Summer Happenings

Wow! Can it really be almost the end of summer? It sure did go quick! Here is a recap of our summer.

We enjoyed quite a few days at the beach, Eden was a lot of fun, hesitant about the water at first but by the end of summer she was loving it! We enjoyed some swimming days, pool parties, visits with my Dad at Ledge pool and trips to area parks. The zoo has been a regular summer hangout, we definitely get our money worth out of our yearly membership. We have enjoyed many of the events around the Cleveland area including, Parade the Circle, the North Coast Harbor boating festival, Fireworks and the Cleveland Orchestra downtown in Public Square, the 4th of July parade and the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Chagrin Falls. We have all read a lot of good books this summer while participating in the summer reading program.

Elijah continued with his gymnastics this summer and got his back handspring on the floor. He loves it! Owen and Renee have been going with Aunt Laraine and Uncle Rick on Thursdays for piano and golf lessons. Owen is really enjoying the golfing and is pretty good at it! Lauren has her temps and is practicing her driving. She has been doing a lot of babysitting this summer (not just for me ;)). Lauren has a really tough schedule coming up this fall but she is determined and I know she will do well. If you get a chance check out her blog at http://coracaoparaafrica.blogspot.com/.
Lauren, Blaine and Owen are all loving the youth group at Bethel Cleveland, it's exciting to see them deepen in their relationship with God and have fun at the same time.
Blaine was having some issues with infected lymph nodes again. The doctors are not sure why. We could take him to another specialist but he is doing better so we are just waiting it out. Blaine turned 15 this July and I can not believe how much he is growing. He has been doing the P90X workout and has become quite strong. It's nice having him along on big grocery trips!
We have actually had a few emergency room visits this summer as Renee has recently been diagnosed with migraine headaches. Thankfully, it's nothing too serious and now that we know what it is we are better able to deal with it. It's so hard when your child is in pain and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

Chris has also had a busy summer. He took one of the guys he coaches (Nick) to the championship qualifier earlier in the summer and Nick qualified to go to championships. A couple weeks ago they were in Hartford, Connecticut for Championships. Nick placed 17th in the Nation which is awesome and such an honor for Chris. Chris is also continuing to work part time for Mason Works and this fall he will work towards more Microsoft certifications.

I have really been enjoying summer! Eden is at such a fun age, she is quite adventurous, (don't know where she got that..Ha Ha) we have been enjoying outings and exploring new things. I'm a little anxious to start homeschooling again. It was difficult for me to stay home and do the same thing every day last year. I plan on doing a lot of field trips and projects to help keep myself from getting bored and miserable. I also have started the P90X workout with Chris, it's more intense than any other workout and I can honestly say I hate it but I'm determined!

Even though summer is almost at an end we have a couple things to look forward to. The end of September we will be taking a family vacation to Kiawah Island, South Carolina. A family is giving us their vacation home to enjoy for a week! We can not wait, it's been awhile since we have been able to go on a vacation together. Chris and I were also given night away at a local resort which is another wonderful blessing. We haven't had a night away since Eden was born, it will be glorious just to sleep in! God is good!

Well, time for my ramblings to come to a close, Eden is up from her nap and making it quite clear she is awake and ready to explore some more.