My Garden

Here is a picture of my garden. This is about the time of year when the produce starts coming in....just in time for us to leave on vacation. I know, bad timing....but with a garden, any time is not a good time to go on vacation. So, again this year, we will just wing it and let neighbors and family pick the produce. Hopefully when we get back, we will still have some veggies to do something with. We are almost out of spaghetti sauce so that is a project that must get done when we get home. The tomato plants are at least five feet tall, so I don't think we will have a shortage of those.



This is what I brought in from the garden today...see what I mean...lots of veggies...

Friends and Fun

We absolutely LOVE swimming in our pool, especially when the weather is HOT. This week has been one of those weeks....sunny and hot every day. Today was special because Caleb's good buddy was able to come and swim. He, his brother, and mom come and visit our pool several times during the summer and this was one of those days. Caleb and I both met this little guy and his family when I taught kindergarten. They are such a nice family. I'm so glad that Caleb has found such a great friend.



No pool party is complete without a group shot (moms excluded)...

Slip and Slide

Today it was VERY HOT in Indiana, so we pulled out the Slip and Slide. The kids had fun slipping while I enjoyed some time in the pool without all the splashing!! Here are some pictures from the afternoon...

My Sisters, A Cousin, and a Family Reunion

This weekend, my family and I drove to Alabama for the Poole family reunion (my mom's father's family). I know, it can get confusing if you think about it too long. Here is a picture of me and my sisters at the reunion...



Here is a picture of my younger sister and me with one of our millions of cousins. I think we are related to just about everyone in the state of Alabama, but this is one that we actually communicate with more than once a decade. His name is Calvin and he's the best cousin in the world! How many single men would let you drag them through Wal-mart at 11:00 PM to buy much needed underwear...sorry, I miscounted. He also let us sleep in his guest bedroom and totally take over the hall bathroom. He's a gem!



I don't have any group pictures from the reunion yet. I have a cousin (one of those that I don't really know) that is a photographer. He took all the group pics, so I don't have them to post. I think there were around 90 people that attended though. Alabama reunions have a way of pulling people out of the woodwork... and did I mention that they bring LOTS of food too! We had a great time seeing everyone. I recommend going to your family reunions...you don't ever know who you might meet.

First Swim

My sister (Darlene) and her good friend (Tasha) came over yesterday with their kids to go swimming. Tasha just had a sweet little baby about six weeks ago. She is absolutely adorable. We put her in the pool for just a few minutes and she was so fun to watch. She went fron a little cry to TOTAL relaxation. It was so cute. We swam all day and ate lunch together...three moms and eight kiddos! What a treat on a gorgeous day!







Tahsa's oldest daughter enjoying the fun...

Let's Party

Today we celebrated Emma and Erin's 5th birthday with some of their friends. We had a hot dog lunch and brownie cake and ice-cream. Because the girls have just as many boy friends as girl friends, we went with a bug theme instead of Tinker-Bell. We played a fun game with the kids and then went swimming. We had a great time and I'm sure the girls will remember this birthday for a long time. Thanks everyone!

And They're Off

We just got home from dropping Justin and Sean off at the church. They are on their way to church camp in Arkansas. They left the church around 10:00 PM and will arrive at the camp tomorrow morning. Please pray for my boys while they are gone this week.



Here is the mode of transportation. Pretty nice wheels, eh?



There are a total of 17 campers and 4 adults going to Jr./Sr. camp this year.



Here'a a picture of Pastor Matt laying down the law. He didn't want the kids doing things like hanging out the windows and stuff like that. I wonder why?



The boys gave hugs and then everyone loaded the bus. Caleb cried his tears after we got home and he found a note from his dad, but I think he's going to be OK now. The boys have not been separated many times and not for this long. I'm sure Caleb will adjust quickly when he discovers that he doesn't have to share the computer with Justin for a week.



I told Pastor Matt that I was sending two children to camp. He just looked at me and I pointed at this...let's just say I got the Pastor Matt BIG EYES look when he saw who was in the driver's seat. Um,hmm...I tried to warn him months ago.



Have a great time at camp and we'll see you next week! See ya'll later! We love you!

Happy Birthday Dad

Yesterday we celebrated my dad's birthday at our house. Of course, it was very informal with a little swimming, pizza, and ice-cream. Dad enjoyed sitting on the swing while Emma kept him company...




Meanwhile, in the pool, there was a mighty water war between Sean & Justin and Caleb & my mom. May the best team win. I sat out on this one...







Since we eat so much cake in June, we decided to make sundaes in waffle bowls. It was a hit!

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

We hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. We attended the outdoor concert at Purdue again this year...





Then we watched some fireworks...



When we got home, this is what we found...



I guess that means it's time to go to bed! Happy 4th of July!