Lovin' those kids

Relaxing at the Lake

On Sunday afternoon, we stopped by my (Marilyn) brother's cabin. We had a very relaxing ride around the lake on Rayn's pontoon boat. The weather was just perfect!
My handsome husband!

Dad just loves dogs, and Brisco and he are such good buddies! (those are actually "licks of affection" that dad is receiving!)

We even saw a family of Minnesota loons swimming by.

Glenda and Margaret helped prepare a delicious picnic supper

Mother tried out the new hammock swing

We love seeing these two so in love after many years together!

We even observed a couple of hummingbirds that came to the feeder while we ate supper.

It was a perfectly relaxing and wonderful day at the lake. Thanks so much, R&G!

After the big event

We are so thankful for the many friends and family members that God has blessed us with. Our dear friends Les and LeAnn so graciously provided housing for us during Kari's wedding.

We praise God for the many times of laughter and sharing that we continue to have, even though we are now living far apart.
Thanks so much, dear friends, for your kind hospitality and friendship through the years!

We even were able to wish LeAnn a "Happy Birthday" in person on her special day. May you continue to celebrate the blessing of life all year long, LeAnn!

Since Kari's wedding reception and the clean-up was over by 6PM, all the cousins and their families were invited to the residence where Jim's uncle and aunt are now living, to visit in a more informal setting. We had a great time looking at photos that many shared.

There were many pictures of the latest grandchildren, the last graduation, the latest wedding...it was a good time to catch up on events of the past couple years.

And these two (former) farmer's wives also love to visit together.

...as well as these two retired farmers!

We also got to spend more time with our neice and her charming little boy!

Mother and daughter

Of course, no family get-together would be complete without group photos...
and lots of cameras, and photographers...
These Sunwall cousins had a wonderful mini-family reunion!

Kari's Wedding

Back to the Midwest

Last week we traveled back to the midwest to visit Marilyn's parents and family and also to be involved in our niece Kari's wedding. We were blessed with beautiful weather throughout the week.

Seeing the grain fields and the wonderfully green trees is always refreshing!
The folks' cozy little house at the edge of town is always a welcome site to come back to.
One of the major highlights of my father's day is going to the mailbox to check the mail. He really enjoys reading the local paper and catching up on the latest news.

We are always spoiled by the great food that mother cooks. Like dad always says, "it's the best restaurant in the whole town!"

We enjoyed several days together with the folks- good times in their home and many miles traveling together in their car. Our time together went by all too fast!

Mother even convinced me to give her a perm!

Every morning that we stayed at the folks' house, we took a morning walk to the nearby river. We loved being in the rural area...

walking past this barn...

enjoying the wild flowers along the roadside...

We even spotted the Minnesota state flower (Lady's Slipper) growing alongside the road we walked every morning. This flower is so uniquely beautiful and this is only the second time in my life that I have seen one growing in the wild. What a special treat!

On Wednesday evening, we accompanied the folks to our country church for their weekly Bible study. We always enjoy the good fellowship we find in this little church.

On Thursday morning, we traveled with dad and mom to visit dad's youngest brother. Before we went to the nursing home, we enjoyed a lunch together with Marilyn's cousins at a cute little restaurant in their city. We were happy that Lowell & Lona were able to spend their lunch hour with us, and also blessed to have my cousin Chuck join us.

And, we were surprised to have two more of Marilyn's cousins show up at the restaurant. Five cousins together for lunch--good times indeed!

After lunch, we went to the nursing home to visit Marilyn's uncle. We knew that he was dying, so we were thankful that we had this time to say our good-bys. It was very precious to watch my dad speaking to his younger brother. Little did we know that Norris would be home in heaven with Jesus about twelve hours later.

On our journey back home, we stopped to visit my cousin Jane and her husband Steve. It was fun to see the new addition they recently added to their house.

A couple hours later, we stopped at my cousin Shirley's house and enjoyed a delicious supper. She and her husband Roger are currently building an addition to their house, so we were able to see the progress and imagine what a beautiful place they will be enjoying this coming winter. Thanks to all the cousins for a wonderful time spent together last week.

the third b-day celebration

Last Monday marked the third and final installment of Marilyn's birthday celebrations! What a fun and busy month it has been! We were blessed by a visit from our oldest sons and their families. The following are just random pictures of their visit, in random order (since I've had such a hard time downloading the pictures lately.)

Jayden helping Jimpa open his father's day gift
M&B enjoying time on the patio swing

J&K relaxing on the the patio

Jayden playing peek-a-boo through the doggy door

G-ma & K checking out those birthday pies!

Squeeky-clean baby girl after her bath

Enjoying those wonderful grandkids!

Jayden and daddy snacking

one very happy little guy and his animal crackers

lovin' those big shoes

"Hey Jimpa, you sing in the microphone now!"

We are so thankful for the times spent with our precious grwoing family and treasure each and every memory made.