Aaaaahhhh....once again I am remiss in my blogging. Thought I would update on what the Smithdeals of VA have been up to. Here's the run down:
Will- just got a job at Jake's convenience/ Subway-making sandwiches and helping around the store. Will milks the cow each evening with either Travis or me. It makes for some nice conversations! When Will is not working at the store, he is either working on his dirt bike, building something, playing his x-box, or looking up things on the computer(like what will happen if one of the blades falls out of a jet engine)-the computer really is amazing!!!
JohnPaul-Getting ready for high school by finishing up his Algebra book(he's going to the local highschool in the Fall-his choice). John Paul milks the cow in the morning and is learning the fine art of waking up early....He likes to come to the kids' baseball games and is often spotted playing baseball himself outside with the other kids. He spends a lot of time in the green chair in the playroom(really the reading room) reading.
Ben-also finishing up some math work .Does just about everything-reads, plays outside, loves the computer, does the laundry and cleans the kitchen...still searching and adding to his ever-growing cool collection in his room. Ben is having his final baseball tournament this week. He has been having a blast with his friends-especially at the pig roast. Should I mention that he and his sister and friends stayed up all night after the pig roast? Then he had his big tournament game the next day. I was waiting to hammer in the lesson of how staying up all night makes you a mess the next day, but he played the best game ever...then came home and slept for a LONG time!
Emily-is miss social butterfly. She has been getting together with a lot of her friends this summer. She is blessed to have so many wonderful friends. Emily is a huge help with the little ones. She has also been up to quite a few projects this summer, including: making a playhouse/theater in the hay barn, knitting, making and caring for a flower garden(thanks, Grandma!)
Oliver-becoming a great swimmer in the river and our neighbor's pool. Our neighbors are so kind to let us use their wonderful pool and nature trails as we please. Oliver spends a lot of time drawing. He is really enjoying the book, The Tale Of Desperaux, and has enjoyed his first spend the night friends.
Sam-terrific baseball player. Is just finishing up the year with his final tournament. Sam is great with the little ones, too. He is often on "Anna duty." Sam loves soldiers and playing outside.
MaryMargaret-loves going to her brothers' baseball games and playing with friends. Mary Margaret also loves to draw and read books with Mom. This morning we made muffins andread lots of books-including one about Teddy Roosevelt when he was young-fascinating book! Mary Margaret loves to play with Anna and Tommy. She calls Tommy her "best twin."
Tommy-another great baseball player! Tommy loves the kittens... and of course, playing outside. He is outside just about every waking moment. Tommy still naps for a couple hours a day. He tries really hard to keep up with the big kids!
Anna-nurse, nurse, nurse!!! Well, that's OK, too. She does love to play with her siblings and the animals. Anna helped make muffins this morning, too! She is a real Daddy's girl and her vocabulary is expanding all the time!
Well, this has probably sounded a lot like a Christmas letter to many folks. But I know I will enjoy looking at this in a couple years from now and see what we were doing. Children grow so fast, you think you will remember forever what they were doing, but it's gone too fast. God bless you all , and thanks for visiting. (((Hugs)))
