Off to Pre-K

Pumpkin's first day of Pre-K was yesterday. She was very excited. (I think she was a little bored last week when her sister had already started school and she was still at home with me). Anyway, she was not nervous at all, only happy and excited. And just like last year, I dropped her off in the car pool line and she just walked right into the building like she owned the place! No tears, no fears. I'm so proud of her.

When I picked her up I asked, "So, how was it?" and she said, "Well...it was great!" She makes me grin. :)

Lulu's Lemonade

Last week, we checked out a book from the library called Lulu's Lemonade by Barbara deRubertis. It is a "Math Matters" book about some friends who make up a recipe for lemonade and win first prize at a kid's cooking contest. I'm always up for trying new recipes and this one looked very interesting, so we made it. And...it is very interesting. After I got over the fact that it really doesn't taste like lemonade, I realized that it is pretty good. The girls really liked it, and a friend of mine suggested that it might be good mixed with a little champagne. I might have to try that sometime. Anyway, I thought I'd share the recipe if any of you are looking for an interesting, refreshing, summer treat. (It is still summer right? It's 104 degrees today in Houston, so I'm pretty sure it's still summer!)

Lulu's Lemonade

2 quarts lemonade (you can use the powder/water mix or frozen lemonade mixed with water)

1 quart orange juice

1 pint Sprite

1 cup lime juice

1 Tablespoon vanilla (I'll probably use about 1/2 Tablespoon next time)

1 teaspoon mint leaves

Mix all ingredients together and serve over ice. Makes 1 gallon.

First Day of Second Grade

Well, it is still 100+ degrees outside, but for my Princess, summer is over. She started second grade this week. The above picture is of the kids at our bus stop. Our good friends moved to Dallas a couple of weeks ago, so now Princess is the only second grader at the bus stop. But, she is super excited. We met her teachers and saw her classmates last Friday, and she has about 6 or 7 friends in her class this year. Hopefully, she will be able to restrain herself from socializing with them during class! :)

So far, the week has gone very well. No homework yet. I guess that will start next week. I've heard that the homework really ramps up in second grade, so I am interested to see how she does with that. Second grade also begins actual number grades instead of just E=excellent, S-satisfactory, N=needs improvement. She's a pretty smart girl who loves to read but does NOT like math. So, we'll see...

As of today, the fourth day of school, she has yet to wear anything other than a skirt/shirt outfit. The girl loves skirts and she loves being fancy. She makes her momma smile.

Princess's New Sport

This summer Princess joined a volleyball team. She was the youngest and smallest girl on the team, and the only one who had never played volleyball before. From the very first day of practice, the coach and assistant coach spent alot of individual time with her. To be honest, at first she was quite bad, but it didn't take long for us to see some improvement in her skills. By the fourth game, she was able to serve the ball over the net. And the last game of the season, she had her first volley back over the net. Several of her team mates gave her high fives after that point! It was so sweet and I was so proud, I actually teared up!

The most amazing thing is that she wants to continue and play another season! This is the first time she has ever liked a sport well enough to sign up for a second season. I attribute that to the great coaches who worked with her and encouraged her so much. So, we've got 7-year old volleyball games and 4-year old soccer games occupying our Saturday mornings this fall. Sounds good to me!

Psalm 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God;

and renew a right spirit within me."

Psalm 51:10

"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from sin"

Psalm 51:2

"You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean."

Matthew 23:25-26

Our last craft of the summer was a really fun craft and a pertinent message I think. First I read Psalm 51:2 and Psalm 51:10. We talked about how God forgives us of our sins and our record is washed clean. I used the illustration of our heart being like a dry earse board with all our sins written down. And when we confess and ask forgiveness, God cleans our board off, and we have a clean heart.

Then, I read Matthew 23:25-26 and explained how Jesus was upset with the religious leaders because they only were concered about their appearance and not concerned about their hearts. I've been trying to impress upon my girls lately that beauty comes from the inside, and I think this verse speaks to that. We talked about how it doesn't matter how beautiful you are on the outside if your heart is full of selfishness or pride or defiance. If your heart is beautiful, then all of you is beautiful.

Then we made soap! I had bought a soap-making kit at Michael's with my 40% off coupon. It was pretty self explanatory and quite easy, and the girls were able to participate in every step. We made 4 bars of soap. Whenever the girls use the soap to wash their hands or body, I will encourage them to think about how Jesus washes their sin away, or about how the cleanlisness of their hearts is what really matters.

John 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13

The summer is coming to a close, but we still have a couple more weeks to fit in a couple more craft projects. This verse has always been one of my favorites, because it points to the past and the future. It reminds me of what Jesus did for me. "Amazing love, how can it be that thou my God hast died for me?" (lyrics from one of my favorite hymns). Jesus demonstrated the greatest act of love that is imaginable. He laid down his life for his friends. But not only that...he laid down his life for his enemies too. When I think of how much love Jesus has for me and for each of God's creations, I am humbled and I am inspired to let that love build up in my heart for others. That's the other great thing about this verse. It points to the future. It inspires me to have that kind of love for my friends (or my children or my husband or...). I want my kids to be humbled and inspired by that kind of love also. That is why I chose this verse for our next craft.

We started by reading the verse and talking about what it means. We talked about how Jesus demonstrated the "greatest love" and how we are called to demonstrate that kind of love to others. Then we talked about what it means to "lay down your life" other than to actually die for someone (i.e. putting others' needs and desires before your own).

Then I pulled out the paints and the canvases. I bought 11x14 canvases at Hobby Lobby (on sale of course) for about $2.50 each. I encouraged the girls to paint a cross and a heart to represent Jesus's great act of love, laying down his life for us, and to remind us of the kind of love that God wants us to demonstrate to others.

We completed the paintings in two sessions and I think they turned out beautifully, all of them. Great job girls! I plan to hang each of the girls' paintings up in their rooms and maybe hang mine in my craft room. Take a look:

Seagrove Beach Birthday

34 today. Feels older, yes it does. I woke up this morning and when I stepped out of bed my feet hurt. Isn't that called plantar fascitis or something? I'm sure I mispelled that. Anyway, isn't that what old people get? ha ha ha. Well, no matter. I'm glad to be 34 years old. What's more, yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the day I met Drummer Boy. 20 of my 34 years I have been in his life and he in mine in one relation or another. Good stuff.

Today we are relaxing at the beach with our friends the Bostroms. The girls have had a fabulous time playing together at the beach and the pool and Drummer Boy and I have really enjoyed the great company.