First Day at the Beach

We were so fortunate to go to Hilton Head for a few days last week, thanks to some very generous friends (thank you Fred and Mary!!!)

It was quite perfect: warm weather, waves, wind, and a Daddy who loves playing too so I could sit on the shore reading and taking pictures. Indeed, it was perfect...

Baseball Legacy

Here's my dad, playing for the Chicks:



And my brother playing for the Pirates:



And then Henry, running for the A's:









Stuff like this turns me into a sappy mess. Thanks, Pops, for helping gather the pictures. And by the way, I just noticed, there are no action shots of the Chicks. Were you picking flowers in the outfield, too?

A Little Help From Our Friends...and Family

And a little Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and I, Me, Me, Mine and Here Comes the Sun...Beatles Rock Band has hit our home!










As well as taken over Father's Day Celebrations.

You can barely see Mama J over Brian's shoulder, sitting in the next room talking with Grandaddy about outhouses in Sweden in the winter. I am not kidding.
She should have chosen Rock Band.

Henry and Pals

Strikingly different manners in these two situations, but the one at the table with Sam and Abby is AFTER a big meal and BEFORE the ice cream took affect.
With Luke, Caleb and Paul, we skip the food and go straight to Special Treat Land.

On the back porch.

Sweet Svea at the Pool...

She still won't put her face in, but she looks good sitting on the side...

Cliff Dwelling, Tree House Style

Since our back yard is on a steep hill, and since it is full of trees all the diameter of my arm, and since the 6 and 4 year old did not have a tree house or fort, iHusband had to take matters into his own hands.

So he built a free-standing tree house fort at the bottom of the hill where all the water rushes when it rains.

This is my favorite picture from his little helpers:

They did indeed use some power tools, though I think they loved writing on the wood the best.

Another favorite part was when iHusband built the slats for the roof, then crawled up between them to hammer the roof shingles in place (hidden by the trees). After swinging about 5 packets of shingles up to him, he realized that once the shingles were all on...there was no way for him to get down. Can't go back between the now-covered slats, we had no ladder tall enough to reach the roof, and it was far too far to jump...so he swung all Mowgli-style to the nearest skinny tree and slid down to the fence and jumped. My hero.

The other little Mowglis (or Mowgli and Shanti, I should say?) love this new addition to our home...especially since they moved their little porch chairs to the second floor and can now eat their popsicles in peace away from the mean witch and king back in the house.

Svea's Big Graduation

Here she is on her first day of 4K Preschool:



So proud and big!


And here she is, amid GREAT pomp and circumstance, at her 4K graduation:



She is so ready for big school...