Meandering Thoughts

Yesterday I got home from the farm right when I should have been cooking dinner. Thankfully Jamie started dinner, and I went out to sit and watch Amelia and Micah on the playset. Micah wandered over to the zipline, but even though it dips in the middle he couldn't quite reach the handles. Everytime he jumped his hands would bump it, but he could not grab on. Being the wise mom that I am, I decided to watch for some problem solving to kick in. (Translate: I was too lazy to get up off the chair and help my son.) Amelia went over, said "watch" and showed Micah how to jump high enough to catch the bars. So Micah showed his gratitude by grabbing her waist and pushing her up to the starting point, where she was able to zip back down. Then she pulled the handles down for him and pushed him up to the starting point. It was really sweet watching the two of them take turns pushing up to the point where gravity would take over. (Nice problem solving, good thing I'm lazy!)
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Speaking of the farm, I have learned how to milk the cows! Technically, I have learned how to attach the machine to the udder and watch it do the milking. The cows tolerate me, although I am convinced that when in the field they practice twitching their tails just right. Zachary and I are still helping several times a week... Jamie has even gone up a few times; he said today he likes the smell of the silage. Hmmm, would anyone prefer the smell of the muck?? There is something very satisfying about milking a cow and tending to their needs, but I am very thankful Jamie is a teacher and not a farmer. He works 180 days a year. Farmers work ALL day, 365 days a year.
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Speaking of 180 days, our school year is done! I still have to send in something to the school district, but the kids are done. I have already been rearranging to get set for next year. I am turning an alcove area of our living room into a mini "school room" for the little ones. I still need to get a pocket-chart calendar and have ordered a few things, but it is looking good. Amelia, Micah, and Sunny will use it next year.
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Speaking of Sunny, she had quite the tantrum today. Yay!!! This means she is getting comfortable with us enough to show some good emotions. She was mad because when she took a book from Micah, Jamie gave it back to Micah and told her "no". It was quite dramatic to see, but none of us reacted. After a while she realized the crying was getting her nowhere, so got up and started really telling off Micah. I have no idea what she was saying, but it couldn't have been nice based on her body language and tone, so I sat her on my lap and told her not to talk like that. She moved on to something else and was fine. Sunny and Amelia have been playing really well together. Ame even taught her how to hide behind the couch and have a pretend gun fight! Right now they are each up in bed "talking" their way to sleep. Most of Sunny's talk is still in Mandarin, but she and Amelia still seem to understand each other. It is really sweet to see them together.
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This post is getting too long, time to go! I am so thankful for the blessings of being able to help friends, having a husband home for the summer, and amazing kids.
God is good!