blueberries

we took at trip out to a berry farm with some good friends, and although it was extremely hot, even in the evening, we had a great time.
my friend josie and i

kyla and shannon have been friends since they were toddlers!

more blueberries went in casey's mouth or were tossed at his friend lori than went in the bucket, but we still managed to get enough to make ice cream, which was my reason for going in the first place!

the kids

casey and mike jumping off hay bales....good day! thanks josie for your company and for cheering me up!

visit with pete, jenny, and the boys

we had a wonderful visit this past week with pete, jenny, jackson, and the newest addition to the family, baby jordan.

smiling!

our buddy, jackson (a.k.a. baby j) when i would leave the room i would hear jackson call out "misty oh misty. i love you!" or "misty oh misty, where are you" so precious!

casey with his cousins.

my nephews with their dad, my little brother pete

my awesome sister-in-law, jenny

vacation can be hard work! can't wait to see all 3 of my nephews and my niece next week....it will totally be worth all the the driving! love you guys!

week at grandma and grandpa's house

we drove up to spend a few days with brandon's parents. it was a much needed getaway! kyla and casey were "saving" bugs as they floated past in the pool. i'm pretty sure grandma would have just let them die.....poor bugs. they are probably eating her shrubs as we speak. too much fun for one backyard

casey spent a good part of the afternoon imitating "fred" from youtube. if you don't know fred, look him up.....hilarious. ummm, i just asked my kids how to spell "youtube" and they called me an old lady.....ok, on to the next caption.....

my beautiful mother-in-law, linda

my awesome nephew, grant, who was quite witty this trip!

casey and sweet sophia, after he accompanied her to swimming lessons. thanks everyone for a fun week!

even charlie had fun!

casey the photographer

casey has been really into the idea of being a photojounalist lately, just like his uncle cory, and has been lookin for willing "models" and things in nature to practice his photography skills on. dressed for church and with freshly curled hair (i'm trying one new thing each day with my gimp hand, and curling hair was today's challenge) he went to work. these pics are for bran, but i was impressed with the photography and lighting skills of my boy and decided to share.

once the dog decided to cop a feel and try to get himself into every shot, we had to shut down the operation, but it was way fun while it lasted.

the casinator, photographer extraordinaire!

incredible pizza

we recently visited incredible pizza during one of our trips to the ortho center in springfield. the kids had a blast and it was fun seeing them enjoy it so much. i didn't get a picture, but casey's favorite attraction was laser tag. he's pretty sure that's his new favorite thing.

go carts!

fun in the arcade

say cheese :)

charlie and casey have been best buddies since bran left. someone had to take over the job and i was pretty sure it wasn't going to be me. charlie is also finally becoming friends with skippy, our cat. the other cat is another story! 1 out of 2 aint bad.

walking the dog

i finally got my pins out of my finger this week, and i am so happy about that. i still have a small splint because there were several little bones that are in the right places at the moment but could easily move. now onto the stage of physical therapy which is a delicate balance between getting the finger moving without causing further damage. i am very happy to be on the downhill stretch of recovery. i have a long way to go, but i'm pretty sure the hardest stages are behind me. thanks for all your prayers! i had a video for you but couldn't get it to publish.....you're probably better off that way!