The Yard Sale

As mentioned in my previous post, if this year were a film series, Episode I: Everything is Decently Normal ended in March.  Episode II is done, and thanks to a recent yard sale we’re on to Episode III: Where’s My Stuff?  In the midst of donation boxes, overflowing trash, and general disorder inside, I’ve already lost my backpack and common sense.  We borrowed dozens of tables, sold thousands of items to hundreds of people, and donated thousands more in what turned out to be a hot but beautiful weekend of strangers, price stickers, and pink lemonade.

But that’s recent news.  Before proceeding, let’s first go back to April to visit an important milestone for the whole family of goobers.  Less than a month after driving back from Orlando, the Joseph peanuts took their first flight, internationally even, to Guadalajara MX in order to meet their future missionary kid pals.  While we missionaries had awesome relational time and training sessions at one cabin, the kids were flat-out thrilled to ride in the bed of a truck each day over to the other.  There they had a super cool week of games, crafts, and makeshift VBS courtesy of STS superfans Sarah and Sherri.

Kids of STS

"Maza" meaning "deer" in Nahuatl

Color-coded goober beans!

Ones of the bros

Kid paintball!

Extreme(ly loud) games!

We also had terrific moments of scheduled fun altogether (a group of 30!), playing super-competitive games at home, going into small-town Mazamitla for meals, or visiting an adventure park for paintball, ziplining, horseback riding, and archery.  Most importantly, our kids started some very important friendships that week.  And they learned a little about plane etiquette, which can only help us in the future.  We were reassured that no one ruptured any ear drums or lost their minds.

So many activities!  Upon returning, the S girls continued their spring dances, Elia continued vision therapy (she’s totally crushing it ocularly!), and Ezra continued speech therapy (Rs can be painful!).  New on the docket, dad started coaching Ezra’s First Friends soccer (team Mexico nonetheless) and Elia began weekly musical performances for Frozen, only to be followed by daily musical performances for Aladdin in June.  So many Vacation Bible Schools!  So many play dates at parks and pools!  Is Harry Potter an activity? They have basically formed a club.

Spring Dance Recital!

Summer trying to upstage the costume artist

AWANA finished with the annual summer fun festival (Summer won us a family goldfish) and awards ceremonies (Summer won Mom and Dad a bear-shaped cookie).  The kids are looking forward to one last semester of that, and Mom and Dad are looking forward to getting their weekly date night back.  What a gift it has been!  

Not picking her nose this year!

In June, the Joseph family divided and conquered the world.  Elia and So had their first real camp experience overnighting at Camp Gideon for the week–lots of swimming, games, canoes, and campfire songs.  Ezra and Summer went to Camp Mimi for the week, with lots of games, books, playgrounds and cousin dates.  Meanwhile, Mom and Dad went to Mexico with the church team, 23 Parksiders visiting Shoulder to Shoulder and seeing our future friends and home!  We all had our separate fun, and were very happy to reunite in mid-June for a Fathers Day celebration dinner with Grandpap and Mimi in Pittsburgh.

Parkside Team on the Malecón

Since then, Dad took a big step by stepping away from his job at Timken!  After 12 years, he’ll miss the friends and conference food, while the kiddos will miss lunches in the courtyard, the spinny chair, and the Santa Event.  Shortly thereafter, the yard sale prep, weekend, and aftermath bring us to present!

Last-full-day-at-work family picnic

Elia (now 10) is overall coping pretty well with the changes.  She and Sophia were excited to help sell lemonade at the yard sale, and it was precious that upon receiving donations, they would try to give away the next several glasses of lemonade for free (though everyone was happy to pay 50 cents to 2 cute little girls).  Elia has discovered musicals and claimed them as her own, with all the drama and singing at home that go with it!  One big change has been the farewell to her closest friend Ella, whose family is moving far away for a ministry role, shortly before we do the same.  We have been able to share similar thoughts and feelings with them, grateful for like-minded hearts.  Excelling immensely with her vision therapy, Elia has now started enjoying reading a bit more, sometimes doing it for fun now and not just school!  But Legos, art, and audiobooks continue to be her primary fields of study.

Mud Beach on the Parkside camping trip

Beech Creek

I'm on a horse!

6 tooth extractions later...

Lego creations

Celebrating 10 years in a cloud of chlorine gas!

BFFs

Sophia really loves Mexico–she’s excited for her dry skin to maybe improve in the dank tropics of Mazatlan, but she also really loved the STS retreat in the mountains.  Opportunities to use Spanish, try new things like zip lining, and spend a lot of time with family.  She’s less adventurous socially, preferring to hang out a bit more with adults and puzzles.  But she and Elia continue to be frenemies, best buds in pools and late night chatting and worst buds when it comes to sharing the kitchen at breakfast time.  Her dance recital routines are becoming less rolly-polly adorable and more fancy/graceful, as she continues performing beautifully.  

Lista para tirolesa

Harry Potter Club Prefect

The Mermaid of Dogwood Park

Ezra is still basically Tigger from Winney the Pooh.  He loves people, bounces all over the house (even more so the soccer field), and has the loudest laugh/shriek and most unstoppable giggle.  Then other times, he can be methodically caught up in counting or math (now often in Spanish) or building amazingly creative Lego inventions like a candy dispenser or a crossbow.  He is a tiny enigma, with a calculator brain and a baby blankie.  He loved soccer camp with Dad this past week, and looks forward to lots of board games next week at Mimi’s.  

More Lego creations!

Holding cards and building trains

First time at Waffle House! How did we go so long?

Summer finally turned 5, earning herself an ice cream cake, a ton of coloring books and Legos, and a savings account with the Bank of Dad.  She still struggles to speak clearly, but she does not struggle to talk!  There is plenty for Dim-Do to speak about, and a lot of it is fantastical stories about her stuffed animals, and how they pull her clothes out of her dresser at night and make a mess.  She is into all the same things as her older siblings and loves to be dressed up and presented as queen or princess during the frequent royal processionals arriving up our basement staircase.  We love that she is still a bit babyish, as we seem to be rapidly losing a foothold on that stage.

Enjoying Daddy Quiz Bowl

Questioning every bite.

Marker hands

Movie star hands

Our very own trash panda

Adventure Dim!

We are soon moving into our traveling season, visiting lots of family, followed by a month of missionary training in North Carolina.  The mountains are calling!  Until next time!