All Tuckered Out

Nathan was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch at 6:45 tonight! In his backpack, he has his precious book order (he picked a book about sharks) and his sharing for tomorrow morning. This week, the kids can bring anything they would like to share with their class. His choice? His swim trunks with sharks on them! Don't ask me why he chose this particular item because I don't fully understand it myself! And, of course, his trusty companion is snuggled close by. This picture just makes me smile - and want to squeeze my sweet little boy. Sweet dreams, little man!

Family Fun

After church this morning, we headed over to Grandpa and Grandma Tos' house for lunch. The kids were thrilled to spend time with Zachary and Ainsley again. They had a great time playing together! Zachary came home with us and the fun continued at our house. The kids spent a lot of time playing "house" together. It was a fun afternoon!

We Love Weekends!

Whew! Weekends take on a whole new meaning when school starts! It was such a treat to have EVERYONE home today. We baked cookies, read books, did some yardwork, and just enjoyed being home. The kids thoroughly enjoyed just staying home after a busy week of school. Allie and Nathan played "restaurant" and "bakery" with playdough for a few hours this afternoon while Beth and I sat and painted for awhile. (This is her favorite painting from the day).

Today I'm thankful for family time. It's a gift!

And so it begins...

School started today - and all three of our kids were so excited! They were up early, dressed and ready to go in plenty of time. Thankfully, it was just a half day. We get to ease into the week a bit! This afternoon I filled out the myriad of forms that were sent home today while the kids played and played and played. I think they missed being together this morning!

So Thankful For Good Friends...

Last year, our dear friends, Scott and Kristin moved to Michigan with their three children so Scott could attend seminary. They are visiting this week and we were able to spend a few hours with them this afternoon. They are so easy to be with and we have missed them so much! It was a gift to have some time with them - and the kids enjoyed playing together again too. I'm very thankful for our friendship - it is a special gift!

Celebrating Ten Years!

Ten years ago, Phil and I were just beginning this journey called marriage. Just as God was faithful in bringing the two of us together, He has continued to show us His faithfulness during these past ten years.

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For our wedding, we chose Psalm 145 as our scripture passage. Some of my favorite verses from this chapter include:

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"Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

His greatness no one can fathom" (vs. 3).

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"One generation will commend your works to another" (vs. 4a)

"They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness" (vs. 7).

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"The Lord is faithful to His promises and loving toward all He has made" (vs. 13b).

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I am so very thankful that God chose Phil to be my husband. He was definitely worth the wait! As I look back on the past ten years, I feel so blessed to have a wonderful, loving husband - and three beautiful children that God has blessed us with. My cup overflows...

More Sliding Fun

This afternoon we were feeling a bit stir crazy and decided to hunt down our old slip'n'slide in the shed. We cleaned it off, inflated it, and were ready to roll! The kids all had a great time cooling off and our grass got a little (okay, a lot) of extra water!

Here Allie tests the waters...

Beth's hair didn't stay dry for long. This was her first run and she was a bit tentative!

And, yes, this is our little man DRINKING the water from the slip'n'slide - after he and his sisters had run and slid on it for nearly 30 minutes. It didn't bother him at all, but it made me cringe! Boys will be boys, I suppose.

More Family Time

Grandpa and Grandma Girard have been in California for two weeks now. We are blessed that they are able to visit as often as they do. Here's just a few miscellaneous pictures from their visit...

Beth enjoyed some time with Grandma when she was finished on the water slide.

Jack absolutely LOVES to swing! I think he'd swing all day if he had the chance.

After multiple attempts, we finally got a pretty good picture of our kids with Grandpa and Grandma Girard!

Slip Sliding Away!

This morning we headed to Deb and Greg's house to enjoy some more time with Phil's parents and to play on their inflatable water slide. The kids had a great time!

I think it's safe to say that Allie Grace probably enjoyed the slide more than any of the kids. She was smiling pretty much the entire time - even when she was landing at the bottom! I suppose that's why we call her our "sunshine girl" - and when she smiles, it is impossible not to smile along with her! (remember to click on any photo that you want to enlarge...)

Fun with Faraway Friends

The kids and I drove to Escalon on Sunday evening to spend some time with our friends. We stayed with the DeVecchio family for two nights and enjoyed some special time with them. The girls had a great time playing with Mia and Rachel, while Nathan was thrilled to be in a house with stairs! On Monday afternoon, we went to Dawn's house and enjoyed playing with Hailie, Logan and Kelsey as well. It was a treat to be with our former neighbors again!

Rachel and Allie in the hot tub

Mia and Beth watching the fish
Jane and Allie have always been buddies!
The gang - Nathan, Logan, Mia, Allie, Hailie, Beth, Rachel and Kelsey
On Tuesday morning, we met some wonderful friends in Ripon. Jen, Lori and Debbie met us there with their kids for fun in the fountains and on the playground. It was so nice to catch up with them, but now I miss Escalon all over again. God really blessed us with dear friends during our time there. I'm thankful that we can see each other from time to time.
Janine, Beth, Natalie, Ella and Nathan enjoy the fountains.
A quick game of leapfrog - up the hill!
Brett, Beth, Natalie, Kent, Allie, Nathan, Janine and Darin
(Ella and Delia had already gone home - sorry, Jen!)
Debbie, Lori and I

Tea for Two

Yesterday the girls were so excited to attend a birthday tea party in honor of their friend, Lauren. They had a great time getting dressed up, eating chocolate chip scones and drinking raspberry lemonade - and plenty of other treats as well! Here they are waiting for the birthday girl to arrive for the tea party.