Summertime Sydney

Our kids love our pool. It is the one thing that has saved us this summer with the blazing hot temps and the humidity that saturates your skin as soon as you step outside. It has been the best investment and the biggest blessing.

My children have had the good fortune to inherit Chad's skin tone. They bronze up in the sun easily. I'm so jealous but I'm so glad they don't have my fair skin especially since they spend hours and hours in our pool.

Sydney is a regular fish. She would spend nearly every moment in the pool. Sometimes she just puts on her bathing suit after lunch just in case the mood strikes her at some point to jump in.

Sydney is a lovely girl. Many people say she resembles me quite a bit and while she has certain attributes of mine, she is far prettier at twelve than I ever was at any age. She has long, tan legs, beatifully thick hair with curls and wave she's inherited from her daddy. She is sweet and loving and always kind. She is funny but usually doesn't try to be. She's gullible and ditzy but it makes her all that more endearing. She is adored by her brothers and her parents are wild about her. While we never intended to have three children, we sure are thrilled that God saw fit to give us our darling girl.

A few months ago, I blogged about the cat we inherited through my friend, Kurt. Sydney is in love with this feline and Tippy follows her everywhere. Wherever Sydney is, that's where Tippy wants to be. For example.... Sydney can't even be on the computer without Tippy being nearly on top of her.

We sure do love our girl. What a blessing!

Gorgeous, Hilarious, Silly Noah

NOAH

N - Noisy
O - Out-Spoken
A - Astounding
H - Hilarious

I love this blue-eyed, beautiful boy, who resembles his father in his looks but has my free-spiritness.

Ohhh Noah! I hope you know how much you are adored. I'm so crazy about you.

Elijah's Year of Dance

Elijah had a great year in dance. His tap number was such fun to watch and the chemistry he has with the other members of his group is so tangible you could reach out your hand and touch it. His hip hop number was full of energy and so fast paced that those that watched it got winded. Elijah's talent has come full circle. He has always been an incredible dancer but this year he owned the skills he has learned over the years. He's comfortable with his body and has finally grown into his height and his build. His muscles have become more defined and he's able to hone his moves and his body keeps up. He has immense talent and is so much fun to watch.

His production number this year was to the music of 42nd Street. The costumes were beautiful and flashy and it's always so intoxicating to see all the kids up on stage. Once again, Elijah wow'ed us with his brillance up on stage. Something about him lights up when he dances. He is so fun to watch.


Great job, this year Elijah! We can't wait to see what this next year holds for you!

My Summer Book Swap

I wrote about this briefly on Facebook but thought I would share more detail here.

This summer Elijah and I decided to trade books. He has been asking me for months to read his favorite book The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins. I had been putting him off making the excuse that I was reading other books at the time and couldn't but this summer, I couldn't put it off anymore. The reason I put off the reading of this book was because it didn't seem like the kind of books I usually read. I like books that are funny and light with a little comical romance to them. If a book can make me laugh out loud, chances are it will become a quick favorite of mine.

Elijah will read just about anything but seems to like more serious books that have a lot of meat to the storyline and twists and turns to the plot. He likes intricate stories that weave spells to keep his mind wondering and working on how the end will turn out. Me, well... books are my escape. I like to be entertained, I want to laugh, and I want a happy ending.

So, with a bit of reluctance, I accept the challenge to read The Hunger Games. From the first chapter I am amazed and transfixed as I read the story of Katniss who comes from the less than poor District 12 and illegally hunts and gathers food for her family who is on the brink of starvation. Each year, every child ages 12 to 18 must put their name in to be chosen for the annual Hunger Games. This is a government "game" where two children are chosen from each of the twelve districts and put into an arena of sorts and are forced to kill each other until only one victor remains. The Victor is awarded with money, a house, and food for their lifetime. When her sister's name is drawn for the games, Katniss volunteers instead and is in the fight of her life to just stay alive.

The book is one I couldn't put down. It met every expectation and everything Elijah said about it was absolutely true. I finished the book in four days. Elijah also had the sequel called Catching Fire. It was amazing too.

The third book in the series is due out the end of August. It is called The Mockingjay.

I definitely would say that if you're looking for a great book to read that will transport you from your everyday life for a few moments, this is one you should look into. It is wonderful!

For those of you that are avid readers, who can't pass up a good book, who spend their only free moments with noses buried in books, who would rather curl up on the couch with mug of tea and a great read.... well... this is it.

Thank you, Elijah. Once again, you have proved to give me insight and it has been a blast to share something like this with you.

Happy Reading!!!