To the River

We were so excited to join the Fitzgeralds on the river today. Lincoln may have been less than thrilled to be wearing a bulky life vest in such hot weather, but the breeze was great and he loved watching all of the commotion.




Getting to watch daddy show off a bit.




Zeke loved riding on the raft with daddy, he didn't want to stop.

A Crafty Kind of Night

Gabby thought up this cool project. We made chapstick! And by we, I mean mostly Gabby and Trevor. And Robb did a little bit. It is super smooth, wonderful chapstick. We will definitely be trying this little project again.

And of course, no weekend would be complete without a little hive check.

Artistic Easel

One of Zeke's birthday presents has been wrapped up and sitting in the corner until the Crawfords could come over. Whatever could it be?

How does this thing work?

Behold, our masterpiece.

Mac and Cheese Fest

Oh boy, these little food fests are off the charts. We had four varieties to choose from and they were divine. What will we come up with next?

Ah, food coma...

Pool Party

Zeke cozies up to the birthday girl. He had so much fun swimming with the other kiddos.

Gabby Snaps

Gabby and the hooligans. I especially love it when she texts me these pictures at work. It really does break up the day.

The multi-tasker.

Future bookworm?

Out of the box.

Ice Cream!

On a hot summer evening, ice cream is always a good idea. And playing on a friend's slide isn't too bad either. And then there are the bigger boy activities (like examining climbing gear).

Gabby Snaps

 

Baby in the sprinkler.

These kids (Gabby included) have way too much fun while we're away.

"Painting" with water.

A Day of Rest

So nice to have a day of rest after the last couple of work days. We have a lovely time at Fresno Sunnyside SDA Church and a restful afternoon enjoying the air conditioning. We did finally venture out for a walk along the canal. Somehow we forgot to bring a carrier for Lincoln, so Robb rigged a sheet, which served the purpose.




In the evening, we enjoyed some fresh fruit pies with whipped cream. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get much better than fresh fruit pie with whipped cream.

The Coop, Day 2

So, yesterday was as hot as we feared it might be. But the guys successfully completed the footings and were ready to go again first thing this morning. Zeke loved going out to check the progress and generally get in the way. The rest of us just popped out for a few minutes, here and there. Did I mention that it was HOT!?

Lincoln grins at his good fortune to be in Hailey's arms.

These guys blow me away. By evening (despite the HOT) they had raised the walls, put in the floor (complete with tongue and groove flooring) and roofed the coop. Amazing work. There are going to be some happy chickens living in there soon.

Fireworks

We are getting to the fireworks, but first... Have you ever seen anything as cute as these two?
Brandon is so sweet with Lincoln. And Lincoln just can't get enough.






And of course, there were fireworks. And sparklers and snap pops. Good times.

The Coop, Day 1

The work begins. It is a pretty terrific goal to build a chicken coop in only a few days, and given that it is supposed to be blistering hot out today and tomorrow, who knows what will happen. But the guys were out bright and early, digging the foundation.

A little tomato thievery in Nana and Papa's garden.

Zeke keeps it cool with a water hose. He especially enjoyed giving the dogs "drinks".

Meanwhile, Back at Home...

While we are away, Zeke's toys arrange themselves into little photo shoots. (I love how the blond is planking on the fence.)

Gabby really is great.

Zeke is Three

Ezekiel contemplates the vast intricacies of selecting a fruit loop turning three.

I don't know how three years have already gone by. It is such an honor to watch him grow and learn. He is becoming such a sweet little guy. He even seems to like his little brother now. Most of the time. He is creative and silly. But also serious sometimes and has incredible focus for a boy his age.

For his party, Robb was a hero. He bought out the doughnut inventory at a couple of bakeries first thing this morning. And to top it off, he agreed to dress up as the Man in the Yellow Hat.

The boys resting in the aftermath.