Summer Fun!

Wow, this summer has FLOWN by.  I think time just flies by once you have kids.  I always think we will rest in the summer, but I feel like there has been very little rest this summer.  There has, however, been a lot of fun stuff going on.

Fourth of July in O-town was lots of fun!  Grace was completely terrified of the fireworks while Graham just chilled through the whole thing. 

Dad really tried to make Grace like fireworks...

 All of the kids had matching shirts!  This was a big deal for us. 

We spent a weekend in Branson with Nathaniel's family that was also lots of fun.  It was HOT at Silver Dollar City, but pretty good all-in-all.  I only had a couple moments of freak-out about taking an 8 week old baby to an amusement park in triple digit weather.  :-)

The next two days, we spent time at a lake house in Oklahoma with my family.  This was the best mini-vacation ever!  Sure, it was hot, but being on the lake made that much easier to handle.  The house was beautiful and spacious and enough room for all 10 of us to relax very comfortably.  We had a boat and jet skis at our disposal and used them a lot.  Grace was afraid of the boat but loved it once she got out there.  And now she loves jet skis just as much as Nathaniel and I do!  I hope we get to have lots of mini-vacations on the lake...it was almost perfect!

Brynlee and Grace loved playing on the floor in the living room.  Seeing them together just makes my heart smile.  Grace loves her little cousin SO much.  I can't wait til they are old enough to really play together and enjoy each other. 

 Graham did very well despite the heat.  Of course, there were about 8 people to hold him at the lake house, so that probably helped. 

 Learning about life jackets at the dock.

My husband, the professional water skier.

 Lyd and I could lay on the boat all day!

 Going on a jet ski for the very first time.  Grace loved it so much! 

 Later in the month, we gathered at my parent's house to celebrate my Mom's birthday.  Mom had surgery on her legs a few days before but she still managed to be in the birthday spirit.  We were so happy to see Abigail and Tyler and are excited to get to hang with them more as they are moving back to OK for a while. 

 Sometimes we have to get creative... We forgot to buy more candles for Mom's cake, so we grabbed a couple small candles nearby.  It was funny, but it worked!

Happy birthday, Mom!

It certainly has been a busy month.  We've made a lot of fun memories this month!  Nathaniel is about to start school and before we know it, basketball season will be back.  I guess it's true that no matter what we do, time marches on!