Shepard's learning to read!

Shepard read his very first words today!  I wish you could have seen the excitement...  he was exuberant!  Watching his humongous smile was all the reward this teacher/ mom could ever want...  but he gives more.  He gives hugs and high fives and little whoops of joy, too.  Yeah, kindergarten!  (Handwriting... oh boy...  this is gonna take some patience! :) )  But, Shepard's delight was definitely one of the highlights of a very busy day.

Snapping Beans

Our sweet friends brought us a big box of garden fresh green beans the other day.  Yeah!  We've been pretty busy and I hadn't had a chance to even snap them yet...  John knew I was planning to do it tonight, but just running short of time again.  So he announced that after dinner everyone was going to snap beans.  The weather turned cool after an evening rain, so he set up chairs for everyone on the back patio and got the buckets and bowls and he taught the boys how to snap beans while I finished cleaning up dinner.  Then I joined them on the patio and it was really so much fun to work together as a family!  There was just this tremendous feeling of teamwork and knowing we would reap the benefit of our labor together for dinner one evening soon.  I am so grateful for my sweet hubby and my precious boys and the way they help me.  I loved spending those memorable moments together.  It reminded me a lot of snapping beans with my grandma on the porch at her farm...  there is so much to treasure in the simple things of life.

I'm getting anxious to get my new computer so that I can upload some photos...  hopefully soon.

NLR Family Camp - pics and blog on hold

My computer is malfunctioning!  (No worries...  John is getting me a new one!  Yeah!)  But, until then...  I can't get my pictures uploaded...  so, my pictures from Family Camp at New Life Ranch will have to wait.  I'm anxious to post, though...  we had a GREEEEAAAAAT time at camp.  We crammed a LOT of activities into a couple of days.  And we came home refreshed and encouraged and with a whole lot of great family memories!!  More coming soon...

Shooting Fire Bombs... uh, fireworks

A family of boys...  they want to SHOOT fireworks (or fire bombs as Will calls them).  So, ok, I'll give up the big fireworks shows - actually, I don't mind because I like watching the boys - all FOUR of them - have so much fun.  But, honestly, John got enough fireworks to give us a pretty nice little show anyway!

So, here's the boys and my mom down at the creek at my parents' house playing with our daytime explosions.  I think they especially loved hearing them explode under water.

Shepard is our resident pyro-technician...  he wants to try it all!

Will would rather play with the stuff that "drives" and he eventually went inside to watch a movie.  The big booms were a little too much for him...  kinda "sceeeary" he says.

Fire powder!!

Wow!  (I missed the shot of Shepard shooting his Roman Candle.)  Brave fellas!

Sparkler fun!

This was one of our favorite shots from the evening! 

Grandpa got in on the action, too!