These Last Days Of Summer

It has been a blissful Summer. Our decision to forgo baseball amongst other time-intensive commitments allowed us to just breathe and savor every moment of family life. We needed this. I need this.  Last year was the year of grieving and living in the fear of the unknown.  This year I am breathing and dancing and giving thanks and immersing myself in God's beauty.

Lest I give the impression it's been all idleness on top of cake and ice cream, I should also recount the numerous trips to the laundromat! That is my excuse for momentarily abandoning this blog.  The good news is I am finally caught up with laundry now that a new and shiny machine has been purchased.  I am a few hundred dollars poorer but my clothes are clean.  

I am also caught up on Downton Abbey and various other Masterpiece Theatre offerings. 

What I'm not caught up on is getting ready for the new school year.  The oldest is officially enrolled with Seton but I have yet to sit down and write a reasonable lesson plan for the rest. That will have to wait until glitter pens are bought.  Yes, I need sparkly ink to inspire the lesson planning :-)

My oldest two went to Catholic camp this year. The oldest was at Catholic Youth Summer Camp and the girl was at a youth ministry camp. What a blessing! They both came home fired up for the Faith.  I am brought to joyful tears that the Lord would be so kind to make His face known to my children.  I have always taught them that eventually they will have to discover who God is apart from what mom and dad says He is. We all, at some point, need that Magdalene moment when we can truly say "I have seen the Lord!" And it is an immense blessing when that happens in a young child's life before the cares of the world obscure the Divine view.

As the new school year approaches, don't forget to savor the rest of this season.

Here are some pictures to account for this blissful Summer, in random order-

at the creek with cousins

the girl serving the volleyball at the parish picnic, it helps to have a Sister on your team

getting ready for a sleepover birthday party with her friends, note the beauty supplies

my laundromat buddy

camp entrance

this was home for a week for the oldest

the youngest celebrated a birthday

preparing the girl's vegetable garden with the help of big brother

out on a hike

can you tell which one is the most ornery?

it's good to have a strong brother when you get tired

never too young to learn how to play golf

camp photo copied from CYSC

girl and her best friend - camp photo copied from St. Patrick Youth Ministry