The Gathering...

 When the Maryland crew comes to visit, they always bring yummy crabs from the Chesapeake Bay.  The crabs just came out of the steamer.  

What a mess!  And of course the garbage man won't be here for another week.

We have 3 teens under one roof!

 She turned 13 yesterday!  She also asked for bubble wrap, so her dad complied with that simple request. 

 Wrapped from the heart by her brother in Christmas paper.

 Happy Birthday my 13 year old!

This is how he viewed the party in the rain.

Mad Hatters...

A Man's Best Friend...

 This dog worships the ground Tim walks on.  We were taking a late night swim and Tim abandoned his slippers and socks on the deck, the dog couldn't get to Tim so took the next best available.  Tim always jokes that at least the dog is happy to see him when he gets home from work.  He sleeps all day, but when Tim pulls into the driveway after work, this boy comes alive!

 Summer is the best...staying up late together, cuddling on the couch...

and plotting against each other.  It is going way too fast.

Lately...

 "Mom, see who can make the biggest splash."  Needless to say, Dallin had her beat.  Here she is sporting her talent of kneeling on the water.

 Our water was up to 92 degrees last Friday.  We spent a good portion of the day in it, just like bath water.

We hosted a 4th of July party at our house.  I tried to think of everything Robin and Jordan would do to stick to the theme in hosting a fabulous party.  Tim and Josh set fireworks off in our backyard, we had quite the show!  But...I forgot to take pictures!  Bummer!

Both Dallin's team and Carley's team won District Championships this weekend.  They both battle for the State Championship next weekend.  Here Carley is on 2nd base waiting for the signal from her third base coach as when to RUN! 

Special Places...

 These two bonded during YC, whether they want to admit it or not.  We walked through the Sacred Grove together, just the 3 of us.  Then we bumped into our Stake President and the four of us walked together as he taught and shared insights, definitely a highlight for each of us.

 Ready and waiting for the Hill Cumorah Pageant to begin.

Taylor and I enjoyed mingling with the cast and crew.  This family was from Ohio too.

It was a success...

 These just looked so pretty, I had to capture them before they were devoured.

 Taylor was our Youth Conference MC, she did a fabulous job and kept us on schedule.

 Look what Youth Conference does to our 1st Counselor in the Stake Presidency.

 This was the best part....it was the final battle between the Nephites and the Lamanites.  The Nephites tied blue balloons around their ankles, the Lamanites tied gold balloons around their ankles.  Once both balloons were popped, they were "dead".  The kids and I packed panty hose with flour and those were their weapons.  The youth that read the Book of Mormon prior to Youth Conference received a shield as an added protection during this battle.

 This was so fun to watch.  They had a blast.  The popping balloons sounded like canons or gunfire, and then the flying flour looked like smoke, it was a highlight.

 She got a little floured!

 Dallin was the Lamanite Captain, notice he does have a shield!  He was in charge of preparing his team for battle and leading them through it.  The Lamanites did indeed conquer the Nephites in our mock battle.  They had a great day immersed in the Book of Mormon.

You can imagine what the parking lot looked like after 35 lbs. of flour had been battled with.  It rained today, so I am sure there are flour mounds at the Stake Center to remind us of this great battle.