Enjoying Being Home!

Nothing much is happening around here, which is rather nice! We're gearing up for work days and, in the not too distant future, conventions, so I'm just enjoying being home and not having too much of a schedule.

Things are still happening on the house. Here's the one wall Evan has partially sided, and the front of the house, where he's wrapping on of our newly installed windows. I LOVE our new windows!

(Take note of the little girl with boots in hand-- you'll be seeing more of her.)

This blue siding is going to be much nicer than our tannish-pink!

My talented and handsome husband. This scaffolding is rather handy-- this evening, while he was wrapping windows and I was tucking kids in, we could chat face to face! The kids got goodnight kisses through the open window, which they thought was hilarious!

This is a terrible picture, taken at night, but this is the new, slightly bigger window in our family room. It's much more open and bright now, which the family room (a.k.a. The Cave) desperately needs.

Okay, that Boots girl... Lily passed these down, last time we were up North. They are Rilla's constant companions.

This is a pose I see about ninety-three times a day-- a wordless plea for, "Please, Mommy, put my boots on again?"

Ah, they're on again. All is right with the world. Today, she's alternated wearing them with chewing with the loop handle on the top. Mayhap she's teething again?

Speaking of our last trip up North, it was lots of fun. I never got my camera out the whole week. Livie finally got my camera out on Sunday for pictures of the kids playing. It was union Sunday at Mom and Dad's, so Katherine and Nathan were there, and Katy Jo was up visiting, too!

Cheyenne found a worm.

Katy Jo and Nathan are checking out the wheelbarrow.

Girls in dirt.

Cheyenne, unaware that she is on her way to an epic sunburn-- the shoulders of that dress slipped down and she got badly burned on the top of her shoulders. Why do her parents not think?

Katy Jo.

Investigating the dirt...

and its inhabitants.

Katy Jo and Cheyenne are just a few months apart, it was fun for Cheyenne to have another big girl to play with.

The Barkley squirts, cute as usual.


Nathan. Unfortunately, Livie didn't get a picture of his room-lighting grin.

We've had rain almost every day for the last month. Literally. I thought maybe I was just exaggerating in my head, but the newspaper confirmed that it was the truth. Here's kids playing meeting on a newly washed deck. When it rains that much, you stop worrying that they'll get wet and just appreciate that they can be outside for a while.

Cheyenne singing loud and strong. She's sitting on the tallest stool, which makes her look that much taller than Elliott.

Rilla dropped her hymnbook...

Just a little proud of herself when she got back up.

I took Mom's "tractor" camera when I was up home. (Tyler White called it that because it was big and tough. Even when Tyler was deleting 200 irreplaceable pictures off it.) It was quite the camera in it's day, but since it primarily works with a 3.5 inch floppy, it's pretty antiquated now.

Which doesn't stop Cheyenne having a great time with it.


She even gets to mentor Elliott in learning how to use it.

The funny thing is, they're this engrossed in it, and it actually doesn't even turn on anymore!

Anyway, I'm loving my kids and our summer! And the high today was 74 °-- what wonderful weather for July!

Super-Belated Graduation Pictures

The kids went out to Western NY a couple of weekends ago for Derek's graduation. I took lots of pictures, and assured Charlene (Derek's mom), "Oh, yeah, I'll just put them up on my blog so everyone can see them!" Ha, ha, ha. We were only home for less than 24 hours before we were heading up north to my parents' place. I took my camera, and planned on posting them at Bet's house (she has cable internet), but my memory card and her computer wouldn't be friends. SOOO... these are old, but I still want to get them up!

Derek in the processional.

Waiting for all the students to file in.

There was a lot of kids graduating-- somewhere around 170 there? Derek was in the front row because he's super smart and had one of the highest averages in the class. Which is a pretty impressive considering how many other kids he was competing with.

Going up to receive his diploma...

From his Grandma Linda! (She's on the school board.)

Official handshakes all 'round.

The moving of the tassels.

Derek with Mammy-- he is the first of her great-grandkids to graduate high school.

Four generations!

Brooke and Derek exhibiting Brotherly (and Sisterly) Love.

The Rule Family.

Derek with his Aunt Laurie.

Derek with his understandably proud grandmother.

Derek and his girlfriend, Maranda.

Mammy with Charlene and Laurie.

Derek and his great-grandparents on his dad's side.

With Grandma Sally and Grandpa Leon...

And Grandma Linda and Grandpa Dave.

There was a shindig after the graduation with lots of food (wow, the food!),

Volleyball,

And relaxing!

Cheyenne was good at relaxing. She had been begging for soda all week, so she was making the most of my promise that she could have a soda at Derek's party.

Despite not having my husband there, I had lots of help! Jessica and Elliott got along swimmingly...

And here's Taylor helping with Marilla! All five of the girls (my kids' second cousins) who were there that weekend were awesome with the kids.

The hostess with the mostest!

Watching a game of Frisbee, I believe...

There were water balloons there. This picture is of Elliott, the first time a balloon exploded on him. He's not quite sure about this.

Not too many minutes later, here is the expression of unholy glee at throwing yet another water balloon and letting it pop. He REALLY got into this!

Matt had a go with my camera, too. Here's one of my favorite pictures he took (of Leigh Ann).

And one of me with my kidlet!

At that's the extent of the graduation pictures!

We had a great week up at Mom and Dad's. Evan was away for the week, working nights, so we weren't able to stay with him. Without a husband, I went running to where there was lots of aunties and excitement! He joined us Saturday morning for a 4th of July picnic (just us Vaughans) and union Sunday. After 10 days without him, the kids and I were RATHER glad to see him again!

Now we're home, and still trying to unpack and get our lives back in order. Evan worked on the house today, and one wall of the house is partially sided! Once I get a day without incessant rain showers, I will have to get a picture of the siding, and the new windows. They're replacement windows, so they don't change the look of the place much, but are they exciting to use! Between the new insulation and having windows that are easy to open, our house is able to stay so much cooler!