Around here we have been…

CELEBRATING a big milestone birthday for Craig. He’s 40! Not one to like surprises or large gatherings, we promised to keep his day simple. And, instead of him being surprised, we gave the girls a little surprise.

Craig put powder in his hair and beard and channeled his inner acting skills, telling the girls that overnight he had become ‘old’. They were both skeptical, but eventually {K} had a sweet spirit and promised to help him with whatever he needed. {M} was not happy, and even seemed a bit scared of the sudden change in appearance.

We didn’t let the trick go on for too long, and once Craig was back to normal all was right in her world again. It was a relaxing and fun day spent at home, just the way he preferred to usher in a new decade.

ENTERTAINING guests. We haven’t had many guests since we moved into the house. This was partially because our accommodations weren’t ready, and partly because of the coronavirus. In July though, we were able to have Craig’s parents over for dinner and games. We had a great visit.

Angela’s parents also stayed over for two nights. Because they live further away, we don’t see them very often. We always have so much fun together when they come; and they are willing to take the kids on special adventures which they love.

EATING the fruits of our labor. The garden is growing! So far we have only been able to harvest a few cherry tomatoes and one small jalapeno pepper. All were delicious, and we are very much looking forward to larger harvests in the near future.

For this being our very first garden ever, we are quite pleased with the success we have had. Of course, we have also learned a ton to implement next year!

Angela has been thinking about what types of recipes she can make with an abundance of tomatoes and peppers. It seems that salsa may be in the works soon.

SWEATING it up outside. We know that the winter season is just around the corner. Because of this, we are enjoying, and taking full advantage of all that summer has to offer.

There is still plenty of landscaping work to be done, and the grass is coming in nicely. Angela’s mom helped out with flowers when they were visiting. They look great as well!

The kids are finding all sorts of fun things to do outside. The girls are especially fond of the porch space – where they can play without getting too dirty. They like to fill bins with water and ice and pretend to ‘cook’.

The boys take a more athletic approach to summer and have been busy with all types of sports. Running, baseball, and, of course, kicking.

They even took to task the clearing of a nearby baseball field, bringing rakes and shovels over and pulling up weeds. We are realizing more and more how thankful we are to have boys that are close in age- especially during this time when they can’t be with friends as much.

They go everywhere together and have so much fun.

This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our family YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!