(Most of) June

Picture this: it's summer break, all the kids are happy, the weather is perfect, the zoo isn't crowded, and you can't take enough pictures to capture the magic. Yes. This happened. How are we so blessed?

PLUS all the beautiful flowers are blooming!

AND THEN! The library starts a program where kids get to read to therapy dogs in-training! Miriam's puppy was so excited it just rolled around, checked to make sure Miriam was still there, rolled some more, checked on Miriam...over and over.

Vivian didn't move from this dog's side for 30 minutes. She just read and read and read. So cute.

AND THEN! We got to celebrate Nana's birthday! With Lydia in town!

AND THEN...this picture from a wedding shower. Ooooh, Teresa, those legs rolls are our FAVORITE!

And then...it's VBS week. This puts our lives on pause for a week. Simon loved getting to hang out in the kitchen with the snack helpers who fed him so much candy and popcorn. And the girls loved every minute with their friends, singing songs, learning Bible stories, making cool sciency things, and other VBS stuff. This week is always a LOT of work for Mommy and Daddy but so worth it for our kids.

AND THEN! We took an afternoon with Tim's family at the lake. Miriam tried paddle boarding on her own for the first time and was a champ! The wind was a little strong that afternoon but with Daddy's coaching, she did great!

The fish beds are back at the end of our dock. Makes for easy fishing with a net! And so fun to watch those baby fish grow through the summer.

AND THEN! It was Zoo Camp week. The oldest girls had five full days of camp, Felicity was five half days. Somehow the stars aligned and Felicity got to go the Strawberries in the Park in our little town with JUST her mom and dad. (If you want the logistics, call us sometime and we'll explain.) Bottom line...this was one lucky little girl who had two extremely jealous older sisters. Mommy was given strict instructions never to sign them up for Zoo Camp again when Strawberries in the Park was happening! Felicity's big afternoon meant zebra face painting, painting a pet rock, a flower balloon, and a lunch date with Mommy and Daddy.

AND THEN! Uncle John's girlfriend (now fiancee) had a soft-serve ice cream machine at her house just waiting for a bunch of kids to come enjoy! So we did. Each of the girls had two huge sundaes with all kinds of toppings. Ande lives on her parents farm so we got a great tour of all the farm equipment...Simon was in heaven.

Beyond all this wonderful life, there were the regular days of playing in the sandbox barefoot and eating fancy breakfasts because it's summer break! No one needs to rush out the door in the mornings, we just get to be together!

And this isn't even all of June! Hold tight...the best is yet to come!