Peace lily

When Salem died, Pete's employers sent a peace lily to our home. I know it is a popular plant for funerals and stuff, but for me it was even more perfect given that Salem's name meant complete peace. This last week we have been enjoying the very first lily on our plant. For those who know me, keeping the plant alive this long is incredible, let alone alive enough to blossom!!

Painting

In an attempt to rapidly knock out the dark dreary colors in our house, my friend Bethany came and helped me paint. Pete took six kids hiking one day and nine kids to the water park the next day so we could get more done. It was exhausting, yet fun and rewarding work. Finished pictures will come! We are still waiting for curtains, which need to be altered to fit our windows. The youngest helper found the primer more than once, but had a great time helping!

Kindergarten

Drew had his first day of kindergarten today. Tomorrow he has orientation for Options and will meet his teacher and classmates. Ty joined in on some of Drew's activities, perhaps he will get something out of kindergarten too! Drew did really well, showing that he retained more than I thought he would. He's a smart boy!

Chalk experiments

One afternoon while Pete was working we played outside most of the afternoon. After getting soaked with water we drew pictures with chalk. Then the boys added water to our drawings and it was quite fun to mix it up and watch what happened to the colors. By the time they were done, we ALL needed showers!

Fun times

The boys all love to help in the kitchen. They each have aprons from Grandma and are usually big helpers. This week we made cookies and banana muffins. Yes, I fed muffins to my muffins. Yes, you can call them cannibals. Just not to their face!
We are getting ready for lots of company over the next two months. We are also gearing up for school to begin. Drew will start kindergarten this year. We are also making progress on changes in our house. In the next week or two, I hope to proudly say that I have no more brown and mustard walls!