just singin' in the rain... {edited}

Rain in Texas is fun and warm... What do you do when it rains? We... jump on the trampoline. of course. We had a fun day today. The professor is headed to Boston for a conference so, we dropped him off at the airport and headed to the library. At the library, we saw a petting farm from with camels and donkeys and jacob sheep and zanu's and baby elk... we got to feed them and everything. We signed up for the summer reading program and each kid picked out a biography of a hero they wanted to learn more about for their summer book report. I found some fun books on kid heroes, dog heroes, and of course, American heroes. I'm LOVING this theme. Jakob picked composers... he has books on Mozart and Beethoven and a chapter book on the early lives of famous composers. Drew picked the Wright Brothers... he already finished a chapter book about them, but refuses to read the picture book that is from the point of view of their sister-- because, after all, that is a girl book. Anna picked a book about Mr. Braille, complete with a lovely illustration of him laying on the ground with a bloody tool that was inserted into his eye. She has been asking me how blind people read because she writes and then touches the letters and can only feel smoothness... braille was the PERFECT book for her. Ellie got two beautiful, picture books on Joan of Arc. A real-live girl who got to wear armor and ride horses and hold a sword and fight with the men. Yes, IF Ellie could still wear a princess gown, without panties, she would be a PERFECT Joan of Arc. Justin got a picture book on Lou Gehrig, a famous Yankee who got Lou Gehrig's disease and died young, and a book about Hank Aaron*, who I think was the first black, professional baseball player. We also found a few books about shelter dogs that were adopted and went on to do great things, and other dogs who performed brave rescues. I mean, you don't have to be human to be a hero, do you? Justin fits right into my clan. He is ADORABLE and a lot of fun to have around. He is a GOOD kid and has really adjusted well to the dynamics of our big family. I'm so thankful for my little sister's sacrifice to serve our country. I pray for her and for our country daily. I'm so grateful for the many men and women who are oversees training and protecting the freedom that we enjoy everyday. It's because of my sister, and people like her, that my kids can jump on the trampoline in the rain. We can live without fear and without tyranny. Many days of sacrifice have given me the freedom to enjoy each and every moment with my family... THANK YOU!! *Note-- Actually, Hank Aaron was NOT the first black man to play professional baseball. If I remember correctly, from our last night book-time, that was Jackie Robinson. Hank Aaron beat Babe Ruth's all-time home run record. He endured despite death threats and hate mail. Go HANK!! (I personally love his mama- Isabelle, who held on to him as tight as he could as soon as he crossed home plate on his record-breaking home run, because she was worried someone would try to kill him. Sweet, sweet mother bear.)