Hillbilly Lobster Hunt

Our church organized a fun event for kids this week. It was called the Hillbilly Lobster Hunt and all the kids got a chance to wade in a creek and catch crawfish. I took Connor, Carter, Cole Engram, Collins and Holden. The three oldest were easy, but by th end I was hot and tired of lugging Holden and trying to get Collins out of the water. Regardless, it was a great day at the park!

Getting ready for the hunt!

 That's Carter in the red shirt...right next to the main Hillbilly Lobster Hunter. :)

Nashville

We made it home last night from our week in Nashville. It was such a fun visit with the DeTrays and my parents. One of the highlights was swimming! My parents had won a contest and they had free nights at the Opryland Hotel so we took advantage of their pools two days in a row.

Finley and Connor in the pool.

Collins seems to love the water. She played and splashed lots with Todd right by her side.

Carter always likes to strike a funny pose for my pictures.

Chris and Cason!

Cousin time - though Maya doesn't look too happy to be propped next to Holden in this picture.

The babies both took a long nap on these lounge chairs at the indoor pool.

At the outdoor pool it was a PARTY! The hotel had three employees with microphones and it was their job to mingle with the crowd, lead line dances and to create a fun atmosphere at the pool. Carter took advantage of every contest they announces. Here he is in the hula hoop contest!

Time for limbo! Both Finley and Carter joined in this contest. You can see Connor in the back eating his chips.

Holden even got to dip his toes in the pool. I love the way he is looking at KK in this picture!

Two Babies

This week in Nashville we have had so much fun with Holden and Maya! Maya is my sister's little girl. This is the first time we have had these cousins together. They are just ten days apart in age and I think they will be best buddies as they get older.

Today I scooped up both of the babies when they were crying. I don't know how moms of twins do it!

Holden with his arm around Maya. We laughed at how pale Holden looks next to her!

Perhaps the best photo of the week...and it was not staged. The babies were both on the ottoman and just as Brea snapped the picture, Maya stretched out her left hand and Holden turned his head to the left. It totally looks like she punched him in the head. Plus, we love the expression on her face. So very cute!

Visiting Nashville

 We are in Nashville this week visiting my sister and her family. This is a shot of Carter at Aunt Brea's new store. He was trying out a hat and a motorcycle they sell at Little Star Kids Gear.

Connor

Connor got creative today. He made some "sunglasses" with leaves and twigs. He is a funny boy!

We miss them already!

Today Hunter and Colton went to Kamp. That's right, my oldest and my "baby" boy checked in at K-1 for a two week term. (I know that Colton isn't the baby boy of the family, but I still think of him that way sometimes.) They were really excited, but the nerves kicked in for both of them right as we were pulling in to drop them off.

It was so fun to take the boys to Kamp and we are so thankful that they get to be kampers this summer. But what a weird day for both Todd and I as we were absent from Kanakuk after so many summers of being there. I think we both had some sad moments today.

Can't believe this boy is ready for kamp. He was definitely nervous, he kept his eyes glued to the ground for this first part. But it was definitely a bonus that Coops was there to tell Colton that he would be in Cabin 1.

Hunter was calm and collected for his K-1 introduction. He is in Cabin 11 this summer.

Colton's confidence had grown by the time he was at the mic. They asked him what his favorite sport was and he answered with basketball.

Checking out the bathrooms.

Hunter's bunk is ready. We are praying that he has a great time and learns more about Jesus.

By the time Todd took this picture, Colton was super excited about being at Kamp.

Recently...

This week I bought several ears of corn at the grocery store and it stirred a fun childhood memory. I remember shucking lots of ears of corn as a kid. We would be out in the garage on those hot summer days getting corn ready to eat or for my mom to freeze. I decided that the boys needed to experience it themselves. I can't believe that I haven't had them do this before. They did a good job, but none of them liked the "hair" of the corn.

Working together with the brothers.

We have to cook it before we eat it!

Also this week we had the Engram boys over to hang out. They spent lots of time out in the woods.