camping trip

Grandma, Nick, Blake, Emma, Andrew, Mark and I all went camping at a great state park not too far away! It was Nick, Blake and Emma’s first camping trip and they had a ball as did the rest of us! It was fun sitting around the campfire at night eating dinner and then making smores. We walked to the lake and went for a swim every day, and one afternoon I took Andrew, Nick and Blake on a canoe ride. They did a great job for their very first time in a canoe. I also took the kids on a short 1.5 mile hike and they all did a marvelous job. Emma did get a little hot toward the end and told me she was going to put her pretty barrettes in and sit down to cool off once we got back to our campsite. She was very serious and I had a hard time not laughing out loud. It was a fabulous trip and I can’t wait to go camping again! We love camping!

warm summer day!

We are having fun being at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Our days go like this: In the mornings Mark, Andrew and I, plus Maggie and Franklin our two furry friends, go for an hour-long run. Mark, Andrew, Maggie and Franklin usually make about half an hour then they stop off with Grandma for some much needed water and play time with their cousins. After exercising, it is time to call Dad on Skype for our morning talk while we all eat breakfast. With full tummies it is now time for Project “Wear the Kids Out at the Swimming Pool.” We all swim for around an hour and then it is time to go home to get lunch ready. After lunch, Mark takes his nap and Andrew does his summer school. In the evenings we have dinner and I go for a walk with Erin. Mark enjoys his ride in the stroller and Andrew rides his bike. Oh, the wonderful warm summer days!

Andrew's birthday party!

Sunday, July 13th – Andrew’s birthday party was a total blast! Aunt Kim made a fantastic “turtle” cake. The kids all had a super time playing croquet, playing a bean bag game, swimming, and eating hamburgers & hot dogs and cake & ice cream. Andrew received many very thoughtful gifts. It was a fun day but just not the same with out Dad. We miss you Love!

Andrew's Home!

Thursday, July 10th and 11th were spent getting everything ready for Andrew’s birthday party on the 13th. Mark and I drove down to Plainfield, IN after dinner on the 11th to stay the night with our good friends the Holding’s. The 12th I spent the day traveling to Little Rock and back to pick up Andrew. Mark spent the day playing with the Holding’s. The day started by getting up at 7am and not getting home until almost 11pm. It was worth it all just getting to be with Andrew again. He is just such a wonderful person! I love being with him. Mark was asleep when we got home but he was very excited to see his big brother Andrew once he got up. Mark really missed Andrew as did all of us. It is hard to be apart as a family. Sunday morning we spent the time with our friends before we made the drive back up to Grandma and Grandpa Titus’s house for Andrew’s birthday party.

The end of our visit in Kansas

The last part of our great visit in Kansas was busy but fun. We went to one of Jacob’s baseball games – his team won and he scored a run. We also went to one of Alex’s baseball games – his team won also and Alex did an excellent job catching. We took Mark to a little farm zoo. He had fun feeding the goats and playing at the playground. On the 4th of July we went to see the fireworks. Mark lasted about fifteen minutes but the fireworks lasted almost thirty minutes. Tuesday July 8th (Andrew’s 8th birthday) we met Aunt Amy and Uncle Dave for lunch at a great little hamburger place before we made the drive back to Indiana. Of course, we also talked with Andrew on the phone since it was his birthday! Wednesday was a long day of driving – thank you Grandpa! Thursday morning we said our goodbyes to Grandpa and Grandma Fletcher as they left for the long trip back to Olathe.

Our outing to Missouri

We spent the day in Independence, Missouri doing some visiting with family and Grandpa at Outreach International. The drive over was lovely. We started off our visit at Outreach International meeting Grandpa’s co-workers. Then it was off to Aunt Jean and Uncle Ken’s house for a delightful visit and a tour of their beautiful gardens. Mark had a ball playing with Uncle Ken outside. Then it was time to meet Grandpa for lunch. We picked up some Wendy’s and headed off to the graveyard for a peaceful lunch and to check in on the gravesites of the Fletcher family. After lunch we went over to Aunt Virginia and Uncle Ronnie’s house for a great visit. We also were able to get to visit with Leann and her mom Cara, as well as Tammy and her two boy’s Jace and Austin. Leann and Mark had a grand time playing.

having fun in Olathe...

We are still enjoying our visit with Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher here in Olathe. Since I last wrote, Grandma and Grandpa celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary on June 28th. We went to a restaurant called Jumpin’ Cat Fish and then out for some ice cream. Aunt Amy, Uncle Dave and her two sons Jacob and Alex were there also for the celebration of the 51st. Sunday was church in the park followed by a potluck. Mark had a ball playing at the playground and it was hard to get him off the swing. We have been talking to Andrew on the phone as always. He was very excited when he received his birthday present from his Aunt Sara, Uncle Brian and his cousins Maria and Henry early on his trip to Iowa to visit family. So, now every time we talk to him on the phone he tells us all about the Webkinz Samoyed gift from his aunt, uncle and cousins in Iowa. He named his Webkinz Samoyed after our real live pet Samoyed, Maggie. It is really cute. I think it will help Andrew when we have to be away from Maggie. He really loves our family dog. Andrew will be back home soon! We can’t wait to give him a hug and a kiss and get to spend time with him. Joseph has tested and is the next level red belt in Tae Kwon Do. This weekend he is going on a camping and white water rafting trip. He is also working on his Spanish. I’m now nine weeks pregnant and feeling like I’m pregnant…very tired and nauseas sometimes. It is good to have all our families help out since Joseph is in Korea. I will be going to the doctor next week to be referred on to an OBGYN. I’m praying for a good one since I don’t know any doctors in the area. Mark is very amusing as always. He has decided Aunt Amy’s dog is alright and likes to feed Jack the dog his lunch one piece at a time complete with choo choo sounds. He also is comical with one of Grandma’s cats. The cat hissed and swatted at him, so he started hissing and swatting back at the cat. The cat was so scared it started running for her life but not fast enough. Mark was close on her tail hissing and swatting all the way. It still makes me giggle.