4 hours prior to the supper, i had no idea how i was going to make the table look. i put some things together and it worked out nice. The napkins look kinda red on the picture, they were more of a burgandy, like the rosehips. 
Sunday eve we had a family reunion here, my grandmother's side of the family. There were around 50 people, the weather was so nice, praise God!Some of the Stoltzfus gang....
Rod is working on perfecting his chicken BBQ. It was good! he discovered the longer it sits on the roaster after being cooked, the more tender and better tasting it is. 
I so appreciate Rod's help these last couple weeks, i couldn't have done it all without his willingness to be with the boys, and help in other areas (like the dirty floors).on to the ticks.....Earlier this summer, Ben had a funny looking 'rash' followed by flu-like symptoms and the dr. diagnosed him w/ lyme, which comes from deer ticks. I'm sure it was an accurate diagnosis, as none of the other kids got his "flu", and the rash and symptoms both cleared up after being treated. So now Friday night i spotted a deer tick on me, i saw it early in the day and thought it was a scab (in between my fingers). Then in the evening i was itching it and thought it felt different. It wasn't until i looked close that i saw legs. Deer ticks are about the size of a flea! they are so so small. Rod pryed it off of me right away and burned him. i gave it a couple days then went to the dr., it is 'puffy' where the tick was embedded. She gave me a one-time dose of something that is supposed to prevent you from getting Lyme, if taken within a certain window of time. The night before this happened i was talking to mom's cousin about ticks/lyme (she lives near the woods too). I think it was God's timing that this all took place after listening to her stories, i might have ignored the "scab" if she hadn't said that deer ticks look like a tiny scab.
Hope i didn't make anyone paranoid with that! It's good to be aware of it, i guess.
Blessings to your week!
another fun time at the beach is in the books! i always think 3 nights should be long enough to get away, but it goes so fast.
Clay had a blast this year. He wanted to do everything his brothers were doing. He even got a free ice cream cone, just by walking up to Kohr's and giving them 'the look'. 
So glad my mom came again this year. the boys love their grandma!
Started reading the boys "charlotte's web". I loved this book when i was little. I told them i'll let them watch the video after we finish reading the book. Adam says "how many days does it take to watch the video?" 
I must say, the color pink was fun while it lasted! thanks to our neighbors, with twins girls who are Clay's age, for the loan :)
I think so!! 
This summer i had wanted to sign Adam up for a local baseball team, he shows much interest in batting and running the bases. Rod said not yet, but let's do regular games at home with them. It went in spurts, as summer schedules can get busy, but we fit in quite a few games of wiffle ball. They had a lot of fun with it, and probably learned more this way rather then being on a team, at this point. 
A selfish perk is that this is something they can do together without fighting. That's not always the case, much to your surprise i'm sure :)
Clay knows what to do and is very determined to do it!
I wonder how good J-roll and Chase Utley were at this age? I know, lots better then my boys...but let me dream.
He found his friend Ethan right away. An answer to prayer on the very first day!!!
He had show and tell already today. He took in a huge dead bee and a cicada. I'm sure the girls love him. 
No tears for mommy. Perhaps next year, as Adam will be doing full days and the twins will start K. But for this year, it's doable, and good. I'm impressed with the school, their organization, and Adam's wonderful teacher!
