Charlie-isms

From July 31, 2018

Char: Can these apple cores go in the portal?

Me: Yes, but in this dimension, we call it a garbage disposal.

Charlie-isms

From July 27, 2016

Char: we shouldn't play on train tracks.

Me: never! We want you kids to grow up safely to do lots of cool things for God.

Char: yeah, like Dad does.

Charlie-isms

From July 23, 2015

Charlie: I'll be ten this year. Two digits. I'm really tired of being one digit.

Oh, the drudgery of childhood...

Black Widow

 

So...we found this little fella crawling in the grass near our shed.  Yep, it has the markings of a black widow spider.  He met Jesus shortly after...unless he bit someone, then he went somewhere a little warmer!

Michigan summer, 2021

 

Up to Michigan we drove for a long weekend.  Papa bought some of Jenna's cards to help support her fundraiser for St. Jude.

Beautiful weather to spend time on Grandma and Papa's deck.

Ice cream with the family!

Camp for Charlie

Charlie and Greg headed back to Little Galilee camp for 2021.

 

They had changed so much from 2019!

Charlie was ready to come home.  Poor guy ended up not feeling great after a rainy, dark, damp week.

Hair donation!

 

Jenna decided to get her hair cut.  It was getting too heavy and giving her headaches.  She was able to donate ten inches for Children With Hair Loss in Michigan!

Jenna's fundraiser

 

Jenna sold cards and blankets, which she had made, to raise funds for St. Jude Runs!  She was able to donate over $80.!

Father's Day 2021

 Father's Day Weekend included food downtown Chillicothe, beginning with cheesecake!

Jacob and Jenna helped prep dinner for grilling.  Jamie grilled stuffed burgers with his new grilling tools.

The weather was perfect for swimming, too!

Another Father's Day gift...detailing the BMW.

Greg came swimming with us.

Charlie-isms

 From July 8, 2016

Charlie comes running into the kitchen with a new tub of neapolitan ice cream. "Yes!! It's Napoleon!"

Jenna-isms

 From July 4, 2018

I took Jenna shopping with me to a cute little boutique. First, I tried on a sundress.

Jenna: Oh, no.

Me: Why not?

Jenna: It's too short. (it actually touched the top of my knees)

Me: I can wear shorts under it.

Jenna: I don't think so.

Me: How about this shirt?

Jenna: No!

Me: Why not?

Jenna: It shows part of your back.

Me: How about if I wear a black garbage bag?

St. Jude Progressive

 St. Jude Progressive Dinner, 2021.

Rachael & Carl, Darrel and Carrie, Angie & Jamie, Sara and Randy.

Our group started with dessert first!

The host family shared science experiments with us.

This cool, frozen dessert was perfect for the hot, humid evening!

Peyton Drake served coffee drinks.

Sara won the drawing, but turned the "prize" over to Jamie.  The prize was to use a flame-thrower to torch a pile of boxes with "cancer" written on them.

Our second course was appetizers at Doug and Jenn Nelson's home.  Chelsea Duke shared her experience as a nurse for St. Jude.

Our third course was at Tyson and Jessica Richard's home.  They served the main course of bbq meat, and cheesy potatoes.

For entertainment, Cowboy Randy, Reed, and Will Richards played patriotic songs on their harmonicas.

Jacob-isms

From June 27, 2017

"Sin will never win, now go to bed!"

Said Jacob to the dog when he wouldn't obey.

At least I know he's been listening!

Butterfly!

 

A chrysalis hung on the frame of our garage door.  Jenna caught the butterfly having just emerged.  It was one of the beautiful blue butterflies that we love seeing!

Jenna's Formal

 Jenna and her friends participated in a formal tea/dinner.

His little girl is growing up!

Rebecca Klingbiel styled Jenna's hair.

Kaitlin, Rebecca, and Lauren arrived at our house early to help each other with makeup and hair styles.  The basement apartment was full of "girly stuff!"

Beautiful young ladies, inside and out.  Jenna, Rebecca, Lauren, Kaitlin, and Hannah.

Indianapolis Reunion

 We spent a long weekend in Indianapolis with the Crawfords and Ulestads.  So much fun was had by all the adults and teens.  To top it off, the 17 year cicadas were in full swing!

We spent many hours in Crawford's porch.  We reminisced about our time in Europe, China adventures, and caught up on life.  So many laughs!

The patio served us well in the evenings, after the cicada noise had quieted.

The 17-year cicadas were out in Indianapolis.  There were thousands upon thousands swarming in the air, hanging on leaves, crawling on the ground...and they were LOUD, especially in the afternoon.  We also noticed that when we looked into the sun while standing under the trees, we could see steams of liquid falling.  Yep.  Cicada pee.  We no longer stood under the trees. No wonder the air was a bit stinky.

Lasagne dinner for all 14 of us!

The first mealtime was a little awkward for the kids, who didn't know each other well, and in some cases, had never met.

The first night we were together, the "kids" took off on their own to a fair.  It really broke the ice among them all, and they had a blast.  Ella, Jacob, Charlie, Jenna, Abby, and Cate.  Emily took the photo!

The second night, we played putt-putt golf.  So many more laughs.  It was a warm, humid evening...and another late night!

Love this group of friends!

Jamie, Charlie, Jacob, Angie, Laura, Mike, Cate, Ella, Lisa, Jenna, John, Emily, Gail, and Abby.

The "kids" played a lot of pool!  No need to mention that our boys broke a pool cue.

John took Mike and Jamie on a bike ride.

We had a bit of a dance-off with Wii Dance.  ABBA songs were THE best!  I think the parents won!

Now just the "kids."  It took a couple tries to get everyone to look...Laura!

In age order...Emily 22, Jacob 21, Ella 19, Cate 17, Abby 17, Laura 16, Charlie 15, & Jenna 14.