We had a visit from John, Amy, and sweet cousin Grace this week. While they were here we took Uncle John out on the boat and pulled him around on the tube for awhile. He was a little sore the next day. The girls and Rylan and I hung out on the beach while the big boys played on the water. I really wanted to post a picture of John on the tube but both of the pictures I got were from pretty far away. So these pics of the beach bums will have to do!
My mom has started knitting again. She has been working on a sweater for Rylan for several months now. This last week she brought it up to us all completed. Its a beautiful soft blue and very warm and cozy. I had her make it large so Rylan can wear it for awhile. I remember my Grandma used to make me clothes when I was younger. It was always so special to wear them knowing my Grandma made them with love - just for me!
Had to post this pic of the garage at stage 3. The guys' goal was to get the building up with tar paper and they did it! Thank you Grandpa, Jim and Matt for all your help!
We have walls! Construction of the long awaited garage began on Saturday and here we are on Monday with 4 walls! Ryan, Jim (Ryan's brother-in-law) Dad Frank, and Matt (Ryan's nephew) have been laboring through the hot and now-a-little-cooler temperatures. This is what it looks like so far. 
Ryan's family is here with a group from their church to run a bible school program at our church. (Check out our church blog for some updates on that.) We are so thankful for their help both at our church home and our family's home!
Tuesday night we took our first boat ride of the summer. The temperature was in the mid nineties that day. After dinner we all piled into the boat and went out to the beach to cool off in the river. It was Rylan's first boat ride and he did very well. He could hardly move in his life jacket so he just sat there with his arms sticking out.
The kids and I made a quick trip up to see Great Grandma last weekend. We hadn't been up to see her new place at the Senior Center. She has it set up all cozy and we had a great time hanging out with her and meeting some of her friends there. 
The girls got spoiled by all the treats Grandma had for them - donuts, ice cream, and yo-gos to name a few. It was a fun day. Thank you Grandma for putting us up!
Last Thursday morning a cement truck carefully backed its way up our steep driveway to the top of the hill. It brought lots of cement to fill the form for our garage! Keith, Arvid, Dad, and Ryan worked hard at pouring, then smoothing the cement. 
Rylan was so excited to see lots of guys show up at our house - especially since they were driving big trucks! Here he is watching his Daddy at work. He sits on on the porch swing and takes in everything Daddy does. I think he'll be quite the helper someday.
