Hunker down, this one is a DOOZIE!

Wow! As I was getting all our pictures organized and backed-up to our external hard drive, I realized that a lot has happened since I last put anything on our blog! We've had a busy summer and the best way to catch up is to show you a little bit of everything we've done!

Happy kids, tubing it up!

When I last posted, we were in Disney with Jay & Jeanne and their family.  Our trip was SO awesome and we had a WONDERFUL time!  We headed home on Saturday morning and made good time, pulling into our driveway around 1am Sunday morning.  The kids had their last full week of school while Brian and I had work, but the following weekend was Memorial Day weekend so we headed up to Fish Lake to get the summer started off RIGHT!

Nick & Luke Tubing like PROS!

The older cousins tubing with UNCLE JOE!

Kate wasn't quite ready to tube yet ... she did it later!

Happiness!

The Wiard Brothers getting the dock in

Swans at the lake (did you really think I could go without posting pictures of my beloved birds?!)

Geese by the pond

Last day of school (our bus stop)

A couple days after Memorial Day, we celebrated the last day of school ... Nicholas finishing up 3rd grade, Paige finishing 1st ...

Paige & her girlfriends

Paige running around to the back yards, trying to avoid getting wet!

A couple years ago, the parents on our street started the tradition of a water balloon fight on the last day of school.  We wait at the bus stop with water balloons and water guns and pelt the kids as they get off!  Here are my kids running for their lives!!

Nicholas, a little more bold than his sister, runs straight through the craziness!

Molly, Paige, Sophie and Nick at the pool (photo courtesy of Holly)

With the start of their summer break, the kids got to hang out with their pals!

Meredith and Paige (courtesy of Tracy)

Brian and the kids on Father's Day

 We celebrated Father's Day by getting Brian a grill!  We got him a few little things (pictures of he and the kids for his office) and then went to church.  Then it was lunch followed by grill shopping, and then a family tie-dye session!  Good family togetherness!













Sweet Daisy did NOT enjoy the hot weather this summer!  My poor baby!

Nicholas and Barrett

 We got to spend some time with friends that we don't see very often (even though we live in the same town):  THE RUCKERS!  Barbie and I met for lunch one day and not only did our kids get reacquainted, we were able to meet the newest Rucker--sweet little Ben! 

Paige and baby Ben

I didn't add the picture of Paige and Hallie (Barbie's oldest) because it was kind of far away, but here is Paige with sweet Ben!

Paige sleeping on Pa-pop

My Dad came out for North American Convention, and this is literally the only picture I took!  Paige fell asleep sitting with Pa-pop ... it's blurry but I like it nonetheless!

Me and my "big sis", Kareen

 Kareen Pickett was also in town for Camp Meeting, so Paige and I met her at Starbucks for coffee one morning!  On a side note, I turned in my resignation at work the next day.

Our game board

Somehow, I talked Brad and Holly into playing Chicken Foot Dominoes with me!  Brian relented and played, as well ... Grandpa Nelson would have been pleased, as we declared "Chicken Foot COMPLETE" each time we completed the chicken foot.

Nicholas, Brad and Molly making chicken feet with their fingers

Me and the baby bird ... it was trying to hop off and keep cheeping!

Brian discovered a baby bird on our driveway and came in to the house to tell me about it.  I couldn't just leave it there, so Brian got it on the little shovel and I took it back to the treeline by our neighbor's house (where we thought its mom probably had her nest) and left it.  I didn't want to go back and check to see if it was still there.  Brian had read that the mother would still feed a baby on the ground that was prematurely out of the nest, even if a human had touched it, so I'm hoping that happened; I couldn't take knowing it died down there by itself when I could have easily taken it in!

Daisy patiently getting her hair cut (photo compliments of Nicholas)

Daisy received her first (and last) haircut from me.  She looked like a rat ... I refused to take any pictures of her after-the-fact.  A pet groomer I am NOT!  Getting her groomed is officially in the budget going forward!

Paige, Nick, Sophie and Molly ... can you tell who
the "divas" of the group are?!? 

Holly and I helped each other out with the kids a bit this summer, and one of the times I had them, we went down by the Geist Reservoir to the Fall Creek Trail.  We walked back up by the Geist Dam and walked down the trail a bit ... it was super hot out and our waters were in the car so we didn't stay too long, but it was fun, nonetheless!

The kids walking back towards the dam

Nick and Sophie down by the Geist Dam

 Paige tried cucumbers for the first time ... Grandpa Wiard grows some GOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDD veggies!








Super-hot Indiana summer (I hear we weren't the only ones!).  This was the outside temperature per my car one day!





The kids and I saw just about every kids movie that opened this summer!  We were REALLY excited to see Brave!  Here is Nicholas with the triplets ...

 And Paige with Merida!

Kate as they were piercing her ears!

One of the bigger events of our summer was going with our niece/cousin to get her ears pierced!  By her own proclamation, Kate has been "too little" to get her ears pierced for some time now!  I randomly ask her when we're together, and when I asked this time, she said YES!  She didn't once waiver, although she got REALLY quiet right before they did it--she was obviously nervous but this girl didn't even FLINCH when they popped those earrings in!  What a champ!  SOOOO proud of her!

Paige and Kate in front of Claire's

Miss Kate showing off her earring!

Kate and Aunt Jenn

Brian, Me, Jeanne, Jay, Cassie, Josh and Joe

Brian and his brothers

In the middle of July, we had an all-Wiard gathering to go see Nickelback playing at Klipsch Music Center (formally Verizon Wireless Music Center, formally Deer Creek).  We loaded into the van and headed out--that's just how we roll!

Jay SERIOUSLY crept in to ever picture that night! 

Brian and I before the concert

Jeanne and I were trying to get a picture of the two of us ...
look who jumped in!  :-)

The Wiard Men

Cassie and the boys!

The Nickelback drummer ... he's my FAVORITE!
(photo courtesy of Jay and Jeanne)

Nicholas, Luke, Kate and Paige

Nicholas and Luke playing by Mud Creek

Jeanne and the kids stayed with us for a few days after the weekend of the Nickelback concert, so we took the kids to see Ice Age 4 ... obviously the sun was in their eyes, and Kate got my sunglasses so the rest just have to squint and bear it!

The kids and I took Jeanne and her kids to meet Jay up in Coldwater later in the week.  We had dinner together at the local McDonalds and then turned around and headed home.  As the kids watched their video in the back seat, I was struck once again with how beautiful Indiana is!  I grabbed my phone and shot a few pictures while I was driving.  After so many years of calling Colorado my "home", I can honestly say that I no longer feel that way. 

THIS is home...

Brad and Holly between shows

At the end of July, Brian and Brad took Holly and I to see Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney in the "brothers of the sun" tour.  We loved the concert but officially won't be seeing anymore concerts at Lucas Oil Stadium!  It may be a great sports venue, but the acoustics are AWFUL!  Had we not known the songs, we wouldn't have known a word they were singing.

Brian and I waiting for Tim McGraw to come out!

Me and my BFF, happy as clams to be at this concert!

Uncle Brian and Abby Rae

Now, back track to the beginning of July (my pictures didn't upload in order and it's a lot of work to reorder them, so I'm just going to go with it!) ... Jason and Anne flew out to Denver for IYC (Jason led his very own seminar!) and gave us the privilege of watching Abby, Jon and Lydia for a few days.  It was SOOOOO stinkin' hot out on July 4th that we all stayed inside and watched TV and lounged around!  Abby has always been comfortable hanging out with Brian, and this day was no exception ... she crawled right up next to him and snuggled in!

Lydia the first morning she woke up at our house

The very youngest always seems to get all the attention--in any family; ours is no exception! Sweet Lydia stole my heart! She is one child who is rotten to the CORE ... her parents warned us that she would test us and defy us repeatedly and you know what? SHE WAS AN ANGEL! This child complied with everything we asked of her and more. She was the sweetest house guest--literally perfect! She has to do two breathing treatments at night for her allergies and asthma, and the second night she was with us, she was fooling around and not breathing it in, but refused to let me help her (in a very sweet way!). When she had the nebulizer tube on her toe rather than in her mouth, I said, "Lydia, does Aunt Jenn need to spank you?" and she shook her head no and put the tube right back in her mouth ... like I'd EVER spank this sweet girl! Empty threats work well with her! I'll take her any time!

All five cousins together

 Like I said, the 4th of July was SUPER hot!  We weren't on a water ban yet, so after dinner I took them out and they played in the sprinkler for a little while, followed by some Popsicles! 

Abby and Paige having their refreshments

Big girl and her Popsicle

The boys and their pops



Pretty sure Jon and Paige are watching TV, but here are the younger 4!

Compliments of my mom, the High Priest's seminar door

Paige and Kate tubing ... told you she went later!!

After we dropped the Nelson kids off in Anderson with Anne's parents, we headed straight up to the cottage to celebrate the 4th.  More family fun and playing on the lake!

Uncle Joe showing off

Nicholas learning to knee board ... he got up a bit later but I wasn't in the
boat to capture the moment!

My handsome boy!

Studly Uncle Jason

Paige and her cousin Celia

Luke and Nicholas

Paige and Kate with the horse

One of the things Paige and I like to do when we're at the cottage is go to the Nottawa Fruit Farm.  It has lots of home made goodies (this is Amish country) as well as animals to pet and watch.  Brian and Nicholas rarely want to go with us, but lucky for us, Jeanne and Kate were happy to accompany us!

Paige pumping water from the well, just like Laura Ingalls Wilder! :-)

Brian took a few days off right before school started so we could hang out as a family.  We decided to go to the State Fair (again, my pictures didn't upload in the order I added them!) and the next day, we took them to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.  Funny movie (seriously, for a kids movie, it's not too bad!) and we had fun spending time together before our summer break was done.

  

Daisy curled up on top of a basket of (dirty) laundry ... we thought it was cute!

Handsome boy and sweet pup

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (August 15th)!!  Paige is now a 2nd grader and Nicholas is in 4th ... last year of Elementary school for our boy!

Our bus stop ... TONS of kids!

The 4th graders (Sophie, Katy and Nick)

Paige with three of her good friends, all of whom live on our cul-de-sac

Brian ignoring Daisy ... poor puppy!

Sophie, Molly and Paige at McDonalds when the Reay girls
stayed the night with us

Paigey, down by Mud Creek

Paige spending time with her Daddy

Nicholas posing for a picture

First time I've ever captured lightening on film ... next time I'll try to get it in focus!

Jason and Anne had a picture of their kids, walking away from the camera and holding hands taken recently.  My mom wanted a picture of my kids like it, as well, so I talked them into actually TOUCHING ... Paige enjoyed it immensely, however, Nicholas was clear that he did it JUST for his Monna!

In anticipation of I-69 extending south to Evansville, the state is renumbering our exits--basically adding 200 to each existing exit number (this does NOT translate into adding a "2-0" in front of each exit number ... whereas that works for the single digits, it doesn't work with the higher numbers--my sister-in-law Jeanne and I learned this through mockery and chastising by none other but my husband!).  They've begun the change ... gonna take some getting used to!








And FINALLY, the State Fair pictures!  The weather had cooled off and we had a gorgeous day to walk around and look at the exhibits.  Personally, I liked the goats the best!  They are so stinkin' cute and full of personality!  I made friends with a goat owner, and he said he bottle fed a few of his babies, and they follow him around just like a dog.  I will definitely have goats on my farm one day; goats, pigs, chickens and geese--the white ones, not the Canadian ones that hiss and chase you--I wouldnt' like that AT ALL!

Nick getting an archery lesson at the DNR building

Paige at the entrance ... when we were leaving later in the afternoon.

Brian with one of the goats

Paige and Brian on the midway

Paige and a donkey (we even heard them "hee-haw")

Nicholas and I waiting in line at the Dairy Barn

Paige and our very favorite goat EVER

OUR VERY FAVORITE GOAT EVER!!  So sweet! 
This guy couldn't get enough attention--we loved him!

HOLY BIG TIRE, BATMAN!

Nicholas and that same favorite goat!

Nicholas at the entrance--when we first got to the fair

Paigey and the combine wheel

Brian and Paige as we were getting ready to head home

Nicholas and Paige going down the Fun Slide

So there you have it:  our summer!  It went by fast, but we enjoyed it!  Not much we didn't represent here, except that Nick played baseball and I didn't take many pictures this year.  Going forward, now that I lead this "life of leisure", I hope to update the blog more--mostly to keep our family up-to-date on the happenings with us here in Fishers--anything insightful or profound will be on my personal blog ... it's been a while since I've updated that one, as well.  I have my first meeting with the PTO Board on Tuesday morning, followed by my going away lunch with Stephens & Soetenga.  I have many projects planned for around the house, as well as serious intentions to get involved more at the kids' school.  So far they like their teachers and their classrooms, and I am looking forward to getting to know their teachers, as well.  Paige plans to sign back up for Girl Scouts, and Nicholas will be playing basketball coming up here pretty soon--registration is this month--not sure what the rest of the timeline is.

Love you all!  Sorry for the LLOOOOOOONNNGGGGGG post!  I'll keep them more frequent and SHORTER from now on!