7 Quick Takes -- Picture style

1) Samuel is growing up.

Samuel cut this giant pallet apart. Actually, there were two this size, I believe left-over from when we received the parts of the Versatube shed (ahem, "house") we now live in. These were monster pallets and incredibly solid. Samuel proudly chopped them into pieces that fit in the truck and helped me haul and load them up.

2) Brotherly Love

With the big kids (Rebekah and Samuel) gone to archery camp, Peter had to find other playmates. (Rebekah and Samuel often are his secondary care-givers when I'm busy. He even calls Rebekah, "Rebekah Mommy" sometimes. 😊) I was not expecting this partnership. But he and Jacob enjoyed the outdoors this evening.

3) Pallet Porch

As I've said before, we are hoping this little shed house is temporary and we are able to build something larger, at a different location on our land. So it's hard to make it home without going crazy right now. But in any case, we have been sorely in need of a deck over this dirt. It's been raining like crazy and muddy several days in a row. Well, thanks to Mommy and Samuel cutting and transporting service, we now have "pallet porches" at both doors. This way we can exit safely to the grass when it is muddy. And bonus, the kids love to play on them.

4) I have some of the best friends.

This could alternately be -- I look psycho in this picture. But in any case, I thank God for all these great Catholic mothers who are sharing this journey of life with me. I am so incredibly blessed.

5) Gordie said to buy chairs.

So we had some folding camp chairs in the garage. But when I was going through the garage with Gordie, deciding what to keep and what to toss, the chairs didn't make the keep list. So being the obedient wife, I disposed of them, the next day, actually -- all the way to the dump.

The day after that, Gordie asks me, "those chairs I told you to throw away. Did you really throw them away?" Haha. Well, guess who needed some seating while helping with a Cub Scout event that day? So being the good wife that I am, I went to buy more chairs. But you can't just buy any old chair. We had to test them out. (Yes, we have a "people of Wal-mart" side to us. 😊)

6) Toys

We don't have a lot of space for toys in our little house. So the ones we have accessible (not currently stored in tubs in the shipping container) have been chosen wisely. And as much as I dislike having toys out and about, it did make me happy to see this set-up today. I like that we have space here for the kids to spread out like this and make crazy games and creations.

And earlier, during "quiet time" Jacob and Paul had made up a game (with many of the pieces you see here) and they kept asking me when quiet time would be over so they could wake up Miriam to play it with them!

7) It's the little things.

The children wanted to make "nests" to play in. I love it when they play together.