Birthday Wrap Up

Just a few more photos to remember Forrest's second birthday.  We had a family party at the Dairy Queen here in Monticello and then another party in Orion last weekend.  Oh, what a treasured little boy!

Today Joshua and Mark are celebrating the one year birthday of their nerd store.  It's been a busy year for them!  I'm happy to say that the store is doing well, and they're looking forward to an even bigger year two.  Happy birthday Titan Games!

Best Summer Ever!

Yes, I'm calling it.  This really was my favorite summer yet.  Despite the hot temperatures this week, the mums at the grocery store and the turning of the calendar have made me realize that my fantastic summer is drawing to a close.

A few highlights (some mentioned before, others not):

We began the summer with a family vacation to Phoenix to visit Kati.  What an adventure!

Joshua and I enjoyed two trips just for us.  One to St. Louis, with a stop in Litchfield to revisit where we began our married life.  (That's our first apartment in the background, at the back of the brownstone.)  Our second trip was to Branson and Table Rock Lake.  So beautiful and so fun!

We made our annual trip to Wisconsin to visit Joshua's grandparents - such a blessing to vacation with family in a beautiful location.

Forrest and I spent time at Poppy and Gigi's more than once.  It's always a good time there.

We traveled to Indianapolis with Scott-o and Jon G to take in the sites (those being the zoo and children's museum).

Besides these big trips, we also had so much fun around the house.  Early in the spring Forrest and I built what we call our "oasis," a newly-fenced portion of our otherwise unsafe deck.  How fantastic to have a safe place outside to play.  It certainly was worth the effort.  We made several family trips to the pool, ate plenty of ice cream, and enjoyed the mild temperatures.

Yes, it really was the best summer!