We have found the greatest thing...our friends have children that are our kid's friends. I know that seems simple, but it just doesn't always work out that way. It makes for such fun get togethers. The kids just play and play and the parents all just talk and laugh...perfect! Here are Ava and Caroline...just a few weeks apart in age and the best little buddies! 
Here's a group of Sieberts, Gores and Bacons...always a fun mix! Friends really are a blessing. 
This isn't the clearest picture, but I just thought it was so cute. We were at the Gore's and Ava was very happy to play with the dress up clothes. What a cute little princess...
Andrew's scout pack is having a monthly activity through the summer and this past week they did a 3 mile hike and ended up on the beach of Lake Superior. Look at these cute boys! Too fun!
Greg went with the pack and so he took pictures! This is just a shot of where they ended up...
There was an old fort type of building that Greg says has been on the beach for decades. It's pretty cool and of course the boys loved it!
Here's Andrew in the fort. I just love him being in scouts and I'm really glad that Greg was around this week and could go with him. What great memories! 
Zach did a great job this year at t-ball. He had a lot of fun and got a lot better at batting (they stopped using a "t" about half way through the season - unless they couldn't hit a coach pitch after about 6 or 7 tries) and a lot better at fielding. 
What a cute little man! Andrew has 2 more baseball games this week and we are off to soccer!!
We got invited to our friend's house on Friday night for their annual movie night. It is such a fun party! They put the big screen up, rent a popcorn maker, everyone brings treats to share and their own chairs or blankets and away the party goes! We watched 'Cloudy with a chance of meatballs' - it was a cute movie and a really fun family night. We all had a great time and I will definitely be putting this type of party on my "to be done some day" list!
When Melissa came to town for Grandma's Marathon, she told me about these curlers called curlformers. She is totally sold on them and said she puts them in her daughter's hair a couple of times a week. I decided to order some (I couldn't find them in Duluth) and try them out today. I put them in Ava's hair too - but didn't get pictures - but she was really cute and kept telling me how much fun they are to wear.
This is the view from the back...they are really comfortable and pretty easy to put in. I didn't get a picture after I took them out because we were off to church, but they definitely work. I love the new hair tip - and so does Ava!!
Alright, so this is the end of last week's projects! Greg and I put up this new kitchen light...to replace the old 80's school lighting that was in the kitchen. It was the only thing we didn't re-do when we re-did the kitchen...we are happy to have a light that "fits" to us.
A close up...
On Thursday and Friday I worked on the front landscaping. I finally got the pots in the front done...better late than never, right??
I added a couple of plants to this area...
And a bunch to this area too...
This is the wilder back yard. I do love the lillies. 
This is the other row of lillies...
While I was out doing some re-seeding tonight, the rest of the family was playing t-ball in the front yard. Aren't they cute? 
Well, this week puts me a little bit back into reality. I had youth conference meetings yesterday and today (and will have one Wednesday) and have a camp de-briefing tomorrow...but last week was mine!! Lots of projects done and for the time being, the landscaping is just how I want it!!
This has been the job hanging over my head since we moved into the house...literally! Who knows why anyone would ever wall paper the bathroom ceiling, but they did in this house. We took all of the wall paper down during the first week of moving in...all but the stuff in our bathroom. I never thought it would be 2 years later, but I'm just glad to have had some time this week to work on some projects at home! This is the beginning of the ripping off!
So in this picture you can see the wall paper is off of the top of the wall and off in little sections on the ceiling. I rented a steamer while Greg was out of town and got the rest of the paper down - the WORST job - worst. Then, Greg primed and painted it yesterday.
Ahhhh...I love no wall paper. No more hanging over my head...in fact, there isn't a stitch of it in the house!!
Today is exactly 2 years from the day we moved into this house. And this is still how the basement kitchen looked this morning. We removed the carpet - yes, I said there was yucky carpet in this kitchen - when we moved in and removed all of the other carpet, but that's where this renovation ended. 
The only thing I did to this room over the past two years was to spray paint a pair of shoes on the concrete when it was too cold outside - sometimes a costume calls! 
This is the closet where I keep the flour and sugar...and where Zach doesn't like to go because he thinks it is kind of scary. 
Here is the new and improved kitchenette!! Today I removed all of the tack strips out of the concrete, layed a new floor, cleaned everything up and while I was cleaning, Greg put knobs on the cabinets and hung some pictures. 
Taa daa!! We are so happy...and Zach isn't scared anymore! What more can you ask for?
And it was worth every second of the work! I just got home on Friday night from girl's camp and couldn't be happier with how things went. There is so much anticipation about how things will go and it is just so, so nice when they all go as well as you hoped they would.
Here we are...the Stake YW camp leaders! Super heroes for the week! What a wonderful group of women to work with...I really am blessed to be a part of such a wonderful presidency and camp group. 
Wait, wrong holiday, but a fitting song! At the last minute, we decided to go to Exodus and watch the fireworks from the roof again this year. This is our second year in a row and the view really is great. The Davis family came with us again and so of course we had a great time! We had ice-cream, cookies, rice krispy treats and even some candy...dessert with a view!
The fireworks begin...
Happy 4th of July!!!
Like millions of other children, Zach was always captivated when he saw the commercials selling caterpillars on t.v. This year, he asked for the caterpillars for his birthday (for months in advance) and his Grandma and Grandpa Craig came through! I think all of the adults were a little leery about getting caterpillars in the mail and we wondered how the little science experiment would fair... This is a picture of the way the caterpillars come. In two little containers with their food on the bottom. You don't do anything at this point except for keep them at the correct temperature out of direct sunlight and watch them grow - rapidly! Easy enough! 
After about a week and a half, they all crawl up to the top of the jars and each one starts forming its chrysalis. Once they are all in chrysalis form (and have been for 24 hours), you open the lid and attach the piece of fabric to the inside of the butterfly garden pop-up tent. We had 12 caterpillars come in the mail and 11 formed a chrysalis...pretty good. Next, you wait...
Exactly one week later, 11 butterflies hatched!! It was actually really exciting to see and Zach literally said, "This is the best day of my life" (a couple of times). 
Here is another picture as they clung to the sides and started to get the blood into their wings so they could fly. During this past week we fed the butterflies sugar water, fresh fruit and gave them a mist of water every day. It was really amazing to watch them eat while being so close. I have seen pictures of the proboscis before, but have never actually watched a butterfly eat. I told Zach last week that we would have a butterfly party tonight and let them go so they could lay eggs and live out their lives in the wild. 
Here is Zach unzipping the little pop-up tent...freedom for the little butterflies!
A few flew out right away, but most stayed in the tent. They didn't seem to be concerned, and even let us pick up the fruit they were on. Once outside, it only took a few seconds before they flew off. 
Andrew even got this one to land on his finger and he lifted it out of the tent!
Here is our Z man...with the last butterfly. It was an awesome experience (I wasn't sure how it would really go) and it was fun for everyone to take part in watching the caterpillars grow and change. It was even nice watching them fly away...dare I say even a little sentimental? It was a great gift that I don't think Zach will ever forget!
Tonight at Andrew's baseball game he made a quadruple play on the last play of the game! I literally didn't know that was even possible!! Andrew caught a pop fly and since most of them don't get caught, the kids who were on the bases (they were loaded) ran anyway. He was closest to 3rd base when he caught the fly ball and then turned to the 3rd base runner and tagged him out. Then he ran to 2nd and got him out...not to be content with the triple play (and listening to a very excited Dad - not one we even know - who was yelling from the stands and going crazy telling Andrew to finish it off and try to get to first)...Andrew was off to the 1st base runner to tag him out. 
For those of you who read my blog regularly, you'll remember the hair-do that was a little bit too close to entering Ava into a pageant! I saw the same basic hair-d0, but coming from the side instead of from the bottom and I thought it was a little more casual and could be done without me looking like a totally crazy stage mom...
Here's the back view...I think it's cute without being too, too much...
Talk about being cute...
