Grill Master

Our grill has just about bit the dust this summer...so Mark put his good wits to use and improvised.
When it comes to cooking steaks...he is the bomb-diggity!

This is just ONE out of a gazillion reasons I love this man!

Birthday Boys

Some of the "kids from the hood" got together to celebrate Cody's 15th birthday!  It was also Elijahs 1st birthday, but teens don't get to excited for things like that!  The afternoon started off with some water volleyball...

Some yummy food...

Birthday spankings...

Moonlight boating...

Happy birthday to the brother duo...Many wishes to you both!

Down and Dirty

What summer day would be complete without a little muddin'???  Madi and her friends spend the afternoon looking for any mud holes that they can zip back and forth in!

Of course, it doesn't take long for these silly girls to ditch the 4-wheelers and get to the point!

Fair Time!

Once a year it rolls around...the Longton Free Fair.  Something was different this year...something everyone noticed...the HEAT!!!  It was still muggy...sweat still rolled down my back...but with the cloudy overcast...things just seemed a bit more tolerable!

Other than that...you can always count of the familiar moments of the fair.

The hotdog eating contest.....

The parade...

The firetrucks...

Friends with candy bags...

Cool treats for sale...

Fun games...

Prize money...

Hula-Hoop contest...

Water balloon toss...

Something new this year...FREE ICECREAM!

After a few hours of play...we headed home...along with about 12  kids...the pool was a perfect way to end the afternoon at the fair!

Lots more pics of the fair posted on my facebook....take a look..you might see someone you know!

Beach Blast VBS

This year we wanted to do a little something different for the kids Sunday School classes.  We have had weekly after-school studies in the past....fall gatherings...and various other fun times full of Godly lessons.  With the looonnnngggg and intense heatwave we have been having this summer...it just seemed like a Beach Theme would be perfect.  So, the Beach Blast was put in full swing!

The kids got to invite friends from the community to join us and there ended up being about 20 kids in all...a great turnout!

Our class focus was "Walking with Jesus"...miracles, parables and examples that Jesus set for us to live by!
Our mornings were full of puppet shows, storytelling, games, crafts, songs and snacks!

On the last day, we did something a little special.  After our morning of learning and praising...we had a sack lunch!

Then we headed outdoors to "catch a wave"...

...and enjoyed some summer fun!

The kids got along great with each other!  I never heard a mean word or any fighting...not a tattletales in our bunch! Little kids played with the big kids...

Big kids played with the little ones...

Brothers spent time together...

Sisters shared some laughs...

Some found new courage...

Others became fearless...

The line between "girls and boys" melted away...and friendships grew!

The laughter..smiles...and giggles were constant!

 

I hope the kids had a great time, but most importantly, I hope they continue to "Walk with Jesus" throughout their lives!  Thanks to all the helpers for all you did and contributed to such an important time!