Maddens 2013

 Quinn - (almost) 3 1/2 - Summer 2013

 Jack and Quinn are 1 and 3 this summer!

 Jack - 1 1/2 - Summer 2013

 My Family

~7/29/2013~

 Married almost five years!

 The boys are really getting into t-ball this summer.

I think it helps that they've been to quite a few of Steve's softball games.

 Laurie and Quinn

 Ta-Da! ...of course it's a spider!

 Little brother chose a spider too!

Madden's Resort on Gull Lake (in Brainard, MN) was wonderful this year, again!

 

Lots of fun memories made, fun for the little boys, golf for Steve, catching up amongst family and enjoying one another's company!  Summer is not complete until we've made our annual family trip to Maddens!  Thank you, Grandpa Jerry! 

Family Get Together {Summer edition}

 

 Top Row: Pete, Quinn, Katie, Mandy, Jack and Gretchen

Bottom Row: Tom, Nick, Mom, Dad and Steve

 

8/04/2013

 

 Katie and Tom

 Nick and Amanda

 Cousin Jacob

 Amanda, Katie and Gretchen

 Dad and his three girls

 Mom and Aunt Bev

 A little game of 'Duck, Duck, Goose.'

 My big boy is almost three and a half years old now!

Beautiful Mom.

 

We had a wonderful family get together. Thank you so much for hosting and having us over to your new place, Mandy and Nick. You guys really know how to entertain and host a great get-together.

 

So glad to spend quality time with all the awesome peeps in the pictures above. I thank the Lord for this great family He has given to me!

     

'And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.'

Colossians 3:14 NIV

Birthday Banner Fun

My Grandpa is turning 87 on July 22nd!  All of us family members are going to send birthday cards, so that he has dozens upon dozens of birthday greetings in his mailbox come 7/22. So for our family alone, we will each send a card out = four cards just from us. We all think he will get a big kick out of this gesture and have a lot of fun reading these cards!

 

I thought it would be fun to make a big birthday banner with Quinn (while Jack napped). We got out finger paints and markers and went to town. It was a lot of fun. It was especially fun when Quinn walked right into a big glob of wet paint, didn't realize it, and ran into his room to get more 'supplies.'

 

Right as we were finishing taping up the banner, Jack woke up. I thought it was be the best idea to just quickly get my photo (so we can mail it, along with a birthday card.)  If we waited too long to get the photo, I could see the banner being ripped down by some innocent looking little boy.  Jack was not digging it. Quinn was pretending to be superman, and for some reason, superman was way too busy flying around to stop for ten seconds.  The last one if FAR from being perfect, but it's the 'best' one out of the bunch!  That's a winner in my book. Happy Birthday, Grandpa Shepard!

On the go snapshots!

 Brothers sharing a yummy cold treat on a hot zoo day outing!

 It's official, one of my sons loves the water (Quinn), and one is a big beach bum like his mom (Jack!)

'Balloon' heads! Need I say more?!

 

I never thought I'd resort to having mostly  'phone photos'  i.e. pictures taken with my phone, on the blog.  But I'm finding that as the boys and I run around and keep plenty busy these summer months, I am  relaying  more and more on my phone to document things!

Happy Birthday, (Grandma) Jan!

 Happy, Happy Birthday to my lovely mother in law, Jan! 

 One of my favorite pictures. Even if Quinn looks a little fuzzy. Can't you just tell how happy this bunch is? They radiate it. Jan, you are loved so much by your children/grandchildren!

 Jack and Grandpa J. have a lot of fun together.

 Jack and his great grandpa Jerry.

 Good buddies, Jack and Jerry.

 I'll help you eat that, Grandma... (Said by: Quinn).

We had a wonderful dinner celebrating you, Jan! Happy Birthday.

God's richest blessings for your new year. We all love you. 

Country living.....

We have so much fun visiting my mom and dad often. Between the love they receive from Grandma Bea and Grandpa Phil, & Grandma J. and Grandpa J., these two little boys of ours are  BLESSED.