Family Time in Indy

 For those of you who may not have heard, Scott's dad Dick was very recently diagnosed with cancer.  Here's the link to his Caring Bridge site, if you'd like to stay informed. 

All the kids and grandkids gathered at Dick and Cathy's house for a long weekend.  My kids were so excited to have time with all their cousins, especially after missing Christmas.  Unfortunately, Micah wasn't feeling well, so he spent most of the time quarantined in bed.  But he occasionally came and sat at a distance to have a little time to visit.

playing "Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza"

Some sweaty boys after playing football

older girls working on a craft project

playing video games

all dressed up for family pictures

walking home from ice cream in the rain

Scott and Micah left on Monday to get back for cross country, work, and the dog.  The younger kids and I stayed for an extra day.

Some generous family friends invited the kids over to swim in their pool.

Micah at Camp Carl

 Micah did high school week at Camp Carl with Henri and Owen.  They could have done middle school week, since they're on the bubble, but they were very happy with their choice.  High schoolers get some extra privileges, like staying up later, paintball, and leaving camp to go roller skating.

Micah and Owen haven't been in school together since third grade, but they still have a great friendship

May 2017

 

July 2022

(You might notice that Micah's smile looks a little different.  He got his braces off a few days before camp!)

horse riding is not his favorite

Is Micah actually dancing?!?

We Got a Dog

Over the past couple of years, we have all talked about wanting a dog.  With everyone home for the summer, limited travel, and no babies or toddlers in the house, it seemed like the perfect time. I had been keeping an eye on our local shelters and websites for a few weeks and hadn't found the perfect fit. When I posted on facebook, asking for opinions and advice, two trusted people highly recommended the same local goldendoodle breeder.  When I looked her up and found that she had a litter that would be available very soon, it seemed obvious that I should at least reach out.  She invited us to come visit...and that was all it took.  Scott wanted to get three of them. 

There are lots of breeds that we considered, and getting a rescue would have been wonderful.  But we decided to go with a goldendoodle for two main reasons: 

1. Housekeeping is not my strength.  I have a hard enough time keeping things presentable without adding pounds of dog hair every day.  A dog that doesn't shed was VERY appealing to me.

2. With children regularly coming in and out of the house, allergies are a concern.  I feel a lot better having a hypoallergenic dog.

On Thursday we brought home Sadie P. Gurley.  (The "P" stands for "Peanut".  Matthew wanted to name her "Peanut Butter" because our neighbor's dog is named "Jellly".)  

Scott is her favorite, and the feeling is mutual.

Sadie is about 7 weeks old.  She likes sleeping on air vents, crawling into tight spaces, and biting.  Everyone warned us that puppies will wake up through the night and cry, but she is doing great sleeping through the night in her crate!  All the kids have been doing a fabulous job of taking care of her.  They alternate to make sure someone is always watching her, take her out after she eats or drinks, and clean up after her.  They're even taking turns setting their alarms to get up early with her.  So far so good!

Fourth of July

 We celebrated Independence Day on July 3rd.  As they often do, our good friends the Frisbees opened up their home and pool.  We spent a lovely, relaxing afternoon talking, eating, and playing with friends.  I took exactly zero pictures, but someone sent me this one: 

After dinner, we stopped home to change into dry clothes, then we head to the Merrimans' (Frisbees' parents) house for dessert and fireworks.  Every year it's a slightly different group - some church friends, some neighbors, some work friends, etc.  But it's always enjoyable.  And the dads who put on the fireworks show have gotten pretty good at it over the years!  This time I took one picture: 

And Gretchen sent me these two: 

Meanwhile, Matthew was off having his own fun.  One of his best buddies Luke wanted to celebrate his birthday by going to USFL championship game, held at the Hall of Fame.  They invited Matthew and another friend to join them.  They went putt-putting, had Swenson's for dinner, and made signs for the game.  They had a lot of fun at the game (they were on the jumbotron multiple times) and didn't get home until midnight!

With Matthew's late night, we opted to skip the parade the next morning and have a quiet day at home on the 4th.

Matthew at Camp Carl

Matthew insisted that he was ready to do overnight camp this year, but I was not so sure that I was ready!  We tried to arrange it for him to go with a friend from school, but after our schedules didn't line up, we just put in on the back-burner for a while.  By the time we revisited the idea, the only week that would work for us had a waitlist.  He must have been pretty close to the top of the list, though, because a few weeks ahead of time we got the news that he was in!  He had requested to be with his friend Eli (they play soccer together, and Eli is one year ahead of him at Cornerstone).  There were several other Cornerstone boys a year or two older than him that were there that week, so he ended knowing half his cabin.  It also helped that we were familiar with one of his counselors "Moose", who had Micah a few years ago.

It sounds like he had a great time, and will be excited to go back again next year.

Meanwhile, I missed him, but I survived.  Micah and Hannah kept me busy driving them to doctor's appointments and workouts and shopping and friends.

One afternoon we did kayaking down the Cuyahoga River. It's advertised as a two-hour trip.  However, the water level was very low, and the lack of current made it a bit harder.  It took us more than two hours, but we enjoyed the beautiful day. We had a blue heron keep us company for quite a long time. We learned that Hannah does NOT like dragonflies. And we got ice cream when we finished.

One night we went to see the Cleveland Ambassadors Women's team play.  They are so talented and fun to watch!

Elle came over to play one day.

And Micah spent one night with the Oysters.  They took him out on the boat, and he got to learn how to wakesurf! 

Hooray for summer fun, but I'm also glad to have everyone home for a little while now!