Grampie

My grampie, my mom's dad, passed away in June. We miss him a lot... When we visit Mom & Dad now, I still half expect him to come shuffling out of the back bedroom. He was a solid man and a strong Christian, and we know we will see him again someday.

The kids and I went out for the funeral and enjoyed getting to see some relatives we don't see very often.

It was a long couple of days for the kids... It was their first real experience with death. Lots of driving and lots of being quiet. Finally, Chase couldn't take it anymore, so he built a funeral train. I think Grampie would have gotten a kick out of it.

And wouldn't you know it? The van wouldn't start. But the funeral home guys took good care of us and jumped us off the hearse.

The funeral was a great celebration of Grampie's life, and I am so glad we were able to go.

Summer Fun

Camping in the backyard.

Practicing ninja moves.

Gabriella fashioned some flipflops out of rubberbands and clothespins.

Every year, we go to Chick-fil-a's Dress Like a Cow Day. I know Grandpa Funk would not approve of the black and white, but I'm afraid the employees wouldn't think a brown costume was legit. Don't want to jeopardize the chance to get free kids' meals...

I love it when the kids discover "new" games like Foursquare. They played this outside for weeks.

We went to a waterpark one day, and the kids were pretty wiped out aftewards.

While Adam & Rebecca were in for a few weeks, we put shaving cream all over our slide. It was good for a lot of laughs, but a rough landing for the kids' behinds.

This boy loves his stuffed animals.

Fishing

Will is really good about taking the kids fishing over the summer. He is also really good about not making me come along.

In return, every year for his birthday, I give Will a coupon for some guilt-free fishing trips. Sometimes he even sends photos.

Bowling

Taking the kids bowling this summer seemed like such a good idea... The kids had fun at first, and when Chase quickly tired of it, he played on the arcade games instead. Who needs quarters?

Biking

Will took each of the kids out for some one-on-one time at the beginning of this summer. Gabriella wanted to go for a bike ride.

At the turn-around point, Will suddenly heard her yell, "I'm okay!". He looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. Finally, he discovered her lying in the weeds on the side of the trail. Guess she needs to work on her turning radius.

Foster Care Party

Will and I have been involved with a group of people who are supporting foster care in our county. For the last years, we have hosted a picnic in the spring for foster families in the area. Our kids really enjoy being part of it, especially when the weather cooperates.

Graham discovered tether ball, until he played it so much that the cord broke.

Chase likes getting his face painted. He ended up going to urgent care that night after dropping a table on his foot, and I could NOT get the paint off his eyes before we left.

And Gabriella enjoyed doing the painting. This girl was such a good sport.

Insight.

Gabriella: "I like this song. It really gets my bottom pumping."

Chase: "My bunny's name is Leslie Ponin. Or maybe that's a better name for a horse."

Graham: "I am playing with your ear fat." (my ear lobe)