Hazy, Lazy Days(Daze) of Summer

This week I have been trying to focus on one thing....my sweet Grace. This is our last week of summer together since she starts 2nd grade on Monday. I still can not believe she is going to be in 2nd grade. It seems just like yesterday that I was holding her on her first swimming lesson. A little peanut of an 11 month old. August of 2004 seems like yesterday.

So today after Winston's morning walk we decided to give the hound a bath which turned into Grace entertaining herself with the water hose. Below are pictures of them both. It is obvious Grace had more energy that big boy(aka: Winston, fuzzy butt, D-O-G, sweet beast of hound,etc. etc.).
















Oh, my goodness how much I love that beautiful, little girl. She was given to me and there is not a day that goes by that I do not thank my Mighty Father for her. What a treasure our Grace is. She has worked hard the remaining part of her summer after we returned home from our trip to VA. She has read about 700 minutes in the past month and has completed the whole summer bridge 1st to 2nd grade workbook. I am so proud of her.


Grace reading while taking a cake break.

She was so proud of getting a free book from Borders and a whole load of treats from Williamson Co. Library for her efforts. I rewarded her with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese's with her buddy Evan. I took them for about 2 hours yesterday to just play the games and then we got pizza at Costco with several other needed items and came home. I did not fill this week with much other than this one play date because I really wanted to enjoy her all to myself. This is our last week of summer to ever share alone. The reality of that hit me today. Soon the house will hold another energetic toddler with all the chaos one brings when they are two and speak only Chinese. I am so excited about this but since the loss of Anna it has just been Grace & I. Well, of course Tony too, but he is gone all day so it is just us girls here at home. In a couple months that all changes. I was feeling a little anxious about this realization and then I got the email from our agency that indicated a little glitch in our paper work getting to the consulate like it should have. It was just received on July 26th rather than the week prior as intended. In most cases this would not have phased me but I found myself in tears. The approximate timeline now puts us in China in mid to late September. Good grief another two months to wait. What a freak my emotions have made me....one minute scared about change, then the next crying over basically a 4 day delay. Well, I think these paper pregnancies do a number on us mommas just like the physical pregnancies. One minute up and the next down. Between my emotions and this heat this summer no wonder I walk around in a semi-conscious daze these days. Lord give me strength!

Hugs,
Jo

Deuteronomy 33:25
"The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days."