Thank you, GG!

My grandparents are the most wonderful grandparents in the world. With their 8 children, 19 grandchildren, 25 (I think) great-grandchildren, 1 great-great grandchild, and mother they keep busy taking care of everyone. Anytime one of us calls, they come to help. They are the best babysitters ever and grandma even sews quilts, and curtains, etc. They truly are amazing. They spent last week with us watching Caroline while Madeline and I went to VBS. They took great care of her and of all of us. It was a crazy, busy week and I didn't get a lot of pics, (not our normal) but I had to get one of them with her in the wagon, as they took her for a walk every morning. We are so blessed to have them in our lives. Thanks GG! We love you!

Swimming Lessons

Madeline also had swimming lessons last week at the Y. She did so great! She can now swim on her back, jump in, go under and continue to swim, jump off the diving platform, and float! She really learned a lot and was so proud of herself. An extra treat was having GG Connie go each night to watch and then to have all of us watch her on the last night. It was a busy week, but Madeline learned a lot and had fun!

Learning to Sew

Madeline adores her great-grandma Connie (GG Connie). They always have fun doing projects together. She has been wanting GG Connie to teach her to sew, so while they were visiting, she did. Madeline made a small blanket by hand sewing and sewing on buttons. It was hard to learn, but she hung in there and was very proud of her finished project. She gave it to Caroline, which made it even more special. Thank you GG!

New Shoes

Caroline loves shoes. In fact, she plays with shoes a lot and loves to try them on! She got these news ones and just pranced around the house like she was showing them off. She loves attention!

VBS

The cloud cross Madeline spotted on our way to VBS! Cool!

We had vacation bible school all week last week! It was so fun. Madeline loved the crafts and the music and of course her teaching Miss Paula! From what I hear, she was quite a helper all week. I taught 4th grade all week. I had 17 great kids and had a blast with them. Madeline really did well learning her bible verses and songs. She is still singing them all day every day.

Nicole's Birthday

Happy Birthday, Nicole!

Our niece, Nicole, celebrated her 7th birthday at the swiming pool in Indianola. Madeline had a great time eating cake and of course swimming. The most exciting thing was that she really got the hang of swimming under water! She can really go now. Caroline loved the water too! We have a couple of fish in our family!

Kalona Days

We celebrated Kalona Days with the big parade and riding a pony. Madeline love the firetrucks and collecting candy. Caroline sat on Daddy's lap the whole time eating frozen peas. When the horsed came she got excited and then fell asleep before we got back to our house! It was so hot that day!

Happy Father's Day

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The girls and I surprised Denny with a new John Deere riding lawnmower for Father's Day. He has been wanting to get one for a very long time. I decided it was time to get one, because if I waited for him to do it for himself, it would never happen. He was very surprised, but said he started to smell the rubber at the top of the hill before he could see it. Madeline did a great job getting him to the backyard. Even though he tried to seem like it was too much, he could not hide the smile on his face. It really is a family present, as the girls love going for rides and I love that it takes a very short time to mow! Happy Father's Day, Denny. We love you!

Pizza Playdate!

Our good friends the Pritchard's came for a playdate a couple of weeks ago. Madeline and Lydia had fun playing dress-up of course. Emily and Caroline got to know each other a little better. They were mimicking each other and actually kind of playing a little! Baby Chloe just slept and slept (unbelievable considering the noise level!). For lunch they made their own little pizzas. They had fun making a mess and eating.

Water Playdate!

Madeline's buddy, Jack, came to play with us for a day. It was such a hot day, so we got out the pools and sprinkler. The water was so cold, but none of them seemed to care. All of them jumped right in, even Caroline. It was a fun way to cool off!

Hot Dogs & Marshmallows

One of our favorite things to do in nice weather is roast hot dogs and marshmallows. We decided it was time to have our first one of the season. It was the perfect night for it. It was good Mommy and Daddy time for Madeline. Caroline will get in on it another time.

Me and My Shadow

Caroline loves her shadow (literally). She sees it on the house or sidewalk and gives it kisses. She then does her little dance and squeals with a big smile!