We spent a week at Joan's house in Virginia. It was great to have someone close enough to visit. John was on a break before his official school starts on Monday. We had a great time. Mostly we went swimming, swimming, swimming, and more swimming. Zak is amazing at swimming and Makelle is able to get around too. We would take short breaks to eat and then we would be out again.
I think we all gained about ten pounds after the trip. It is great to have someone else do the cooking. We ate garden veggies for about every meal and we loved it. We got to bring some home, so we can enjoy it for a while longer. My dad has three gardens so he had plenty to share.
We went to a lake one day and played at the beach it was beautiful. The lakes here are so pretty. Joan's son let us use a kayak at the lake so that was fun. We also went to all the cheap food places and stocked up on snacks and treats for super cheap. We loved the ride home, going thru the mountains covered with such lush, dense, green forests. So many beautiful places, who knows where we will ever end up.
Zak and Makelle are getting so good at making new friends. They were friends with some of Joans grand kids and had a great time. One picture is of them waiting for the fireworks. Boy was that entertaining, luckily we were faster than the cops. Will my dad ever learn???? He makes life exciting.

We had a great time, Thanks Dad and Joan!

What we do in the summertime

We went for a walk and gathered leaves and flowers, and then we made these headbands, or Makelle calls them Mary Poppins hats!Beautiful!!
This is Zak after a long day of swimming, talking on the phone. He is too tired to even hold the phone up.
Makelle showing off our first cucumber.
We love swim lessons. Zak and Makelle did great at swim lessons. After the first day Zak could swim by himself under the water. Makelle can get around with a tube or floaty. They can float and swim and do tricks, they are awesome.

Fun times with Matt and Suzy! Zak and Makelle were so excited to see them and to play hide and seek with them. They talked their ears off for a while and we were able to play. We got to swim at their hotel and show off the things they learned at swim lessons. Suzy read lots of books and did a treasure hunt for them, which they loved. Matt got to go to the zoo with us and played with the kids lots. Matt and John went golfing in the rain and tied. That's a first for John to tie with anyone, he must be getting better. Thanks for coming guys, we had a great time. Makelle told Matt and Suzy to not be so long!


Yes, he really is always this happy.
Swimming, Swimming, and more swimming.
The pool is five minutes from our house, but Makelle was pooped. We told her to fold her arms so she wouldn't bug Zak, and then she fell asleep.
This is what having kids is all about, teaching them how to do your work. Having kids grow up is great!
Feeding fish at a pond near our house.

Random Pictures for the week

Doesn't he just make you want to smile?!Three naked, very happy kids!

Makelle's first haircut!!! She wanted it cut, but she was nervous that she would be almost bald like her dad and Zak. John did a great job! She got a little over two inches cut. She carries her bag of hair around with her. John didn't cut the sides, just evened out the back.
Lantz is always happiest when he is naked, what a typical boy!!
We went to the county fair twice, to see the animals, and ride on the tractors, it was great!
Zak showing off how big he is holding Lantz.
And feeding Lantz by himself. I don't have Lindsey here to help, so Zak and Makelle feed Lantz every morning by themselves!
Jelly fish we made in school with real jelly. The kids were so proud.
What a couple of crazy kids!
Lantz in his own room, in his own bed for the first time.

Highlights for the past month:

Lantz-
Weighed in at his five month appt. at 19 pounds, although he feels much bigger than that.
Can roll over and sit up. He really does have hair, it is just blond, and there is enough and it is long enough that I can spike it now. For a while his only laugh was a fake laugh, but he has his real laugh back again! He loves ice cream and Popsicles, well any real or baby food he can get his hands on.

Makelle-
Is potty trained. She wanted to surprise her dad when he got home from Alabama, she surprised everyone. One day she wore diapers, the next day she was in underwear. She can also dress herself and go to the bathroom by herself. So big! She also had her first haircut.

Zak-
Can tell you everything about every animal at the zoo. Where it lives, what it eats, and anything else you can thing to ask. He knows all of the big words too. He has also been practicing being a missionary, and can answer every question and is so sincere. He truly has a testimony. He has also been making lots of friends. What a big boy.

John-
Is officially a student doctor and is enjoying school. He had a couple of easy weeks, with only half day classes, but that ends tomorrow. He loves telling us about his gross anatomy class and tells what he did on the cadaver for the day, fascinating, truly fascinating! He was also called to be the first counselor in the Elders Quorum.

Ashley-
Is excited to be making friends and meeting new people! Wahoo I have more friends now than in my entire life, two. We are having play dates, and my kids are loving making friends too. I am meeting new people in the branch and I love them, I am also trying to meet the neighbors. I am the second counselor in the YW, which is exciting and different since it is a branch.

Our small sad garden, produced our first veggies. We had three cherry tomatoes, but they were eaten before I could get a picture.

My camera is broken, so I can't zoom, but any pictures are better than no pictures, right.

Family Pictures by Amanda Graves

I sure love this goofy guy!This is us after seven years together! Kind of old, kind of cute!!
This is the best side of each of us, even Lantz!
Crazy!!

The whole Gerhauser clan!

Thanks Amanda the pictures are great, you actually make me look cute!