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Ender got along really well with his cousin Myra in Bellingham. He didn’t seem jealous when I held her, though he often wanted to sit with us. He was very interested in looking at her and touching her, and he was really gentle. This gives me hope that he will do well with our new baby, due in November. He is such a mama’s boy that I’ve been a bit worried about that! I think I will be amazed how much more mature he is in 3 months. That is how it was with Alice: almost two really is different than one and a half.

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Independence Day was celebrated in Bellingham this year. We started before dark since most of the kids go to bed before dusk (about 9 pm). The smoke bombs were a big hit. Note to children: it may not be a good idea to stand directly over the smoke bomb with just shorts and bare feet. Kezia got a little burn on her leg. We also did sparklers, jumping jacks, and fountains while it was still light. Benji brought out some of the bigger stuff once is was dark.

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We planned our vacation to Bellingham this summer with STRAWBERRY SEASON in mind! Last year we were there for blueberries, which was great, but Benji and I couldn’t shake the memory of that huge flat of strawberries we bought from a road-side stand on our way home after living there for the year. Those fresh strawberries were so much better than store-bought ones.

We picked the strawberries ourselves with the help of ten children! Some were more helpful than others. Ender contributed to the cause by picking about 3 and eating about 20. It was allowed to eat as much as you wanted while picking!

Then Benji proceeded to make about 20 jars of jam. This was his first canning experience and it went really well. I also made some fruit leather in the dehydrator, which was immediately consumed. Ten children, remember? As well as the six cousins and our two, Eric and Rosie from Tucson were visiting also for the first week of July. I think they had a great time. Doesn’t Rosie look proud?

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Here are some fun Ender pictures. They are all from our recent trip to Bellingham, WA. We had a wonderful, relaxing time with Benji’s brother and his family. There was awesome weather (60s and 70s) the whole time except for the first day, and I got to sleep in every day!

First Blackberries

First Chocolate Ice Cream

First Stick?

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They love each other!

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It is a rare day in summer for us to hang out very long in the yard since it is usually too hot, but one day a few weeks ago we were up early and somehow all ended up outside at once.

Ender loves the swing.

Benji rests sore muscles from volleyball the night before.

Alice shows me her “special dirt” – a mix of ashes and dirt.

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Well my big day is coming up soon. I’ll be turning 30 soon and throwing myself a party on saturday. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to pull off all the food I want to, but I’m going to put my best into trying. I don’t have much time to prep and practice making some dishes but that is my own fault for doing everything so last minute.

On a separate and unrelated topic. I’ve been having lots of fun reading through Not Always Right.

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Here is a video that features my grandmother on the News. It’s about people who are over 100 years old in Tucson.

Grandma is 100

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All Alice’s and Ender’s cousins on the Park side were in town a few weeks ago. This picture came out pretty well, considering the number of people in it!

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Some days I really look forward to the last part of the evening when the kids are both finally asleep. I love my kids, but I still want some time to myself! Several months ago, before Ender was born, Benji and I had a conversation that changed how I approached my hour or two of “alone time” at the end of the day. I don’t remember much about the conversation except for what I walked away from it with. I walked away with the realization that I should start asking God what to do with that time.

In those days I was reading in bed most nights before going to sleep. This would often lead to me staying up later than I should, so I began to pray before starting my book each night. It was a simple prayer: “God, what should I do now?” Almost always, I felt an answer. Usually, what I heard was “sleep” or “journal” or “read the Bible” or “go put away the milk that you left out on the counter in the kitchen.” Now, it could be that this exercise is just helping me to make better choices. I got a huge helping when servings of doubt were being handed out. I can only hope that it truly is God’s still, small voice that I am hearing, and not just my own. I must say that God has seemed closer since I started doing this. It is helping me believe that God does care about the little things, that he is interested in me and my day-to-day life.

Lately I’ve been trying to move the timing of that first prayer up. I’d like to start praying it right when I finish putting the kids down to sleep. I wonder what will happen if I offer God an hour or two of unstructured time to lead me in, instead of just the last few minutes before I’m too tired to do anything but sleep?

- Susan -

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