July Days

This summer has been so full and enjoyable.  Looking back on my pictures I am so thankful.  I watched a couple of kids recently while their mom went on a mission trip.  Here are the girls taking an exploring trip into the woods.  

Romy was supposed to be cleaning her room and this is what happened.

Backyard gatherings.  This was a homemade ice cream party and I'm on a new weight loss program... so no ice cream for me, but I survived. (9 lbs down so far)

We went on a trip this last week.  First to Kentucky to see the Ark Encounter and then on to my mom's house. Here's Romy the good traveler.

We got Gwen a discman so she could listen to CDs or books on tape on the way.  Here she is listening to Johnny Cash.

Here we are in front of the ark.  It is absolutely mind blowing at the size of this thing.

Although I didn't get to read many of the signs because my children's patience wasn't very long, I did read this one.  There is an undercurrent there that basically says that God judged the earth during Noah's time with a flood, and He will judge it again, but this time with fire.  Kinda sobering don't you think?

The door that God shut.  I can't imagine how terrifying that experience must have been.

My niece, Chloe.

We saw an Alabama cat with a mouse in his mouth.  They get the job done!

I always look for new things to do when we visit and we went to this place called Shockalaka.  It was lots of fun and honestly, I wish I had jumped too.

I saw lots of cotton fields.  They are beautiful in their own way.

I had to go to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur cause it's one of my favorite places that I never tire of, but the mosquitoes were so bad Romy and I had to run through it.

Whooping cranes winter here and this is what they look like.

We usually go to the Delano Park in Decatur because there is a free splash pad there.  Some of dad's ashes are in the Rose Garden there and I go visit and admire the beauty in that garden every time I come.  Somehow us laughing and having fun close by to his ashes makes sense to me and is a comfort to me.  It reminds me that life does go on and we are happy and that he is too.

I was sitting on a bench watching my family and I turned around and noticed this inscription on the bench.  You never know if somewhere you are just casually sitting is a sacred spot to someone else.

I had it in my mind that I wanted to go to have dinner one night in a cave I had heard about in Tuscumbia, Alabama.  It was an interesting experience because you park up in this parking lot and the "saloon taxi" takes you down into the cave.  It was exciting.

My nephew sent me this funny.  It's funny because it is from Alabama and the reason this guy got arrested and his name.  We had a chuckle over it.

On the way home Ben wore my dad's sunglasses that go over his glasses.  Dad would have been pleased.

When we got home the kids asked if they could dig in my garden boxes. Since I'm not gardening this year I said they could.  They have really enjoyed looking for gems and fossils.  They swear they have found some.

Yesterday Zeke found a toad. It was exciting.

I tried taking a picture with me swinging.  Let's just say my bottom doesn't fit in those seats all that well.

Gwen was in a cooking class during a VBS recently and learned all kinds of recipes.  She's been asking if she can cook for us and last night she made sliders.  She did a fantastic job and did it all.  I decided to sign her up for a couple of cooking classes up the road from us.  I signed her up for a class teaching how to make Asian take out food and also one on bread making.  I hope she enjoys them.