The Maize

We had a Sunday School Social at the Maize a few weeks ago. The kids had a total blast. After playing, taking a hay ride, and picking out pie pumpkins, we roasted hotdogs over a pit fire and made s'mores. Really, it was soooo much fun!Ian managed to squeeze into a shot! That's okay---we love Ian!

See my baby's little ribs???

The duck races were a hit with all FOUR of them! :)

You can't tell from this photo, but Evie was CRYING!! She was fickled about whether or not to ride, but once she got on, the tears came...thankfully they didn't last long!

Madison Turns TWO

Just before bedtime, Jared created a special birthday message for his sister...

ALL ON HIS OWN! :) Not that I'm proud or anything.

I took the kids to the grocery store to pick out a cake. I kept picking up cakes and letting Madison select...this was the one SHE picked. It was a buckeye cake and it was super-yummy!

Update on bathroom remodel.

Not a great picture--too much flash--but this is the new hardware we picked for the cabinets. It has a smooth rust-colored finish--very simple, but I like them a lot. I asked Scott to tile the narrow wall between the shower and bathroom door. He obliged and added a towel bar, since we always seem to have 3-4 towels hanging up (since Jared uses our shower).

Above: The floor tile looks orangey in this picture; the tiles on the side of the tub are closer to the actual color.

Below: The cabinets are really darker than this picture (closer in color to the above picture); they appear lighter because of the flash.

Scrapbooking with Charity

Charity and I spent the last few days of their visit working on Madison's baby book. Okay, really we started and finished the book in a few days AND completed Evie's book, while adding a finishing touch or two to Jared's. Charity also spent some time scrapping pictures from our last few months in Austin. It was GREAT to get these back-burner projects done and it was even better to do them with such a dear, creative friend!

The birthday flower pot layout was perfect! Charity spent more

than an hour designing and completing this layout,

and it is one of my favorites!

Jared lost his first tooth

Jared got his first loose tooth on Thursday night. By Friday afternoon is was pretty wiggly and easily came out with a washcloth yesterday afternoon. Yay!

Grains of Sand

After much consideration over a name for our homeschool, I settled on "Grains of Sand."
My inspiration for this name came from Isaiah 48:17-19:

This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel says: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for [your] benefit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been as [countless] as the sand, and the offspring of your body like its grains; their name would not be cut off or eliminated from My presence. (Holman CSB)

God teaches us for our benefit....I teach my children for their benefit
God leads us in the way we should go....I want to direct my children on a godly path
Pay attention to God's commands....mediate on the things of God, not the world

Backyard Fun

Seriously, priceless!

Indianapolis, IN

We drove home from Chicago on Sunday, July 5th. James & I remembered that the last Starbucks on the way home was in Indianapolis (unless you wanted to drive out of your way), so we made a pit stop. We were happily surprised to find out the fireworks had been rained out on the 4th and we only had to walk around for an hour or so before they started! Downtown Indi was very nice and the people looked soooo normal...

especially after a weekend in Chicago! :)

The fireworks were FANTASTIC!

Site-seeing in the Windy City

Finding this ultra-cool McD's was not as easy as one might think!

Inside was a tribute to each decade since their opening in the 50's. I used to be a fan of Oprah.....not so much anymore, but I couldn't resist a photo op. Yes, that is a "Venti, non-fat peppermint mocha, with whip, iced" I'm holding; sure wish I had one right now!

Ice cream at Navy Pier.

Buckingham Fountain

Landmark formerly known as the Sears Tower.

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago

I adore this picture of Jared and Evie looking at the bear through the "tree trunk."

Check out the look on Madison's face!! She LOVED watching the polar bear swim towards her.

Sharon Woods Metro Park

After an afternoon at Inniswood Gardens, we headed to Sharon Woods Metro Park and grilled out again.

Inniswood Gardens Park

On July 1 we headed to Inniswood Gardens Park. This park is one of the most beautiful gardens I've visited. Sadly, we hadn't been there since Renae's visit--last August. The kids had a great time running around and the weather was, again, fantastic.

Highbanks Metro Park

We grilled out twice while James & Charity were here. The weather was fantastic for that first week....sorry to tell my Texas friends that the highs were in the low 70s. Yep, pretty fantastic! We went to Highbanks Metro Park that first Sunday evening. Madison spent her time on the swings, Evie played in the mulch and Jared played with a football. After eating hotdogs, we roasted marshmallows. It was Jared's idea and it was a great one!

Playing Outside in Late June

All good hosts should let you mow their yard!

No, your eyes are not deceiving you...Evie has a black eye. She fell out of the van just a few hours before this photo was taken. Her cheek looked worse the first day, but the area around her eye blackened on day two.

I can't believe James convinced Evie to sit on the lawn mower...of course, he was taking the little ham's picture!

Snyder's Visit--Trip to Cosi

We took James & Charity to COSI for an afternoon. The kids had a blast. It was also Scott's first time there, so the kids had fun showing daddy their favorite exhibits. We visited the gadgets exhibit for the first time and decided we would definitely be going back for some of their free workshops.

Jared's expression was priceless when he shot the ball into the air. I was soooo glad James was there with the camera ready!