Summer Fun

Early last week we played with our friends and cooled ourselves with icy cold faucet water... at least, the kids did. They loved running through the sprinklers, swimming in the pool, and even being chased around and squirted with the hose. Oh childhood, it's grand.

there's nothing fabulous about this picture, so i might not have posted it, except that i think it's so funny that they have the exact same look on their faces.

xander even came out for a short bit. maren continued napping like the good girl that she is.

Lake-Ho

Last weekend, we joined some dear friends for a couple of days at the lake. We all had a really great time. It was so nice to have a mini-vacation that was kid friendly and quite enjoyable for the adults. Brittany, Jenny and Heidi headed out with our 3 toddlers and 3 infants, and waited for the guys to arrive later Friday evening. We cruised around the lake in a golf cart, drove 4-wheelers, paddle-boated, swam, played catan, ate, and fellowshipped. I took several pictures while we were there and they are posted here in reverse order. You can see from the first one that we had fun, what else could wear a little girl out to this degree?

Sitting Around

Xander is on the move. I had to take this picture of him because he managed to climb under the chair, through the bars, and was having quite the time under there. Then, as I was photographing him, Libby got interested. So, she requested that I take a picture of her too. In the end, the picture was of her asking to have a cookie. Don't think I let her sit around eating cookies all day, but if I did you should try it because look at her calves! The girl has the most defined calves I've ever seen on a 3-year-old. She takes after her Aunt B. :)

The Great Rock Wall

In the days of old, our front yard was plagued by a planting area engulfed in vines. The vines were out on control, covering the ground with their greenness, which was fine, until the greenness captured the leaves that fell from our oh-so-plentiful trees, and then the vine made the front yard look yucky and unkempt, and overgrown.

So, there was a time when we pulled that vine.

Then, in those times the planting area was mulched and the yard looked glorious in her brownness. Except when the rains or winds came. Make that sprinkles or breezes. And then the brownness spread to the sidewalks, and the leaves spread to the sidewalk, and the sidewalk was engulfed in brownness and leaves. And the brownness and leaves made their way into the house, and the whole situation was deplorable.

So, there was a time when we decided to plant bushes to catch the mulch and protect the sidewalk. BUT, one fine day, before the shovel hit the dirt, Granddad said, "what you need to do is build a retaining wall right here to hold all this dirt and mulch up off the sidewalk." And so, it was.

Daddy set to work and hoo-rah-ray the wall was built. The results? Marvelous. Stupendous. Fabulous. Extraordinary! See for yourself. (oh, and see Libby and Aunt Sarah playing "red light, green light" the evening the last brick was placed.)

Try to look past the fabulous little girl and see the ground that was covered with vines.

Day 1 of wall building, it was hard, hot, back breaking work. But it was worth it (I can say that).

When the winds and rains came and the trees came tumbling down, the rock wall stood firm.

Here's the new view from the street. Naturally we have another rock wall project ahead of us, replacing the limestone planter, but for now we're enjoying the right side of our front door. :)

GREEN LIGHT!

Xander's First Swim

Last weekend we took Xander out for his first swim. He LOVED it. Much like his big sister, he enjoys swimming and splashing around. As daddy or mama held him, he kicked his legs and swatted at the water, at times completely soaking his face but he never held back. It was very sweet and fun to watch, and I wish we had some pictures or video of it, but I found that photographing a swimming family is much harder with 2 kids than it is with just 1. We both had a child in our arms at all times! So, you'll have to settle for pictures from lounging on the towels during our mid-afternoon break.

(seriously, how many pictures do I have with these two making the exact same faces?)

Bible Boot Camp

What a busy and wonderful week at Vacation Bible School! The theme was Bible Boot Camp and the kids had a great time. It was Libby's first VBS now that she's a big 3-year-old, and she learned about her Commander (Jesus), and the enemy (Satan), the reality and the importance of being on the Lord's side of the battle, where victory is assured. She enjoyed the music, the crafts, the playing with friends, the teaching times, the snacks... and as you'll see from the pictures, there were even additional fun times (like when the army helicopter landed in the church parking lot) that she never would have imagined coming out of this week of VBS. I am sure that she'll be disappointed when we don't get to go back to VBS on Monday. She's already looking forward to next year!

in the driver's seat

in the driver's seat

"we all must fight but the battle is the Lord's!"

hard at work, decorating the classroom (this took over 7 hours)

Savannah, Mia and Libby LOVE playing dress up.

enjoying some playtime in the classroom

the helicopter lands

standing in front of the helicopter

Lovebugs

I wish you could have heard her voice when she said, "let me hold him." She delivered it with such confidence, just like one of my girlfriends would have said if she'd noticed my hands were full and I could use some help. I held Xander on my lap and Libby has been so smitten with him lately, more than usual, and she took one look at his dark eyes and said, "here mama, let me hold him." So, I ran for the camera and gave her her brother and this is what I ended up with.

Such Fun

Libby continues to enjoy the play set in the back yard, though the past week we haven't been out much due to our busy busy schedule. Nonetheless, she couldn't wait to show Debbie what fun it is to ride in her "car" shortly after her arrival at our home last week. Libby's at the wheel and Debbie and Sarah are certainly in for a ride.

The fort part is actually pretty good sized! Two adults and a little one can fit in there, and I can even stand straight up, if I stay toward the middle. :)

Daddy Earned his Kiss

It was not easy. It took 4 men and some help from 2 ladies and a little girl. The set had to be disassembled in a few places to make it manageable for 6 of us to carry it down the street and into our back yard. Then, some rotting wood required attention, and yesterday's work was cut short. This morning the storms caused us to fear that the swinging would have to wait until next weekend, but a phone call from our friends aroused mama from her nap and before we knew it our loving friends and family were back at our home to finish the job. It took almost as long to determine where the set should go as it did to get it there, but by dinnertime the kids were enjoying the fruits of labor.

So, again we are SO thankful to the Lord. He provided beyond our expectations, with a great toy for our kids to enjoy, and the ever so kind and generous service of Nick, Grandpa, Uncle Jon and even our neighbor Josh for a time. The ladies, Brittany, Grandma, and Aunt Em, sacrificed their weekend as well, caring for kids and supporting the guys as they worked and worked. And the kids were very patient, as they waited for the finale. We are so blessed!