Quick wrap up of some summer

When Jeremy, Jaycie and Benny got home from Trek, 

they had some serious chigger bites.

Medicine application was bonding time.

1 day after returning from Trek,

Jaycie and Benny piled in the car and drove themselves 6 hours to EFY in Bowling Green Kentucky.

They had some serious adventures in their travels.

EFY was awesome. . . we hear.

What else could it be?

Benny's group.

While the girls were gone, the rest of us enjoyed the baby bunnies,

dressing up and hanging with friends,

visiting the Mississippi River and downtown,

and getting immunizations.

(Even I had to get a tetnus. . . my shoulder hurt for weeks! I must be getting old or something.)

Timo and Caden were very brave, but the "Champion" award goes to KD.

She got 6 shots and didn't shed a single tear or squirm to get away as they just kept comin' and comin'.

Caden, lucky for us, has to be doing something or he goes crazy.

This project was an old picnic table left on the lawn when we bought the house.

He sanded and painted it.  It's nice to have a handy teenager around.

Jaycie and Benny got home from EFY just in time for our ward Family History/Talent show activity.

Timo, Sarah, Taffy and KD had put together posters on some ancestors and Jaycie and Benny sang "I'm yours" with Benny accompanying on the ukelele.

(Taffy didn't play the trumpet for her talent - her poster was on my dad and it is his.)

The next few weeks were whirlwinds (as the next few posts will show),

but we squoze in some swimming. . . in the day

and in the night,

played some games,

and rehearsed like crazy for our upcoming debut as

"The Baird Family and Friends."

. . . to be continued.

Some days. . .

Some days I feel like this. . . 

The 12 seater people mover

We've had our dependable (bought from the Cincinnati mission) van for 6 years.

Just the other day I was reflecting on what an awesome vehicle it's been.

While out looking for Homecoming attire Saturday night with Jaycie as the chauffeur,

the van died.

It spent a lonely weekend sitting in the Payless parking lot. . .

filled with a lot of random socks, trash, and miscellaneous items, but no people.

We hope to help it fill the measure of it's creation again soon.

Teenagers

Teenagers!

We've got three in our home at the moment.

And I get to start out each school day in seminary with 2 of my own, 1 from our town and 4 from a neighboring town.

Is there a better way to start the day???

I think not!

The last four days. . .

We've had a few chances to sing together as a family lately.

We have named our family band "The Attempt", for that is what it is.

The most special time was to go sing "Come Thou Fount" for Sis. Tucker a few hours before she died.

It was her favorite song and with Jeremy on the guitar and Jaycie on the violin it was in the style she loved.  We were able to sing it at her funeral a few days later.

Jaycie and Benny get to head off to EFY next week.

They've been working on a duet with Benny playing the ukelele.

They sound so good together.  I will miss their singing when Jaycie leaves for college next year.

Wednesday, Jeremy, Benny, and Jaycie (and Jocelyn) left for Trek.

They lucked out and got to do a Trek in Vegas AND Missouri.

We will have them report when they get back.

The remaining 6 of us did stuff around the house. . . swam, cleaned, read,

oohed and ahhed at the baby bunnies which are a week old now,

made a cake for Jack, our friend who's 84th birthday was Thursday.

The boys got to go fishing with the Snipes, so yesterday Caden took his little sisters fishing.

Taffy learned to cast pretty well and KD is a master reeler-inner.

Timo had a fun time tipping his chair over.

And Sarah was just peaceful Sarah.

Some kids are easier to take a picture of than others.

KD caught a fish!

She was one proud little chickie.

Afterwards she kept telling the story of her catch over and over. . . 

"I was weelin' it in. . . 

"and I felt it pullin'. . . 

"I kept weelin' it in. . . 

"And pulled it in. . . 

"It was a 'credible fish!!"

"I love that 'credible fish."

Soon after her catch, all 3 lures had been lost so the fishing trip turned into a tadpole catching adventure.

Since she didn't catch a fish, Taffy found solace in being the only one to catch a couple tadpoles.

I love these kids.

Even when they don't always like each other.

4th of July!

The week before the 4th, we realized there are a lot of people from church and around that don't have family around to celebrate with. . . 

So even though Jeremy was going to be working, we decided to invite everybody over.

53 people and a dog showed up.

They all brought delicious food, took care of games for kids, and grilled the meat.

It felt like family.

(Which is the next best thing to family.)

Somehow the Sister missionaries (Lundskog and Rudd) tipped over the whole hammock with their full plates of food.  Had to take a pic to blackmail them.

Children ran amuck, playing baseball, riding plasma cars, blowing bubbles, etc.

The older boys hung out after playing basketball.

It makes me smile to see generations mix and love each other's company.

Charlie, Timo's scout leader, did the grillin'. 

He did a great job, though it ended in fire and a hose.

More hammock fun with Mary Beth, Sarah, and Billie.

It's so good to see this thing used.  Makes it all worth taking it apart in Vegas and setting it up again here.

Volleyball with the missionaries.

This is the record number of swimmers we've had in the pool at one time.

When it got dark, a bunch of us headed over to the middle school to watch the fireworks.

The fun part was watching Jaycie lead the kids in games, hearing the kid's call out to each other as they ran around, having Clifton find Taffy's shoes for me since I was holding a sleeping KD, and just hanging out after the fireworks were over.  

It was neat to feel like family while missing them.