Summer Time

This summer has been a little odd since we haven't really traveled anywhere- it is a first for us! We have had some great family time, had fun with friends, enjoyed planting and harvesting a garden, working on the house, reading good books and a thousand other little things. We will have big things again next year, but for now we've enjoyed slowing down a little.

Well, we have been to see a couple of 3-D movies this summer:

UP, and then Ice Age 3, when Grandma Nielsen was here for a visit.

The kids really love the glasses!

(And yes we definitely saw Harry Potter!)

We have had 4 new additions to the family...... namely bikes, and they have been very well received! Zach is working hard on his Cycling Merit Badge- they just did their first 25 miler last night on the Katy Trail. He is really enjoying it and has developed some fine new muscles!

Bella has found it very amusing to watch the tomatoes ripen in front of her very eyes- luckily this one ripened just in time for grandma's visit!

We have visited our new outdoor pool, which the kids like very much-

Kaija even came and walked the river with me one morning,

and she braved a 5 mile bike ride with me and the boy scouts. What a gal!

We might have to make one last trip to the pool before school starts on the 18th.

Joe wants to come too, before he leaves for Rapid City Michigan!

So now it is time to cram in a bunch of last minute summer activities into less than 2 weeks! Here we go......

Good times at the River

Well, my good friend Natalie and I have taken the opportunity to go walking at the river in the morning.  Actually it is the lazy river at the local community center, where you walk against the current.  It has proven to be quite amusing and yes I imagine we are quite a sight- however, on Monday we got double points for laughing so hard- an extra workout bonus! 

I would never do it in the evening because of the bumper to bumper traffic- way too many people for my liking.  I like to keep it to a minimum, then I am less humiliated!  

Oh and on the humiliation factor- I went bowling with my cub scouts (and kids and friends) and decided that I go and participate in these sorts of events so that other people can feel good about their skills. Perhaps I could improve my skills if I went more than once every 7-10 years. I will work on that one.  Right now, I need to get my bike fixed so I can go on bike rides with Zach- he is working on his bicycling merit badge right now.  He is going to be taking a 100 mile bike ride on the Katy Trail in August with the scouts- should be really fun for him!

So until then I shall move forward with the hysteria at the river and find a padded tractor seat to go on my mountain bike!

My name is, Eli?

So there is one thing that always gives us the giggles at family scripture study, and that is- that after everyone has had their turn reading out loud, one of us will read and have Eli repeat a few verses.  Now this wouldn't usually be a problem and we could continue to be serious, but when he repeats each line, he puts it in question format.

So Romans 15:4 for example would read like this with added emphasis:  For whatsoever,(slight pause then intonation turns to a question) things? were written,(same thing again) aforetime? were written? for our, learning?, that we through, patience? and, comfort? of the, scriptures? might have, hope?.

Joe wanted him to read the whole chapter yesterday- giggle, giggle, giggle!  It is so hard to be serious when you have a house full of comedians!  Though admittedly sometimes it is a good thing to put the verses in question form- for deeper reflection, perhaps even an intensified understanding of the meaning.  Who knows, for now we are just going to embrace the inner Eli and enjoy, the moments?!

A Holiday Week

Well last week Joe took Holiday from his work place, and worked like a dog at home instead!!!

We have had a jolly good time working together and have made some nice progress in our basement.

It all starts out with a little demolition....no action photos I am afraid- but if there were, you would see a picture of me with a huge grin on my face as Joe unveiled the big guns (also known as the sledge hammer), after a day and a half of using a regular old hammer to demolish lots of old shelving, and bathroom walls etc.  

Umm, did I mention that I love, love, love DEMOLITION- it is sick I know!

So check out the supports that have been holding this house up for the last 90 years- no perhaps just 50, give or take!

We have blessed the name of heaven for allowing a cooling trend in the weather as we worked all week and had no air conditioning hooked up. We have yet to turn it back on- today might be that lucky day!  We removed air ducts and retro-fitted floor joists (12 on center instead of 24) so we could actually have some added safety factor here, and so we can get the piano moved in!

We have been working on replacing all of the electrical, and building support walls and creating a food storage room and a thousand other things.  We still have electrical and plumbing then all the finish work, but we made a good dent in it!  

We also owe a special thanks to Uncle Dave who we schnoogered into helping us over the weekend- a thousand thanks Dave!

A hair cut

So this is about 4 weeks late, but my dear Amy (Joe's sister) cut my hair for me.  And like I always say, if you are going to cut off 5 inches, you may as well cut off 10 for the contribution factor.

I had a friend from Lawrence, who was undergoing cancer treatments, tell me one time after I said some heartless thing like- I was having a bad hair day, "Linda, you haven't had a bad hair day until you have had no hair".  Those words ring in my ears still to this day and I vowed I would donate my hair as often as circumstance would permit.

It isn't very often that I will purposefully post pictures of myself, so enjoy it while you can!! 

Our Recent Events

Well, as of late we have done some very fun and rewarding things like:

Going to the Kemper Museum in KC with our friends

Where we could admire the art, and enjoy our time with the Babcocks!

We have gone to feed the geese at Lions Lake

We have harvested all of our cherries and have been enjoying yummy desserts!

I spent all of last week with my 3 cub scouts at day camp- good times!

Joe keeps popping in and out of town- but mostly right now we are trying to hide from the nasty heat.  This is one part about summer in Missouri that I don't love; at least we have the fireflies to make up for it, but somedays that is a toss up!

Good Times on the Radio

So when I go to the city with my kids, Zach will sit in the front with me and play navigator.  He finds it particularly amusing that I know so many of the songs and will sing along.  It is amazing how much they play John Cougar Mellencamp, and Rod Stewart- bla, bla, bla.  But the one that threw me for a loop was Huey Lewis and the News.  I had not even thought of them for ages-a group that everyone knew, but no one remembers!  

I really can't say that I am especially brilliant at remembering anything- but hey, anything to amuse the kids, right?