An Evening on the River

It is sometimes hard being an "older" couple with younger children. Most of our contemporaries have children in highschool, college and or even married with children. We often laugh that we are raising our "grandchildren" age wise.

Brian and I are not the type of people that spend a lot of time socializing with other couples or families. It happens occasionally, but not often. I think the main reason is that Brian has a very demanding (time wise) job and we tend to cherish any family time we get. That being said, I do enjoy very much getting together with people and we are blessed with some wonderful friends.

Recently we enjoyed a wonderful evening with Wayne and Liz. They have a beautiful home on the Hudson River and invited us for an evening of dinner and boating. We had a terrific meal on their screen porch and then went out on their boat.

Brian is a boat lover. He loves to look at boats, read about boats and work on boats.

Wayne and Brian enjoyed talking about their boats.

Our Filipino children had never been out in a boat before and they were so excited and maybe a bit nervous about it all. What a joy to cruise up the river. Their boat is a nice sized cabin cruiser and you sit up high above the water. It was a perfect evening to be out on the boat.

Wayne found a wider spot in the river and Liz dropped the anchor. She went in the water with Dan as he was a bit nervous. Swimming in the river is very different than the pool...you can't see the bottom. Even though the three older children are very good swimmers, everyone put on life jackets. It is very fun to just "hangout" in the water.

The swim platform off the back is perfect for jumping and diving. The children climbed up and jumped over and over.

Gabe and Rachel decided that jumping a bit higher would be fun and they started climbing up onto the deck and jumping off the corner. What freedom!

The older children finally took their jackets off and enjoyed riding the waves as the other boats would pass.

Thank you so much, Wayne and Liz, for opening your home and your hearts to our family. We had a tremendous time and appreciated your hospitality.

Weekly Daybook

Go to The Simple Woman to read more.

Peggy is taking a summer break from The Simple Woman's Daybook, but you can continue to read daybook entries at Grandmother Wren.

For Today...August 10, 2009

Outside My Window...it is a hazy, hot evening and the rain has started again.

I am thinking...about curriculum. Organizing and ordering new material today, what fun.
I am thankful for...the daily grace God gives me, always enjoy.
From the learning rooms...nothing formal this time of year.
From the kitchen...very quiet. Too hot for baking and Brian is flying late, so a simple dinner.
I am wearing...shorts and a t-shirt.
I am creating...messes. Why is it that you always have to make a mess to clean up?
I am going...to start a new cross-stitch block.
I am reading...a cozy mystery.
I am hoping...for progress with one particular child.
I am hearing...a fan softly whirring and a car splashing through the rain on the road.
Around the house...pretty quiet. The younger set is watching a movie.
One of my favorite things...pouring over curriculum, the excitement and anticipation of a new school year.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...a very quiet week. Brian is flying late all week. Would love to make major inroads on our school prep and continue sorting clothes.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing
Punchy keeps Gabe company as he recoveries from a recent illness.

Even When it isn't Hot, We Stay Cool in the Pool

Even though our summer has been quite cool and often rainy, the children have been enjoying the pool almost daily.

What a blessing the pool continues to be for our family.

Dan has gotten quite good at swimming...well underwater anyway. He continually jumps and swims around and around. Sometimes into one of the donut floaties, sometimes just into the water.

Hannah has been learning to dive this summer....bottoms up!

Gabe and Bess love to dive through the donuts. Gabe's style is a bit, well, interesting, Bessie's are graceful and spot on.

I guess when you are a kid, (and I do remember those days) it doesn't matter whether the weather is warm or the water is warm, playing in the water is just so much fun.

Picnic with the "H" Family

The "H" family once again held a summer picnic for several families that have adopted children or are waiting for their children to come home.

The day was perfect, nice warm temps and plenty of sunshine. As always, the food choices were wonderful and the fellowship was so sweet. It is such a joy for me to be with other families that are dealing with similar issues.

After lunch, we walked up to their pond and the children had a terrific time splashing, floating, and jousting with noodles and floats. Some of the little guys played in the sand and most of the adults enjoyed conversation in the shade.

And the view...this alone makes a visit here a blessing. I really love long views.

Thank you "H" family for another terrific day.

Lazy Summer Days

We love going to one of the Locks on the Champlain Canal. This particular one is only about 20 minutes from home. They have picnic tables and bbqs and we often have the place to ourselves. The setting is lovely and there are always plenty of birds for me to watch. There are even a pair of nesting Bald Eagles. We can easily grab a quick picnic dinner and do a bit of fishing after Brian gets out of work. And then a trip across the river to Stewart's for an ice cream cone completes the trip.

Sometimes Bessie fishes, but sometimes she enjoys working on one of her hand projects. This trip, she was working with her beading.

Hannah always enjoys whatever we are doing. Isn't she just lovely? I love her smile and cheery attitude.

July 5 - Cookout at Mom and Dad's

We had a very enjoyable day with Mom and Dad. We had a cookout, enjoyed some great food and wonderful company.

Dad started a fire in the fireplace, always a favorite. The children love having an outdoor fire. We made s'mores.

Brian and the children enjoyed some type of ball game. Not sure what it was, but they were having fun.

Thanks, Mom and Dad for a very nice day. We always enjoy your company.

July 15 - Gabe's 10th Birthday

Gabe turned 10 years old this year! Where have the years gone? He has seemed so much older and more grown up this past year.

He kept telling us that his ninth year was his lucky year and didn't really like the idea of turning ten, but when the day came he said it didn't feel any different and maybe being ten would be okay.

He received things he asked for and some he didn't. I love to surprise the children with a gift they were not anticipating. This year, an mp3 player was that gift for Gabe. He was thrilled. He loves to listen to books on tape and the Adventures in Odyssey episodes. Our library has some great book downloads. We have loaded several for him already and he loves it.

Look at those eyes...they are smiling eyes when he realized what he had gotten.

New Lego sets are always high on his gift list. This set was very challenging for him, but he got it together.

He had asked for a 4-layer chocolate cake like Hannah had for her birthday, except he had green frosting and mini chocolate chips...yummy! For his birthday dinner, we had lasagna, salad and Italian bread. Noona and Papa came over to help us celebrate. They gave Gabe money this year and he was very happy with that gift.

After dinner the children had a swim in the pool. It was a very nice day, sunshine and warm temps. The perfect end of a special day.

Happy Birthday, Gabe! We love you and can't wait to see what this year holds for you. You make us laugh and smile and think and bring so much joy to our lives.