Pear Pickin'

We have a pear tree in our backyard and it's loaded with pears this season. It's been gorgeous outside so yesterday we did some morning pear picking and an impromptu science lesson on spiders.

In the very middle of this picture is the eight-legged creature that made me jump backwards off my ladder and prompted an insect vs spider lesson. This next shot is a blurry close up. I'm glad spiders eat flies, but I'm really not a big fan!

Alayna found a "baby" pear and ate the whole thing core and all. Then she went back to the bucket and found herself a big one.

Pierce LOVES pears. They're his absolute favorite. My favorite phrase of the day, of course, from bare-footed Pierce, "Ugh! I stepped on a wotten peh-uh. Now I have peh-uh swime on my foot!" Translation - he stepped on a rotten pear and got pear slime on his foot. :)

Hudson was my little worker bee, carting the pears from the tree to house.

This is the bucket load that I get to make into something. You're welcome to pass along any creative ideas or recipes. Hudson would like to make some applesauce, "only it would be pear sauce, but that sounds weird." :)

Enjoying our tasty snack.

Stretching

Stretching is probably one of the most neglected parts of exercise but it's one of the best things for you. We're stretching in more ways than one around here. The last couple of months have been pretty lean due to several unexpected expenses - one being the air conditioner motor. When it's 105 degrees every day, you can't go without the AC.

Anyway, one of the first things on the budget to get cut is the food budget. There are those days when I'm so tired that I can't possibly make lunch (insert sarcastic tone) so we drive through Chick-fil-a (okay, so maybe I'm just craving that deluxe chicken sandwich with provolone and a little caffeine on the side!). The last couple of months we haven't been driving through and I've been forced to overcome a little mommy-laziness and get creative - sometimes you have to think outside the pb&j box. Yesterday the kiddos were thrilled with bananas, raisins, cracker and cheese. Creativity and no money inspire incredible resourcefulness and sometimes some pretty awesome recipes. You can do amazing things with lentils and beans! (It's a special blessing when Mom has an "extra" flank steak too!)

Tight financial months also open your eyes to the amazing faithfulness of God. His timing and precision is perfect. I can't tell you how many times we've been blessed with a grocery gift card or money in the mail, a package of diapers on the porch, even a thank you note from a friend with a little Sonic gift card inside ( You know who you are. Thank you!)! This kind of stretching also keeps us dependent on God and seeking Him.

My kids' faith is growing through this too. The other day we were driving out to a friend's house. I forgot the directions and my cell phone was dead. We drove around the neighborhood for awhile and I was about to give up when Hudson said, "Mom, you could pray." Right, good idea five-year-old! We prayed and, sure enough, we found it around the next turn! Hudson said, "I knew God would answer that prayer."

Last night I was saying goodnight to the boys. Hudson (no prompting from David or me) said, "I think I'm not going to play on the computer or my video games on Sundays anymore."

I said, "Really, what made you decide that?"

He said, "Oh I just thought it would be a good idea. I think I should just pray and do other things because my Bible says it's God's day and I think that's what He would want me to do." For real?! What mother who prays for the hearts of her children every day wouldn't be glowing, bursting, and weeping?! I'm amazed to see the Holy Spirit at work.

Then there's the stretching that occurs in me homeschooling three kids and nursing a baby. I'll share a little deeper look at that sometime. I'm glad there's not a camera on us most of the time! We have fun and we learn a lot and this mommy gets to practice just about every fruit of the Spirit or ask forgiveness later!

So, a little stretching is no big deal, especially when it's building such strong faith, not just in me, but in my children.

On a lighter note, David shaved the goatee and surprised me with this:

It's all shaved off now. Aren't we all glad!

Swimming, School, and Stuff

We've been swimming, swimming, swimming around here! Hudson can swim from one end of the pool to the other and dive now. Pierce still thinks he'll "drain" without a life jacket, but with a life jacket he might as well be a fish. Alayna sticks to the steps most of the time. She likes to venture out into the pool on my back. I get some incredible exercise in the pool throwing the boys and piggy-backing Alayna across the pool and back. Adelle hangs out in the house with Mimi or in the shade of the pool house most of the time. Next time we're out at the pool maybe I'll remember my camera!

School is going great. We're part of a local homeschool group now and the boys are excited for all the field trips and special Friday classes we'll take.

I'm teaching two classes a week at the Y now and starting up a few personal training sessions for some ladies at church. Busy doing what I love and so blessed!

Here's a picture update for the last couple of weeks:

Poor Hudson - no one goes to the bathroom in peace around here! (And he'll probably be mortified someday that I posted this picture - notice the tan line. Yes, my white children do tan!).

Poor Pierce, swimming takes it out of him.

I love those fresh morning faces - sweet Alayna all wrapped up and Hudson hugging his monkey.

We're on week 6 of school. The kids were doing some serious water color art projects in this shot.

This was supposed to be a shot of my sweet baby sucking her thumb to go to sleep. Don't mind the sweaty, sleepy mommy. Sometimes I actually fix my hair!