We scheduled in a week at Grandma’s farm in Wisconsin to celebrate Christy’s mom’s birthday with a picnic at Christy’s grandparents farmhouse, and the Fourth of July.

Who’s watching the grill? Hey, is anybody watching—. Never mind. I’ll watch the grill.

That burned hotpad has Christy’s name written all over it. Well, it’s certainly not the first time and, much to Steve’s chagrin, probably not the last.

Cousin fun with group selfies.

Don’t mess with short and blonde. Cousin mischief!

Rebecca gave her grandmother a toilet paper tube filled with plastic bags, so she can hit people over the head if she needs to. I bet you never thought of that!

We also gave her praying mantis pods to protect that vineyard we helped plant. Wouldn’t want to have to do that over again! Ha!

Of course, Marissa drew the mantis.

Can you say cheeeeeeeese…cake and cheeeeeeeeesy photo bomber.

Of course, time off on the farm wouldn’t be complete without some manual labor, in this case, unloading hay. All hands on deck!

Becca was the baby tender…the hardest job.

I think I got a hay bale in my eye.

Let’s order round bales next time. They roll  better.

Always a hard worker.

Tag-teaming that bale.

It’s a little dusty in there.

Grrrrrrr!

Right about now Stephen Bautista is thinking…

“I wonder what Steven Curtis Chapman does on his off days.”

Heave ho, Ems!

I see no hay. I see no hay. I see no hay.

It’s okay, little Samantha. Tiny people are exempt.

Haying always earns you a cool refreshing trip to the Lake Michigan beach with cousins.

In case you’re confused, it’s Travel Bag, Baye, Travel Bag, Baye. The super blondies are not Travel Bags.

Look, a sand lion!

I know, I know. I “need” a better camera…and some photography skills.

See how the sand lion burrowed under the sand.

He makes a little pit, and when an innocent little ant such as this one traverses the pit, SNAP! He snatches the ant and instantly pulls it under the sand.

What happens then is a mystery of nature, although we suspect they dress up in 1800s hats and have a tea party…or maybe the lion eats the ant. We may never know.

Christy and her brothers spent a goodly portion of their youth watching sand lions.

Now they watch these:

This is a long discussion about going in the water. It may have gone down something like this:

Boy: Whoa, what’s all that green and black stuff!

Becca: Sea weed.

Marissa: Is that a dead skunk? A skunk at the beach? Really!

Boy: I wonder if you touch it, if you’ll turn into a lake monster.

Becca: That’s ridiculous [pronounced ri-di-ki-lis, which isn’t bad for four].

Boy: It happens like that in the books.

Becca: Books aren’t always real life, like I never can get my shadow off like Peter Pan, and your Superman cape doesn’t make you fly. I’m gonna see…

Boy: Mommmyyyyyyy, Becca’s going in the water! She’s going to turn into…

Boy: Hmmm…nothing happened. I mean, may I please go in the water, too.

Who knows what they were really saying, although that’s pretty much how it goes with those two arch rivals/best friends. Special thanks to Elijah for playing the part of Boy, the Tattle Tale.

Ant gone. It must be at the tea party.

Speaking of gone, all too soon it is time to say goodbye.

All eyes forward!

You, too, Bean!

That’s better.

Four generations—such an indescribable blessing!

And we’re on the road again. Thanks for a great week!