Homeschooling in the morning, Fun in the afternoon...

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love being with my kids and being able to have the privilege to homeschool them this year. The neat thing is that we do have a rigid yet flexible schedule that we can tweak to fit our needs. It's great because we have been able to show the kids that they can work extra hard during the week and then have a "free treat day". It has worked wonders for their work ethic :). I decided to take them down to a new park and pier that was recently built to just enjoy the sunshine and warm weather, especially since the kids were excited and started school in July.

This was kind of crazy and fun. There was a woman fishing off the pier and caught a shark - yes, a shark. It was just a little one but was a really neat treasure to see. Of course she released it since it was not a tasty treat for her family but it was still a pretty cool thing to see :)

And this one is just one I love of the 2 of them - just them being them :)

Beach Trip

This summer we made it to the beach a number of times and truly had a great time. I love the beach - there is something about the salty air, the warmth of a summer breeze, and jumping into the waves. I love it and it seems we have passed on the love to our children. We were able to be blessed and go to the beach with a number of families from our church and had a blast! The moms chatted and laughed while the kids ages from 6-17 played in the sand. I think the highlight of the day was playing football in the sand with all the kids and adults. Andrew was a stinker - that little kid can dodge in and out of people so quick, maybe we do have a football player on our hands. By the end of the day, everyone was telling me we have to get him into football :). Anyway, enjoy the pics - none of the adults, not really sure why, but a few of the kids. Oh, and check out Andrew's mermaid - cute :)

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Faces of Summer :)

Carried to the arms of Jesus!

I have so much to catch up on on the blog but just felt the need to jot down my thoughts right now (as remembrance). It was a crazy and sad night at work last night. My present job is one that I always say is bittersweet. I have seen amazing miracles and yet I have seen the sting of death more times than I care to say. Last night was no exception. After a long hard fight, a child was taken home to Jesus. The parents weren't there when their baby passed - I am grateful they were there before and got to hold their precious daughter. I was in charge and volunteered to hold the child as she took her very last breath. Our chaplain was there and as she was pronounced we both sang "Jesus loves me" and he prayed the most beautiful prayer as we both now knew God had her in His arms. He prayed a gracious prayer of love and praised God that she was spared from the hurt and troubles of this life and yet he prayed for comfort for her family as they are left behind. I can honestly say that in all my years of being in the neonatal ICU, this was the most beautiful moment and one that I will remember forever. It was my honor and complete privilege to hold this baby knowing that the very next moment, she was with my Savior!