We Love Summertime

We are adjusting to the summer routine and thoroughly enjoying the laid back schedule. I enrolled the children in our local library's Summer Reading Program and they are all almost finished. All of our children are bookworms, including Lia. She loves when I sit and read to her. Joseph devours chapter books and I am rapidly running out of reading material for him. I like to give him R*d & St*ff books because he tends to read things and misinterpret them. Then we have to try to figure out what he read and what he thought it said. Those books are clean, simple reading that teach the basic lessons he struggles with. We took one book along to the Adoption Retreat this past weekend. I asked him what his story was about and he got a sheepish grin and said the children disobeyed and went barefoot, then they got poison. :) I love when what he reads presses home the same things we are working to instill in him.

Dean found a delicious burger recipe that we tried out the other Sunday evening. We invited our neighbors down to help us enjoy them. They were delicious!

We are also enjoying fresh strawberries. Yesterday I canned 11 quarts of strawberry tapioca. When I tasted it though it was way to salty. I reread my recipe and discovered I was to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt, not 1/4 cup! I did question the amount of salt as I thought 1/4 cup of salt to 8.5 quarts of water sounded like a bit much.... I dumped the it all and we enjoyed our strawberries with waffle's n vanilla ice cream instead.

And we cannot forget Kobi....yesterday I wanted him to do something and said, "Kobi, look at mom....!" I do not consider myself his mom, trust me, although sometimes I think he is as much work as a child. 

I found this poem in my inbox yesterday. Today I sat down with each of my children and asked them the questions, their answers were quite interesting. Tristan made me promise I wouldn't put his answers on my blog.

I AM POEM

I am (2 special characteristics)

I wonder ....

I Hear  (something I like to hear)

I see ( something I like to see)

I want (something I actually desire)

I pretend (something I like to pretend)

I feel ....

I like to touch ....

I worry about ....

I cry about ....

I understand .....

I say (something I like to say)

I dream about ....

I like to try  .....

I hope .....

- adapted from poem submitted by Maria Gracia

Our neighbors grandson and Tristan brought their water slide up and set it in our yard. Amazing how boys are willing to exert themselves in play but it is simply to hot to work.

.