An Abundance

I feel so blessed. While growing up, we used to have Christmas Eve every year with our family friends, The Jensens'. For some reason, one of the things that I remember most (besides the kids having to eat at the fireplace on the floor...) was the cucumbers she had cut up in the salad. Not a fancy salad, but I remember LOVING the taste of the cucumbers and thinking they had to be SO expensive! Yes, produce in Alaska is expensive but even worse it usually just doesn't taste like fresh produce. I feel I've come full circle now having more cucumbers than we can eat. We just send Ty around the neighborhood to see if anyone else wants any!
Needless to say, I love cucumbers and am THRILLED that for the last month, I can just go out to our garden every day and pick as many as I want to! Tyler and I eat at least 2-3 a night and I can't imagine ever being sick of them! Small pleasure, I know! Yesterday, Jim and I went out to pick some veges and I was so excited with what we found- sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers,green peppers... I'm already plotting our garden for next year! Salad anyone?

Our GARDEN is GROWING

I can't imagine NOT having a garden. Working in the dirt is one of the most relaxing things for me these days- I just LOVE it! Everything is growing... but, I'm most excited about our little melons (watermelons and cantaloupe) and our tomatoes! They're just adorable! There's nothing quite as good as a garden-ripe tomato- a slice of heaven!

Tyler's 14th Birthday!

July has been busy! Tyler turned 14 just after we returned from vacation... even he forgot his birthday was coming up! We had a great lunch- Texas Roadhouse was his pick- Yum! He's saving his birthday money to buy a dirt bike of some sort... yikes, I'm a little nervous! Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Alaska Vacation

We've been back for more than two weeks, and I'm finally getting photos of our Alaska trip up! It was a quick trip- the ten days we were there seemed to fly by! We coordinated with my sister and her husband to vacation at the same time- so much fun! I LOVED playing with my sweet little nephew and hanging out as a big family!We didn't play "tourist", but did hit a few favorite spots. I don't think I'll ever tire of the drive to Portage Glacier. The inlet view is beautiful! This time, we got lucky and saw brown bears on the way- super exciting! We've NEVER seen bears there... very cool!The big boys were "pumped" that Gramps agreed to take them to the gym to work out every morning! They LOVED it- breakfast afterward was a nice treat, too!! They hit the treadmills, weights and even the pool. Once their cool Uncle Mac arrived, he was thrown in the workouts as well. I think more than one of them was a little sore... The boys even talked Mac in to a 20 (or so) mile bike ride along the coastal trail- lots of memories!

We made sure to play... at the park and in Grandma & Grandpa's cul-de-sac. The little boys both had skinned up knees, elbows and arms from crashing on the concrete. Our dirt roads are a little more forgiving! So much fun- thanks Mom & Dad!

We really are BACK

Summer is my absolute favorite time of the year- I'm a little upset that it's going so fast! We've been back for more than a week, and I'm just starting to catch up to speed. We had a great time, but I will say it was nice to return to the hot summer days of Kansas! I'll try to post more photos this week!

On VACATION

We're in ALASKA... enjoying a family vacation at Grandma and Grandpa's house! My sis, her hubby and my sweet little nephew are also up here- we're loving time together! It was quite the trip up with four boys and our pup (couldn't leave her home alone!) but, it's been a great week!

I'm sure I'll be on the computer more once we're back at home in our groove! Of course, I've already taken a zillion photos.

Our GARDEN

There's no therapy like working in our garden! I just love it! Lots of weeding, but it's a great way to enjoy the sunshine! While staying with us for the months of April and May, my uncle spent countless hours getting our garden organized and planted.

We've added to it and are so excited to watch it grow! I think it's the Alaska girl in me... I'm still so amazed to see anything grow!

We have.......... tomatoes, squash, zucchini, peppers, watermelon, cantelope, beets, sweet corn, eggplant, green beans, onions... Yummy- we'll see how it goes!

My Master Husband

I'm so proud of my husband! He FINALLY got to sew on his stripe for earning his new rank of Master Sergeant! After testing last February, he found out last June that he made it. One year later, he finally has it!

This is probably the one area of the military that I understand the least. It seems in any other job, if you pass your test, or are promoted it's immediate. Not so in the Air Force. While everyone up for promotion tests about the same time, they award the stripe (along with the raise) in order starting with those who have been in the military the longest. If you're on a faster track and have been in less time, you even have to score higher than those with more time in service. To me, it almost seems like you're punished for testing well and passing faster. There are some who tested the same time as Jim,who sewed on their stripe last August and have enjoyed the raise almost a full year longer.

On the flip side, they have no problem immediately moving them in to a job with more responsibility. I'll probably never understand it- guess it is what it is! At any rate- it was a very nice ceremony, we're happy his time finally arrived!

LOVE LOVE LOVE Summer

I love pretty much everything about SUMMER... hot days, warm nights, flip flops, no school, mowing, happy boys, the pool.... all of it! It's definitely my favorite season!

A Hit

He's getting the hitting down!

T Ball Humor

T-ball is in full-swing now, with two games under Coleman's belt he's finally (almost) got the routine down to run from first to second to third...
He still can't resist the temptation to run from the outfield in to any where on the field to pick up a loose ball. Oh well... he'll get it!

It's quite entertaining to watch. The coaches HAVE to have some patience along with a sense of humor.

Here's a little clip of Coleman.

Eight Kids and a couple of Dogs

I've often said if my pregnancies weren't so horrible, I probably would have had more kids. That doesn't mean Jim was on board, that was just my idea. This week, I'm getting a small taste of what it may have been like...
Our dear friends had to go out of state, so we have their four girls and pup this week. They're darling girls, and fit in like the sisters our boys never had (or will have). I've never had to fix little girl's hair- didn't know if I could even do a simple pony tail, but we've managed! Our little Lady absolutely loves having little Buster (their beagle) to run with all day.

We're on day four and it's been a smooth week- so far. Just a little more laundry, cooking, cleaning and craziness! Overall- quite enjoyable!

No MORE Training Wheels

Our sweet little Caden just couldn't be left behind! As soon as Coleman was riding his bike without training wheels, we knew Caden would be quick to follow. Last week, he begged his daddy to take his training wheels off. To Jim's surprise, Caden just took off! He's only 3 1/2! He's a fast little guy, and SO happy to be a "big kid" on his bike! We know we have to keep his determination focused in the right direction. Once he sets his mind to something, it's hard to convince him otherwise! He's giving us all a workout running with him to help him around the corners. Here's a short video clip of him cruising down our dirt road with Uncle Dana.

So much BETTER

Yes, I'm doing much better now that I have my Jim back. It was a long two weeks apart, but we survived. We've had a long week of nothing but rain... so our swamp is back and the frogs are happy campers back there! On a positive note, we're thrilled with how green everything is- especially our front grass. Really- it's the simple things that get me so excited!

Tyler took first in his track meet last week in the 200 hurdles. He finished 2nd in the 100 hurdles and 1st in a 4x200 relay. So impressive since it was just his second WEEK doing hurdles HIS WHOLE LIFE! Justin placed 3rd in disc- while disappointed, we were pleased since there were close to 20 kids competing. He's just so dang competitive.