Gracisms

My, oh my! Where has the summer gone? Most of July was spent in the garden and at doctors' offices. Katherine was sick with several back-to-back viruses on the road trip, which developed into a sinus infection after we got home, which her body responded to with a severe case of the hives (which didn't go away for a whole week). She was on five different medications, but eventually it all went away. Shortly after that, I came down with a cold which developed into pneumonia! I was still battling that when we hosted a backyard Bible club, but it was so much fun and such a great way to get to know the kids in our neighborhood.

Most of July was spent at Fir Point Bible Camp. Can you say HOT? We nabbed a thermometer one day and discovered it was 106 degrees in the kitchen one night while cooking dinner for 150 hungry campers and staff. I was perspiring from places I never knew I had sweat glands! Boy did it feel good to go swimming that night! Katherine had a good time being on staff for the first time, helping out in various jobs and doing "Kid Control" (staff child-care). J.J. spent one week with Lola in Portland while we were at camp, then a week at Grandma and Grandpa Smith's with his cousins Nick and Emma. He learned how to crochet, played with Legos a lot and even got pretty good at driving Mom and Dad's golf cart around their property.

Grace got to spend a week with each of her grandmas plus a week at camp. Great grandma Ramsey showed her how to play the harmonica and Grandma Smith did lots of painting and crafts with her. She went to VBS at the Calvary Chapel in Grants Pass where our friend George now works. All of our family (including Sovann) gathered one weekend and had a great time visiting Wildlife Images (got to see grizzley bears, bald eagles, and other wild animals up close), swimming in the river and exploring the new Taprock Grill in town. One night while playing Rummy with the grandparents, Great-grandma told us about her conversation with Grace earlier that day. She told us, "Grace was looking for Kathleen [my mom] and couldn't find her, so she came over to my chair and asked me, 'do you know where your daughter is?'"

Grace continues to be precosious, even as she's becoming less of a toddler and more of a little girl. She's very excited about going to Kindergarden in a couple weeks and her mother is feeling clingy and weepy over her "baby" going off to school! J.J. has been sharing a lot of his knowledge with her this summer, and she surprised me the other day by counting to 100 while we were driving around town. Her reading skills are blooming as well and I often hear her reading to herself now (I'm really amazed!).

A couple months ago, we went to a wedding where Grace ran around with some boys just a little older than her. The were teasing her and telling her that they were 18 or 20 years old, and she got VERY upset. "Mommy!" she said angrily, "those boys are LYING!" Knowing that they were just responding to her controlling attitude, I responded gently with, "Honey, they're probably just teasing you because they don't like to be bossed around. I know how you like to be the boss." Before I had even finished my sentence, she shot back very matter-of-factly, "No, Mommy! I DON'T like to be the boss, I just like to tell people what to do."

Earlier this month, we were camping and again she was getting to know some boys her age. One of them was rather shy and didn't want to share his name with her. Exasperated, Grace marched over to the little guy's mother and said, "Would you please make him know me?"

The kids have all improved greatly with their swimming skills this summer. J.J. passed the swim test at camp this year and went off the diving board for the first time ever, and Katherine just finished a Jr. Lifeguarding class. Grace has finally gotten over her fear of putting her face ing the water and will even float face-down in the kiddie pool in our back yard. Earlier this summer, the kids went to a friend's house and Grace began by not letting anyone let go of her in the water (even though she was wearing a life jacket). At one point, though, she decided to be brave and discovered she could paddle around and keep her head above water. For the rest of the day, she told everyone we saw about her bravery. "I'm so excited," she'd say, "I thought I was going to drown but then I just used my bravery and now I can swim! I'm so proud of my bravery."