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Labor Day is always a FULL weekend for us. With our middle schooler not home until 4:45 now on a good day, we were past 8:00 getting to Baltimore. But it was a beautiful weekend full of kayaking, crabs, and childhood friends....friendships that can't be beat.
Little Man kayaks like it's nothing...and loves it.
These gentlemen have been at it since 3rd grade:-)
God's been good to their relationship.
Mission accomplished! Only took until 11:00pm.
Oh, these two!
Andrew learned to "wet exit" at camp so I challenged them all to try the easy-skirt-free-gravity-driven version. The boys were all over it and Matthew couldn't get enough....shocking, I know.
Needed a little push the first time, and then they were off!
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While the big kids were at camp, Matthew had to have his turn, too. One week of Camp Hanover at Olivet ("camp at Mommy's work!") and a week at Triple C, complete with the muddy overnight! And, no....there was definitely no call home for this proud one:-)
Miss Bekah was back briefly from Hungary!!! Grateful to have her stay with us, but she's a busy woman! We were thankful for the time she shared with us - we even worked on our flips off the diving board at the pool:-)
Emerald Isle Memories
Her first year at camp...
Blink and it's the first day of school....6th, 4th and 1st...
already missing having them in the same school.
Off to middle school, at what feels like mid-morning compared to the others!
Second day of middle school...motion appliance and rubber bands, here we go!
Post-Jenny's THIRD ankle surgery, poor thing, and Mere's first trip back from Houston. The t-shirt says it all, "I get by with a little help from my Frhens".
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After being here, there, and everywhere for 3 weeks covering 2,750 miles, we were finally reunited at Smith Mountain Lake, and the weekend before school did NOT disappoint.
This view was worth the 6.5 drive from camp in PA.
Sooo many camp stories were told at this table:-)
Our private fishing dock
The Weigleins joined us Saturday...
Presley and Matthew couldn't get enough!
The girls----Margaret adores Vail as much as sweet Ella looks up to Margaret:-)
Vail and Margaret had an epic run. Mommy's scarred by her run with Margaret---literally---two bleeding elbows from bracing too well for too long.
Pastor Mike braving it with Matthew and Presley.
Hard to see, but there were SEVEN people being pulled behind this boat, all doing different things!
The SML gang----getting harder and harder to fit these big kids in a selfie!
I pray they will always stick this close together. The world may push them down (as they push each other off now), but I pray they will help each other climb back up again so they can keep flying through life together.
I'm not sure which they enjoyed more...their fast and bumpy rides or their epic falls:-)
We are in T.R.O.U.B.L.E. with this one!
My favorite people in the world.
"Life is better with you..."
It's certainly not Michigan with the Barkers, but it's a
(much warmer-water/10-hours closer drive) great alternative!
Detoured by a wreck, I guess the 3-hour drive was just too much for Margaret. Poor baby. Can't wait 'til she's 16!
Too many videos, but there's just too much goodness here (although most of the goodies are stuck on the Go-Pro)...Sheer joy to watch their happiness.
Vail tosses Margaret
Matthew flipping at sunset
Michael Wake Boarding
Mom Wake Boarding - no video of leaning back and successfully touching the water on both the dom AND non-dominant sides....Videographer must have been less impressed than I. Wait until HE tries someday!
Bouncing M&M's
Bouncing Boys
Begging for Bumps
Andrew's Great Flip
And with THAT, we flip the switch from summer to school tomorrow---1st, 4th and 6th (middle school!). What a perfect way to close the summer.
