Sending June Out with Friends

Bracket 72 won by our very own ABBY MORROW and her Hoopfest teammates!  It was over 100 degrees down at Hoopfest this year--so we didn't take our kids down this year, and OF COURSE this is the year that the girls win it all!

Abigail and Micah were content for HOURS playing outside...er, eating raspberries outside!

...and we were greatly entertained by the county washing the streets!

Abigail and Micah are quite the riot.  Micah has decided that his name is Joey, and that this is his friend, Jill.  :)

Can we have a sleepover? Please, Mom? Please?

"She said YES?!? I thought for sure she'd say no!"

-Gracie, excitedly talking about her no-fun mom  :)

The girls stayed with Heidi...

...and the boys stayed with Auntie Ellie...while the daddies went night fishing!

Stuck.

But not for long.  He kept doing this all the way down the stairs after he learned he could get unstuck.

She loved it!

We were all very excited to go pick up Gracie on Saturday.  We got to get an early glimpse of her during their send-off campfire time.  She was right in the middle of her cabin, sitting with her counselor, totally absorbed in the moment.

Then all the parents descended and took pictures of their kids with their counselors.  This is Lani...

...and this is Holly  and Lani.  Grace absolutely ADORED them.  We decided that we'd start a new tradition of stopping for lunch at the Ram on the way home to hear all of the camp details.  Gracie didn't disappoint us.  We heard about the busy camper schedule, her Betsy bracelets, which nights were hard to get to sleep, the week's theme of experiencing God with all of your senses, the names of all the girls in her cabin, and how the camp mascot (Cap't Salty) had a twin brother.  She wouldn't stop talking and smiling.

We got home and had some quiet time.  In the middle of this, I heard Gracie crying.  I was shocked!  When I asked her what was wrong, she wouldn't tell me.  Was Joshy being mean?  No.  Was she not feeling well?  She was fine.  Did something sad happen at camp?  No.  Finally..."It's just that I really miss camp!!!"  Sobbing tears followed.  It was so sweet.  We talked about how hard it is to transition from camp to everyday life--that dreaded fall from the Camp High.  Later that day she showed me her journal entry that started her tears during her rest time.  I love that she's holding her counselors' hands.  So precious!  Jeff and I have both said that we'd send our kids to Spalding every year just to have college students pour into our kids' lives...how sweet for us to see how God impacted her little heart--through her counselors' hearts--during this week!

Cherries, Sweat, Raspberries, More Sweat, and a AC Movie Theater

June marked an immense heat wave in the Inland Northwest.  We were getting really good at 100 degree days...  We decided to go to Greenbluff in the morning, to beat the heat.  We beat some of it...but it found us and gave us a good beating, too!

Linnea was watching Conall that day and met us up there--he was hot, too!

On the way out of the parking lot, Heidi announced that they were NOT going home to their un-air-conditioned house and that she was taking the kids to see "Inside Out" at the theater to get at least two hours of cooler temperatures.  Josh was TOTALLY game...

While Gracie's away, the boys will play...

"I miss Gracie..." -said by Josh DAILY while Grace was at camp

But he found some popsicle stick puppets to entertain him...

...Micah ate deer poop from his high chair.  Oh, maybe those are black beans...

...Josh went twice to swimming lessons on his own...

...Micah tried out the Strider bike...

...Josh did his daily jobs and told me how happy he was

that we made job charts--"This is fun!"...

...and we continued to add to Joshy's food-face consumption.

But all the while, we missed Grace like crazy.

Three nights away from us?!?

Gracie was bound and determined to go to Camp Spalding this year--even if it was three nights without mom and dad!  We looked and looked for a friend to go with her, but everyone was either busy or easily homesick, so off she went as a brave not-quite second-grader.  Super brave girl.  Here are the pictures of the drop-off.  (No mommy-tears, I was quite proud of myself!)

Earlier in the year when Grace told G'ma Joan that she didn't have a friend to go with, G'ma Joan asked Grace if she'd prayed about it yet.  Grace wasn't sure she had.  G'ma told her to pray about it, because maybe God had a special friend to go with her, and maybe God wanted her to go on her own and meet a new friend.  We were anxious to see whom God had lined up for her to meet...

After we said goodbye, we had to go see the new bridge to Monkey Island.  And Josh had to point out where he had been with Daddy the week before.

Papa Greg's Father's Day Present--THE DECK!

We couldn't stay away from the farm for Father's Day--we ended up driving down for the evening on that Monday.  It just so happened that the deck's new railing was finished THAT DAY, so we got to christen the new deck with drinks and dinner in Dad's honor.  :)

A father carries pictures where his money used to be. -Anonymous

Happy Daddy's Day to the best daddy out there!

The kids couldn't wait to wake up Sunday to give Daddy the presents they'd been hiding and whispering about for weeks!

He really is the best.  :)

We went to Priest Lake for the day, at Daddy's request.  He didn't have to twist any arms.  :)  We got to see Papa Scott and Uncle Drew on their Father's Day too!

Jeff ended up with a headache--blech!--so he napped while we played in the lake, and then we all biked to the general store to get Father's Day ICE CREAM.

Micah and Abigail

These two are so cute, waddling around the Morgan's yard.  They were checking out the chickens in the coop when i snapped this picture.

Camp Spalding with Dad...finally!

This was the first year that Joshy was big enough to go to Daddy & Me camp at Spalding.  He was counting down the days for WEEKS.

 I called Daddy that night to check on Josh and he told me that he was "currently tackling the counselors."  All was well.

 Josh loved playing in the sand.  Even more than swimming!

 He knew Eli from preschool.  He and his dad are right beside Josh.

Both boys said that camp was awesome.  And they can't wait until next year!

Meanwhile, back at the Lochhead Ranch...

Gracie was LIVING IT UP as a kid left behind.  She'd gone to camp for the last two years with Daddy and she wanted to be the kid who stayed home to be SPOILED.  I don't think the boys were thirty minutes out the door and this girl wanted to go out for ice cream.

Twirly ribbon-baton and green hair band were treasured items found at the dollar store.  I think there was also an "Annie" movie night in there...and sleeping with mom in her bed...