We’ve only been out of school for a week, but we are in the thick of summer for sure!  Even though this much activity makes me a little nervous, I am trying to adjust, hang on tight and enjoy the ride because I know it will all be over in a few short weeks.

Our first week of summer…in pictures:

We joined the summer reading program!

which means we get loads of little plastic toys!  YES!

and we filled our baskets with books!

We went to see UP with our cousins and Grandjules, and we ALL LOVED IT!  Go see it!

We went to see our friends, Michael and Sandy Boultinghouse which is always a delight!

All the boys got their crazies out!

And Mary Polly got her animal fix.

Sandy helped everyone with bait, while Michael coached Taido on the best spots to cast.

You might need your magnifying glass to see the fish Simon caught!

Plenty of room.  Plenty of time.

This pavilion is one of my favorite places on earth to spend an afternoon.  Michael built it and is always improving on it.  He has plans for adding a smoker to the back.

Sunshine makes me sleepy.

Everyone gets a turn to stand in the hole and crank the ice cream at the Boultinghouses!

Note the lip in the concrete so all the melted ice drains off the pavilion!

The fish we caught is on the grill!  Thank you Michael and Sandy for a wonderful meal and a lovely day!

After the relaxing day at the  Boultinghouses, we were all geared up for our church’s 25th anniversary party!  Highlights of the day included Cole’s singing in the youth choir and Ben’s being baptized by Taido, and in the same swimming pool where both Taido and I were baptized a long, long time ago.  Thankfully, Whitney got pictures of both events.

photo by whitney loibner

photo by whitney loibner

photo by whitney loibner

photo by whitney loibner

photo by whitney loibner

photo by whitney loibner

photo by whitney loibner

On Monday, Cole and Taido left for D Camp, while the rest of us stayed behind and slowed down…our lower key events this week included:

collecting our first summer harvest!

(Actually, on the garden front, I’ve been engaged in an all out war with the bugs…more on my obsessing over little tiny bugs later!)

a trip to the pool in the cool of the morning (80 degrees here in arkansas)

playing with the coolest paper dolls EVER, ordered for us by our Aunt Whit!

making a NEW and IMPROVED summer chore chart!

and a HOMECOMING blackberry pie for our campers who came back home today!  They are very tired, but maybe after they are rested up, we’ll hear all about camp!

Maybe Taido will even blog about it.

HAPPY SUMMER TO YOU!!