Quackin' up the Heat

OOOH these lovely days of summer in Iowa have arrived, where I start to wonder if I will ever be able to simultaneously breathe and stand outside again.

As the title of this post may or may not have suggested, the ducks are still plugging away, alive, well, and almost adult-like. It won't be much longer until Matt will be letting them out on the pond. That is my hope, anyway, because I truly cannot go near that cage and simultaneously breathe at the same time. It stinks something fierce.

Matt rigged this cattle tank/chicken wire combo up so the ducks had something for swimming. Never mind that we dug a foot-deep hole next to the house for our temporary duck shelter...  

...because, hey, these are some happy ducks.

This is them now...they are getting big! Last week's update from Matt predicted that they would all be males. Last night's update predicted that they would all be females.  

Speaking of little ones growing up...why not talk about the little guy who is inside the house and smells much better (even when he does stink)?

Ok, so his four month photo looks a little...tired...or something. But that is just how photography and babies mesh. Compared to three months, Levi has thinned out a lot but is still gaining weight! He weighed in at 14 lbs, 10 oz and was 25 inches long at his four month appointment. The only milestone that occurred this month was rolling over from tummy to back, but it still doesn't happen very often. He still sleeps at least nine hours at night, and has started stretching out his awake times during the day to 1.5-2 hours at a time. And he has also learned how to be fussy sometimes.

Levi also has a favorite song called, "Oh, Nancy." It is sung by my family on a phone video, and is all it takes to quiet him down during any sort of fussy period. Such knowledge came in very handy on our way to Morris two weekends ago.

[Video below. If you received this post through e-mail, you may visit the blog website to view.]

"Oh, Nancy" was recorded after Jonathan's graduation open house when my Uncle Jim and Aunt Nancy got their official welcome to the Massner home. 

Which brings me to my next subject: Jonathan graduated from high school in May! 

Great Grandma Knobloch got some bonding time with Levi. 

Congrats, Grad! 

Giving mommy The Look. 

We went on our first lengthy trip since Thanksgiving for my cousin's wedding up in Morris on June 4th. Levi traveled pretty well (many thanks to "Oh, Nancy" in some instances). On the way up, we stopped to meet Alice for lunch in Minneapolis! She is getting adjusted to the new city and is working on her CPA exams right now before she starts her job in the fall. 

L to R: Billy, Us, Alice, and her current roommate 

Levi was pretty proud of the "Macho Man" outfit he got from Alice! 

We journeyed a few hours more and arrived in Hancock, where my Aunts and Uncles got to meet our little guy for the first time.

Uncle Tony decided he was a keeper! 

The wedding was really nice. For some reason, we forgot to get our cameras out that evening. Best wishes to Kevin and Nikki! The next afternoon we were able to listen to Hannah and Jacob's wedding back home in Burlington as we departed Morris. How refreshing to hear two wedding services in one weekend. We always appreciate the reminders of what God desires for our marriage.

Home again, Home again...

Thought you were going to get away without seeing a new project? Nope! Here is the latest:

I got this dresser (without the shoes) at a garage sale back in May. 

With Matt's help...we did a little sanding, filled in the holes, reinforced the drawers, painted the dresser, and replaced the hardware. It now looks much more beautiful, though it is currently lacking any kind of decor on top.

Found its home in the purple room!

Monday night, Levi was delighted to be personally welcomed to Kohl's with his name on display! What an honor! They seemed to have his size wrong though, because he pretty much just slid right through the legs of the jeans in this section.

June is keeping us pretty busy with all of the weekend plans and this summer seems to be flying by already! Matt turned 28 earlier this month and we are now in that odd 7-years-apart stage until I turn 22 in a couple weeks.

By far the most joyful day for our family this month (thus far) happened last week when my brother Justin decided to make a beginning in serving the Lord. We are so thankful as he goes through this change and seeks the blessings God has waiting for him.

Let us all seek God's blessings every day!