Weekend fun!

Here's another of the many funny pics of the girls!

 Mike had his 38th birthday on Saturday.  We decided to go to JB Dawson's for supper to celebrate.  We invited Matt and Lena and the boys to come along.  It was a blast! 

 Ashlyn and Hunter wore birthday hats!  :)

  Mike loves seared tuna and shrimp!  That's what he enjoyed!  Ashlyn loves corn on the cob and she really loved her food too!!!  :)

 The waitress gave Mike an ice cream sundae and it had a big fire cracker in it! 

 

Mike had a great day and enjoyed his birthday!!!  Happy Birthday, Babe!!!

 

 On Sunday, my family had lunch down at dad's.  Mom and Dad are back from out west and it was good gathering at their house and being together.  Mim and I are both due soon and so we had to get a picture of us together!!!  I'm happy to say that I will deliver first!!!  :)))  It will be fun to see our babies grow up together and be great friends!!!

Let the project begin!!!

The township called Mike on Friday and said that our permit is on it's way!  We can start with any remodel work!  We are excited and Mike has his long list of contacts now to call!  Let the project, journey and craziness begin!

Let me remind you that baby's due date is right around the corner too!  Focusing on the whole project, new baby, packing up the house and moving out does look overwhelming but if I take one day at a time leaning on Jesus and be excited in every step ... it will get me/us through it!  :)

Last night, Mike brought home the skid loader and started with pulling out some shrubs around the house!  Matthew can't wait for demolition day, so this excited him.  Ashlyn wondered what was all going on and even though she's been told over and over about house project ... actually getting to the job brought more explaining.  Hadassah helped me work around the boys and their 'toys' as we pulled weeds, mowed the yard and she carried many shrub branches out back! 

Take a look ...

Here's the house now.

 

Mike came with the skid loader.

 

 Mike had ear plugs so Ashlyn wanted something for her ears too.  :)  His Bose head phones worked!

Mike kept throwing a tennis ball or Frisbee at me while I worked around him.  :) 

 

 

 

 Working it!!!

Doing any type of outside work is 'work' for me at this stage!  The mower job is my pick!  :)

 

The camera person was sure to get this very pregnant momma on some pics.  :)  I was so dirty till the work was all done!  Baby inside didn't seem to mind the extra exercise until I was relaxing on the couch.  I'm telling you, I have a lot, a lot movement with this baby but last night was the record breaker!  It was so much that we even took a video of it!  It felt like baby was doing cartwheels inside of me.  My belly looks like it too!!!  One kick after the next.  Then a stretch.  I could tell where the leg kicked, then the arm, then the hands and then butt.  Crazy!!!  The kids all laughed as they watched uncomfortable mom try to take it all in stride.  When I laid down to sleep, baby calmed down!!!  We can't wait to hold this baby in our arms!  I can't wait to share these precious kicks and movements with the rest of the family!

I ended the work night in the garden.  I picked a another big bunch of string beans.  Weeds were pulled ... again.  Thanks to Toms for comforting me after all that bending over.  My red beets are going to be ready for harvest soon!  Peppers and tomatoes are hanging and ripening.  The sunflowers are ready to burst in the next few weeks!

Ripping out bushes and trying to keep the yard in nice condition will be a joke.  Hadassah came up to me after I was done mowing and said, "Daddy is just driving in the yard with the skid loader and messing up your nice mowed yard."  I know!  What can I do about it?  Even though the grass is really nice and green and lush right now, the house project has begun.  I need to put all 'prettiness' aside and get ready for the dirt!!!

Summer memories are being made!!!

Summer is in full swing for our family!  I have some random pictures to share here.

 

The garden is giving us beautiful green beans right now.  Ashlyn is our little gardener and loves to help pull the weeds, pick the veggies and eat the goodness from it!!!  One day I would love to have her own little raised bed with her choice of veggies growing in it because it's so her thing!  The other day she came skipping out to the garden with her small pink bag swung across her shoulder.  She went right to the green beans and started picking them.  She loves to eat these raw and cooked!  I can't get over how this girl loves veggies.  I don't have a clue how her and her brother can be so different with their food selections!?!?  :/

 

We are getting the pools days in!  Its what we love to do during the summer months.

Matthew had his ball tournament and his last seasonal game last week.  The Rockies played great in both events!  They finished first in the season too!!!  Way to go boys!!!

They had a double header to finish out the season.  They all got a trophy!  Proud boys!

Hannah and Ashlyn love to play together while their brothers play ball!!!

 Thanks to Reuben for being a great coach!!!

 

Going to the local public pool brings many friends to swim with!  Swimming with cousins is always a blast!!!

Ashlyn likes her puddle jumper!  She goes in the deep pool by herself and swims and swims.  It gives her lots of time to swim with Hadassah and Matthew!

We are counting down the maternity doctor visits!!!!  Yeah!!!  I am at week 38!!!  I treated myself to a decaf Cinnamon Dulce from Starbucks!  My favorite!!!  We are so blessed to have one visit after the next with good updates!  Baby's heart rate this week was 140.  Measuring right on but feeling enormous!  :)  Lot's of movement and with surgery date scheduled, it won't be much longer before we will be holding and loving on baby dear!!!

I have a gigantic meadow tea patch!  It's way high from all the rain showers we've been having!  Brewing meadow tea leaves gives the house a wonderful smell!!!  The kids love the drink and I am looking forwards to enjoying some myself once baby is born!  I've not been feeling the best after I drink it and hoping that my digestive system calms down a lot after baby is born!  I try really hard to think and be grateful for all the foods that I do feel good with eating and not the ones I avoid.  My list is rather long to avoid and I'm ready to think of options when we eat out!  Or when I cook for my family here at home.  Anyway, if you need some tea, come around!  You can cut some to brew or take some roots to start your own patch!

Matthew and Ashlyn love to watch Wild Crats on the iPad.

 

We had Bible School at church this week.  Hadassah and Jendaya ended up with cupcake icing on their faces!  We all enjoyed the nights we were there!  We were challenged with "A heart that seeks after God!"  Treasuring the things that God would have us to treasure!  Unload the burdens that God would not have us to bear and pick up the spiritual burdens for things for God!  Making time everyday to have a: quiet place, hour and heart. 

 

 

I'm always amazed at some of the pictures taken on my phone from the kids.  Hadassah takes lots of funny selfie pics.  I thought this one was worth sharing!  We love summer!  :)

Mike played in a tournament this weekend.  The Titans played well but not their very best.  They were put out last night.  We were all dirty and in need for our beds when we got home late last night.  Today the tournament finishes up in the rain.  They tried to keep the games rolling yesterday knowing the forecast was saying rain, rain, rain all day today.  Mike and Matthew love to hang out together at these events! 

Mike also has a birthday today!!!  We love to celebrate birthdays here in this family!  We are going to find a fun treat for us to together!  Happy birthday Mike!!!  I love you so much!!! 

Also, we were so happy to receive that long waited for phone call from the township yesterday!!!  Our house permit is ready to be picked up early next week!!!  So, let the journey begin with having a baby soon, packing and moving out of our house when renovations begin and still keeping up with fun summer activities!!!  God knows how it will all work out and getting stressed will not help one bit!!!  One day at a time!  We are excited!!!  Thank you Lord!