One of our earliest tours was at the Convict Barracks that housed the earliest settlers to Australia. It was sobering to get the glimpse of how the people who built this country lived.
Well, the kiddos started school last Friday. It was never debated whether they would begin the year with their class, so we loaded up our school supplies and trekked to Harding Academy as if we were going to be here this fall.
Jon David is so blessed to have Mrs. Carol Adams for his second grade teacher. This is the first time for our family to have her for a teacher, but I have had the opportunity to see her in action over the last several years. I am so impressed and pleased that God has placed her in our lives.
Caleb has Mrs. Julie Koch this year. Because he's entering the 4th grade/upper elementary, I was at a loss for which teacher we "wanted" this year. I just haven't been around either 4th grade teacher. However, as always, I have been in constant prayer for the kiddos' teachers and believe we are where God means for us to be. The fact that Mrs. Koch has six kiddos of her own. Or the fact that she already knew that Caleb had a passion for fishing and had a picture of him on her slide show. Or the fact that she let them choose their own seats on the first day just confirmed that Caleb is right where he needs to be.
And, of course, we love Mr. Teague, the elementary principle. He is such a great man of God that models Christ each day. What a blessing to have him a part of the boys' day.
One of our dear friends and fellow servants shares her pool with us once a week throughout the summer. So, we invite a few friends to join us. This is a weekly highlight for my family, and I must admit that I thoroughly enjoy the adult interaction. Here is most of our kiddos enjoying the traditional Popsicle by the pool!
(I had to post the picture of our special mom treats. Don't you think we deserve the good stuff?)
To end the summer, we made a trip with my folks to the Memphis Zoo. It was a HOT day topping out at 103 . . . of course, the kiddos had fun and didn't complain about the heat.
If you haven't taken your family to the Memphis Zoo, you are missing out . . . it's much better than the LR zoo and an easy trip from Searcy. I highly recommend it for a cool, Saturday outing!
We were providing respite for a foster baby over this weekend. He was such a trooper and enjoyed his first trip to the zoo!
July was a busy month with various activities. But, one of the funnest was a revisit to Disney World. We were blessed to make the trip with Yaya, my aunt, my cousin and her daughter, and a dear family friend. It was a fast and furious trip, but the kiddos enjoyed it so much.
This was the first time for Ali to ride on a plane. Well, it was the first trip that Jon David remembers too . . . they did really well, and I was pleased to give them a preview for our LONG trip overseas.
My favorite memory of this trip was on the plane ride home. Ali begins to sing "Step by Step", forgets the words, and asks me to help her. I lean over quietly and sing the words for her. She confronts me because I am "not singing with all of my heart. And, that makes God happy." I explain to her the setting on the plane dictates that we be polite and not disturb our neighbors. She proceeds to lean over to the older gentleman sitting next to me and asks, "Do you mind if we sing to God?" He smiles and tells her that likes to sing to God too. She then invites him to sing with her. (He didn't know the song but was precious listening to her!) Once again, my kiddo reminds me that faith should be obvious and apparent to those around us.
Caleb competed in the AAU State Swim Meet in late June. It was a HOT day, but Caleb had a great meet. He swam in four races and was in the top ten in each event. His personal time improved in each race, which is always our wish for him.
Caleb continues to love swimming. We are so proud of our little fish!
Today marked the end of our first All-Star experience. The overall journey has been a blessing, even if a little overwhelming.
We have lovingly called Jon David's team the Searcy Sevens. Because of a restructuring, the 7-8 division was split into just sevens and just eights. So, we had an All-Star team for each age group. It allows the younger kiddos a chance to have the honor and experience of All-Star for two years.
However, all that said, the boys struggled with playing teams who were predominantly eight-years-old. There have been a few who had only one seven on the whole team. So, our kiddos were small in comparison. It was difficult for them to walk on the field when they looked up, literally, to the majority of the other team.
I think Jon David was the smallest (with maybe one who was comparable) on his team. He played hard and did well in spite of his size. He has a heart of a champion, and we are so proud of him.
Jon David made the All-Star Team for his league. He is so excited and looking forward to the next level of play.
Of course, with that next level comes a greater commitment by our family too. For the next three weeks, there will be 2-3 hour practices every afternoon or evening. For the next three weekends, Nathan (also helping coach the team) will be toting Jon David around central AR for tournaments. I won't be able to attend all of the tournaments with our other commitments here.
And, have I mentioned how hot it's going to be? I just sent JD and daddy off to practice with the temps nearing 100 degrees and a heat advisory. Whew, they must really LOVE baseball!
It's difficult to find a balance. We want to encourage JD's talents and passions. But, we also don't want to give up our family time either. If this is how busy it is now with him at 7, how will it be when he is 15? We're praying for God's guidance . . .
Ali has been waiting for swimming lessons for FOREVER! Since she could talk, she wanted to take swimming lessons like the boys. So, I made the mistake of telling her that when summer came she could take lessons. Well, the boys got out of school on May 20th which marked the beginning of summer. It's been a long three weeks of explaining to Ali that it wasn't time yet.
Monday was the day! Ali jumped right in the water and loved EVERY minute of it. She jumped off the diving board without blinking . . . (Of course, she attempted the same thing at a friend's house the next day without swim teachers in the deep end to catch her. She's a little too confident in her ability now.)
The opportunity to be a visiting resource for the Searcy Children's Home has been a blessing for our family. We offer "breaks" for foster families who have obligations away from their kiddos. The little guy in the picture is one of our regulars.
When I use the word "our", I use it loosely. It really should read "Nathan's" because Little A loves Nathan. Little A is a man's man . . . but, he's precious to us and such a joy to have visit. (Notice that he's watching baseball with Nathan!)
I say this lovingly . . . but, when seven kiddos join the ranks of our three, the house truly feels invaded. It doesn't help that of the nine, six are boys who love swords, guns, etc. The house and yard often looked like a battle ground, but it was a fun visit.
We spent the visit fishing, eating, swimming, eating, watching videos, eating, going to ball games--you get the point. As with any good family reunion, food must play an important part!
While here, cousin Cory had his 10th birthday. He most enjoyed his time fishing at Yaya's pond, so I picked out a fishing cake for the bday celebration. (See attached pictures.)
Each spring, HA's elementary students get to go to Camp Tahkodah for Outdoor Education. It was one of the times I most enjoyed as a student 25 years ago. It's still a highlight for the students. Jon David's class enjoyed adventures on the high seas with a Pirate theme. What fun times for the students, teachers, and parents.
Nathan and I try to both attend an Outdoor Ed. each spring. We've been swapping which kid we go with each year. This was my year to go with JD and Nathan's year to go with Caleb. So, as you will notice, JD has pictures of his experience. Caleb does not. (I'll catch him next year!)
Well, the title 
is a little misleading. Caleb wasn't hunting this snake; it found us. The narodia sipidon (yellow bellied water snake) seem to like the area on our back porch behind the dog house. We can always tell when the pups have one cornered for the chaotic yipping that ensues.
On this particular day, Caleb wanted to capture the prey on his own. It's a talent and something many never perfect. Nathan can catch ten snakes and never get bit. I, on the other hand, get bit half of the time. Caleb is still averaging a bite more times than not.
As you will see in the first picture, this was one of the times when he did get bit. But, he was proud! (As was his father! His mother just wanted him to use lots of hand soap to get rid of the odor!)
Jon David started playing baseball at the end of April. Daddy was his coach this year, so it added a new element to the process.
Although Jon David wanted to play catcher, Dad kept him at pitcher all year. Since they use a pitching machine in this league, Jon David got to focus entirely on defense. He loved it.
This was Nathan's first experience as head baseball coach. It was a stress but a good experience for our family. We loved each boy on our team and enjoyed getting to know the families. The team finished in third for the season. Congratulations!
Each spring of first grade, the kiddos get to go on an adventure down the Amazon. Their at-home project is to build a boat worthy of the Amazon. All building projects are relegated to Nathan. So, this is the final product of Jon David's ideas and the work he and daddy did! A jaguar boat!
(Notice the cool hair.)
Caleb had "Flat Caleb" due the first of May. It was a fun project with many helpers. Grandma and Grandpa toured with Flat Caleb in China. Miss Jaime and Miss Susan took Flat Caleb with them to St. Louis. Flat Caleb enjoyed a family outing to Branson with Yaya and Papa. And, he got to go to swim lessons and on a fishing excursion. It was a fun project, and it's DONE!
Jon David's soccer team was the league champion this spring. The regular coach had to miss most of the spring games due to work, so Nathan was the stand-in. It was a great season and so much fun. The team played well together and improved each week. Congratulations Searcy Lagons! (That's not a typo. Some wanted to be the dragons, and some wanted to be lions. This was the compromise!)
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