the birthday box

we have a sweet little tradition at our church, the "birthday box". the week before your birthday you get to go up to the birthday box and pick something out while the church sings "happy birthday". it is so sweet. for the third year i captured the moments on camera...and videotape (thank you, gwama bwenda).:)

this year jack was looking extra special. he had his new birthday boots on, and his belt and belt buckle from papa dan. doesn't he look OLD? my baby! jack picked out a toy tool set, complete with saw, screwdriver, and hammer.

pweeeeeeze don't step on me!

found this liiiiiittle baby turtle at serpent lake a few weeks ago. can't believe my camera got such a nice clear close-up shot! i hope this little guy survived. he was so tiny! i was watching joey that day and he almost stepped on him multiple times. i finally relocated the turtle to a safer spot.

dan's side job

dan has been fixing some heavy equipment and painting it up for a guy we know. it has turned out to be a rather large little side job.:) this is the bobcat dan fixed and repainted. jack is really enjoying all these neat "toys" in the yard.

happy father's day, my love!

dan is such a great dad. happy father's day, dan! case in point... this father's day he is taking our family on vacation!:) yeah! i can't wait to spend the next few days entirely with my family! literally together. we'll be tenting it.:) (p.s. in case you were wondering, this is a "pinkerton" book that dan is reading. i LOVE pinkerton. steven kellog is a genius with words, but especially pictures!)

jackers's 3rd birthday!

jack had a fabulous 3rd birthday party june 5th. i made him his "gween spaceship" cake with aliens. he requested that! he got a lot of lovely gifts, including leather cowboy boots from my parents. God has truly blessed us with our spunky little jack anders. i don't know what i'd do without him!

my little bitty nieces

angie, her husband, and the kids stayed for a few days after grandpa's memorial. the kids all played together and had an awesome time. i love to watch them play together. they played on the swings, on the bikes, ate pop-a-sicles, watched "spongebob squarepants", and hugged each other. LOVE IT!

grammy lou's 77th birthday

well, grandma lou didn't feel like doing much celebrating, but her birthday came whether it was convienient or not. we all tried to make a very nice day for her. she had a ton of company. she got a lot of cards and gifts, and there was cake.:) i hope we were a comfort to her. love you, grammy lou!