Around The Home

We are turning up the heat here in West Michigan. Or I should say the air conditioning! Fun and sun have arrived and we are trying to embrace it to the fullest. Even though we don’t have a cottage, we decided to make our home feel like a cottage – as my husband would say, why do now, what you can do later? So the house is a little more dirty than normal, our meals a little more simple, and bedtimes sometimes a bit more flexible, but we are trying to make the most of this summer!

Jam time! I love that feeling when you open a jar from the new batch and realize it set just perfect! I’ve definitely had my fails in the past…

I mean, isn’t this the life? Chillin’ in a tube while your daddy feeds you cheddar and sour cream potato chips!

Her faces! This girl has grown literal leaps and bounds this summer in confidence! Swimming without a life jacket in the shallow – she can swim with her head in the water b/c she always snorkeled in the bathtub, but now we are working on teaching her how to swim with her head above the water. Last year she didn’t dare jump off the diving board alone, now she’s all in (with a life jacket of course). And here I was worried she wouldn’t want to learn…

Grabbing Captain Sundae ice cream with cousins after our churches played each other in the little league:

Popsicle on a hot day!

Last week Mazy went to VBS at Calvary CRC with a sweet friend and she was SO sad that it was over! She has never done something like this before for that length of time, so I wasn’t sure how it would go. But when I picked her up, she asked when she could go again – I think it went just fine :). It was a great test for school this fall and I think she’ll do alright!

We have a lily on the side of our house that is 4 1/2-5 feet tall. Is that normal? Mazy had to cut one of the flowers for her mommy, one of her favorite things to do!

Note the socks and shoes Mazy chose to wear for our bike ride:

This week is an exciting week! Of course the 4th, but on Saturday we leave for our mission trip to Alaska! We are very eager to go and Lord-willing, I am going. I tell people I plan to go until God shuts the door. I have a heart check up the day before we leave, so we are hoping all goes well. There are 30 people from our church going and it’s an intergenerational trip, which is our favorite! There is something about combining the generations on a trip like this, that fosters relationships that last a lifetime!