This summer was a blur. It went so fast. On the first day of school I remember thinking that it seems like we were merely on a weekend break instead of having just come off of almost three months away. The summer wasn't what I would have considered to be a typical summer full of relaxation and fun and vacation and sleeping in. In fact, I don't remember sleeping in even one time, and by the time we went to the pool, it was August! It was far from an uneventful summer though.
On June 15, we took possesion of our new house. We decided that we would move slowly...take our time...clean and put things away right away and enjoy our time at the acreage for the rest of the summer. I now think that moving slowly was not such a grand idea. It is rather difficult to live in two houses. We moved things we weren't keeping, and then things that we didn't need for the summer. Seems logical right? It was I think, until you consider that because we were moving into a smaller home, I couldn't really put anything away, especially until I knew where I was going to put the things I was keeping or going to definitely need regularly! The result was more of having two homes that were disheveled and finding myself always offering the response: "as soon as we get this done...as soon as we get this cleaned up..."
In an effort to remember that we really did have a wonderful summer despite the many challenges that arose, I present our summer in pictures:
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| Memorial weekend fireworks. |
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| Prepping the garden |
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| Watching the fruits of our labor produce |
Summer flowers, pre-drought.
Our second annual camping trip was a success. We hope it continues to provide memories for years to come.
Uncle Cash and Aunt Annie visited us twice over the summer...once during our camping trip, so they pitched a tent right along side us and joined in.
They brought their slack line which provided entertainment for all.
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| Annie showed us how it was done! |
Baseball was a large part of our summer. I'm thrilled to be a baseball mom. The game certainly provided consistency in our schedules...we knew there would be baseball 6 nights a week...someone would be playing somewhere!
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| The teams the kids play on in the summer are comprised mostly of kids that go to school in Eagle together. There have been fun friendships formed over the years. The high school that all of the kids attend is a rival school to Pius where the boys will go. It has been fun over the years to joke about the imaginary line between the two schools. This year, the school do not play each other due to Pius changing to class A. Darn! |
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| Nothing says summer like ice pops...consumed at every baseball game! |
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| Summer brought us Colorado visitors! We always love to see family...especially when it is this crew! |
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| The three Eagle boys who played on the All-Star team. |
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| Cor Jesu Rex...summer bible school with the CK sisters |
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| Full Harvest Moon...there are lots of things that shout "God is amazing!". This is one that tops the list. |
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| Solar eclipse...can you tell? |
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| The view of Eagle from our upstairs window |
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| Independence Day with friends |
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| Girls night out with two of my closest friends from PT school. Life is ALWAYS beautiful after an evening with these girls. |
Leadership camp 2012:
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| Cousins with the Bishop |
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| She missed her brothers...and I think they missed her too! |
From the last loads...
...to the task at hand of finding a home for it all...
With our move, came the move of our chickens too. A dear friend offered to take them to her families acreage. Goodbye girls...you will be missed!!
The report is they're laying well at their new home. :)
Treating the older boys to whatever they wanted to pick at LaMars. I'm pretty sure there was nothing bigger...and to put it into even more perspective, this is how their treat compared to mine:
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| We went out in public for a cold treat. A change of scenery was needed this day, and the kids thought it would be funny to go in disguise. |
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| The trampoline is never put to rest. Water balloon fights are apparently even more fun while bouncing in an enclosed area. |
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| Finishing out whatever tan didn't come from baseball at the pool. |
A quick trip out west to the farm...
The summer afforded us the opportunity to celebrate a milestone anniversay. Tim's parents have been married for 50 years. We honored them with a special Mass followed by an anniversary reception that served as quite a reunion for many of their friends and family members.
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| One rose for each grandchild placed at the feet of Our Lady. |
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| Family gatherings are perfect opportunities for my kids who don't really get to see their cousins regularly. You wouldn't know it since they all act like old friends. It was a family vs. family football game. |
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| Tim and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary |
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| Benjamin spent a couple of weeks with Cowboy Grandpa and Grandma |
And finally...months after baseball ended, we pulled out the uniforms to take pictures! I wanted to capture them all in a group since it may indeed be the last time they all play Cass County ball!
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| The Andreasen team |
Our second annual camping trip was a success. We hope it continues to provide memories for years to come.
Uncle Cash and Aunt Annie visited us twice over the summer...once during our camping trip, so they pitched a tent right along side us and joined in.
They brought their slack line which provided entertainment for all. 
Treating the older boys to whatever they wanted to pick at LaMars. I'm pretty sure there was nothing bigger...and to put it into even more perspective, this is how their treat compared to mine:
