Summer 2010 Update #1

I can't believe that it's been nearly a month since I've posted! I've been keeping so busy that I haven't been on the computer as much as I thought I'd be. Hopefully I'll get by to visit each of your blogs soon! :-) I've been able to some of the things that I was hoping to do this summer. I cleaned out both cattle pens. Just finished them yesterday while it was cool out and I can hardly move today! Good workout though ;-) I figured while I was having a hard time moving I'd catch you up on what we've been up to:

I've been watching my garden grow....

...and of course watering, weeding and cultivating with this thing that I got from my grandparents' house. (Sure beats hoeing the whole thing!)

Rich took up playing waterball with the fire department. First time playing and they took 1st place!

The kids went on their first boat ride at a friend of my mom's and loved it!

Rich got our hay off. (Morgan is riding with him here.)

I just love this sequence of pictures. Blake just couldn't wait until he could ride the tractor!!

We rode in the aerial in the Annual Michigan Firefighter Associations Conference parade. (Our county hosted it this year.) I took these of the kids while we were waiting.

After the parade, Rich and some fellow firefighter raised the flag on the ladder.

Then they had some fun and played more waterball :-)

The kids are loving climbing and playing in the freshly baled hay.

And just enjoying the sunny weather.

• I've been mowing lawn every week. I think Rich is missing it, but he's just way too busy. I have more respect for Rich taking the time to do it for all these years. It takes over 3 hours just to mow and trimming is a whole lot more!


• The kids and I have been helping with chores at night too. Morgan and Blake love it!! They especially love feeding the cat (which we have to wait until the chickens are roosting otherwise they'll scare the cat away and eat her food) and checking for eggs. (We somehow lost 1 more chicken and are now down to 3!)


• The kids also went to our town's fair with their grandparents and got to ride some rides, which was a first for them. (I'd share pics but they're on their grandma's phone.) Rich and I were collecting hay bales from the field, since we didn't have a wagon to stack on and missed going, but they brought us an elephant ear! Yum! ;-)


• I made it to visit a friend that I hadn't seen in over a year. (Yes-I'm loving having the truck!)


• Rich and I also made it to the drive-in and saw Shrek 4 and Ironman 2. Always love going to the drive-in!


• The kids, my parents and I went to our towns' pizza cook-off. Four businesses competed to be the best pizza in town. I of course quickly picked out the place we always go to and voted for them ;-) They also had games for the kids and it was a great time. And we made the paper:

• We went to the first music in the park for the season in the neighboring town and enjoyed some live music down by the lake. Always a nice time, though probably would have been better if the kids weren't tired and grouchy (long summer days lately!)

That's what's been going on here. Busy and loving it! I hope you are all enjoying your summer as well!! :-)