July & August

There are so many good pictures on our camera right now!  With school starting next week, I’m feeling the need to share a glimpse of our summer life over the past few weeks.  Before we know it it we will be in the midst of carpools, school bells, homework, and fall activity filling our time.

So, back to 4th of July.  We spent the day at my parents’ house and finished with a backyard fireworks display courtesy of our own purchases and those of all of our neighbors!

I love it that in the summer the kids have the time and freedom to play and be creative together. 

We’ve also been giving Logan the privilege of reading in bed with his lamp on after we say goodnight.  His favorite books right now are the  Junie B. 1st Grader books.  Yes, the English teacher in me cringes at some of Junie B.’s grammar, but she is funny and Logan relates to her stories of lost teeth, school lunches, and friends.  These books have really motivated Logan to read independently, and I have dear Junie B. to thank for that.  Logan prefers reading out loud, and I love standing out side his door and listening to him read after we tuck him in.  Sometimes I even hear him laughing at the story. 

We also just had our front landscaping done.  Originally, the house had a big bush up front and two overgrown bushes on the side.  A local landscaping company came and transformed it into this:

Then it was off to Iowa to celebrate my grandma’s 80th birthday!  We spent the weekend at the Lodge in Inspiration Hills with my aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings, and nieces.

Inspiration Hills had a playground right outside the lodge.  Logan was motivated to learn how to do the monkey bars before first grade, and he has succeeded!

My grandparents (Happy Birthday, Grandma!  Can I please look like you when I’m 80?) and all their great-grandkids.

And this is my whole immediate family.

After our time in Inspiration Hills, we headed north to Minnesota for a week at a lake house in Alexandria with my immediate family.

The cousins in the rockers on the front porch.

The place came with a pontoon boat that we used almost daily.  Logan did a little fishing and also loved to jump off the side of the pontoon boat to swim.

Emily found her life jacket to be a bit restrictive, so she found it most comfortable to just recline in the seat.

Emily also loved the beach.

Luke took the older two kids to see the Viking statue and Runestone Museum in Alexandria.  I’m sure all three of them know more about runestones than I do.

One of the highlights of my time was the evening my parents offered to watch the kids while my brothers and sisters-in-law and Luke and I went out for dinner.  It was so nice to catch up with each other sans kids.

We were also able to spend a day with my college roomates, Holli and Crystal.  Holli lives only an hour from Alexandria, and Crystal drove 4.5 hours with her kids to hang out with us at Holli’s house.  We had a great time catching up and our kids had a blast playing together.

In their pjs saying a silly goodbye…

Overall, we just had such a great time on our vacation.  It’s so fun to see my kids interact with their cousins and to watch memories being made.

Behind the lake house there was a wooden rocking seat that I thought would made a great picture at some point during the week.  The first time I tried it, though, no one was in the mood for a picture.  This shot really makes me laugh!

The second time was much better.  :)

This vacation was a fun closure to a great summer!