The State of the Family address...

I love summer. I love that it's not dark until nearly 9pm. I love family bike rides. I love corn on the cob and fresh tomatoes. And I love grilling out. Not that I do the actual grilling...that's a "boy job" at my house. And the boy who does the grilling (aka Bill) is on a grilling vacation right now. Here's why...
Yes, that is a bird nest with 5 little eggs in our grill. I'm a mom and we mom's have to stick together. I can't harm this Mommy bird's babies. Even if they are trespassing on our yummy summer goodness. Enjoy your time off, Grill Boy. Thankfully, there are no bird nest's in the dishwasher or sink. Another boy job, of course.

As for me, I have a dream. In this dream I am running a mini-marathon without the paramedics being called on my behalf. Though I would love to fool you, you should know, I am not a runner. Heck, I'm barely a walker. But I have started "training" for a mini-marathon. Each day Tate and I plan to go running together. We started today. We made it down the street and back. He was humored by my out-of-shape-ness. The very same out-of-shapeness that had me gasping for air and begging to quit when we were only 3 houses down. It will be a small miracle if we make it around the block someday, let alone ever participate in a mini-marathon.

Speaking of my running partner, in an ironic twist of fate, Tate has decided he is going to miss school work this summer. He says he misses the sense of purpose that it gives him and has asked me to give him assignments over the summer. If I oblige him, can I call myself a homeschooling mom? I've always liked the way that sounds.

Even though it's summer, we can't sleep in every morning. Emmie was my alarm clock this morning playing Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, and Yankee Doodle Dandy in loud succession on a kazoo. It was kind of cute...at first.

I'm not usually the kind of blogger that offers you much fun or helpful information like recipes. But Jack came to me tonight saying he knew how to make pie. So here is Jack's Pie Recipe... "Take rotten crust. Put it in the pan. Spray whipped cream all over the inside of the crust. Then take little pieces of chocolate that look like logs and put them on top of the whipped cream. TA-DA...you've got pie!". Let me know if you decide to try this at home, rotten crust and all.

And then there is Her Loveliness, who we hope to add to our family at some point in the future. I wish I could post a picture of her, but the best I can give you right now is a picture of her sweet feet. I'm not one to find feet attractive (unlike Tanner P. for all you Bachelorette fans), but these are some dang cute feet!

We don't really know what or how she is doing which, I am finding, makes one more passionate about praying. As I write this, it's 7:44am in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Good morning, Sunshine. We look forward to when we will greet our mornings together. All of six of us. As a family.