One of Joseph's greatest strengths is his honesty.
Incriminating Honesty.
Here is a page from the religion book he"finished" recently.
He came to me early one morning, flailing the book in the air, claiming: "It's done! This poop book is DONE!"
"WOW!", I exclaimed. "Let me see!"
As I scanned through the 15 chapters he finished in about 20 minutes, the truth ran me over like a Mack truck. He hadn't read anything. He went through and guessed at the answers...maybe without even reading the questions.
"Joseph, did you read the chapters?"
"No. But some of my guesses COULD BE right."
Just wow.
This little guy still doesn't sleep. Ever. But I am learning to soak in these moments because they really won't last forever. He is close to 10 months old now and I cannot believe how quickly these days are passing.
Tommy's reading skills have improved so greatly this year. He still keeps us guessing and in hysterics when he tries to sound out words, gets lazy and makes up an entirely new word. He has practically created his own language...and it has become part of our everyday speech here at Belleholm.
He is ALWAYS ready to read a book to a sibling. He is kind and caring and sensitive.
The superheroes have become a part of our family. They are found in various positions throughout the house all day long. They are usually to blame for things missing or broken...especially improperly done schoolwork or messy handwriting.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E
I take a boatload of pictures of him sleeping because it rarely ever happens.
You're Welcome.
This is part of our yard. This picture makes me giggle. Our yard and this space has become such an integral part of who we are. The kids even refer to Matt as the Farmer. We never run out of things to do and the children feel free to run run run and explore and dig/chop/build to their hearts' content.
It is a small piece of heaven and I don't know that I will ever be able to live anywhere but the country.
Lots of family time and parties happen in the spring and summer. It has been a busy time of travel. So much joy. So much laughter. Although we are happy here, the distance takes a toll and we miss everyone very much. It is always nice to see people after such an incredibly long winter...
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| This picture is packed with Schwalm Strength. All because of you, Grandma! |
My dad is desperately in love with my mom. After all these years, he sends me pictures of her with captions like: "Isn't she the prettiest?"
To have a love like that is so precious and inspiring.
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| Crawling brings about new obstacles |
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| This picture says a lot about my daily life. Look carefully now. |
