catching up

it's been a while since i posted anything, and since someone finally noticed, i've decided to honor that person with a big fat catch-up. so, here you go mom, a summary of what we've been doing since june 22, 2010 (aka my last post):

painting a road surface with daddy. jacob needed somewhere to drive all of his 20 million tractor and car toys.


a visit from aunt brianne and uncle kevin. i didn't get the camera out much, but we had fun hanging out with aunt brianne and uncle kevin. they took the kids to their first theater movie ever, toy story 3, and did some fishing at a local pond. kate loved her uncle kevin, but for some reason she kept calling him "josh". aunt brianne is carrying the kids' 4th cousin, due october 14, 2010. we can't wait to meet baby easton!


that same weekend i got to go blueberry picking and absolutely LOVED it. i picked 10 pounds in just 45 minutes and have been enjoying the fruits of my labor. the first recipe on my agenda, a blueberry pie for my friend's 28th birthday.



the highlight of july for us was a long weekend trip to ludington, mi, with our good friends to celebrate the 4th of july holiday. we went to the lake michigan beach, went to the town parade on the 4th, saw fireworks on the beach, rode go-carts, and played. a lot. here are some picture highlights:


after returning from our little vacation, jacob had the opportunity to take a ride on gomer the camel, a new attraction at the creation museum. he enjoyed the ride along side his buddy isabel.

last week the kids and i were invited to swim at a friend's house for the morning. this was kate's first time ever in a real swimming pool (not a baby pool) and only jacob's 2nd time (his first time was when he was 14 months old, which he doesn't even remember). we had a nice time enjoying her beautiful pool and the great company!


other highlights include a recent "smoothie night" when we had yogurt smoothies for dinner, made from local fresh-picked blueberries and blackberries, frozen strawberries from my garden, and some frozen bananas. it was delicious! (jacob took the picture of me, pretty good for a 3 year old!)

and now the kids are both sick with hand/foot/mouth and we are quarantining ourselves to the house. i like to look at it as forced relaxation. we needed a little slowing down after a busy month.