Summer Plans and Updates

I need cheap, if not free. I need heat-busting. So we are going to take full advantage of the military base pool and waterslides for free! We are doing two summer reading programs and the kids are full on stoked about them! They are reading so much and we check out tons of books each week. The prizes for reading are free tickets to a local water park, free bowling coupons, and lots of other little things. I love these summer reading programs.

What else.. museums around here are giving free admission for military families throughout the summer. Even though Jason is out of the Army now, he is medically retired so we still have ID's for life. We all have bikes, so we go bike riding when the weather is bearable outside. There is a lake near us that we ride to that is also near a playground.

Vacation Bible School is coming up in July so along with participating in that, twice a week the kids and I go to the church to have church work days where we make stuff for VBS coming up. Then every Wednesday we have youth group and once a month Jason has a "MPG" night for the youth- Movie Pizza Games.

Church is keeping us busy with VBS, youth group, church on Sunday, then prayer and Bible study Sunday night, and a Fourth of July celebration, a church picnic and baptisms in a pool, then Convoy of Hope in August. Last year we all, as a family, volunteered with Convoy of Hope. The convoy serves to thousands upon thousands of needy people in our city by providing a day where they get free groceries, haircuts, free clothes, entertainment for the kids, free medical care, etc. Last year the kids and I worked in the clothing tent and we were super busy all day putting out clothes in different sizes while people kept coming through the line. The crowd never ended! It was blistering hot too, but it was worth it. The kids learned to be servants of Christ for a day. We look forward to doing that again this year.

We also went to a homeschool convention this past weekend that was extremely informative with workshops, excellent speakers such as Pam Tebow, and dozens of booths with different curriculum and organizations for the homeschooling community. I would encourage anyone considering homeschooling to attend one of these. It is well worth it! I felt very overwhelmed because we know very little about homeschooling, but it has confirmed our view on it. We are very much for homeschooling. Our situation is sticky though.. with me having applied for the nursing program for the fall. This is my third time applying, so I have been at this for about 2 years. If I get in, I know that this is God telling me it's my time. So our homeschooling will have to be postponed for 2 years if I do end up getting into the RN program. We shall see!

Jason is still working on his Masters in Divinity. He has been super busy with that as well as youth pastoring. Still in the works of getting ordained as well, which is a separate 2 year process(nothing to do with his Masters).

Hope you guys have a fun-filled summer!

Jason's third sermon at church