A Rebirthday!

Peaches' rebirthday was a few days before we left for Texas so we decided to go run some errands in town with Mama and Noni, and then she picked Dairy Queen for lunch. :)

 

 

Boo and Peanut were at camp that week. 

 

Lou really wanted me to get a picture of her on the "How Many Cones are You?" wall. Looks like she is 7 1/2 ice cream cones tall. :) 

 

 

And Peaches is 8 1/2. 

 

 

We had dinner later with Daddy and sang to her.

 

 

And gave her the traditional Odyssey album. 

 

 

We have all the newer albums so now we're going backwards and getting the older ones. 

 

 

Happy rebirthday Peaches! 

Funny Friday!

 

 

Happy Friday! :) 

Shop Progress!

 We have made some great progress on the shop! Grandpa and T and I spent days leveling out the main floor with gravel. You have to spread the gravel, wet it down, go over every inch with the Whacker Packer, and then do it all again until you get it to exactly the right height everywhere! It's quite the process.

 

 

Jax had the time of his life with us spraying the hose for hours on end. I think his favorite thing in the world is water!

 

 

He literally did this for HOURS and then he would have to go potty every thirty minutes for the rest of the day. Haha.

 

 The couple that Whacker Packers together stays together. Haha.

 

 

 

Finished! 

 

 

 

After the gravel was all level...which took several days...it was time for the plastic frost barrier.

 

 

And then insulation.

 

 

T bought these cool foam boards that you could just lay down so it went pretty quick.

 

 

Finished!

 

 

Unfortunately we found out they contract and expand with the heat and were all popping up the next day.

 

 

Peanut helped us turn each one over since they had bowed upwards. At least we had a beautiful sunset to work by!

 

 

We are going to be heating the shop with hot water pipes in the floor...apparently this is the most cost efficient way to do it. So we spent one very HOT Saturday laying the pipe. Thankfully T found this tool that shot the staples in and saved us at least a day's work.

 

 

Pipes...check!

 

 

We had to make a Lowe's run for more supplies.

 

 

The following day Grandpa came over to help us and they got the pipes all set on the board while I laid out the rebar in the grid and then the three of us tied off all the rebar for a couple hours.

 

 

We are now ready to pour! Unfortunately we found out they are booked out over a month and that you aren't supposed to pour over 90 degrees so it looks like we'll be waiting for a while. I'm sure we can find some other projects to do until then. :P

Chalk Contest!

 We missed our town parade this year because we were flying to Texas that morning, but the girls were happy that we still got to do the chalk contest the day before. We met up with some friends and got to chalking!

 

 

Sweet girl!

 

 

 We had a string of girls down the sidewalk! Two from one family, three from another, and then our three. Boo and Peanut were at camp.

 

 

Funny girl.

 

 

 

She wanted to do rainbow everything!

 

 

Peaches did Stitch and a Happy Summer sign.

 

 

Bug did a very complicated 3D design that turned out awesome!

 

 

Usually the little ones are done in about half an hour but we were there for almost two hours before they finished!

 

 

Lou wrote Jesus in the heart all on her own. So sweet!

 

 

 Great job Peaches!

 

 

Bug's design took a long time so the little ones and I walked over to the library book sale for a while and then came back to watch her finish up.

 

 

She is so talented!!

 

 

Close up. I was seriously impressed with how 3D this looked!

 

 

We never heard who won this year, but I would be surprised if she didn't!

Summer Camp!

 Summer means camp season! Bug and Boo both decided to work teen camp. Bug was a cabin leader with her bestie A.

 

 

And Boo was a Timothy with her bestie R. They had a blast together all week!

 

 

But were tired on the way home. Apparently R really was sleeping on Boo's shoulder so the guys pretended to do the same for a picture. Haha.

 

 

We are so blessed that our girls have such good friends who are on fire for Jesus and want to serve him every chance they get! Boo wasn't supposed to work 11/12 camp but she begged us to go back so we let her. 

 

Peanut also got to go to 11/12 with her three besties from church. She rode up with two of them in S's car instead of riding the van.

 

 

 

Ready for a great week! 

 

 

 

Peanut said her favorite parts of camp were swimming in the lake during free time and doing late night shadow puppet shows with her friends when they were supposed to be sleeping. :) Here she is with her cabin leader J.

 

  

 

We were in Texas during 9/10 camp but 48 hours after we got home Boo was right back to camp to work 7/8! Since it was Peaches first time I drove up and we brought Boo, A, and R Sonic drinks. We were surprised to learn that Boo wasn't going to be a Timothy, as planned, but a programmer. She ended up loving it and said it is her new favorite job!

 

 

Sisters!

 

 

Peaches has literally been begging me for YEARS to let her go to camp, and this was finally her year. I had to remind her of that as when we got up there and she was super nervous, but she was really brave and did a great job. I had been really hoping that she would be in a cabin with one of the four teen girls she knew, but she didn't. Even so she didn't get upset and did fine when it was time for me to leave...after a half dozen hugs. :)

 

 

She picked a bottom bunk, and had the same cabin leader that Peanut did.

 

 

Bug rode the van up to camp with her friends and then helped out until I got there with Peaches.

 

 

When I went back later that week to get Peaches I inadvertently learned that Peaches' cabin leader was an identical twin when I stood by the wrong girl for five minutes waiting for E. Lol. Bug finally found her for me and I got a picture with her and her cabin leader J...not S the twin. :P

 

 Peaches had a great week and said she definitely wants to go back! She said her favorite parts were learning archery, the dining hall with good food, and swimming in the lake.

 

 

Boo worked so hard and did a great job as a programmer. I was worried about her working so many weeks of camp this summer because she is such an introvert. She comes home from school just wanting to be in her room by herself to "recharge her social battery" so I wasn't sure how on earth she would manage going a full week of being around people 24 hours a day...for four weeks...five if you count our camp in Texas. She said it was by God's grace because she made it just fine and was able to keep plugging along, working hard, and loving her service at camp! 

 

She said one of her favorite memories of her weeks up there was singing songs from the Greatest Showman with all her friends while doing dishes and mopping the dining hall. All the girls made so many new friends and memories. What a great summer of camp!