Murray Visit—
We had the special treat of hosting a family from our China travel group. Stan, Kathy, and Jaden flew out from Arizona and Eric, Kate and Elle also came over for the weekend. It was neat to have a mini-reunion and see how much Jaden had grown. She is a very sweet girl (of course!) and we had plenty of opportunities for Ami, Elle and Jaden to learn about sharing. 
(Mostly for Ami though!)
Aunt Kathy with the wiggly girls…Jaden, Elle and Ami. Thanks for the adorable sundresses!
Mamas and babies….actually they are more than toddlers now!
Two great families from Group 222
The girls discovered that drawing on themselves and pretending to have makeup was more fun than drawing on the driveway!
We took the Murrays to a state park near our house. It was such a contrast to dry Arizona. It was fun to see them enjoy the simple things we take for granted….clover and dandelions.
Jaden is such a smart little girl. As the rest of us ate our picnic lunch at the table, she gathered exactly enough flowers to give each of us one. You could see her glance over at the table, then down at her hand, then gather just the right number of gifts to hand out. Amazing!
Inspecting a bug
We enjoyed a concert of sweet voices singing Jesus Loves Me
Jaden and Johanna became quick pals.
Ami and Michaela ready to head down into the cool cave
At the entrance to the cave
Jaden loved Ami’s tricycle. She offered rides to Ami, but also loved to zip down the slope with hands on tight and legs spread out. Daddy needs to build her a ramp at home. This girl feels the need for speed!
As mentioned above…Ami needs more lessons on sharing. When the opportunity was ripe, she snatched the tricycle and brought it to her chair…..
….and made it quite clear that she was guarding it!
It didn’t take long for Jaden to see that Ami had brought her speeding trips down the driveway to a screeching halt.
And thus the battled ensued.
Remember this picture? Jaden vs. Ami in November 2006!
But it didn’t take long for them to play nicely again.
Even though it was a little early for the 4th of July, we enjoyed some fireworks together. Uncle Trouble lived up to his name, but there were no injuries. Only a couple of holes in a beloved Harley shirt.
Saying good-bye….Ami loved Uncle Trouble. Thanks for coming to visit us!!!
Ami is a Big Girl!!
We started off the summer with potty training and she did great. The only problem we’ve had is finding small enough underwear to fit her little buns and waist.
No more crib for Ami…..
She is loving her new big bed.
Summer Starts
At the annual Memorial Day parade downtown
We finished up our first year of homeschooling everyone. The kids gave a presentation to Daddy and then we celebrated at our favorite BBQ place.
Father’s Day
Scout campout….When Ami was potty training we gave her a mini marshmallows for each success. She thought the jumbo marshmallows at the campout were GREAT!
Our new entertainment for the summer has been the rope swing. The kids have spent hours in the back yard. Daddy bravely shimmied out on the 20 foot high limb….all for the kids! But the big kids around here have enjoyed the rope swing, too!
Two sweet sisters….Ami and Michaela. Michaela is often our right hand, very willing and helpful.
Mother’s Day
Just a sweet boy we know! 
