Found Mud Puddle, Will Splash!

Anyone with small boys knows what a magnet mud puddles are for them. Our boys are no exception to this rule!! I had taken the boys for a short walk while Nate tried to sneak in a short cat nap. We were only out of the drive maybe 20 steps and Sutton finds the smallest of mud puddles and just can't resist the temptation. A little further down the road I know that a much bigger mud puddle is coming, I decide this might be a good photo opportunity. With that said I have Leland go back to the house and change out of his "good" flip flops and into his crocs and I go back to get the camera. The boys had a blast running as fast as they could and splashing as much as they could. Poor Sutton had a hard time staying on his feet, the mud puddle did not offer very even terrain and by the end he had decided he was not so happy!!

Blueberries and Rain Galore

The first full weekend in August we went camping with Nate's mom, step-dad, and siblings. Our destination, South Haven to check out the annual blueberry festival. Nate, the kids and I really roughed it. We stayed in a small cabin complete with bathroom and kitchen. The weather decided not to cooperate. It rained until early afternoon on Saturday, so most of the festivities were cancelled. However, when the weather finally broke we were able to enjoy some time at the beach and walking around South Haven. I think Sutton had the most fun at the beach, he chased this poor seagull around for quite some time. The local McDonald's even had blueberry milkshakes, yummy!!!!

Another Project Finished, Finally!! (Well Almost)

Another project that we also worked on for most of the summer was putting together a swing set for the kids. After it sat in the garage for about a month and a half Nate decided that he was probably not going to get to it. Thankfully my dad was willing to help us put it together. My dad and I plugged away at it for approximately 2 weeks. We had issues getting the ground level. It is not completely finished yet (we still need to attach the ladder to get into the house, some flower boxes, and a handle near the rock wall), but the kids are enjoying it.

Projects, Projects, Projects

We have been trying to get some things done around the house this summer. With Nate's work schedule this has been pretty difficult. He has been working 7 days a week for most of the summer. He did manage to have 2 vacation days a while back, if you call it vacation. On his days off he was busy digging out our walkout to lay tile and getting things ready for some cement to be poured. Leland has enjoyed helping with all the projects, they have been right up his alley. When Butch (the man who poured our cement) was finished we told him that Leland was going to miss him. He joked that we should find some more projects for him. Everyday while he was working when Leland got up in the morning he wanted to know if Butch was coming. Butch would usually show up while we were eating breakfast so I would have to open the window so Leland could talk to Butch while he ate. As soon as he was able he was outside to see what Butch was doing. It was cute to hear him saying several times a day "hey Butch".

Not The News We Had Prayed And Hoped For

Sutton had his 6 month hip check-up on the last day of July. The news was definitely not what we had expected or hoped for. His right hip angle continues to be within the normal range. However his stubborn left hip has decided to venture outside the normal range, meaning that it is no longer developing as the doctor likes. She had warned us during his first surgery to expect the unexpected because this condition is so rare in boys, but I guess we were really hoping to avoid any future surgeries. So with that said we are anticipating Sutton having another surgery next summer to do some work to the socket itself. After the surgery he will again be body casted for 6 weeks. After our not so good news we made a trip to the zoo for some fun (if you call it that). We had left the house at 7:30 that morning. We got to the zoo at about 5:00, ate dinner about 8:00, and got home about 10:00. So you can imagine how cranky the kids and we were. The boys did have a good time at the zoo though.