pictures to add

Here are a couple of
pictures of our backyard
camping from a few weeks
ago. Mary and Elijah eat
s'mores.



Brian successfully makes
Jiffy Pop over the fire.
I was impressed.

The end (beginning?) is near

I am starting to prepare myself like a responsible adult should for the fact that in a few weeks school will be underway. Today Laura and I went to my classroom to start getting it ready for a new year. She did a fabulous job doing the floor to ceiling bulletin boards that I really struggle with and she moved big heavy tables and computers for me.

I think I will like my room a lot more this year. Last year was my first year in this classroom and the teacher before me was a 20 year kindergarten teacher who left me everything. I had a hard time knowing what to keep and what to let go of since I had my own 6 years of materials. So, I stripped the walls to nothing and I am starting fresh this year. I have been purging lots of things. Also, since I know I will be having a substitute for at least half of the year I am motivated to organize my things. Otherwise they won't be able to find anything. I think I will be able to enjoy my vacation next week lots more knowing that lots of the big stuff is done in my room.

backyard camping

The weather this weekend has been unbelievable! Absolutely perfect--upper 70's/low 80's daytime and upper 50's at night. On Friday night we decided to set up the tent and have a little camp out. We cooked hot dogs and s'mores over our fire pit and then later that night Brian and Elijah slept in the tent (it gets dark too late to let Mary sleep there too, so she and I slept in the house). We kept the door to the house locked overnight, so when asked about his favorite part of camping out, Elijah's reply was "peeing in the yard." Leave it to a boy...

Please pray for us Prohet Elijah

Today is the commemoration of the prophet Elijah. Although most of us probably know the story of the showdown with the baal worshipers and calling down of fire on the altar to show who who was the true God, He is also the man who, by his prayers, stopped the rain for over three years. God provided food via birds and a water source for him to drink. He also did a miracle when he told Elijah to go to a woman and ask for food. God kept filling her flour and oil so she didn't run out during the famine and they continued to have bread. This week the kids and I have been studying about him in our morning quiet times. I just love having such a flexible schedule in the summer to sit and read our Bible's together every day. It's something that is just so hard when we have to get up and out the door in the mornings.

I wish...

I had something terribly exciting to write about tonight. It has been perhaps the slowest, most uneventful week yet this summer. We have been cooped up inside due to rain, super hot humidity, and a lazy mother. I just don't feel like doing anything which kind of makes me feel like a slug. Brian has been gone a lot between working and trying to finish recording their cd. All I want to do is read. I have been seriously enjoying fiction this summer. As soon as I finish a book I get all squirrely until I can get to the library for another.

Tonight my mother in law came over to work on baby shower invitations for my sister in law who is also pregnant (with her first baby) and is due the first of October. It was fun to start planning her party. I think we are going to do some kind of nursery rhyme or book character theme. I'm going to do some internet searching to see what I can come up with.

And finally, this picture is from Elijah. He has been bugging me to get the pictures off his camera and on to the computer, but it is a big hassle b/c he doesn't have a removable memory card and we didn't have the usb cord out, yadda, yadda, yadda. Anyhoo...we got the camera out today and somehow all the pictures on it got deleted. Oops. He was really upset, understandably. So he took this picture of Brian's newest guitar (my grandpa's old Epiphone that we had refinished) and I thought I would pay homage to him.

Mary's birthday weekend

Hard to believe that our baby is three years old!! Elijah went to the boat in Michigan for the weekend so daddy and I could give her all our attention. On Friday afternoon we took her to Tropicanoe Cove to swim. On Saturday we just had the most relaxing, fun day. We woke up late (ok, it was 7:45, but that is late for us) and Mary and I played with her babies in her room. I drank coffee and when Brian got home at 9:30 we went to the Farmers Market. From there we went to Columbian Park got popcorn, and rode the train, the horse and buggy ride, and walked around the zoo. After that we drove out to Hunter's Pub south and ate lunch out on the patio. We came home and took a rest to get ready for Brian's reunion that night. Mary spent the night at Gramma Susan and Grandpa Bob-o's house. On Sunday we went to church and then ended up having dinner at my parents' house. Our oven is broken for some reason so we couldn't make the cupcakes we were planning on, so, at the last minute we thought we could take the cake mix there and use their oven. We decided to get pizza and take it over there and we just ended up having a little impromptu birthday celebration. I didn't want to do too much because we are going to have her birthday party when we go on vacation in a couple weeks.

Friday evening at home

Um, did anyone notice that today is Friday the 13th? A little update to our day. Elijah left for the weekend to hang at my parent's boat in Michigan. So, Brian and I took Mary to Tropicanoe Cove (the rates go down after 4:30) for a little late afternoon splash. Tonight starts his 10 year reunion weekend. He is going solo tonight and then tomorrow night we will go together. It will be small--there are less than 30 people signed up to attend, but at least I feel like I kind of know most of them. Brian and I dated his senior year of high school and I even went to his senior prom and graduation and all that. I guess I don't particularly think of us as "high school sweethearts" per se, but I guess I should. We have been together for 11 years!!!!!! That is hard to believe!

Another fun water day

Today was the perfect impromptu lunch with Brian at Purdue. He is working part time in the HTM cafeteria in Stone Hall and he asked us to stop by today and eat with him. As we were walking through the hallway they have a big picture window where you can look in the kitchen so we could see him back there chopping salads. The kids were so excited! It is so laid back there especially during the summer, so the kids picked out all of these a la carte items (why is that so much more fun than getting a 'real lunch'?) and we got to meet all the people he works with.

After lunch I took the kids out to the fountain and let them run through and splash around. Brian came out with three giant chocolate chip cookies that his boss told him to bring out to us. It was such a treat. Campus was really quiet and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. It was one of those picture perfect moments. Too bad I didn't have my camera :)

have you ever tried to take pictures of young kids at a water park?

It's no easy task. We had such a fun day at Tropicanoe Cove-the water park down the street from our house. Our friend Heather and her daughter Penelope (or Kenelope, as Mary calls her) came with us. I wish I could've gotten at least one good shot, but alas. We really had a good time.

I love my garden

I love that I can go cut just enough fresh lettuce to make a salad and there isn't a soggy bag of wilted greens at the bottom of the produce drawer in my refrigerator. I love that my kids enjoy eating our own green beans and helping me shell peas. I love picking grape tomatoes right off the vine and eating them. I love cutting zinnias and putting them in vases in my house. I love weeding and watering and looking for what is ripe in the twilight after my kids are in bed. The only down- side is that when I go to the farmers market at this time of year there isn't much for me to buy!!!

Fourth of July Spectacular

In typical Greene fashion we loaded up our whole family as well as some loyal friends--can't leave town with out them!! and celebrated the 4th of July in nearby Wolcott, IN. Brian's band, The SmallTown Heroes played as a part of the festival. It was pretty hot and humid, but despite what weatherman Prangley said--NO severe weather!!!!! We spent all afternoon and evening there and even managed to stay awake for the fireworks.

Highlights from our weekend north

First I should say that Northern Michigan is where I spent a good portion of my summers when I was growing up. It was a long drive from where I lived in middle Michigan and a drive that is really too far to venture with our small children from our home in Indiana. So, we have only been up one time since we've been married. We always refer to that one trip as our best vacation ever. So, you can imagine my feelings of pure enjoyment to spend 3 days walking around the towns and beaches I have loved my whole life long!!

We stayed at Fisherman's Island State Park in Charlevoix. It is a rustic camp ground--no flush toilets or showers. Thankfully we were able to visit some family staying near the area and use their shower twice!! It is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I have ever been to. It is on--and I mean on Lake Michigan. There are a number of sites right on the beach. We layed in our tent at night listening to the water crash on the beach.

On Friday we drove across the Mackinaw Bridge into the upper peninsula and took the ferry across to Mackinac Island. We walked around and ate and just kind of relaxed. The funniest part of this day was that Bob, Brian's dad was on a motorcycle trip and was in the same town so we had dinner with him in St. Ignace, MI.

On Saturday we walked around Charlevoix and shopped a bit, ate lunch at my favorite restaurant in town and then headed back to the campground. I took a book and a blanket and read the on the beach all afternoon and Brian rested in the tent. On Saturday night we drove over to visit my aunts and cousins who were renting a house just miles from where we stayed. We had dinner with them and watched the sunset before driving back to have our last campfire.

On Sunday we made breakfast and had devotions then cleared out our camp so we could start the 6 1/2 hour drive home. We stopped in Holland and had lunch with my parents on their boat and took the little motorized dingy raft across the lake to get ice cream before we headed home.
All-in-all maybe the best vacation we have had. Certainly the most appreciated.