{fourth, frog legs, and fun}

the fourth of july was busy! kristina (and brooklyn), alicia, and i went to the outlets on monday for their fourth sales.  we got some good deals and had a great day enjoying each other's company.  my mom, sister, and i went to shipshewana flea market on tuesday morning.  i usually pass on this event because i hate all the junk that's there.  however, i wanted to spend some time with my mom and sister so i decided to go along.  i scored two under armor backpacks that were dick's returns with slight imperfections for the kids, a water bottle for sports, and water balloons.  it was a good morning. 

our church provides hotdogs,  popcorn,  and drinks to the community because hundreds flock to our parking lot and yard to watch the city fireworks.  this outreach falls under my committee so john and i had a lot of set up and tear down work to do. it made for a long day, but we had a successful night and lots of volunteers to make it go smoothly.  i usually love dressing my kids in patriotic attire, but in my quest for less, i didn't even look for any cute outfits this year.  

greyson catches buckets full of frogs from my parents pond several times each summer.  he usually takes them to the ditch and releases them.  my dad and john always would comment how tasty they would be, so john did some research on youtube to find out how to skin a frog and then fried them up.  john, greyson, kenna, and easton tried them, but graham and i declined.  they said they were good.  i'll just take their word for it.  i wasn't home during the skinning part, which sounds like was a good thing, because he did it in my kitchen!! yuck!!

kenna and my mom planned a tea party for us.  kenna made a sign, helped "prepare" the food, and made invitations for all of us.  she had rapunzel plates, napkins, and cups.  she has been looking forward to this all summer.  she was a great hostess! 

the sign reads: arrive here suzie, jen, kenna, greyson, mom