So much for the 'wide open' calendar...

My mom called in early June and asked how our July looked if she and my dad wanted to come for a visit. I told her, "July is basically wide open". We didn't have too many events or activities planned. It was going to be a simple month of summer around our house.

Well, it has been a little busier than we had thought- a mix of more fun and even a bit of stress we didn't plan on.

A couple of weeks ago we were able to enjoy the company of our friend, Roxanne Robbins and her [soon-to-be] son Wasswa, who are visiting the States from Uganda, Africa this summer. Our kids hit it right off with Wasswa and hopefully he feels he made some lasting friendships too. We introduced him to a few things- like golf, Pop-Tarts and blue Jell-o. He didn't care for Jell-o but seemed to like all of the other food and activities we threw at him. We look forward to another visit from them in the future; or maybe our family will just have to travel to Uganda someday. Now that would be interesting!

Chip has been very busy working at the golf club this summer. We've had a lot of nice weather which makes for plenty of rounds of golf by guests and members at his course. His boss (Dan Rooney- founder of The Folds of Honor Foundation) and family were in town for a week and we hit the beach together (9+ kids between our two families so far) and were glad to see how well the local Michigan Patriot Golf Day event went while they were here too. In that top family photo we were out at the course for the night's closing events and I somehow managed to talk Chip into a family photo on the putting green- despite the fact that he had been up since 3:30 that morning and had worked all day long. I think maybe the trick to a casual family photo is to first wear everyone out and then make them sit for a quick minute. It worked once! =)

This past week my parents were at our place for a visit. We only see them about once a year as they live in Minnesota. I was so glad they offered to come and take on that 12 hour drive so that we didn't have to do it this summer. Crew hates to sit in his car seat for more than 10 minutes, and I hate packing for 7 people- and riding all that way in my third trimester of pregnancy, so it worked out best for all of us. Poor Wyndham though... she got a touch of something that caused a mild fever and made her quit eating or drinking for almost their entire visit. Chip took her in to the ER for IV fluids/lab tests one night and still she wasn't herself for several days. She is just starting to perk up back to her normal self, but that bit of stress and illness made the rest of us tone down our plans for fun and activites all week.

We did make it down to the waterfront/park one evening and we celebrated Bella's 8th birthday just a bit early so that Grandma and Grandpa could get in on the cake and homemade icecream too. Sometimes you just have to go with what life hands you and make the best of those times- even when you wish they could be a bit different.

In just a few more days we mark another annivesary of our family tragedy and loss of Teagan. I know for me it is such an emotional time and one where I get reflective and wishful all over again. But I continue to try to challenge myself to see some bits of happiness and good in what life continues to give us. Somedays I do better than others; other days I wish I could just rewind the years and chart the course of life myself. It always comes down to a matter of faith and trust that God sees the 'wide open calendar' and is writing the events of our days just as He planned them to be. I know He has our best at heart and that is the best comfort to me- no matter what comes our way!