More Summer....

So I'm pretty sure we just had our second week of summer...will it continue into yet another week??!! We sure are hoping so!! We had a few days of rain, but overall the week was warm and sunny. The kids actually got to wear shorts this week and got out the sprinkler and the squirt guns for some water play. It just hadn't been warm enough prior to this week to even consider shorts or water fun in the yard. Brrrr....

Ethan found this frog in our yard this week...not unusual as we find many frogs over the summer that wander up from the pond, but this one was considerably larger than any we have found in the past. The kids enjoyed it for awhile and then decided to return it to its home down by the pond.

We harvested some garden vegetables and put a whole bunch of kale in the freezer for this winter. We love to make a yummy African dish out of our Alaskan kale...who would have ever thought!? (Several years ago Ann Marie thought the kale looked very similar to cassava so we tried it in a cassava recipe and it tasted great!) We also harvested some cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, and we got a few red tomatoes too! Harvest time is the best!

I spent several half days in the dentist office with all the kids...we got to watch several movies and play games while we waited for each child to be done. No one had anything major to be fixed, but it just takes time when kids are getting teeth cleaned, x-rays, sealants, and a couple cavities filled and then you times it by 6!! We got most of it done this week with only one more appointment next week. We are good until next year!

The kids have continued with piano through the summer so we got lessons in this week out at the Beachy's...last one before school starts for everyone. We won't start quite as early as everyone else on August 20, but soon thereafter. Ann Marie, Ethan, and Tyler all play the piano and enjoy it most of the time. Kailee will start lessons this fall and she is really looking forward to it. She already gets on the piano to "practice" when she can!

We ended our week with several more BBQ's and picnics...the first was on Friday night over at the Engebretsen homestead(my mom and dad's place). It was an impromptu picnic by the river with a hike down the river and a little fishing thrown in just for fun! We all had lots of fun hiking the trail by the river and Grandpa and the kids hide in the bushes to see how many unsuspecting hikers they can scare with bear growls along the way. Bear and moose tracks are always fun to see in the mud by the river. We ended our evening with s'mores by the river and didn't get home until 11! That's what summer in Alaska is all about!

Saturday Steve's brother Jason and his kids came over for the day and it turned out to be a beautiful warm sunny day so everyone spent the day outside. The kids ran and played until they were all worn out! Steve worked on a few projects in the yard while keeping an eye on kids. For the evening we had a Veldstra family BBQ to celebrate Rebekah's birthday(Jason's daughter)...she is in the picture with Alyssum on the swing. The kids all enjoyed many adventures on the boat and I'm sure will be back for more next time!