So Far This Summer...

I had several posts planned about various things we've done so far since the weather has turned warm, but time is slipping away from me so quickly I can't seem to keep up. I continue documenting these things with my camera, and occasionally go back through the photos and am reminded of those forgotten posts.

Back in April we visited the Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo in Minnesota, home to over 30 species of creatures native to Minnesota. We enjoyed the day with great friends. It was neat seeing so many animals up close that we generally only see at a distance--or not at all!

We always enjoy visits to our parents' places, and are blessed to have them so close to us. They offer never-ending excitement for little boys, including, but not limited to, goat rides and catching steaming hot popcorn as it flies out of a fire pit.

Cousins! There are a lot of boys on Eli's side.

Rolling around in barrels is exciting. It was one of my favorite past times as a child. Photo credit: my Mom

Buckets are also exciting.

At the beginning of June we attended the last ordinations at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Winona, Minnesota, before the seminary moves to Virginia in the fall. My parents went with the boys and me, which is always a huge help. I wanted the boys to witness the beautiful ceremony of a man becoming a priest, the representative of Christ on earth...but the location of our seats afforded us very little views other than spare glimpses of the hems of cassocks. These were my best shots of the day:

Seminarians were directing traffic.

We parked in a field; it was full of vehicles when we left. The massive tent is visible beyond the hedge.

Confessionals were set up on the lawn. The priest I went to spoke English and French.

Gavin passed out a couple hours into it...Ian was very concerned this wasn't proper and was trying to help him pick his head up.

The really good photos here are shared from the seminary website! There were confessionals set up on the lawn surrounding the tent, which had lines of penitents for hours waiting for their confessions to be heard. Each line began at a marker with the priest's name who was hearing confessions at that particular confessional, and listed the languages that he spoke.

I hope the effort that was made to be there and the impressive number (over 3300 souls!) of faithful present made some impression on the boys. It was a very long day; the ceremony itself lasted over four hours, and we arrived more than an hour early to get seats. It was held outdoors under a massive tent, with chairs spilling out on either side, and masses of people standing all around. I paced across the lawn much of the time with a frustrated Ian. In total there were seven new priests ordained that day, and nine men elevated to the diaconate (including one from our own chapel who will be ordained a priest next year!)

We finally went fishing for the first time as a family a few weeks ago. Several snags were caught, but no fish. The boys had more fun chasing dragonflies and throwing rocks into the river. It was such a beautiful day.

We've been enjoying as much time outside as possible; eating, playing, cleaning up the yard, and of course, relaxing. Little brothers are loving the generosity of big brothers who give them rides. Since the end of May I've been watching my 10 year old cousin several times a week while my aunt is at work. Five little boys around here have been quite entertaining. There are odd holes around the yard and a lot of bugs have been caught. (Which reminds me, I need to convice them to release their collection while they're still alive.) One son recently ran to the bedroom to show me his latest pet: a grasshopper. He was in their room so he wouldn't get lonely.