Swimmin' at Nana & Papa's

Well, the time has finally come...SUMMER, that is! It took its sweet time getting here, but it is definitely here, as I'm sure you all have realized. And the high temps have inspired Nana & Papa to bust out their kiddie pool (plus a Slip 'n' Slide and some ever-popular water guns), and invite their grandboys over for a dip. We don't have a pool of our own, so we're happy to go over and spend lazy afternoons in their fun backyard.

I, myself, have been VERY tempted to use the Slip 'n' Slide...

You'd be surprised what kind of nonsense can happen when Papa suggests spraying Nana or Mommy with a huge water gun...

Simply put, our lives would be absolutely boring without Nana & Papa. Happy summer to everyone!!

Lots of Fun Stuff!

It seems like it's been awhile since my last blog post. I'm still without a camera, so I've been borrowing my mom and dad's! There are a few seperate things I want to share, so peek back often - I'll probably be putting up new posts every other day for the next week. Today I wanted to post some pictures we took Tuesday at Hunter's last coach-pitch game. Dave & I were the coaches, and though we were a little apprehensive about doing it, we sure had a great time! The kids improved greatly throughout the season so we were pleasantly surprised. Plus I think we got a tad bit attached to those guys - they were all so nice and polite! And they loved Cooper, of course. Who doesn't love Cooper? Haha!



After the game we had cupcakes and juice, and handed out ribbons and certificates. Several parents came up to us and said "thanks, you guys", which really meant a lot to us. I'm kind of hoping we get to do it again next summer! Oh, yeah, and here's one more special picture - Coop got his very own ribbon and certificate with his name on it - since he made sure he was a part of the team whether we wanted him to be or not!

Another Dad I Know...

I didn't want too much time to go by after Father's Day without writing about another wonderful dad I know...my awesome husband, Dave! God blessed me so much when he brought Dave into my life. I knew very early on when we were dating that he'd make a great dad. I could tell by the way he played with my cousins and other little kids we knew. He just loves kids! And what a blessing it has been to watch him teach, love, and play with our own kids. One of my very favorite things to do is just watch them together! They wrestle and giggle and laugh until they're exhausted! Haha! Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Dave and his boys...

Proud Daddy on Hunter's 1st day of school

Coop's always been Daddy's trusty popcorn buddy!




Dave and Hunter this past winter...




Coop's also Dave's restaurant buddy...he likes to get out of hand sometimes... Ha!

God has been so good to us - we are thankful for our fun Daddy!

Father's Day

Everyone who knows me knows that I am extremely attached to my parents. They raised me in the way of the Lord, and have shaped me into who I am today. It dawned on me this afternoon that I did a little post about my mom on Mother's Day, so here is my Father's Day tribute to my wonderful dad. . .

My dad is one of the very best people I know. He would do anything for me. He has always been there for me - in happy times and in some not so happy times. One thing I know of him is that he loves me unconditionally, and he loves my husband and sons in that same way. He brings fun and laughter to our times together, and we love him more than any words could say. The above picture was taken probably about 29 years ago? And the picture below was taken in Seaside a couple of years ago. Happy Father's Day, Dad. I'm so proud to be your daughter!

Last Day of Kindergarten!

I've got a kindergarten graduate on my hands, people! On to first grade we go! Here's a picture of Hunter & Coop in front of the school...

I also went back about a half hour before they got out and took a few more pictures. They'd been outside, but it started pouring down rain (such wonderful weather we're having here, by the way), so they came in and watched a neat slideshow their teacher had put together. There were pictures of all the fun things they'd done throughout the year, including the Walk-a-Thon, the pumpkin patch, and the most recent field trip. The pictures made me cry - all of the kids looked like babies at the beginning of the year, but they've really grown up!

This is Mrs. Dykstra, Hunter, and Mrs. Kollmar...

And here's a group of boys Hunter loves to play with: Albert, Robert, Alfredo and Ruben...

The Class of 2020!

Congratulations, Hunter! We are soooooo proud of you! You've done such a great job in kindergarten ... we know you'll do great things in the years to come! We love you, bud!

Field Trip!

Last Thursday Hunter & I got to go on a fun field trip with his kindergarten class. We walked from his school to the Police Department, then to Key Bank, then to the Fire Station (where we ate lunch), then to the park, then back to the school! Boy, were we pooped after all that walking! We had so much fun, though. I had a little group of boys that I was responsible for: Hunter, Ruben, and Norberto. The kids got to do a lot of things. They got to run through the S.W.A.T truck, see the vault where they keep the money at the bank, and shoot water out the fire hose! Here are a few of the pictures I took. Hunter is anxious for school to be out, but is going to miss his friends and teachers A LOT! Kinder sure has flown by!

Our Camping Adventure

This past weekend we went camping at Clear Lake with all of Dave's family. His two brothers and their kids were there, as well as his Mom and stepdad. We had sooooooo much fun! The boys were thrilled to be outdoors, of course. Coop had never been camping, so it was all new to him - and boy, did he make the most of it! He and Hunter ran all over the place with their cousins. They played football in a big open area, we took walks, collected sticks for the fire, went out fishing a couple of times, roasted marshmallows, slept in a tent, and saw an elk! It was an exciting weekend for our two little guys.



My favorite part was being out in the boat fishing. I caught the most fish and the biggest! Of course I had to let the boys help me reel them in. It was just so peaceful being out there. And so beautiful! We zoomed right by our church camp a few times, which brought back a lot of funny memories. All in all it was a very fun weekend. Our whole family is ready to go again soon. Dave has even mentioned that he'd like to quit playing softball and buy a little motorhome and go camping every weekend. I wouldn't say I'm quite that ready. But I'm getting there!