Avalanche Ranch

My nephew, Jack, got to stay with us for 5 nights so he could attend VBS with Evan. I was extremely impressed with everything to do with VBS. Our church was covered in bails of hay. There were horses, goats, a mule, and other small farm animals that the kids got to feed each night. All of the volunteers did an outstanding job.
Evan and Jack feeding some hungry goats. Notice this is indoors. The animals were pinned up in the room where our Bible class is every Sunday. I am curious to see what it smells like in there this coming Sunday.
The boys shouting YEE-HAW with their pvc pipe stick horses.

Happy 4th Evan!!

Evan has been looking forward to his birthday for 9 months! It was a joy to give him everything he wanted. Balloons, bike riding with friends, and soccer playing. A while ago I asked Evan who he wanted to invite to his party. He made it clear that daddy and I were not on the list. I told him if we were not invited he would not have a cake. He quickly responded that Mimi and Nana would make one. "Evan, if mommy and daddy can't come then you won't get a bike." I replied thinking this would change his mind. He replied as though he had thought of this for a while - "Nana and Grandave will get one for me. You can't come." He said this in a joking tone, but I was a little hurt. Anyway - he did come around (all on his own) and tell us many times that he wanted us there. Especially when he watched me make his cake. He would hug my legs and tell me he loved me and that I could come to his party....and daddy, too.

Pictured are Trey's parents (Papa and Mimi) and grandparents (Mom-aw and Dad-aw). And Evan's new bike!
The team photo. I made jerseys for the kids to wear, and each got their own inflatable soccer ball. Trey also had a shirt that said coach, complete with a whistle. He led the kids in some "soccer drills."
Pretty cool soccer ball cake! See why he invited me!?! Happy Birthday Evan Luke!

My parents Cabin

(Andie making a holllow log look very cute.) We spent memorial weekend at my parents cabin. I have a great love for Camp Blue Haven. It was great to be back for the 50th reunion. 12 of us fit snuggly into my parents 900sq ft cabin. We slept, ate, relaxed, walked around (no real hiking happened this trip), and visited with old friends. Oh, I love the smell of those mountains!
Evan, Andie and cousin Jack enjoying the hammock and their prized canteens.
This is one of the meal time prayers. All the kids want to say a prayer - which is so very heartwarming. Andie is the prayer time monitor. She peers around saying "close your eyes, close your eyes" while squinting hers. My parents have worked very hard on this great cabin. The new deck my dad built is in this shot. I hope one day my dad will stop finding projects and just enjoy his place.

Dean's 1st birthday

We officially celebrated Dean's 1st birthday up at my parents cabin - it's near Camp Blue Haven. Dean has been a huge blessing to us. He is such a joy to care for. He warms my heart. He is so very easy going, his eyes can light up a room, and he can sure make a person feel good. I look forward to watching this sweet boy grow up.
I laid Dean down for a nap while at the cabin - I went to go check on him and this is what I discovered. I had left the kleenex a little to close to the pack-n-play. No wonder he was so quite.