July in Minnesota

 Having kids is almost like being a kid all over again - it was so fun to see Esther enjoying things up at the farm! It didn't take her long to catch on to picking up candy at the 4th of July parade - with a little help, she got quite a stash, which her mother and aunts and uncles ate :)

 She enjoyed the "glow stuff" too and learned a new word at the fireworks - "Wow!"

 My sisters are such fun aunties - and David, Daniel, and Jeriah are fun cousins -

 Esther and Jeriah are about the same size, and they both enjoy Grandma's cookies!

 A little people picnic -

 I took a lot of pictures of the girls with their grandparents - I only posted a few of them though -

 Priscilla with Anna - Esther laughs every time she sees a picture of Priscilla :)

 Mom and Esther in the corn maze!

 Dad and Anna camping out on the floor - in the last week or so, Anna has been getting up on all fours, and I don't think it'll be long 'till she crawls.

 Dad and his grandkids :)

 Grandpa O. and Anna

 We took Esther through the corn maze - she wanted to walk the whole way...and pick up fallen stalks...and had the best time of anyone I've ever seen!

 Grandpa K. and Anna

 My dad and the girls -

 We took Esther to the county fair to see the animals - she was shy at first, but warmed up and wanted to walk around herself.

 Esther and the birds -

 Esther and the fish -

 Esther and the rabbits -

 Mom and Anna -

 Before we left, we were able to attend the wedding of a young man from church - it was a very sweet wedding -

 and a fun reception.

 We had a great time, but after being gone for 3 weeks, it's always nice to sleep in our own beds and eat at our own table.

VBS and Ministry Trip

 This post is long overdue, but as you'll see, I really haven't had a chance, so even though it's a month ago - Here's our VBS! We used a "route 55" theme - road trips, USA...Above is craft time -

 Between trying to help Aaron, play piano, tell a missionary story, watch Anna and Esther, I "bit off more than I could chew", so Esther hung out with the preschool class some and had a great time following them around. "VBB" was as close as she could say VBS :)

 Aaron did the Bible time - Several children were saved during the week and some were baptized in the weeks following, so we were so grateful for the Lord's working. It was one of the best VBS's ever!

 Game time -

 Snack and verse memory time -

 Rally time - Aaron does a great job at making things fun and exciting :)

 We wanted to say thank you to all the people who worked so hard to make everything happen, so we made a cake for the closing evening.

 A week after VBS was over, we went with a few other people from church to help out a church in Badger, MN with some construction. Above is Esther at Culvers - one of the highlights of driving through WI :) !

 Driving through Duluth, MN

 More Duluth -

 Aaron and Johnny putting up insulation - they insulated, wired, and sheetrocked a couple rooms that had water damage.

 Aaron :)

 They had a potluck in Badger with the church people. We knew some of them from VBS last summer, so it was fun to catch up.

 I thought I'd end with a few pictures of the girls, I meant to turn it, but I must have forgotten to save the change...

 Esther can't read, but she likes pictures :)

 Anna in a hand-me-down -

 Anna is getting so big!

 We love to hear her laugh!

4th of July pictures will have to wait...

Home, Museum, Reunion

 Hello everyone! I hope you all are doing well...and ready for summer :) I had all these pictures in order, but then I added a couple more and they ended up at the beginning, so I guess the family reunion is first on the list! We attended a reunion for Aaron's mother's family in eastern KY. I think about 75 people were there, including Aaron's aunt and sister and some of their families from PA. It was about 95 degrees that day and I thought it was a little extreme to have a picnic outdoors, but it really wasn't too bad with the shade and the breeze and everything went well.

 There were a few other kids about 6-years-oldish and Esther thought she was one of them. She had so much fun just chasing them around - we had to keep a close eye on her :) Here her and another girl are playing in the water/ice/cans of soda bucket.

 Esther loves to climb on our bed while I'll making it. I know the blanket doesn't match the pillows, but in the summer I change out our comforter for a lighter quilt.

 Esther is learning to be our helper :) Aaron dug up a row of potatos and she put them in the bucket.

 The garden is doing ok - We've pulled up the onions already and ate a few peas as well. I've never harvested garden in May before!

 Anna has such a big smile :) Her newest accomplishment is learning to roll over and she's much bigger than Esther was at her age!

 Aaron and Esther both reading -

 Aaron and Anna on Mother's Day - we spent the afternoon with his family.

 Esther making her "sniff, sniff" bunny sound -

 Anna and Esther ready for a trip :)

 Esther and Anna like to smile at each other.

 We met my family on their way home from the ISC at the Creation Museum. Aaron had never been there before and I'd never seen the gardens - we had a great time and enjoyed seeing the family too!

 Aaron and Esther by one of the ponds - the double stroller was a real blessing!

 Esther was scared of the camel, but she enjoyed seeing the chicken like birds and the wallabies.

 Aaron took this picture of some of the beautiful flowers.

 Me by a "waterfall" -

 Aaron on the swinging bridge -

 Aaron and Esther by one of the dinosaurs - "dinosaur" is one of Esther's newest words, along with "tomorrow", and "please"...

 The reunion was in the mountains - thankfully the main roads we were on weren't too steep!

The last reunion picture - Esther was taking a break to cool down and get some water!

We're also having VBS next week, so please keep us in your prayers. Have a wonderful day!