top five for july

well, mason and i have survived 2.5 days without brad. i know that's not a lot in the whole scheme of things, but we recognize all milestones in this house, no matter how tiny! i am in the process of downloading photos, but our 8-year-old clunky awesome computer that has never given us a single problem is estimating that it will take 2 hours for 214 photos. so, you'll see them another day! :)

i hate to keep our 3 faithful readers in the dark about what's been happening around here, though, so in this text-only post, i present to you (in no particular order) the top 5 events in the reece household during the month of july:

5. mason changed schools. after a less than satisfying experience at the climbing tree (ie they agreed to keep him off the playground for a week for his arm to heal, then emailed tuesday to say he would have to stay home until he could participate in all activities because that 30 minutes was really inconvenient for them. oh yeah, and they sent him to the playground anyway on monday), we found a new one. the transition seems to be going well.

4. our laptop broke. again. yep, 7 months after the motherboard was replaced on our dell, it broke again. same symptoms, same issue, no warranty. awesome. that transition is not going so well as you can see from the lack of posts!

3. cassie has a new home. after 12.5 years, cassie is no longer living with us. her failing eyesight, hearing, and bladder finally caught up to her and her personality completely changed. after biting mason twice within 12 hours (he's fine), she now lives with our cleaning person. we are so thankful to have found her a loving home as it was heartbreaking for us. the transition is noticeable. mason and i both find ourselves looking for her.

2. mason opens doors. this one might seem out of place, but considering that we sealed off most portions of the house by closing the doors, this is a doozy. mason thinks it's awesome because doors of opportunity are everywhere. literally. mommy's still adjusting.

1. brad started the academy. he left saturday afternoon and we've talked to him a couple of times. things seem to be going well; he's really excited and if i were a betting woman, i'd bet he's really tired too. the schedule they share with the families indicate a minimum of 18 hour days. pray for a smooth transition for all of us.

so, as you can see, it's really been a boring month! ;) we've decided that the only constants are God and change. we rely on one to get through the other.

stay tuned for photos... if they ever finish downloading!