Fort Bragg dive trip

First part of July saw us on the road again. This time we headed for Fort Bragg with Josh's family for our bi-annual dive trip. Good time had by all!

We all got SO sunburned the first day, except for Katherine. Fortunately we kept her covered with a blanket most of the time. Even with sunscreen, our tender, untanned skin burned easily.

Juliana got into something black while playing. She doesn't have a black eye!

Nathan's sandcastle. He is with his cousin, Helena.

Long day at the beach? We usually spent the afternoon playing on the beach while the guys went diving. The kids played hard the whole time and would be exhausted by the time we put them to bed at night!

Peter

Juliana carried bucket after bucket of water up the beach trying to fill with water a hole she had dug. Somehow she never seemed to make any progress!

Here the kids are lined up for a race in the sand. From L to R, Luke, Nathan, Heather, Juliana, Peter. Luke won the short sprint, but Nathan won the long run across the beach!

Is he standing up or sitting down? (I don't know the answer!)

Josh's Ling Cod for this trip. The water was very rough the whole time we were there, which made for terrible fishing. The guys did fairly well considering. It really wore them out to be out in the waves when the swells were 8-10 feet tall. We are grateful for safety! We came home with a little bit of fish, so maybe we'll have to go back soon.

Moments with Kate

Bathing beauty in her cute little swimsuit. 12 weeks

She was just learning to grasp things and proudly held this pinwheel for several minutes. 13 weeks

I know it is a little blurry, but she looks so sweet! 13.5 weeks

Learning to reach for things I want!

I happened across this scene. Juliana was determined Katherine should wear some little sandals
(that are still way too big) and was putting them on for her. Katherine sat there very patiently for a long time. After all, shoes are a very important thing for big sisters to tell little sisters about, right?

A pretty typical sight at our house. 14 weeks

Sunday Afternoon at the Lake

Although it happened in August, I'll go ahead and post these pictures of a quick family outing to the lake one Sunday afternoon. It was Katherine's first time to get in the lake. The water really wasn't as dirty as it looks. A great time was had by all (except Josh, who sailed across the lake in his sailboat all the while being bitten by 1000s of ants that had built a nest in the boat over the winter!)

Ranch News

Just some odds and ends news on the ranch. We have been busy, busy keeping up with summer on the ranch and also getting our rental ready to rent again.

Katherine is a model! She can be found modeling diapers for the company Just Simply Baby. She seemed to really have fun while I took her picture in several diapers one evening!

Josh took a class on swift water rescue recently. A fellow firefighter took these great pictures of him in action! I'm just glad I wasn't there to watch!!!

This summer I found time to finish this lovely cabinet that was a Christmas/Birthday gift. It is an lovely trash container. It has two sections--one for garbage and the other for recycling. We are enjoying it very much!

Nathan enjoyed his first paintball game this summer. Josh said he is cautious, but did really well for his first time out. And everyone was merciful and didn't make a target out of him!

Enjoyed these yummy kabobs the other night. Most of the veggies were from our garden!

So, this is what happened to my mixer bowl! Ahhhh! I can't live without my mixer. I have a temporary subsitute, but now I have to figure out whether to buy a new mixer or replace the bowl.

Green bean canning was in full swing last week. Thanks Mom and Dad for growing them for us! We had 40 lb. of beans to process, which made . . . .

39 jars of beans for the winter!

Introducing Juliana's new kitten. She doesn't have a determined name yet. She is part siamese, part tabby, which makes for an adorable cat! She has an excellent temperament and lets the kids play with her a lot.

Juliana's Tea Party

After several months of delay for weather and Katherine's arrival, we finally had Juliana's tea party. It was lovely and the girls seemed to really enjoy themselves! Thanks to all those who helped me put everything together!

A Pretty Typical Day!

I thought you might enjoy a glimpse into what a "typical" day in our lives looks like. No day is ever exactly like another, but this gives you an idea of life for us in the summer.

Everyone up by 6:30 for family devotions. Breakfast is whole wheat pancakes. If I am on top of it, I am out in the garden by 6, but otherwise it waits until after breakfast. Right now harvest is just beginning to go into full swing. We are harvesting squash, tomatoes, corn, okra, peppers, and green beans. Tomorrow we will hopefully be out bright and early picking blackberries! Right now, surplus produce and eggs are being sold on our little neighborhood fruit stand.

Next on the agenda is 4 loads of laundry. (Thankfully I don't do that many every day, but we probably total 8 loads a week, not counting diapers.) And of course, all that laundry must be folded after it has hung on the line to dry!

Somewhere in here, I also manage to get the kitchen cleaned up, phone answered, general household chores, handle some discipline issues, research a wetbag for diapers, wash eggs and discuss the new pullet eggs with the kids, close up the trailer, break up a few fights, and plan what to have for dinner!

We throw in a load of diapers, too. Katherine helps!

While it is still cool outside, I grind some fresh flour and bake 4 loaves of bread. This will last us not quite a week. Sure smells good when it comes out of the oven.

Someone gives us a box of hand-me-downs that must be sorted and stored. I also arrange to pick up some hand-me-downs tomorrow from a generous friend.

Baby was fussy today. We spend a lot of time rocking and cuddling. Finally give her a bath after dinner and she settles down for the night.

And that is just all I can remember! Life is never dull at our house. Josh and I crash into bed most nights by 10. But, we are grateful not to have any difficulties with insomnia!