Project 365, Week 23

I'm thankful for the gift of beautiful weather and the delight that is this time of year. We are anxious to finish out our last week of school.

May 31

At the last minute, Aiden decided he really wanted me to go on his field trip with him, and I'm so glad I did. We went to the University of Connecticut.

This is Aiden's little 1st Grade class...all seven of them! Our first stop was a tour of the Catholic Church on the campus.

Then we went to the stables and barns. We were wishing Amanda was with us because there were a couple foals that we knew she'd love. It was such a sweet time walking around, chatting with Aiden and he always made sure he held my hand. 

Still not too big to sit on my lap at lunch.

Avery: Mom, look...its Super Dog!

June 1
Ginger met another cousin this week when Amy and the kids stopped by, Bauer is tow.

This is what happens when you bring a puppy to soccer practice....a dozen or more girls squealing with delight.

June 2
Another field trip, this one to the Science Center. I was chaperone for just my girl so I let her choose our pace and agenda. She wasn't terribly interested in the science part of the day and honestly, the place was swarming with other school groups, making for less than ideal conditions to see exhibits.

So we ate lunch outside and I bought her ice cream. We walked along the river and then found a shady spot and laid on our backs in the grass. She taught me the new song she'd written and we sang together. Amanda is such an amazing person and teaches me so much....things like, its really ok to go off script and skip the special exhibit. And that some days were made for laying in the grass and having heart to hearts. She's awesome!

Shaun had left at 4:30 the previous morning for a conference in D.C. I was missing him like crazy so it was good to see his face for a few moments.

The kids all memorized their May Bible verse, so their special treat was takeout. The verses were:

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the holy life that God desires.

James 1:19, 20

So I had them write it out and then told them to think of a time when they regularly get angry. I challenged them to consider another way they can handle that particular situation next time so they don't act in anger. Three of them wrote, I get angry when Amanda... Ha!

Warming up for competition team tryouts. I love to watch her run and play...she is effortlessly athletic and graceful.

June 3
Shaun was still at the conference and Amanda and Avery left for a girls retreat for the weekend, so it was just me and Aiden to run soccer practice. I recruited my BIL to help. This is my only picture from the day...the good news is Micah actually has two arms (though I guess not required for soccer).

June 4
Our pastor preached an excellent message on contentment. I love the topic because I think it is just so key. If you don't spend your days "chasing after the wind", you can be a more fulfilled and effective person. Stop waiting until you are "er"....richer, smarter, prettier...to do what God has created you for.

June 5
We coached soccer...at our furthest opponent's field, early on a rainy Sunday morning, no call/no show players, in a tournament that didn't count for anything...without Amanda, since she was still at the retreat. Not too much fun, though Ginger was a big hit.

I had Aiden replay his "would you get a load of this?!?" look. He and I like Ginger but in general don't really "get" the animal thing. We took her to the vet this week and the receptionist came out to say hi to her. The lady knelt down and had Ginger kissing her all over her face, for an extended period of time. When she finally left, I looked over at Aiden and his face mirrored the horror that I felt. Hilarious!

Speaking of sense of humor, when Amanda came home from her weekend, she said she had soooo many stories for me. Its fascinating to hear her tell tales. She's usually really fuzzy on the details and her accuracy is suspect but her perspective and how she views things is unique, big-hearted and often very funny.

She really liked the speaker and was telling me about the stories shared. One was about two boys who survived together and each day they would visit an orphanage and finally were able to connect with their sister and get her out of the orphanage and then they had to survive on the streets together. Wow...that's amazing that they found each other. What country was this? Africa, I think...or maybe Boston. :)

She admitted that she didn't really miss me, but cried a little during one of the services because they sang a song that reminded her of me...Oh Happy Day. :) The irony made me laugh. That girl!

(Thanks to one of the (brave!) moms who went on the retreat and took this picture.)

Hope your week is great!