Jump for Autism

TLC Academy has the privilege of taking part of a great even to raise awareness and funds for Autism. On March 19th we are going to "Jump for Autism" at Sky Zone of Westborough Trampoline Park. We would love if you would support us by donating on our fundraising page! Donations of any size are encouraged and gratefully accepted!  Please click the link below to donate!
http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/Tlcacademy/tlcacademysfundraisingpage

July and August 2013. Summer fun and a winter reflection...

It is March 1st!!  That means the worst of winter is over.  Even if we have storms and snow again, it will be short lived because SPRING IS COMING!  Mud season is on the way and I can't wait.  Something about the smell of the melting earth really makes me happy.  Currently there are still many inches of frozen snow on the ground and it is 20 degrees but it is 20 degrees warmer than it was when I woke up.  My glass is currently half full.  On this fine, frigid March morning, I thought the best thing to do would be to rummage through pictures of last summer to be reminded of the fun frolics that we've had and will have again soon.  So, here is the best of Summer 2013...

We all had a blast bouncing till we dropped at Jacob's graduation party.  It was hot that day.  Gloriously hot!

We took a trip to Lake Compounce.  It was dangerously hot that day!  It was 100 degrees with incredible humidity and I loved it!  We spent a lot of time in the water park (without a camera) and it was so fun and refreshing. 

MY GARDEN!!!!!  Oh I can't wait to dig in my garden again!  It was such a wonderful little garden!  I loved going out the door to get food instead of going to the store!  Fresh kale for breakfast every morning.  I saute it up with a bit of cider vinegar and butter (sometimes I toss in a few walnuts) and eat it with fried eggs.  Oh man.  If you have never had this for breakfast you are totally missing out.  Our swiss chard was amazing and we had lots of tomatoes.  Our squash all did terrible.  So did our cukes.  We have some things to work on for sure.  I can't wait!!

Choochie liked to get watered with the garden. 

Here she is with her friend James, taking a break from the great outdoors for some inside fun. 

This is Amelia's first canoe ride!  She was such a good girl.  I'm excited to take her canoeing again this year!

Camp fire with my favorite tweens! 

We took the deck off of the side of our house at the end of the summer.  It should have come down a long time ago.  When we were taking it apart we were thanking God that no on got hurt on it.  The boys were a great help in demo and rebuilding. Jason just rebuilt a small landing but it has stairs that go down to the back and I am so happy about that! Jason will do a few finishing touches when the weather breaks.

Vacation was such a blast.  I think it gets better every year.  Here is everyone snuggled into the tiny cottage, resting up for some fun!

My girls LOVE the beach.  Amelia has been having and "inside beach" everyday. 

We all scream for ICE CREAM!

I got a day out with my lovely young lady while we were on vacation.  It was such a great time. 

I got a night out with my handsome hubby too!  I was spoiled this vacation for sure :)

Ian and Jason went out golfing together. 

We also had lots of great family time... 

...and made some awesome tie-dyes!

Amelia loved every part of vacation from boat to beach, she was born to be by the ocean for sure.  Look at how cute she is in flip flops!

On our last day of vacation we went to a great restaurant, by boat, called Skippers Dock.  It was closing at the end of the summer so this was our last time there.  We had such a wonderful meal and time with friends and family.  We didn't want vacation to end and we maximized every last minute of it. 

This is the beautiful view we had as we drove away from the point that we stay on.  There is no color enhancement or editing on this picture.  It was simply that beautiful...as were all the memories we took home with us. 

Back to fun and learning straight away! When we got home and I was busy unpacking and reorganizing the kids built contraptions and had fun doing an egg drop.  I love it when they think they are just doing something fun but are actually learning a lot. 

Amelia had her little friend Willa come over for a playdate!  They were so cute. 

She also got her first haircut!

Ian won a first place award for a short story contest at our local library.  We are so proud of him and loved seeing him get his award!

We also made it out to the lake as many times as we could this summer!  Amelia loved it and it will be even better this year since she is a little older and a bit better of a listener...sometimes. 

But alas...all summers come to an end here in New England.  Every winter, about this time, I start praying that God will open some amazing miraculous door for us to move south to a place where it is warm more often and closer to the ocean...it hasn't happened yet...but I'm still praying lol.  In all honesty, although winter is hard for me, I realize how it really draws me to the heart of God.

In Psalm 29:2 it says
                                   Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
                                   Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

I realize that it is much easier for me to worship the Lord when I am surrounded by the things that he has made that I find beautiful, like flowers and green trees, butterflies and warm breezes.  It is harder for me to worship in the dull, dreary, bland, cold, awful days of winter.  BUT, that draws me closer to who He is.  I must truly seek out who He is, in this dark and dreary time and find beauty in Him and Him alone.  His eternal love, mercy and grace are not seasonal, nor should my appreciation and thankfulness for them be...

I am weak in the winter...I don't have personal strength to overcome my "down days" and "bad moods" but it is an awesome reminder of how poor and needy I am and how awesome and powerful He is.  He promises that when I am weak, He is strong.  I am grateful for that reminder...and that spring is on its way!  I can enter into the beauty of the seasons that I love, refreshed by Him and ready to glorify His name for all the amazing things he will bring forth and for the things that He has already accomplished...