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On the 26^th of July Jon’s sister, Suzie and her family made it into Petersburg, IL from Vermont. On the 27^th Jon’s younger siblings, Theresa and Michael, made in into Petersburg with their families from Idaho. We drove down to Petersburg to stay for a few nights here and there while family was in town. We went to New Salem and walked around, Dad took us to a Cardinals baseball game, attended Jon’s oldest sister, Martha’s, youngest son’s blessing, and then came back to Macomb. On Aug the 4^th, Mom and Theresa and Michael and their familiescame to stay with us for the night due to the sealing of Claire to Suzie and her family in the Nauvoo temple the following morning. The house was full but it was fun to have everyone here. The sealing, of course, went well. We spent the rest of the day in Nauvoo then attended the pageant. The Nauvoo Pageant was excellent and well worth attending.

Maren and Eliza had a blast with their cousins. It was tough to see them go. Maren is making new friends from church, the park, and the library. Last week some moms and kids came over with a slip and slide. Maren was a bit scared at first, but she took to it pretty well.

We celebrated Jon's 29th birthday on the 15th of August. For a birthday cake: an Andes mint ice cream cake from HyVee. Yummy!

Last weekend we went up to the quad cities to "explore" and go to the zoo. It's a really nice zoo up there. Not too big, but big enough to have the essential animals, elephants, giraffes, lions, and bears. Maren had a blast riding the carousel and train. We all had a good time playing on the playground. Eliza loves to swing.

Next week school starts up. The Illinois Veterans Grant has gone through and is going to take care of tuition. The GI Bill will start up next month, so finding a part-time job isn't a first priority right now. Jon has been ready for school practically since we arrived. It will be nice to have a predictable schedule. Macomb is a much bussier place with school in session. The University Union isn't nearly as quiet. Jon is definitely curious as to how his classes are going to turn out and if he'll keep his honors status after this semester. With only two years left, it's also time to start thinking about internships.

We hope everyone is well. Feel free to drop a line!