You Don't See That Every Day

I know it has almost been a month since I have been here. Where, oh, where did the summer go?! I had planned to write about our August adventures, but something more pressing has been on my mind today. And yesterday. And for the past few weeks actually. There is drama in the neighborhood and it is something I haven't really had to deal with much, outside of my family. A new neighbor moved in during the summer and the daughter is near the age of our 3rd and 4th kids. So it was fun getting to know her/them at first. But as novelty wears off, personalities come out. And along with that seems to come drama with these girls. We've had more of it this summer with 8, 9, and 10 year olds than my middle schooler did all the past year in school. The situations have brought up plenty of opportunities to talk with our girls about bullying, and gossip, and priorities, along with what a real friend looks like, and how to be a friend. Being in a homeschool world hasn't afforded us too

July's adventures were more of the work-on-the-house and the farm-sort of adventures rather than the going-somewhere kind. But we did manage to fit in a trip to the beach.  It was a beautiful, windy, sunny day at the Oregon coast. We took my sister along to one of our favorite places, Pacific City.  The kids ran up and down the huge sand dune, played in the water and got sand throughout their hair, clothes, and crevices. Our youngest even made it to the very top of the giant sand "mountain". (She was so tired, even the next day.) In the past when we have come here, there were not many people. We must have come on the weekdays, because the Sunday we went, it was packed. Look at all the cars on the beach.   There were people all over, except for the little corner we found; it was pretty nice for a picnic and just sitting and relaxing. This past weekend we made it to another family picnic, for my dad's side of the family.Good food, good people, good games,