Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum, Summertime...

We are cookin' here in AR!  It has been super hot the past couple of days, but we're staying cool at the pool. I take the kids almost everyday and so far we've had a great time.  The two little kids were spending most of their time in the baby pool, but lately they've wanted to head to the big pool.  It's more work for me, just physically holding onto Ryan and making sure Will doesn't drown, but they love it and it keeps us busy.  We've taken a break from school for the whole month, but plan to resume in July.  Then we'll break again for 2 weeks in Aug. when Jeff and I get to take our first real solo vacation!  We've never been apart from the kids for more than a weekend, so this is a big deal for me especially.  I'm super excited, a bit anxious too, but mainly thrilled to get that time with Jeff. 
Today we celebrate 12 years of marriage - I'm so blessed to have a partner who really loves me and our family.  We are both looking forward to that time away from the kids to just be together:)  Yes, we'll miss the kids, but I know more than anything it will be a great time to enjoy "us" - the reason we got married in the first place:) 
We did some celebrating last week when Ella-Kathryn prayed and accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior!  She had prayed about it before, but this was a definitive choice:)  She is waiting for her daddy to gather up his muster to baptise her, as he did her older brother.  Jeff is not a fan of big crowds and our church is huge so this event is always a big deal for him, in more than one way.  We'll keep you posted!
Jack is figuring out what it means to be "accountable" in terms of his relationship to God and us.  He had another incident with a weapon that warranted some pretty tough discipline.  He's handling it well, but it's just another reminder of how our walk with the Lord can be challenging some times.  There is no shortage of teachable moments around here!
Ryan is headed in to the ENT this week - just a consultation at this point, but with the number of ear infections he's had in the past few months, it's a necessary next step.  Hopefully, he'll outgrow these infections, but if not soon, then the tubes will be needed. 
Will, oh Will.   That boy keeps me on my toes!  When he was sick a couple of weeks ago he got into the habit of coming into our bed when he woke up in the middle of the night.  Fast forward to this past week, he's healthy and still wandering in each night.  So, we've resorted to bribery, again.  If he can stay in his bed for 5 nights in a row, he can earn his $3 wal-mart watch - something he's been asking for for months.  It's perched atop the fridge right now and he's already got 3 nights under his belt:)  The down side is that in place of his midnight bed switches, he's now stalling bedtime with rather dramatic antics, endless questions, and hunger pains.  We've countered with pre-bed snacks, a list of 5questions to be asked prior to getting into bed, and the threat of a spank if he calls out.  Oh my!  Hopefully this is short-lived, cause I for one am exhausted!
So, here's a photo dump:

We headed to the Tulsa Zoo (coupons, love coupons:)) taking advantage of the cool late spring weather we had last month.

 Our monkeys:)

The boy who walked most of the zoo -just cause he could!  Here's his homage to Michael Jordan.

 Oh how these 4 fill my heart, hands, home, prayers, car, and deplete my groceries faster than I can blink!

 Our first harvest from the new garden!  We're turning out squash and zucchini at a good clip, but not much else just yet.  I did pluck one small red tomato from the potted plant, and the one in the garden is taking over the yard! 

 Ella-Kathryn really wanted some goggles and a snorkel, so Papa passed her some dough and off to Wal-Mart we went!  She was happy to find the pink ones she remembered and has burned through some laps with her new gear.

Yesterday, 100 degrees was just too hot for me to take them anywhere, so she crafted and came up with her own variation on the headset mic!  She also made earmuffs and a headband:)

Well, I'm headed out to drop off Jack for a sleepover, and then home with the other 3.  After posted about not feeling the 'rest' part of the Sabbath, I've made a concerted effort to do as much work as possible on Sat. so my Sunday is more restful.  To that end, Taco Soup is in the crock pot, and my book is calling to me!  Which reminds me I've got to post on my book list.  I've been on a reading hot streak - on my 13th in 3 months.  Don't know why I do this to myself ; stay up late reading and then make Jack take the littles into his room to play in the morning so I can sleep a bit more:)  Can't wait til he's old enough to really babysit!