just wanted to give a quick update, and let you know why we're MIA. somebody (ok, it was me) dropped our camera, and i think it is now in a better place. i'm still wanting to try to get it fixed, but that may end up costing too much. so. . . no pictures.
we're doing well, super busy. it's working out so much better with the extra kiddos at my house instead of vice versa. gets a little crazy, there's alot of crying at times, and it almost always looks like a federal disaster area, but we make it through the day. so, i'm definitely pursuing this as my new career! :-)
patrick's done a ton of work in the yard, he installed a sprinkler system, i was so proud of him!
we're getting ready for a crazy few months. this weekend we're going to panama city (for work, we're just tagging along) then to KS for the 4th, then possibly a camping trip with our sunday school class, then patrick's travelling so much, and we're going to canada hopefully, then richmond (finally!) then my mom's going to visit, and before we know it the summer will be over. but lots of memories will have been made!

The Incredible Edible Egg: i'd like to end this brief note by sharing personal thoughts, in addition to the family schedule.
those who know me well know that i occasionally (ok, constantly) struggle with insecurity and self-doubt, especially regarding supposedly insignificant things like physical attributes. let's just say, bad hair days on steroids. i know that as a child of God, i am invaluable and precious and perfect, and shouldn't concern myself with the things that i allow to occupy my thoughts and quite literally drive me crazy. but that is quite possibly my biggest character flaw. except God would call it sin. anyways, this weekend i was at that place mentally/emotionally in a big, big way. it was rough, especially on my poor husband. anyways, all his encouragement, affirmation, spiritual exhortation, and logical reasoning was falling on deaf ears. and a hard heart. now it seems i'm going on a rabbit trail, but we buy our eggs from a local family farm. they deliver farm fresh, organic eggs to our door whenever i call and tell them we're out. since these eggs aren't on drugs, they look more natural. meaning, they all look different. all different shapes and sizes and colourings and whatnot. i hadn't noticed, really, until i, in a pinch, bought a carton of eggs from the store and opened them up. I actually took a moment to stare at the beautiful, perfectly rounded, not a spot on them, all exactly the same dozen of white gleaming eggs in my carton. now compare, if you will, that carton of eggs to glamour magazine. in an instant, i'm serious, i made more progress in my quest for being-at-peace-with-myself than i have in, well, ever, i think. God didn't make eggs like that normally. we messed with them until they can all look like that. He didn't make anything like that, people included. so why am i so concerned about it? don't laugh, but i'm now praying, earnestly, that God helps me be proud of being a farm egg, not a grocery store egg. anybody with me?