Catching Up

We have stayed so busy lately that blogging has been the farthest thing from my mind. I keep up my list of thanks though because that is just good for me. I WAS going to do one long blog catching up but my new goal is to do a few short blogs for a few days just to remember what we did and what the kids were like this summer. Rie's blog about Delia made me choke up and remember that I started this blog as a place to keep memories and thoughts, and a record of our life during this season. I will never relive a day of my life, but there are many good ones that God has graciously given that I would like to remember, especially where my children are concerned. So, here is the first short (relatively) catch-up blog.

Carter enjoying the corn that he himself grew. He said it was the "best corn ever" and he was right. We all LOVED it! Almost a month later, he maintains that his corn is still the best ever. We'll see if we can do even better next summer. Below is Addie enjoying an ear from the harvest...

Addie at the blueberry farm where we picked our own. We don't have a big enough yard or big enough energy to cultivate blueberries on top of the other things we grow. SO, we fairly inexpensively picked our own with some friends and had a great time doing it, AND then we went swimming because it was insanely hot. Below is Carter in the field. His quote for the day was "I'm going to pick 100 more and then I quit!" And he did.

Some of the harvest.

The inside of a fresh-baked muffin the next morning. This recipe is WONDERFUL -- you make a simple blueberry jelly and once you have put fresh berries in the batter and spooned it into the muffin tins, you add a teaspoon of jelly to the top and swirl it in for maximum berry flavor. They were FABULOUS. Caerter doesn't even like blueberries but he loved these...

A very big moment for Carter. He has been giving regularly to the church for some time now. Our church financial secretary noticed the homemade envelopes he was using and sent him some of his very own. She is so sweet and this was such an encouragement to him.

The best treat all summer. During the snowfall in February (or was it March?) I scooped up a big bowl of clean snow and put it in the deep freeze. We made it into snowcones. The kids were SO happy in the heat to have some real snow...

Carter has developed a deep love for Legos. This is big for us because he has been very slow in fine motor development. He read on his own at the age of three and began playing piano by ear at the age of four. But he has never really been interested in "normal" little boy things. This summer, he has embraced Legos and wants nothing but more Legos. It is so sweet and we are happy for him.

Addie's new venture. She has been taking piano lessons since the beginning of June. I may have mentioned this already but I wanted to put a pic up. She loves it, works VERY hard at it, can play a few little songs on the black keys but most importantly, she just loves her teacher and the experience. We hope that music will always be a joy to both of our children.

A close-up of Carter's sweet face as taken by Addie.

Addie laying in the bed and waiting for some snuggle time and a movie with me. ("Mama, will you make some fettucini alfredo, please?" When I came back in with her pasta, she was sound asleep, so I curled around her and relished her sweet, warm body and four-year-old trust.)

This is a teaser for what will hopefully be a post soon, a bowl of lady pea pot licker. I was raised eating it, and Addie loves it. There is a story behind it that I want to remember, so I will try to blog it soon.