I ♥ Faces - Summer Favorite

This week is another people's choice on i heart faces.  This is a favorite of mine from our family's Fourth of July party.  I love all of the kids' faces!!

Week in Review - Week 7

After camping last week, the kids were all very tired this week ... which meant they were also extremely grouchy.  Alex was also teething (he finally has a tooth ... YAY!) which meant a tired mom ... who also might have been a little grouchy.   We got our basics done this week, although not without some tears.   We also learned about Abraham Lincoln and birds.

We took a trip to the zoo on Thursday.   The kids also went to the petting zoo.  Sarah had a run in with a goat.  While she was brushing a friend, it ripped a mouthful of her hair and ate it!  After crying for a few minutes, she got right back in with the goats, but kept pointing to the culprit, saying, "He pulled my hair."  She later crawled into the dog house, and argued with me that it was HER house, not a dog's house.

Here's some of my favorite pictures from the zoo:

Alex - The Apple of our Eye

Camping - Day 6

The sixth day was our 13 mile bike ride.  We rode on a nice, secluded bike path through amish country, lunching at Dairy Queen in the middle.  The first half of the ride went fairly well ... the second half was a little harder!   Rachel almost gave up, but she persisted until the end.

The weather was perfect.  As soon as we got back to the campsite, we made ice cream for the evening (yum!).  And then, the rain rolled in.  It rained all evening into the night ... and it was cold.   We decided that camping was finished for us.  We slept the next two nights at home ... one benefit of camping only 12 miles from home!

Camping - Day 5

On Tuesday, we went out to eat for lunch.  Then we excitedly went to Science Central.  Unfortunately, when we arrived we found the museum to be closed.   So, we went back to our campsite.

 

When we returned, some of us decided to try out a little fishing.  Some of us chose to just take pictures of the fishermen, instead.   I got some of my favorite shots of the week this night.  The sun setting across the lake was gorgeous!  Just think ... if Science Central had been open, I might not have gotten any of these great shots!

Camping - Day 4

Alex woke early on our fourth day of camping, so I left him with Aaron and went out to capture the beautiful scenery as the sun rose into the sky.









While the guys went golfing, we played "Let's Make a Deal" with all the kids.  We played for several hours, and all the kids ended up with some cool prizes.  The hosts ended up tired!

Some kids got dirty.

Some got even dirtier.

Alex enjoyed spending time with his Great Grandma.

The kids expanded their fort.

Rachel with her pom poms from "Let's make a deal"

In the evening, the kids decorated sugar cookies for a sun, moon and stars party.  Uncle Mark got out his telescope and all the kids were able to see the moon up close.   It was rather cloudy and the moon was full, so we were unable to see any other stars.

Alex - 8 months

Alex is 8 months old!  I had a photo shoot planned for him, but we got rained out.  Maybe later in the week we can try again.

You've started crawling.

You push yourself into a sitting position.

You're getting close to pulling up ... but you're not quite there.

You're finally eating solid food ... and enjoying it!

You love playing with your toys (and anything else that you see that is interesting).

You're full of smiles.

We struggle to get you take a nap.

You still wake up at least once a night.

You are very good natured.

You're our cute, crazy, cuddly boy ... and we love you!

Month by Month:

Camping - Day 3

On Sunday, our nearby city had a 'free day' at most of the museums in town.  We went to the Art Museum and a local history museum.   The Art Museum didn't allow pictures, but there were several exhibits that we loved.  It's always free on Sundays and Thursdays, so we will definitely revisit on another free day.

The history museum was housed in the old City Hall.   It was packed full of people, so you couldn't spend much time checking things out.  We definitely will return again to learn more about the history of our area.

Nanny explaining the Native American artifacts to Jada and Zeke.  I love how you can see how intently they are listening in their reflections.     

Aaron, Alex and Jada locked up in one of the jail cells in the basement.

The exterior of the building.

Jada posed in front of the building.  Either the building blocks are really big ... or Jada is really small!

Josiah, Zeke, Caleb and Brie posed in front of the fort that the kids made.