Highlights

New Beginnings: We enjoyed our first service in our new church building! Three years in the making, once the day finally came, it seems things went off without a hitch. A worshipful and high-energy service followed our time with the kids in their classes. Jacob is having a bit of a difficult time adjusting to his new class and the new building. He was promoted to his Kindergarten class the last Sunday at our old building, and his shyness crept back in when he was thrust from the safe walls of his small Pre-K room into a large area with at least quadruple the number of kids. Couple that with the fact that these kids are ages K-5th grade and it's no wonder his confidence left him. So we shall start over! The good thing is that, on the occasions where he wants to join us in service, he is so quiet and still you forget he's there.

In addition to celebrating the great gift God bestowed on our congregation, Mark and I took part in the fellowship of our new Small Group. Sunday evening we shared a potluck dinner and just enjoyed our time getting to know each other a bit. Although these are all people we know from church already, it's a blessing to have the opportunity to dig a little deeper.

Academia: Yesterday the kids had a fun time untwisting their tongues in History with such words as Byzantine, Constantinople, and Hagia Sophia. Today in World Geography, they were tickled to find out we were studying a country called "Turkey." They each had a map to color for their notebooks, and I believe all three of them at some point tasted their paper. And of course the giggles followed each time one of them said, "Mmmm, tastes like turkey!" Tonight we will enjoy a Turkish meal of sorts: rice pilaf, chicken in pita bread, and some sort of breaded zucchini that will be without its intended cucumber sauce as I forgot to get the ingredients.

Tomorrow, Science will bring a quick glimpse into space from a dark closet classroom. We will briefly study the constellations by making a sort of diorama movie shoebox. I have constellation slides that I will poke holes in at the appropriate star spot and then shine with a flashlight. My intention Sunday late night/Monday early morning was to awaken the kids for this brilliant meteor shower that was supposed to occur. I actually did get up at 3:00 to see if it was worth it. Didn't see a single shooting star, so back to bed I went. I make my customary August trip to the window in the middle of the night every year when this is to take place. Maybe I'm not waking up well enough to see them.

Week's End: In two days, I will be a mother with no babies; my little princess will be two! What is happening? These kids are growing up, that's what! When the kids get dressed and I see how short their pants are, I tell them to stop growing, but they are being very disobedient! We will have a little family celebration on Saturday. Audrey loves to watch Lilo and Stitch with the kids, so I ordered a little cake topper. Not as fun as most of my cakes, but I couldn't find a pan that commemorates Lilo and Stitch.

Friday Alex and I will head downtown for Communicators for Christ (http://www.communicatorsforchrist.com/). I think she'll have a fun day as she loves to be with people; I'm sure when we leave at the end of the day, she'll have made at least 5 new best friends. She is already so outgoing, so if this seminar can teach her to hone that character trait and focus it on good communciation, it could be beneficial for her. She has prepared a Robert L. Stevenson poem as well as a joke to present. The other three will have a fun day at home with Daddy.

Closing: So I know these were supposed to just be highlights, not a detailed description of every event. Naturally, though, I'm a little wordy. And there have been other fun moments not detailed here: a fun evening out at the pool with friends, fun in the pool with just the family, great learning moments, lots of giggles and hugs and kisses from my babies (and, yes, I'll still call them my babies even though Thursday takes my last baby into Toddlerhood)...