Ollie got to swim at Jacob's Dad's house and really enjoyed swimming with Jacob's little brother too!
We played quite a few board games.
This is Life
It asks you to do some silly things in this newer version.
The boys were having a dance off of some kind. :)
We had our friends Jayson and Nikki over for a night
Took Tim and his buddies with our family to Hampton beach to meet up with the Hahns
James and Aaron
Took my kids and Anna to whale watch from Gloucester
Long day but very memorable! We left early and came home pretty late
Waiting for the boat to dock
We got some great seats! The early morning boat has much more room than the afternoon boat
Our first whale sighting
Visiting Rockport, MA for ice cream
We happened to drive through Topsfield on our way home, and I've never seen the Smith Homestead and graveyard, so we made a 3 minute detour to see it!
Ollie made puff pastry and jam for us
Jacob came to play!
Cora had a swim play date with some of her buddies!
Scott got the rock wall in to mark our property line on the north side. For some reason this line was never marked. The whole family "harvested" rock from a neighbors house about 10 times to collect extra rock. Plus, we piled up as much from our property as we could. Scott got the area cleared and it stacked up nicely. The boys helped too!
It was a family project from Spring to late summer. I'm relieved that it's marked now.
There was, unfortunately, some confusion as to where our property ended the previous season.
Now I can garden in my yard without concern.
Ollie and Mason
Cora and Anna
I tried to make homemade crackers from sourdough starter and rosemary. Tasty, but not the right consistency yet!
We found the COOLEST rope swing with Amber Gobron and Tara Hahn and families
Tim finally used his certificate to go indoor skydiving that he got from Mike and Baerbel for his birthday!
We had a mouse break our A/C Condenser. Ugh! Built a nest right in our unit.
Luckily we have a second unit that runs in the kitchen/living room area. There was a week of hot bedrooms though. Cora and Aaron run hot, so they slept in the living room and nook for a good week.
We really went after making a garden this year. The Rhubarb plants were amazing huge!
Lots of insects and creatures are enjoying the garden
We have a new sport at our house. Paintball!
Cora is still walking Curtis. He is getting older though.
Isn't as excited to get out there as he used to be. He has some good days, but some days, he's hurting and just gets out for a small walk around.
Met up with the Nielson's and Bells for Rope swing and swimming at Wildcat Falls
Scott fixed the A/C! Amazing!
He was able to rewire and fix it! Hurray!
Parkers birthday party at Extreme Craze-
Ollie loved the Laser Tag and Arcade!
Ollie, Cora and I took a spontaneous trip down to Cape Cod.
Plymouth, MA
Mayflower replica
There's our ancestor Peregrine White!
At Plymouth Rock
A monument to the strong women who made settlement here possible
Camping at Nickerson State Park
This was the first time I think that I have ever taken the kids camping by myself.
It was warm, which was nice.
It was Cora's idea that we bike on Cape cod this summer. So, we made it happen. We biked to this cafe for breakfast "Hole in One Cafe" was a hit!
We biked all the way to Coast Guard Beach.
Ollie and I were on the e-bike and Cora did it with no power! What a girl!
We had donuts at Coast Guard Beach that I sneaked from the Hole in One Cafe.
The biking back was very far, so I let the kids hang at the visitors center while I biked back quickly on the e-bike and grabbed the car. They were happy to watch a movie and skip the bike ride back. :)
A fairy house
John Lothrop's Bible
I had been wanting to visit this library with the Lothrop Bible for years.
We finally saw it in Barnstable on our way home!
Ollie is pretending to be old because this is the OLDEST remaining structure in the US where church services were first held!
We stopped by the Peregrine White Homestead on our way home! It's just north of Plymouth, MA
It's a residence, and they do do tours but only on Sundays, so we just saw from the outside.
The Wall extending ALL the way from marker to marker!
Cleome that I got from my friend, Brian, finally grew!
Trying to sort my recipes. I find that recipes and cooking are very much a significant part of social life for women. As I peruse my cookbooks, I realize that it's a sacred part of my life.
Similar to looking at photo albums and journals, it brings to remembrance many friendships..... and consecrated effort & sacrifice.
It reminds me of all the women in my life who have touched me and shared with me.
These recipes are a HUGE part of my life. I've spent a significant portion of my time concerned about providing healthy food to my family and until you lay it all out and look it over, you don't even realize how much investment and time and energy has gone into it all and how important it STILL is.
Cora was invited to attend the LARGEST BOUNCY HOUSE IN THE WORLD with Anna in Portland Maine.
This was an illustration that Oliver did during a talk given at church by brother Brian Walters.
Scott has been teaching Tim and others a missionary preparation class.
These are his notes from his mission to study and record scriptures about various topics to share with those he taught.
Aaron has his first "accident" Could have been much worse! :)
Driving a stick out of the garage is tough, and this staircase got in the way a bit. :)
The Mt. Washington Sundae at Jaygees!
Our whole family shared this monstrosity for family night with friends!
We went back AGAIN to the rope swing with some of Aaron's stake friends.
It was a bit colder, but still so much fun!
Cora and I continue to feed the farm animals on Lowell Rd each Tuesday.
Cora's friend, Anna, also started working there on Wednesdays. Great job!
Unfortunately, our friend, Brenda who trained us so kindly, passed away in August after a years long battle with brain cancer. We will miss her. Her husband and son will continue to work the small farm.
Tim at Cross Country Camp
Tim's last summer at Camp Calumet with his cross country team
He's worked so hard this summer training. I was so impressed with him!
He woke up every morning and went for a run....every single day!
He's really grown as a runner this year and has hit some new personal records in his meets!
All of the kids continue to grow so fast. I was grateful for this wonderful summer where we spent a lot of time together and made memories together!
