Summer fun

Yes, it's been awhile! We've been enjoying our summer and the girls are enjoying the spoils of gardening earlier this year. We've already feasted on sugar snap peas...
And now we're working on baby cucumbers, carrots and broccoli. We also planted miniature pumpkins, which hopefully will be ready later this fall. Ken built two raised beds for our garden (and we hope to add another this fall) and they're working very well! Here is the one for veggies:

When the girls aren't assisting in the garden, Ken has put them work:

During the week of June 18, Jill McCain (Ken's mother) visited from Vermont and was piled upon by eager granddaughters:
This was Grandma McCain's first visit to our home in Kansas since we moved from Texas, and the everyone was very excited that she was here. She didn't get away without sampling the fine barbecue (from Bryant's...where else?) and catching up with the Eblen in-laws. She also got to visit Hal and Marty McCain in Salina and see their beautiful new home. While in north-central Kansas, both girls frolicked at the community sprinkler park (Megan went right in, Mary mostly sat on the wall and watched everyone else play in the spray:

Megan enjoyed the slide near Hal and Marty's house

Mary and Hal

Last year at Christmas, Megan received a butterfly house from Grandma Eblen. We ordered the caterpillars in May, and they arrived in early June. They were let go into the butterfly house (where they did their thing and cocooned), and by the time Grandma McCain arrived for her Kansas visit, the new butterflies were ready for release in our backyard:

Here are both girls, releasing Butterfly No. 4 (of 5):
It's in the upper right corner of the picture.

Mary and Grandma McCain, June 22

The following Monday, Grandma returned to Vermont and the Confectionery in anticipation of a (hopefully) busy season this fall and winter. Shameless plug of delicious family business: Here's the Vermont Confectionery's website: http://vermontcandy.com.

The following week, we attended the annual Independence Day parade in nearby Lenexa:

Ken and Megan, waiting for the parade to begin.

The parade is a down-to-earth event that the kids always enjoy: The parade isn't too long, and they tend to acquire candy (especially at the end of the parade route, where we always sit...it needs to be gone, so it's dumped!). Here is Mary, excited about her nabbed loot: