the homestretch

The homestretch….. that's where we are, presently, in the hitchcrew home. I have to say this year has been different and hard for me. I'm thankful the school year is coming to a close because I am completely limping to the finish line. Summer can't come quick enough for this tired Mama.

I haven't gotten many pictures of the kids just doing school this year…. simply because I haven't had my camera out. Things have been looking up for me, I can tell… because it's out again, and I'm so thankful. I still can't get into a rhythm with this blog but at least I'm throwing some more recent and up-to-date images of life on it!!

Like me, the kids also all have their creative outlets, and I strive to let them create. With all the media competing though, sometimes it's hard to get those juices flowing…. but they eventually do when we keep the on-line "noise" quiet. Ellie of course is still drawing her heart out. It was teacher appreciation week a couple of weeks back and she decided she wanted to draw her P.E. teacher a super-bowl pic, per his request. It was pretty darn cool!!

Drew has been quite taken still with Legos. He has built an unlikely relationship with my first cousin's son, Houston, who lives back east …. they saw each other last month in Augusta when Drew went with his dad to the Master's golf tournament. Houston is constantly inspiring him in these lego efforts! Lately, Drew has been custom painting his own characters.

All of the kids are still madly making rainbow loom bracelets, though I don't think I included any of those images in these pictures. I woke up the other morning and when I looked in the girl's room, all three younger kids were listening to the audio book Trumpet of the Swan while working on bracelets! It melted my heart:) Also, the pearler beads have recently made a come-back, thanks to a recent gift from our friends from San Diego who came to visit.

Abby has been quite taken with audio books lately since we recently discovered an app called "Overdrive." It's a pretty wonderful thing to be able to get audio books directly from our library to our devices here at home. She listened to the first two Harry Potter books in less than a week! They are all waiting anxiously for the third one to be available from the library.

We've had our last days of co-op and CBS. Our last piano lesson is tomorrow and then we have a recital Friday night. Ellie will finish driver's ed this week. She actually drove me home from church last Sunday. I can't fathom that. Drew has been asked to play in an all-star lacrosse game this Saturday… so I guess we'll have one more Saturday of games. Ellie has a few more weeks of school.

Summer…. come quickly!!

a tea party

My kids have been in rare form this week and for some reason, the creativity has been flowin.'

(I say that just so you know that sometimes I go crazy because they won't

occupy themselves or keep asking to watch the t.v.!!!!!!) 

On a slow, cold day earlier in the week, they asked to have a tea party, and of course I couldn't say no. 

I wasn't sure what they had in mind, but I always enjoy an excuse to bring out

Mama Jo and Mama Hatcher's pretty china! And I always love an excuse to compose a pretty picture. 

While the tea was brewing, Toby wanted to help me get things ready. 

The girls were dashing around upstairs getting themselves ready. 

And before I knew it, he had also changed into his sunday best and donned

one of Pop's ties! Boy he looked dashing. 

As they were getting themselves seated, I realized that they were bringing

bags with them. I wasn't quite sure what that was all about.... 

until they started opening their "gifts" from each other. 

And as you see, the presents included lots of junk from

their bedrooms. And I guess they got a kick out of watching each other's

reactions as they discovered what their siblings had given them. 

It sure was sweet watching this all unfold. 

It made my day!