’ve all been there together, and it added a nice feeling to our holiday.

I think that, more often than we realize, simple memories like these are the stuff of life. I hope we’ve been able to strengthen the fabric of our family this summer with lots of simple togetherness. These are the times when I am happiest.