Sum Sum Summertime!

The weather has been crazy around here. Lately it's either been storming or chilly.  But today was perfect and we took advantage of it.  We picked up Great Grandma Phyliss for a picnic at our favorite warm weather hang out.  Nana got off of work early and joined us too!  What an awesome way to spend a warm, summer day.

Great Grandma giving the boys a lift from the parking lot.  She will be 91 in August!

Nolan loving the water

Nolan

Nolan loving the fountains

Nash must not have eaten enough Chic-fil-A

Nolan is THIRSTY!

Nash and Nana taking a break

Team work

Nolan all dried off and ready for the playground

Nash keeping an eye on the playground

Nash

Bible School

Nash went to bible school last week and he had so much fun.  Each time we dropped him off or picked him up someone would come up to tell us how entertaining Nash had been and how much they enjoyed having him there.  On Sunday we went to his program to hear all of the songs he had learned..adorable!

Watermelon Man

I bought a watermelon on a whim the other day.  I have no idea how to tell which is a good watermelon and which is not but I must have done a good job.  The watermelon did not last long.  Scroll down to see why.

Nolan

What? The watermelon is gone!?

Ohhhhh!   Bellyache!  :0)

I love you Watermelon Man!!!

It's a bird, It's a plane...

Last weekend was the 25th Annual Quad City Air Show.  Jason was lucky enough to get a bunch of good tickets because he donated some equipment.  We joined some of our family and some of our friends for the big event.  The boys had a great time hanging out and watching the entertainment in the sky.

Nash playing with his airplanes

Nolan with our awesome neighbor Harlan

Uncle Will and Aunt Daniele

Nolan with our next door neighbors Trinity and Montana

 Side note:  Trinity and Montana (with their parents and sister Sophie) just built a house and will be moving a few miles away this month.   BOOOOOO!!!

Papa and Nash

Jason and Nolan

 I'm not sure how he did this but Nolan slept through the loudest part of the air show...the Blue Angels.

The Blue Angels

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to the AWESOME Dads in our lives!!!

Quick Trip to the Windy City

On Wednesday after I got off of work, Jason, Nash, Nolan, and I hustled over to Chicago to meet up with Grandpa Steve.  He arrived from California to speak at DePaul University so we had a little fun with him during his short stay in the midwest.  On Thursday we spent the morning at the Navy Pier Children's Museum and on Friday we got up early to get to the Shedd Aquarium.  We had to have Grandpa Steve back to the airport around 1:30 Friday afternoon so he could get back to the West Coast.  Even though it was a short visit, we had a ton of fun!  

Steve, Nash, Nolan and Jason

Nash and I digging for dino bones

Nolan and I fascinated by our dino bone digging tools

Nash, Jason and Nolan taking a break near Lake Michigan

Nolan and Nash watching the Beluga whale at the aquarium

Nash, Jason, Steve, and Nolan after visiting the Shedd Aquarium

Thanks for letting us join you in Chicago Steve!  See you again soon!

Start Your Engines!

Last weekend we were invited to a dirt track race with our friends, the Diercks.  The seven of us loaded into an RV and made the trip to the Eldora Speedway in Ohio.  The trip itself was an adventure and the race was fun too.

Nash and his new buddy Keegan

Nash looking for Lightning McQueen

Nolan entertaining himself at the track

Keegan (2), Nash (3), and Nolan (1)

Nolan behind the wheel

Jason taking the boys for a ride in the wagon

Thanks for the fun weekend Justin, Kelly and Keegan!

Dedication

After packing up the campsite early this morning, we all went home and got ready for the late service at church.  Our church doesn't do the traditional baptism that Jason and I both received as babies.  Our church practices baptism by immersion when a person is old enough to make a decision to receive Christ.  Jason did this in California when he was about 10 years old.  My mom and I were baptized out at our church property in 2007.  Since we don't have baptismal ceremonies for young kids in our church, parents dedicate their children. This consists of the church praying for the families and asking God to guide the parents in raising their children.  We also pray that these children choose to follow God when they are able to make that decision.

Pastor Tony leading a prayer for our family

Jason and I chose to do this with Nash and Nolan this morning, and the whole camping crew drug their tired bodies to church to witness it.  Thanks again Gang, that really means a lot to us!  The boys received their first children's bible story books.

Nolan and me

Me, Nolan, Nash, and Jason

The sermon today was called "Getting God: The Prayer Connection."  One of the verses caught my eye because it was directly related to my post about my Women of Faith weekend.
Timothy 2:13 (TLB)-Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, he remains faithful to us and will help us, for he cannot disown us who are part of himself, and he will always carry out his promises to us.

Roughing It

Well, for the most part.  We went camping this weekend...in a tent...among all of the motor homes and campers.  We had a blow up mattress but other than that, we pretty much roughed it.

Jason setting up our tent

Nolan and Nash help Papa put the tent up

The Gang relaxing at the campsite

On Friday four vehicles of family (Nana and Papa, Will and Daniele, Nini and Eggroll, and us) converged at Coralville Lake.  We checked the radar on our cell phones pretty frequently due to the weather forecast of scattered storms and I still do not know how we missed the rain.  Camping was one of the things we really wanted to do with the boys this summer...CHECK!  Nana and Papa towed the pontoon up so Saturday was filled with boating and playing on the beach.

Nini, Nash and Eggroll doing Nini's signature picture pose

Jason and Nash

Nolan sporting a fat lip after crashing on the gravel

Papa, Daniele, Will and Nana relaxing on the boat

Me, Nash and Nolan playing in the sand

Nash on a mission

Captain Nolan

Captain Nolan and First Mate Uncle Will

Me, Nolan, and Jason

 Thanks Gang for a fun weekend!