We spent the next day celebrating Thad's birthday and catching up with family. Thad thoroughly enjoyed yet another birthday party complete with a ducky cake and presents. A few of his favorites were his green costume, tiger towel, cars cup, and aqua doodle story book, and new life vest for the pool.
On the 4th, we were blessed to celebrate at Esau and Anita's house directly on the parade route and right across from Lake Michigan. The parade was great and the fellowship and food were fantastic. It was a hot day but we hiked out to a lighthouse and then went for a quick and cold swim in the lake. Later that night we watched the fireworks show complete with live band music. It was a first for both Eli and Thad.
A few days later, we headed to Appleton to have a picnic and reunite with friend from Rawhide. It was great to catch up and meet some of the newest members of the families. The day was beautiful and the setting was perfect. It was so much fun to watch our kids making friendships with our friend's kids.
Next up on the agenda was the Rice/Foster Family Reunion. We enjoyed getting to catch up with our extended family and spend time eating, swimming, laughing, and playing. Again the Lord blessed us with a beautiful day and perfect venue (Uncle Doug's house). It was a blessing to finally meet Billy's girls in person all the way from New York.
The following day Jeff dropped Leigh Ann off at the airport in Chicago. The next two days she took multiple flights to finally end up in Albania. For 10 days she wined and dined with her sister and her family. It was so wonderful to get to hug them and spend time in their world. Albania is a beautiful country and provided many new experiences. The language is extremely difficult and at times Leigh Ann felt like a child for not being able to understand anything spoken or written. The way of life is also hard and it felt as if she had stepped back in time during parts of her stay. From the cobblestone streets, to the roadside fruit stands, to the oxen pulled plows, it is truly a different world. She really enjoyed getting to see and experience parts of everyday life for Meredith and Amos. Playing with Isaiah and Seth helped her when she was missing Eli and Thad. It was a treat to be able to celebrate both Isaiah and Amos's birthdays. Saying goodbye was so hard. Please continue to pray for their family and for the Albanian people to experience God's grace and salvation.
In the meantime, Jeff and the boys stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's where the fun continued. From tie dying to boat rides to golfing to swimming daily in the pool, there was rarely a dull moment. Elijah's swimming went from good to great and he now swims confidently without his life jacket. Thad's vocabulary almost doubled on vacation... probably from spending so much time talking to his cousins. When they picked Leigh Ann up from the airport she couldn't believe how tanned and tall they both seemed.
After we were all reunited, we headed to Uncle Kevin's house in Illinois for the night. The next day was spent playing instruments, petting all the animals, and spending time in fellowship. It was a short visit but was nonetheless a great time.
Coming back to Arkansas was like jumping into a furnace. The temperatures have been in the 100s! Upon returning home we picked up Murphy and found out that our good friends are moving to Ohio. After delivering the sad news they asked if we wanted their 15 foot above ground pool. What an unexpected blessing! The last few days have been spent prepping the ground and putting up the pool.
This past week we also had fun at Vacation Bible School. Elijah especially enjoyed it and looked forward to seeing the clowns every night. During the day, Jeff attended a training for his AP Chemistry class and Leigh Ann enjoyed catching up with friends. This past weekend we headed up to camp and spent some time catching up with Leigh Ann's parents and our church family from Russellville CMA.
This month has been amazing and exhausting! As we wrap up our summer, we are so thankful for a job that has allowed us to spend so much time travelling and visiting family and friends. We are now looking forward to the start of a new school year. We hope you have managed to stay cool this summer and have found refreshment in the Living Water!
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| Another picture slideshow by Smilebox |
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