summer

 The girls have enjoyed swim lessons for the past two weeks.  Maria has gotten more confident, although she still doesn't care for jumping in, especially in the deep end.  Anna can't move herself around the pool as well as Maria can, but she's got a couple years to catch up to big sis!

We were excited to have our friends come to visit today, even though it was sweltering today.  The thermometer was reading 103, and that is on the shady side of our house!  Yikes, we'll stay inside.

The kids had fun in the pool, Zane expecially enjoyed helping Anna to be a water fountain.

We have plenty to praise God for; fun with friends.

Adios Culver

You've been good to us.  We'll miss you and your beautiful views, the lovely breezes off the lake, the parks we enjoyed, walking and biking around, the excellent restaurants, and the friendly people.

 a silly goodbye!

we have plenty to praise God for; 4 years of learning and growing in a beautiful place.

7 years

Happy Anniversary to us!
Here's a look back at pictures from each year.

End of May

 Enjoying the day at the beach last week...maybe one of our last on Lake Maxinkuckee

 Ahhh...nothing like a warm empty beach!

 Hard at work making a castle.

 Maria's final soccer game for the season....and she scored a goal!

 her team...about 30 preschoolers!

 Coach Ryan giving her a medal.

friends Madi and Elisabeth

Haircuts

Maria decided that she wanted a real haircut, and that's what she got.  Although sadly the girl did a poor job.  I had a free haircut certificate from the reading program at the library last summer and decided that I better use it before we move.  It was not from the hairdresser that I have used while we lived here, who does a fantastic job.  So, I had to do a bit of fixing when we got home...guess there's no such thing as a free haircut in this case.  Anna had to get a "haircut" too.

Happy Mother's Day

So very blessed!

Ages 3 and 5

I took some yearly portraits of the girls, to see them all go here.

Cousins and friends

 Celebrating spring birthdays last week with the cousins.

a friendly visit

 Lydia...shortly before she slipped in the tube and busted her lip!

 Zane and Anna

Maria and Zane swing
We had fun with our friends visiting...we always do!  Thanks Mindy for making the trek!

Rain, Rain...

don't go away, 

we're having so much fun as we play.

5 years of sunshine

 She picked a rainbow "theme".  SO I pulled out my Ecuadorian tablecloth, and put up a row of rainbow balloons.

 I think she liked it.  And very appropriate that our "sunshine" would choose a rainbow theme, since it takes sunshine with the rain to make a rainbow.

 new bike helmet

 We went to the indoor bouncy house along with two friends for her "party"  We stopped to get McD's ice cream afterwards.

 Anna had fun too!

 She loves these two girls...how she'll miss them when we move.

 Make

 A

 Wish

 The skittles helped me make a rainbow cake.

And the layers turned out nicely.  I used mainly fruit to color it, not as vibrant, but not so much food dye.