keeping busy

Even with Em and Nick gone, we still had a busy week last week! It started out with Father's Day ~ we did yardwork, watched movies, and George grilled for supper. Here are Ben and Dada: On Monday, VBS started at our church. This was Ben's first time attending VBS, and he absolutely loved it!! This year's theme was SonRock Kids Camp, so his teachers had a tent set up in their room:
as well as this paper campfire:
And this campsite was set up outside the sanctuary:
On Tuesday, we met up with our friends Karen and David for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, yum! Then Karen and I took the boys over to Woodfield Mall and the RideMakerz store. Ben and David were so excited to make their own toy cars!:






For several days now, we've been watching this Mama Robin who built a nest in the wisteria, under our front porch roof:
One day I saw her leave to go get food or water (probably the latter, as hot as it was last week!), so I took the opportunity to get this picture of the eggs:
Hopefully soon I'll be taking photos of baby birds! :)

On Friday night we attended the VBS closing program. Benjamin couldn't wait to sing for us and all the other parents! He is in the front row, the only one in a light blue shirt (apparently his teachers forgot to tell me that the 3-year-olds were supposed to wear red to the program!):
On Saturday, the 27th, we went to a picnic hosted by our friends Don and Cathy. This is an annual event, and Ben was very excited that we were going back to this park... he still remembered it from last year!:
George helped Don with the grill:
Ben especially loved playing in the sand with his truck:

but he also enjoyed throwing beanbags, blowing bubbles, and so much more!:
That day was our 17th wedding anniversary:
so when we got back home from the picnic, Em's friend Tori (known as Gigi at our house... because that's what Ben has called her since he learned to talk) came to babysit. She watched Ben for 5 hours while George and I went out for dinner and a movie:
Yesterday we finally got a chance to play in our pool. It was the first time the 3 of us have been in it this summer. (I'm sure it won't be the last, though!):
As usual, I've been taking lots of pictures of my flowers. :) Here are a few of them...

Ben helped me plant alyssum seeds along the front walkway, and they are finally blooming:
Some of our astilbe in the backyard:
Red bee balm:
Pink bee balm:
A whole bee balm garden! (And the ones with white flowers aren't even blooming yet!):
Some more daisies:
A daylily:
Hostas:
Hydrangea:
More lavender:
One of our marigolds:
Queen Anne's Lace, growing wild in our yard, unfortunately. (Yes, it's pretty, but very invasive! We've been trying to get it out of our lawn since we moved here 4 years ago. And to think that I actually planted some of this at our old house... the people who live there now are probably cursing me, LOL!)
Another queen... this one is Queen of the Prairie, and we WANT this one in our garden. :)
A tiger lily:
And a few tomatoes... not quite ripe yet! LOL:

This summer has been flying by... I can't believe June is almost over!