Where is their mother???

SO... I let the kids put the dog in the bathtub to try and see if she would swim. There was a day I would have never allowed such shenanigans. Tonight I just said "sure" and continued to sit on the couch reading while they set to it. I guess the way I see it... I'm a mom who says "no" to a lot and will continue to - why not say yes if it's not a moral issue. They had a blast... created such hoopla that I peeked in and snapped a few pictures.

Check out this drowned rat...

Pippi is crying because she fell in the tub while watching...

the kids thought she looked SO cute... I thought she looked more like a rodent that had crawled up from a sewer pipe (Madison is highly offended that I would say that!)...

... so... where was these crazy kids' mother? She was sitting on the couch with a smile on her face as she listened to the giggles and squeals coming from the bathroom, hoping her kids were making memories together and would remember what a fun mom they had. :)

Fun With Friends

Couples Night Out with our co-op. 6 of my favorite couples in the whole wide world. I found this quote from John Piper and it resonated so deeply with me and is exactly how I feel about these families...

"And I know from experience that the sweetest and deepest moments of fellowship in my life are the hours of relishing some great vision together with people who have the same convictions about God and about the world. And the deeper the agreement, the deeper the joy and the power of those moments. "

What a sweet  and fun time we had together...

...so blessed. Everyone should have people like these in their lives.

Summer Days

It's hot! I'm ready for fall. All is well. The Lord has been so faithful to us. He has provided, though generous people, for us well during what should have been a very difficult month for us. Jason has been working every day in Jun and July (woo hoo!). We are not forgetting the lessons of our faith being rooted in Him.

In our little circle of friends these are the four seasons... fall season, winter season, spring season, and birthday party season. Everyone has a birthday in our co-op and we are no exception. All four males in our home have their birthday between the end of July and the end of August.

The girls went to a fabulous tea party and came home with these darling teacups as favors...

Two days later they were off to a "Crazy 8" party where they had to dress crazy (they LOVED this)...

We visited the Children's Museum... free and air conditioned... perfect...
Allyson and Ty playing in the bank...

Pippi poured coffee on the porch of the house display for a LONG time...

Wilson in the tepee...

Cowboy Cole...

Madison tended the shop...

Pipster and her buddy, Jude...

We've also done some outdoor play - a few trips to the park but I really need to get them to the pool! If only taking 7 kids to the pool was easy. Sigh.

But we are here and well and enjoying the lazy, crazy summer days.