Perler Beads galore!

My kids have always loved making Perler Bead creations, but since we moved they've really stepped it up a notch.  

They have made tons of designs, including 3D perler beads, with the help of a pattern book Grammy and Papa gave us at Christmas.

It's been a great way to pass the time this summer, while we are still settling in and making new friends.

Kids sleep-over camp

We're planning on sending the girls to Ridgehaven next summer during General Assembly, so we've been talking about spend-the-night camp with them a little bit.

The kids have never spent the night anywhere, expect when we're traveling and all together at someone's house.  So they asked if they could "practice" having a sleep over down in our basement.

I decided to give it a shot - why not, right?  The kids were so excited!

They got all their gear (blankets, stuffed animals, books, etc.) and set up their spot for sleeping.

They sure look cute, don't they?!  Well, the sleep over lasted for almost two hours, but then it got rowdy and not very conducive for sleep :-)  So back upstairs to their own rooms they went!  Until next time...

Free basketball hoop

The kids and I were headed out the other day and drove past a neighbor who had put this basketball hoop out for the trash.  We quickly stopped and decided to bring it home.

It was quite heavy, so the kids and I had to wheel it up the street, because I couldn't lift it into the van.  They were big helpers, and we finally made it home with our new treasure.

After cleaning up the backboard and washing the net, it was back in action.  So glad for this great find!  The kids love being able to shoot hoops at home.

Happy 4th of July!

We joined some new friends for the 4th of July this year.  It was a wet day, but we got just enough dry time to play outside together for a while.

Lots of kids between our 3 families!

The kids loved holding the sparklers.

Some of the sparklers were bigger than others.

Look at that pose!

Big fireworks got cancelled because of the rain, but the kids still had a good time together.

A visit with family

After our blueberry picking trip in Blacksburg we were able to stop by my brother, Todd's, house.

It was great to see his kids and him (Roni was at work, and we only got to see her for a minute when she got home before we had to get back on the road).

Todd's girls played The Game of Life with the kids - a game they don't often get to play.

And Mead and Cole loved following Midge around, despite the fact that Mead is severely allergic to dogs.  She's cursed with a love for furry animals anyway!

Until next time!

Blueberry picking

The second week we were here (it's now week 3!) we were invited to go blueberry picking with someone from the church.  I love berry picking, and we didn't get to go in St. Louis before we left, so I jumped at the opportunity.  

The kids and I have never been blueberry picking before (unless picking berries off the bushes at Covenant School during the summer counts) so it was fun to give it a try.

There were tons of berries, and we brought home a great harvest - blueberry pancakes, blueberries for snacks, and future blueberry muffins, etc., since I froze some of them right away.

The blueberry patch was in Blacksburg, just down the road from where my brother, Todd, lives, so after we picked we went over to his house for lunch.  I'm still amazed that we live close enough to family to do that!

Our living spaces

Here are a few pictures of our living spaces.  This is the upstairs living room, which flows into the kitchen and eating area.

We ended up getting a new TV cabinet - our last one was so big.

We're thankful for a nice open floor plan - this is something we'd like in our next house, too, if possible.

Our kitchen is smaller, but our landlord got us this great island, which helps with storage and counter space.

To the left of the island are sliding glass doors that lead out onto our back patio.  The patio is two-leveled, and it goes down to our back yard.

This is the downstairs living room, a.k.a. the playroom.  It is also the door closest to the driveway, so we mostly use this door for our comings and goings.

We are very thankful for our house this year.  And we're praying for God to provide the right house for us to live in long term when the time is right.