Camp

Last week, Ben left home....to attend Mission Lake Christian Camp in Horton , Kansas. He left Sunday afternoon and came home Thursday afternoon. Although he was with other kids from our church and in the care of our pals Megan and Barry, we missed him more than we thought we would! It was definitely quiet around here without him. I think I texted Megan an average of five times a day to check in on Ben, who apparently, did not miss us at all! He was busy memorizing Bible verses, making new friends, having camp fires, swimming, making crafts, and buying snacks at the Canteen. The theme for Junior Camp was BC-AD, Highway to Heaven, and Ben is proud to wear his BC-AD shirt. (after we washed it at least twice) When asked what his favorite part of camp was, he replied "Other than swimming? CARPET BALL!" According to Megan, carpet ball is just a long table with a carpet on it and you roll a ball down to the end so it drops off...I don't know...there's a picture in the slide show. And yes, that is a picture of Ben doing dishes. Priceless.



Grace got to attend the day camp for MLCC on Saturday. She got to do several of the activities that Ben did, except spend the night. When asked about her favorite part, she replied "Swimming with Jillian!" Jillian is another girl from our church who attended camp. Megan said they were like two peas in a pod.

Happy Birthday Isaac and Jack!

As most of you know, our very dear friends Megan and Barry, and Keri and Casey, both had babies around the same time in June last year. Isaac was born on June 24th and Jack was born on June 30th. It's hard to believe, that yes, both boys are one year old! Isaac celebrated with a water-themed party. Although it rained most of the day, the clouds cleared for exactly the time the party lasted and the kids were able to enjoy some sun light and lots of fun. Megan had Isaac's scrapbook on display so we were all able to see just how much he's grown. Here is a picture of Isaac and how he "approached" his birthday cake. He was actually pretty neat, which I'm sure Megan appreciated!

Keri and Casey had a slide show playing throughout Jack's birthday. As most of you know, Jack had heart surgery in February, so needless to say, there was not a dry eye in the house during those portions of the slide show. They were tears of joy, as we stopped to celebrate just how much Jack has overcome in his first year of life. Check out how he "approached" his birthday cake. I think Keri is probably still cleaning off the curtains just behind Jack.

New pictures of Molly

It's been awhile since I've posted pictures of Molly. She's grown so much. It's hard to believe she is almost 3 months old already! She's beginning to grasp on to things -she enjoys holding hands, playing with rings and rattles, and hugging stuffed animals. She laughs out loud. She coos. She's on a new formula now, Alimentum, which is designed for babies with colic, allergies, or reflux. Lucky Molly...it appears she may have all three. Fortunately, the new formula, along with some Prilosec seems to be working and she is less grumpy. Here are pictures to prove it.

Girl Scout Camp

Last week, Grace went to Girl Scout Camp at Camp Hidden Valley. Her daisy troop was one of the youngest, but definitely had the most energy! Camp was from 8:45 to 3:00, Monday through Friday. The first day, it poured down rain and we found ourselves in the middle of a thunderstorm...right during drop-off time. There was Grace...first day of camp, sporting a pink hat, lime green rain boots, and a clear poncho. She looked at me with her big, brown eyes, and said "Mommy, do I have to get out of the car?" Two older Girl Scouts opened the car door and encouraged Grace to join them. Grace started to move towards the door, only to find that she had buckled her poncho into the seatbelt. Stuck in the car, terrified of the storm, and worried about what was to come, Grace began her week at Hidden Valley.

When I picked her up that afternoon, the clouds had parted and the sun was shining....and so was Grace. Her little blond head bobbed up and down during the closing ceremony and I could hear her chattering with other Daisies. She ran up to me and said "Mommy, I learned the coolest song today!" And my years as a Girl Scout all came rushing back to me as she sung the tune over and over. "Down by the banks of the hanky panky, where the bull frog jumps from bank to bank..." She had a fabulous day at Girl Scout Camp.

The next four days were the four hottest days of the summer. Although she nearly melted out there, Grace still managed to get the "Happy Camper" award.

Wonderful Weekend

We had a very exciting weekend. On Saturday, Ben got up early and spent several hours trying out for some premier soccer teams. This morning we got a call from the coach of the Kansas Soccer Academy letting us know that Ben had a spot on the team!! For more info on this team and what is ahead for us (soccer, soccer, and more soccer), you can check out their website at kansassocceracademy.com.

We are so proud of our boy!

Also this weekend, Carrie and Rob and the kids came in from Arizona for a visit. Today we had all five cousins together for the first time to celebrate Brody's 3rd birthday. We spent the day at Nana and Papa's house...playing soccer, hockey, and Guitar Hero, as well as grilling out and spending quality time together! Here are some fun pictures from the afternoon.

All smiles...

Molly has had mostly good days since she switched formula. Maybe her tummy feels better. Maybe she's excited about meeting her Arizona cousins for the first time. Or maybe she's just glad that Baby Will has arrived. Who knows? We're just glad she's content. Here are a few moments captured on camera. I hope they make you smile too!

Freaky Friday?

Look close at this picture...notice anything...or anyone different?

Today marked the end of KU Soccer Camp, which also means "Crazy Hair Day". Brandon shaved Ben's head last night and sprayed it blue this morning. We went to watch the last hour or so of camp today. Ben did a great job at every station, but due to that mohawk, heading the ball looked a bit more painful than usual!

Welcome Baby Banz!!!

Julia and Bryan welcomed their baby boy on Monday morning. He arrived almost 3 weeks early so it was quite a surprise to us all. (especially Julia!) After months of waiting, here are some pictures of sweet William Andrew Banz. We joked with Bryan and Julia that we would need to lock up our daughter, especially since they are only 2 months apart and will be together almost every day next fall!!! All joking aside, we are thrilled that the two of them will spend their year of "firsts" together.

Alex's Lemonade Stand

Today we volunteered at Alex's Lemonade Stand at our local HyVee. Proceeds from the event go to helping find a cure for childhood cancer. This cause is near and dear to our heart, because as most of you know, our nephew Corey is a survivor, having overcome rhabdomyosarcoma. Our friend Kristi's son, Carson, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 5 months old, and he, too, is a survivor. We had the opportunity to serve lemonade with Carson today to raise money for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation. For more information on this great cause, you can go to http://www.alexslemonade.org/ to read about how Alexandra "Alex" Scott (1996-2004) set up a lemonade stand in her front yard at the age of four to help raise money to find a cure for children with cancer, which has since then become a foundation that has raised over $25 million.

Molly in action!

This is a short video of Molly watching her measuring cups and spoons. :)

Baseball, BBQ, and Birdies

Ben began baseball this week and had his first game on Friday. He hit a line drive down third base for a double, had an RBI, and scored a few runs. He seems to enjoy it, so Brandon is excited that Ben may follow in his dad's footsteps!

Grace had her end-of-the-season soccer BBQ at her pal Nicholas's house on Sunday. The team enjoyed running through the sprinkler, eating hamburgers and cheese puffs, and playing with the Gigi-ball outside. The parents enjoyed sharing PTA and teacher gossip inside the house.

Molly has had a few rough days. The only thing that seems to calm her, other than the twinkle lights in the kitchen, is to watch the "birdies" on her wall. A while ago, you may remember that our friend Chad painted some Sumi-e art for Molly's room. Molly spends several minutes of her day "talking" to her birdies above her changing table. She seems to be drawn to black and white, especially black picture frames. Ben and Grace were trying to calm her down today and decided to make her a mobile. They colored various shapes with black marker and held it above her head. Molly stopped crying briefly to look at each one. Later in the day, I was trying to get some dishes done and Molly was crying...so I grabbed some measuring cups and spoons and hung them above her bouncy seat. This entertained her for over an hour, not even kidding. If I had known it was so easy, and so cheap, I would have hung these all over her room a long time ago!