the fair!

We didn't make it to the fair last year, so this year seemed super special.

It was humid as always so the kids were on the lookout for the misters.

The little farmers area is always fun.

Lincoln was content playing with his basket and watching the kids at each station.

It's amazing how big the kids seemed this year. (They didn't need any help on the tractors!)

Evangeline and Selah kept asking me to take their pictures. Ahhh sweet little girls. :)

My little niece was a big helper.

I don't remember the horse station from before, possibly an addition?

After our lunch at the dairy barn we went to see the animals! We were in a rush at the end so I didn't get many pictures of all the different ones we saw.

where has the time gone

AJ was able to take a trip to Uganda in July. That will have to be a post in and of itself, but while he was gone we survived, and played, and survived some more. Actually it wasn't too bad. Some friends stepped in and brought some food, we had lots of play dates, and just enjoyed our days together before school was to start.

We even snuck in a trip to the zoo!

The dog show was a big hit for the kids, even for Lincoln! He has his own special sound when he sees a dog, so the whole show he was going "Boop boop! Boop Boop!" in a high pitch sound.

And then they talked me in to standing in line so they could pet one :) I obliged since this is as close to owning a pet as we will be for a while. 

I figured no one would believe what happened the first night AJ was gone so I had to take a picture. It was one of those nights where Lincoln kept crying so at 11pm I brought him downstairs so I could finish listening to a sermon. Well out of nowhere this tree frog jumped off our fireplace mantle onto the living room floor--right in front of me!! He had dust all over him like he had been up there for a while! If I wasn't paranoid enough being the only adult in the house for 12 days, then this put me over the edge :)

The kids enjoyed a few movie nights (and so did I).

Our good friends were also moving away while he was gone so we spent lots of time with them.

We miss them already!

The kids were so excited to be able to pick daddy up from the airport, but unfortunately there were several flight delays. He was supposed to get in on his birthday and leave us a few hours to celebrate, but he didn't make it in on time. Talk about a bummer! Thankfully he did make it in the middle of the night so the kids were excited to see him the next morning.

happenings in July

My grandma was in town for her birthday this year, and it was the first time we were able to have all of her great grandchildren together with her!

We were only home for five days from Hilton Head before we packed up and headed up to Wheaton to visit with AJ's sister (and family).

They have some really fun parks to visit.

This one had a giant hill the kids would run up and down (good for sledding in the winter).

We visited a small zoo that had a wind tunnel. The kids loved it! 

This zoo contains native animals to Illinois, such as horses, deer, raccoons, llamas, coyotes, ducks, etc.

Then one of our favorite things we look forward to is the 4th of July parade. This town is serious about it's parade!

We are usually roasting in the sun during the parade, but not this year! It was mild and even a little chilly (at least for me). :)

The kids were waiting patiently for the candy :)

And we always have to get a cousin picture before we leave. They are getting so big!

Ari decided to go fishing by himself and caught this big guy!

Some friends invited us over to swim after church and it was like being at a resort. So thankful for them!

And then we had some friends camp in our driveway one night. After the kids were put to bed we stayed up way too late eating dessert and enjoying adult conversation :)

The next morning was eventful too- our friend caught a fish and put in the pool for the kids to pet! Then we put it back :)

Hilton Head {part 2}

The kids always look forward to our Salty Dog trip.

There's a super fun playground around the corner...

with a giant treehouse...

and some random animal statues.

And then there's the lighthouse.

The kids beg and plead every year to go up and I gladly let AJ take them :)

We also ventured to a park near the condo.

There  are lots of marshes with wildlife to see.

More beach time!

And more pool time!

Another favorite restaurant has a hub for fishing boats. Here's where the fishermen hang out.

And my grandma provided an evening treat on the beach.

There are so many treasures to find here. Lots of shells, crabs, horseshoe crabs, oysters, and even glass bottles (a perfect free souvenir for me).

We visited this beach again one last time. It was much less windy and the kids enjoyed jumping over these holes.

Lincoln loved sitting here with his buckets of water.

He even loved to be in the waves.

And here was the surprise we saw on our last day. Yikes!

We had to get gelato one last time :)