Summer Days

We have had a great summer...enjoyed a slower pace and soaked up life as a family of six.  Won't be much longer until we welcome Team Reed member #7 : )

One downside of the summer is that we have seen a lot of this truck at our house.  We affectionately call it the 'yuck truck', but boy are we ever thankful for it!   

Apparently, the plumbing in our house is old and leaves a lot to be desired.  Coupled with a problem in the sewer line that we are connected to, we have developed quite the relationship with these men that work for the City of Raleigh.  We call them 'the sewer guys'.  They do provide great entertainment for my kids.  This is how they stay the moment they arrive until the second they leave.  And the commentary is hilarious.  

 The whole process is gross, and I have learned way more about all of the ins and outs than I ever wanted to know, but it does help to focus on the humor of it all!  Never thought I'd be so thankful just to be able to flush a toilet successfully.  Yuck.

Hudson and Mollie are quite the duo these days!  

And honestly, I've been a bit surprised by this but have loved watching her bring out his tender side.  We're teaching our boys to "Serve, Protect and Respect" girls.  

What grace that God has given them two sisters to practice with!

 Mollie has taken excellent care of her babies all summer.  

She is primed and ready to step into her new 'big sister' role next month!

 I love it when the imaginations take over and they all join in on whatever it is...could be a wedding, or playing family, or the dog game they've made up called "goggie" (they've adopted Mollie's pronunciation of "doggie").  Doesn't really matter to them what they're doing, they just genuinely enjoy one another.  And I do, too.

 Daddy time is always welcomed and the laughter is the best.

 We're about a month into our school year and things are going well at Reed Academy!  

Kate has found that flash-cards are much more fun with a helper, 

so she regularly recruits Hudson to help her when she goes through them.

 Carter is good-natured about playing most whatever his sisters want to.  He's generally pretty laidback about things, which makes things easier.  So here he is indulging Mollie in a tea party while Kate and Hudson are busy with their flash-cards.  One thing I love about our kids is that they usually all wind up in the same part of the house so they can be together.  And most times, it's near where I am...sweetness.

And of course, we've done a lot of waiting.  

Waiting to find out how God is growing our family...will it be a son or a daughter??  

Waiting to see what our next season will be with this church plant...where will it be??  

We've taken great comfort in, and needed this reminder often as we are waiting and trusting in God's perfect timing for these and all other things...we certainly need His strength as our own fails us every time.  Praying we will wait well...