Remember when...

Remember when...

Ten months later... Look how she's grown :O)

“We've had bad luck with children; they've all grown up”

~ Christopher Morley

Last Full Week of Summer Break

We've had a pretty tame week.  We stayed home for all of Monday and Tuesday.  Yesterday, however, we went swimming twice.  It was officially the hottest day of the summer, with temperatures in the mid 90s and the heat index had us at 115!!!  Needless to say, the pool was VERY refreshing.  Here are a few pictures from our week:

Chaille standing, proud of the mess that she has made in the diapers and the wipes!

We walked to the school to pay book rental, and then to the store to buy hamburger buns.  We met this little guy on our way.  The boys enjoyed playing with him!  I think it was a german shepherd puppy.

Silas and Nolan enjoying the pool over at my friend, Lyndsay's, in-law's house.

Avery was trying to go under before I could get his picture!  Ha, I'm quick ;o)

Camping with friends

We had a wonderful weekend!  We went camping with the Kelsheimers.  Because, hey, what's better than taking ONE large family camping??? Taking TWO large families camping.  The funny thing is that we started getting together with them back when Avery was a baby.  They have SIX children and we used to think their family was HUGE!  Now, we look at their family and it doesn't seem nearly so overwhelming!  They had four of their children this weekend, so us adults were outnumbered 2:1.  But, Kaleb is almost 15, and he was the best help we could ever ask for.  And the kids were all so well behaved.  Even Jasper, their dog, was wonderful.  So, I'll tell you more about our trip in pictures:

Our big 5 year old, taking a break from playing ball.

Steve and Avery enjoyed playing catch for quite a while on our trip!

We were right next the the shelter house, and the boys LOVED riding down this big hill.  At times they had crowds of other kids there watching and joining in.  Here it was Silas' turn.

Now Avery's turn to go down.

Nolan didn't ride his bike down the hill, but he enjoyed watching his brothers go!

He likes to help daddy cool his coffee off.  I think he likes the smell of it!

Boys will be boys...

It's all fun and games until...

Somebody gets hurt.  (Silas got his fingers ran over!)

The boys helped Dad stack the firewood.  We used every bit of it on Saturday.  We were fortunate to have a cooler, more comfortable day to camp!

The kids LOVED the golf cart.  They'd play on it until the charge ran down, charge it for a bit, and then take it out for as long as they could get it to last!

Nolan and his buddy Kaleb!  He really liked and trusted Kaleb, especially since he protected him from Jasper (who wouldn't harm a flea!)

Nolan misunderstood corn hole!

Nolan and Silas enjoyed throwing the bean bags while the men played football.

This is what Steve and Troy do best!  They talk and usually erupt in laughter every 30 seconds or so...

Avery and Logan enjoyed playing checkers NFL style!

Nolan enjoyed the toys most.

They took a break long enough to give me a smile!

Now the men take over the corn hole game!

Kaleb and Riley were the other two "men" playing.

Troy and Lori.  At the time we were trying to talk them into purchasing a motor home so that we can camp together more often.  Well, that was pretty much what we did ALL weekend!

Lori and Chaille awaiting the "Parade."

The Golf Cart "Parade" that is.  About a dozen of the golf carts from the campground came by (the kids included.)  We collected LOTS of candy for such a small parade! :O)

Steve wanted a big Nolan hug!

So Kaleb thought his "daddy" would want want too!  LOL

Silas and Lily were playing corn hole.  He was cracking up at something...

Chaille enjoying her sucker from the parade.  We were both a sticky mess after this!

The boys wanted to help tend to the fire.

And they stood around the fire and talked.

Steve is laughing so hard here.  Why, you ask... It could be because of this:

Kaleb trying to do bike tricks on Riley's bike.  But that's not it!  It was THIS:

TROY doing bike tricks on Riley's bike!  Check on that wheelie!

Beautiful Lily!

And beautiful Chaille too :O)

The hayride.  We didn't plan to go, so it was kind of impromptu...

A family picture! :O)

The hayride took us to a little cemetary at the front of the park.  The guy told a lame ghost story that lasted forever and was not very kid appropriate.  We were less than impressed.  He insulted the kids repeatedly and scared them by yelling loudly a few times.  We were so glad when we got back to the campfire to roast marshmellows!

It was too dark for pictures of marshmellows last night, so I took one this morning when daddy let Nolan roast just "one more!"

We had a WONDERFUL time this weekend.  We know that this was one of those weekend where lots of memories were made.  The kids even swam in the lake water at the "beach" they have there.  They wanted to fish but they were out of bait for sale, so that was ruled out for us.  Just being together with our friends was a TON of fun.  I hope we have so many more trips just like this in our future!

Happy 5th Birthday, Silas!!!

Silas woke up at 7:30 today on his birthday, which happens to be 7/30!  With Avery, I started the tradition of letting the kids wake up to presents to open and cupcakes for breakfast!  So, we went straight from bed to presents to cake.  It was a fun time!  For his birthday, Silas got a scooter, which is red, of course, and a Spider-man watch.  Silas has a thing for watch.  He said the girls like it because it makes him look smarter. :O)  Little stinker...  Anyway, after opening his gifts and eating his cupcake, he asked "When does everybody get here???"  Umm... He already had his party with Avery's party back on the tenth.  We are going camping this evening, so I hope that is enough to make the birthday boy happy.  His one other request for this special day is to spend the WHOLE day with his dad!

Happy about his presents!

Check out my new "ride!"


Silas, when we had our ultrasound the tech told us she was 110% sure that you were a boy.  And now, you are 110% boy!  As I type you are doing "tricks" on your new scooter.  Right now your dream is to someday be a motor-cross rider.  You have such a soft heart and are so caring.  You are still such a daddy fan, and I think you would hang out in his "pocket" if he could always let you go along.  Your smile is huge, and it makes any room light up.  Not to mention your contageous laugh, which is just hilarious.  We feel so blessed to have you in our life, Silas Edgar!  WE LOVE YOU!!

Our "RV" Experience

Steve and I have been looking at RV's lately.  Actually, we have been "looking" at them  for a long time, drooling over the thought of actually ever owning one.  After making the decision to put his truck up for sale, we started looking at whether or not we could afford an RV.  Our budget would allow for us to purchase a modest one, so we started out on our search.  We found one online that we liked, and decided at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday that we would leave that evening to head up to Michigan to see it.  (a 5 hour drive!)  So I hopped online for directions and a hotel reservation, packed all of our stuff, and we left home at 6:30.  We ended up getting to the hotel at 12:30!  We all slept until 9 the next morning, had breakfast at IHOP, and then headed to the camper place, only to be disappointed by what we saw.  Our day turned into another full one with stops to several RV sales places including some in Elkart and Burns Harbor, Indiana.  We also made time for a McDonald's playland for lunch at 3:30, and a stop for supper at Red Lobster at 8:30 p.m.  We made it home at 12:30 a.m. again last night.  After all of our roadtripping, we ended up purchasing one right here in Greenwood!  But what we learned on our trip really helped us know what we were looking for, and we felt like we were both on the same page with what we wanted.  It was a whirlwind 30 hour trip, but we had a blast!

First pictures from our little adventure:

Nolan hugged on daddy all through breakfast!

Chaille was pooped from all the driving!

Back in the van, I think this is a "fake" smile.

"What???"  They were watching a movie and didn't understand why I needed a picture.  For the blog, of course!

Chaille at the playland.  Still only taking a few steps here and there without holding on!

The boys were so glad to stretch their legs!

He finally gave up...

Trying out one of the RV's. 

The first thing they would do is check out the steering column and tell Steve the brand of the motor!  "Dad, it's a FORD!" or "Dad, it's a CHEVY!"  Adorable!

And now, for the one we purchased today (we aren't taking delivery until August 12th.)  It's a beautiful camper.  To say I'm excited is an understatement.  We purchased this for HALF of what the asking price was originally, and for 13,000 less than the SALE price!  We are pleased to say the least!  Here she is:

It's a 2002 Winnebago Sightseer. It has 22,000 miles on it and looks brand new!

It has a slide out where the couch and dinette are.

It is VERY well maintained!

The view from inside the door looking back.

The view from the dinette looking forward.  The couch and dinette both make beds, so it officially sleeps 6.

The bedroom with a queen bed and quite a bit of storage.

The kitchen area.  It is so immaculately kept.  I can't wait to try it out! :O)