A Bunch of Things and the Beginning of Summer

It has been busy! What has kept us busy? A bunch of things.

Thing 1: VBC, also known as Vacation Bible Camp, a more light-hearted twist on the old Vacation Bible School idea. I have literally been looking forward to Jesse's being able to go to this at our church since he was born, five years ago.

The time has come! Consider me a proud father, and to commemorate the event, I signed up to be a crew leader, which is extremely fun and incredibly exhausting.

Thing 2: Gardening. Honestly, the vegetable and flower gardens we inherited from the Hummels were so beautifully tended that they have required very little work, but even the simplest of garden needs a little love (ie., weeding and watering), especially on these scorching hot days.

"Home grown carrots... are so... crunchy..."

Thing 3: Robyn. Our beautiful little girl has been keeping us moving with her intense ups and downs.

I honestly don't remember this photo being taken. But I think, judging by the clothes, that it was yesterday.

Thing 4: Home-made Jam is a beautiful thing, I think we can all agree - especially when the raspberries come from your own garden. Thanks to Wendy for coming over and teaching us how to make our own jam.

Thing 5: Building Jesse a toy sword. Ever since I saw my Dad finish a basement at our old house and watched my Papa building little wooden toys for me as a child, I've wanted to take up woodworking. In my high-school shop class, I made a wooden chest for my uncle, but I've never had the space to be able to actually create anything since.

Until now!

Jesse protects the innocent with his trusty sword, King Arthur style (using strength to protect the weak and fight for goodness and justice, etc.).

For any woodworking enthusiasts, here are the close ups. Jesse seemed pretty happy with it.

Found out that staining wood is harder than I thought.

Also, this was my first time using a router and circular saw. It was scary.

Thing 6: I'm training for a half-marathon in September. Personal goal: Run it in less than 2 hours. This means about five good runs a week.

Thing 7: Prepare for a new baby. Mystery Vance #4 will likely arrive in September as well. As school has traditionally also started in September, I think September may be a busy month.

(Side note: Chrissy is my hero. I don't know how she manages to do all the things she does, while looking after three (or more) kids, while also growing a small human being inside of her.)

She's tired, but she's making it happen.

So things have been hopping here in the Vance resident. As I finished supper today, I reflected that while my state of chronic exhaustion may not compare to that of Chrissy, I do feel a little tired. In that light, I'm going to begin simplifying things and cutting in order to get some rest in before school starts up again.

Part of this will involve signing off on my beloved Apartment 1004 blog until next summer. It's been fun, and now it's time to put down the keyboard and pick up a book.

I hereby declare this to be the beginning of summer!

It's been good, blog buddies.
Signing off...
Until next time...