Rainy day

Kevin is gone all day today for football scrimmages, and we really don't have any plans. Because it is gloomy and rainy, I decided it would be a great day to harvest some of my garden veges and make some homemade goodies to freeze. I always miss the taste of good fruits and veges in the winter, so I am making homemade spaghetti sauce from my thousands of tomatoes and homemade soup with tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, carrots, and onions. I freeze most of it, but my house smells so good that I think I will have some soup for lunch.

South Haven

We spent a week in South Haven visiting my mom, grandma, and my brother. My mom rented us a condo with a pool and the girls spent most of the week smimming. They are little fish. We went to the beach and shopped downtown. The weather was perfect for the trip and everyone had a great time. I think that we will make this a yearly trip. I posted some of my favorite pics from the trip.

We have had a busy summer so far, which is why I haven't posted in a while. We had a great Forth of July including a kids fun run at the school track, a parade, swimming at some friends all day, and fireworks at our next door neighbors house. The following week we went to family camp for a week and the kids had a wonderful time. We stayed in a cottage this year and loved it. We already reserved the same place for next year. After that, Haylee had art camp at church for a week, followed by dance camp at church this week. We have had lots of little girl sleep overs, several little girl birthday parties, lots of pool parties, and trips to the beach. Yesterday we were at the zoo and next week we are headed to the Air Zoo. The kids like to go to the library as they have a great summer reading program. I am really enjoying the summer with them. Football is really in full swing now, so our schedules are hectic, but the big girls are plenty independent and seem to be content with hanging out with their friends when we are home. I call our house "Grand Central Station" as there is always someone coming in or out, knocking on the door, or calling on the phone. Next week we are off to South Haven for a week. Hope you are having a great summer.

New family member

Our neighbor got a kitten and couldn't keep it, so I reluctantly agreed to take it for her. I am allergic to cats and honestly prefer dogs, but his little sweety is just adorable. She is super sweet and playful. She is very tolerant of the kids holding her all day long, and is already litter trained. Her name is Smudge and I think that she will be a good addition to our family. Went to the beach this past week with some friends and their kids. We had a blast. Kevin and I went to a wedding last night at a campground. I think that I was a little over dressed.

The pole barn/shed is coming along nicely. This was Kevin today working on the roof. It seems to be taking a long time, but we are very busy with other projects and he just fits it in when he can. Yesterday, I took Kenna to a birthday party at Moo-ville which is a dairy farm and creamery. It was fun. We saw the cows being milked, saw some calves, and ate some really good ice cream. Today is just a day off. No plans with beautiful weather. I love it.

Before and after

One of the birthday presents that my big girls wanted was to redo their room. They wanted less babyish and more pre-tween. I think that it turned out pretty good. I kept them out of the room for several days so that I could surprise them. They really like it and still have so many great ideas for more decorating. The before picture is pretty scary as the room was in process of being painted so was a MESS.

Our garden is coming along. I love the smell and look of my lilacs. I gave them a little more TLC this year with some plant food and plenty of water early on and they look beautiful. I was excited yesterday when I saw the first of my seedlings sprouting. This is a picture of my little pumpkins sprouting. My carrots, peas, and beans are also sprouting. I haven't seen broccoli or cantaloupe yet, but these are very experimental so we will see what happens. I included some pictures of Kevin's building projects. There is a play house that matches our house, some fantastic garden boxes, and the latest is the "shed". As you can see, it is rather big and I call it a pole barn. I have insisted on some changes to original plan including front windows and window boxes to make it look a little less like a pole barn. I will post a picture of the finished product when it is done.