A Visit from Dear Friends!

This last Friday we were lucky enough to have a visit from some of our favorite people from Indiana! Nathan's best friend these last couple years is a boy named Jaden--who he has really missed! They were in the area visiting family and stopped by for the morning. We had such a good time! It was hard to have them go.


Here are a couple of other pictures of the visit...

Playing in the river near our home.

Kristy and Miriam. (You have to appreciate that this picture was taken by Nathan. We were kneeling on the sidewalk to be at the right height! Even still...let's just say this photo has been seriously cropped!)

Shooting off a rocket...a great invention my sister taught us how to make. Uses card stock, packing tape, and an empty plastic film canister. The "fuel" is water and an Alka-Seltzer tablet. It really does shoot off!

Greg's New Guys

Just wanted you to see this great picture of Greg and some of his Priests.
L to R: The Bishop, Dustin, Nick, Greg, Mike, Ben, and the Young Men president.

Family Home Evening

For family home evening this week we did the "real deal". (This is progress for us!) Each person was assigned to a job and followed through! I taught a thrilling lesson about three men being thrown into a fire--and surviving (a bible story you may know). Greg led us in "If You're Happy and You Know It!" Nathan planned an activity--he and Greg made a 3D Foam motorcycle (a kit from JoAnns). And Joshua did dessert...in more ways than one! (He even handed out napkins and spoons before digging in himself.)

Fun in the Sun!

Yesterday evening we had a chance to spend a little time at the metropark about 20 minutes from our home. It's so nice that we can be so close to a place that makes us feel like we've just gone on vacation!

My Little Gentleman

Greg gets up at about 6 a.m. each morning to get ready for work. This last week Nathan got up with Greg almost every morning. I could tell Nathan was still tired...but when he heard any sounds of movement he'd get up and stick with Greg until he left--eating breakfast together, etc. By the end of the week I gave Nathan a little talking to about sleeping longer! He said, "Well, Daddy is such a gentleman to get up and go to work for our family every day...and I want to be a gentleman too!"

Last of Camping!

Well...I'm ready for something besides camping scrapbook pages...so I cranked out my last three tonight. They're not amazing, but they're done!

Lake Memories Continued

Memories by the Lake

O.K. It's time to be kind of honest. We planned our whole camping trip around the idea of this lovely lake and river experience. After we'd finally gotten everything set up in our campsite and took the lovely stroll down to the "lakeside" we were a bit jolted when the TINY beach looked like this.

Unbelievable! I think if it had been just Greg and I we'd have packed it up and headed back home. But somehow, with two excited boys, we just knew we had to make the most of it. Thankfully the water beyond the beach was shallow and warm. And, for better or for worse, was clear enough we could see lots of little schools of fish swimming all around in it. What started out as a disappointment turned into a magical moment when we started seeing it through the eyes of our boys. (See post above for "magical" lake pictures.)

Our Camping Trip Pages

Here's the beginning of some camping scrapbook pages!

More "Staycation"