Seven!

This guy turned seven!

We celebrated in the usual way.  Family, food, cake, video, and presents.

PopPop posing gangsta style

second birthday this year where I couldn't find my candles!

Daniel, you have grown up so much in the past year!  You still have your clothes preferences...a CUMC Flag Football jersey and athletic shorts being your favorites.  You are not flexible when it comes to these decisions.  Food can also be interesting with you.  You rarely eat dinner but can put down a whole sandwich at lunch.  I sometimes worry about your refusal to eat a fruit other than an apple and a vegetable other than peas, but I'm hoping you'll eventually warm up to a healthy diet!

But your sweet mind is incredible.  You are an advanced reader and a great student at all subjects.

You love sports...football still being your favorite.  We love to watch you play!

Daniel truly didn't ask for a thing for his birthday...which is nice but a little hard to decide on what to get him.  He didn't give me any suggestions, but he did surprise me when he asked to go to Books-A-Million to spend his birthday money.  He immediately went to the religion section and picked this out.  Legos and the Bible...what else does an eight year old need?

Daniel definitely has a deep spiritual side to him.  He always amazes me with his thoughts.  This past year in the atrium, I introduced the wolf and the hireling to he and Philip in their well beloved Good Shepherd lesson.   They had heard the parable of the Good Shepherd for many years without the reference to the wolf.  It was time to take the parable to another meaning.  Daniel cried when the wolf knocked down the Good Shepherd.  He said to me, "Mom, I know that one day the wolf and the sheep will be friends."  Just as CGS founder Sophia Cavaletti said, children know things that no one has told them.  We immediately went to Isaiah and read the Prophecy of the Peaceable Kingdom.  No lesson in the atrium is dull with this kid!

I watched him the other day while I worked in the atrium.  While reenacting the Last Supper, he placed Jesus at Calvary on the nearby map of Jerusalem.  He then picked up the disciple he chose to be Peter and put him at the head of the table.  Again, his own interpretation...his own thoughts of the events following the Last Supper.  So fun to watch him develop in this way!

Such a special kid...looking forward to many more birthdays with him!  Maybe next year, I'll remember the candles!

On the Value of Work

One theme that I have heard several lectures on during my Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training is the value of work.  CGS is Montessori-based and Montessori had some great thoughts on children and work.

Montessori wished to reunite the working class of people (those who used their hands in their work) with the professionals (those who used their minds in their work).  She knew from her research that those who used their hands had a greater joy in their lives.  In CGS, we ponder with the older (age 6-9) child the gift that sets humans apart from the rest of creation.  The gift of our hands.  Our hands become a tool where we can collaborate with God in writing the blank page in which we live today.  Our hands allow us to help bring the Kingdom of God here on Earth.  Big stuff for little people to ponder.

But back to work.  Montessori found that children want to work.  They want activities that are real and adult-like.  They work for an internal aim...not external like the adult.  Work is good in their book.

So where am I going with this?

I have one who loves to work.  No job is too big for this guy.

Running the shop-vac on the porch...

helping his Dad clean out the dryer vent...

or just some regular household cleaning...

William is always ready to lend a hand.  He finds joy in his work.  I could learn a lot from him!

This weekend we had some friends over for dinner.  When all four complained that they were bored, I suggested they help their Dad and me clean the house.  All jumped right in.  They cleaned a bathroom, wiped down cabinets, picked up a messy backyard, and more.  Work is good for all of us!

And just to show we like to play too....here we are enjoying a day at the beach with some old friends!

Summer Life

I have to admit the first two weeks of summer were blissful.  Not much on the calendar and just time to lie around and enjoy each other's company.  I think I even said to Chris one night...I can't believe that I get to stay at home and do this all day.  It is so much fun!

Then around week three, we started swimming lessons and spent a lot of time at the church preparing a new atrium.  The days became busier and boys became more tired.  It definitely got a little harder...and not quite so blissful.  But we are still having fun!

William and John have been doing great at swimming lessons.  This video is from week one and they have even improved tons since then!

One of the highlights of our summer is watching Dad play softball in the lawyer league.  Last night the boys enjoyed a game of their own with a few new friends.  A tennis ball and a stick were all they needed!  After Dad scored the winning run to end the game, Philip proclaimed that was the most fun night ever!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the great Daddy that we celebrated on Sunday.  Chris is the BEST dad to these four little boys.  I had Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training at Trinity all weekend, and so sweet Daddy took four boys to the hunting camp.  Meaning...he woke up on Father's Day and fixed breakfast for everyone...instead of having breakfast in bed.  I had the quiet morning instead of him!!  That's just how he is...always giving...always supporting me!  We are so thankful for him.

The boys had fun creating this spoof of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" for him for Father's Day!  It is so true that when Chris is at home, the boys are constantly pounding him to do something...play football, swing, build with Legos, etc.  If he isn't at work, he is at home playing with his boys.  It is what makes him so great!

I'll leave you with this clown eating his refrigerator oats for breakfast this morning.  It seems he only makes faces for the camera these days!

Celebration of a Good Life

This weekend we all headed to Albany, GA to celebrate the life of my grandmother, affectionately known as Big Mama.  It was lots of fun to see my cousins that I just don't see often enough.  The boys also got to meet lots of second cousins!

We arrived in time to swim.  Chris did pool duty while I visited by the pool with all the family.

Then dinner with just the McCall crowd...because we are big enough!

Philip got to have a sleepover in Aunt Elizabeth's hotel room with Cousin Merrill.

The morning brought breakfast at the hotel.  It was so fun to sit and drink coffee as different family members piled in.  Lots of visiting...lots of catching up.  Then a little time to get some energy out!

Then time to dress four little boys for a funeral.

Big Mama was buried at Oakview Cemetery in Albany with lots of her family.

shortly before this was taken William fell and cut his arm on a bush!

 Big Mama's great-grandfather (my great-great-great grandfather), Nelson Tift, is the founder of Albany!

Perhaps my favorite shot.  My great-uncle looking out over the graves of his mother, father, sister, and wife.

We had a nice family reception following the funeral.  My boys, especially Philip, could not get enough of Merrill!

Before getting on the road, we made a stop at Tift Park.  Beautiful oaks!

Our ride home mostly looked like this!

We were all tired from the quick trip but we made it to church to celebrate Pentecost in our red!

Life Is Just a Tire Swing

BlackBlueberry Pickin'.  Eatin' fried chicken.  

And I never knew a thing about pain.  

Life is just a tire swing.

-Jimmy Buffett

Blueberry picking.

Eatin' fried chicken.

Today we headed to Weeks Bay to go blueberry picking with GranGran, Aunt Susan, and Campbell.
 

Blueberry picking is actually very easy and quick.  We had gathered a little over seven pounds in 45 minutes.

After a little downtime, we headed to the pool for a long swim.

Finally, we capped off the busy day watching Dad play softball.  

Then home for homemade blueberry cobbler and bed for four tired little boys!