July, so far...

July has been filled with all the things summer should be filled with! :) Swimming, sprinklers, card games, s'mores, dinners with friends, hikes, photography, time spent around the fire pit, gardening, and time with friends and family. 

Selah's friend Macy came to stay for a few days and we loved having her. We went down the road to our good friends' house for cards and swimming one evening and had a great time! I love their backyard area.

We've been playing cards with the Smiths for 17 years! I hate to think about the fact that Jana and I only seem to beat the boys about 30% of the time, which means we've been losing for over a decade. We've fine tuned the game of spades to the point of it sometimes  often just coming down to who got dealt the better hands. ;) At least that's what you have to tell yourself to reconcile the losses, ha! Love these guys and the conversations we have.

Sprinkler under the trampoline...

We went over to my mom's to ride Ruby the pony, who is just about too small for the bigger kids now! I can hardly believe it. Selah has been riding my mom's full size horses now.

These girls have been friends since they were newborns. :)

I met my life long friend, Hayley, for dinner one evening at this cute Pink House. It was so much fun to catch up!

We've been friends since 6th grade and she was the maid of honor in my wedding. This stage of our lives has a lot of similarities, which made for fun conversation. Long time friendships are special because you can always pick right up wherever you left off.

While I was having dinner with Hayley, Josh took the kids down the road to a 3rd of July Festival where they had some dollar rides.

The next evening, the 4th of July, we had dinner at John & Hannah's along with another couple in our church that live near us. It was so much fun to sit around their fire pit and talk about life. We could see big Corvallis fireworks from their backyard.

When it got dark we moved to the front yard to set off fireworks in the street. The kids loved it. We got to watch big Corvallis fireworks from the front yard too! The 4th of July is my favorite holiday (aside from celebrating Christ's birth and resurrection). I have such fun memories of it from my childhood, setting off fireworks with my family before the big show by the river, and snuggling in the back of our Jeep with red ropes licorice. I love making similar memories with our kids.

The next day, on the 5th of July, Selah headed off to church summer camp with a friend. Josh went along to be a sous chef for our friend Matt, who was in charge of the camp meals. Selah felt good about that, since this was her first time going to camp, and she didn't know very many people.

Josh and Selah said the camp setting was beautiful.

Josh said he got to spend some time with Selah on the last day when they had a boating day.

I got to have some special days with the boys while Selah and Josh were gone. We sure missed them! Ben wanted to go to the beach, but he couldn't bear to think that we'd be making memories without Dad and Selah, so we waited until they got back. :)

Camouflage Ben... :)

My sister-in-law, Gina, organized a spontaneous lunch downtown Corvallis one afternoon. It was wonderful! Caleb came from his office to meet up with us. ChrisMom happened to be visiting that day, so I loved that she was along with us.

We got to have Mom and Dad Fegles, along with Caleb, Orion & Hans, over for a BBQ lunch one afternoon. Grandpa Mike brought along a football for Ben and they threw it around for a bit. That started a little trend of the boys throwing the ball around here, which is fun.

The weather took a weird turn, mid-July, and we had some rainy days. We went for a fun hike one day, and loved the smell of the fresh rain. It felt kind of like October.

There were wild apple and pear trees tucked in along this pasture area, and near a stream too. It was just kind of magical feeling.

We went ahead and went for another walk in the same area just a few days later when the sun had returned.

Josh went sailing with a dozen people from his office. They took out three different boats & Josh said they had so much fun!

I photographed a wedding, which is rare for me these days, but God put it on my heart before the bride asked me, and I was so happy to get to capture their day! What a story they have!

It was extra special getting to photograph it, because it was at the farm! Dad has done an amazing job with the settings out there! It's stunningly beautiful just about wherever you go.

Josh helped me at the wedding, which I was so thankful for. He carried my heavy gear and made sure I stayed fed and hydrated. :) He also took care of the kids and stopped to support his brother at a local event before coming back to the wedding to help me a little more. He's an all-star.

It was fun to get to meet up for a spontaneous park day last week with a group of girlfriends and let the kids play. My kids are the oldest, but they don't mind one bit. They love this bunch.

Josh and I like looking at lots for sale because it's fun to find new neighborhoods that we're unfamiliar with. The view from this lot was beautiful!

We are sure loving the property we're on. Ben, Selah and Lucy (the rooster) in our garden...

Oooooo, lettuce. ;)

A friend posted this on Facebook and something about it caused me to laugh out loud as I scrolled by! Maybe it was because of who posted it, and her sense of humor. The soft flowers juxtaposed with the strong words made me laugh, and I felt like I could see the twinkle in her eye as she posted it. ;) She's young, but has the old soul of a sweet grandma.

We drove over to Agate Beach this weekend. It was windy, but beautiful over there.

I always love this setting!

We got taffy and fudge and enjoyed the sunset.

Today after church we got to attend Janet's mother, Meg's, memorial service. It was held at the farm, in the oak grove and orchard. Meg was an outstanding woman and it was neat to hear her honored so beautifully. I loved watching the tree tops sway as the voices in attendance sang the hymn, For the Beauty of the Earth.

We sat with lots of family and enjoyed getting to chat with them and neighbors afterward. I'm thankful for such wonderful in-laws.

After the service I kept thinking about how many honoring years Janet spent caring for her mother, (and also my Grandma Gayle before she passed away). Janet's example almost brings tears to my eyes. She and dad both serve others so well. I'm really thankful for all our parents and the ways they have modeled servant-hood and unconditional love for us, and I pray our kids will know the same, and that we will model it well all our lives, like their example. And I know that their example comes from the model of Christ laying his life down for us. Love does.