We started out this week with a Family Home Evening of water balloon tossing.

Nobody got wet enough, though, so Dad got out the hose.

  Everybody had fun, but Dad especially had fun since he was behind the hose.  :)

This week, Benjamin mastered the art of climbing up onto things.

Dinner will never be the same.  He won’t stay in his highchair.  Then when dinner starts, he won’t stay off the table.  He screams at his sisters if they try to squeeze together and deny him space on the bench.  From the bench it is an easy jaunt to the table and on the table he helps himself to whatever he can find -- which is usually quite a lot!  He also can climb up onto the piano and the game table where we keep the computer.  Benjamin!!  Where are we going to keep things we don’t want you to touch?!  What can we do with a boy who climbs everywhere in the house?

Well, leave the house, of course!

This week we went on our 2nd annual trip with Grandma and Grandpa Gazdik to Palisade!

We had a beautiful campsite right by the lake.

We also had beautiful weather.  Except, of course, for when we first arrived.  When we got there it looked like this:

  Yikes, right?!  Pouring rain, thunder, and HAIL!  It’s a good thing we don’t scare off easily, because we had a grand time.

     

We got there Wednesday afternoon and stayed three nights, leaving Saturday morning.  We did a lot of swimming and raft floating.  We did some canoeing and sand-digging and even some hiking around the lake.  We also did a lot of minnow catching – at least Megan did with the help of Mariah, Cheyenne, and Calianne.  She got quite good at it!  Dad and Grandpa even got to go golfing at the adjacent golf course TWICE!  Grandma and Megan tagged along the second time and Megan got to drive the golf cart.  FUN! 

Savannah’s favorite part was canoeing.  (She even went with me for a night paddle.)  Sarah’s favorite part was swimming.  Megan’s favorite part was when everyone would go to the beach.  Mariah’s favorite part was floating on the rafts.  Cheyenne and Calianne’s favorite parts were swimming and playing at the playground.

We were sunburned and worn-out and glad to see home Saturday.  But there was still fun ahead.  Kevin and I went to an afternoon showing of Harry Potter!  Aww, for air-conditioning and a great story to fuel the imagination!  It was a lot for one day, but it was a lot of fun.

What a week!