March 8 - Dresses for Africa

This is either the 4th or 5th year that our chuch has made dresses to send to an orphanage in CAR, Africa.

Vannan was the only one who went this year.

The little kids made matching bracelets.

VBS - Kingdom Chronicles

Aunt Viv took the kids to 5 nights of VBS

THEME:  God's Kingdom

Shields I don't have pictures of the week... but we came for the last show. But all I had for pictures was my cell phone.

July 6 - July 26 - Lake Outing and Balloon Chase

46 pictures

One afternoon it got very quiet... and I looked down to find the kids and found them like this. "She's just so precious when she's asleep" said Joel.

Tim bought Vannan a cake.

Playing house under the steps. This was alternately, the kitchen and the car.

Mrs. TN gave Joel WHITE water beads ... so he had to grow all of them up again. His beads are beginning to loose their color, and fall apart. And he finds it endlessly amusing to find one outside after a rainstorm.

Gizmos and Gadgets

When Joel plays with these... he builds things and calls them great inventions. But Rue tells stories with them.

This was the ONLY lake outing this summer. The little ones also went to a water park activity, and I think we let them play a few times outside.

Our church does activities with the kids each Wednesday, and this was a church outing.

You could ALMOST walk all the way across this part of the lake.

I love action shots. Rue is jumping into the water. She's about 6 inches above ground here.

life jackets were probably not needed, but since we had it, might as well use it. Vannan even got Rue to lean back and float a bit.

We later had a picnic supper and then went home. Aunt V took us, since Tim works almost every Wednesday. A few weeks later... Vannan was invited to go ballooning with friends!

They actually helped air up the balloons.

This is Uncle S helping out. They do this every year. Funny thing happened... one of the 2 or 3 days, as he was helping, one of the ropes caught his sunglasses and slipped them up and out of his pocket. He had no idea what had happened  until they were looking at pictures later. And saw the glasses. Either I don't have that picture, or don't know what to look for... but it was still a very funny story.

Race to the car to follow the balloons.

This annual event was begun while I was still in high school.

Relatives out watching the balloons. Spotted while they were driving past. I'm not sure they knew who they were waving at.

Park time after the chase ... it's still early morning.

Homeward bound.