SUMMER, BRIEFLY

God Bless America (and if you look closely, Cuba, too)

Best buddies - wow, how we miss Miss Alyss

The 4th at Bo and Brynne's.  Refined sugar and food coloring. My children's dream.

While David was busy doing snoozing in his clothes drawer

Teya was busy getting attacked by a vicious garter snake.  For real - they have little bitty teeth and they will bite you if you step on them.

The snake was very sorry and sent Teya a sweet note of apology, not wanting her to be scared of snakes for the rest of her life.

RIDE THE TRAIN!

REFRESHMENT - COLORADO

First Pony Ride at the County Fair

Second Pony Ride

 First soccer shoes.

I did not get pictures of the wretched stomach bug the kids both caught, the temper tantrums David threw every time we had to walk to the dining hall (3 meals a day, mind you), the amazing Colorado State aquatics center, complete with lazy river and climbing wall (in the pool!), a sweet week with Millie, who stayed with the kids while we were in meetings, to name a few.....

REST -VANCOUVER

Sushi at the beach. An old favorite for us.  Hmmm, not so good for Teya.

MAKE THAT DOUBLE NOT HAPPY

Exploring Cates Park

Lounging at Cates Park

Ahhhh. Pender Harbor

Prepared to paddle

All paddled out

Hazy and Jane.  

Lounging for some

More vigorous activity for others.

Hot tub for this boy.

Sweet cousins

Path to the prayer garden

Summer.  The End.

Michigan summer

Ripening garden. Weeded raspberries (87 year old Grandma would have done it herself if I hadn't). Bent back from years of good hard work. Loving hands tying carefully, painstakingly each raspberry cane. Green beans saved from a savage bunny by repurposed citrus netting. Laundry drying in the warm breeze. Michigan summer.

Far off Family

A couple weeks ago, the kids and I tagged along with my mom and dad on a visit to see our family in Michigan. I love Michigan in the summer - many fond memories from my own childhood summers. And really, much is the same. Same smells, same sights, same lovely people, same funny tasting well water.

A charming bunch of second generation cousins. Heidi and Isaac are the kids of my cousin, Nathan, and his wife, Kim.
The Stanton siblings
Fireworks commemorated the end of an era in the lives of the two girls: NO MORE THUMBS. Sure, it may have taken some serious bribery for Teya and hours of wandering the aisles of Meijer, but it did the trick. Heidi was much cheaper: she just wanted coffee in the morning. Thumb free for three weeks (aside from the sleep times when it crawls back into the mouth and lodges itself there)! Hooray for will-power and shameless bribery!
By the way, these fireworks made NO noise. The threat of noise was enough for all four.

"Swimming"