Kitten Kaboodle Fan Club

On Wednesday, August 1st, when we were getting ready for the Sackett girls to arrive for a 2 day stay in Sterling, Brian noticed a cat family in our front yard.  It was a momma stray cat and her 4 baby kittens.  Jadon and Leah were super excited and played with the kittens all morning long.  Then their cousins Claire and Rachel joined in the fun, playing with the kittens on and off for the next few days.  They made a home under our front porch.

 Here's Leah holding the runt of the litter, "Cardboard".  He is the friendliest, least shy, and most laid back of the 4 kittens.

 We named the mom "Bonita" because she's so bony.

 Bonita is nursing Cocoa, Cardboard, and Reeses right in our front yard.  What a beautiful sight!

 Dylan and Kylie came on Thursday and joined in the fun.

 A rare moment, all 4 kittens caught and cuddled at once.

 In addition to playing with the kittens, the kids had fun swimming in the pool.

We got treats from the ice cream truck.

Bix 2012

Before heading to the Pins Family Reunion, I ran the Bix7 in Davenport, IA with my friend Jen, my father-in-law Larry... and about 15,000 other people.  We each ran our own race and met up at the post-race party.  I've run this race many times, but finally was able to do the 7 miles in under an hour!  58:48 :)  It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the race very much.  I'm already setting a new goal for next year!

Pins Family Reunion

There was a big family reunion at my Aunt Sue's house in Dubuque, IA.  I got to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Jadon and Leah mostly hung out with my cousin Melanie's son, Addison.  We think Jadon and Addison look so much alike and they have a blast together.  We wish they could hang out more often.

 This little guy, Bothersome Boris, is a laughing, burping, farting, and snoring monster, VERY popular with the kids for his inappropriate behavior.

4 out of the 6 cousins, Brett, Melanie, me, and Greg.

The next day there was a baby shower for my cousin Greg's wife Sharmin.  They are expecting their first child Aug. 20th.  Below, Sarmin holds a cute tooth fairy pillow my aunt Paula made for the baby.

Greg shows his Mr. Mom side.

Where's Sophie?

VBS 2012

The theme for VBS this year was Exploring God's Promises on Adventure Island.  I lead the crafts for pre-k and Jadon and Leah attended the whole week.  It was a lot of work, but very rewarding and the kids loved it!  

These are the promises and samples of each of my projects.

I had 3 tables in my room and a little over 50 kids that I would see each day.  We had record attendance at our VBS this year which was very exciting.

Tonja supervises the pre-k wing of VBS and the leads the Cubbies part of Awanas.  She is a kind, servant-hearted woman and I love working with her.

Cooper the Dog is the VBS mascot and the kids love his daily hugs.

Leah plays with a craft she made, reenacting the account of the crippled man who was lowered through the roof by his friends, to see Jesus in a crowded home.

Jadon had several friends at VBS with him: Henry and Brecken, as well as Dale, Sawyer, and Luke.

Here, Leah and Micah stand up to sing the songs.

Jadon colored his hair orange for "Crazy Head Day".

My Day with Kate

On July 22, I was able to reunite with my Jr. High/HS friend, Kate.  We haven't lived near each other since we went off to college, but have kept in touch.  It had been a couple years since we saw each other face to face, so we set aside a day to spend together.  We met in Gurnee and went for a long bike ride along the Des Plaines River Trail.  Then we got pedicures and went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.  It was nice to sit out on the patio and talk, talk, talk.  Kate is a great person and friend!  

Farmer's Market

This year my dad has a stand at the Gurnee Farmer's Market selling cookies and biscotti.  The kids and I surprised him with a visit a couple Fridays ago.  He has a neat, bright stand and had constant customers while we were there.  It was great to see him in action!

After stopping by the Farmer's Market, I took the kids to Great America again.  We did a lot of the water rides, but after about 3 hours we got even wetter when it started to downpour.

The kids and I sought shelter under a covered bridge, before braving the walk to the car.  I was thankful to have the stroller and towels and the kids were good sports.  It was an adventure!