Summertime

Summertime is always such a busy time of year for me. It seems to get busier every year as my kids get older. This summer Trevor is doing piano and gymnastics. Justin is going to physical therapy 3 times a week until next week (I hope!!!). Natalie goes to dance 2 hours a day 4 days a week. She really needs to have a place where she can interact with other little girls. It has made a huge difference in her attitude... for the better. Drew is the only one not in a structured activity. He keeps us really busy, though. He is doing his best to make us laugh as often as possible. Each week we get together with friends, try to swim at least once a week, and then the normal everyday stuff. I actually think my house is dirtier in the summer since we have friends over more often, and 2 boys who are home more often than during the school year.

Kent had a business trip this week. We started a tradition during one of his business trips a few months ago, and we decided to continue it last night. We got ready for bed, said our nightly prayers, and then sat down to play Hot Potato. I know, it sounds so dorky, but it's really fun. We get everyone involved, and we all have to say something when we pass the ball. We always start with saying "Hot Potato!" and then we move on to other subjects. We did colors, foods, countries in Central America (I had to correct a few mispronunciations) and then cars. I need to brush up on that last one. After we did those subjects we moved on to songs. We just sang kids songs that they learned in either church or preschool. To end it all last night we each took a turn saying something nice about each person. We started with the youngest, and then went in ascending order for comments about each person. The only rules were that it had to be something nice/kind, and it had to be about the person/their character/talents/etc., not their possessions. Everyone said something nice, and it totally brightened each child's face to hear their siblings and mom say something nice about them. Who wouldn't want praise for the things that they do? It helps the other kids learn to appreciate the unique qualities of each individual, and all day today the kids got along better than usual. It was great!