Random Summer Shots

Reading books from the library
Celebrating Anna's artwork
Watching our tomatillos and tomatoes grow
Swimming in the backyard and eating homemade popsicles

A Day at the Lake

It's been a long time since we've been out to "Grandma's Lake". After taking care of a few things at home and running to the library, we headed out there. Anna loves being in the water. She wasn't too adventurous in the water today, but she loved being in it and playing at Grandma's house.

Later in the evening, Matt's uncle and aunt took us on a pontoon boat ride. It was a beautiful night to ride around the lake.
Anna wasn't too sure at first...
...and then warmed up to the experience...
...then realized how tired she was after a long day in the sun with no nap...
...but really loved having a boat ride!

Braids!

Home Again

Matt, Anna, and I went to Chicago with my sister Sue for our aunt's funeral. She had been ill on and off this year, so while we weren't expecting her death, it was also not a great shock. While the occasion was a sad one, it was a wonderful time as well. It was good to reminisce about all the great things we remembered about Auntie Laverne. Fourteen out of my aunt's 22 nieces and nephews were able to attend the funeral. There were also many great and great-great nieces and nephews there as well. Many of us hadn't seen each other for many years, so it was an awesome time to get re-acquainted and caught up with everyone. The first picture is of my mom with her remaining sisters. The other is of Sue and me with all of our cousins who were able to attend the funeral.

It's good to be home again. We've got some catching up to do, some visiting to do, and lots of spending family time together to do this next month. We're very excited about that!

We're Back (and Off Again Soon)

We made it back from Toronto very early Monday morning. (We pretty much spent yesterday resting and recovering.) We had a great time in Canada. The kids we traveled with were awesome! They did some great work and were great to hang out with. Anna and I spent time hanging out around the church and tagging along with the group when we could. Here are some photos from our trip. (They aren't in order, but I'm having trouble moving them.)

Matt and the kids were very involved leading worship on Sunday.
On our free day, we took the subway to downtown Toronto. (Anna's 1st subway ride.)

Batman--The Dark Knight...no more words necessary!
Anna and her new friend Luka (from the church where we stayed) played together often.

Making a long ride more bearable, our "techie" daughter watched movies on the trip. (This was on the way to Toronto. We drove through the night on the way home, so Anna slept the whole way.)
We stayed in a very culturally diverse area. We met some really cool people and ate some fabulous ethnic food.

We went to Ontario Place--amusement/water park--with one of the summer camp groups. Anna had a blast!


It's good to be home again. Matt finishes up with the kids today and they all head home tomorrow morning. Matt's got some plans to get some rest and catch up on his Hebrew lessons. Anna and I (maybe Matt, too) are headed to Chicago with my sister on Thursday for a funeral.

Toron'o

Sorry I'm not able to get pictures for this entry. Computer time is limited here. We are having a great time. This is a great group of kids! They started work today and are really excited about it. Anna and I hung out with a family from church this morning and rested this afternoon. Anna is doing great, but is having a hard time with the sleeping arrangements. She's not real happy sleeping in the pak-n-play anymore, but doesn't do the big girl bed (or in this case a mattress on the floor). Her nights are late and mornings are early, so either she'll adjust or we're in for a major meltdown soon. I know what I'd like to see happen! The kids love having her here and she loves playing with them. I think we're in for a good week!

Off to Toronto

I wish I could title this one "Packed and Ready to Go to Toronto" but that wouldn't be quite right. I'm pretty close, but not finished yet. Anyway, Anna and I are going to Toronto with Matt and the FYF group tomorrow. This is part of the pile that's going with us--just missing the suitcases and diaper bag.
I'm really looking forward to going even though I'm not sure what Anna and I will be doing all day. Anna, on the other hand, has no idea what she's in for tomorrow. She's been on such a weird schedule since the reunion so we may be in for a rough first few days. She's pretty mellow about stuff, though, so I'm hoping she'll just ease into what we're doing quickly. I don't know if I'll have much internet access where we're staying. I'll keep you posted about our trip as I can.

Anna and Jenny

Sorry it's been so long. We've been busy doing our regular stuff in addition to visiting Matt at the seminary every day. He's having a great experience with the Facing Your Future group. Saturday they head out to their service destinations. Matt's taking a group to Toronto. (Anna and I may join them--I'll keep you posted about that.) Yesterday, Anna and I came to Grand Ledge to visit with my sister Sue's family (except for Kelly and Abbey who are at camp this week). Jenny and Anna are having a blast together. They are getting along really well and I think will miss each other when we leave tonight. Anna is learning tons of stuff from Jenny. Anna had to have a tube when we went by the neighbor's pool and then had to have goggles on--that was a sight! Jenny also showed Anna how to play dress up. Anna loves to do whatever Jenny does. She's even started calling me Aunt Gail!

Happy 4th!

Mom, Anna, and I went with Matt and the FYF group to the beach in Grand Haven today. It was a really nice day and of course, Anna had a blast. She and Matt dug a big hole, built some sand castles, and jumped in the waves. (We are really glad she likes wearing the life jacket Grandma bought for her.) It was a little breezy, so Grandma didn't go in the water. After an ice cream cone, we headed back to the vans to go home. Matt and the others are downtown tonight to watch the fireworks. They start really late here, so Anna's in bed and Mom and I saw a little fireworks display on TV and will go to bed soon. Happy 4th everyone!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

Matt's already involved in his summer internship--Facing Your Future. (High school juniors and seniors are at the seminary for lectures, book discussions, work projects, and a little fun.) He's on campus with them, so Anna and I will be able to see him now and then. Tonight, Anna, my mom, and I joined the group for supper and then supplied dessert for Matt's birthday. I was going to bake brownies to go with the ice cream we had, but we had some bad storms go through last night and we were without power from around 5 pm yesterday until around 3 pm today. I would have had time to bake the brownies, but I had just gone to the store to buy some as the power came back. (I owe Matt a homemade treat--he'll probably pick peach pie!) Anna was all excited to give Matt his cards and gifts tonight. I was a little surprised about that, because all day she kept insisting that she didn't need to wish Papi a happy birthday because it was her birthday! Happy Birthday, Matt!