Grandkids

The grandkids all laid out in their sleeping bags on the basement floor to watch a movie one night.

The grandparents and grandkids trying to get their annual picture...

Fishing

The kids were fascinated with the fishing Uncle Jamie was doing. You could see the little fish come right up to the line and take the bait.

Rylie and mommy needed uncle Jamie to help get our fish off the line...



...but Jessica didn't need any help!

More pics

I'm going to have to put a gate around the new baby when Rylie's around! She can't keep her hands off babies. This is one of the many hugs she gave her cousin Emily. She kept trying to take her from me!

Rylie found Grandpa's hat, too.

Grandma!

Rylie was super excited when Grandma got to the lake. Rylie was having fun with Grandma's hat; then she made Grandma take off her shoes and put on a life jacket so that she would be ready to go!

Swimming

Here some pictures of the family swimming. I asked Jordan what her favorite part of the day was, and she exclaimed, "Swimming by myself with the noodle!" I didn't get any pictures of that because I was in the water, too, but she went from being pretty timid and holding on tight to someone (mostly Lorie!) to holding on to the noodle all by herself! I am quite proud of my little girl, who started out last summer scared to death of getting in any kind of water.

Lake Vacation, at the Lake

We spent most of Saturday at Shari's parent's house on the dock swimming. The girls, especially Jordan, had a really fun time. Here are some pictures of the girls in the kiddie pool and me trying to get in on the fun.

Lake Vacation, Day 1 for real

I forgot that the cave was not the first day. Oops. The first day, we spent the morning at the outlet mall. We get Jordan a new pair of shoes there every year. During lunch, Jordan told everyone that the baby makes mommy sick and tired...and angry. Oh, I can't wait till these pregnancy symptoms are not so negative!

Below are some pictures of us eating at a restaurant on the Lake.

Someone who is a messier eater than Rylie...

The kids danced around to the live music. I have some video of Jordan and Fallyn dancing together, but I can't get it to upload on the blog.

Lake Vacation 2011, Day 1

We just got back from our annual vacation at the Lake of the Ozarks with my side of the family. My brother, James, and his wife, Shari, graciously host us every year and we're so thankful! This year, Justin couldn't make it, so it was just us girls. Thankfully, they did great in the car both ways! These first pictures are of Jordan, Rylie, and me venturing out to explore what the lake area had to offer. First, we stopped at a huge barn that was a souvenir shop. I told Jordan she could pick out whatever she wanted, as long as I approved of it. She picked out these cute little miner's hats, which I thought was perfect, since we were going to go to a cave.

And, Jordan insisted on wearing her hat in the cave...and she did, the whole way through!

After the cave, we bought a few snacks and a bag full of sand from the gift store. We learned how to wash the sand away to find the hidden gems inside. Rylie picked out her gems and tossed them into the rushing water, never to be seen again.

Happy Father's Day to My Dad

Happy Father's Day, Dad! I wish I had a picture handy of us together from back in the day that I could post, but I can't find one. I started thinking about some of my favorite memories of getting to be your daughter, and some that aren't so great, but were real life lessons for me:

*Dad, you may come across gruff sometimes, but you've got a really soft heart. I think I got my love for living things from you. You let me bring home any animal I found. You truly care for your own animals, too, probably more than a "true" farmer should! Taking care of bottle calves, show calves, rabbits, dogs, cats, horses, goats, etc. was a huge part of growing up for me.

*You made it to most of my ball games, even though you can't stand sports! You and Mom were my biggest fans.

*I treasure the bedtime stories you read to us kids every night before bed.

*I think mine and your "love language" is quality time. I enjoyed (most of the time) going to check cows with you, even though you didn't really need anyone to come along.

*When I had just turned 19 and a boy from college drove down to take me out over a weekend and you put your foot down. You said I was deliberately disobeying you, but I went anyway. About 30? miles down the road, the boy's truck broke down and I had to humbly call you to come rescue us. You brought your farm truck and towed us all the way home. I forgot to mention that it was well below freezing out!

*Thanks for never expecting less from us than the best.

I love you, Dad!

Happy Father's Day!

The kids wanted to wish their Daddy a very special Father's Day! They have the best daddy ever! A daddy that loves to play and have fun, but is also serious when it comes to matters of the heart.

Rylie's favorite expressions for Daddy:

*"I Love You!"

*"Jesus loves you"

*"Daddy, come and get me!" (as she's running away for Justin to chase her)

The most common things Jordan says to Daddy:

*"I love you!"

*"Ask Daddy to come lay with me and leave the door open" (said at bedtime after I tuck her in, Justin will come and pray with her and tell her a bedtime story)

*"Can I play your iTouch?"

And this little one can't really say much, but I'm pretty sure this little peanut is going to love Daddy just as much as the other two already do! Our third baby is due in January!