Independence Day

We went over to Dave's parents' house for Independence Day.  Denny & Carol were watching the Koehlinger kids while Debbie & Brady were on a cruise, so Liam and Lilly had fun playing with them.  Lilly is warming up to everyone and really liked 'talking' on Emily's phone.  Liam swam in the pond with Gabe, Hannah, and Adelyn.

Pure Michigan

We took a little break from our normal routine and went up to my Mom's house for the weekend.  One of the things on our to-do list was to get some family pictures taken for our post-placement update to China.  It was a little bit of a challenge.  It's hard to get a picture with everyone looking good. At least our outfits coordinated!

The kids also got to see fireworks with Grandma & Grandpa while Dave and I had a date.  Liam, of course, loved them, and Lilly didn't seem bothered by them.  My mom bought matching, patriotic outfits for all three grandkids.  They tried to get a picture of the three of them, but I'm not sure there was one with all three kids looking at the camera.  All of them want to move!

We also introduced Lilly to the pool.  She loved it!  Liam is our little fish.  He has become such a strong swimmer.  He will go down the slide by himself, go under water, jump off the side and yell 'canon ball', and swim the length of the pool over and over again.

Landscaping

Well, after living in this house for nine years, I think the landscaping finally looks like we had dreamed it would someday.  The good and bad thing about building a home is that there is no landscaping when you move in.  I appreciated being able to plant what I liked and being able to follow a color scheme.  However, it took years for things to get to a point where they all bloomed and filled the space.  My perennials are doing so well that Dave had to widen the beds.  Dave also stained the fence and painted the shed.  We are so pleased with how everything has turned out.  My mom's green thumb and expertise has helped me over the years.  Her knowledge of plants helped me create a garden that always has something in bloom.  Thanks Mom!  Without further delay, here are some glamour shots of the landscaping...

Front Yard 

(color scheme - purple, pink, white & blue)

The rocks were taken from a rock pile at a friend's farm

Some of my favorite flowers in the front yard -

The Sides of the House

Hastas were given to us as starts by a friend

my little vegetable and herb garden

Back Yard

(no color scheme - just bright, cheerful colors)

Some of my favorite flowers in the back yard -