happy b-day and school

Happy #5 Annabelle!

Squeezing new baby,

and playing "office" with the big box of office gear.

A special birthday hike with just Daddy...

Annabelle snaps a pic of the waterfall with her camera.

They made it to the top!

Then the next day....1st day of school!

a's camera

A very small sampling of the many pictures taken by many little hands over the weekend with Annabelle's new camera.....

Birthday girl....with cool crown effect.

Cousin Will!

Mama looking...lovely?

Boating girls.

Lucy!

Looking stunning in a wig.

Mateo and Leo!

Ya-hoo on the boat!

Annabelle and Grandma on the tube!

Emma and Lucy on the tube!

Mariner Louis

Back at home....kitty.

scenes

Scenes from the weekend, cousins abound...

Pre-birthday party for Annabelle...

her very own sleek camera!

Wrapping up summer with the slip-n-slide.

Peanut gallery at the rousing family soccer game.

Speaking of Labor Day, check out these babes! Pinky is on deck!

summer days

July was a blur, and how is August nearly over??

We revel in the last days of summer, often at the beach....

Tube twins.

Tending to life and laundry.

Loving up kitty friend Snowball.

Lingering in PJ's well into the morning....

Learning to use the camera...

that's better!

And soaking up all of the delicious August harvest. This is only a tiny fraction of the giant pepper crop we have this year!

slim pickins

Summer has found us quite busy....much of which hasn't been captured in photos....

Here we are post-garlic-harvest trimming stems and roots with cousin Will.

It was a mighty harvest this year!

Bookworm takes to the trail -- reading atop Mt. Baldy before we hike back down.

And of course the kittens are always keeping busy, here learning how to play soccer.

picker

July is the time for picking....

like this multi-leg carrot,

and these yummy raspberries.

Watering

and admiring our hard work.

Bookworm on doghouse,

and small furry rider.

sun, no rain

Scenes from our adventures last week in Sylvania Wilderness, and in Portage Bay State Park on Lake Michigan.....

resting,

sleeping in the kids-only tent,

snacking,

swimming,

portaging,

hiking,

canoeing,

s'more-ing,

swimming in Lake Michigan,

playing in the dunes on Lake Michigan,

making friends (snails!),

and many memories!