Because the gelato was just that good!

While in Illinois, we got to try a new yummy treat.  This picture sums it all up - mmmmmm!

The little, charming, local zoo we visited in Illinois

I do have a few pictures from our zoo visit which we all enjoyed while hanging out together in Illinois.  It's small, but it is one of those perfect kind of smalls.  They had just enough fun animals to keep the kids excited, but it wasn't so huge that the adults were exhausted at the end of the visit.

 


We were all excited to get to watch the otters have some lunch!   We also found the old, giant turtles pretty cool.  Isaac loved the Mr. Kangaroo, (that might be Mr. Wallaby in the picture), and the kids all enjoyed watching the pennies go around and down the....penny bowl.  I'm not sure what those things are called - free standing, un-manned, fundraiser, maybe.  :-)  Fun memories for sure!

Big boy!

One of Sam's b-day gifts was a big-boy bike.  We are big fans of Craigslist, and found this nice bike for Sam.  We took him out on it Saturday evening, and within minutes, he was riding all by himself.

Marcus, also wanted to give riding 2-wheels a whirl, and made some great progress!

Some wedding pictures

Here's the brand-new couple!  They were so happy and sweet!  Brett cried several times throughout the ceremony.  So precious!  He made me tear up once.

The adult portion of the bridal party.  The kids were all running off some energy.  I loved her choice of different, vibrant colors.

Married!

Obligatory goofy shot.

This one cracks me up.  I guess some of us are just not grossed out by kissing, lol!

My little sister got married last weekend...

and, I have no pictures to show for it!  I'll steal some from her and post them here soon along with more stories, fun and adventures from our week in Illinois.  

As I was thinking back through the wedding party, it dawned on me that 5 of the 6 of us ladies had kids.  Joanna, my little sister who happened to be the stunning bride, had all of her nieces and nephews in the wedding which showcases her love for little people.  It was adorable, but a bit chaotic as you can imagine; hence the lack of pictures.  I'll slowly get some up here.  It was a beautiful day, and the wedding was so lovely!

As I was looking back through the few pictures I got leading up to the wedding, I found this gem.  My sister Jane and her newest little man who is 3 months old.  I think she might have had it the hardest of any of us moms with a young baby who, as is common to little ones, tended to get a little fussy in the evenings, a bridesmaid dress that was a pain to nurse in, and a sick husband on the day of the wedding.  But, she soldiered through the busy weekend of trips, events and the wedding day with her 4 little ones with a smile on her face.  She's just one of those unsung heroes!  I wish I'd gotten more pictures of our kids the day we went to the zoo and played together at the park, but you will just have to imagine the 7 boys and 1 little lady enjoying animals and play equipment together.  We were blessed to get to spend some time with these guys and wish we didn't live so far apart.      

7 already!

This guy turns 7 today!  He is such a big boy these days.  He's the kiddo that made us parents for the first time.  He's had to put up with us as we've learned how to be parents, and he's been a good sport.  He's a sweet young man who loves camping, fishing, the ocean, learning by doing, imagining, hiking, soccer, goofing off with his brothers, and so much more.  He loves people, and makes new friends wherever we go.  He's a treasure, and we love doing life with him!

I can hardly remember him as a wee babe.  We sure love you, Sammy!  Happy 7th birthday!!!

Gluten free mishap of the week...

For several years we have had Samuel gluten free.  He has some pretty obvious issues with his digestion when he eats it.  Recently, I think, due to some insensitivity from his gluten eating younger brother, he's started to ask if he can try gluten products again.  We gave it a try a few days back, and within a day he had the irritable bowel syndrome issues as before.  Poor guy!  He generally has a very good attitude about it, and we try and make the most of his "special tummy".
Yesterday dad made some gingersnap cookies for our Bible study group, (the gluten kind) and naturally, Sam, being a little sad that his tummy didn't cooperate, wanted some gluten free gingersnaps.  I decided to give it whirl.  Maybe it was the fact that I was making said cookies with 4 busy boy around, and so wasn't thinking as clearly as I would normally, or maybe I'm still working through that gluten free learning curve, but the cookie dough was too soft, and this was how the first 2 cookies sheets came out of the oven: one big, sticky cookie blob.

 I had 6 balls of dough left, so after I nearly cried, I tried adding more gluten free flour to them, and did a take two.  We only got 6 cookies out of the deal, but they are 6 delicious cookies!  I normally do a small test batch of a new gluten free recipe, but didn't this time.  The lesson was learned, and now we have a go to gluten free gingersnap recipe.

Cooking gluten free can be frustrating at times, but it's always nice when something comes out well!

Let's go fly a kite!

The weather here cooled back out, and with the cooler weather has come wind.  We gave Isaac a kite for his birthday, and the boys and Peter went to the local park recently to give it a spin.  They all had such an enjoyable time!  I think more kites may be in our future!

Getting ready to garden!

I have always loved plants, and I especially love growing plants that can be eaten!  My boys are really enjoying the miracle of plants, and I am thrilled to include them in the process!.  Right now they all have boyish enthusiasm, and I'm fully embracing it.  I remember well my days of loathing the garden when assigned to pick piles and piles of green beans in the baking heat while bugs seemed to jump out at me constantly.  Those days will come for these guys, no doubt, but for now, I'll enjoy the joy that they are finding in the simplicity of nature.

Last year, at this time, I was quite pregnant and exhausted; as a result, we didn't start many plants from seeds.  This year; however, we have been more prepared.  I should correct myself; they have been begging me since March to plant seeds.  I had to hold them off for a few weeks!  Some plants have spouted, and we did a second planting yesterday. We are all so excited!

When you give a boy some free time...

He's going to work that imagination...so, he'll ask you for some supplies.

First, he's going to want some paper for creating....









So, you give him the paper.  Then he'll ask you for some scissors.

You give him the scissors.  Then he'll ask for some tape.

He amazingly, ceases his list of requests.


You leave the room to calm the baby.  He engages his imagination.

 

You return to find his paper city!  All three boys find that this paper city provides much scope for their imaginations.  Sam swoops in as Dusty the firefighting plane.  He also creates a city park and woods for exploring.  Marcus, the city's architect, and Isaac grab cars and begin to imagine their own story; winding through town, up over bridges.   You have finally quieted the baby and take a moment to record this fun moment.

Those times when they put themselves to sleep...

In the strangest of places!  

My big boys!

These two make my days so interesting.  It's fun to see them learning to play together well.   And while they do annoy each other and tend to view the other as competition, they also play some of the silliest, cutest games together!  Their little imaginations never stop!  Sam the responsible and thoughtful one, Marcus the class clown; so many of their unique traits are reflected in this picture.