I'm so sorry!

I took a little break...but I'm back!! 

I feel like school is really good!  Maguillacutty is an awesome student for the most part.  I feel like we are in a groove.  Funny thing is that we finished our lower level a few months ago and the plan was for it to be the "homeschool room" - and we really prefer being at the kitchen table or outside.  So, I guess I'll move all their toys downstairs now and just make it a playroom. 

I'd like to just recap the fun we've had over the last few days....

We had ice cream at Petey's Eaty's Saturday evening - summertime surprise ice cream after dinner is always fun for a kid...especially when there is a tractor to climb on....

On our way home, we saw a hot air balloon that looked like it was going to land near our house so we started to follow it...ended up finding half a dozen balloons all landing just down the street from our house.  We got to watch one land - unfortunately, it landed on the farmers crops and we witnessed the farmer go off on the people in the follow car...because the balloon was pretty deep into the field and there was definitely going to be damage just to get a car out there.  We didn't stay for that show....

Sunday, we hit up the new little church we are "investigating" - Faith Alive CC...girls loved it again.  And everyone is really, really nice - but hubs and I weren't totally into the sermon this week...just didn't get much out of it at all.  But, we are both still up for going back next weekend.  The Pastor's wife, Mary, was with Maguill in Childrens Church - and Maguill told her she was homeschooled.  Mary approached me after church and seemed intrigued with this - we didn't get to talk to much because of the normal distractions and interruptions from the girls. But I would like to talk to her...I need to reach out to the Pastor and ask about meeting up one evening.  Maguill was instructed to memorize a bible verse and if she can say it on Sunday, she gets a Kit Kat...both Maguill & Whipper have it memorized already.  Whipper didn't even have to do it - so I told her I would get her a Kit Kat myself, since she's technically too young for Children's Church.  But another weird thing happened...Pastor Matt talked of when Moses took a group to check out Canaan and what the land had to offer and the group of spies reported back that it was fruitful, but surrounded by enemies "they are giants...we want to go back to Egypt"...well, that night I was in bed reading my book "The Blessings of a Skinned Knee" - a parenting book based on Jewish traditions and I read the following passage....coincidence or sign from God....

The rest of our Sunday was spent just enjoying the day as a family and having Daddy home...

Maguill loves the magnets in our science experiment kit....seriously - she likes to take breaks from school and play with the magnets....

I found some ways to make learning sight words fun on Pinterest...we tried one today and the girls loved it! It was a little game where I wrote the words on the driveway with chalk and Maguill had to throw a rock down onto a word, say the word and then move up closer to WINNER spot...once she got there, I let her pick a little prize out of this basket of junk I have been saving for a rainy day...I need to hit up the Dollar Store to get some more junk because this really worked...practicing her sight words is really the only thing she gives me a hard time working on...but it was fun today...

Our most favorite place is definitely this state park called Jacobsburg - great hiking trail and a beautiful clean creek that runs through it - we met up with friends today and played for hours....cool but scary thing today we encountered 2 baby racoons - they basically had us trapped on the trail because every time we moved to one side of the trail to walk by, they followed us...I finally yelled at them "NO!"  "STOP!" "GO AWAY!" and they took off into the woods.  But they were soooo cute....

I'm honestly feeling as though I'm in a really good spot mentally and physically - I haven't felt this way in a really long time...I just feel like all the stars are aligning and I have more energy and motivation and just love for each day.  And I've been finding prayer to come more easily and regularly....and naturally.  Maguill & Whipper were awake the other morning...hubs and I were still in bed - we heard Whipper say to Maguill "it's not all about you...it's all about Jesus" - priceless!