Summer Summary

This has been our busiest summer in a long time. We have had lots of guests cycling through which, when combined with a new baby, has made life a little wacky. With our final out of town friend flying home Sunday and public schools starting Tuesday, I think we will finally settle into our usual routine soon.

Some summertime highlights:

Thomas' tomatoes, which were blooms when last mentioned, made it to the table earlier this week as a topping for falafel. We've been given other garden tomatoes this summer, but these were THE BEST tomatoes I've ever tasted. And he was very proud.

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While my parents were here in July, we had a wonderful day in Washington DC. We walked only 3.5 miles that day, but it took us several hours. Here's a picture of everyone in front of Union Station:

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My sister Catherine helped me make a 10th Anniversary quilt for Bill while he was at Airborne school. We cut up old clothes and patched them together. The quilt went through several phases of design and development (at one point Catherine called it "assaultive") and a few crises of confidence. I think the final result is pleasing and warm. I'm about halfway through the quilting:

The larger blocks are from the "Special Delivery" outfits that Aunt Paulette sent each of the kids with their birth weight and date etc, and the kids each picked a special new fabric to border their own block. Maria and Catherine embroidered a block for Joseph. Bill and I have a special block which is cut from some of my old pjs. It says "happiness" and Catherine embroidered our wedding date on it.

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We started back to school a few weeks ago so I could get used to the new subjects we are teaching this year. The biggest change is that we are adding in Latin which I have never studied. So far it has gone well, and Anthony impressed a priest at church last week by translating, "In principio erat Verbum" which is carved on the ambo. Anthony has also started making his own Latin chant audio tapes.

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Bill's Airborne experience sounds like it was both exciting and painful. He showed me a DVD of the different training exercises. Apparently being Airborne is a lot more about falling on rocks than it is about parachutes. Still, I'm jealous that he got to jump out of planes and I didn't, and we are all proud when we see his new set of wings on his uniform.

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Cecilia turned 4 in July. That will have to be its own post, but one of the privileges that came with age is that she could go to VBS. The first day she was awake at 6:30 am grinning at the prospect of being a preschooler and choosing her outfit. VBS was at 6:30 pm so it was kind of a long day of anticipation.

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James has become quite articulate, coming up to me and saying things like, "Mommy, I want to show you somefing." He also can chant Latin verb conjugations and knows the meaning of "In principio erat Verbum." He goes to a really good school. ;)

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Today Charles read the words "hot dog" multiple times in the book Harry By the Sea. What a relief! He has been excited about being an official Kindergartener but not so much about the actual learning.

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Maria has been quite crafty this summer. She knitted a scarf with Catherine and started a blanket. She has worked on her latchhook from Grandma and has made little window ornaments and friendship bracelets. Right now, she is upstairs reading Harry Potter 2...again.

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And Joseph. He's practically perfect in everyway. He also has so far avoided being photograped for his August post.