St. Jude Run

St. Jude Run day is always a highlight of the year.  Although this year still wasn't "normal" with part of our group running to Peoria while a smaller portion completed only the local portion of the run, less teams running into Peoria, less spectators in downtown Peoria, no party at the Civic Center, and less post-run festivities, it was closer to a typical run day than last year's virtual run.

The Eureka team consisted of about 61 runners this year.

The weather was really nice for mid-July with highs in the low 80's with some cloud cover.

The kick-off ceremony was once again a firm reminder of why we run and the vital importance of the money we raise.

I'm so proud of the tireless efforts of my husband as he plans, organizes, and pulls together an amazing event year after year.

I love getting to spend the day with friends.

I cherish the opportunity to meet new people as we spend the day running together.

Seeing St. Jude patients along the way is a constant reminder of the importance of our mission.

Connecting with friends from other runs at the finish line reminds me that we are all in this together.

In a year of division and conflict, it is refreshing to have a group of people come together for a unifying cause.

The St. Jude Run is a family affair and a day that the entire family looks forward to.  Adelie was so sad to miss run day while she was away at church camp.

The Eureka Run raised $127,000 with Zach and I contributing $32,000 to that total through the very generous donations from friends and family.

It was an amazing day for an amazing cause organized by this amazing man!

There is nothing better than St. Jude Run day and the feeling of hope that comes from being part of something so much bigger than us.

Summer Camp...Again

Having an older sister can sometimes be hard because it seems that you always want to do what your big sister does.  Adelie is no exception.  So last year when Staley went to church camp, Adelie was determined that she was ready for sleep-away camp too.  As this summer approached, the discussion about camp was a hot topic with Adelie.  We weren't sure that 3 nights at Miracle Camp in Michigan without a friend to go with was within our comfort zone, but Adelie's friend, Stella, was interested in attending a one night sleepover camp in Clinton, IL.  Adelie was all in!

Ready for camp!

The girls were pretty nervous when I dropped them off at Little Galilee Camp, but they ended up having a great time.  Although they chose not to do the zip line or the canoeing at the lake, they still got to eat a few meals at the dining hall, go swimming, have chapel, play games, buy snacks, and sleep in their cabin.

The girls had plenty of stories to tell about their one night sleepaway camp experience and are already talking about going to camp together again next year.

I'm so glad Adelie got to have her first summer church camp experience, and I'm so glad it was a success!

They Say...

It is amazing to me that Adelie and Briggs still refer to bed time as "bed night."  That has lasted a LONG time.

When Briggs makes a craft of some sort, he calls it an "art craft."

Adelie still says "prigileve" instead of "privilege."

The other day the kids were talking about where they are going to live when they get older.  Adelie said she was either going to live in a specific house she likes in the country outside of Eureka or in an apartment in St. Louis.  She said, "I'll probably live in St. Louis, though, because I'm more of a city girl."  (Says the girl who has never lived anywhere other than our little town of 5,000.)

As we were driving home from swim lessons the other day, a bird flew in front of our car.  I said, "Oh no!  I think I just hit that bird."  Adelie responded nonchalantly, "Well, at least it wasn't a narwhal."  Ummm...okay.  

My kids always keep me laughing.

4th of July

The 4th of July is always one of our favorite family holidays.  It's a nice mid-summer chance to enjoy summer weather, family time, good food, and festive activities.

Since the 4th was on a Sunday this year, we started the festivities on Saturday morning with a 3rd of July parade.  (Briggs' friend, Dava, popped over to say hi before the parade.)

Floats, tractors, horses, fire trucks, and lots of candy.  What could be better??

We spent the rest of the day at Uma and Papa's enjoying a yummy brunch, visiting, and playing.  The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed a relaxing day.

The next day, we put on different red, white, and blue and went back over the Uma and Papa's on the 4th of July for lunch and yard games and playing with cousins.

The girls enjoyed water fun on the slip and slide while making up a performance that incorporated a play and interpretive dance while slipping and sliding.  Inspired!

That evening we enjoyed the fireworks as a family.  The fireworks show was great.  The bugs were not.

Even this little guy enjoyed the show without any tears or covering his ears.  So much progress!

We enjoyed a fun week-end full of family, food, and festivities.

Happy 4th of July!!

Pentwater

Staley's week at Miracle Camp was the week before our Pentwater vacation.  We picked her up from camp and continued a few hours north to start our annual family week of vacation in Pentwater.

Our week in Pentwater upheld all the traditions we hold dear.

We stayed together with my brothers and their families.  The cousins loved playing together every single day.

We ate dinner together every night, played games,...

read books...

played Shopkins and Hatchimals,...

and got to help Grammie and Grandpa celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with dinner, decorations, cake, a card shower, and a special video tribute from friends and family.

When the weather cooperated, we spent our days at the beach.  Our last 2 days were rainy and cold, keeping us from the beach and sending us all home a half day earlier than usual.

We had a couple really nice days at the beginning of the week and we braved some wind and chilly weather to take advantage of the beach on a few other days even when the weather wasn't ideal.

Staley enjoyed braving the cold Lake Michigan water to go swimming every day.  She also went on beach walks and dune adventures with her cousins and beach cousins.

She enjoyed spending more time this year with Nellie and Gabby, two of her slightly older "beach cousins" (my cousins' kids).

Adelie did not venture into Lake Michigan much, but enjoyed building sand creations, playing in the inlet, and playing restaurant with Grammie.  She really enjoyed spending time with her cousins Caroline and Lucy throughout the week.

Collecting beach rocks was another favorite Adelie pasttime.

Briggs loved playing in the sand, going into the dunes, and playing in the inlet.  He got braver with playing in the shallow water of Lake Michigan, but never ventured too far into the big lake.  He really enjoyed spending time with his beach cousins Gabe and Knox this year, who are both about his same age.

We enjoyed a few evening walks to the beach to watch the sunset.

Walking into town for ice cream is always a highlight.

Spaghetti night with the extended family (all 52/57 of us) is always a fun tradition.

The best part of every year in Pentwater is the opportunity to spend quality time with family.

Whether we are playing games all together...

or watching the sunset...

or walking into town...

or making our own rainy day fun...

or playing at the beach...

...the best part is being together with family.

It wasn't our best week of weather...

but it's still one of the best weeks of the year.

Hooray for Pentwater!!

Miracle Camp

Staley enjoyed a week at Miracle Camp in Michigan with 3 friends back in June.  She spent the week enjoying activities like swimming, zip lining, rock climbing, archery, playing games, doing crafts, enjoying her friends, and deepening her faith and understanding of God and his goodness.

Staley went to camp with the same friends from last year...Lilian, Kelsey, and Kaitlyn.

She was in a cabin with her 3 friends, 4 other girls, and two counselors.

She loved going to camp with her friends, but really enjoyed getting to know the other girls in her cabin too.

Staley said that she began to get homesick the last full day of camp, but otherwise really enjoyed her time.

The house seemed different and quiet without Staley here, but we got to see pictures that the camp posted, monitor what she bought at the camp store each day (smoothies, candy, and a stuffed animal), and send her e-mails telling her how much we missed her.

Adelie told us daily how much she missed Staley, although Briggs enjoyed having the opportunity to sleep in Staley's bed each night so that he and Adelie could have "sleepovers" together.

Staley was exhausted by her week away, but...

I'm so glad she had the opportunity to enjoy a week at camp, growing in her independence, her friendships, and her faith.