For Fun

I guess everyone was in a funny mood after church a couple of weeks ago.
Just a happy shot.

Then more silliness...

People kept coming and joining in the silliness.

Haha. :)

You didn't know they could be this goofy, did you?

This didn't have quite the dramatic effect that I think they intended. It would have been better with Peter's arms perhaps.

Just Cal and Dad. Calvin loved this picture. He's a sweetie and he loves his daddy.

Posed picture for me.

I was trying to get some group shots for the blog header I was working on.

Girls in yellow, being a little silly too.

Last, but not least, Millie wanted a picture of herself in her "goggle-boggles." My, oh my. Kids are great fun.

Self-Portraits

The boys recently drew some self-portraits, while looking in mirrors, for an art project. I felt that the results were superior to anything they'd done previously and that they'd really put their full effort into them. The first is Sam's. He has done some self-study on technique and has done quite a lot of drawing. So, even though it doesn't exactly look like him, I thought his drawing had depth and feeling. Being his mother, I marvel that my 11 year old child produced this.
William's is quite different. He does not enjoy drawing in the same way that Samuel does. He does very little drawing. So, my first comment is: I was pleased with how hard he worked at this drawing and was motivated. Second comment: The difference between his artwork and Sam's is represented here. He tends to think and see in cartoons. He does not draw realistically, he draws interpretively. This picture does express Will's style and the expression on the face is very true to Will and his style.

Good work boys! I love to see your skills develop.

4th of July

We spent the 4th of July holiday at the farm of our friends, the Oldlands. They took this family picture for us.
Kids eating hamburgers and corn on the cob.


Little girls.

All of the kids swam in their pool. Here, the little ones are enjoying some time without the splashy, big kids.

All set to watch some fireworks.

Peter lit off the fireworks while the rest of us enjoyed the show. My camera battery died before I got a shot of some of the firecrackers. Lots of fun. The 4th is such a great holiday.

Camping!!

Peter got a week off from preaching, so we took the opportunity to go camping for a night. The original plan was for the boys to go up for a night in a tent and I'd stay home with the little ones, maybe visiting for a couple of hours during the day. Ultimately, we rented a rustic cabin and we all stayed overnight together. The boys did leave ahead of me and the littles. They left in the morning, with a packed lunch, and were able to fish for several hours. They reeled in some nice sized fish.

Then they checked in and drove over to the cabin. They took these pictures just before I arrived with girls and baby.

They are very happy to be camping!

First thing to do was to swim, of course.

Everyone was pretty excited about their goggles.

Life jackets are helpful.

Cal got cold and decided to dig awhile.

Peter and I just waded in the shallow end and oversaw all the wet fun.

I like this one. I like him a whole, whole lot. (Peter, that is) :)

"Hi Buddy!"

I like 'lijah too. He did really great out there.

We decided to swing for awhile to dry off before getting into the car to drive over to the cabin.

We really like Calvin's lobster swim trunks.

Showing me "no hands."

For supper, we put together packets of ground beef, potatoes, carrots and onions wrapped in foil. We do this every time we go camping.

While we were waiting for dinner to cook, William go out his measuring tape. Right. What for?

Samuel found a baby Ringnecked Snake...

...that they wanted to measure.

Here's a few shots of the inside of the cabin. It's pretty basic, as it is a rustic cabin.

There is a table to the left of this picture. There is an outhouse to the back of the cabin, as there is no running water here. But there are a lot of advantages to this over a tent.

Dinner's ready, served with ketchup. It was actually very good. Peter did an amazing job making sure that they got cooked just right in the coals of the fire.

Very interested in the fire, of course.

Next is s'mores.

Roasting marshmallows...and toes.

Here comes more sticks for the fire.

"Is it done yet?"

Some people just like to catch their marshmallows on fire...so they can blow them out...over their sister's head.

First s'more. Not bad.

Ha. This is a funny face for Benny.

Sun is setting now. I LOVE being out here.

After-dark visitor.

Found on the side of the cabin the next morning. One of the kids took this picture. They loved the colors on this moth.

After breakfast, the boys went to some nearby lakes to do some more fishing. I let Elijah get a good, long nap in the cabin while the girls and I played outside and took some short walks nearby.

Millie is excited to hold the moth herself.

After some lunch, we all went over to the lake to have a last swim and ride in a boat.

A turn for Benjamin and Cecily.

Next we headed home to get me there in time for a dentist's appointment. It was short, but so nice. Short is good at this phase. We're grateful for this beautiful park that is close enough to go up there and enjoy in small spaces of time.