School's Out!

School is officially OUT! So, what does every good son need to start doing: yardwork. He really wishes he was able to use Dad's weedeater, but it's about all he can to do to carry it around and not hit anyone. But it does encourage me that one day we will have sons who can help with the outside work--and really enjoy it!
Abigail and I enjoyed a little moment in the breeze...
of the electric fan which Lydia hooked up to an extension cord and ran across the driveway to the shade of the tree. It seemed a little excessive when I saw the rig from the house, but it actually made the afternoon heat a little more bearable!

Saturday morning we went to Emma Sloan's 3rd birthday party and had a first-experience: cake shortly after breakfast. Some of her guests had a long travel day ahead through three states, so we met up early for them to be able to hit the road. The kids seemed quite unaffected by such an early dose of sugar and enjoyed time with their friends. Happy Birthday Emma!

Next we drove down to Fayetteville and spent the remainder of the day with my mom and dad. For a variety of reasons, we have not enjoyed Saturdays together as a family for almost 2 years. We are rediscovering this joy of just "hanging out" as a family: learning more about ourselves, seeing strengths and weaknesses in our children, and actually enjoying the children (as children) a lot more. It has been a sweet season that the Lord has allowed us to have and we are very grateful. So we literally just "hung out" with my parents. We blew bubbles, read books, talked theology, talked life, talked food. I ran out to do an errand with just my mom and Abigail--a really rare thing. Anyway, we had a good time and came back ready for bed.

Sunday we enjoyed fantastic preaching by Dr. Joey Pipa, president of Greenville Seminary in Greenville, SC. Our mission work church is growing and we are privileged to be part of this new work in our area. We have enjoyed really fine sermons from different men who have been supplying the pulpit. The Lord has been so faithful to us--beyond what we have ever deserved. We had a young couple and a single over for lunch and were blessed with great conversation and time of refreshment.