Blogs I Read

I have been meaning to update my sidebar to include some wonderful blogs that are a part of my daily reading. If you don't subscribe to Bloglines (or something like that) I highly recommend it. It cuts down on surfing and really condenses my reading time. I often minimize things that I want to read during a quiet period or print them for later. I can skim through the blogs that are updated rather quickly instead of visiting each and every site....although for some reason I always have to open my favorites. Something about seeing their faces and the familiarity of their blog design.

Weird.

Anyhoo. Here is one of the new (or fairly new to me) blogs that I love!

Jen @ Peace In The Pandemonium-

Ya'll. This girl is funny, smart, and guess what??? She likes to parent on purpose! Deliberate parenting! She's one of those people! She loves Christ and her family and so her blog is a sweet and witty reflection of both (with a kickin' new design!).

I have found out recently that she also loves grammar....which makes me sore afraid. I already have a lurking brother-in-law who gets a kick out of finding all of my grammatical hiccups. I have to pretend that Jen looks past my apostrophe issues and sees the real me.

The coolest thing about Jen is that she lives right close to my precious Lea Ann! I contacted Jen when I saw that she lived in Maryland and come to find out, these girls are almost neighbors! There are so many awesome things that have transpired as a result of blogging and this counts as one of the coolest.

I just totally gave away my age by using "coolest" in my blog post.

Jen has been able to offer insight and advice to my dear friend and I am forever grateful. And get this. Our families had a little get-together last week when we visited Maryland for the 4th of July weekend. Jen's kids are the exact same age as Lea Ann's three and my two (Hannah & Emma) and they all made fast friends at the pool. We may have only spent a short little afternoon together but it was clear that our common bond was Jesus & our family.

What more in common do you need?

Here are some pics from our little rendezvous:

This is Lea Ann's shrimp salad. Notice the shakers. She makes every meal opportunity a "dining experience".

Hence, the Hot Tamales.

Hannah & The Haircut..... She lives.

My Girlies.
Hannah & Ellen

My Boy....The Gansta

One of Jen's Boys....He's shy.

Jen's other boy....He's shy too.

Did I say shy? I meant to say gregarious, unreserved, extroverted, and very sociable.
That is sweet Sydney on the back row.

Notice Sammer's "gansta" influence has rubbed off on his sister.
And can you smell the testosterone that Samuel is trying to garner from Payton?
Obviously, Sawyer and Ethan have some youngest sibling/armpit issues. They go hand-in-hand.

O.K. boys. Take note...
See the sweet smiles? The composure? The self-control?

Obviously not.

See how Emma sits with boys? It's because she thinks boys can be your friends.
Not BOYFRIENDS!
Simply amazing.

We had a great time!