It's VBS Week!

Vacation Bible School (VBS) is running this week. There has been and will be a considerable lack of posts as I'm spending my mornings with this wonderful little group of tots:

Please pray that even the little ones will be responding in faith to our great, big God!

Welcome Back, Kanon!

Last year some Japanese friends of ours, Makoto, Naoko, and Kanon, moved back home. Naoko and Kanon are in town for several weeks this summer and we got together on Wednesday at the Museum of Science. It's always a treat to see old friends. And the girls got right back into their friendship, as if Kanon had only been gone twelve days and not twelve months!

They explored

and explored
and explored
and laughed
and explored
and explored some more.

And then we had lunch.

Brian was with us doing his own investigations
of dinosaurs, the human body, and magnetic balls.

We're so glad to have Kanon in town again. She'll even be joining Elizabeth for VBS next week! I'm sure there will be more pictures in coming weeks. We never take for granted the great friends that we have met in our journey here in Cambridge. Now we just have to make our way to Japan someday!

Welcome Back, Bjarney!

Elizabeth friend Bjarney (and my friend Gyda, B's mom) were back home in Iceland for almost a month. They returned last Monday and as their arrival date was approaching, Elizabeth decided she wanted to have a little party for Bjarney. It turned into a Pippi Longstocking party, one of Bjarney's favorite characters.

She even has a costume!

We did the girls hair in crazy braids,

ate cupcakes,

colored pictures of Pippi and her monkey,

and listened to the first chapter of the book.

Gyda even got into it!

WELCOME BACK, FRIENDS!

Quote of the Week

Me to Elizabeth about brushing her teeth: You're a pro!

Elizabeth, chanting as she leaves the bathroom: I'm a pro ... a protester.

Craft Time!

My friend, Azilah, (mother of Leilani and Alana of the previous post), organized 4 craft times for the girls over the last month. It was a great idea and Oriental Trading lets you do such things on the cheap. Here's the list of activities:

• beaded necklaces and bracelets
• memory books - with photos of and notes from each other
  

• decorating slap bracelets and visors
• decorating small denim purses

They had so much fun working together. I think my favorite was the memory books! It was delightful to look through old pictures of the kids' many adventures together.

Girlfriends!

Elizabeth, Farah, Leila, Leilani, & Alana

These girls have been good friends to Elizabeth over the last couple of years living on campus. Both pairs of sisters will move out in a few weeks ... but fortunately will still be in the area! We're so glad we know you and your families. We'll miss you!

Thought for Today

There is no ideal place for us to serve God except the place He sets us down. - Charles Suprgeon via Alistair Begg, in a sermon on the life of Abraham

Go in peace today to love and serve the Lord!

And the winner is ...

SARAH M!

Today you are being honored on this blog as the

CONGRATULATIONS!

Sabbath R&R

This summer I've been teaching the K-1 SS class at church. The theme this semester is the 10 Commandments. On Sunday we were on number four: remember the sabbath and keep it holy. We talked about it being a day of rest from regular work and an opportunity to do acts of mercy. Since it was a Sunday, I thought we should observe the sabbath by going out as a family to enjoy the lovely afternoon. We invited our neighbors, Kevin & Kate and their kids, Charlie and Luka, to join us for some ice cream at Rancatore's in Belmont and a visit a new park. Colin and Kevin quite enjoy tech-talk toegther, Kate and I are friends, and our children often play together on the playground. Despite our mutual enjoyment of each others company, we'd never all gone out together. We had a great time!

Elizabeth and Charlie had their ice cream at the window counter.

The park was really fun!
Elizabeth quickly found a girlfriend to play with.

Luka and Brian spent more time in the water than the older two.

And Brian modeled his belly for all to see.

Sadly, I don't have any pictures of all of us being there together. Next time we go out, Kate, let's make sure we get one of us all.

I'm so glad it's the summer!

Splash Bath

Splash Park

I've got a lot of post to catch up on! So I'll begin with this new-to-us splash park we visited last week. It's on Harvard St. in Cambridge, though the map shows it as a Broadway address. It's been redone in the last several years and has a water feature, playground, grassy area, and bbq pit. It's quite lovely for a morning of play or maybe even a weekend party. We will be back there again soon.

THE WATER FEATURE

SWINGING POSE

NEAT INSTALLATION ART
(I think it's a hopscotch board.)

THE END!

Sun Tea & Fruity Beers

It's officially summer; I made our first pitcher of sun tea this week. Deliciously refreshing on these hot, muggy days.

And Colin's been maintaining my supply of blueberry wheat beer. Sometimes that bubbly, crisp refreshment just hits the spot.

Cheers!

Latest Outings

Last week we were at the Museum of Science and yesterday we spent some time at the Children's Museum. Two weeks ago our zoo trip got rained out in a BIG way! Both the Science and Children's Museums have so much to offer; we're never disappointed.

Elizabeth the bee.

Elizabeth the robin red-breast.

Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, Brian, & Brian.

Looking out from the look out.

Brian could have spent a whole day here.

Experimenting with vinegar and baking soda!
(I think the woman teaching went to my high school,
but she was too surrounded by kids to talk.)

Brian loved these doors!

We ran into Neil (right) and the kids inspected the bones.

All of the pictures above were taken in the Discovery Center, an area in the museum tailored for young kids. Elizabeth and Brian really love it!

Yesterday we were at the Children's Museum. They had a new Peep exhibit that just opened this week. This was quite a treat, as we love the show and had spied pictures of Peep, Chirp, and Quack when we were at the museum last time, but didn't realize they were creating a new exhibit. We started there.

There are sand and water tables for exploring.

Peep's can.

Peep himself!!!

Water painting.

Chirp's tree.

The picture below is from an exhibit about space travel and what life is like inside the shuttle. Elizabeth's trying to line a target on her bottom up with one on toilet, using a monitor. I'm glad I'll never have to try going to the bathroom in space!

And, of course there was some climbing!

Elizabeth just got brave enough for this,
and she loves it!