Happy 4th and more!

Hi all,

We had quite a busy weekend! Ray had to work all weekend so I decided to drive up to Alliance and capture Elizabeth for a couple of days. She was an angel the whole weekend and helped me all over the house, as you can see by the picture, she is a pro at unloading the dishwasher. She also helped to gather eggs from the chickens and harvest the peas from the garden. She is almost walking and tells me all of her secrets. Now if only I knew how to speak her language! Her parents were able to enjoy some time without having to chase her down (she is a rambunctious baby) and we all met this morning for a nice Bob Evan's breakfast and a quick exchange of the baby!
While Elizabeth was here we also made the drive to Auntie Mary's to celebrate Jeremiah's 9th birthday. On the way we stopped to pick up the cousins and Christle (3 babies in the back seat of the car makes for an interesting drive!) The 2nd picture is my attempt at getting a photo of all 3 granddaughters together. It was utter chaos but a lot of fun! It reminded me of my 3 when they were small, how I did it I just don't recall!
Speaking of my own bundles of joy, Joel and Justin turned 23 this weekend as well so Happy Birthday to all of the birthday kids!
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the latest little bundle of joy. Christle is due July 24th but I think she would be OK with any time from now on! I am excited to have a new grandchild and all indictations point to a boy this time! Now I know all about little boys having raised 3 so I will be very familiar! Ray has plans to teach him how to block and tackle! I will post a blog the day this little one is born, with pictures of course, so stay tuned.
Life on "Maggies Farm" is running smooth lately. We have lots of produce coming up in the garden and the chickens are still turning out eggs daily. Ray is done with all big projects until fall so he is happy to just weed, harvest and mow for a while. And I am happy just to be able to do the day to day chores that make up our life together.
I hope everyone has a fantastic 4th of July weekend and remember, the reason for the celebration is our right to freedom that we enjoy in this country. I will pause during this weekend to give a thought of thanks to the people of this country throughout it's history that have fought to protect freedom for all and I will start with my father. Thanks Dad!

Love to all