Vacation Wears You Out!

Hunter and Naomi taking a snooze after a hard day on the ocean.

Achievement!

The purpose of vacation for me (Jamie) has been achieved! This picture says it all.

Still Loafin'

Tomorrow is the last day of total laziness. Nana Barham arrived yesterday and we have had a blast with her. We forced her to play Pictionary and Catch Phrase and she loved it. Micah and I went on a date tonight and had a nice time. Almost time to get back to real life!

More Beach, Again

We have been going on boat rides at sunset and it is the best light for pictures. Today we went to lunch and shopping in Beaufort. Jordan's friend came to stay for a few days as well. We are making ribs for dinner while snacking on shrimp and having some wine. We are having so much fun. We miss GG, Papa John, Matt, and Shelley though.

More Beach...

We are having so much fun here. The kids are getting so dark. In the picture above are my sister Jordan, aunt Kelli, Hunter's girlfriend Kaitie, and me. The weather has been perfect everyday and we have been staying on the water. Tomorrow we are going to take a break from the water and go shop around Beaufort.

Beach Updates

Both of the kids have adjusted to the water since we have stayed in calmer water the last few days. We pack up the boat and coolers and head to Shackelford Banks and spend all day. In the picture on the right Isaiah is checking out a large hermit crab. At first he was scared but after a while he wanted to take it back to Iowa and take care of it.

The Pier and Racecars

Today we visited the fishing pier and took Isaiah to ride "racecars". He had a great time riding with Micah. Tonight cousins Kody and Lexi arrive with my brother and sister for the weekend. Tomorrow my Dad, Stepmom, her mom, my brother and his girlfriend, and my sister arrive.

Aunt Kelli Pays A Visit

Aunt Kelli came to visit us at the beach house today. It was great to spend some time with her. We hung around in the water for a long time and were only disturbed when two jellyfish decided to hang out near us for some time. John came to the rescue and caught them in a net and relocated them. The stresses of vacation are many.;)

By The Sea, The Beautiful Sea

This is the view from the bottom floor of the house. Rough life, huh?

Micah found a chair that is suitable for reading. It faces the above view.
The kids like the calmer waters of the sound or the baby pool better than the ocean which made both of them cry.

Micah and I paddled to an island and got a good workout.

Ready For Vacation!

We are just about packed and ready to go! It is John Deere shut down for the next two weeks and we are getting ready to goof off. We are headed to Chicago tonight to fly to Raleigh tomorrow. We will spend one week at Emerald Isle and one at Pine Knoll Shores. We can't wait! Isaiah has been preparing by eating alot of grits yesterday and today. Naomi has followed suit. Isaiah is eager to build sand castles, Naomi wants "beach!", Micah is looking forward to reading, and I am looking forward to soaking up some rays from the boat! We are all excited to hang out with family!

Turkey Tales

The turkey is still camping out on our street and it has gotten really mean. No pictures this time! If you go anywhere near it or the woods it lives near it will spread it's feathers and run after you. A walk that the kids and I went on last week quickly ended in screaming and running after we had only walked about three houses down. Then, today, my friend Raychelle's son was over riding his bike and the turkey chased him all over the place and completely freightened him. (We had neglected to warn him of the posessed bird.) A neighbor came out and instructed him to run after the turkey. Micah came to the rescue and did just that until the turkey retreated. We will have to start carrying the baseball bat just to go on a stroll!

A Visit To The Hill's

Today we went to Reinbeck to visit with my dear friend Emily and her family. The kids played outside and got along great all day. Isaiah had such a great time that when we were leaving he cried and said that he wanted me to "leave him in farm country" so that he could spend the night with Caden. We hate living so far from them but it makes the visits special. It was a wonderful time and we are blessed to have such precious friends.

Pool Weather

It was finally pool like weather here one day last week so we ventured out. Here are the kids leaving. They had so much fun. It just has not been that warm here so we have only been twice besides swim lessons. We have not even had to turn on our air! It is now my goal to get through the summer without using it now that we are half way there.

Cherished Time Together

There is a reason why people say that Grandparents are awesome. Here are Isaiah and Grandma Betty (Micah's Grandma) laying on the kitchen floor. You would probably not catch me doing this. I am not adventurous enough. I would have insisted that we sit on the couch. I suppose I should loosen up!

Grandmas Visit

Grandmas Gwen and Betty came for a visit. This was Grandma Bettys first time to Dubuque. The kids and I took them to our usual Dubuque tour sites: Eagle Point Park, Cable Car Square and Fenlon Place Elevator, Micah's office, and Beachers Ice Cream store. It was lots of fun!

News From Farm Camp

Naomi is learning to drive a tractor and checking out the pasture. Isaiah is keepin an eye on "Hotch" whom he named back in the early spring when he was born. Isaiah is wearing great grandpa Walker Steele's hat. The kids are getting cooking lessons- something grandma says is a must for camp. Yesterday was salisbury steak and today was pancakes.

Cornerstone Festival 2008

I have to admit that I was really skeptical about how enjoyable this experience would be. It turned out to be a wonderful blessing from the Lord. Here are some pictures to give you an idea of what our time at Cornerstone was like. We hope to go again next year and would love it if you wanted to join us!

Here we are at Cornerstone...Just hanging out. You camp with thousands of others who are wanting to know more about Jesus. It's cool.

Here we are going to some seminars. The favorite was by this preacher from Texas with piercings and tatoos who preached the gospel so amazingly it knocks your socks off. (I will work on getting some podcasts...) We were also able to see Shane Claiborne speak on his Jesus For President tour.

We listened to awesome music with thousands of people. The Robbie Seay Band and The David Crowder Band were a blessing and a blast to listen to and to sing along with. There is something amazing about singing with thousands about an awesome God.


Just to give you an idea of how many people there are... The festival averages 20,000 people according to the website of the Jesus People USA who organize the event. http://www.jpusa.org/

Hannah with her sweet friends from work. It was so nice getting to know them.