Garden Day

The boys and I enjoyed a day at Hidden Lake Gardens with our friends Mike, Meredith, Nolan, and Garrett. They had all kinds of cool and fun activities for the kids and the great thing was it only cost $3.00 to get in!!!

Pioneer Days

Leland and I had the opportunity to experience some of the things that pioneers might have experienced during a typical days work. The Wednesday we did this had to be one of the hottest days we have had yet and the class was during the hottest part of the day 1-3 pm, but Leland made the best of it and did have a good time. He was pretty excited about the goats. He also enjoyed planting corn, making lemonade, grinding cinnamon, washing laundry, grinding herbs, feeding chickens, making butter, and making ice cream.

Fun With Uncle Shandy, Aunt Kristy, and Cousin Skyler

We have been trying to spend more time with my brother and his family. We have been glad to be able to do this especially since they are moving to Iowa. Shandy was offered a job with a company who is a competitor of the company he was working for. The kids have enjoyed spending time together at the Tree House, at the lake, a hot air jubilee, in the backyard, etc. We wish Shandy, Kristy, and Skyler the best of luck and be looking for us soon!!! They will be living near Moline Illinois, the home of John Deere, so you can be sure a trip will be in the works.

A Visit From Our Long Lost Friends The Hellers

We were finally able to connect with some friends of ours that live in Ohio. Beth was my first room mate from college. Though we did not start off on a very good note we turned it around and have remained friends, which I am thankful for!!! Beth has three beautiful children and a great husband. We don't get to see them nearly often enough!! In fact the last time we did see them was when Beth came to my baby shower when I was pregnant for Leland!!! My how time flies. Her youngest son, Isaac is only 8 days older than Sutton, so it was neat to see them interact. We had a nice dinner and then were able to enjoy some s'mores by our make shift campfire, which I should have taken a picture of. On Saturday we headed to the lake for a short time before they had to head back home. This visit was way to short and we both agreed that we need to make a point of getting together more often. It was wonderful to see all of you!!

Momma's Big Helper

Sutton decided that he needed to help cook one night that Nate had taken Leland to swim class. I was busy at the island counter (with my back to Sutton) cutting vegetables. When I turned around this is what I saw!!! He had literally every pan out of the drawer and he had some of my spice rack emptied. Oh well it kept him entertained for quite some time.

Beginning To Swim

Leland completed his first "official" swim lesson at the YMCA. He did a great job and surprised me each night we went with the progress he made. There were only 2 other little girls in his class. He was the only one who would jump into the pool without assistance from the instructor. In fact his favorite part of swim class was jumping into the pool from the starting block at the deep end. The first night he was able to do this the instructor offered her hands to him and his response was "can you please move out of my way?" and away he went.

A Trip To Amishville

The boys and I went with Pam to meet her brother and his family and Pam's parents for lunch near Shipshewana Indiana. The boys had never met Pam's niece Katy before, but they sure did fall quickly in love with her. The kids also enjoyed a trip on a carriage pulled by a horse.

Garden Time

We moved the garden to a new spot this year, so we didn't get it put in until about the 3rd week in June. Nate also put a fence up around it for me this year to help keep all the wild creatures out. So far so good, everything has been left uneaten and is growing well. Not sure what will happen when the plants get tall enough for the deer to reach them from over the fence though!! They have already been peering over the top!! I had two helpers this year!! As you can see Sutton was more interested in driving his dump truck in the dirt and over plants than actually helping. Leland was a great helper and had a plan for where each plant should be planted. Hopefully we will have some big pumpkins in the fall. Leland is also enjoying watching his sunflower that he planted as a seed at daycare grow.

Pickin' Berries

We were planning to have company for dinner so Leland and I decided we should have fresh strawberry shortcake for desert. Leland did an pretty good job of only picking the red berries. However his interest in picking the berries did not last long. I can't really blame him though, the mosquito's were biting lots and it was hot!! We were able to get enough strawberries for desert though.

Dune Ready

We headed to the sand dunes for Memorial Day weekend. Nate was able to take his jeep along this time. The boys were very interested in helping daddy get the jeep ready. The boys as usual had a fun time playing in the sand. Tim, a family friend kept them entertained for awhile with filling a large hole with water, what fun!!