Summer Vacations

We've been in frantic vacation mode around here. It started with one cousin's wedding in Minnesota. Then we moved on to welcoming Grammy and Grandpa Bob here for a week of hard labor, er, projects around the house and playing with the girls. Then the girls, I, and Hubert trekked off to the farm to be joined a few days later by Mr. T (we were able to end up with all of us at the farm and only one vehicle to bring home - long story, but we did it!) for the week. We were at the farm during the county fair which was pretty exciting for Miss Mouse. She even got a chicken egg! We happened to be at the animal barn at the same time as one of the chicken owners who thought Miss Mouse was cute and deserved the egg her chicken had laid earlier in the day. Being a bit leary of salmonella, we cooked Miss Mouse up a store-bought egg in the morning, but she didn't know the difference....we had hoped she'd be able to find a fresh egg the next day (we were given permission to swipe any eggs we saw), but the chickens had gone home before we had a chance to see them. Anyway. I'll include some farm pictures here soon to show what else was up in the Northland. There were also the ever-popular sheep.

After returning from the farm and doing some laundry, we took off to the lake to visit Mr. T's cousin and his family whom we hadn't seen for three years now. Wow - what a difference three years makes in small children! Previously, they had a grade school boy, a young grade school boy, and a preschooler. Now they have a young man and two grade school children. All of them are either taller than I am or getting frighteningly close!

We made it back from the lake on Saturday night just in time to turn around to head to our former home to celebrate one of the church's 125th anniversary. It was so fun being back and visiting with many people we don't often get a chance to see! I have to confess that it was a terribly odd feeling seeing someone else in Mr. T's pulpit.....just another good way for me to realize it never really was his to begin with.....time moves on. But we had great fellowship with friends there. It was quite a treat, even if it was just for one Sunday.

We leave again for the lake in a couple of days to celebrate Independence Day.

I have to acknowledge a few Miss Mouse phrases that have been particularly fun lately:
*To Baby Mouse: "Oooohhhh, L'il Pumpun sleeping/pooping/tooting/smiling". I'm not sure where she came up with Little Pumpkin, but that is her new pet name for her sister.
*To Daddy after seeing him attach feathers to his new batch of arrows: "Good job, Daddy! Daddy did those all by himself!!!" That's a word-for-word quote.
*After eating a new concoction of cottage cheese and hot salsa: "All done. Poor little girl." I searched out the only salsa in the store without msg....I guess it was a bit too hot.