Camping!

The kids and I just got back from a camping trip to Priest Lake! We arrived at the lake on Tuesday and came home yesterday afternoon (Saturday). We camped with Grandma Elaine and Aunt Annie Fannie (as the kids called her all week) The kids love Annie's camper! The three of us slept in our big, huge tent every night, but the camper was a hit during the day. They loved to sit in it and play High Ho Cherry Oh or just open and close the blinds, peek out the windows and play on the bunk bed. The lake wasn't very warm but the kids still enjoyed swimming in it. The grown ups floated ON the water but stayed out of it for the most part. Nick and I are COVERED in mosquito bites. I have counted over THIRTY on my right leg...from the knee down. I haven't even added the ones from the knee up. I'm going to post photos of our trip as soon as I can stop ITCHING TO DEATH. The mosquitos weren't the only wild life we saw...although they were the most abundant...we saw a few water snakes, the kids caught lots of bugs including a huge pine beetle with three inch long antennae, we enjoyed watching the little chipmunks scurry around and sneak food (the kids named one Nut Dropper and another Munchy), we heard lots of pretty bird songs and wished we had grandma's bird book...and Nick and I spotted a pair of deer walking through the campground. Daddy and the Farm Grandma and Grandpa rode their motorcycles up to meet us on Saturday morning and we spent some time hanging out on the beach. It was a fun trip and we're already looking forward to the next camping trip...as soon as the bites heal.

Jordyn's Birthday

The kids and I spent the day at Riverfront Park with The Farm Grandma & Grandpa and Travis, Jordyn, Mason and Rowan for Jordyn's 7th birthday. Nick and Gabby and I watched a kids concert in the park while we waited for the rest of the gang to arrive. African Drum Music! It was beautiful and they had a basket of instruments for the kids to use during the concert. Nick and Gabby loved it and want to make our own instruments at home. We're saving up our bottle caps to do so!
When the rest of the group arrived, we went to see Kung Fu Panda at the Imax Theater. After the movie we spent the rest of the afternoon riding rides...bumper cars, airplanes, jumpy castle, the ferris wheel, the merry go round and more. Nick and Gabby don't like any of the fast, spinning rides but Jordyn and Mason enjoyed them and Grandma and Grandpa braved the Tilt a Whirl and the Spider with them!
Daddy joined us for dinner at Red Robin. After our yummy dinner we went back to the park and played in the giant water fountain. It was a very long but very fun day.

A Summer Evening at The Farm

Chad usually heads to The Farm after work on Wednesdays to do 'mechanic-ing' with his dad. Last night, we went with him since this was one of the first Wednesdays during Summer vacation and nobody had to get up early the next day! The kids were pleasantly surprised to find their cousins already at the farm. The lot of them had a blast. They checked out a turtle Chad found on the barn road, created little rooms in the tall grass, played hide-and-seek & kick the can, and tested their skills on the homemade obstacle course. We all stayed up way too late and we're paying for it with a bit of the whinies this morning...but it was all worth it.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

Hiding in the tall grass...

Grandma and her girls...

Surprisingly, this is the first year that the kids have really discovered this tall grass... they sure are having fun in it.

The kids meet Mr. Turtle...Mr. Turtle doesn't want to say hi.
He'd rather hide in his shell.

Poor Mr. Turtle...he's got 10 eyes on him!

and a few photos of Baby Rowan...she and I hung out while Grandma played kick the can with the 'big kids'.