Summer blessings

The previous owners of our home planted a garden and we've been the lucky recipients. We've enjoyed bell peppers, eggplants, strawberries, and tons of cherry tomatoes. We planted some green beans and pumpkins that we hope will be successful. The two tomato plants have produced abundantly, I've gotten about a pint a day during the growing season! I've made lots of batches of salsa, pasta sauce, tomato soup, tomatoes with farro, a tomato tart, and of course used them for snacking, salads, sandwiches and for sharing with others. It makes me think of those times we may plant "seeds" of hope, faith, learning, wisdom, love, etc. and not see the fruit ourselves. But that doesn't mean those seeds haven't been a blessing to others. We also got to pick cherries and blueberries which was fun and tasty!

We went on a fun shady hike and spotted a snapping turtle!

 

The kids helped decorate our flag dessert for 4th of July. It was sad to not have our annual Symphony Patriotic concert. We did sparklers at home and kept to ourselves.

I found out the morning of July 20 that it was Pennsylvania day, so I found our book and whipped up some chocolate peanut butter whoopie pies to celebrate! 

We dressed as pioneers and made our own butter while listening to pioneer stories for the  24th of July

We did a watercolor craft as we learned about the seed of faith from Alma 32

It's been fun to go to Hersheypark, even though we have to wear masks and keep our distance

new fountain and roller coaster!

The new mini donuts are super tasty!

Lily got a new chest of drawers and Carter was having fun helping to put it together

Here he is tuckered out. If I put him to bed without rocking him to sleep he comes out of his room. We try to ignore him and he just sits somewhere upstairs until he falls asleep.

Fun at the playground!

Brielle enjoying her new room and bedding from Mama Judy!

Happy birthday Lily! Lily was counting down until her birthday and she loved feeling the queen of the day! 

One fun game she got was Pencil Nose....it's actually pretty tricky to draw with your nose!

Her party was outer space themed, so we made this galaxy cake

Another gift was Ticket to Ride and all the kids have enjoyed it!

Lily's baptism was very special even though things looked different. Only our family and Bro. Chase from the bishopric were in the chapel, everyone else participated via the internet! Grandparents said prayers from their home states and it was fun to have so many people able to watch who would not have travelled out for the baptism under normal circumstances anyway.

Enjoying some free ice cream at the library, so glad we've been able to still check out books over the summer, even if it's by curbside pick up :)

The girls are getting excited for school; after lots of debate within the school board about how to approach instruction while keeping people safe, they have decided to have the kids in the school for half a day (determined by last name whether it's morning or afternoon) and then have online activities for them to do for the other half of the day. They will all be spaced out and wearing masks, but anything is better than the emergency distance learning we went through over the spring!