Counting Down

We snapped a couple belly pictures last week.

I tried to look as pregnant as I feel.

 I, of course, have been counting down the days for a long time, but since we hit about 15 days to go, Mary has also been very excited about counting down the days to the new baby. She always knows the right number of days.

Work Party Round Two

We had another work party in our front yard and got a ton done, starting with digging out the area across the driveway.

We also added pavers to the river rock in the front strip and finished putting out river rock.

Next we dug for the path across the yard.

We put gravel in the area across the driveway.

The final project for the day was putting the gravel and pavers down to make a path through the yard.

 After we finished, things looked much different in the yard, and it's so exciting to see it coming together.

Joshua's Birthday

We had a great time celebrating Joshua's birthday, starting off with a pastry he got for birthday breakfast.

The kids helped me make a pie.

 We took a drive in the afternoon and got ice cream in Three Rivers, then finished the day off with Manhattan clam chowder and rhubarb pie at home. 

The Great Yard Project Continues

Dave came down last weekend to preach in Orange Cove again, and we spent the day Saturday working on the yard.

Dave and Joshua worked on the sprinkler system.

The kids and I unloaded our first batch of river rock.

 And, of course, they enjoyed playing in the mud. We got a lot of stuff done, and it's exciting to see it finally starting to come together.

Sunday Fun

Photo: Gayle

Dave was preaching in Orange Cove Sunday, so he and Gayle came down for the weekend. We enjoyed the time together, including playing in this box which was barely big enough for Mary and David.

Photo: Gayle

I made an ice cream cake for the first time for Sunday dinner, which we hosted at our house because Mom and Dad were out of town.

Kerr Cousins

Photo: Jayne

We headed up to Modesto last weekend to visit family, including meeting some of the Kerr cousins. Friday night we had dinner at Jim and Jayne's house and met some of Dave's cousins who were in town.

The following morning, we got to watch Solace and Amari play soccer before heading home. It was a short trip, but fun to see everyone.

(Trying to) Stay Cool

In the midst of a late and very hot heat wave, we've been trying to stay cool by enjoying indoor activities. Gayle brought the kids watercolor paints, which were a big hit.

They've also enjoyed playing with Legos a lot recently.

Mary made a snowman out of playdough, complete with clothes.

I found the kids happily playing with magformers before breakfast one morning.

Joshua's Ordination

Joshua got ordained at a lovely service at Lemon Cove Community Church.

Pastor Mark led the prayer of ordination and laying on of hands after Joshua's ordination vows.

Then Dave and Gayle gave him his robes.

Joshua consecrated the elements for communion for the first time.

We were blessed by the many pastors involved in Joshua's life who were able to be there and be part of the service as well as all the family and friends who attended and took part.

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Joshua and his mentor, Pastor Ian.

Study Leave at Calvin Crest

Joshua had a week of study leave and spent it at camp. He headed up Sunday, and we joined him Thursday.

Dad and Mom dropped us off and stayed long enough to hike the Gethsemane Trail and have lunch together.

In the afternoon, the kids and I went on a blackberry hunt. There weren't a lot of berries, but we found enough to snack on.

We had a room with a balcony, which we all agreed was great.

Friday morning we enjoyed hot drinks and a quiet morning in front of the lodge.

 We had a picnic breakfast, then the kids and I hiked down to Sherwood before we all packed up and headed home.

Saturday Happenings

Joshua took the kids to watch their cousins play some of the first soccer games of the season while I went to a CPR class.

 Mary got a Lego set and loved following the directions to build a chicken coop.