Hannah Camp

 Last week was Hannah's first time doing overnight camp!  (It was supposed to be last summer, but covid...)  As you can see from the picture, she was excited and ready to go!

She had several friends in her cabin: Stella and Becca from school and soccer....

...and Ainsley and Ellie from church.  (Hannah had actually only met Ellie once because they go to a different campus of our church, but I've been friends with her mom since they were little.  Their family also fosters, so I was excited for Hannah to get to know another girl her age who can relate to having foster siblings.)

Our elementary director at church, Miss Jen, stopped by for lunch one day to check on "her kids".

The other two girls in this picture weren't in her cabin, but they are also friends of ours.

She's already planning for next year!

Amish Country

 Well, we packed up from the lake house, took the poop van through a car wash, picked up a grocery order from Walmart, unpacked the van at home....and immediately started re-packing.  In just a few short hours, we drove an hour to Amish country for a get-together with the Gurley side of the family.  It was the first time we've all been together since before covid!  We stayed in a giant rental house with a weird kitchen, a million bedrooms, a theater room, a pool table, and a big yard with goats and a bull next door.

The main event for the reunion was celebrating Nana and Papa's 50th wedding anniversary!  While my lovely sisters-in-law did the brunt of the planning and preparing, everyone was able to help in some way - cooking, decorating, etc.  We all got dressed up and had a fun evening celebrating.

The three kids and their spouses

Nana and Papa with all the grandkids

Matthew's actual birthday happened while we were there, so he got a second round of presents.

And one of our cousin's birthday was the day we left.

We also enjoyed family olympics, mini golf, a few movie nights, and lots of puzzles and games.

All the cousins were excited to be together again, but the friendship between these two is especially sweet.  They really enjoy each other's company; I don't think I heard a single disagreement between them the entire time.

Lake House

 The day after Matthew's party, some of our friends spent a couple of days at a rental house on a lake, just 30 minutes away.  A different friend took Little Peanut overnight for me, so I got to enjoy 24 hours baby-free.  The kids had a blast: playing pool, playing basketball, staying up late, kayaking, enjoying the hot tub, and more.  The moms just made sure everyone was alive and fed, while enjoying some sunshine and conversation.  It was really nice to have something close enough to home that people could come and go for sports and work, and a few other friends joined us here and there.

Playing frisbee

The younger siblings wrestling (don't worry - McKinley can hold her own!)

I accidentally parked under a mulberry tree.  The picture doesn't do it justice; my van was covered in bird droppings!  Everyone started referring to it as the "poop van". 

A late night game of "Mafia" around the campfire

Neiva schooling the boys in pool

When you vacation with a fitness instructor, everyone has mandatory boot camp in the morning. 😆

McKinley loves Hannah (as most little girls do), and Hannah is a great "big sister" to her.

The Oysters brought their boat for a day.  Ryan graciously spent many hours giving all the kids a chance to go tubing.  And I got to try wake-boarding for the first time!

Micah when we got home: