Six of us left and seven came back....

We got back on Saturday, we had a good time in Minnesota but as with most vacations it went by very fast. I'll start from the beginning. On the 26th, Valynn had her last softball game. They had a great season and are grateful to the coaches for all their hard work. Mark and Mason left her game early to get Mason to his Teeball game and we joined up with them before the game started, this is the first year of having a teeball tournament. After his game the girls and I headed home while Mark and Mason ran a few errands in town and ate lunch. Valynn had lunch and then went to a birthday party. After dropping her off we went to Mason's game and then came home and packed.

Sunday we had a nice drive to Minnesota. The kids helped do chores on the farm, drive the four wheeler, ride in the gator, ride in a tractor, play in the pool, pet the kittens, and hang out with the cousins. On Wednesday we went to Toy Story 3. We enjoyed the movie and the kids did very well, even Kyleigh. On Thursday we met our friends Kim and Brandon at a lake where the kids played in the water for almost 3 hours. After swimming we went to supper, all seven kids were well behaved. Friday Matt and Janice arrived so we got a chance to visit with them a little. We then headed back to Illinois on Saturday the 3rd with an extra passenger. We brought home a new kitten, Addie. Addie is a little over a month old and so darn cute. She is adjusting well to her new home, Snaps and Buttons aren't sure of her yet but so far today they haven't hissed at her so we're making progress. When we were at the farm Kyleigh started calling the kittens (there were around 12 of them) Addie, so when we asked the kids what they wanted to name the new kitten, the liked Addie because Kyleigh could say it. I personally would have went with Zippers or Velcro but it wasn't up to me. I am happy to say that Addie knew right away what her litter box was for even though she was a barn kitten.

Yesterday we had a great Fourth of July. We attended a picnic at a nearby lake hosted by our neighbors. We had a great lunch, enjoyable boat ride, and fun playing in the waves. For supper we went to another neighbors and had a great visit, played some bean bags, and headed down the road to watch some Fireworks. All the kids were exhausted.

Today Mark had off work so I put him to work. We weeded some of the garden. He mowed the ditch that we let grow long and then raked the grass and put it on the garden. I gathered produce that needed harvesting. I shredded zucchini to freeze and did some baking. I also weeded the flower bed.

I hope everyone has a great week.