What we've been up to...

Here's kind of a recap of the last few weeks happenings amidst all the food storage craziness. A few weekends ago Brett invited us to go to the cabin in Greer with him and the kids. What a wonderful time we had! We enjoyed the outdoors, went on a nature hike/walk, made pinecone bird feeders, scouted elk/deer/turkey/antelope, watched the Greer Days Parade, got treats at the cutest ice cream parlor in Greer (probably the only one... but cute), made s'mores, played Nertz and Settlers of Catan, looked for worms, Jared went fishing, ran into some old friends, and had a Fabulous time doing it all! A big thanks to Brett and his family for inviting us! (warning... picture overload)




















J had a little slip up with the pocket knife and got a cut on one of his fingers. His Dad took his knife, cut off the top of his sock, and wrapped it around J's finger to stop the bleeding. Quick thinking!
















Father's Day was fun this year because G could participate in the planning and fun. We went to Bass Pro Shops and picked out a digital pistol safe for Jared. G helped pick out some fishing lures for him. When we got home I had G help wrap the fishing lures. He did a great job... suffice it to say that he LOVED putting tape on it. He would've used the whole roll if I'd let him. Then we colored Happy Father's Day cards. When Sunday came I made German Pancakes and let Jared relax. He enjoyed G's wrapping job and was appreciative of the gifts. We sure love Jared. He is a great daddy, provider, protector, etc, etc, etc.

Being a parent has made me all the more appreciative of my parents, their example, and unconditional love. Happy Father's Day Dad! - and Happy Birthday too!

Just this last week we got together with Jared and Andrea for dinner. We had some of the sweet pulled pork that we'd canned together that day. Yum! They brought over a small inflatable pool that they purchased recently so the boys could play in it together. G was a little apprehensive at first, but once Jared threw him in there he was all splashes. He absolutely loved it! I love watching G and Caleb play together. They're getting to the point where they are interacting more in their play.

G is getting so independent lately. He wants to do everything himself which in ways is kind of nice. I think it's helping teach him responsibility. He is in charge of doing the laundry and gets so excited when I tell him it's time to start a load. He goes and gets the basket, loads it in the washer, changes it to the dryer, and pushes the basket of clean clothes to my bed, where I do the folding. He throws away his and B's diapers and knows that the stinky ones go outside on the back porch - until we make a trip to the big black garbage can. He puts his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. He's figured out how to put on his shirts correctly - most of the time. He loves to help me do anything! The other day I had some sugar cookie dough in the freezer that needed used so I had him help me roll them out, cut them and put them on the cookie sheet. He thought that was the greatest thing ever! He thought the dough tasted pretty good, too!