S.E.L.'s Sales

Savannah and Lily came to spend a few nights with us and while they were in town they had their annual S.E.L.'s Sales lemonade stand!  Jed is now involved but so far has not made the acronym.  The day was so hot they didn't have too many visitors, but they were extra grateful for the ones they did have!  They each (minus Jed who was paid with a cookie) made around $11....not too shabby.  

 

The man in the picture below is Keith, Peggy's neighbor.  

4th of july

Evangeline and I made ice cream sandwiches from a recipe in her American Girl cookbook....they were yummy. 

We had a cookout at Peggy's house and enjoyed some smoke bombs, bottle rockets and sparklers in the yard.  Evangeline is still able to wear this dress I made for her several years ago out of Peggy's old curtain fabric.  She also wears the headband from Aunt Jeanne each year as well.  I love it. 

I let Jed try a sparkler by himself.  He stood as still as a statue.  

She's so pretty....

 

Jed LOVED the Pop-Its!  For a while I think he thought he had to jump and throw them down for them to work.  It was so cute.

 

Watching with anticipation as their daddy set off a bottle rocket.....

 

At dusk we walked over to the fair grounds to watch the annual Marshall fireworks display.  Jed loved it.  It's so fun to watch him observing things anew each year as he grows older. 

 

Kyle and Jed went to a fireworks store earlier in the day and purchased one big firework called A Million Fireflies.  When we got home around 10:00 we set it off.  It was loud and literally felt like it popped a million times.  It kept on going and going and I'm sure we woke up the whole neighborhood, but it was hilarious and fun to watch with the kids. 

McCormick's Creek

Mom and I took the kids to what's become our annual trip to McCormick's Creek State Park and Bloomington.  We always have so much fun walking around downtown Bloomington and visiting the shops there.  We ate at Darn Good Soup, which Evangeline picked because she hears the ads for it on NPR at her grandpa's house.  It was a hot choice for the day.  After a nice time in Bloomington we headed back to the park to check in, swim and play.  We ate dinner at the park and had ice cream at the camp store.  

We played a giant game of checkers and were completely tormented by mosquitoes.  

That evening Evangeline and her grandma played board games in the lobby while I took Jed up for bed.  The girls had a late night, but Jed was up at the crack of dawn like always.  I took him downstairs to the lobby while the girls slept.  He was insistent on "working" on like a 500 piece puzzle. 

We also enjoyed some quality time outside.  It was a beautiful morning. 

After eating breakfast at the park restaurant, we took a trail to see the waterfall.  The kids were just dying to get in it, but that's for another time...

I'm thankful to my mom for taking these pictures of me and my children....

Next, we went back to Bloomington to find the trail that passes my Aunt Jeanne's angel.  I had never seen it before in person.  It's on the bike/walking trail that goes through town.  It was so stinking hot, but we parked at a location on the trail that was just a close walk to the angel.  It was so touching to see it in real life.  The plaque underneath says, "A community Arts Project dedicated to the memory of Jeanne Walters, a compassionate human being that gave so much to the Bloomington community."

The angel is made of recycled materials with her wings comprised of license plates.  The angel is a male on one side and a female on the other side.  She is holding a book that says, "love, peace, gratitude, forgiveness, kindness" in several different languages.  The heart in the middle lights up at night.  It's just exquisite and a perfectly fitting tribute to my aunt.  

On the way home we stopped at Jiffy Treat for some delicious ice cream.  I have really come to look forward to our little annual trip to McCormick's Creek.  

A Girl and Her Cat

This girl loves her cat, and this cat loves her girl.....Pickles is making his annoyed face is about 90% of these pictures, but don't let it fool you...Evangeline is his favorite person and he is following her around constantly.  I took these pictures while she was giving him some serious snuggles before leaving for church camp.