The Summer started off with a bang.
Mid-summer did at least, with 4th of July with a firework that was perhaps placed upside down? It's a miracle that everyone's o.k.
Esther, Ira played soccer and really enjoyed it. Eliot opted to take a break.
Anthony enjoyed playing softball with the church team and sometimes played with kids in between games.
Sometime during the Summer months, I was able to wrap up more than a year's work, making a location move for the Ypsilanti Cooperative Preschool (YCP as the silhouette's indicate). A husband and wife (go Gibbons!) team and I were the "Transition Committee" for the preschool in charge of finding a new location, preparing the space (which was a complete mess, and licencing it. Some weeks this felt like a full time job and I am incredibly relieved that it's all over, and so grateful for the parents who volunteered to clean, paint, paint some more, and move an insane amount of stuff. The Youth group from church also made the actual move a tiny fraction of the time we thought it would take.
Summer also included:
"Road trip blanket" making...
Michigan Hikes
Chillin' outside
Getting glasses for the first time!
...trips to the beach
And a couple trips to our new favorite snack joint: La Pina Loca
Summer in Ann Arbor means saying sad farewells to our friends who have graduated from their time here. Miss you Jessica!
And Jacksons! Come baaaaack...
Esther Turned 4
We celebrated with breakfast at the Bomber...
By going to the water circus...
with ice cream cake...
(Is it me, or do Esther and I look almost nothing alike at age 4?)
and presents. Man, we love that girl.
Ellsworth Family Reunion
It was so dreamy to be all together again! In our home county of Lancaster, PA. We stayed on a couple of Menonite farms. Or was one Amish? Not sure, but it was really fun to be surrounded by horse and buggies and gorgeous farmland everywhere.
The Larsens and Quinns stayed on this farm, where the kids loved feeding the horse and goats.
We were amazed to find one of the goats standing on the donkey one morning, but apparently this is a fairly normal thing?
This was the main house down the road, which was part of the underground railroad!
My beautiful Mom.
Robin and Brian
Kris and Robin
Game and Food central
This is my sister's actual napping position! She looks so much like a painting, you'd think she was an art history professor or something.
Longwood gardens
Carolyn and Celeste
Ira and a Dragon
All the sibs
Eliot helping Robin learn how to walk
Almost everyone!!
I kept accidentally calling this a bazego half the time.
Day trip to Philadelphia
to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall
Shared some Soft Pretzel and Water Ice (which I cannot believe I hadn't had until now. SO good. And no, I didn't mean Ice Water.)
Back in Lancaster, we were able to spend a morning at Root's Farmer's Market, one of my favorite places to visit. I think my arms were too full of whoopie pies to take pics, but somehow I managed this one:
Back on the farm...
We had time for general chillin' (here with cousin Paul
and cousin Isaac,)
a Talent Show...or rather a Variety Show. My sisters and I choreographed a dance using The Loop. If you're not familiar with the Loop, it's 5 yards of spandex usually used for a human slingshot sort of game. Anyway, it was a blast.
...a scavenger hunt arranged by yours truly.
Ultimate Frisbee
And playing in the rain, until I had to act like a grown up when lightning showed up and called everyone to the porch.
Can't get enough of these people.
We left PA and headed North for...
Hill Cumorah Pageant and Upstate New York
Bumped into my friend and cello teacher Elizabeth Marsh!
The Sacred Grove
The Pageant!
Hiking the Hill
It was so good to be back.
Niagara Falls
We drove back to Michigan for a couple days to do laundry, then were off for a...
Road Trip to Utah
So good to be back with the greater Quinns.
We filled up half this tiny theater in Orem to watch Peter Pan, which was delightful.
Sharon the neighbor offered to let the kids ride Brownie.
Demolition Derby with Dad
We spent a few days at Flaming Gorge and rafted/kyaked the Green River.
It was so gorgeous! I was really impressed with the kids' skills!
Spent a day at the Dinosaur National Monument
Esther was in heaven!
Back at our base in Midway
Got to catch up with Ruth and Amber, dear friends.
met up with my long lost freshmen room-mate Cami...
felt at home with our Michigan pals the Barneys...
and was delighted to visit with the Francis cousins and fam on the Ellsworth side.
Reviewing over these, I'm blown away by the incredible people we've been blessed with in our lives!
Ant and I got to visit the Timpanogos Temple, where we got hitched.
This was the Rodeo with the Simon's cousins, which was a blast until Esther puked all over me. Fortunately we had a giant blanket over our laps, so I was able to keep it all contained until we got out of the stadium.
Grandma being a Saint letting the kids drive like hooligans.
It's always a joy to visit our dear ones in the Beehive State.
Back Home we wrapped up the Summer with...
Swim Team
Rebel reading (Thanks Jean!)
A dreamy visit to Halfmoon Lake with friends
(I promise they weren't invisible ;) )
Dinner in Hell
The food was heaven!
More playing in the water at Gallup
Multi-tasking Mom moments
This is the first time Esther volunteered to wear a skirt to church in months, because it was made by Grandma Quinn, and "it comes with a tie!" ...which is suppose to be a hair bow, but whatever works for ya.
Speaking of skirts.
Robin, kept growing...though it doesn't look like it here.
I got to go Cedar Point (for the first time) with my friend Megan. It was a total blast, and I'm thinking we need to make it an annual girl's day out.
Onward to Fall!
