not that it's been horribly hot at all - it's been fabulously warm for a few weeks now. but today we have a very comfortable, sunny day. it's nice for a change, but a summer day does not go well with goosebumps, and that's what i have everytime i step outside into the coolish breeze today.

we are having a fabulous summer. our vacation to cedar point was just the beginning. i can't wait for the upcoming fun we have planned! here's a sneak peak:

• a visit to our family in Michigan, where we will, no doubt, have fun with water parks, camp out on front porches, cookouts and icecream. because what summer-family gathering is complete without a grill and ice cream????
• a visit to a cabin out east with the smith side of the family. this is still in the planning stages, so i forgot to add it to the list. i can't wait to post pictures of our gathering.
  
• the greater pittsburgh renaissance festival! the boys are still into all things dragons- and knights- and castle-related. i think a live joust just might be the coolest thing they've seen all summer!
  
• a trip to a close-by lake beach, complete with sand-building, swimming, winery-touring, and family sunset photos by the water.
• sawyer's birthday celebration! we're starting school after his birthday so we can concentrate on celebrating him before diving into school stuff. but...
• ...right as school starts, we're going to a local sheep farm (that mom and i recently visited!) to tour the barn, the spinnery, and stay in their guest house! i'm obsessed with raising sheep someday. and they have a bed and breakfast to boot! this place is heaven on earth, in my opinion.

in the meantime, i am spending a lot of time gathering information for our unit studies, organizing my teaching supplies, and then rowan and i get to go "school supply shopping!" i started a separate homeschool blog, and for the future, my homeschool-related blog entries will be posted there in full. this blog will continue to be what it's been for the past 4 years: pictures and stories from the house of smith. if you're interested, our school blog is smithically schooled.