Savoring September

I love September and the buzz of activity that comes with it. These first days of fall have been spent settling into new schedules, new sports, new teams, new lessons, and new school routines... with a couple very fun weddings on the weekends! I suddenly feel tired thinking about it all.  

My husband is coaching Hannah's soccer team again this year. And they have moved up to a more competitive league. It's so fun to watch this group of girls play! But sadly I miss most of the games because I'm juggling the boys' Saturday soccer games.

My soccer-loving girl... who is looking so much older to me these days.

 Will is playing baseball for the first time and he LOVES it. 

His first game was this past weekend and he smiled the whole time. 

 His first run ever!

Peter is on a real soccer team this year... with mid-week practices, weekend games, and uniforms (he loves the gear). I didn't get a picture of him at his first game - it was a crazy day. 

Here he is our Roman Standard Bearer (just before he fell to the Barbarians). 

We're studying the Middle Ages this year.

Fifteen Years

Today we celebrate 15 years! 

I have been sitting her for too long trying to write something short and sweet
about how wonderful our marriage is.
But there are just too many words.
And all of them put together don't say enough. 

Truly, my cup overflows. 

I love being married to this man.

First Day of School

We started school today! 

Hannah - 5th grade. She's held this sign for 7 years! How can this be?

Will - 3rd grade

Peter - 1st grade

I have been making this First Day of School pencil cake for years (it's actually a brownie). This year I made a mini version. The eating of the pencil cake after the first day of lessons is a highly anticipated event around here. Do not ever make this unless you intend to make it every year. I made cupcakes one year and got a lot of "where's the pencil cake?"

Returning to Homeschooling

Hello, all! I have a bit of news...

After much prayer and thought, we have decided to return to homeschooling starting this fall.

I had considered spelling out all the reasons why, but I think it best to keep this short. Please know that our many reasons were positively and proactively motivated, not negative reactions to our school experience. We are doing what we feel is best and right for us... for educational, philosophical, and familial reasons which are our personal convictions and ones we in no way wish to impress upon others.

All this to simply say, we're back. And we're very excited!

Our summer has been full and I have let this blog sit awhile. I do hope to be back here often and with some frequency again. I've missed it (and so has my far away family).

Grace and peace to you in these last lazy days of summer.

Jennifer

July Refreshment

 The big storm that roared through DC on June 29th left us with a tree on our van, a tree on our shed, and no electricity for 4 days in 100+ degree heat. SO... we jammed the smashed van into the teeny garage and packed up the Accord. Repairs could wait. 

Refreshment was waiting for us at the lake.

Everyone's favorite activity. Especially Peter.

Hannah gave lots of boat rides.

Cruising around with cousins.

And cousin craziness.

These two loved the golf cart.

The whole gang on the Fourth. We missed Cristin and Michael!

The birthday girl. We celebrated Nana's 70th all week!

Fishing with Uncle Rob.

Kayaking with Uncle Mark.

Kayaking lessons for Will.

Love this girl! So nice to have another girl around.

Birthday sunflowers for Nana.

We celebrated big for 70 years! A nice dinner out, just the adults.

Italy : Part Four {Northern Tuscany & Lucca}

Last stop: Lucca in Northern Tuscany. It was the perfect place to go after a wonderfully exhausting 3 days in Rome. Our medieval monastery turned hotel was about ten miles out of town with olive groves and vineyards as far as they eye could see. Lucca is a small, medieval, walled town that seems frozen in time. Not medieval times, thankfully, but maybe a hundred years ago. Shopfronts still bear original Art Nouveau signs in etched and gilded glass. We meandered through the narrow streets going in and out of shops and cafes. I think I want to live there. Maybe my husband can plant a church next to our enchanting little hilltop hotel.

Entering Lucca.

 

This was Composer Puccini's favorite cafe. Lucca is his hometown and they LOVE him.

After our car ride from Rome, the caretaker brought us a little Italian "snack" - their wine, their olives. Yes, I ate every single one of those olives.

Breakfast. I so miss starting every day with Italian coffee and croissants.

Our Hotel

Adore that place.

More piazza sitting.

Roadside poppies everywhere.

The hotel ristorante. Possibly the best meal we had in Italy.

 We tore ourselves away and made our way to the airport.

Going home.

 Nine days with my husband in Italy. Absolutely dreamy.

Italy : Part Three {Rome}

Three days in Roma! We saw so much it was hard to take it in. There was an occasional taxi drive to dinner, but we mostly just walked the city. The streets were fascinating, magical, full of energy.

I can't wait to go back.

A smallish sampling of the zillion pictures we took...

The Colosseum

 

I think I consumed about this much bread in Italy. All dipped in olive oil, of course.

There are no benches in Rome. Just steps and ruins.

AMAZING exhibit at the Capitoline Museum - The Vatican Secret Archives

We were blown away by the things we saw here! This is the first time the Vatican has released this sampling of the archives for display. The Papal Bull excommunicating Martin Luther. The Edict of Worms. The letter from Parliament to Pope Clement VII urging him to annul Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Mary Stuart's hasty letter before her execution asking Pope Sixtus V to recommend her soul to God. Erasmus of Rotterdam's praise of moderation. Condemnation of Galileo for saying we were a heliocentric universe. The list goes on and on. It was AMAZING!

Roman Forum - from Capitoline Museum

One of the many photos texted to our kids. Coliseum was on Will's spelling test this day. I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to spell it.

Gelato. What we ate when we weren't eating bread and pasta.

Best Gelato of the trip.

Gallery of Maps - Vatican Museum

Raphael (in black) watching us all admire his School of Athens at the Vatican Museum. The Raphael Rooms of the Vatican - I could have stayed there all day.

Sistine Chapel. Unbelievable. Absolutely thrilling to stand there.

The crazy long line for St. Peter's. We decided to come back first thing in the morning.

St. Peter's Basilica

Swiss Guard - Vatican

Oh, the markets! And the samples!

The Pantheon

Back to St. Peter's at 7am on a rainy Monday morning. It was practically empty. Perfect.

Bernini's Baldacchino above the Papal Altar.

Breathtaking. Michelangelo's Pieta, tucked in the front corner of St. Peter's.

This was as close as we could get because of services. Sigh.

Trevi Fountain

A stop at a "Snack Bar" - fantastic people watching.

We saw SO many beautiful churches. This ceiling is said to be made from the first gold brought back from The New World.

Trevi Fountain at night.

The scene.

Spanish Steps at night

 Ciao, Roma!