The Mergenthaler Family

These pictures are from about 6 weeks ago, but they're too cute not to share.  Brooklyn and I participated in a rotating play class this year that was a ton of fun. All of those kids were involved. We split into two groups for a class once a week, and once a month we all got together for a potluck. Brooklyn's group was all girls. She refused to go without me for the last few months, but we still have fond memories. I especially enjoyed getting to know the moms of these kids a little more. They are a quality group of selfless, kind, helpful, and thoughtful ladies.  You can probably tell that among this group of moms were some great party planners who were very generous with their time and resources as well as talented photographers. 

We have about one third of our summer vacation behind us.  A lot has happened, and we have a lot more planned. Ricky got braces! He looks cute with those things on his teeth. Sean has been my super cleaner and organizer. He has kept his room clean for nearly a month!  And he takes pride in tackling even the most difficult jobs. He works magic.  The toy box was a very big project that I did not ask him to do, but he was a big help--especially in emptying it.  I should take pictures of some other things he has done well. For example, he has taught everybody in the family how to make the back porch look nice by hanging up the towels, lining up the pool toys, and making the chairs in a circle. He also helped me clean the girls' room while they're out of town at EFY and organized the mess on Emily's desk that I wasn't prepared to deal with. Another project was to  sort out the crayons, markers, and colored pencils. Sometimes he helps by keeping the bookshelves tidy i...