Those Teachers' Kids...

…are the CUTEST!!!  :)

Here are nine of the ELEVEN kids that make Mrs. Lochhead, Mrs. Fuller, and Mrs. Hastings mommies!  These are the little gems that we talk about in our spare work moments and love-on (and transport) on our non-work days.

Kristen's are Gabe, Jocie, and Ellie (great name!).

Melissa's are Grayce, Elyse, Lilly, Mia, and Evie.  

(Notice the Oxford's commas, Cassie!)

Auntie Cassie came to observe the craziness--I'm pretty sure she's laughing from the deck…

 ...and she brought popsicles for entertainment, er, dessert.  

Jocie and Gabe.

 Silly Lilly.

 Ellie.

Gabe, Elyse, and Jocie.

Odenrider Family Reunion

And then the next day we trekked west to Wilbur, WA to play with our Odenrider relatives.  Jen decided earlier this year that we needed more fun gatherings to see this side of the family, so she organized this gathering at Dan and Joan's.

For those of you who need a family map, Bonnie is one of three children.  Her sister, Jeanette, never had kids, so she spoiled Bonnie's kids (Claudia and Colleen) and their brother Wes' kids (Dan, Dave, and Deb).  This gathering brought these "kids" together with their own kids…and grandkids!  G'ma (and Aunt) Bonnie really enjoyed seeing all of us together.

Dan and Joan were great hosts.  They have a lovely home in Wilbur…and their yard was a kid haven, complete with inflatable water slide, water guns, and cherry trees ready for the picking.

90 Amazing Years

We had a fun day celebrating Papa on a June afternoon.  I always thought he was the perfect person to have a June birthday--he's the picture in the dictionary under the entries for gardening, picnics, and ice cream. :)

 Here he is with his sisters, Ike, Tuts, and Esther.

 Abby got lots of Micah time--her heaven!

The aunts and uncles had slideshows going of Papa's life and we set mesmerized, asking G'ma Trudy to narrate their story.  The best part of the day.

 And when Abby didn't have Micah, Brooke stepped in.  :)

 Millie and Kenley were busy two-year olds.  Stealing the show.

 Siblings with spouse--Bob, Eileen, Tuts, Papa, Esther, G'ma and Imogene.

We always love to see if the family tree can fit into a frame.  :)  G'ma and Papa, their six kids and spouses, and a LOT of grandchildren.  :)  Big families are big fun!

Kids and spouses--Pat, Bernie & Marie, Judy & Marty, Sheyanna and Jerry, Diane, Papa and G'ma, Mom and Dad

And the grandkids and GREAT-grandkids.  Missing only a few.  Phew!

Brooklyn Overnight!

We had been talking about having Brooklyn overnight all throughout the school year.  June 19 was the day it actually happened!  We had swimming lessons to work around, but the kids were able to find all sorts of fun to get into.

And swimming at the YMCA was promised…

Gracie ended up starting her night with Dad on the couch--differences in amount-of-nightime-light preferences had her worked up.  :)

We love this girl!  She's been the kids' best playmate for years--ever since Dianne watched two 1-yr-olds five days/week.  That's a whole lifetime for these kids!

Floor Ornament

Micah is our kids' favorite medium.  Better than a Barbie with accessories or a Ninja Turtle with weapons.

Fuschias and Gold Finches...

…mean that I've really reached adulthood. :)  I have been loving our outside time--the green, the birds, the watering of plants, the searching for strawberries.  Can't get enough of it!

Taco Tuesday

We love Taco Tuesdays at Fizzie's with G'ma Bonnie!  Joshy snapped this gem in between games of pool and whatever-that-video-game-is-with-the-large-rifle.  What stories these kids will be able to tell about growing up in North Spokane…  :)

Our Sweet Reader

What a fun summer we are having, listening to this girl read stories!  I don't think I'll ever grow old of hearing her read.  It really is magical.

A Pain in Papa's Neck

Papa Greg had his 2nd neck surgery on our first Monday home.  I was able to take Micah down to Lewiston to sit and entertain Mom while we were in the waiting room.  Dad did quite well--and I was able to see him before I left that night.  After the fusing, we were hoping that Dad wouldn't have numb fingers/arms anymore, and over the next few weeks we saw that it did the job.  He still has a lot of leg pain, which will be treated this fall when he has another back surgery, but for now, we're celebrating SMALL victories!  :)  It was a crazy way to celebrate Father's Day with him this year.  I got his card to him before he was too drugged so that he'd remember that I didn't forget.  :)  Crazy memorable.

And while I was gone, Daddy took the kids fishing at Loon Lake with Matt and the kids.  Jeff caught the big one!  :)

Being the littlest…builds strong character!

We found a bin of set-aside toys downstairs which held Gracie's baby sunglasses with the baby strap.  These were placed WITH LOVING CARE on Micah's face by his siblings.  Love the ear taco.  :)

Father's Day Camping at Priest

This Dad.  He's the best!  We took a rainy June weekend to adventure with our favorite Adventurer.  We weren't sure if we'd be able to camp with a 7-month old, but then we realized, with Scott and Colleen camping too, this was DEFINITELY the weekend to go--we'd have help!  :)

Drew and Annie and Oden, Slick and Twinkles, and Granny and Pappy met us up here for the day--to celebrate the Lochhead (and Swanson!) dads.  Micah loved wearing Oden's old baby fleece.  What a snuggler!

It ended up raining all night long--which is really my favorite if I'm not sleeping on the ground!--but when we were out and about, the rain held off.

Oden was SO GAME for trying out Joshy's Big Wheels.  Anything with wheels, a motor, or keys makes this little ginger's eyes light up.  :)

Micah did so well!  He slept in this mummy bag until 1 or 2 in the morning and then joined Mom and Dad.  In the morning, after I'd entertained him as long as I could while half asleep, I sat him up to look around.  His eyes LIT UP when he spotted Gracie and Josh sitting up across the tent trailer!

G'ma and Papa sleep in when they camp, so we went for a little hike around Indian Creek Campground to wake us up and get us ready for coffee!

Forest facial hair is the best entertainment to distract grumpy 4-year olds.

And puddles can pull any boy out of a morning funk…

It was such a sweet weekend--filled with Daddy time, rain, G'ma Dorothy's "crack"-filled cookies, kid bike riding, and sharing stories.  We are so blessed to live near, and live everyday life with family--beyond measure.