Izzy's Birthday - August 5th, 2011

 #8 Doll

 Izzy and Andy

 Light Bulb???

Izzy turned 8 years old this year. We went over for cake and presents. She got her # 8 doll. We got her an Easy Bake Oven, but before she opened it, she opened the package that had a light bulb in it (for the oven), and she just laughed and laughed. She had no idea why she got a light bulb. It was so funny!!

New Carousel - August 4th, 2011

 Carousel!

 Mandi & Ali

 Mandi, MaKayla, & Sam

 Ali & Izzy

 Sam

 Mandi & Sam

 Izzy

 "Cousins"

Our city bought and installed a permanent Carousel. They put it downtown in the city square, next to the splash pad. The little kids enjoyed riding on it and then cooling off in the water. MaKayla and I had to trade off riding (Sam had to have an adult ride with him) because we each got sick going around, around, etc.

Home Theater - August 1st, 2011

Our kids sold us their projector, so we got rid of our big screen tv and turned our family room into a theater room. We sanded, re sanded, & painted our wall, and made a screen. (103"x48"). We found a matching console, pier, & end table. The console is a perfect fit to go underneath the screen. We put surround sound speakers around the room. We really like watching movies, etc. Actually, we are watching a little too much tv in the evenings!

Hawker Family Reunion - July 30th, 2011

Standing: Susan, Douglas R., Pat, Joanne,& Betty

Sitting: Glen, Karl, Kenneth & Cousin of Ralph

 4 Generations

(Doug, his parents, Scott, and his 3 girls)

 Scott, Doug and Uncle Kenneth

 Uncle Kenneth and Doug

 The Cannon ready to fire!

 Running after the candy!

The Hawker Family reunion was held again this year. Everyone brings food, and we spend a few hours catching up on each of the families. It is for all the children and grandchildren, etc. of Ralph and Wanda Hawker. Of their children (there were 12) Doug's dad (Douglas Ralph Hawker) is the oldest. It is fun to get together and see all the relatives, (and to see how you might end up looking someday). You can sure see the resemblance in these pictures. Every year, Doug's uncle Kenneth makes a cannon for the kids. He sets it up on a hill and fills it full of candy, then he lights it and it shoots hundreds of feet out to where the kids are all waiting. They have so much fun waiting and chasing the candy.

Mandi's Birthday - July 9th, 2011

 6 Years Old!

 Castle Cake!

 She loves her miniature dolls...

 Sisters!

Cynthia & Mandi

Mandi turned 6 this year. Of course she had a princess castle cake. (her grandma Francis makes her cakes every year) We made her a book full of pictures from her birth until now. She loves looking at the pictures. She is such a happy little girl.

Camping at Duck Creek - July 4th, 2011

 Downed Pine Trees behind our Trailer

 Uprooted!

 Snapped Off!

 Over!

 Under!

 Doug, Ali & Mandi

 Jessica, Justin & kids (wet, but happy)

When we went to Duck Creek this year, we were saddened to see that a huge storm had knocked down thousands of trees. They were broken off, tipped over, roots out of the ground, etc. We went on our favorite trail, and we couldn't tell where it was. We had to climb over, under, and around all kinds of debris. We still had a lot of fun fishing, hiking, and spending time outdoors. We were caught in a downpour and were soaked by the time we got back to our camp.

Violin Recital - June 18th, 2011

 Alex (waiting for his quartet to start playing)

 Alex at Beehive Homes

While we were in town for the ballet recital, Alex had a violin recital. He loves to play the violin. ( he also plays the piano) He is taking lots of different classes, and spent a week at  music camp. When he came to visit us, he went to Beehive Homes (the assisted living place where my mom lives) and played the violin and the piano for the residents there.

Dance Recitals - June 17-18th, 2011

 Cynthia, Gwyneth, Andrea (in their tap outfits)

 Adorable!

Ellie

 Getting flowers and kisses from daddy!

 Ellie in her "Dance Knitter" outfit

 "Bluebirds"

 We drove to Scott's to watch the girls annual dance recitals. It is fun to see the change from year to year. They did a great job, and look so cute in their different outfits. The first night is all the tap, jazz, hip hop, etc, then on Saturday they performed "Sleeping Beauty".

Pine Valley - June 10-12th, 2011

We celebrated Father's Day a week early this year by camping in Pine Valley. We love that the new campground is next to the reservoir. We can see the trailer from our fishing spot. The only problem is, that it is getting a lot more crowded. We love to fish and could stay there all day. The scenery is so beautiful. The lighting changes it every few minutes.