Ledges, Summer, 2012

It's been a while since we've been on a hike. Who wants to walk outside when it's 90+ in temperature and near 90 in humidity? Yesterday wasn't as bad as it's been, weather-wise, so we packed up and went to the Ledges. Henry's not much for walking on unsure footing, and he was wearing new-to-him shoes, so he rode in the pack for most of the way. When he got out near the end, he overcame his anxiety and did pretty well. Lydia is turning into a good little hiker, mostly because she has no fear. Lincoln is a good hiker in another sense. He's not near-wreckless like Lydia, but rather he's becoming a confident boy on the trails, being careful on steps and over walks while also enjoying the things around us to see and hear.At home, the biggest issues have been obedience and crying. And it's funny how the lack of the former contributes to the latter. Lydia, especially, has been horrible at following simple commands, and when she's led to do the right thing, there is a show of what we call "fake crying." It's just as loud and annoying as the real thing, but it's for no good reason. The joys of toddler-hood. Heaven help us when she turns 3.

Jenn went to the Women of Faith conference over the weekend with some friends from church. While there were good parts of it that she appreciated, she said more of it was like a pep-rally, and Jenn's not into pep rallies, but instead into solid teaching from the Word. So the next time there's a solid, red meat teaching conference that comes around, look for Jenn there.

I've got the third annual Men's Retreat coming up this weekend, and because I've had help from some of my buddies in the planning process, I have this strange feeling that I'm missing something. Perhaps it's because we had it all planned out several weeks earlier than in the past. That's a nice feeling. Sadly, our ABF teacher can't be a part of it because of a death in the family. The show will go on, though, and we've got a good group of guys signed up. Once again, it's at the Leesville Lake cabin, and once again, we've got good food and teaching in the works, so it ought to be a good weekend.

But before the weekend comes, a new play set (purchased with the generous help of Grandma Laura & Grandpa Dave) will be installed in our backyard this Wednesday! Rest assured, photos will come...