English Summer

To welcome in the start of Clara's school holiday, we had some really fun visitors. And as sad as it is that Rijen had to be out of town for almost 2 months, the only upside was that Megan & Fiona were able to take 2 weeks and come stay with us. We were sad Rijen couldn't have joined us!!

Fiona is such a fun girl with such a cute voice and big personality. It was really fun to have an 18 month old running around the house. Jonas & Clara absolutely adore her and enjoyed every minute. Jonas shows his affection for Fiona in his typical fashion...

Although he did come up with a new way to show off for his girlfriend.

I'll clue him in when he is older that this may not be the best approach - and I'll also let him know that this is not the best kissing approach - but then again, both seemed to pay off so maybe I should let him work his magic and just stay out of it.

This was one of Clara's favorite past times with Fiona.

The weather leading up to Megan's visit this summer was really beautiful but come mid-July it became rainy and cold. That weather lives on. So with not too many sunny days, we tried to make the most of what we had.

We had a great day at Fountains Abbey. The children loved running around freely.

We enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful views.

Devin enjoyed showing off his manly side.

I especially liked pretending for just a moment that this was me...talk about envious!! JK! Sort of. I guess having a head is more important.

I think it is fair to say Megan & I enjoyed this the most. We looked like a couple of 12 year olds but it was worth it.

Another fun outing was to Harlow Carr Gardens.

Again, children loved running around and Clara was able to bring her good friend Emeline along. Jonas saw me pull out my camera and immediately started doing his favorite trick. It never ceases to make me laugh. Maybe it will do the same for you?

Devin's birthday happened to fall during the time when Megan was visiting. She graciously offered to watch the children while we went out to dinner the night before. It was so nice to get out together and enjoy a peaceful QUIET meal. The first date we've been on since our anniversary in December, so it was very much appreciated.

For his actual birthday we had a BBQ and then dessert. Jonas does not care for certain types of music and "Happy Birthday" is one of the biggest offenders. We've yet to have a family birthday without this face

Maybe we should give up and stop trying to sing this song. In any case, we enjoyed strawberry shortcake, Rijen's guest appearance...

and the kids especially liked Devin's new gift...

As luck would have it, Megan was planning a trip to Italy to visit her niece and we were also flying to Italy for a family holiday so we managed to get on the same flight and ended our fun visit in Pisa. It was sad to say goodbye but fun to both be off on our new adventures...more to come on that later. :)