On the road...

After picking Zeke up from Camp we hit the road for beautiful Wisconsin. We have a couple of stops to make before our final destination of Grandma Camp.

First stop... A visit with Michelle's cousin Liz and her family...

We arrived on Tuesday night just in time to get her kids, Abby and Ben, out of bed for a few minutes.

On Wednesday we let the kids have fun running around and playing before heading to the playground. After playing for a bit we went to McDonald's for ice cream and more playtime.

We had such a good time catching up. Our trips to visit Liz, Aaron, Ben and Abby are usually pretty short as we stop in for a couple of hours on our way through Rockford. It was great fun spending a whole day with them.

On Thursday morning we got up and hit the road for Minnesota!

Zeke goes to camp...

It really is hard for me to believe that my oldest boy is old enough for a couple of days away from home by himself, but this year we packed him up for 3 days at Camp Lutherhaven. (What kind of mother forgets her camera for such an important event... oh yeah, that would be me!)

Zeke started asking us at the beginning of summer if this was the week that he was going to camp! He was so excited about his time away. I don't think he slept much on Saturday night and by 6:00 a.m. on Sunday morning he was up and ready to go... We left and attended the worship service at camp. In the middle of the service he asked if I was leaving yet.

After church we had lunch and then checked in for camp. Zeke's counselor was Zach (who had served as Papa Polar Bear during family camp). Zeke was thrilled. We put his things in Cabin 4 and went to hang out at the beach for a little bit. That afternoon we joined the opening service of camp and then said "Good bye". No tears on either Zeke's part or mine.

On Tuesday afternoon we picked him up and listened to stories of games and swimming and cabin mates. He had such a great time and amazed me at his maturity. I gave him $20 for canteen and to buy a t-shirt. When I got there he told me he only had $10 left, but when we went to empty his camper bank so he could buy his t-shirt, he had $17 left. He told me he only had one treat at each canteen time and wouldn't drink the soda because it all had caffiene in it (his mother could take some notes here). He was excited to purchase the summer theme shirt "Seasons of Life" and had over the three days memorized the verse from John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Now we are on the road for a couple of weeks.

Kids Bowl Free...

Earlier this summer a friend posted a link to Facebook for http://www.kidsbowlfree.com. I signed up the boys and then our summer got busy and we were spending more time outside than inside. Today we went to check it out. The kids get coupons for 2 free games of bowling everyday all summer long. We didn't even have to pay for shoes and they had a great time!
Zeke scored a 106 in his first game... JJ then came back and scored a 109 in the second game! It was a lot of fun for all of us and a great way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy summer afternoon!

Perfect Attendance Awards...

With Wildcat Baseball a lot of our summer was spent at the ball park. For 8 weeks we were at the ball park 3 days a week for games and practices... The end of the season usually includes a fun field day and awards ceremony, but with the rain that rolled in, the Wildcatters and their parents huddled under the picnic shelter as the coaches announced the awards for the season... Among them, Zeke and JJ's perfect attendence awards!

Half way to a 10K

6 months ago, a very wise man (ok... It was Chad) told me that running is a good way to lose weight... So I started running and at first, I didn't think I was going to make it. I could barely run 1 mile. Today, I ran 3 miles in 36:15 (not terribly fast, but I ran it all) and weigh 20 pounds less than I did in February! It is a good feeling!

We are planning on running a 10K in October!

The Annual Zoo-Loo-au

Each summer the zoo holds a zoo-loo-au in honor of the zoo members. With our zoo membership running out, we decided to partake in this fun day of zoo fun... Our friends the Krebbs' enjoyed the day with us...

We enjoyed the usual zoo activities of the animals and that splash pools...

And some fun extras like petting a snake...

And bouncing in bounce houses...

Mr. Mac Day

49 years ago Mr. Dale McMillen started the Wildcat Baseball League in Fort Wayne. In his will he set up a fund that would keep the Wildcate basebeall league going as long as there were kids who wanted to play. The league consists of 15 sites around Ft. Wayne with 4 age groups of kids (Kitten, Kitty, Kat, and Tiger). Each year the league holds a Mr. Mac Day in memory of this man with a great vision.

Mr. Mac Day includes a variety of contests...

There is base running

Throwing...And Hitting... (See the two boys with their arms around each other waiting in line... I just love it when I catch moments like these)

After all the activities there was a picnic lunch (the extra child in this picture is Verontey... another player on Zeke and JJ's team)Then the awards ceremony.

Wildcat Baseball has a great tradition of being a non-competitive, teaching league with the motto of "Everyone makes the team". For the cost of a hat and a shirt kids get 8 weeks of baseball with great coaching and lots of learning!

This family is so thankful for Mr. McMillen, his vision and his generosity in keeping that vision going!

Sandbox fun...

When we lived in Hawaii we had access to some of the greatest sandboxes in the world. When we moved to Indiana we decided to put a big sandbox in the backyard... Obviously it can't compare to the beaches of Hawaii, but the boys are constantly digging, burying and, in all other ways, playing in the sandbox. During our summer months they head out to the sandbox several times a day! This was definately one project that was well worth the investment!

4th of July Celebrations...

We started our 4th of July celebrations this year on the 3rd. Thanks to some friends we found a neat little lake park right here in town (I can't believe we have lived in Ft. Wayne for 3 years and not been to this one yet).

Fox Island has a swimming area, hiking trails and all the things that little boys love.

Later that evening we went to our friends' house for a cookout and some fireworks... In addition to a few of our own, the neighbors put on a pretty good show too!

Then on the 4th of July we went to the Seminary for a picnic and over to a different friends house to watch their neighborhood fireworks. There were so many the kids didn't know which way to look!

Thanks to our friends who helped us to celebrate our countries freedoms!

JJ's missing teeth...

JJ lost his first front tooth a couple of weeks ago. Today he woke up from his nap and smiled at me... I looked twice and found his other front tooth missing... Now, all he wants for Christams is his two front teeth.