My kids are back from vacation!

Rolling hills out the front, woods in the back


Lots of trails to hike
cousins
my Brother in law
He used to read this blog. He's probably too busy climbing trees, I mean working, to read it now.



These pictures are from last year, when I went with them.

I couldn't post this before, but now that they've made it home, I can reveal that Scott, H, and E just returned from a 7 day adventure to paradise, otherwise known as grandparents house in God's country - Wisconsin! We like to go in the summer when we are usually melting at home. The cool air of the evening and morning is heavenly in the middle of the summer. This year we were waiting to see how my dad was doing, and sometime during his 33 day hospital stay, we decided for S to take the older kids and just go before the summer got away from us. Other than one small panic attack on my part the day before they left, it all went great. They made all of their 4 flights without incident and had the most wonderful time with Mama L. and Papa R..
A typical phone conversation with Ella:
"Mommy, I got to go to a REAL wedding, and mommy, I got to see the bride - UP CLOSE!!!!!!!
Gotta go, mommy, we're at Mike's house now and we're going to sit in the HOT TUB! BYE!!!"

Hunter just wanted me to tell him what Piper was doing at all times. "Well, pretty much what she was doing the last 1,000 times you have asked me - you know, toddling around, opening every blessed drawer or door in our house."

The kids say their favorite part was "just being there, with Mama L. and Papa R.". One day, while on a hike up in the woods, Papa R. took off his hat and they filled it with blackberries that they picked as they walked. Mama L. and Ella used them to bake a blackberry pie. I asked Ella what she thought of the pie. Ella: "Picking blackberries - very good, eating blackberries - not so good!".

Hunter is our nature nut, and for him, being there is pure heaven. I think it is his favorite place on earth.

They got home on Wednesday with, get this, a suitcase full of CLEAN CLOTHES! I could kiss my mother in law right now!

More on what Piper and I did later.