The Big One-Four!

Happy Birthday Jackson!  We are celebrating this fun day by going to lake and eating his requested birthday cake, mint chocolate brownies made by his sister.  We love you and are so proud of what an awesome young man you are!

Oh...he is so close. 

A Sheep in Wolves' Clothing

There she is: our middle school daughter.  She eagerly marched to 6th grade this morning wearing her "Buford Wolves" sweatshirt and a smile.  Is this really happening?  How is our sweet, innocent little girl already here? Do they know what they are getting?  Will they see Kathryn as the cheerful, optimistic, compassionate young lady that she is? Can she stay that way? Oh Lord, PLEASE!!
And if You could keep my heart from breaking in the meantime....that would be helpful too.

And then there is our Top Dog.  I guess if you have to be new to a school, it's nice to come in as the oldest.  8th grade and 14 on Sunday.  Great, now I'm crying again.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  Joshua is so excited he gets to wear his football jersey today because he has a game tomorrow. I guess I should just be happy he doesn't have a mohawk with his numbers shaved in the side of his head.  Go Wolves!!

And where is Kami is all this?  Notice the child peering through the window.  She is almost as upset as me about the first day of school.  What she doesn't know is that she might be the only thing keeping me  sane today.  "Yes, Kami! We can play "lemonade stand!"  Yes, we can play babies!  Yes you can dress up in your princess dress and wear it to the store!  And will you please do it forever?"

Home

Home is where the heart is?  Home is where they love you?  Do either of these describe "home" for our family?  Sure-but home has taken on a new meaning for me since we landed back in the U.S. a month ago.  I keep hearing us tell others that we are glad to be home-and we are.  But if home means settled and familiar, we have a long way to go!  On this last day of the shortest summer of our lives, I'm looking around at a sea of unpacked boxes in a house that is only temporary.  Last night Jackson, Kathryn and Joshua attended "Open House" at schools where they will all be new students yet again.  Geof forwarded me an email yesterday that informed us that our household shipment from Geneva is stuck somewhere in Germany and won't even leave Europe for another week.  Needless to say, I'm fighting the temptation to be stressed.

But if I learned one thing from this crazy upheaval to Europe and back again is that all of that really doesn't matter.  It doesn't matter what continent we live on or if my house is perfectly decorated.  Instead, I am blessed and thankful to be able to say that home to me is where I can crawl into bed at night with my husband and fall asleep to the sweet sound of our four children laughing in the playroom where they decided to have a slumber party on their last night of summer.

Albeit short, the month of summer that we did have was filled with family and friends and plenty of good memories.  Here are some pictures from our favorite time of the year:  Beach Week!

And tomorrow... another adventure begins! BRING IT!!

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13