3rd of July Celebration

This year we celebrated the 4th on the 3rd because Ben and Stacey were leaving very early on the 4th for their trip.
We had a wonderful day filled with much visiting, laughter, family and good food.

Here is our Little Miss 4th of July!

We made homemade ice cream too.

We've never made it before, but it turned out very delicious.

I took a picture of Ben and Elsa while Ben took a picture of me.

What's this I see?

Ben enjoyed popping out of this thing and scaring me half to death!

Time for hamburgers!

Chris and Ben put together the BBQ.......just like old time, Ben!

Even the big kids take a turn on the swings.

Getting ready to go outside for the fireworks show.

Rhaevyn and my mom do Roman Candles.

I was surprised to look over and see Elsa asleep.

I can't believe she was sleeping through all the explosions.

Myles, Elsa and my Mom watch fireworks out the window on the 4th.

Here is a bit of our fireworks show Lindsay style thanks to my Mom.

Time Out

The kids were playing outside with their next door neighbor friend.
Myles was not behaving himself and had to come in for a bit of a time out.
He was not happy and huddled himself in the corner.
Elsa decided to come sit with him.

Hey Myles, you don't have to do this time out thing alone.

Pssst, big brother, I'm over here.

Hey, Myles, it's okay, I'm here for you.

Boy, you must really be upset, Myles.

Well, mom, I tried.

When the Dog Bites, the Bee Stings................

when I feel sad, frazzled or frustrated I simply remember my favorite little people, and then I don't feel so bad because I forget myself, my worries and woes and am filled with such love, and laughter and gratitude that they are in my life.

And I think to myself...........it just doesn't get any better than this!

How can I not feel better after seeing this big smile?

Can you feel the love?

Rhaevyn made this dress for Aeva.......sewing by hand.

Oh the places we go with our imagination!

Sharing at it's best.

The thrill and fascination of the bubbles.

Myles said to me the other day, "Mom, my hugs for Elsa all turn into hearts."

My sweet, sweet helper.

Another wonderful smile!

Oh happy day, oh happy day!

Visting Family In Idaho

Last Wednesday we took a little road trip to Idaho to visit our Lindsay relatives.

We started out our trip counting all the waterfalls that we saw.

Happy travelers, Myles and Elsa..........

and Aeva.

Time for a little smackeral of something to eat.

The ride to Idaho was a very pleasant one.

We stopped in the Gorge at a rest stop to eat our sandwiches and chips.

The sun was out, and there was a nice breeze.

Myles enjoyed watching the seagulls land and try to get a nibble of the crumbs we had dropped.

Uncle Matt treated us to tacos Wednesday night.
They were positively scrumptious.

Aunt Leslie made some awesome guacamole and salsa.

Thursday, Matt took us all to the YMCA.

They have a huge pool section there.

There was even a three story water slide.

Matt took Aeva down the slide and she loved it, but going down on her own did not go so well. She said she couldn't move, couldn't breathe and couldn't scream.

But, we are happy to report she did survive and Uncle Matt was right there to catch her when she popped out of the slide into the water.

We talked Rhaevyn into going on the small slide that one basically jettisons off into 12 feet of water. We missed her doing it the first time, so we told her if she would go one more time, Uncle Matt and I would go twice.

Let me just say, I did not like that slide. It was sheer panic once your bottom left the slide and all you saw was water below you. You get that feeling of your stomach flying up into your throat like on a roller coaster ride.

All the kids enjoyed the lazy lagoon part of the pool.

We spent two and a half hours there.

By the end the kids were pooped and sitting on the bench with Uncle Matt, while Chris and I went down the slide a couple more times.

What a blast!

Thursday night was a spaghetti feed, and John, Shanda, and Christopher's parents came.

Myles enjoyed running around the backyard with Grandma and Walter the dog.

Elsa enjoyed playing with Auntie Shanda.

It was nice to get to visit with them all.

Friday was sailing in the morning for Chris, Matt and John.

Then we went to the Warhawk Air Museum.

There was a lot of interesting artifacts there.

The kids enjoyed trying out Morse code, the SOS lamp, and seeing the planes.

Rhaevyn's favorite thing at the museum was a wedding dress from WW II, and

Aeva's favorites were listening to the music that was playing from the 40's and the women's uniforms of the WACS and WAVES.

Then it was off for bbq'd hamburgers and ice cream at Christopher's parent's house.

Good food and a good visit.

Myles loved playing tic-tac-toe with Auntie Leslie and Aeva.

Elsa liked playing with Grandpa.

Auntie Leslie treated the kids to a round of s'mores that evening. They loved that!

Saturday the kids helped out with some yard work.

Then that afternoon we said goodbye to Matt and Leslie.

We cannot thank them enough for feeding and lodging us.

We had such a wonderful time there.

The kids were in heaven too!

What a wonderful visit we had with everyone.

Thanks to all the Lindsays for your help with feeding us and making time to

visit with us while we were there.

We came away with wonderful memories!

We look forward to our next visit to Idaho.

A New Pen Pal, Lucia Falls and Strawberries

I'll start with the strawberries.

That red delicious fruit does not last very long in our house.

Normally, Myles sits and eats practically the whole carton himself.

However, I think he is going to have a bit of competition now.

Elsa snuck up to the table and went hog wild with the bowl of strawberries.

I hope our plants are good producers this summer, so we can satisfy our

strawberry lovers.

This is my friend Samantha and me.

She and her family came for a visit.

The kids had a great time playing at the park.

On Monday we took them to Lucia Falls.

I think all the kids had a grand time together.

Rhaevyn and Aeva made a new friend.......... Sam's daughter, Aysa.

They became fast friends and are now going to be pen pals.

The kids are throwing rocks into the river.
Sam's husband, Len, keeping a close eye on everyone.

Rhaevyn, Aysa and Aeva.

The girls and Sam's dad admire the roses.

Say "cheese!"

Here are three of Sam's children and three of mine.

Thanks for coming guys!

We had a great time!