Sweet friends

When Anna entered a middle school where she didn't know any other kids, we talked a lot about friendship. Things like how to be a good friend which attracts good friends, taking your time to find and make friends that are going to be life giving, how to step away from friends who may not be that good for you, etc. Friendship was tough for Anna because she came into a school where many other kids knew each other and well...middle school. She was just hitting her stride when Covid hit and she was isolated from a lot of relationships. As she lamented not having any kids her grade to be friends with, I quietly and gently reminded her of the people God was placing in her life even in the midst of a pandemic. 

Anna started cross country and then track. All of the girls were older than her and I was afraid she wouldn't necessarily fit in until she got a little older. But that proved incorrect and Anna was quickly accepted as herself. I'm grateful to these girls for looking past her age to see the fun, quirky kid in Anna. 

We also still very much have our DC friends and while we don't see them often, we still communicate with them and getting back together means we pick up right where we left off. And of course, Anna's elementary school friend, Reese, is still very much part of our lives. 

We're also grateful that Anna's bestie, Caroline is just 8 houses down and with being stuck in the neighborhood came lots of walks and backyard playtime. Caroline, being a year younger, has different friends than Anna, but circumstances pushed Anna, Caroline and a new friend (to Anna) Brantley together. The threesome would go for a walks and then we arranged for them to eat lunch together once a week. It was the bright spot Anna needed and I am so grateful for these sweet friends who laugh and are kind to each other. I can see their deep friendship and it's so neat because they are all so different from each other too!

Brantley celebrated her birthday this week and I got to see them all interacting at the end when I picked Anna up. They are just a bunch of silly, funny girls who laugh too loud and find joy in each other. I loved it and I am so grateful God has put friends in Anna's life, even if it's unconventional. It will be interesting to see what friendships look like next year when Anna is back on campus, but even if she doesn't make another great friend in 8th grade, I will keep reminding her of the special relationships she does have. 

DC Girl Trip

It was time for our annual trip to see our DC friends! In the past we've done some rustic locations about half way between the two of us. They have certainly led to some hilarious and memorable moments! After being without power, AC and WiFi in the the middle of nowhere last year, I convinced the girls to drive a bit further and join us at my parent's house. It's about a 9 hour drive for them, but I was sure it was going to be worth it. 

Because they had a longer drive, I spent the week before planning for their arrival by making all the meals. I froze all the dinners, did the shopping for dry goods and prepped some breakfast items. The girls and I went up on Thursday which allowed us to go to the grocery store for fresh items and prep the rest of our food. Before we knew it Courtney and April arrived with their girls!

Needless to say, they were blown away by the accommodations. Of course, it's not hard to beat our previous years when you are talking about headless Barbie dolls hanging in the woods and one bathroom for 8 people. The girls quickly settled into the bunk room and we took them on a tour of the house. Then we all hit the lake for swim time.

We spent the next three days tubing, knee boarding, visiting an island in the lake, swimming, fishing, playing games, hiking to a waterfall and generally having girl time. It was fun to do our spa/Bible devotion time tradition as well. We made it to Pelicans and Uncle Aaron surprised us with a s'more time. We even watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and Cruella. 

It was a full three days and we loved catching up with friends that we only get to see once a year. How awesome that we have remained close through the years. It is always such an encouragement to me when we gather and talk about resources as well as share our struggles and triumphs. 

We said goodbye to our friends and then the girls and I did a deep clean for my parents so they can host their next group. Then we headed home to do laundry and catch back up with Teddy and Patrick who had bro time at home. While it might be the end of July, we are still sucking all the life out of summer we can get. So we'll spend the next week at home doing some fun things around here before heading to TN to see family (and meet my new niece!!!). If you've been around here long, you know I hate when summer is over so I'm just not thinking about it for now. Ha!

Scrapbooking, games and doggies

We finally got some pictures printed from our trip and the girls picked out some cute scrapbooks to put together. It was fun to get out my old scrapbooking supplies out so they could be creative. They spent the last two days up in the playroom putting together their books and they turned out so cute! I was glad they had some quiet time at home and could be creative. It also makes me remember putting together a huge scrapbook for Anna's first year. How cool that she is now using the same things I used to put together her own book. 

We've also had some fun playing our new game Forbidden Island. I love that we have to work together to win. 

And of course, we have been busy with some doggies at our house. We're watching CC and these two have been busy wrestlers until today when I think they woke up pretty tired from all their antics. I was glad to see they had calmed down after a couple of days. It seems they can co-exist without wrestling every minute!

Friend sleepovers make Teddy tired!

Now it's time for the girls and I to pack up. We're headed back to my parent's house for a long weekend with our friends from DC. It's our annual summer visit and we're excited to spend some time with them. I love that any time we get together it's like no time has passed as all. 

Random summer happenings

I thought while we had a couple of down days at our house, I would post about some random summer happenings. When the girls are home they are pretty good about coming up with things to themselves. Their favorite thing...school. I know. I am as shocked as you are especially after last year. But they do reading, science, math, explorations, etc. I don't have anything for them so this is all done on their own, using old textbooks and supplies we have upstairs. It's cute and I am not complaining one bit! We did bribe Anna into doing math so she could get some new decorations for her room. 

My garden has been going gangbusters. The rain has certainly been helpful. I've gotten several pickings worth of bush beans and they have been so good. I even had enough to freeze three quarts! They're still going so I'm excited about that. I have a ton of peppers coming in as well as some tomatoes. My sweet zinnias and sunflowers are growing great. They've made beautiful bouquets. I also have lots of herbs and some onion. It's pretty low maintenance which is good considering we've been out of town a lot. 

We're dog sitting CC the first part of this week while the Powells are out of town. CC and Teddy pretty much spend the entire time wrestling. I try to take them on walks to wear them out, but they just go back to wrestling. So we institute some mandatory rest time. 

They were like this for one minute before they got going again,

The girls and I visited our assistant/youth pastor's family to meet their new baby. They have two girls as well and my two were so sweet to play with them which they absolutely adored. I'm thankful they were so giving of their time to love others well. 

Paige has been spotting wildlife lately to include this tree frog on our front porch. I'm just glad it's not a snake. 

And of course, there's always a good play in the rain!