Summer Fun

The corn is getting taller. 

We can barely see the "traffic" on the gravel road when we're sitting down on the front porch.

Jonathan, Harrison, and some of the other preacher boys went to the Kiamichi Camp in Oklahoma. 

Four of our boys from church preached in the preaching competition, and Kemper got first place in the high school division! That was pretty exciting.

Harrison was nervous about preaching when he left for the camp, so I was so glad to see pictures of him up there doing it. Great job, Harrison!

They stopped for ice cream on the way to the camp, and Jon sent me a picture.

We had four high school graduations at our church this year. These two friends of Phoebe will be leaving for college in the fall.

This is the "friend group" at church crowding around the same table at Jayden's graduation party. They've been an absolute joy for my kids. 

Twila Farmer, who illustrated my children's bio about Charlotte Mason, wrote and illustrated a book called Umbrellas. Then she made this puzzle that goes along with the book. So it has been our summer puzzle. And it really didn't take but a few weeks of summer to complete it! The umbrellas were a lot of fun to put together. Phoebe said she wanted the yellow umbrella, so I left that one for her, but I think all the other ones were completed before she got back from camp. 

We have new kittens! The Kurz family had a momma cat and five kittens that they needed to re-home, so they brought them to us who were cat-bereft. They have been living under the house, and they've started to come out and play with us.

At first I thought we had missed out on the cicada apocalypse, but I've seen a couple around our house. Not too many though; we definitely don't have the cacophony that Mimi and Papa have at their house. I thought they were very interesting to look at. Their eyes are creepy, but those wings are gorgeous.

Phoebe and I got to attend the Shakespeare in the Park in St. Louis. We missed it last year because it rained the day we tried to go. 

We had a lovely time together. 

Playing with the kittens. 

This was Harrison's birthday! 

He's 14 and is going to be in .... ack!.... high school next year.

Phillip took him to buy drill bits and drivers to go with the drill he won at the Callao preaching contest. 

Jonathan took him to St. Charles to drive go-karts. They had Pizza Hut first.

And he had some friends and Mimi and Papa over for cheeseburger buns and plain white cake (with cool whip and citrus slices).

And I took them to the pool in which they all got a little bit burnt, but hopefully not too much. 

Lanaya Elizabeth has been making and baking. I love, love that color of sweater she made.

She's all the way on the left ~ a bridesmaid in her college roommate's wedding. So sweet.

She and Amos and friends took a quick trip to Colorado for a concert.

I saw these on Facebook and I thought, "Boy, those look good. What company/bakery is selling those and is it nearby?" And then I see that it's my own daughter who made them and it's amazing.

Papa also likes puzzles, but he works on 300 piece puzzles. He wouldn't touch our 1000 piece! :-) 

I thought I'd snap a couple of pics while I could since Mimi and Papa are working on moving out of this house into a new house in town. 

Finished!