Abby the princess~by Beth

Isn't she just the cutie pie?

Beach Day~by Beth

The week before Stephen's birthday we had a beach day at the request of Katie. We went out to Bowditch Beach, down the road from Ft Myers Beach. Joel joined us as well. We had a great time together playing in the water and sand. We had frisbees and a football that we threw out in the water. The only down side was that the Gulf water has gotten so hot, that it felt like bath water, literally, the first 50 feet from shore. It got a little cooler past there, but not much. We had to get wet and then stand in the breeze to cool off! Ah, but what fun memories.

Party day~by Beth

We had a great Friday celebrating Stephen's 2nd birthday. His actual day was Saturday but since Katie flew back to Texas that morning we decided to do it a day early. Katie and all the children had a blast. Joel was even there. We had some inside games first including "Stephen Says", then some outside games like relays, water balloon toss and then all out water war. It was pretty funny. Of couse all the boys wanted to nail their dad. We ended up eating outside since everyone was soaked, except mom which made it convenient to go in and out with the food. Here are a few photos.

Father's Day 2010

Well, it was a great day to be a Dad. My wife was gracious enough to labor long and hard in order for me to enjoy plenty of good cooking and baking today. I was treated to a special breakfast full of fruits--my favorite. On the table was a nice Father's Day card from the children, and a balloon (which popped a little later) that said "World's Greatest Dad." We worshiped together, with Joel even showing up. With Katie here these two weeks, we had all of our children except Nathan and Hannah. Then, Sunday dinner was wonderful. Beth and the children made french toast and on it we put homemade strawberry and rhubarb sauce. That was yummy! Then to top it off, Beth and Katie had baked two pies, one strawberry and the other raspberry. Again, scrumptious! After evening church we even got a second helping of the pies! During the afternoon and into the evening (all around the evening service) we watched the U.S. Open from Pebble Beach. That was fun too.

On this day I cannot help but think of my Dad. I appreciate all that he was as a man and a Father. He means a great deal to me. At church this morning, in my remarks about Father's Day, I said that just about everything I am can be attributed to Dad and Mom. They had such a positive influence on my life. I am so grateful for the Godly heritage afforded me. The same is true of my Father and Mother-in-law. God has been good to give me a wife from another Godly family. May we be faithful to continue this heritage and pass it on to our children!

Hair for a worthy cause~by Beth

Here are three of our little sweeties (although Christiana tells us that she is not little anymore). Christiana, Johanna, and Charity donated their hair to Locks of Love. This was Johanna's first donation. She looks absolutely adorable with short hair. I had told Daddy about cutting it some months ago and he was not ready for her to get it cut. I told him she needed a few more months to grow it anyway, so by the time it was long enough, he was ready too. :-) Charity has donated three times now and Christiana four times. They are all happy to have short hair for the hot summer, especially Charity as her hair is very thick. Christiana is wearing her new glasses too.

The Climber~by Beth

Here is our little climber. On Memorial Day we were playing, doing yard work, cooking out, and having fun. I went looking for Stephen when I heard a play horn honking. Our Mini Coupe is stored on a shelf in the garage. Stephen crawled up there and got inside. He looked up at me and said "I'm driving". I had to run and grab the camera.