MISSING PERSON

Name: Alex Reed

Age: 13, very close to 14 (which may explain everything)

Characteristics: Amazing & Wonderful

As I was updating our blog I realized that I have no pictures of Alex. It seems like he is spending more and more time away from home, or sleeping in later and later! I guess that is what happens when they grow up. Alex has been spending lots of time with friends, golfing lessons, and even enjoyed a week long Scout camp. He has been growing so fast, measuring in at 6 feet at his physical in June. Hopefully we can catch up to him soon and get some pictures of the things he has been doing!

The Sunset Chairs

We really get some amazing sunsets, and most nights we do not even notice them. I am trying really hard to notice and appreciate the simple and beautiful blessings that we have, and am trying to also help the kids notice those things. Troy put our adirondack chairs in the backyard, and set them so they are in the perfect spot to watch the sunset. It has been so much fun to sit with the kids, talk about how their day has gone, and watch the sun go down on another day. Now Maya and Ethan call the chairs "the sunset chairs" and I hope we are creating some great memories.

The Wheels on the Bus

One day when I was mopping the floor and moving all of the chairs out of the kitchen, I asked Alex if he remembered when he was little and he would always pretend that the chairs were a bus and he would be the driver. He used to even pack a pretend lunch and "drive" himself to school on the bus. I then told Ethan and Maya about it and they thought it sounded like fun. Maya went and got some of her animals to use as passengers and away they went!  The only problem was, because they are both so very headstrong and want to be in charge, this bus had two drivers.

Fishing

Our family really doesn't enjoy crowds. Last year we decided to go fishing to celebrate the Fourth of July, and that sounded good to us again this year. We went to the Wellsville Reservoir, where the fish have supposedly been biting, but unfortunately we didn't have any luck. Maya's face in this picture pretty much tells the story of how her day went, she wasn't a fan. We still enjoyed the time spent together and finished off the day by going to Cold Stone for ice cream. You really can't go wrong there!

Is This Made in China?

Lately Maya has been noticing that the words "Made in China" are on a lot of things. She asked me once what it said and then she started checking for those words on everything. One morning we made some Rice Krispie treats and she was the only one awake, so she got to eat what was left in the bowl and on the spoon. She took a bite, held up the spoon, and asks: "Do you think they make these in China?"