Summer

Summer is finally here and I have been longing for this chance to have an extended break.  I find myself today immersed in a two week writing course that is quite intense.  My opportunity for a break has been delayed until the end of these two weeks.  I gratefully have only 4 days left and then feel like I can breath.  Last week I stopped at the Doctors to see why this sore throat isn't going away.  He said I don't have strep and it is possible that I have mono.  This would not surprise me.  I have had it before and I have been pushing myself to quite an extreme.  I hope that the end of these two weeks will prove to be a relief to not just the workload, but this illness that seems to not want to go away.

Saturday we celebrated Elizabeth's 8th birthday.  I was a little surprised at the emotion that snuck up on me when her party guests started to arrive.  I was realizing that she was growing up and that friends were a big deal.  She is growing into such a big helper and becoming more inquisitive to life around her.  She now is embarrassed by the self-selected nickname Farty McMarty and realizing that it may not be desirable.  I will forever love how she owned it without shame as a 4 year old.  We had a plan to play outside in the sunshine with water balloons and a little pool etc.  It rained instead.  Not just a little, but quite a lot for June.  After 2 weeks of above-normal temperatures that thermometer dropped and we had an inside party.  She had about 8 guests, all but one were either former or future students of mine.  Even two boys from her class accepted the invitation.  Half of the fun for her was making the cupcakes by herself and then mostly the frosting with a little assistance.  I frosted them for her and she topped them off with sprinkles.  She got a lot of nice gifts.  Today we will finish off the last gift, which was to get her ears pierced.  The backs to the bunny earrings I gave her are already missing thanks to the curious Brynlee.

Yesterday was Sunday.  I am loving how my family is large enough that we are the party now.  We don't need to invite anyone over to have a good time.  We had a popcorn-smoothie night.  It was interrupted by our friends the Findley's.  Darian invited us to their family celebration to being a united family.  Darian and Demetrius were the foster boys we had in our home when Maverick and Brynlee.  They were able to go with the Findlay's (who used to be our neighbors) with their two sisters.  The four of them are getting adopted and we are feeling content that all worked out as it should and that both of our families are complete.