Monday, August 29, 2011

Art in the "park"



We found this picnic table on the side of the road when we were walking last night. This morning, we put it to use as an art spot.


The paintings were hung out to dry on the clothesline until dinner time, when the kids reminded me they needed to be brought in lest they fly away in the breeze.

This one kept asking for more red paint!


Saturday, August 27, 2011

Durham Trip

We took a road trip to Durham to visit some of my college friends this week. We started out playing at a local park.



Then, we hit Franklin Street for some frozen yogurt. Next, we took a short tour of the Carolina campus.



The next day, we visited the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science.


On the way home, we stopped to see another friend and her sweet children. The whole experience brought back so many good memories, and made me thankful for lasting friendships.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Sandy Days

The nights come more quickly. The days are quieter and just a little bit cooler. We're launching into our fall routine with Greg teaching a couple of nights a week. We spent this morning moving mulch around the backyard. Vacation at the beach was about a month ago.

The sand is definitely out of our clothes by now, but I still carry a smooth seashell in my pocket as a reminder to slow down and enjoy the moment. I'm starting to sort through the photos, and here are a few from early in the week that I especially like.

Last summer, Nathan was still pretty scared to get in the water. This year, he went in right away.


I'm starting to get, "Are they twins?" a lot from folks we meet in stores, etc. Mark is really catching up in height, and the older they get, the more the boys are acting like buddies.


Of course, Mark definitely has his own way of experiencing the world that is distinctly different from the way big brother does things!


It was kind of chilly one day when we had a little morning rain. They both ended up bundled in their towels.


We took a couple of walks on the boardwalk in the late afternoon. The kids got a kick out of being up so high over the water. They also loved trying to play Skee-Ball in the little arcade afterward.


Monday, August 8, 2011

Growing Up

We were eating hamburgers last night, and somehow we got on the subject of getting older. Nathan asked, "When I'm an adult, will I still get to see Mark?" His gears started turning as he tried to process the idea that he wouldn't live under the same roof as his brother forever. We explained that he would still get to see Mark, just not live with him, and that he could always come home to visit us. He said, "But I'm going to to come back to this house EVERY day!"

I have been memorizing Zephaniah 3:17 with the children for the past week. We read the scripture at meal times. This morning after breakfast, I was getting ready for the day and the kids were playing in their rooms for a few minutes. When I went to check on them, I saw some bookmarks from my Bible littering the hallway. Turns out they had brought it upstairs to "read." Nathan said, "Mama, want me to read this to you?" He then spoke this blessing:

The Lord your God is with you,
He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.