This summer is just flying by! I wish i had been more consistent at blogging.

Some of the highlights:

We've had the cousins come stay with us for two extended time periods, in June and also in July. So much fun was had and lifelong memories made.

Margaret swam every night at Patterson pool for swim team practice. She went to the regional meet at UT where she competed in three events. Her relay team made it to state, which will be in Corpus Christi at the end of the month. Now that she's training for state, her practices are twice a day at a pool downtown. I've been running the trail while she swims, so we're both getting in pretty good shape.

Speaking of Margaret, she's been gone for a week to Philadelphia with Brian's parents. They fly back in today. This is the longest she's been away from all of us by herself. All the kids together have stayed with grandparents longer, but never by themselves. He boys miss her so much! I think she's had a great time. She's been sending us tons of pics over the phone.

VBS at Redeemer started yesterday. William and John are the only participants this year. Samuel and I worked in the infant nursery with the babies of the teachers. We only had three babies yesterday including Hazel. I've never left her in the church nursery on Sunday, so all those toys and play things were a while 'nother world for her! She was loving it!

Hazel still isn't sleeping great. We've tried her in the pack n play, but usually that doesn't work very well. She rarely naps and still has trouble getting to sleep at night. I just don't know how she keeps going! She still doesn't sleep through the night consistently, but that doesn't matter so much since she sleeps in our bed.

She's learning new tricks every day. Yesterday she walked a little bit behind one if those push toys. She cruises along the furniture and has attempted to stand on her own a couple of times. She waves occasionally, and gives kisses. Of course every new milestone is a cause for celebration by her fan club, i.e. brothers and sister. She brings us so much joy.

We've been blessed with a lot of rain lately, so unusual for the month of July. Everything looks so green and alive, and our lawn, which pretty much died after the hell that was last summer, has come back to life and looks like it is going to make it.

The summer is flying by too fast. We haven't ordered our books for next year yet. Still kind of waiting to see if Margaret gets into the middle school we've been trying to get her into. She's #3 on the waiting list, so there's a strong possibility that she will. Samuel is number #10 on the waiting list for the same school, so I don't have a lot of hope that he'll get in this year. Still praying about what's best for our kids...

Well, busy day ahead.