June 14-19

Here is a look at what our week usually looks like. It is more enjoyable to me to post the new & exciting. However, just like your life, most days are just plain down predictable. Setting & characters aside, I know these glimpses look just like Pennsylvania summer with a few palm trees painted on the background. :)

Oh, Popsicles. This lovely little recipe of jello, yogurt & bananas pleases all of us. The boys begged to hold it for the picture to show their Nanny & their Grandma just how much they love popsicles.

Adrian & Elle are good kitchen companions. He is patient enough to actually let her help, she is determined enough to usually do a pretty good job. I'm wondering how many years it'll be til I can count on her to make the cookies. Hmm, guess I have to teach her to read first. ;0 ) Those big, soft peanut butter cookies were delicious!

This is our favorite spot to read. And no matter who I reading to, Max either joins us or gets his own time. He can even read easy words with me & is quite proud of that. Though we are far from saying Max can read, we can say he is getting closer & is excited to take off on his own. I love to tell him stories about going to the Bookmobile at the Mastersonville Fire Co., & taking trips to the Lancaster Library. He loves that Grandma even let us read while eating meals at the table! Wherever we go, if there's a kids bookshelf, he finds it. Who says this boy is more Sauder than Greiner?!

And here we are training a young brain to focus. Hah. That pencil is even distraction when it needs to be.

Elle & Rory are sad when I let them play & don't call them to the table for school. Getting out every crayon, sticker, paper & sticker & then hijacking them to hidden spots for coloring & stickering anything but the paper, is such fun to them. ;)

Oliver came to play on Saturday with his younger sister Akus, & baby brother Obed. It was such fun to see Max & Oliver loading up & , in the picture, backing the wagons into the barn.

Now that round two with Malaria is almost over for me, I am happy to show off what got me through. Ghana Tylenol, chalky yellow malaria potion &,sigh, a novel. I had borrowed it from the Baptist Mission a few weeks ago & had been saving it. Greiners, you understand. Finding Mr. Francis in Ghana felt pretty cool. :) Little did I know how handy it would be. Distraction from a long list of symptoms is always a good thing. Ask my husband.

It's taken a few days for my thoughts to line up in order, & my stomach, head & bones to follow suit. Today I am just grateful to feel better. And I think my little family is happy to have their mommy back. Just ask my husband. ;)