Summer Adventures of 2 Sister Wives and 6 kids

We will always remember the summer of 2011 when Aunt Julianne and cousins Caleb, Madilyn and Luke came to stay with us in Pittsburgh. It was a summer of constant motion and great memories.

No summer is complete without smores...

or a giant inflatable slide.

This is the red tailed hawk we tried to keep away from the baby robin in our fosythia bushes. The hawk won out in the end. It was a sad start to the day.

We thought we'd brighten the day by taking a bike ride...Beverly Hillbilly style

Our bike ride took us to the water steps.

Here we are on the trail.

Next stop...a walk in Fall Run Park. Here's Daphne sporting her hot pants.

On the trail...

We made it to the waterfall for some slip-n-slide fun.

Some days at home felt like an episode of Survivor. At this point in the game, I think Daphne and Luke had formed an alliance and were applying their tribal markings.

Since the 2000 mile drive from Texas to Pittsburgh wasn't enough, for us all, we decided to drive up to Niagara Falls, NY and Palmyra, NY. Don't they look excited?!

Daphne knows how to kick it in the car.

Here we are on the Maid of the Mist headed into the Falls. It was spectacular! Put it on your list of things to do.

Sporting the ponchos

Now on to Palmyra. This is the view from the top of the Hill Cumorah.

This is a trail through the Sacred Grove.

Here is the Joseph Smith family home. Now don't we look like a dutiful polygamist family?

Palmyra Temple

Back home in Pittsburgh...Juli and I took Felix and Caleb for a paddle on the Allegheny. The boys enjoyed being out of the kayaks more than in.

Bombs away!

Margie and Felix

2nd Annual Summer Boy Party (plus 2 girls)

Classy Camping Lady

Here we are on our last adventure together...camping at Raccoon Creek.

Notice the angle of our campsite?Whoo-Hoo! Summer Rocks!

Summer in Texas

We spent 2 weeks in Texas recently and had a great time. Here are some pictures of the insanity!

Felix, Cousin Zac, Cousin Cooper, Rex

Crazy Uncle Darrin throwing Felix

Felix and Scott

Felix catching a wave at Galveston with Coach Uncle Steve

Rex catching a wave

Rex and Felix at the lake in Steve and Ismari's new, fun neighborhood

Galveston, TX

Daphne and Pa Pa...she had had enough sand for one day

Daphne kissing Cousin Luke...one of many apologetic kisses for terrorizing him

Lady on the go

Rex with Cousin Maile and little fish at their lake

Thanks for the fun times everyone!

T-Ball

T-Ball season is over...probably forever. Felix is done with sports, he says...unless it's a quiet sport like Golf. Rex wants to start Karate. He often says he wants to play football, so we'll see what he decides down the road. T-ball turned into a battle getting the boys to go...at least Felix, and of course Rex had to follow suit with big brother (even if it wasn't how he really felt). Turns out T-ball was just a way to get treats from the concession stand. Proud parents right here.

Perhaps a Future Slugger

Boys with buddy Matthew

Summer Dayz

I suppose I should give a pet update for any wondering. We kept our cute puppy, Ruby, for 3 weeks and then the kids' cruel mother found a new, loving home for her. It was too much for me to handle, and I felt more comfortable caring for a gerbil, which we got, but died 3 weeks after we got him. Ruby and Joe are always remembered in our prayers each night. We will be getting 2 new gerbils sometime in the near future.

Daphne, our little cruiser

Felix, our little Mr. Smarty Pants

Silly Rex with buddy Josh

End of Kindergarten

Felix finished Kindergarten with great success. He made some good friends and is excited to start 1st grade with them...that doesn't mean he wants summer to end anytime soon.

Felix with best bud "Benj-er-min"

Felix got to throw a pie in his Principal's face for helping his school raise money for school children in Haiti. They raised $854 just in pocket change...mostly pennies!

Other best buddy Noah

Graduation Procession

Felix and Miss Melliand, his Kindergarten teacher

Felix's 1st Science Fair: Egg Drop

Way to go Felix!

Meet Ruby

Everyone, meet Ruby.  A dog sounds so good when you don't actually own one.  The boys really wanted one, so we wrote up a plan for them to earn one and they did it.  (We're now realizing the plan wasn't nearly difficult enough.)  I really wanted a dog, too.  Scott did not.  In hindsight, I do not either.  She seems to be a sweet and obediant dog thusfar, but the night time routine of waking up to go potty multiple times is really annoying and exhausting.  Last night we made some progress though.  I needed progress because I had a wee little breakdown yesterday over the impact the dog has had on our schedule.  I keep telling myself life will be normal again after it's housebroken, but I'm not so sure.  I feel like I'm in prison. 

Haiti

Scott and I took a trip to Haiti with an organization called "Great Commission Alliance". They are dedicated to building up this country that is broken due to political corruption and the devastating earthquake a year and a half ago. I stand in awe of the people of GCA who devote their lives to giving Haiti a future. Every day their focus is educating and empowering Haitians. They feed hungry orphans, educate kids, and employ local people who just want to work to improve their lives. GCA is currently building an orphanage on their property that will have modern facilities. Plumbing and electricity are unheard of in the city of Mirebalais, where we stayed. The guest house they built for teams like ours to stay in is a modern building that sticks out like a sore thumb compared to its neighbors. This same property will also house a clinic, school, church and a house or two of the employees.

While in Haiti we visited orphanages, villages, beautiful landscapes, and were inspired by true Christ-like individuals doing His work every day. And, inspired by a people who despite having next to nothing (in the temporal sense), still radiate God's love with a single look. I can't wait to go back. Let me know if you want to come along!

(Go to their website to make a donation or sponsor an orphan.)

This is how the women carry everything. They are fierce!

Typical Haitian house

One of our translators by the dam that was built, which displaced hundreds of people who live in what is now called, "Parachute Village". (This village was once where you see the water in the background. They were pushed into the hills when a dam was built in the middle of the river that ran through their land. They lost everything and were given no compensation. Each day is a fight to survive here.)

The orphanage GCA is building...there are no construction trucks to help out. Everything is done by hand. Haitians know how to work.

Another typical home with a grass roof...home to large tarantulas.

The road up to the orphanage. It's made of broken up asphalt that was dumped and then pieced together by hand like a puzzle.

This is Rose. She stole my heart. Her dad was one of our drivers.

A girl in our group saw a discarded tire and wanted to hang it up for the kids outside the school so they'd have something to do besides just stand around. The tire she found was too big, so one of the students ran home and came back with a busted tire that was laying around his house. The kids then strung it up in the mango tree and took off! Their smiles were huge. (The tent in the background is their school.)

We caused mass chaos at one of the orphanages when we brought balloons to tie for the kids.

It was crazy, but so much fun!

Haitian taxi. They also have motorcycle taxis that they'll pile as many people on that will fit.

The latrines GCA is funding to be built at an orphanage.

This is Jerry (a boy our Team Leader has taken in as a son) comforting a baby in Parachute Village that was scared of us...most likely because she had never seen a white person before.

The schoolhouse at Parachute Village. It was stifling in there with little light and 5 different classes being taught in the same room.

School kids at Parachute Village. They asked me to bring them each a notebook when I came back. Only one boy in the group appeared to have paper for school.

The kitchen

Scott making pipe cleaner spiders at an orphanage

Our group

The local washing machine and bath in Mirebalais

You should hear these girls sing. It's as beautiful as their smiles.

One of the tent cities in Port Au Prince that were meant as temporary shelters for those who lost homes after the earthquake...People have been living there for almost 2 years.