Summer flies

I can not believe that it is July already! The kids are sprouting up, Avram has gotten taller and so has Kade. The last few weeks have been really busy. Work has been busy and also our summer has been filled with weddings, family and a lot of fun. This year has continued to have a lot of pressing concerns that remain like an undercurrent just beneath the surface. We are doing our best to keep our heads up and enjoy the time we have with our boys.

The last Saturday of June, we finished a wedding and came home to last minute packing. We packed up our new trailer and headed to Northern Wisconsin, to the village of St. Germain. I had not been in that area for many years and it was really beautiful. Driving up, the road began to gradually become more hilly as we ventured North through Steven's Point and Wausau. The trees became taller and more dense and there were a few vast valley views to appreciate. When we arrived at our destination, the kids set right in to playing with their cousins and having a great time. We stayed at Hiller's Pine Haven resort on Little Saint Germain Lake with Loren, Karen, Wendy, Monte and all the kids. The time went really fast and even though we were there for 6 nights we did not feel ready to leave at the end! We had a great time. Our little cottage, named "Chipmunk Hollow" was the perfect size for us, especially since the kids barely saw it! Avram especially wanted to spend every second he could outdoors. The kids were constantly filthy, smeared with dirt and gooey with marshmallow and smelling like the bright sunfish and bluegills that they played with.

Kade really suprised me with his diligence and patience for fishing. One thing that really helped, of course, was the abundance of panfish. A lot were small but he had the fun of catching many, many fish. One night, I took Avram and Kade out on the little fishing boat that came with our cottage. As we zoomed through the still water, we pulled into a little cove to try our luck there. It seemed that we caught a fish with every cast! Even though it was getting dark, Kade did not want to stop - it was always "5 more minutes" or 2 more casts. He was so patient and had such a look of pride on his face when pulling up his prize!

We spent a lot of time just relaxing and hanging out with the family. I wish my parents would have been able to come. I think they really would have enjoyed it. One day, we went to a petting farm that had a variety of animals for the kids to pet - kittens, bunnies, a dog, burros, even deer. At one point, a goat to a liking to Christy and started to chase her around the farmyard. He was trying to nibble at her and steal the carrots out of her bag. She yelled, "Avram help me!" Of course, she was kidding but Avram did not hesitate for a second. It was hilarious. He sprung into action and ran inbetween Christy and the goat and assumed a sumo-like pose, his little legs spread, knees bent, fists in the air and proceeded to shimmy around in that pose, blocking the goat from getting close. At one point, I thought he was going punch the goat and I had to tell him no! Later he told me he was intending to wrestle him!