We had a really fun day playing with the cousins!  Big Brother was so excited about them coming today that he woke up at 6:30am, just to make sure he didn’t miss anything.  He should take a very good nap!

We started the day off with waffles, got everyone into their clothes, and then painted.  The hot day was perfect for squirt guns and water balloons in the backyard.  They also washed all of the bikes and toy cars.

My oldest thinks that life would be perfect, if he could just have all of his cousins live at his house.  The two littlest boys gravitated towards each other.  It’s funny how even at their young age they are already seeking out others who are similar to themselves.

My mom came to help play with the kids, which made the day all the more special for them and a lot less work for me!

The box of art supplies arrived on my front porch on Monday.  I’m almost 30 years old, but when I opened those boxes of color pastels I felt like I was 4-years-old all over again.  I remember holding that box of beautiful pristine crayons and thinking that I was holding the whole world in my hands.  That clean white pad of paper just waiting to be colored on! 

It was so tempting to abandon nap time chores and sit down and start drawing, but… my husband likes to have clean clothes for work.  Yesterday I managed to squeeze in a few minutes to start a picture, it’s an orchard scene for my husband.  It’s not going as smoothly as I would like.  Drawing anything more than rolling hills is stretching my artistic ability, but as they say “Practice makes perfect” or in my case slightly better!

Even though I feel the hot sun on my shoulders, I know it’s coming.  I see it out of the corner of my eye.  Autumn is coming.  The yellow birch leaves are dotting the green grass on the back lawn, long shadows are coming earlier in the evening, almonds are on the ground, and a golden haze has settled on the fields.  I also find myself reaching for my James Taylor C.D.s.  For some reason I always listen to James Taylor, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Rich Mullins in the fall.  In the spring it’s a solid diet of Ella Fitzgerald and in the Summer; Reckless Kelly and The Jayhawks.  I’m not sure how this system evolved over the years but it’s become almost a seasonal compulsion; like the migration of birds or the rotation of the planets.

It has been the month of Birthdays for our family.  Between our two families we celebrated 8 birthdays this month.  My oldest son now thinks that birthdays are a weekly event much like going to church on Sunday. 

As I was getting him undressed for his bath tonight I found the following items in his pocket:

                      1 Slightly chewed eraser

                      2 Square silver gift tags

                      Several small rocks

                      1 dried up glue stick

                      and a pair of finger nail clippers

They aren’t always clean, or happy, or well-behaved but they are mine and I am so glad!

He has become very interested in flipping through the pages of my Bible.  While I’m pleased with this recent development I’m not so pleased with the ripped pages in my Bible.

I decided it might be time to get him his own Bible.  We went to Yesterday’s Books and picked out a Children’s picture Bible for him to take to church.  I also thought it might be a good opportunity to start letting him bring an offering to church as well.

Sunday morning came and after he got dressed for church we got his Bible down and we tucked a small envelope of coins in it’s pages.  We told him that he was going to take the money to church and give it to Jesus.  He was very excited.  He kept taking the envelope out and examining it all the while saying, “Give monies to Jesus Mommy?” 

The Bible and money rode on his lap to church,was carried into church under his arm, and then carefully placed on the seat next to him.

When the offering was passed around Daddy helped him get his money out and put it in the bag.  As he dropped the money in the bag and watched it being passed down the row he started to scream and cry. “No  Daddy! No monies!”, he sobbed. 

Evidently, he didn’t realize that when you give money to Jesus- it’s for keeps!

About a month and a half ago I decided to put all of the picture books in the playroom where he could reach them.  The window seat in the playroom makes a perfect place for reading.  I was a bit reluctant; not knowing how gentle he would be with them but he’s been great.  Several times a day I will find him pouring over the pages.

I love walking through the house and seeing him sprawled out on the carpet or curled up on the window seat, with a stack of them next to him.  I know from the look on his face that he is totally and blissfully lost in the pictures of the book.