Reading With Dad

There are always so many wonderful moments to capture...I can't resist!! Here is a nice one of Travis reading to Mary Margaret and Tommy.

Welcome To the Smithdeal Family Nature Museum!

I found this cool piece of furniture(?) at the local thrift store for a couple dollars. I guess it used to be used as a mailbox of sorts in a church office. We turned it into our Nature museum. Tommy especially loves it. I am sure we will be busy this summer filling it up!!

Our New Kitten~May

Last June, We discovered April; this June, we discovered May!!! May is Crispin's newest kitten. Isn't she darling?(April is the kitten Crispin had last year.)

NAP TIME

Tommy tries really hard to keep up with the "big boys." He has been playing baseball non-stop for days.Someone gave us a helmet and some purple batting gloves. It is Tommy's uniform. I guess all the playing finally caught up to him, and he crashed on the floor this afternoon. I couldn't resist getting it on camera!

Sunday~A Day Of Rejoicing!~

After a busy Saturday filled with back to back baseball games, I was planning on getting the housework done on Sunday. Generally, I don't like to clean on Sundays. I like to leave the day open for going to Mass(of course) and having fun with the family. But lately it seems like Sunday has become a day of getting the house in shape for the week ahead. I don't like this, but I feel like it can't be helped.
Yesterday I was just getting my work lined up, when my dear friend, Becky, called and wondered if it would be a good day to come over with her family. Because we so enjoy having the Elkins over, I decided the cleaning would have to wait. We had such a wonderful time, I feel committed once again to making Sunday special. At this point in my life I am realizing that there is always, always, always !! more work to be done. It takes a committment to set aside one day of the week and rest(as much as possible). After all, there is a reason the Lord tells us to do this! It's for our own benefit.
Here are a few pictures of our Sunday rest. Travis and Steve took the boys shooting (at clay pigeons). Meanwhile Becky and I stayed with the girls and made campfire soup. Later in the evening we had a big bonfire with a pine tree that had died. We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. It was so much fun!!!