By request...

I have to start out by saying that summer is FABULOUS! I have been super busy, but I have been getting so much done. Our yard is slowly starting to look better, and my house is staying much less cluttered. I also managed to have a pampered chef party, actually clean my whole house, and make my June Freezer meals (sorry that were a little late, ladies!). Jo and I have been enjoying walks, bike rides, trips to the park, and lots of snuggles. Both of us are really glad I am home, which has made things extra nice. Unfortunately, I will be gone at a math conference in Michigan for the next week :( I am not sure how Johanna will do. I think this conference will be very beneficial and will save me TONS of time throughout the school year (it is a conference specifically about my math curriculum), but it is still hard to leave. The good news is that I think we found a full-time babysitter for when I got back to work in August. She is a Christian so she has similar values and discipline strategies as well as rules about what the kids can watch etc. She has two of her own (ages 3 and 1). She will be watching Jo one day while I am gone, so please pray that it goes well. Those of you who work know how difficult it is to find quality and consistent full-time childcare. It is hard enough to leave my baby, let alone not be totally comfortable about who I am leaving her with. This is one area we will not compromise, so I just hope that things work out as good as it seems like they should. I actually haven't been taking many pictures lately, so I need to get on that. I have just been enjoying being in the moment with Johanna. Throughout the past year, I have had a lot of people inquire about my freezer meal group. It truly is AWESOME! We are actually in the process to begin writing a book about how to form your own group, keep it organized, and of course many many tried and true recipes. I am going to include some recipes from my meals this last month. I also plan to start including recipes from previous months that I know are delicious. Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

For fun- Jo at my great grandma's 95th b-day party



and Jo hanging with her buddy Katelyn (sorry about the red-eye...I am being lazy right now)