I feel like I have been gone forever...but even on my *break* I have posted a few things here and there. I just can't stay away for too long. I guess it is hard to leave friends like you for any amount of time. Thanks so much for reading and encouraging me so much through your sweet comments. I am going through a really busy stage right now and I think once we get into our fall routine again, I will feel somewhat organized and calm again.

Thank you for praying for Amy...That is one blog I have continued reading during my break...and I won't stop either. She is just a precious person and she is enduring such a trial. Her faith is strong, but we all know that her strength comes from the Lord. She is needing to lean on Him now more than ever.

We start our school year on Monday. I have all the books ready and pencils and paper bought. I have made my annual run to Staples and we have everything we need and then some...cute plaid and paisley folders, colored pencils, fun neon sticky notes...you know, the necessities. Although Evie and I have been doing school all summer, I am making a big deal out of her first day. This is actually the year before kindergarten...but she doesn't know the difference and she loves all the *school stuff* we do...so why not make it fun for her? We have been doing *Teach your child to read in 100 Easy lessons* and let me say this: It works!!! She is on lesson 27 and reading many words already! Can you believe that??? After we finish this book we will transition to Phonics Pathways. She is doing great! I have all of Jack Henry's boxes organized and ready. I had a good friend ask me if JH is the type child who will sit and just play quietly with the things in the designated boxes while I am doing school with the others and I replied with, *of course not...nope he sure isn't*.(Is any child naturally?) Ha! But, I will be training him, too. Kids learn really well with routine, so I am hoping when he sees me doing school, he will get used to doing his boxes during that time. I will have to stop at times to remind him of what he is to be doing. We will see how it all goes....

Jack Henry has been going to speech now for 2 weeks. It is going well. I really like Mrs. Jessica and I am already seeing some progress at home. He is imitating words more and he is saying more syllables...instead of saying ta for tractor, he is saying ta-ta...(2 syllables). Does that make sense? He is doing much better, but I realize this will be a process. Today, Mrs. Jessica put headphones on JH so he could hear sounds amplified. She really emphasized the ending of the words...he doesn't usually put endings on words, so maybe this will help him hear the ending sounds better. I'm very pleased so far!

About the house...things are going smoothly. All the rooms are painted and the three girls have been moved into their rooms. The mattresses are out of the playroom, so I am happy! We have not moved Jack Henry yet. We decided we wanted things to settle into a nice routine this fall and then we would move him gradually into his new bed. We will start with just naps in the afternoon and then gradually get him in there all the time. I am having window treatments made for the rooms. That project has been what I have been working on recently. I think we have decided on fabrics, so now we just have to get the fabric ordered and sell one of our cars to pay for it.

A lot has happened in the last few weeks...I have wanted to help in our church's student ministries(youth) for a while now. I have prayed and discussed this with Mike many times...he always said, that would be great, but not now. Mainly because I have been having babies and we don't put them in the nursery anymore than we have to...plus, we have seen that my time needed to be focused on the little ones and not on ministries outside of the home. My husband is very *wise* and very protective of me and my time. He was right and I have learned that, once again, my timing is not always best. I am thankful for a godly husband. Well, Mike and I have decided that this year I can get involved! I am going to lead a small group of girls. It will be a mentoring type relationship on Wednesday nights. After our student ministries pastor teaches, the youth then divide up into small groups to go over the teaching, ask questions, and pray. I'm looking forward to this opportunity to help encourage and lead these girls. Would you pray for me that I will have wisdom with these girls...and also, that in all I do I will give glory to God and not myself? This ministry will take up some time and I will need God's wisdom to know how much I can do and can't do. I will begin on August 15!!!

Now, back to my break.