Summer Adventures

We have had a wonderful summer.  I can hardly believe it is coming to a close.  We will have one last hurrah this week as we take our family vacation at the beach.  Here is a recap of our summer fun:

We played with the chickens...a lot

We went to the Grange Fair

We did some stuff with paint, but not as much as we would have liked because Mommy has a hard time with messes.  She's working on it...

We had a great time relaxing by the pool with family

We spent a lot of time exploring the outdoors

Nora is getting around so well with her walker!  Our family walks are a lot longer than they used to be.

Snuggling cousins in the sun

We spent a week in Virginia with good friends.  They have a 4 year old boy.  We learned all about "boy:" toys.

We went to the beach with friends

We visited some farm animals...

...and gave them all hugs

We played with Daddy.  He is wonderful.

Oh how we love to go up in the swing!

Lucy started walking around her 1st birthday and she said her first word "ball" two weeks ago.  New words emerge daily.

We did some home improvement projects - chicken stuff, vegetable garden beds, painted exterior doors

the help

We went to the zoo with Grammy

We spent time with our wonderful "Poppi" (my Dad) who is doing well and who continues to be a tremendous blessing to us.  (I don't know why I can't make this bigger!)

Summer 2013

A Prayer For A Daughter

By Ann Voskamp

Father who breathed into this daughter ...

I pray for this girl being formed into eternity….

May the wind always be in her hair

May the sky always be wide with hope above her

And may all the hills be an exhilaration

the trials but a trail,

all the stones but stairs to God.

God, clothe this girl in a gown of grace
Grace, the only dress that makes beautiful,
the style of Your spirit.

Nourish her on the comfort food of the Word,

Word, that makes her crave more of Christ.
have hunger pangs for Him.

Enclose her in communion with You
You, Love who makes her love, who folds her heart into a roof
that absorbs storms for souls,
that makes her tongue speak only words that make souls stronger.

May her vocation in this world simply be translation

Translating every enemy into esteemed guest
Translating every countenance into the face of Christ
Translating every burden into blessing.

When it's hard to be patient ...
make her willing to suffer

When it’s ridiculous to be thankful … 
make her see all is grace

When it's radical to forgive ... 
make her live the foundation of our faith

And when it’s time to work … 
make her a holy wonder.

May she be bread and feed many with her life and her laughter
May she be thread and mend brokenness and knit hearts
May she be dead to all ladders and never go higher, only lower,

to the lonely, the least & the longing
Her led of the Spirit to lead many to the Cross
that leads to the tomb wildly empty.

Oh, and raise me, Lord, from the deadness of my own sins

to love this beautiful girl like You do…

In the name of Christ who rose

and appeared first

to one of His daughters…

Amen.

Zoo Day

We have a zoo membership now so hopefully we'll be visiting regularly.  We are a slow moving bunch when we visit - after all, statues need love too and there are people to watch as well as animals.  So I figure that on each visit we'll see about a tenth of what the Philadelphia Zoo has to offer.  Let us know if you want to come with us - we get to bring two guests each time for free!

"The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings." -Robert Louis Stevenson

Hi everyone!  We are gearing up to begin our first official homeschool year.  I'm pretty excited.  I thought that starting a blog would be a fun way to share our adventures.  So, welcome!  I hope to update this blog weekly so you can see all that we will be learning in each unit.  We've chosen the kindergarten curriculum from My Father's World to use as a starting point but I've spent a ton of time this summer editing it heavily to suit our needs.  I am in love with Charlotte Mason's methods so you'll (hopefully) see the evidence of her approach in all that we do.  I am so looking forward to exploring God's world with the girls and sharing that with you.  Thanks for stopping by.