Visting Uncle Quentin and Aunt Theo

The kids LOVED Auntie Theo reading them some of her favorite

books that were very funny!

Ross is helping Aunt Theo to make her laundry soap.

I am so disappointed that I can not get more of the pictures from their house up on my blog. We did SOOOO much while we were there and had a blast. Unfortunately, my other pictures don't get picked up by my blog, weird and disappointing!

We went to a play ground (Uncle Quentin had the kids all running after an ice cream truck and got them all ice cream-- the stuff memories are made out of), we went to a SUPER cool kids museum (I wish I could get the pictures up! Did I mention that!), the kids LOVED their garden and would pick the vegetables and then help fix them for the meal (in fact, if we couldn't find Gabriel we knew we could find him in the garden!), we got to hear Uncle Quentin preach at his church ( to cool!), Uncle Quentin took Gabriel night fishing (big story goes with that), Theo and I went thrift store shopping AND antique shopping and had an absolute blast, the kids got to help Auntie Theo decorate desserts for a surprise anniversary party at their church.

TALK ABOUT A FISHING STORY

One night Uncle Quentin took Gabriel night fishing. They went to a park that Quentin had fished at before at night. Quentin noticed police with lights walking around and seemed to be searching. He noted what he saw and kept his eyes out for what was going on. After a few minutes they heard a BIG splash like either a rock was thrown in or someone jumped in. Quentin took a flashlight and started searching for the source of the splash. As he did this some one came behind them and said "You're all done!!!" Scary thing to hear when you are with a child on the end of a dock with water around you!! Quentin said "Do I know you?" The person started cussing and introduced himself as a cop! At least it's a cop! The cop orders Quentin to him and Quentin questioned him as to if he should come now or get all his stuff together and he was told to get his stuff. He said to Gabriel "Come on Gabriel let's get our things". When they got up and started walking down the dock to the officer my brother said the officers demeanor COMPLETELY changed and went to public servant as soon as he saw Gabriel and that it was a child!! He offered for Gabriel to look in his night vision goggles and told Gabriel that is how he found them. He asked Gabriel if he caught any fish and Gabriel said "No" and he said "To bad you didn't catch any before the Cops showed up!" Anyway, Gabriel's version of the story was not scary and was just excited about meeting the officer and getting to use night vision goggles and I credit that to Quentin's calmness of reaction and handling the situation. It was NOT a calm event for Quentin out on a dock with his little nephew and being told "You're all done!" Another memory for Gabers! (They found out the reason they were so ruff is that druggies, etc. sometimes hang out there and awhile back they had burned down a historic dock house.)

MY THRIFT STORE STORY

Theo and I went by ourselves to her favorite thrift store leaving the kids in Uncle Quentin's hands. I had a great time getting great bargain's (some really super books!) anyway, we saw this amazing old style (a grandpa had brought it in and said he didn't have any children left in the house) BIG doll house with a lot of the furniture in it and found out it was only $6!!! But there was a lady there with her little girl and she asked her girl do you want it? We stood there hoping she would say "NO" knowing Annalina would love it!! Well, the girl said "yes" of course! We were disappointed but stuck around to watch what would happen, maybe they would change their mind before they checked out. Well, they checked out and purchased the house and we thought well that is it we might as well finalize our purchases! All of a sudden the lady came back in and said "I want my money back!" She wanted to return the doll house!! NO WAY!! There was a little nail sticking up and all it needed is to be tapped down with a hammer. Theo and I got the doll house and Annalina LOVED it. When Theo and I talked later we found out that both of us had prayed that we could get that house!! God answers prayers and cares for our desires even the little things like doll houses! I love my Lord HE IS REAL and shows Himself in so many ways. That answer to our prayers was such a blessing to our day and it was so fun to see how happy Annalina was with it. We had to leave the doll house at their house because it was to big to come home but we can pick it up next summer when we move to Colorado!!