a summertime project and more...

Ever since we moved into this house 6 years ago, I've been wanting to make a walkway by the gate on the western side of our backyard.  For all those years, we've just had this weedy, muddy patch instead.  It was annoying to mow, and everyone hated having to walk through here whenever we'd had any rain:

Finally, near the end of June, we started working on a walkway!  I say "we", but it was really mostly George, with some help from the kids, and a tiny bit of help from me.  (Lugging bricks does not help my abdominal pains, that's for sure!)

George, standing on a layer of paver base and sand:

At last!  Bricks!

The project was finally completed on July 16th, yay!  I love our new walkway! :)

On the 17th, there was a special VBS service at church.  Ben had a great time singing all the songs he'd learned during the week!  (I know it's hard to see him here, but I didn't want to use a  flash, so couldn't zoom in.  He's in the very front, in the middle, wearing orange.  And sunglasses.)

Ben loved the SonSurf Beach Bash theme! :)

Later that day, our friends Don & Cathy and Dan & Connie, plus their four girls (two each), came over to our house for a pool party.  We all had a great time cooling off in the pool, and then eating pizza later on:

Our bird Ickie had a little adventure of her own in July.  While Nick was getting her some new seeds, the door to the food dish opening fell down, and Ickie decided to escape!  She flew right into our dining room window, ouch!  Luckily, she didn't even appear to be dazed ~ she just started walking around on the floor, then flew up to the table:

Emm fed her some millet, hoping Ickie would climb onto her hand, but I could tell that was never going to happen, LOL.  I  finally threw a towel over her, picked her up gently, and took her back to her cage.  Silly bird!

I forgot to share this photo earlier, but Benjamin started reading this summer!  This book, Chicken Said, "Cluck!", was the very first book he read (with a little help from Mom).

And here he is, at the end of July, with his completed summer reading program sheet from the library.  He was so proud! :)  (Me, too!)

Emmalie was lucky enough to go on a mini vacation with her friend Tori's family, traveling to Michigan July 25-27th.  She had a wonderful time, seeing lighthouses, relaxing at the beach, and picking blueberries!  Then Nick went on vacation to Wisconsin with his friend Jordan and Jordan's mom.  They were gone from the 27th to the 31st ~ Nick had fun swimming and going to a Harry Potter Adventure near the Dells!

On the 29th, I took Emm and Ben to our town's Summer Celebration for awhile.   They both enjoyed painting on this big poster:

Ben received this cobra balloon from a clown:

Both kids slid down the big slide:

Emm was a *little* dizzy after her ride on the Graviton (shown behind her):

Ben thought it was great fun to "drive" this little train:

and also this truck:

On the 30th, George and I took Emm, Ben, and Emm's friend Samantha to the Summer Celebration parade.  It was quite warm, but we had fun and collected a bunch of candy, too!:

Afterwards, Emm and her friend went to another friend's for a sleepover.  That night, George, Ben, and I went back to the Summer Celebration.  This time Ben rode in the "caboose" of the train:

And he rode on the big slide again.  (I didn't have any luck getting a photo, though.) 

Then we got ready for the fireworks, which were awesome!

One evening last month, we spotted this big toad on our patio:

And our venus fly trap bloomed!  (None of us even knew that venus fly traps would get flowers on them ~ surprise!)

Our zinnias started blooming, as well:

Also in July, I went through all kinds of testing to get these abdominal pains figured out, but my doctors still don't know anything for sure.  Maybe in August??