June 2021

Our vacation adventures continued this month as we wrapped up our time in Wisconsin before heading to Illinois. We enjoyed a fun new playground, frisbee golf, and ice cream on Lake Michigan. We also enjoyed squeezing in a few more games that included just a little bit of family competition. 

Once we arrived in Illinois, the boys geared up to help with strawberry picking. It was so neat to see the operation in progress and the boys enjoyed getting to pick again this year. There is truly nothing like the taste of a fresh picked strawberry that is sun warmed and juicy! We also had tons of family fun playing games, riding horses, and cuddling sweet baby Asher. It was great to be with family if only for a short while!

Coming home we jumped back into the world of swimming and Jeff began the kids' bathroom remodel. The boys participated in their first meet of the summer and did awesome! Our club hosted the event so it was all hands on deck at the pool. It was a great meet and a good time was had by all.

The bathroom was quickly demolished and the rebuild has begun. As of the writing of this blog, the plumbing under the house has been replaced, new flooring from the subfloor up has been replaced, the closet wall has been moved, and the toilet is back in (hallelujah). 

The kids have also been busy with church activities. The boys had several days of work projects with their youth group. This is an event they do each year called Kingdom Worker Week. They bless members of our church and the community with all sort of service projects. Anna and Eden had fun at a day camp hosted at church. Marie is looking forward to camp next month.

June isn't complete with celebrating Dads. Jeff is an amazing Dad and we celebrated with cinnamon rolls, strawberry shortcake, and tools. We also got to celebrate with Papa. What a gift to have such Godly men in our lives!

Papa and the boys had an adventure this month when they went to the Arkansas Air and Military Museum in Fayetteville. They saw some cool aircraft and military transport vehicles. A highlight was getting the opportunity to climb inside the cockpit and pretend to pilot one of the planes. Eli said he didn't think he would ever be a pilot because there were way to many buttons, switches, etc on the instrument panel and he would never be able to remember what they all do!

Nana, the girls, and their cousin Livi had an adventure this month when they went to the Alma waterpark. Marie and Livi paired up and rode all the waterslides. Anna and Eden also paired up. The girls had a great time and were completely tuckered out that night. Kuddos to Nana for being willing to take this crazy group of girls to the water park!

The boys had their kidney check-ups this month. While Thad's kidney function continues to remain stable, Eli's has decreased significantly. The doctor is changing some things but ultimately we are trusting in our sovereign God for whatever the future holds.

As we wrap up the month, Jeff is in Little Rock teaching a camp for AP Chemistry students, the girls are doing VBS, the boys are finishing up the month of swim, and I am working on the start of next year's study for BSF. We are also squeezing in as much friend and family time as possible. Thank goodness for long summer days!

We hope you are enjoying some summer fun w/ family and friends. See you next month!

Click the link for this month's slideshow...

June Slideshow

May 2021

May always seems to go by in a heartbeat. From birthday celebrations to end of school parties, there was never a dull moment.

We always kick off the month of May by celebrating Jeff’s birthday. This year he celebrated by installing a new water heater and enjoying time with family at a church function. The boys also participated in a swim meet that day. Thad ended up placing in all 3 events he competed in. The water heater installation was a success. The family fun event for church was a blast! It was quite the day!

The following week, Jeff completed the final preparations for his AP Chemistry students to take the big test. He always treats the kids to a good breakfast of Chick Fil A and Panera. This year has been a crazy one for he and his students. They had to make changes to the way things were taught and learned as there were some kids in person and some virtual. We are praying all their hard work pays off and they all get good test scores.

Eli and I participated in a fun Mother/Son event at the church prior to Mother’s Day. There was good food, fellowship, and fun games. We didn’t end up competing very well overall but we had tons of fun playing. We don’t often get to do things one-on-one so it was a real treat.

On Mother’s Day, Jeff and I were treated to a free showing of In The Heights. Eli and Thad babysat so we could have a date. It was a fun musical to get to see in the theater!

The following week, Thad participated on a student panel for Charter school students. He was the only student from his school asked to participate so it was quite the honor. He and 5 other students from across the state answered questions and spoke in front of a approximately 150 teachers. He did great! Jeff took the day off so he could take Thad and they both enjoyed some father - son time together.

The middle of the month found us heading to the Anderson’s house to celebrate my birthday along with Jeff and Nana’s birthdays. We were blessed with beautiful weather and had a great time! I can’t wait to put together my new puzzle and try out my new hammock.

Anna finished kindergarten this month. Jeff and I got to go to her school and view all the projects she has been working so hard on this year. Her teacher also had a fun slideshow full of pictures of the different things they had done. It was the first time we have been allowed in the building this year. We really hope next year is back to normal!

We had another fun treat this month when we headed to the circus. We had purchased tickets last year but then COVID shut everything down. The kids were super surprised when we pulled into the parking lot and they saw the big tent. Nana and Papa joined us for the adventure and a great time was had by all.

The last week of the month, everyone wrapped up school and finished up piano lessons. Eli and Thad each earned a trophy this year for their performances at festival. We then packed our bags and headed to Wisconsin for our niece’s wedding. Rachel had asked Marie, Anna, and Eden to be her flower girls. It was a beautiful day and a storybook wedding. It was such a blessing to witness Rachel and Nathanael’s union and celebrate with so many family and friends! We were also blessed to be able to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Rice and thoroughly enjoyed their hospitality.

May was filled with so many blessings that I cannot even recount them all. God is good! Stay tuned next month for more of our family adventures.

May Slideshow