Swimming with a Frog

Swimming has become the highlight of every day! This particular day, the boys were thrilled to find a frog, and they even got to swim with it. 

 

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Today was Grandpa Church's birthday. We walked over with the wagon to have dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was fun, especially when it was time to eat yummy German chocolate cake!

 

Our Friend Minnie

This Minnie Mouse statue is like no other. It is so "real" to Sadie. Sadie loves to go and sit with Minnie and put her arm around her. Thanks to Grandpa Gallaher who got it for Sadie. Spending time out on the porch is just that much more fun.

 

Happy Father's Day

I am so ashamed of myself for not getting a picture of the kids with their amazing daddy. Kendall Gallaher is an amazing dad. He cares so much for each of our children. Landon, Ethan, Sadie, and Zoie are blessed. 

We did get to have breakfast with daddy. Everyone's plate said something special.

Kendall and I are blessed to have amazing dads ourselves. Here are just a couple throwback pictures of me with my daddy (Grandpa Church).

Lisa, Dad (Grandpa Church), Joanne

A Day with the Clark Cousins

It was a fun filled day swimming, making cookies, and just hanging out with cousins all day.

Fun Summer Sun!

Just enjoying the heat!

 

 

Setting Up Our Very Own Pool!

We have a pool! The kids are thrilled. They couldn't wait for it to be filled and had to play while it was filling up. 

The power went out that night too, and the boys had a blast with the flashlight telling spooky stories. Then, the kids were all pooped and the boys camped out on the living room floor. 

Tourists in Our Own Town

It's been fun working on Landon's scout goals because it gives us excuses to get out and do things together. This day, we went and visited the Reinburger House Museum and it's historic grape vineyard that was planted so long ago and is still here today. I think they said it is the oldest vineyard in Illinois. We have enjoyed yummy jams and juices and jellies made from the grapes of this vineyard. So cool. There were lots of neat things to look at inside the museum too. There were lots of neat Civil War artifacts and an amazing square grand piano that used to be in the Wilford Woodruf home, if I remember correctly. Of course, there were many more interesting things inside too. The wine cellar built onto the house was really cool...the way it was made. It is shaped like a dome. They made a big pile of dirt, shaped it how they wanted it, covered it with lime stone and then dug all of the dirt out. That's how it got it's shape. Very interesting. 

After touring the museum, we stopped at the Fudge Factory for some rocky road fudge and chocolate covered Twizzlers. Yum!

 

 

 

Zoie Time!

The kids and I try to have "Zoie Time" every day. This is a time where we put Zoie's hearing aids on her and then play and play with her so that she will leave them in for as long as possible. Well, since we know Zoie loves being outside, we have been doing "Zoie Time" outside. It has made a HUGE difference. Zoie will leave her hearing aids in so much longer! She notices sounds and turns to look at all kinds of things. She hears the cars drive by, and then looks up and waves at them. I'm so excited. I hope she can keep this up!

Princess Sadie

Sadie really likes to dress up in her princess attire. She walks with poise and acts like a little lady. She loves to dance with Daddy. What a pretty princess she is!

A Family Walk

We have been taking the advantage of going on lots of family walks. It is the best!

 

Zoie is One!

Today is Zoie's birthday! This beautiful girl has grown so fast! She loves to spend time outside. She is taking so much in from her surroundings. She tries hard to figure everything out and is quite the problem solver. You can see in her eyes that her mind is just going and going. She is a sweet heart and loves to laugh and growl. She likes to dance and sing. She is a good little eater. She loves berries, yogurt, scrambled eggs, and hot dogs. She has a mouth full of teeth. Six on top and four on the bottom. Zoie loves to explore and mimic sounds she hears people make. We are so proud of Zoie and love her so much! We are so happy you are in our family Zoie!