Summer is already drawing to a close. There was a brief time in July when the summer felt long, but most of time, it felt like it was flying by. All in all, we had a great summer.
Karis learned how to tie her shoes, improved her reading skills, learned about saving money and started tithing, and passed her first swim lesson. Makena improved her writing, she learned how to draw a heart (something she wanted to learn), dropped her naps, and no longer swims with a floatie (though she can't swim independently). Over the summer, the girls also did lots of chores to earn money to buy small stuffed animals.
Kyle now plays alongside his sisters. He loves to copy them and follow their instructions. He will definitely miss having the girls around when school starts.
I'm thankful that I am able to stay home with the kids. Some times are hard and I pray for more patience, but there are so many days that are filled with such sweet moments. The girls and I talk a lot about random things, usually in the car or during lunch. They often talk about heaven and ask what it will be like. I tell them we'll have new bodies and we won't ever get sick or need to take naps or eat or brush our teeth. Karis is a little concerned that there won't be any toys in heaven. She wants to go to heaven and then come back to make sure she'll like it. Makena is worried that she'll get cavities because we won't be flossing or brushing our teeth. These little minds are so entertaining!
Makena always wants to pray at dinner time. I love hearing her sweet voice thanking God for the food and for the good day and asking for "halbogi to feel better and for Aunt Stephanie's neck to feel better..." The girls always tell Derek and I how many times "to the moon and back" they love us. They say, "I love you to the moon and back, ten, fifteen, twenty-seven times" with the number always changing.
I can't believe that when school starts, I'll have seven less hours with Karis each school day. The last week or so, we've been hanging out a lot at home and we have all been enjoying it. The girls use their imagination and play for hours on end. They all play really well together (compared to the beginning of summer!).
Here are a few more photos from this past summer.
Our church had a weekly story time where the kids sang songs, heard a Bible story and did a craft. Makena's classmates were usually there, so it was a fun time to also see friends.
We met friends at our new local splash pad a few times. Here are a few photos of our time with some of Karis' classmates.
A friend at church owns a horse and invited the girls to go horseback riding. The girls got to see lots of horses and learn how to care for them.
Karis was the first to get on the horse. We didn't know it at the time, but the horse's back was hurting. The horse immediately tried to buck Karis off. Good thing Derek was by her side holding on to her. Karis did a great job and held on. After we gave the horse some time, Karis got back on. The horse did the same thing and again Karis held on. Karis actually enjoyed all the action and wasn't afraid at all.
We waited around until our friend could figure out what was going on with her horse. It was a hot day and the girls were a little disappointed. Once we realized that the horse was hurting, we called it a day. We'll definitely go back another day so that the girls can go horseback riding.
My roommate from LA came through town on their way to Atlanta. They stayed at our house and we got to catch up. The kids had a great time together and it was sad to see them go.
Not pictured are our trips to the library, swimming, play dates, time at the park when there was a break in the heat, friends' birthdays, overnight out-of-towns guests, and our church's VBS.
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