The Grand Slam......

Spencer's last baseball game was yesterday. There were only four kids on his team due to vacations, but they managed to pull out another win.

I want to apologize for the audio on the video, but I am a proud mom. When Spencer saw the clip he told me not to yell for him next time. Oh well, what are you going to do?

Flight over Toronto!

Brent was very generous to take the kids and I for a flight over the city. Here is a picture of Brent and Spencer in the plane. Brent was very patient and explained everything to Spencer. Spencer has loved airplanes and rockets forever. This was the best part of our visit for Spencer.

A picture of Toronto's lakeshore. The CN Tower can be seen in the distance on the right. What a great way to see the city!

Although Sydney was disappointed that she had to sit in the back, she loved the flight.

A picture of Brent with the kids before we took off.

Cousins.....

Ryan and Spencer dancing in the Candy Store at the trailer. They still correct anyone who calls them "friends", they are "COUSINS". It still makes me laugh.


Sydney and Adam playing with Thomas. It is amazing that a little piece of track and some wooden trains can entertain children for hours.


Spencer and my nephew Owen. I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of "Super Owey" - maybe next visit.

Sydney and Riley at Grandma Marilyn's.

We can't seem to get a decent picture of all four kids at the same time. There is always one who isn't interested. Oh well, here is a picture of Owen, Spencer and Riley.

Cambridge BBQ

Our first stop on our trip home this summer was my Uncle Larry and Aunt Doreen's. We were so fortunate to be able to visit with all three of my cousins, their spouses and children. Thanks Uncle Larry for organizing and hosting a great afternoon. Good food and great company!

...and the bombs bursting in air.....

It seems we have officially started a new tradition for the Fourth of July festivities. Like the last few years, we begin with a cookout with our neighbors Doug and Lyla. If I had to describe what great neighbors are like to someone, I'd tell them about Mr. Doug and Miss Lyla (that's what Spencer and Syd have called them since they were babies). After the cookout, we get the firepit going out front. A healthy dose of bug spray on everyone, cold drinks and S'more stuff is all we need for a good time. Oh, and a few fireworks. Doug and I have been steadily increasing the size of our production each year. This year was our best yet, although not over the top. With so many people in our subdivision doing their own displays, we don't have to do much to get a good show. Once the sun went down, the kids did a few sparklers and had S'mores. We all enjoyed the show from our driveway, even if it was a little hot and humid that night.





Syd made sugar cookies for the evening fun.

Our neighbors' son Tim brought over his new pet chameleon, Zep, over for a visit with the kids. According to Tim, he'll get to be 10-12 inches long when full grown!

Tim and his girlfriend Larrissa enjoying the show.

Daddy taking a break from lighting off fireworks. It was a little muggy that night, as evidence by the sweaty shirt!





Here's what was left of our hard work. There wasn't anything left of the big mortars we set off, just the tubes that we used to shoot them off. All in all, it was a good time and I'm sure we'll do it again next year!

More friends to The Fort

Much like our friends Dena and Brent from Canada hadn't been to see us in forever, our friends Sarah and Andy also hadn't visited in a very long time. With Sarah being an OB/GYN, it's very hard to schedule free time for them to come for a visit. However, we picked a weekend in June and made it happen. We incorporated a Fort Wayne Tin Caps baseball game into the visit for Friday night. After the game, the ballpark put on one of the best fireworks displays we had seen in some time. It was the best $7 tickets we ever spent! The kids were well-behaved and all had a great time. Here are a few photos from their visit.

Memorial Day Fun

After many years of discussion, we were finally able to coordinate with our friends Dena and Brent to have them down to The Fort for a visit. Christine and Dena have been great friends for many moons and we have kids that are the same age.

When we were up to Markham (that's Canada for all those non-Canadians reading) back in March, Brent had mentioned that he wanted to attend the Indy 500. Brent and some of his friends said they'd make the trek down south if schedules permitted. Well, the moon and stars were all aligned and I was able to score tickets to the race. We made the plans and they committed to coming down for the long Memorial Day weekend.

Being that Brent is an avid pilot with his own plane, it only made sense for them to fly to The Fort (a short 3 hour flight) versus making the always-long 8-hour drive. They flew down on the Saturday and we had a nice visit. Then it was early to bed for an even earlier departure to Indianapolis the next morning. It was hot that weekend, but we made the best of it. Everyone had a great time and we look forward to the next visit with them. Here are a few photos from the weekend.