Mike and the boys on the beach with their castle. (Emily helped, too) 

The kids at the nature center. 

Avritt at the campsite. 

Isaac in his camo. 

Emily riding bikes. 

Hiking down the trail. 

The beautiful Lake. 

Sitting around the campfire. 

Camping Trip

We are back from camping today! We had a very good time together as a family and with some friends who visited over July 4th. Some of the highlights:

Swimming at the beach
Building sand castles
Sitting around the campfire
Great camp food including some roasted apples stuffed with raisins, butter, and cinnamon sugar
Riding bikes
Visit to the nature center at the state park
Butterfly catching
Owl prowl (a local expert on owls took a group through the woods looking for owls)
Climbing a huge sand dune and running down
Flying owl kites on the beach
Walking on trails through the woods

We had heavy rain the first night we were there, and then a beautiful 3 or 4 days of perfect weather. Unfortunately, the weather on the 4th was lacking and we packed up damp this morning. The first two or three nights were so warm we didn't want to get into our sleeping bags. Then, one night the temperatures dropped into the 40s and we were glad we had them with us. Mike and Avritt managed to catch some nice waves on boogie boards one of the days. We caught tadpoles in the stream that runs into the lake. We saw a bard owl flying around the woods and one night it interrupted our sleep late at night with its loud hoot. It was a great time with the kids. They enjoyed being able to ride their bikes around the campground, the snacks that I don't usually have at home, and s'mores.

Emily's cool desk chair. (She wouldn't pose for the picture due to her still being in her pajamas at 5:00 p.m. Ah, the fun of summer!) 

The chair when Isaac needs some privacy. 

Isaac's egg chair. It spins and the top folds down. It's deeper than it looks here - he usually climbs up into it, but wasn't very cooperative for the picture. Oh well. 

Avritt as Darth in his new hanging chair. Notice Isaac sleeping in the bottom bunk on the left. He can sleep through about anything when he's really tired. 

The boys at a going-away party for their friend, Matthew. It was over 90 degrees that day and the kids were outside for about 4 hours. They got wet to stay cool. 

Summer has begun

Summer vacation has now arrived at our house.

The good things:
1. sleeping in until at least 8
2. kids are home
3. no need to shower until right before Mike gets home
4. swimming in our neighbor's pool
5. Isaac has playmates
6. sunshine
7. Emily has been making lunches

The bad things:
1. kids are home all day together and they drive each other crazy sometimes
2. it has been hot here in Michigan lately (we now have air conditioning!)
3. too much free time if we don't structure our day
4. kids don't get to see their friends as much
5. the house is rarely quiet anymore

We are enjoying our air conditioning because it has gotten hot here in Michigan. We had a good Father's Day with Mike. He received a Star Wars music CD from the kids and wireless headphones from me so he can watch TV in bed and not have to string a cord across the room. Mike requested Grilled Salmon with Ravigote Sauce (freshly chopped tomatoes, onions, green onions, parsley, oil, and lemon juice) over couscous.

We took a trip last week to visit our friends who recently moved and then drove to visit my sister and go to IKEA for some bamboo blinds for the house. The kids also got to pick out one thing each. The pictures show the fun things they got. We apparently had a chair theme. Avritt is Darth in the hanging chair. The kids have discovered that if you wind it up by spinning it in one direction and then let go, it spins really fast (amazingly fast, actually) and is a fun ride. Isaac likes his egg chair because he can pull down the cover and disappear. Emily chose a desk chair for her room.

Emily was not excited about me taking her picture. This was an inning before the collision with the softball. 

Mike coaching. 

Ginger's Dad is Home and other news about the kids

Ginger returned home from Iowa City on Sunday night. She was glad to be with her parents during her dad's surgery, but it was good to come home.

Ginger's dad is home from the hospital tonight. He is doing quite well considering he had brain surgery last six days ago and a mild stroke 5 days ago. He will need to continue to work on his balance and coordination and speech, but his doctors are confident that he will regain what minor setbacks he experienced.

As far as the kids go, Emily had her last softball game tonight. Emily was sliding into home plate and got bopped with the ball and now has a black and blue nose. Her team had a good season, and Mike enjoyed coaching her team this year.

Avritt has his last game tomorrow. Hopefully it won't be as hot as today. It was 88 degrees at 9:00 p.m. It was suffocating weather for a game.

Isaac and Ginger went outside this afternoon for a water gun fight. It was refreshing and a lot of fun. Ginger used a squirt bottle (which actually worked better than the water gun) and had a blast chasing Isaac around the yard. They used play shields to try to block the attacks. Our house had air conditioning, but Mike still needs to run a circuit before we can use it. The house was 85 degrees inside today.

More News

Jay is out of Intensive Care today. He is doing well considering all he has been through. He has been struggling with nausea today, but managed to sit up twice. His balance will take some time to come back. His brain has to relearn to orient itself and balance after the surgery. We're hoping that tomorrow he will be able to stand up. Please pray that Jay will have a positive attitude, be patient, and take his recovery one day at a time.

Ginger's Dad is Doing Great After Surgery!

Great news from Iowa - Ginger's dad is doing well after about 8 hours of surgery today to remove a tumor from behind his right ear. The doctor reported that the tumor was not entwined with the nerve that controls facial muscles, and so that will not be a concern for recovery. They do not expect him to have problems with balance, either. They were very pleased with the surgery. The tumor turned out to be 3 cm wide at the largest place. This type of tumor tends to stick to tissue, and although it didn't stick to the facial muscle nerve, it was pretty sticky on the brain stem. They took as much as they could get and cauterized what was still there. They are not expected the tumor to grow again, but will keep a watch. Jay has been moved to intensive care and will most likely be moved to a room tomorrow. Please pray that his blood pressure will come down. It has been high since this morning. God has answered many prayers over the last week, including providing a room for Ginger's mom in the hospital. Ginger's sisters and other friends will be travelling over the next couple of days. She will be coming home on Saturday. Mike is home holding down the fort and doing a great job!