See You Later, Alligator!

The Goodbyes

And They're Off!

As you all probably remember, Nick went on a fun camping trip this summer with the youth group from church. Well, not to be outdone, Luke also hit the road for a little summer fun. He went to Chicago on a mission trip with some kids from church. Mission trip, you say, that doesn't sound very fun. I beg to differ. From the sound of it, they had a blast. Sure, they worked and worked hard. They saw poverty and need unlike anything they've seen before in their young lives. They reached out to homeless people and gave them food and hope in Jesus. That's a neat thing for a young man to get to do. The funny thing is, had they been with their parents, we would have, no doubt, rushed them past the 'unlovely' people and steered them to more 'suitable' attractions. And think what they would have missed. I'm glad my son got to see men with nothing...and that he gave them all he had.

But they also enjoyed all the sights of Chicago. They toured the Navy Pier, ate from the street vendors, played at the ESPN Zone, walked around downtown, took a boat ride out on beautiful Lake Michigan, even attended a famous church on Sunday! The campus where they stayed had huge nightly worship meetings and they all liked the band and speakers.

I like to think that Luke had fun and I know he did. I've seen the pictures to prove it! But more importantly, I hope he came home a little more mature, a little more aware of how blessed he really is.

You Can Call Me Commander

Last week I had the privilege of attending Awana Commander College in Wichita. Tim said I didn't need to go to any classes to learn to be commanding, but I commanded him to book me a hotel room, then I commanded him to hand me the keys to his car and away I went, all commander like. I had such a great time...met lots of people; some from huge churches, some from small churches. All with a desire to "reach boys and girls with the Gospel of Christ and train them to serve Him." (That's from the Awana pledge!) We had classes Thursday evening, then all day Friday and Saturday. Friday night, however, we hit the town. Old Cow Town, to be precise. We toured Old Cow Town, then ate a delicious chuckwagon dinner and enjoyed a concert of cowboy music. Everyone laughed so hard at the performers' jokes!

Old Cow Town is a replica of Wichita in the late 1800's. I found some pretty neat things. Like these bleached buffalo bones with...is that a HUMAN SKULL resting on top?? I didn't linger too long in Old Cow Town in case they needed more "props." Like this picture I took just for Sandy. It's a mourning brooch made from the hair of the dearly departed. Ghoulish! I bet she wants one for her birthday.

I immediately thought of the boys when I saw the rules posted in the restored one room schoolhouse. And they think I'm grouchy when we do school!

Although I was undoubtedly excited about Commander College, I really missed All Those Boys!

But there were reminders everywhere.

All in all, it was a great experience and it made me even more excited for Awana to begin. But no matter what, the greatest thing in the whole world is coming back home. :o)

Splish Splash!

If I were to tell you that we went to a pool party recently, you would probably ask me to precisely define the word "we." Am I saying that "we" ALL went to the pool party, or I am saying that a good portion of "we" went to the pool party? The reason you would be asking for clarification is due to my infamous reputation for disliking all forms of pools and their stubborness in being placed outside. I mean, why can't we swim in air conditioned comfort? Well, be that as it may, we ALL attended a pool party recently and had a great time. I think the pictures prove it!

That fun-loving Luke really likes "playing" with Tyler. But he's okay! That's one tough kid.

First and Second Timothy took a while to get aquainted with the water before just plunging right in all willy-nilly.

And, of course, all that water play makes a body hungry.

Do you think he's looking for gum?

Either he found some or, more likely, he's summing up our fun experience at the pool party!

Anticipation......Success!

Chip loves all aspects of fireworks. He loves the thrill of anticipation when someone lights the fuse.

But, of course, nothing is like that satisfying bang! Every single firework deserves its own round of applause, don't you think?

Happy Birthday, America!

Oh! Don't you just love the Fourth of July? Not just the day after the third of July, but Independence Day, when you cook out and blow up dangerous fireworks and eat homemade ice cream! I do. Even when it's crazy horribly hot, I like the Fourth of July. I especially like buying the fireworks.

Tim doesn't.

But shopping we went, nonetheless. We found an item that seemed to sum up Chip perfectly.

Ahhh! The sweet smell of success! We conquered the firework stand and came out victorious.

Slippin' And Slidin'

Wow, the must-have yard accessory this summer has got to be a cool, sprinklin', sprayin' Slip 'N Slide. Take a look at these photos and see if you don't rush right out and buy one today!

You can't buy this kind of publicity.

Summer Fun With Carson

Recently, Chip and Carson caught some rays and shared some quality cousin time together.

Chip did get away at one point and streaked nekked across the yard, but I caught him and quickly deposited him back where he belonged.