25/52

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Elise:  This girl fell in LOVE with terrariums when we went to visit Terrain with my friend Jill.  With Grammy by her side, she figured out that Clayton Park is the perfect place to find all the wonderful little things you need to make your own!

Caleb:  There's nothing quite like that sweet little drop of yum from inside a summer honeysuckle blossom.  (Last week with his cast on too!)

Lucas:  So proud of the egg he found in Lydia's chicken coop.  He came right in and had it for lunch!

Eden: Wish my camera hadn't died so I could have captured more of her adventures at the Delaware Children's Museum with Grandpa (and Grandma!)...the two of them held hands, wandered, splashed and explored for hours.  (Thank you for following her, holding her, and keeping her out of harms way, Grandpa Sam!)

24/52

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Elise:  End of school fun!  Spending time with our favorite friends who are also moving away from Durham this summer.  So thankful we got to enjoy the year with them at church and at school!

Caleb:  Last Day of Preschool!  (Oh...and Caleb's first crush.)

Lucas:  First stop of summer vacation...COUSIN TIME!  It makes me so happy to watch these two silly boys in action.  

Eden:  PLEASE let me do what the big kids are doing!  (An adventure at Clayton Park!)

23/52

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Elise:  A special treat at the Life & Science Museum - Elise was so happy that she wore pink so this paperwhite butterfly could perch on her arm and dry its newly unfurled wings.

Caleb & Lucas:  Pure joy while they watch this baby turtle wiggle and stretch in Josh's hand.  Love my boys!  

Eden:  So many sweet things in this berry patch!  These little ladies just couldn't help themselves. 

Back to Eno!

Had to give everyone's new water shoes a try, so we headed to our favorite spot along the Eno River and spent the afternoon collecting, chasing, and enjoying all sort of creatures!

Earlier today we were recounting when we'd bought that net at the 100 Yen (i.e. Dollar) Store in Japan.  Elise hadn't even turned one yet!  I don't think we could have imagined the adventures we'd have using it to catch things all around the globe for the next 6 years.

 

After all that hard work and play we decided to go home by way of Locopops for an icy cold treat!  Our first visit to the local hotspot.

More Cousin Fun!

It was so much fun to have Emily and Zia in town for a visit!  I have wonderful memories of growing up with my cousins and it was such a treat to watch our kids and Zia spend time together this week!  Zia is just two months older than Eden, so they're going to be sharing adventures (and making messes together!) for a long time to come. 

Music time at the Life & Science Museum.

"He likes getting messy almost as much as we do!"

Guacamole girls!  They were so silly with their meal time antics...blinking, shaking their heads, and shouting for each other.

Arthur Cousins!

All aboard!

Staying cool!

Thanks Emily and Zia for making the trip to NC to spend time with us.  Can't wait to do it again! 

Berry Pickin'

Josh's sister, Emily, and her adorable sidekick, Zia, came to spend the week with us!  One of our first adventures with them was to the Lyon Farms Berry Patch!  We managed to pick eight pounds of strawberries...though I think we should have weighed Eden and Zia before and after picking since they couldn't seem to keep their tiny little hands out of the buckets (or out of the patch!) 

(Kerplink, Kerplank, Kerplunk!)

Caleb earned the MVP (Most Valuable Picker!) award.  He single handedly filled up the BIG bucket and I had to practically drag him away from the field! 

Some strawberry delights!  We bought a pint of homemade strawberry ice cream from the farm and put our first batch of strawberry jelly on the stove as soon as we got home.  (We have enough for four more batches in the freezer!)

22/52

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Elise:  Dreaming of climbing!  Think we might need to get this girl a climbing harness.

Caleb:  An adventure to Gem Mountain.  Did you know that topaz has to be heat treated to show it's traditional blue hue?

Lucas:  "Mom, take my picture!" he shouted as he leapt up onto the edge of the rock outcropping...guess that's why we call him Danger Boy!

Eden: First time on a camping and hiking trip; I think she liked it!