Duet

Labor Day weekend also included some guitar duets with Uncle Logan. 

Hammock Time!

We had a relaxing Labor Day weekend at the lake. We had plenty of time in the hammock, which is always a sign of weekend well-spent.

Days with Henry

Some of you may know that I now have my sweet nephew, Henry, during the day. He's such a doll, and the boys just adore him.

Henry spends his days getting loved on by Oliver and Ellis. Not a bad way to spend a day.

Eating Our Way Around the World

This weekend we went to an Ethnic Enrichment Festival, an outdoor festival celebrating the many cultures represented in America. They had food from all over the world, dancing and singing, and booths where you could learn about the cultures and buy traditional items from each place. We learned a bit, but mostly, we walked around and ate.

We thought for sure Anna would be anxious to have food from home, but she chose a doner kebob from the Turkey stand. I got an Israel sampler plate with hummus, pita bread, falafel, and a kosher pickle. Eric and the boys had jumbo hot dogs from the Italy stand. Go figure.

It was a fun time, and I actually wish I could go back and have more food! But in all seriousness, it was neat to be reminded how diverse our American culture is. When we're just going about our day-to-day business, we kind of forget about the cultures that make up our heritage, so it was nice to have the festival to remind us to celebrate our differences.

Not the greatest shot, but it gives an idea of what the stands look like.

Ellis as a geisha. 

Sharing a green tea popsicle from Japan.

Ellis drinking a lemonade the size of his face!

Preschool

Ellis went to his first day of preschool today. I may or may not be counting the minutes until we pick him up. Similarly, I won't tell you if I cried in the parking lot...and all the way home. 

Ollie thinks throwing rocks is more fun than a group shot.

Willkommen Anna!

I've been absent for a while, but it's been for a good reason. Do you remember when I alluded to our life getting more hectic this fall? The time has arrived. We added a teenager to our mix last Friday!

Some people, when they get the hang of two kids, say, "Hey, how 'bout we have another?" Some adopt. As for us, we said, "Hey, let's get a teenager...from another country...for 10 months!" And that's what we've done.

Anna is 15 and from Germany. She'll be a family member in our home until next May, when she'll return to Germany. We're looking forward to the next 10 months. We hope that we will learn as much as she will.

Anna reading to the boys on her first night here.

Anna, after hanging a wish on The Wishing Tree--what a great way to start off a new school year!

Anna, me, and my friend Lisa, who created The Wishing Tree in her yard.

Anna's first day of school in America.

Sunday Fun

We had lots of bubbles left over from Oliver's birthday party, so we had some fun with bubbles yesterday morning. Daddy went out before the boys and I were up and got donuts, and we played on the porch until time to go to church. 

The boys had fun blowing bubbles onto a fresh spiderweb. The bubbles stuck and the spider went nuts, thinking there was something new in her web.

We always buy plenty of bubbles because inevitably Oliver pours some out. No biggie.