lake city daycation 2018

It's one of my favorite destinations. It's just an hour from our front door to the water. It's a glorious country drive to get there. And there is always a picnic, ice cream cones and blue water to enjoy. It's a day in Lake City.

This time my folks came along and pushed the kids on the swings, cut up food for Alden and generously payed for the ice cream cones and fried chicken. :) We loved our time together and feel so fortunate that we have grandparents close by for these special outings.

Hattie was overjoyed that she got her very own ice cream cone. She clarified that point many times before hand, "ice cream, me. ice cream, me." And though much of the ice cream ended up on her dress, it was still all her own.

Then we went to Lark Toys in Kellogg. It's such a great store. Of course the kids love it there, but I do too. It's got something for everyone and many of their toys are unwrapped to be played with as demo toys. So it is super fun for the kids. Ivar and his dad talked dragons for a long, long time.

We ended by attempting the carousel, but both of my girls panicked and had to get off the ride before it began. Still not sure what that was all about, but I thank the kind people who let us exit with flare before their ride began. We took it as a sign that it was time to head home for naps. But not before Grandma bought us all jelly beans. I love a good daycation!

worst july ever.

That's a joke. Very early in July Ivar informed us, very dramatically, that this was the worst July ever. He had his reasons. His first few days of July had been filled with 7-year-old disappointments to be sure, but it was a little much to call it the worst ever. But Rory and I took this phrase and used it often, as a joke, every time anything went sort of wrong the rest of the month. And it often served as a reminder that the month was actually quite awesome. But still. Worst. July. Ever.

I have so many pictures I never posted from this month, so here are a few (I still have Elsie's birthday and a trip to Lake City to post as well...) from The Worst July Ever.

We enjoyed our last Campfire and Communion with church friends and neighbors.

I milked our goat each morning which I found to be a great way to start the day!

Many hours have been logged in the rock box. Alden is delighted when the dump trucks are dumped.

I know I am their teacher, but sometimes the spelling is just so sweet...

Rory's cousins came from CA and MN. I told them, "You all have the same great grandma!"

Which is a really great thought. I hope my great grandkids gather together one day.

We spent so much time picking blueberries and raspberries. And making jam!

Mimi and Papa are always favorite visitors.

And more CA relatives! Special visits like this make us wish we all lived so much closer. 

We spent one evening at the local pool. And honestly, it was totally stressful.

Well, not for the kids. But for the parents watching the four kids...

The tent got set up a few times outside and a few times inside. Nothing is more exciting than a tent.

The Hoovers came to visit and Cora took to our Mary and Laura fort very quickly.

These two were delighted when I pulled these dresses out of the attic. (Hattie is on a step stool)

"Happy to be here" as always.

These two came out to watch me milk the goat.

Rory was sick in bed, so they got to come and eat popcorn while I filled the bucket.

Breakfast and a show I called it.

Hattie Helper. She can do it. By herself. All by herself. And totally two.

family bible camp

Friday night we got back from a full week of family time at Bible Camp. It was a great week and so good to be together. We celebrated my parent's and my aunt and uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversaries with relatives from Alaska, Kentucky, Washington, Missouri, Florida and Minnesota.

The topic of the week centered on servant leadership and how to lead your family. I believe Grandma and Grandpa Bredberg would have been very happy to see the family they led all together, swimming, golfing, singing, horse-shoeing, eating, fishing, laughing and playing. Family is the best.

I took the most random assortment of pics from the week. A few poorly lit ones of Ivar and Uncle Mark doing a puzzle together. A few from the Anniversary Party of the room before anyone arrived. Clearly I had other things going on and rarely picked up my camera. So I am so thankful for this gorgeous shot, taken by a fellow camper who is clearly a professional. What a gift to have such a great picture of so many of our family together!

And now we're home and I'm lonesome for this crew. It really is fun to be altogether, watching our kids play together, catching up, remembering and telling funny stories. My heart is so full when I look at this picture. Thank you God for Family.

A few favorite moments:
+The first morning of the adult session, the microphone came to my Aunt Jane, sitting alone in the back row. She said, "My name is Jane and I am actually related to all of those Caucasians sitting up there..." (Aunt Jane is from China)

+My cousin Michael signed up to dance in the talent show with his niece Audrey. He's 30-something and Audrey is 5. When they got up there Audrey froze and Michael danced all around her, leading her, getting her to move, and it was so, so sweet.

+My Uncle Ed who is older than 70 went down the huge slip and slide.

+I golfed in the golf scramble with my Uncle Ed, second cousin Nick and second cousin Greta. We listened to 40's music and it was one of my favorite moments of the week.

+There was an afternoon that I got on the inflatable cupcake and floated around by myself on the water for a very, very happy amount of time. It was so peaceful and I tried to pocket up that moment to help get me through the month of March.

Hay Day...Hooray!

Look at those SMALL SQUARE BALES! People, this is such a huge deal for us. Yesterday Rory was able to use our tractor and our neighbor's baler (our baler still has parts that are at the shop) and after some more generous time with our neighbor, he was able to bale half of our field into small bales. We were thrilled.

Here are the Peanut Butter Boys. They were so proud of their dad! Alden laughed a humming laugh while watching the tractors go back and forth. He LOVES tractors. Usually he has his little John Deere in his hand and holds it up in the air when the tractor goes by. 

Our incredible neighbor cut and raked the field again this round, and as payment got to bale half of the field for his own bales. It was pretty fun having both tractors going at the same time.

And then the fun really started. I got to drive the truck with Elsie next to me (babies were already asleep for the night) while Rory and Ivar lived the dream, lifting our own bales into our truck and hauling them into the barn. And in this moment I kept thinking, "we are making the happiest memory right now." It was such a stunning night, Rory was so relieved that he finally had small bales and Ivar transformed into a hard-working farm boy right in front of my eyes. He proudly flipped bales and said to me, "My body feels strong and tired at the same time." He rode in the back, sitting on the bales (we were very safe, Dad!) and was Rory's equal in enthusiasm that we had made another big step forward towards baling our own field. If we make progress at every cutting, we are moving forward. And we are! It's so much to learn. It's really hard work. But we are all giving it our best effort and growing every day. 

uncle kyle birthday dinner

Today Elsie is six! We have fun plans ahead, but she kicked it off right with a special date with Uncle Kyle last night.

Uncle Kyle takes all of this nieces and nephew's out for dinner for their birthday. It's such a special idea! Elsie chose to have a Culver's picnic and it was fun to hear some of their conversation. At the end of each birthday dinner, Uncle Kyle asks the kids if they have any questions for him and tells them he'll always be happy to give his best answer. Isn't that a cool idea? That open invitation will only get better as the kids get older. Though I think Elsie nailed it this year. He said, "so do you have any questions for me?" He later told me she didn't miss a beat, "Why are so many things made in China?"