Better now

We are all so glad to be over the stomach bug. It's never fun when everyone has something at the same time. When I mention we haven't had a sickness in a long time, we end up having it a few days or weeks later! Why is that?
I have really been enjoying this summer. Just to be home more and not have quite so many things going on (At least away from home) or thinking about where we need to be next has been a nice change of pace. Now don't get me wrong, I still like to take my jots to town!
Today the kids wanted to earn extra spending money. We had quite a day of cleaning going on around here! While they worked like busy bees, I started looking into books for the Fall. I always love this part of homeschooling. I think I got a good start.
For a fun snack......Ritz cracker, peanut butter, then a large marshmallow on top. Broil until the marshmallow browns to your liking. I loved these. Even more after they had cooled. Mine didn't look like the picture. The marshmallow kind of melted instead of just browning. The kids weren't so crazy about them. Neither was Tony. See what you think!

Summertime

Blackberries from an orchard nearby
Very big blackberries!
Sunflowers from the birdfeeder

Besides the heat, it has felt a lot like summer around our house. These are the days to remember.

Family Camp

We had a great weekend at Family camp. Special services, swimming, zip line, Oscar night and some paintball target shooting were some of the highlights. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Here are some pictures from the weekend. I was Beatrix Potter, Keegan was Indiana Jones, Macy and Tressa were Susan and Lucy from Narnia. Keegan loved the Blob and Mathias enjoyed splashing around. Notice Tony and Tressa hanging in mid-air! Again, Macy's blog has more pictures!

Spinach!

Our neighbor, Mr. Pedersen, gave us a huge bucket full of fresh spinach from his garden. I didn't think I would be able to use it all. Little did I know we would enjoy spinach salad several times. We added sliced mushrooms, raisins, sunflower seeds, and croutons. Tony and I can't get enough of this salad! I also made a delicious Broken Florentine Lasagna Bake that I found on the Rachael Ray website. It uses 2 lbs. of spinach, which I definitely had! I highly recommend this dish. Here is a picture of our neighbor's beautiful garden. We enjoy seeing it every time we drive into our neighborhood.

Family

Aunt Lisa and Lathen.
Mathias ready to fish!
Grandma swinging!
Grandpa, the strong one!
Cutie Pie!