Grandpa Phil Visits

Philip's dad came to visit before he deployed. We had a blast with him! His wife and daughter couldn't come and we missed them a lot. Here are some of the fun things we did with the grandpa while he was here.

Grandpa treated us to dinner at Steak n' Shake

We didn't end up making it to the beach with grandpa, but we still ate cookout style. The kids liked the smores and cooking over the fire.

We blessed William and did lots of Father's blessings before Philip left.

We took a family picture that night.

Philip's dad took him to work to say goodbye. Then we spent some time doing something the kids would most want to do. That's right, Grandpa treated them to an evening at Chuck E. Cheese's. They loved it and even told me later that they wish I was as nice as him and would take them there again.

I kept my father-in-law up way too late talking his ear off. I love talking with and learning from my in-laws. That is what I miss most about not living with them any more.  I really enjoy the times we do get to visit with them. I am very blessed to have them as family and I am very happy my children have them for grandparents.

TIMBER!!!!!!

When Philip saw our house and yard for the first time we knew they were perfect for us. I loved having grown trees and looked forward to using them. However, as spring and summer came we realized that the large tree in the back back yard was indeed dead. It had already shed several large limbs and we worried about the danger of allowing play nearby it. So we decided it had to come down.

Philip was excited to fell the tree himself. He bought an axe and worked hard. He was determined to chop the tree down the "right" way and really loved the workout that came from digging that axe into the trunk of the tree. He would have just enough time to fell the tree before he was to be deployed.

All done with an axe.

However, he would not have time to process the tree once it was down. I was prepared for 9 months of not using the back back yard space and seeing a tree laying on the ground out there. Fortunately, that didn't have to happen after all.

Less than a week before Philip was scheduled to deploy there was a knock on the door. The young men of our church (12-18 year old boys) and a couple adult leaders were armed with tools and ready to work (one of the leaders had just come home from a trip and from what I can tell came almost straight over). And work they did! The tree was felled and processed into nice neat piles of different sized wood pieces in no time. They packed up and headed home without expecting any compensation for all of their hard work. What would have taken Philip hours or days to do on his own, was done so quickly. I would not have to worry about the tree in the back yard while he was gone.

I love my church for so many reasons. I love that no matter where I move to, I know I will be able to make friends and have an instant support system. I love that it is organized to include people to watch over each family. I love that I will always have a group of people who are like-minded and trustworthy. I am so grateful for these amazing boys and their willingness to serve. It touches my heart that there are people in the world today that are willing to give up their time to help others. I am grateful for the sense of community and love that the members of this church provide me. Thanks boys!

I made the boys some cookies to say thank you, but they all got eaten. I guess I will have to work on that again soon, tree shape sugar cookies maybe?

If you want to learn more about the church check out this site.

Sorry about the blurry pictures. I was holding William while taking them and was subconsciously bouncing.

Summer Is For Beach Play

A good friend told us about this beach area she found nearby. The best part, military gets in for free. We spent an afternoon there with them and cooked out. The kids loved the water. We really need to get them involved in swim lessons so I can be less worried about them playing in the water. In the meantime, we had lots of fun! We even stopped at the park after we were done at the beach.

Nater and Philip breaking the rules

He loved to lay in and try to drink the water

Digging in the sand.

Laying in the shade

Poor baby got a heat rash from being out and about.

Picture Perfect Blocks

When I saw these blocks at Goodwill, I knew I had to have them for pictures. We had to compromise some with the letters for our names, but I had fun doing a quick shoot. Johnathon loves knocking the blocks down, so I had to catch him before his name went tumbling. The girls had so much fun with the blocks and puzzle pieces.

And, of course, the fun carried over to their pretend play. I found them taking these pictures later in the week.

His Favorite Way To Take A Drink!

So refreshing!

Daddy Is A Rockstar!

The kids' love for listening to their dad play music develops early. William was fascinated the day he discovered that his dad is a rockstar.

Curiosity piqued

From William's perspective

I love these moments of bonding between my husband and my kids.

 

 

I also enjoy listening to my husband play music. But what makes him a star in my mind is his ability to put my kids to sleep so easily.

I love capturing moments like this!

Belly Button

I have never liked the umbilical cord stumps. Especially because my children have stubborn stumps that dangle from a single piece of skin for several days before it finally falls off. I am always so excited to see the belly buttons. So here we have, William's belly button.

cord stump

The day it fell off

All healed up