Time to catch up

I have been soooo bored with our blog lately, so I'm sure y'all have been, too. I've been trying to stay updated, but it never seems to work out. So, I'm resigned to the fact that from time to time I will have to do these "catch-all" posts with lots of different things all combined. But hey, at least I'm getting these pictures out there. Not that I'm very sure people are actually checking anymore.

Anyway, the summer has been busy and flying by very quickly with birthdays, anniversaries, family visits, VBS, and fun outings. Rich celebrated his 29th birthday on June 21 and is now enjoying the last year of his twenties. We enjoyed an awesome meal complete with an amazing margarita at Juanita Greenberg's in downtown Charleston. If you come visit, you've gotta go, and if you live here and have never been, shame on you!

My oldest sister and her brood came down here for July 4th weekend, and we had fun (and the kids had even more fun) swimming and grilling out.

the Hamlin fam dressed up for Independence Day

Daddy and Anna Ruth love swimming together

Anna Ruth and cousin Sullivan attempting a hug

On July 9th, Rich and I celebrated 4 blissful years of marriage and enjoyed an evening out while his parents kept Anna Ruth.

The Happy Couple

I volunteered my time and energy to help out with VBS at our church this year, and I was assigned to be The Craft Lady. A lot of work and planning went into getting the crafts ready for the kids, but everything was so much fun. It was very rewarding to see the kids' faces and hear their ooohs and ahhs when they walked in the room and saw what craft we were making each day. And before each craft, we explained how it correlated with the Bible lesson for the day. The children were all extremely receptive and participated well. The week was tiring, but lots of fun for me and for Anna Ruth.

The 3-5 year-old group on the last day

Just today, my mom, dad, mother-in-law, and Anna Ruth and I visited Rosebank Farms where they have fresh produce and seafood, flowers, a petting zoo (the main attraction for us), a small museum, and art displays. Anna Ruth loved all the animals, especially the mule (which she called a horse) and the ducks and roosters that were roaming freely. Here are some highlights of the day:

The horse/mule named "Blue Belle"

Anna Ruth standing in front of the miniature horse

(shortly after, he tried to eat her ponytail)

One FAT pig

One of the more interesting exhibits

Anna Ruth kept talking about riding on the horse, and though we weren't allowed to take rides on the real one, we found this metal one which satisfied her just as well.

Anna Ruth having a seat and drinking some much-needed refreshment

(Did I mention the 108-degree heat index?)

And now I think I'm finally caught up! Are you tired of reading yet? OK, good. I'm tired of typing and sitting here while the pictures take forever to upload. Adios for now.