Happy Birthday my not-so-little man

We had an awesome day celebrating Andrew's 9th Birthday at a pool party. The only thing missing was his big sister, but he managed to have a great time with a small group of friends. He was absolutely beaming, even while in the pool, and was tickled pink a girl from his class came :-) His silly mother, however, forget to bring new batteries for the camera. Thus, there are only 2 pictures from the event to be shared and, blog readers, you see both. Andrew is quite distressed his hair looks short in the picture, he'd like you all to know it is actually getting quite long in the back. And, no, my cake cutting skills have not improved much. Maybe a class is in order.

It's "tax-free holiday weekend" here in Massachusetts. Anyone making a big purchase? I think the only thing that's ever been memorable about this MA phenomenon is the watch that I wear. It's very pretty (two-tone gold and silver) and it still works and is special to me.

S and I continued the tradition I started with E last year. We are reading a Children's Bible, a chapter or two a night. It's particularly rewarding to see that, so far, S recognizes the stories. That says a lot for her church school teachers. We also have a long held tradition of saying prayers before bed every night. It's nice she feels God's presence in her life in these ways.