A Great Summer Night

Last Wednesday night we had a crazy, crazy wind storm - that was not the great summer night! We lost power, got the kids out of bed and all huddled downstairs in our unfinished bathroom for about an hour. Not a great picture (taken in the dark with Jason's phone), but here are four of us in the shower. 

Claire was pretty scared. Abram couldn't stop talking the next day about how we were "hiding" downstairs in the bathroom.

Here is the view from our deck at Claire's party on Wednesday afternoon:

 And  . . . here was the same view Thursday morning:

Our apple tree (that was loaded with apples) went down and took three sections of our neighbor's fence with it. OOPS!

In all the tree-falling-down-excitement that morning, someone thought it would be fun to take my picture . . . in my p-pops, not yet having brushed my hair. Just keeping it real here!

Jason and my brother-in-law were able to cut up and remove our tree from the neighbors yard that night. 

Meanwhile the kids picked up all the sticks in the yard from the storm and then got to have ice cream sandwiches. I actually took this picture to send to Abram's Texas family because he is sporting his Texas Tech shirt from them.

And then it was time for the real fun to start . . . emptying the pool

And then cleaning the pool. Not a great picture of Zoe, but she goes to town helping Jason clean the pool whenever they clean it. 

The kids have loved eating the little, sour apples from our tree. I'm pretty sure this is the "Africa" in them and I love it! Sad to not have an apple tree anymore.

It was super fun to stay outside, working in the yard as a family as it was getting dark (and past the boys' bed times).

A little fire for our sticks.

Notice a sleepy someone in the background with his blanket as we were finishing up?

Due to the fire we made and the heat, a bath was in order, even though it was late.

Working hard, getting dirty, having fun, staying outside after dark . . . a great summer night as a family!

Lake Fun

Last Sunday we took off right after church and drove to Grey's Lake in Des Moines. We had our picnic there after the zoo several weeks ago and the kids have asked multiple times to go back to swim. We packed another picnic lunch and then swam and played and swam and played.

It was a super fun few hours!

Definitely My Daughters

A few weeks ago, on her own initiative, Zoe decided to play "garage sale." She even made cookies and cut fruit to sell . . . to the boys, of course. Claire doesn't always play these kinds of things with Zoe, but she got in on the action. 

I loved it! They are definitely MY DAUGHTERS!