Raspberries!!

Dan's parents brought us a couple raspberry bushes from their garden last summer. We weren't sure any of them were going to survive. This summer, the bushes are growing really well and are actually multiplying! We had our first batch of raspberries that we were able to pick today. Isaac was so excited. We look forward to having a bunch more this summer. Dan's parents also brought us some rhubarb plants which are doing well. We decided to plant some squash and tomato plants on our own so hopefully we will see some of those later this summer!

Visit with Grandma and Grandpa Larson

Dan left on Wednesday for CDYC, the annual summer youth conference in Indiana. I went down to visit my parents with the boys. Mom had a scare on Tuesday, going in to the hospital with some chest heaviness. Praise the Lord, everything is fine with her heart!! I was very thankful for the opportunity to go down and spend some time with my parents. My cousin Josh's son, Colton was at my parents' house this week too, as he was attending VBS at their church.
We met Amy and the kids at a spray park one day. The boys had so much fun splashing in the water and hanging out with their cousins. Another day, we took Colton and the boys mini-golfing. It was actually the first time that Isaac and Levi have gone. They had fun running around chasing the balls. Levi liked to lay down over the holes and try to get the balls out!
On Friday night, we went to the closing celebration at VBS. They had a cookout with yummy food and we were able to see Paul and Amy and the kids again. Josh and Megan also came down to pick up Colton. It was a busy week but we had a lot of fun.

Levi's new bed

Well, we finally did it. We made the transition of moving the boys together. Some friends of ours gave us a car toddler bed. We had tossed around the idea of getting bunk beds but with both boys being such climbers, we thought it best to wait until they get a little older. After our camping trip and trip up to the lake, we thought the boys had enough "experience" being in the same room. Isaac was definitely excited to have a roommate. Levi was excited too, but maybe a little too excited. The first night we had trouble getting him to sleep so we resorted to the crib. The second night, it took a little crying and coaxing but Levi finally managed to fall asleep and stay in his bed all night. Naps have been a little more interesting, as Levi gets so wound up. Hopefully with time it will get easier :) Both boys are enjoying the new "climbing toy" in Isaac's room. At least it's not as tall as a bunk bed!!

Trip to Wisconsin

We went up to Wisconsin last week to visit Dan's parents up at Long Lake. Dan's sister, Cindy also came for the week and we were also able to see our nephew Nathan, niece Bethany, and brother-in-law Darrell for a bit. Dan's brother Tom was also up at the lake for a couple nights. The boys liked going fishing. Dan enjoyed showing Isaac how to catch fish. Levi was our worm boy. He loved bringing the worms to Daddy and Grandpa. The boys had so much fun playing in the sand and water.
We all slept in the camper while we were there. The boys slept up in the loft with Dan. The first night was pretty interesting with Levi but he started to get used to it by the end. It was a good trial run for getting him out of his crib!
We celebrated Father's Day while we were up at the lake. It was a very fun and relaxing week and the weather was perfect, especially for a pregnant mommy!!

Camping Trip

We went camping at Timber-lee Christian Center a couple weeks ago with some friends of ours, Marc and Kristin. They have two girls, Kate and Ella, around the same age as our boys. Kristin is also pregnant and expecting mid-August. We decided it would be good to go together and "suffer" being pregnant. The first night we got there was definitely an interesting one. It was probably the most hot and humid day we have had so far this summer. That made setting up camp and preparing dinner a little difficult, but we managed to survive! We had yummy hobo dinners and banana boats so it was worth it!

Dan had remembered that the camp site was electric so we had brought a couple fans for the tent. That made sleeping bearable. Dan and the boys were actually chilly by morning. It took a little while (over two hours) to get the boys to go to sleep in the tent. I think the excitment of being in the tent and also being all together made the boys a little wired. They did well sleeping in the morning so we were thankful for that. Unfortunately, Marc and Kristin didn't have as great of a night sleeping. Their air mattress wouldn't keep air, as they had lost the cap to it. Sleeping on the ground was not the greatest for a pregnant mommy! They also did not have a fan so it was a little toasty in there. God must have heard our pleas for cooler weather because the weather definitely cooled down on Saturday. We actually brought out jackets and pants for part of the day!!

We enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast, compliments of Marc. It was a great way to start the day. There was a little playground near our campsite so the kids had fun playing on that after breakfast.

They had an animal farm at the campground so we took the kids there to see the horses, goats, llamas, chickens, sheep, and cows. We tried to get them to do a pony ride but they were too scared...maybe next time!

Even though it was a little chilly, we were able to enjoy the beach a little bit. We were the only ones there, so that was nice. The kids didn't seem to notice that it wasn't very warm. We packed a lunch and ate down by the water.

The campfire felt good on Saturday. We enjoyed roasting marshmallows and eating banana boats. Dan did a great job manning the fire.

We ended up coming home on Saturday night. With the threat of rain and knowing we had to be back at church the next morning by 9:00am, we thought it would be easier to pack up camp that evening. The only thing we really missed was sleeping in the tent :)