Final weeks of summer

Agency D3  VBS at St. Thomas Aquinas! Discover, Decide, Defend! 

 Dominic's nature hike and pizza parlor birthday with his classmates.

  Happy Feast Day of St. Dominic! A special dinner at Red Lobster with family.

The boys set up a library/book store on the stairs. Great way to get excited about old favorites!

Roller skating at Silver Wings Ballroom with friends, so much fun!

And lunch at the Southern Flyer Diner at Brenham Regional Airport with Grandpa and Grandma.

The boys got to record a cd of their pieces this year.  They were so excited, and we can't wait to listen to them! :) 

Oh yeah, and then this happened.  Somehow this little guy ended up in our car and now he lives in our house! We love him. His name is Hawkeye, he is 8 weeks old and so sweet!

Our anniversary dinner. Happy 11 years to us! :) 

Friends hosted us for a cotton candy making playdate, it was unforgettably fun!!!

The boys also participated in Camp Narnia and put on a production of Charlotte's Web. Milo was a spider and Dominic was a gosling, and they sang and danced in front of a full auditorium! We were so proud of them!!!

   A fun dinner at Hullaballo's Diner!  Sometimes only a burger and milkshake will do!

 And I got to finish it off with a sibling fun day in Houston.  I'm sad to see the leisure days of summer go, but welcoming the structure of the Fall.  Thank you Jesus for all these many precious moments of connection with my children and my loved ones and friends!

                                Not photographed,  Sarah McCoy in Oregon :)

Five Favorites: A slice of summer

Five Faves, a la Mama Knows Honeychild!

It has been a busy summer, and I have neglected my blogging and writing (head drops down in sadness). But ....I am making an effort to be fully present in the moment, and in that I am succeeding! (head looks up again, bright smile shines!) I love Five Favorites because it's short and sweet, I learn from others, and I hope others might find something fun or interesting or useful here, too! :)  Thank you for visiting, and thank you to Heather for hosting and being hilarious!!!!!

1) Bolthouse Farms Mocha Cappucino

So healthy, yummy and creamy and for less than $5 (the price of one fancy starbucks drink) you can get about 5 servings out of this. Not too shabby!

2) Famous composers cd

My sister introduced us to this while we were road-trippin' in Oregon. A great thing to listen to for car rides, the kids love learning about some of the great composers!

3) The Re-reading of a favorite....The Count of Monte Cristo 

My family had just come back from Italy before I began the 9th grade. One of the places we visited was Elba Island, a popular vacation site. We toured Napoleon's mansion where he was exiled, I can still remember the ornately furnished rooms that were roped off for viewing only, as if we were walking through a dollhouse cut in half.  When I began school a month later, we opened up the first book we'd read that year in English, "The Count of Monte Cristo" and the setting was Elba Island. I was reeling! I walked along the same beach as the fictional Edmund Dantes! I knew this book would be a treasured favorite. A story filled with betrayal, faith, hope, patience, justice and forgiveness. And a great summer read, if you're looking for one. ;) 

4) "Time bends when you're having fun!"

We celebrated our 11th anniversary this month.  If I thought we were mere babies today, I have to look at this picture and snicker a bit.  Here's to bending many more clocks with my sweet, artsy guy!

                                                         Salvador Dali museum 2003

5) Khan academy 

I'm a little behind the curve in finding out about this awesome resource, but trying to catch up now! :) Pretty cool story if you haven't heard about it, check it out. I'm looking forward to continuing my learning journey along with my kiddos!

Do drop a line if you came to visit! Thanks and blessed travels to you across the blogosphere!