Summer Festivals, Holidays and Camps

Summer is passing way too fast for me!

International Children's Festival with our friends and a traditional stop at the candy store afterwards.

It was a good Father's Day!  Daddy loves his new pellet smoker and we are all benefiting from it!

On July 4th we headed to a parade to watch Naamah unicycle and get candy.  I took Samantha to the carnival for rides and a snack.  Then we got to hang with our neighbors which made it a GREAT day!  Hannah especially loved playing with Gigi!

 Fireworks!

The girls have done a few camps this year.  Samantha was so excited for horse camp!  They have gone to Camp Streefland for a few weeks and both went to STEAM camp too.  Sofia loved her week at zoo camp!

Spring Break 2014

Daddy and I celebrated our anniversary and spring break with a trip to St. Louis.  Time with Antie, Uncie and JoAnn was long overdue.  We went to our usual haunts like Faust Park, Magic House and City Museum.  There was dinner at Uncle Bob's house which is a fun tradition for us.

When we got back, there were sleepovers (with Grammy and at friend's houses), play dates and some downtime.  We even managed a dinner with Nana and Papa and squeezed in a quick visit with Jordan and Dylan.

Samantha got her new bike and I discovered that riding Daddy's bike is not fun for me.  Mine is waiting for new tires so I had to borrow Daddy's.

We are so fortunate.

Thanksgivukkah 2013

For one time in our lives, Hanukkah and Thanksgiving overlapped.  It made for a busier than usual November, combined with Daddy and Sofia's birthdays, mine and Daddy's business trips and our typical chaos.  We managed to see family and friends though!

I even got to see my side of the family (Grammy, Uncle Larry, Aunt Marlys and Aunt Elaine).

Halloween 2013

The pictures say it all.  A witch and a huntress. 

Then there's me still fitting into my old skydiving gear!  Though I was asked by a kid if I was "Iron Man".  Crazy kid not recognizing a skydiver!

Thanks for joining us again this year Papa!

Labor Day Weekend 2013

This weekend was awesome!  We ended the summer with friends and family time.  Samantha had a friend sleepover on Friday while Sofia went to a friend's house for a playdate.  Sofia swam at her friend's pool and I took Samantha and Allie swimming.  Then we all went out for ice cream.  When we got home, the older girls vegged in front of the TV for a bit before eventually falling asleep by 11pm.

Saturday began with a big breakfast and a bike ride to a local beach, then to the coffee shop.  Then I took Samantha and Allie portaging and swimming to Lebanon Hills.  The hiking went quickly as I managed to carry the canoe by myself.  I was very proud of myself.

We celebrated my birthday with a trip to the Bad Waitress.  It was a fun restaurant that we haven't been to and went to "that park".  It was a good day for us all.

More Summer Highlights

Here are some other highlights from the past season.  I have an awesome family!

Samantha baking with her cousins.

Block Party

The ice cream truck!

Trips to Farmer's Markets.

Happy Father's Day!

 An impromptu parade with friends.

Dinners with Grammy.

A spring anomaly... yes, that's an iceberg.  I know every year the weather seems crazy, but this spring really was nutty!

Time spent with one kid at a time...

Sleepovers

Ely doing his part in the battle with buckthorn.

And relaxing.

Time with friends.

Teamwork in our community... I should add that no one was paid for their work.

New adventures for our family at the Aquatennial this year.

And ending an era of gymnastics...