Micah 6:8

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with our God.

Learning to act justly is tough for a kid. Why do I need to be fair? Why do I have to share?

Compassion comes easily for some and hard for others.

Walking humbly is just plain tough.

I hope to teach the boys how to do all this yet I struggle too.  

Spending the day with their cousin is a good start. They have to learn to share their time with Amos. They have to learn to respect Amos' space and what he is saying, without saying words. 

Matthew is enthralled with Amos.

All 3 boys and Lucy want to play and love on Amos.

The smiley star of the day.

In the afternoon, the boys had their first soap carving lesson. 

They carved hearts to help illustrate our bible verse for the day.

First Day of Kindergarten, Second and Fourth Grade

Today, we began our new school year.

Three boys all school aged, it should prove to be a fun and interesting year.

Matthew - Kindergarten

Micah - Second Grade

Bryce - Fourth Grade

All the boys working on their copy work. It is fun to see how their writing changes through the year and over the years. 

At the end of our day, I asked each boy to pick out the book they would be most upset about not being able to complete this year. (I tried asking what they were excited for and received the answer of free time:)

Matthew picked his math book because now he is doing math like his big brothers.

Micah picked Beast Academy because it is fun math and the book is a comic book.

Bryce picked Creative Writer because for him the entire day should be about creative writing.

I am excited to see how the boys grow through their school work this year. 

Crystal Cave

To end our summer break, we spent the day at Crystal Cave.

The formations in the cave were amazing to look at. We enjoyed watching a few bats fly around the cave, although it is early for bats to begin their hibernation. A few have figured out the cave is a good place to sleep in cool air while it is warm outside. 

After the cave tour, the kids panned for gems. The loved finding the different gems and figuring out what they were. Then spent most of the afternoon looking at a playing with their new found gems.  

Summer has come to a close.
Next week, we start our new school year.

Minnesota State Fair

Minnesota State Fair a chance to spend the day as a family with thousands of other people.  

 The boys earned their tickets by participating in the library's summer reading program. After reading for 20 hours, they each earn their State Fair Ticket. 

Little Hands Farm

Matthew really enjoyed all the activities.

Building at Home Depot

Bryce made a toolbox, Micah made a Helicopter and Matthew made a Sailboat.

Food, hats and dancing all just part of the State Fair experience.

Landscape Drawing at St. Croix Bluffs

Art = a subject that brings great joy

Hiking = A chance to observe God's wonderful creation

We went hiking at St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park and observed God's wonderful creation. The kids had a fun time drawing landscapes with oil pastels.

First we drew up on the bluff. 

Then we headed down to the beach. Bryce found a great perch to draw on the beach.