S Girls Summer Camping Adventures

I love that the girls enjoy camping.  Antie She has been awesome about getting away with us and up for any adventure we encounter.  I don't know if we would do this as much if I didn't have her along!

Our first trip was back to Whitewater where we hiked, swam in the river, played on the beach and made some new friends. You have to love Antie She's sandman.  The other kids on the beach were enthralled with it!

We then headed south again.  We made a big breakfast my new camp stove (yum!), went swimming in the pool and explored.  Tubing was an experience trying to find flip-flops and watching a bald eagle watch us. On Sunday I convinced everyone that we could bike 4.2 miles one way to Lanesboro.  OK, I bribed the kids with ice cream.  It was a level trail, but I was proud of Sofia for making it (not that she had another choice)!  Thankfully the trip back felt much quicker as I had rewards waiting!

Springtime/Early Summer 2014

Time keeps flying by, but here's some highlights!

Landscaping and cleaning up the yard... they did get some work done in addition to wheelbarrow rides!

Take your kids to work day... they had so much fun they want to come to work with me all the time!

Sofia's Kindergarten class performance

Samantha's Art Walk

A spring time visit to the zoo.

MondoFest with friends... another great show!

Mother's Day... motherhood is really having your heart live outside of yourself.  I'm blessed!

A joyous and busy visit!  Thanks for coming to the show Antie and Uncie!  We miss you!

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!

Adventures with my daughters and their friends

I was gone for a business trip all of last week.  Daddy did great single-parenting all week and there were no problems.  The grandparents all helped out too.  We really are blessed to have all the support we do.  I missed my family so much travelling, but it was good to know they're fine without me.  It was wonderful to have everyone pick me up from the airport, so thanks for making that happen!

I was so happy to be home... I forgot how lonely the road can be.

Yesterday we rode our bikes for a picnic at a park.  It was cold and windy, but we still made it fun playing games.  Then I took Samantha to the library and out to a bookstore.  We spent the rest of the day simply relaxing.

Today we began the day with some relaxation and a bike ride to tire Ely out.  Then I took the girls and their friends to a nearby zoo.  There were 5 girls total and they were all fantastic.  After we dropped the last friend off, the girls and I talked about the challenges and what we'll do differently next time.  I was really impressed with everyone's behavior as well as my own.  We ran out of time, but we all had fun and got plenty of exercise walking around.

Husky Hustle 2013

Fundraising for the girl's school is getting donations for a 5K walk/run.  All of us did it last year and this year Ely came too.  I walked and ran with Sofia and her friend Zella while Daddy was with Samantha and Allie. It rained at the end which is why you see Ely soaked afterwards.  He was worn out!

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...