summer check list

--$2.00 sprinkler from Big Lots- CHECK

the kids love to play in the sprinkler! such a fun way to cool off. they play until the grass is soggy and their bodies are pruned.

---homemade sandbox- CHECK

the kids had been enjoying the sand box at the park and at a few friends houses, so i asked dave if he would build one for us this summer. dave is not a fan of the sandbox and wonders why any kid would want to sit in sand and get all dirty :) i loved playing in the sand box when i was little. as you can see dad gave in and built us a great summer activity. you know it is a big hit when you find sand in the lint screen of the dryer, and everywhere else for that matter.
---"home school" lesson plans--CHECK

to help me get through the days as much as the kids, i have come up with 5 weeks of short lesson plans to do with the kids. each week has a theme and then for about and hour each day, after we do our chores, we sit down for what garret calls "home school". it is really hard coming up with an activity that is suitable for all three kids on such different levels. not sure how real homeschool moms do it. so the themes i have come up with are, math, science, art, social studies and reading and writing. here the girls are working on their shapes during math week. garret got to spend some time on the computer doing math problems while the girls did their shapes. next week we will be working on science. i think garret will really enjoy it.

--everyone has a bike to ride-- CHECK

we got raelyn a new bike last week. she loves it. she had been riding a little tricycle since she was 2 but brenna had pretty much taken that over and it was really to small for rae. so brenna got raes hand-me-down and rae got a fun new bike. it is great to watch all three of them ride their bikes in the back yard.
--last but not least, LYNNSEY- CHECK

(no photo yet, but i am sure to get one soon)

this summer with dave being gone for about two months and me being pregnant we decided we would need to look into some outside help. the lord is so good how he works things out. we have a studio apartment above our garage and had heard of a young college student who needed a place to rent from may-dec. so, long story short, lynnsey is not only our tenant but also our "nanny". she is working for us for the months of june and july as a second set of hands for me. she works 3 full days 9am to 8pm and one half day 12 to 9pm. she has been such a blessing to me already in the short time she has been with us. the kids ADORE her, especially the girls. she is an answer to prayer and we are so thankful for her.... the best part, i have been able to take a nap and a shower every day she has been here :)