Summer 2016

It is already the last week of summer - because life flies by at a rate that I can't catch and all my babies are growing up. This has been an awesome summer. Ana turned 5, Zoe turned 7 - Family camp, pools, splash pads, I got to take an amazing trip and leave Matt alone with the kids for 7 days (unheard of!). The thing about having four kids is that life is always a little (a lot?) loud and crazy and something is always going on. I actually like to live my life this way, rather than quiet and boring all the time so I feel like I'm thriving. Don't hear me wrong - when Z and A go back to school soon there will be benefits to that schedule as well and then I will adapt and learn to appreciate the afternoon down time with only Benny awake. But for the summer time I enjoy the freedom and the time with all the kiddos at home even though some days they drive each other insane! 

This girl doesn't live in America - thats all I'm saying!

I have no kids on this plane with me!

Merica! This was shortly after I dropped a lit match into the back of our van. Firework fail.

Such intense excitement was happening!!

Captain America

Country life!!!

We didn't spend as much time at the pool this year as probably others. Jack - hated - the pool for the most of the summer. Only in these last few weeks has he found it acceptable to be in the water. Going the pool with four kids is hard enough without one of them screaming and fussing the whole time! It was strange really because this kind of fussiness is pretty outside of Jack's character but it made it -hard- to do pool time without someone there to help. That being said we still got in a good amount of water time. 

Summerin' right

Happiest out of the water

Splash pads are more his scene!

At some point Ana even learned the very most basic aspects of swimming. I still wouldn't trust her in water she can't touch in but she is getting it! This is a huge step from the days of early summer when she wouldn't put her face in the water. At family camp I slowly convinced her to go down the slide with her lifejacket - catching her less and less. This gave her confidence to get her face wet and she started liking to "dive" for pool toys and be more comfortable. Being comfortable in the water is about 90% of what swimming is so at Abba's pool we decided (or I bribed her with ice cream, either way) to try it without her life jacket and she has the basic motions down and will put her face in all the way! As soon as she coordinates her movements more she'll be ready for high water! I was so proud of that girl I almost cried! I had also just driven SOLO with four kids on a 4.5 hour road trip on highway 35 so I could also have been dealing with some post stress from that ... but I think it was just pride. Pretty sure. 

In addition to swimming my sweet girl turned FIVE. Ana is FIVE. She is basically a big, big kid. We've spent a lot of the summer praying and learning about self-control. My dear Ana and her big emotions. She has always had them and one of our main parenting goals with her is to help her manage them with the help of the Lord. It can be a hard thing - but her emotions can also be the sweetest thing to witness when they are positive and encouraging. I'm excited for her Kinder year. Just tonight I was telling Ana that I think having the time to be with just her friends and have her own life apart from her siblings will help her gain patience for them. By them I mean Zoe and Ben because Ana never - truly never - shows displeasure with Jack man. (I can easily see how babies get spoiled!) She wanted a small, few friend party - true to her nature. So of course, her birthday party consisted of her and Link! Love Ana's ability to love her friends. At five, Ana's favorite things include reading on her own, reading Winne the Pooh chapters with momma, cuddling stuffed toys and being one of Jack's best playmates.  I'm praying for my sweet Ana girl to grow in self control this year and praying that all her best qualities - joy, cheerleading, humility - will grow in her even more!  

When you and your BFF have enough kids to be a party

Climbing high with Benny

Such love. 

Our cuddly girl!

Happiness is CFA ice cream

Little loves!

And of course, family camp happened. That magical time of year where we actually take a -real- vacation and Matt and I get to have -focused conversations- and down time and our children get vast amounts of freedom to roam through camp. 

This picture brings us great joy. 

Carnival night! 

We. Still. Love. Each. Other!

Cabin craziness!!

This counselor was born with a cleft lip/palate! For this and other reasons he is such a COOL GUY!

And one of the last hurrahs of Summer -- Zoe turned seven. Z is tall, determined, confident and usually in charge. I feel like all of my kids have grown up so much this summer and Z is no exception. She has started having playdates at peoples houses, doing computer workouts just for her, remembers to feed her FISH all on her own and takes lots of great care of her siblings. Just like Ana some of the best parts of Zoe can sometimes be her downfall but for the most part we are watching God grow this girl up into one who cares about others. My prayers for this one are starting to shift towards God giving her wisdom to help make good choices as her little world expands more and more as she grows. Zoe took a few friends to the aquarium for her birthday and had a great time! I love watching this age because I myself have so many memories of little girl playtimes and fun. At 7 Z loves to read, play with friends, think of things she can build or vacations she can take and plan her days, and do workouts. She is also constantly thinking of new ways to wear clothes or transform her wardrobe into her own style. 

All the skirts. One of my favs. 

Zoe's fish that she gave a crazy name to!

Cousin party!

Loved the aquarium!!

I feel like looking back through these posts, looking at all the smiling faces and positive spins, it feels almost fictional to think about our lives. But, despite hard times when the kids are fighting about absolutely nothing or we are all tired of being together nonstop because its 109 degrees outside and we are hiding in the A/C - these days really are happy times. For every crazy moment there seem to be 100 good ones and Matt and I frequently end the day laughing about something that happened inside our family or just being in awe of these great gifts God gave us. Older people freak. out. all the time about making sure we are enjoying these days and so let me declare it to the world: yes, we are tired. we wish we could get through conversations without a million interruptions. all i ever do is dishes. I've been changing diapers non-stop for 7 years and I'm pretty sure i never sit down. But,  we are -enjoying- this time with our young ones. The more of these kiddos I keep having the better it gets because I just only realize just how little control I have over any of this chaos! 

Bee still my heart

One of my fav riding buddies

The big kids

The blondiest one!