Yeah, I make jam in my spare time. That's what's up.

As summer is winding down, I can't help but think about how miserable Nebraska winters are. Talk about depressing. I have forgotten what it is like to wear pants. (Like long pants, not pants in general. I usually do a pretty good job of remembering to put them on for the day.) Unbelievably, I think that I have a lot of laundry now, but just wait until we are all wearing 38 layers of clothing every. single. day.  Ok, it's official. I'm just going to hibernate all winter long. I'll board up the doors and just wait and pray for spring. Yeah, that should be realistic...

4th of July: It's tradition for us to camp in Stockham over 4th of July weekend, but it has started to die over the years for two reasons. #1 The older people that used to camp got, well.....older. And #2 The young people that used to camp had babies.  So we did end up pitching a tent and we stayed in it one night. We chose to leave Trevin inside in a pac-n-play, instead of in the 2-man tent with James and I. That would have been miserable. Anyways, it was a fun weekend just doing nothing. 

So below is Trevin's hilarious trademark face. He started doing this last month and I can't help but laugh every time he does it. We figured out that Ashton and James both make that face to him without realizing it and now he has picked up on it. He has also learned that if he makes this face, he will get everyone to laugh, so he keeps doing it, over and over and over again. I almost get embarrassed when we go out in public and he does it, because I have to explain to people that he is normal. At least as normal as any of my offspring can be.

Stockham had their fireworks show on the 4th and we decided not to let Trevin stay up to watch them that night. Which ended up being a good decision. My sista and brother-in-law, Brooke and Joey, have a huge party every year for the 4th. This year was no different, except for the fact that they got a band!  It was awesome and the fireworks display was one of the best ones I have ever seen or probably will ever see in the future. So incredible. We let Trevin stay up that night and he actually sat with me to watch them! AND he fell asleep in my arms! WHAT?! I know. Forgive his "deer in the headlights" look, the flash was bright. :) 

Trevin was sharing a dance with Grandpa and Grandma! I don't think they minded him cutting in. 

James' sister, Gracia, was back visiting for 4ish days. We loved our time seeing her and realize just how much more we miss her every time she comes back. We were able to have a card night playing games with a bunch of friends, and then had a family afternoon of visiting. And you know what? I failed. I completely failed. I didn't snap a single photo. What was I thinking????????? I have NO idea why I am so scatter-brained sometimes, but it's not ok. Maybe we will just have to go visit her this winter and make up for it. :) 

There's something you need to know about James. He takes a good picture, A good picture out of 20. Unfortunately when we attempted these photos, we only took 19...We missed the winner. He closes his eyes in more pictures than Trevin and I combined. Or he talks, for example, above. I am starting to get more comfortable with photoshop and I actually attempted to photoshop a smile from another picture into this one. He looked so disfigured it was nuts. He told me not to show anyone that picture, and I think I'm ok with that. :) But anyhow, it's whatever. I'll love him anyways! 

In other news, we had our 2nd anniversary! Whoot whoot! I just love him. That's about all I can say. What a great man God has blessed me with. Have you ever eaten at Honest Abe's in Lincoln? Because you need to. It's an awesome burger joint that just opened last year. James and I stumbled on it and were so impressed with the food. (I promise this is relevant.) When James asked me where I wanted to eat for our anniversary, I responded, "Would it be weird if I said Honest Abe's?" So it was a date. I still wanted to wear my new dress, so we dressed up anyways. We went to see a movie, grabbed ice cream, and stayed at a hotel. That's all the details you need....

So my dentist retired. No one really likes going to the dentist, but going to a new dentist is even worse. There's so much pressure riding on the bacteria in your mouth. James has a different dentist than I did. In Omaha. I never understood why they have gone all the way to Omaha for so many years. Somehow he got me talked into it. (The fact that we get to make a trip to Omaha every 6 months and do some shopping, may have been a factor.) As soon as we walked into the office, I felt like I was famous. (Remember, I had never met any of these people before.) They knew my name. (Well I had an appt, so that was obvious.) They knew Trevin. They had a picture of Trevin (from Grandma, of course! :) )  Each and every worker came and introduced themselves to me.  It was like they had been waiting to meet me and the day was finally there. And they knew more about my life than my last dentist did (after seeing me for many years.) I realized why James and his family continue to go there. Paul and Dori (James' parents) have been going there for many years (I think over 30, if I remember correctly.) So now, they're like family to the entire office. They were so welcoming and kind. I can't wait to go back. Kind of. So while I was there, we decided to have my wisdom teeth pulled. I'm scheduled for early December, but I may change it to January, just because I don't really want to do it. And how am I supposed to enjoy the Christmas season with big holes in my mouth? Getting teeth pulled sounds horrendous. Yikes. 

So, since we were headed to Omaha for our appointment, we decided to take Trevin to the Zoo while we were there. 

I wish I could tell you that the "creatures" below are fake, but frighteningly enough, they are real. As real as you and me. If that doesn't give you the shivers, I don't know what would. 

We only had about an hour and a half for the zoo, which isn't nearly enough, but it was about the limit for Trevin, so it worked out nicely. He liked the fish and the aquarium the best.

Staring at the giraffes. 

Trevin now gives hugs and kisses (on his terms.) I love it. He is also becoming quite the parrot. Repeating things constantly (and not always when I want him to....) His little voice cracks me up. I don't know how my brain will handle it when I actually have to process all of the things he says. I think we're going to have a jabber-box on our hands. 

Random fact: It's BBQ weekend!!!! Can't wait for the festivities to begin tomorrow night in Stockham! Glow-golf, dinner, dance, and much laughter, I'm sure! 

Now's the time where you get really impressed. I made jam. 29 jars of it to be exact. Strawberry-rhubarb, raspberry, and apricot. Every single can sealed. It was a miracle. And now we are stocked up for the year! At least now I have one cool house-wife skill!

We were lucky enough to spend a weekend with some good friends. We were "roughing it." Serious. No electricity, no running water. It was rough. We had so much fun four-wheeling on trails, swimming in the pond, kayaking, and sitting around the camp fire. Oh and shooting guns of course. 

I forgot a big knife to cut the watermelon, so I used James' K-Bar. Hey, it worked!

Love these girls! Yockey's, Held's, and Huenefeld's. What a rowdy bunch! 

One thing we've learned in the last few weeks, Trevin loves sweet corn off the cob. We processed sweet corn last week, (a huge process that James' family has seem to perfected.) We took home 50 bags of corn, enough to last us for the year. Trevin played all day, grabbing another cob out of the tank at every chance he got. I think he had 6 by the end of the day. Sooo, that's not good. 

Trevin has also helps Daddy irrigate from time to time.

And he's always helpful in the garden!

Watermelon is a huge hit, as well!

So I am lucky enough to be taking Ashton's senior pictures. She is stunning and I've had a blast doing them. I'm going to attempt a photographer's blog post, by not talking (or writing), but just letting you enjoy the pictures. Believe me, that won't be easy for me to do. 

Ok, so I'm already interrupting, but check out those freckles!!!

If you recognize this truck as being yours, please accept my thanks for letting us use it. So much thrill in not having permission. EEEKK! (But seriously, trespassing isn't cool.) 

I'm not even close to having them all edited, and we still have more to take! 

James likes to give me a hard time when I'm blogging. I usually have the computer, camera (to upload pictures) and my phone by my side. I also can't carry on a conversation with him when I'm typing. So when I was trying to finish up the post, he brought me the kindle, his phone, the remote, and put the ear muffs on me. He thought it was funny, but I'll be honest with you; that was some of the most productive blogging I've ever done. ;)












Monkeying around, growing on the farm...

Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey June...

June was a blur. So much, just so much. One week of VBS, 2 weeks of CRC day camp, 3 weddings, a bake sale, a pregnancy celebration for a friend, Father's Day, babysitting, painted the entryway, hosted a progressive supper, gardening, surprise trip to Lincoln with the nephews, many parties to attend, and a lengthy To Do list for CRC. Oh did I mention that I like to see my husband and son, too? I know that I'm just going on and on about being busy, but people, hear me out. This was one of the craziest months of my life. MY LIFE. Yeah. But every second was ridiculously memorable. 

I helped in the kitchen and took pictures for our VBS early in June. It was an incredible week with close to 100 kids attending. It was knight themed, and overall was just a smooth, fun, and exhausting week. Take a look.

We got the first 2 cuttings of hay already. James has been trying to finish putting in pivot wires for other farmers; he's done over 70 this year. Considering he did around 30 last year, he's been swamped. Irrigating has also started, leaving us chained to the farm all the time. The corn and beans are looking awesome, and I think we are harvesting wheat this week. I'm really trying to keep caught up with the farm agenda. Truth is, it's summer and the days of seeing James have mostly come to a halt. He does surprise me every now and then by taking off an evening for supper, or coming home a couple hours early so we can attend an event together. And for that, I am grateful. 

 Ok confession time. I feel like we've been friends long enough that I can trust that you won't judge me after I admit this. Seriously, prepare yourself to love like Jesus. Here it goes... I don't cook. There, I said it. Now you are all thinking, "Oh surely you do. You're just being too hard on yourself, silly!" You don't understand. I don't. My good friends Paige and Jill (SHOUT OUT!) once asked me what we eat if I don't ever cook, thinking that I was exaggerating. I thought for a second and replied, "Well, I guess we eat a lot of eggs." It's true. We do. They still give me a hard time for that. Really though, eggs are good and easy and healthy. C'mon folks, eggs are a super food. We grill fairly often and do sandwiches way too much, so I don't really know if that counts. But back to cooking, I just don't really enjoy it. You see, my mom is a rockstar. She makes pies in her sleep, that's not even a joke. She will go to bed (at 2 AM!) while they are in the oven, and she'll wake up to the timer and take them out and make them look pretty. This weekend, yes 4th of July weekend, she is making 40 pies for a 2-day trap shoot. That wasn't a typo, I said 40! So you'll understand when I say that helping with pies or supper kind of became a chore for Ashton and I. That would be part of our responsibility was to help out with that. (Not saying I did a good job or was always the best help. Or any help, for that matter.) So when you think about it, it makes sense. Not many people enjoy taking out the trash or doing the dishes, am I right? Anyways, I did pretty good cooking meals in May, I was fresh out of college, motivated, and energized. Now I'm busy, burn out, and totally over that. Sorry about it. Most of all, sorry James. 

 Cousin Conlen came to play. They had a great time splashing in the pool, it was a little chilly that day to actually swim, but we had fun!

 Father's Day!

 This is cousin Jackson, and he has a stink eye that could kill. I've captured a glimpse of it here, but don't look directly into his eyes. I take no responsibility for any harm that comes from this; you've been warned. 

 They had a good time playing, and actually seemed to get a long most of the time. 

Sometimes we get so dirty outside that we take a bath in the utility sink. Hey, it works!

And check out that hair!!!! It curls so nice in the back that it doesn't seem that long, but when it's wet....It's a total mullet. What a stud. 

And then it was June 25th. We showed up at the boys' house to take them on an adventure. This was their faces when we got in the car. :) They had zero idea as to where we were going or what we were doing. 

They read the sign on the Lincoln Children's Museum and were excited, but I don't think they knew how much fun they were going to have. 

If you've never been, you have got to go. But you should probably find a child to go with. They might have to keep an eye on you if you show up alone to watch other children. 

 Scott made use of the face painting Q-tips. "What, I'm just cleaning out my ears!" 

Notice, above, the boy behind Scott. He has his face painted as a goatee and drew on some hefty eye brows. He came walking up to us as at this station and I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I genuinely thought he was a midget man. Totally creeped out that he would come up to us and watch us like that, but then I realized it was just a child posing as a man. False alarm, everybody. 

Mug shot!  

Apparently it was a big day for Ashton, went to jail and had a baby! Posting bail and having delivery charges...whew that's rough on the bank account. 

We stopped at Five Guys for lunch. They loved it. 

And for the finale, we went laser tagging. Definitely the highlight of the day. We all had so much fun. It was Scott and Billy's first time, and I think we could have gone for hours. We played for 1/2 hour, four 6 minute sessions with breaks in between. The first 2 sessions it was just the four of us. For the last 2 sessions, two other girls joined in the game. They were maybe 12 or 13. We ganged up on them and crushed them. It was heroic. The last game we played free-for-all, I didn't want those girls to leave crying. Overall it was such a great day. I'm not sure who had more fun, Scott and Billy, or Ashton and I. 

Trevin is doing things all the time. He doesn't slow down. I see other mommy's cuddle with their children on their lap for multiple minutes, and I think to myself, "Why not me?!" Nope we just play chase. Which is great. But. Ok the first hour is great, but it's the next 23 that get me.  

So he's been doing sign language for "please." I've tried to teach him "thank you," but the first time I took his hand to do it, he got his finger up close to his nose. He immediately tried sticking his finger up his nose. And now, anytime I can actually get him to try saying "thank you," he automatically sticks his finger in his nose. My son shows his gratitude by being a nose-picker. People, this is my life. 

Trevin got to ride his first carnival rides last weekend at the Sutton Dug Out Days. He was not too sure about any of the rides, but we managed to get a smile out of him eventually.

This ride is not made for big kids. I have bruises from the bar over my legs. Probably not ever again. Until next year.

Please notice my precious son, below. He is praying for their safety. WHAT A DOLL. I think I'm in love. 

He wasn't too sure about the train ride with Ashton. I'm pretty sure he was afraid of the pot-head carny running the ride. That man was a happy man. "Choo, Choo, All Aboard!" He was great with the kids........ Oh brother. 

James insisted that I get a picture of this grotty monkey. Yikes.
(And who knew that 'grotty' was spelled like that. I had to look it up because apparently I've been spelling 'grody' wrong for years. And trust me, I've probably wrote the word more than most human beings.) 

And then the parade...

I've had a lot people ask me about what I actually do for CRC. So here's my version of my job description. I do mostly secretary or office work, including making lots of calls. Some calls to parents for camp jobs like driving or craft help, or to staff to work out schedules. I also ordered t-shirts for the camps and made up name tags for all the campers. I've picked up random things at the store from time to time, too. They are currently trying to gather addresses of Travel Camp parents and also former TCers. I've spent many hours compiling lists and cross-referencing them. A big part of what I've done so far is making flyers for all sorts of things and mailing them out. I also went on as staff for the Jr. Hi Day camp a couple weeks back. I subbed this week for the elementary camp, as well. The weekend after Jr Hi, Paul and Kathy's daughter, Natalie, got married at CRC. Kathy ended up taking the last couple days of camp off, to see family and get the final preparations completed. This left me as the lead lady at camp. It was a lot of my responsibility to make sure everyone was where they needed to be and we didn't leave anyone behind on the traveling days. I'm not currently doing the bookwork for CRC, they already have someone on the job. I've a grand ol' time helping out. Couldn't ask for nicer people to work with and for. 

What a stud.

Eating a lot of sandwiches, growing on the farm...