Catch the Vision

This summer our church has been building a new addition with the help of over 1000 volunteers from near and far.  Many people came for a week long stay to volunteer with Builders for Christ to serve our church and mission.  Amazing!  You can follow the building progress (almost done in just four short months!) on the blog at the sidebar of our blog.  Also, you can read this post, written by John to catch the vision he has for the new space and for youth at the church!

Pickin' Corn

I started working a few shifts back at Starbucks this month and while I worked a Saturday, John took the kids to pick sweet corn with Mollie and Aubrey.  It was a perfect summer day, much better for picking corn than making lattes :).

 John got the boys all packed up and set for the journey by himself...he is becoming quite the Mr. Mom when I'm at work a couple mornings a week.  John said, "I even remembered the camera so I could take photos...I knew you would like that!"  He is right, I am happy to have the adventure documented, as always.

They picked up Mollie and Aubrey on their way... 

Everyone had fun picking corn and it was the BEST sweet corn we've ever had! 

Bennett is reminding us a lot of Logan these days...he seems to be looking more like his brother despite eye color and hair color.

Obviously, Silly Logan is having a great time picking corn with friends!

Way to go, SuperDad!

Summer Sweet Summer

Summer went by so fast that we didn't have a chance to do everything we thought we would.  At the beginning of summer, John and I said, "We can go to music in the park every Thursday this year!".  Well, summer proved to be busier and more exhausting than we thought but the kids and I did meet up with friends for a picnic at music in Phoenix Park on the last Thursday of the summer!

 There were so many people out enjoying the beautiful night - it was great!  

 The boulders are the kids' favorite spot...

because they are so fun to climb!

 Thanks to Kelly, William, and Julia for spending an evening with us at the park!

We also spent a lot of time at parks this summer.  Once school starts, many of the best "parks" (aka: school playgrounds) have more limited access so we've enjoyed lots of mornings and afternoons exploring!  Both boys have really grown and have many new skills at the park this summer!  The park was a lifesaver during showings while our house was for sale!  We could just pack up and head out!

 Bennett's favorite way to travel this summer is the backpack!  Its pretty hot on hot days, but if it keeps him happy, its worth it!  :)

 Logan attempts to scoot to the park, but I usually end up carrying it half of the way.

 Bennett is a great climber...sometimes it makes mom nervous.

We SOLD Our House!

It happened super fast, but we SOLD our house in just 12 days.  Phew!  We will be moving to an old house in a new-to-us neighborhood called "the East Hill" in Eau Claire.  It looks like we'll be moving the first week of October!  We are blessed!  More to come...

Another Day At The Lake!

We were so lucky to get another day at the lake with the Peters family this weekend!  Some more friends joined us for the fun and the kids (and adults) all loved being together!

 Their water mat is the coolest thing because the kids can run and jump from it or you can just float on it. It was a big hit!

 Bennett liked his ride on the surfboard the best.  He could've spent all day on the lake with dad paddling around.

 Logan and Zoey playing by the shore.

 Both boys took turns with Dad on the surfboard - they were out a little far for Mom's liking, but they sure had fun!

There were play sharks and whales that were Logan and Bennett's favorite!  They played together long after the other kids, just making up their own ocean stories.

 Before dinner, the kids huddled around the hockey game

Logan and Bennett sharing a table with Grady. 

Bennett giving me his goofy "cheese" face on the tractor. 

 After dinner, the playset was a HUGE hit!  The kids had a whole pretend play thing going on and it was so fun to watch!  They all played together and included each other, so it was a good time!

No surprise that Logan and Bennett really loved the bonfire.   

 They picked up a bunch of sticks...

 Bennett's eyes were a little bigger than his muscles!  

 Then Grady and Logan took a pee break...

Bennett just watched.  :)  What fun with friends at the lake!

Logan's 4th Birthday!

We had a fun day on Logan's birthday!  John brought home a surprise of some cool balloons the night before, so we tied them on his chair to surprise him in the morning.  I made banana bread for breakfast (his favorite) and Papa & Nana even paid us a visit in the evening!  Its good to be FOUR.

We let Logan open a few gifts before John left for work.

Logan had been asking for "his Thomas game" for a week.  He found it at the bottom of the Target cart under the groceries and everything else when I bought it.  What a little snooper.  It didn't seem to matter, he was just as excited to get it as if he didn't know!

I gave Logan a lot of choices of what to do for his special 4th birthday.  He wanted to spend the day at the Children's Museum, so that's what we did!  

 We had the whole day open, so we spent as much time as the boys wanted - 

exploring every room at the museum.

 The water exhibit is always fun.  Bennett even wore an apron (for the first few minutes)!

 The boys love pretending at the drive-thru bank window.  They don't care so much about the money, just the lollipops we usually get from our bank.

 Postman Logan

 The boys ran a busy kitchen and sure fed me well!

 In the toddler park, Bennett likes to climb the tree house and then yell for me...not sure if he wants help or if he is just proud of himself for being up high.

Birthday Boy love... 

Happy Birthday, Logan! 

 The boys both napped like champs after a long morning at the museum.  After naptime, we went to meet up with Papa and Nana for Logan's Birthday dinner.  He got to choose what he wanted for his birthday dinner and he chose to eat at Red Robin (can't beat that mac & cheese!).

 After a yummy dinner, we headed home for presents and cake.

 Logan got so many neat presents from my parents and Kyle & Ali and Amy & Andrew.  He also got another few special presents in the mail, too!  Thanks to everyone!

 Since Logan doesn't like cake, he requested brownies for his birthday!

 No problem blowing out those FOUR candles!

 After cake, we got to have some playtime downstairs before  P & N had to head home.  

Here's the guys checking out under the hood of Logan's new Jeep.

Papa and Nana head out for their trip to Alaska this weekend, so we were happy to see them before they go!  Special thanks for making the trip over to celebrate Logan's special day!

Happy 4th Birthday to our very special Logan - you're getting so big and we're so proud of you every day!  We love you!

4 going on...

Logan seems like he is 4 going on 12 these days!  Today is his big birthday...he has been anxiously awaiting for weeks now!  Hopefully it will be a great, fun filled day!  I sent out these photos, per tradition...but I am a little scattered and I may have forgotten to send to some folks this time around.  I know some people have received them on time, but the second batch I have is still waiting for me to buy more stamps...no hard feelings if your card arrives late (no never??).  Happy 4th Birthday Logan, buddy!

Resting up...

Today Logan napped for the first time in what seems like weeks.  He must be resting up...after all, his 4th year begins TOMORROW!  I don't know how time has passed quickly enough for our first baby to be turning FOUR!  Logan had some quiet time this afternoon and then came down to find me reading on the couch (so luxurious, I know!).  He snuggled in opposite me and wanted to hold hands.  In just minutes, he was peacefully sleeping.  It was a sweet moment that reminded me what a very special boy Logan is!

Bubbles!

Even thought Bennett screams when we pour water on his head ("OWWWWWWWW!"), bath time is still a highlight around here.  Our friend, Mollie gave the boys these Cars pails and they were an instant bath time hit!

 We do a lot of colored baths...a little food coloring carefully added to the bath leaves no residue or dyes behind!  Green and blue are the best...sometimes purple.