Would you believe I cleaned their room last week and took out a bag of trash. This week I cleaned it again and took out an even larger bag of trash! And this is after they supposedly "picked up" throughout the week. Such is life......
The kids definitely had a blast in the stream.
And it was so peaceful and quiet sitting on a stone watching them.
Laura snoozed away in her buggy in the warm, afternoon heat.
And I took along a pint jar of hot mint tea:
Hopefully we'll get back again soon.
Ever since school let out I've found myself in a rat race to get chores done. I had grand ideas of deep cleaning and organizing during summer vacation, but I've spent the first two weeks frustrated at the little I've gotten done.
We take pictures of all the kids each month of their first year, so this is the first of the "month pictures."
Laura weighed in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces at the doctor's earlier this week. She's still our petite little girl. It just means I get to enjoy the "newborn stage" just a bit longer.
I am thankful that Laura has been a very easy baby so far. Long may that continue!!
And I do have other things to post about.....stayed tuned. :)
No matter that it's a bad hair day, or that baby acne has hit.... the SMILES have arrived!!!
Lots of them.....
And they are just way too cute!!!!
And I am relearning the skills of one-handed typing and left-handed mouse work. :)
After school was over we met the two aunts at Trader's Point Creamery to enjoy some ice-cream. Sitting on their garden patio was delightful!
And someone actually took a picture of me!
The kids watched the cows come in to be milked and later went into the milking parlor to see how it was being done.
Our busy day ended with the children's first piano recital. We have found a wonderful teacher for the children who reminds me very much of my own teacher as a teenager and her passion for music is being communicated to our kids. Fortunately, our teacher also teaches violin and viola, so we have plenty of options for the future!
We are well into our first non-school week. Everyone has new chores and I'm working on a long list of my own. The weather is cool and rainy, but much more pleasant than too hot!
Captured by Mary Blair Immel, tells the real life story of a boy captured by Confederate soldiers, taken into battle and subsequently imprisoned at Camp Morton in Indianapolis. It was shorter than the previous book, but also very interesting, especially since it took place here in our hometown.
I would highly recommend these books for adults and children interested in the Civil War time period and Indiana History.
My two girls:
Flowers for the table:
The feast:
Everything was delicious -- especially the deluxe burgers with all the toppings. We also had some amazing drinks, which shall appear this summer on The Cooks Next Door.
The two Lauras:
The "boys" playing: check out how they color-coordinated!
Andrew designed this lego project for me:
Our meal ended with strawberry shortcake:
Only two more days of school! It's getting exciting to think about a bit more free time. Well, free time to do more housework, etc......
And, of course I have to include more pictures of Laura. She's definitely the most popular subject matter for photos just now. :)
I can't believe she'll be two weeks old in a few days! 
The weather has taken a turn for the worse here and it's a jeans and sweater kind of day. I need to get out and Miracle Gro my garden, so that there will be hope of actually getting some produce! The peas are looking quite nice and I must get a trellis up for them to climb. I'm hoping to go to the plant store next week.
We have only four more days of school left!!! The kids were good sports and plowed through school while I was in the hospital, despite my having promised that we could take a week off. In return, I've decided on a class party for the last day of school -- since we don't ever do that kind of thing. It will include cupcakes and a measured amount of candy as well as a special project to work on.
A very big thanks to all my friends who have so kindly brought meals to us these past weeks. Wow! We have enjoyed so many delicious foods and it has been very nice not to have to worry about dinner. The kids have enjoyed it too and like to ask "Who made this?". 
I must get back to posting about books I've read. I have a number to recommend but will start with this fun little read I started in the hospital last week. 
Here we are, all back together again:
And little John was here to greet his new cousin:
Yay, for all being together!
It is so fun to see the two sisters together:
And little baby feet:
And of course we have to try on different outfits to see how they look:
Laura and I spent our first Sunday at home together, but I still dressed her up:
Because taking pictures is too much fun:
You would not believe how much this girl smiles. I know they aren't "real", but they are just so adorable and frequent.
Sleeping babies are so precious:
Rachel gets to hold her very own sister for the first time!!!!
And here is Grandma, for whom Laura is named:
The nurses thought the sweet pea hat was way too cute:
But the boys were also busy taking pictures:
The girls of the family:
So the next two days were filled with sitting in bed, holding Laura, reading, knitting, and watching tv (since we don't have a tv at home: incidentally, I'm glad we don't! Even with cable I felt there was hardly anything to watch!):
I thoroughly enjoyed just staring at this adorable little girl!!!
And this was her going home outfit. You saw the little cardigan before I went to the hospital and I finished up the matching cap while there:
And the proud Daddy:
I have plenty more pictures since we arrived home, but will save them for another post. 
