Hello all!! Glad you haven't given up on us! The last month has been busy with visitors and visitors and now we're packing up to leave for Illinois tomorrow! We can't wait to see everybody and hope to get some good pictures of Jacob while we're down there. I've been bad about snapping shots of his everyday life!

I just wanted to share these pictures and give you a quick update:

Scott started combining wheat yesterday (yay!!) while we're praying for some warm days for the beans! I'm not sure of the exact numbers but I'm pretty sure we've only had about two days over 80 this summer, and not too many over 70 either! But, as I'm typing, the sun is out and the weather forecast says mid-70's for the rest of the week. I hope they're right; that's better than 60's and lows in the 30's as we had a couple nights ago!

Jacob has been busy playing outside with the dogs and on his new swing set. When the weather's been bad, he's been keeping busy playing with his trains and tractors. He's obsessed with baling hay and combining, too!! He announces any field we drive by that has hay in it and is constantly asking if Daddy is baling hay. Yesterday, Scott was combining across the road from our house and Jacob caught a glimpse of it. I was watching him through the window and saw him run a little ways down the lane and then stop and stare. He waved and yelled and then ran a little farther down the lane. I took him out to the field and he got to ride with Scott for an hour or so! Scott said he wouldn't stop talking about it. I asked him if he combined wheat and he said, "No, combine gwain, Mommy." Scott said he was full of questions and he even got to drive the combine up to the grain wagon. What fun for a two-year old!!!

Okay, I have to go pack now for our long trip tomorrow! Can't wait to see everybody and hopefully the sun is out so we can lounge in the pool!!

Thanks for checking in! God bless! Scott, Kim, and Jacob

At the end of July, my friends Mandy, Matt, Jamie, and Zac stayed at a resort about 40 minutes from us. Jacob and I spent a night there to hang out with everybody. Unfortunately, I did not do well taking too many pictures. Jacob loved the ducks that you could feed and grabbed everybody's hand to pull them to the ducks. When we were getting ready to leave the next morning he insisted that Mandy put her shoes on and come with us. He pulled her into this closet where her shoes were and kept trying to get them on her feet!

The James girls, and Karen and Chris of course, came to visit for a weekend. The weather was terrible but they managed to have a good time anyway. It's so fun to watch Jacob interact with other kids and the girls are great with him! They really do treat him like a little brother! I love it! It brings back a lot of memories of playing with my cousins!

The girls went to the farm with Jacob and I to help feed and wash Pizza and Hot Dog. They were great help!

Hot Dog and Pizza, all clean!

It doesn't matter where or who...there's always a wrestling match of some sorts.

Checking out the beans.

Chris and Karen haven't left our house for years without packing as many rocks into their car as possible. I believe all the rocks that border their landscaping are from the Anderson farm.

While Amelia was visiting, Jacob went through lesson after lesson on sharing!

We went to the water park in Thief River Falls one afternoon with Nick and Amy's family!

I believe Jacob and Amelia are caught in this picture planning their escape. Neither were extremely thrilled about the water park at first.

Unlike Jacob and Amelia, Daniel was all about diving into the water!!

Matthew didn't leave the water.

Isn't he going to crush girls with that smile and those eyes!

Amelia started enjoying herself.

The story on Jacob: He wanted nothing more than to get out of the water the entire time we were there. While we all started packing up and changing clothes, Jacob wandered into the kiddie pool (with some encouragement from Matthew) and made his way up the little slide that we had tried so hard to get him on the previous two hours!! Scott and Amy hurried over to see if they could encourage him down.

Thinking about it.

He accidentally let himself slide without letting go, so Amy had to pry his hands off the rails!

He did it!!! And, went back for more!

And more!

Then pulled Scott to the big slide!

Amelia... so tired! I'm sure she's thinking, "Why are waiting for this wimpy cousin of mine who just now decides to enjoy the water park!"

Then, he got the nerve to go down the tube slide! We had to drag him out of the water! I guess he just has to figure out that he likes something on his own.

Jacob loved when Aunt Kori would sit and read book after book to him!!

Amelia loving the freedom of a bath tub!

Aunt Kori also spent hours coloring with Jacob!