Recently...

It has been a busy and fun last couple of months kicking off the summer.  We started the season with a trip to Columbus to buy a pop-up camper (more on that later!) While we were there we visited the Columbus zoo where we got this sweet picture of me and my favorite little guy:   

Speaking of that handsome guy, he is becoming quite the ham lately, wouldn't you say?

He wrapped up his first-ever soccer season by scoring two goals in the last game and declaring himself the winner because he "had the most fun."  

Big throw-in:

Getting in there:

During an earlier game he played goalie.  That yellow night gown he is wearing is actually the mesh shirt that is worn by whichever player is goalie during that quarter.  The pose is because Coach John told him once when the ball was heading his direction to get his hands out and ready and, well...at least we don't have to worry about his listening skills :)

Everyone in our family loves being outside, especially Hayden, and we spend a lot of time out there every day!

The sand box is a new addition to the back deck and Avery loves to stand and watch while Hayden is playing.  

By the way...Avery is pulling up to a stand now!  She pulls herself up on anything she can reach and is getting very close to standing alone.  She recently started taking a few steps while holding on to our hands, so she may take her first steps soon!

She has been very slow transitioning to solid foods but is finally making some slow progress.  She can do cheerios and tiny pieces of strawberry and banana, as well as small pieces of muffins if we hand feed them to her.  Other than that she is still doing the jarred stuff, which she is not crazy about.  Makes meal time interesting!

More recently we made a trip down to Knoxville, Tennessee for a reunion of our small group bible study from high school.  Ten years ago Kevin and Cherise, the couple who had led the group moved away from Tampa and most of us have kept in touch over the years.  It may surprise some people that we all made such long trips- from Florida, Ohio, California and even Hawaii- but it truly was a uniquely special group.  Great friendships were forged and over the years Kevin and Cherise remained mentors but also became friends.  It was a wonderful time and we were so excited to see everyone again. 

Temperatures around here have been high 90's pretty consistently and even over 100 degrees at times.  Combine that with the stifling humidity and it makes us feel like we are back in Florida.  We are looking for ways to stay cool.  This past weekend we tried nearby Orchardly Park for the first time and loved it!  It had a splash area, a sand pit with a water table, awesome play ground equipment and just enough grassy area to play baseball.  We will be frequenting it this summer for sure!

So far, our summer has also included two family visits, one visit from an old friend, our first family camping trip, trips to the pool and back yard cook-outs.  Hayden starts t-ball next week and we are excited to have good friends from Mountain Home stop by the week after that.  It is shaping up to be a great summer!