Adventures in Albion

We Are Happy To Announce...

Dennis and I found out that we are expecting a new baby in November! During our June appointment we were told the gender of our newest addition. To spread the great news we hosted a party for our friends. I made a cake that had an inner layer of frosting that revealed the gender of the baby: blue for boy, pink for girl.

The surprise cake.

Cutting the cake.

Blue!

Olivia is going to have a baby brother!

Later that week I went to the Seminary Re-Sell It Shop. Many people are moving this time of year and it is a great time to grab a bargain. The Shop frequently has bag sales (fill a paper grocery bag for $5.00). I was able to buy this whole lot of baby boy clothes 0-6 months for $5.00!!! Whoot, whoot!

Our son will not be naked.

I was especially excited to find this little onsie.

Father's Day

When I asked Dennis what he wanted to do for Father's Day he reported: go to church, grab some fast food and watch the special features of the Lord of the Rings DVD. Sounded easy enough for me. Here are some pictures from our day.

Off to church we go.

Arby's for lunch.

Olivia gave Daddy a panda bear tie.

A trip to the park.

Daddy had a Father's Day root beer.

Olivia and Mommy shared a popsicle.

Camping Day 2

We woke up Saturday morning to a huge thunderstorm. Olivia was not at all phased by the lightening and thunder but the ground was certainly affected by all the rain. Saturday morning was soggy and we decided to get an early start in packing in our camping gear. We arrived at 10:30 on Friday morning and were headed out by 10:00 Saturday morning. 24 hours was a good stretch for Olivia's first camping trip.

Happy camper.

Wet campsite, notice the large puddle in the backround.

Olivia helps Daddy.

Damp but delighted.

All tuckered out for the ride home.

Getting back to the apartment meant unpacking and cleaning up the muddy gear. We bought a huge rubbermaid tub a few years back to house all of our camping supplies. After a bath and a nap, Olivia spent some fun time in the tub.

Camping Day 1

When Dennis and I were married we both decided that we wanted to be people who camped. Neither of us grew up camping in tents, but we both fancied the idea. Being the ambitious people that we are, we fulfilled our goal by buying a tent, sleeping bags and other camping paraphernalia. When we camped in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota we had graduated from normal cooler in the back of the trunk campers to rugged woodsy outdoorsy campers.

The next adventure was taking Olivia camping, we decided to be brave. Our campsite was just outside or Saint Louis, at Horseshoe Lake in Illinois. At $8.00 a night the price was right, and 25 minutes from our apartment the travel was right. Although the weather didn't cooperate, we had a great time.

Setting up are mega tent.

Hanging out at the campsite.

Snacking on raisins.

Olivia is up an out of the way.

Helping Daddy cook.

Eating dinner.

As mentioned earlier, the weather didn't cooperate. During Olivia's afternoon nap it stormed and stormed. The result was a muddy campsite and puddles to play in. Of course, dirt and mud matter very little when you are camping so Olivia had a great time.

Testing the water depth.

Checking the temperature.

Puddles are fun!

The campground also had a playground on site. We took a walk after dinner and had fun on the play structure.

Olivia climbing up.

1-2-3.

Go!

Swinging with Daddy, hold on tight!

The campground didn't have running water, so Olivia got cleaned up with our supply of drinking water. She watched me turn on the spout and then was very curious to see if she could do it herself.

Checking out the water.

I'll get it next time.

Zoey Lou's Baptism

Zoey was brought to the waters of Holy Baptism on June 12, 2011. Dennis and I witnessed the baptism along with her mommy Margaret and her daddy Dain. The church was full and it was a long service. On top of the baptism it was also the pastor's last Sunday. The choir sang, the Lord's Supper was celebrated and two women gave ministry moment speeches. Yes, it was a long service.

Dain, Margaret and Zoey.

Zoey's parents and godparents.

Olivia's parents and grandparents.

Visiting Uncle Ray and Meeting Baby Zoey

We were honored to be asked to be godparents to Zoey Lou. Our family traveled to Southwestern Michigan for the baptism. We enjoyed visiting with family and meeting our new goddaughter.

I am a kitten stuck in a tree.

Going for a wagon ride.

Bumping up and down in my little red wagon.

Hello Baby Zoey!

Godfather and goddaughter.

Happy grandparents looking to a curious granddaughter.

Family picture.

Beary nice hug.

Tight squeeze.

Bye-Bye Small Pool Hello Big Pool!

We made a trip to Michigan in mid-June. On the way we stopped in to Bloomington, IL, to visit friends at the affectionately named "Bed and Breakfast." Part of our stay included a trip to the neighborhood pool. Olivia was a HUGE fan and enjoyed her time in the water immensely!