July 4th

We LOVE where we live! We took in the Montgomery Parade on the 4th of July and had a great time at the party in the park afterward, too. Perfect day--even cool outside. (Unheard of around here in July!) We had a really fun day together as a family before packing up the car and heading south for vacation the next morning.

My Trip Out West

 

To celebrate my mom's big birthday (I won't say which one!) my sisters and I took her to the Grand Canyon just recently. This was one of the places (if not the one place) mom has always wanted to visit and until now she hasn't ever had the opportunity or company to do so. So, enter the three of us. And with a lot of careful planning from Laura we made it happen. Brett was awesome about letting me go and the girls (of course) did great while I was gone. They were busy with friends and family, doing all kinds of fun things here. I did make a simple calendar, of sorts, to help keep track of the time while I was gone. They had some cut-out shapes to put up on each day I was away and I filled in what I knew of the plans for each day as well.

Sedona, AZ

Our first stop out west was Sedona, Arizona, where we stayed at Enchantment Resort for two nights. The resort was surrounded by gorgeous red rocks and our stay there was all about relaxing and enjoying a leisurely pace of life. It was quite wonderful! We did some short hikes and the rest of the time we ate delicious food and hung out together at the pool playing cards or reading.

Grand Canyon

We had a great stay in Sedona but of course we left for the main event of our trip: visiting the Grand Canyon. It was every bit as overwhelming and amazing as you read or hear about, and yet pictures don't do it justice. The top picture was taken when we first arrived at the South Rim of the Canyon. We went to a lookout point for our first view...breath- taking! Then we checked into our cabin where we stayed for the next two nights (middle picture) and the next morning we woke up to the view in the third picture. And yes, you are seeing that correctly. Our cabin was just steps from the rim of the Canyon and we had a front row seat to a spectacular sunrise. Almost too beautiful to describe!

More Canyon

It really is an unbelievable sight. The first morning we did a hike along the South Rim, stopped at a small museum along the way, and later took in a beautiful sunset (last photo). Dinner was at El Tovar our first evening there, which is an important piece of history in learning about the beginning of the Grand Canyon as a national park and tourist attraction in the early 1900's. The time we spent at the Grand Canyon was so worth it and so memorable. I am so thankful for the chance I had to spend time there with my mom and sisters. And I cannot wait to take Brett and the girls so they can experience the same magnitude and beauty of God's creation when they take in the Grand Canyon for the first time themselves.

VBS

Corinne just finished a week of Vacation Bible School at our church and she had a blast! Because it is a big outreach opportunity for our church around 500 kids attended each night. The kids sang in church for two of our services this morning and Corinne loved that, too. One of the things that VBS does each year is raise money to give to a ministry, charity or organization. The kids are encouraged to do chores or get creative with how they can raise money for this offering. This year VBS chose Operation Give Back, an organization right here in our community that provides help to struggling families, not just financially but through a huge school supply drive, a Christmas store, ongoing tutoring help for kids, and more help throughout the year. So all on her own Corinne decided she wanted to have a lemonade stand and her goal was to raise $15. During the course of the afternoon she raised $18.50, thanks to generous strangers and neighbors! She took all of that money to VBS to give for the offering that went to Operation Give Back. What a great opportunity for her and what a worthy cause! Lots more blessings came out of VBS this week, and we can't wait for E and S to also participate next year. In fact, Brett and I are feeling led to also volunteer!

What a Dad!

The girls and I had a few plans up our sleeves for Father's Day. But the one they were most excited about was surprising Brett with breakfast in bed! We made him a Belgian waffle on our "special plate" and served him breakfast, cards, and even a new UC hat. A homeade banner awaited him when we finally all made it downstairs. And that was just the beginning of celebrating the special fathers in our lives today. We packed a lot in this Father's Day and we are thankful for what they each mean to us.

Around Town

We had lots of fun while Aunt M was here. We made it to Washington Park one morning and the girls loved playing there! Marcey also took each of the girls on a "date" for some special time. This included ice cream (!) and various other purchases that I have a feeling the girls talked Aunt Marce into. (I think she will be prepared for next time...) That's E in the top photo and S on the bottom one.

Butterflies from Costa Rica

One of the things we did while Aunt M was in town was check out the annual Butterfly Show at Krohn Conservatory. Mom met us there, too, and some friends also ended up joining us! It was slow going at first as we watched all the butterflies land everywhere but on us. But pretty soon we had a few friends land on our paper or on our clothes. One or two butterflies even let us pass them around! These butterflies from Costa Rica ended up being pretty friendly afterall.

Beautiful Dancers

All three girls had their dance recital while Aunt Marcey was in town for a visit! We loved watching Ellen, Sophie, and Corinne dance on stage (and sing, too). They performed beautifully and the whole program was really well done. I was a "stage mom" for Ellen and Sophie's class, which meant I sat with them through Act 1 and then entertained them backstage for Act 2 before and after their dance. Ask me later for some funny stories about that! Aren't they looking grown up?