Right after school got out, the kids and I made a list of what we wanted to do with our summer. Eli and Andi had lots of ideas right away. They passed a notebook back and forth and wrote down the list:
-go to Oceans of Fun
-play with William
-have the garden give us dinner
-make new friends at the pool
-have a sleepover at our house with Duke and Lena
-ride the 48in rides at Worlds of Fun
-win a swim meet
-do lots of water things
-play at GG’s
-doing art
-playing at friends’ houses
-Everyday we will:
- cheer on someone else
- poop
- spend 90 minutes in “room time”- quiet play, reading, rest time- using “my OWN room” for all it’s worth!
- get 30 minutes of electronics time (most days)
- Thursdays: we will do some home school together in the afternoons
Around Memorial Day, we had noticed the kids’ demeanor’s dipping into negativity. Each espoused some entitlement or discouragement- selling themselves or some experience short. We also heard their language getting dirty- literally. Repeatedly, they would talk of poop/pee/butts or spell out “bad words” I prayed, thought about, searched for and talked to Drew about having a scripture spoken over our summer. I wanted to be a good mom, not overwhelmed or stressed out. I wanted summer at home to feed my kids health and wholeness. We wanted them to control their thought life even at this age. In the end, we laid out that we would add,
- Be shaped by Philippians 4:4 and 8 to the summer list! In the Message translation, it reads.
“Celebrate God ALL DAY every day. Make it as clear as you can to everyone you meet, that you’re on their side, working with them, not against them…Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.”
I’m finally documenting the list about a month into summer, and am excited to report we have accomplished some of our aims- collectively or individually.
Game face, good food.
This guy has mastered a great dive!
Andi especially has blossomed on the swim team. She has made a lot of little girl friends and tackles the challenges of her assigned swims. She is strong and courageous, sweet, and getting more and more tan and well-read each day.
Eli has absolutely no fear of anything high, dangerous, spinney, or fast. His trips to Worlds and Ocean’s of Fun with GG have given him ample opportunity for thrills and excitement. He has devoured books and news about the World Cup in the newspaper- keeping that busy brain at work.
Oakley didn’t contribute to the list but has brought lots of joy and smiles to our summer. He is talking with intelligible words and babbling sentences. He put his first sentence together to say, “Shoot ball” and spends most of the days shooting hoops, kicking soccer balls, or tossing beach balls. He loves his “waters”, the water table toy from Maama for Christmas, and overachieves by taking wonderful 3 hour naps during his 90 minutes of room time!
Our garden is growing! What was dirt and weeds and seeds is now tall stalks and big leaves and green fruits! We have tomatoes on the tomato plants and tiny squashes and peppers popping up! 
Oakley squats for water play
All the blueberries Oakley picked went into his mouth, not a bucket!
Andi went with Grandpa and Drew for the Father’s Day weekend driving range trip
We of course added the arcade without even dreaming it up on the list. Our friend Melissa bought a house nearby with blueberry bushes we got to pick from last week. We’ve been able to help Laura and James with some home remodeling and Geeg and Pops with their move. We’ve laid low at home and hosted guests. I’ve started a new summer job of coaching a couple women in 1:1 Crossfit classes. Drew has started the drywall repairs of the holes in the wall and ceiling with great motivation and skill. He works all day and then comes home with energy to play with kids, mow the lawn or mud a ceiling! I’m married to a good one. We’re each getting better at fixing bikes and enjoying the kid’s ability to get places on two wheels!
Their arcade employee shirts!
It’s been a great summer so far. We’re looking forward to a Henke Family reunion here over the 4th of July weekend, an anniversary trip for our 10 years of marriage to Michigan July 7-12th, and four weekends in a row in late July and early August where we just do mostly NOTHING but stay home and hang out! And maybe, hopefully, scrape popcorn ceiling and eat lots of tomatoes!
