Lewis and Clark Camping Trip #2

 This past weekend was another awesome one at Yankton. John and the kids, and Hannah T, went to the lake on Friday after lunch, and I met up with everyone at around 8:00pm that night after work. When I got to the lake, the kids, John, and Jim and Barb were out on the boat tubing. The kids absolutely loved it. It was everyone's first time tubing for the summer, and it was Hannah T's first time tubing ever. They all had the time of their lives. 

They tubed until around 9:00pm, and then we headed in and had a nice fire. We put the kids to bed around 10:30, and ourselves around 11:30pm. It was a late night for everyone. The kids slept in the tent, so John and I had a nice peaceful camper. 

Saturday was a crazy busy day. The kids were up with the birds around 6:30am, so it was a nice early morning for everybody. We started our day with a bike ride to the welcome center to see all the activities planned for the day. We started with archery at 9:00am. Everyone got to shoot arrows at targets and balloons, and had a really good time. It was Elliott and Hannah's first time shooting, and they both did pretty well. I also shot, and it was pretty fun. 

After that, we headed to another campsite to do some Kayaking. Everyone got in a kayak for a while, and then Emma and Elliott did some paddle boarding. They both got up right away which really impressed me. They didn't really understand how to steer with their paddles, but they really enjoyed themselves. 

After lunch, we took the kids swimming and then decorated some Father's Day cards. Then it was showers for everyone, and time for a little relaxing before we went to a fish imprinting craft, followed by pie irons over a campfire. The kids made smores and pizzas and had the best time ever. We headed back for a campfire, and then we sent the kids to bed a little earlier, and there were no arguments from the kids. We had some super tired kids that were pretty quiet pretty much immediately after we put them to bed. 

At 3:30 am there was a thunderstorm with lightning, so the kids all ended up in the camper in the  middle of the night. So, everyone slept in a little longer Sunday morning, and then we had a nice pancake breakfast and started packing up. Elliott and I rode bike all the way to the Aquarium, and then John, Jim, Hannah, and Emma met us there and we walked through the aquarium and then fed the fish. After a quick lunch, we finished packing up and headed home. 

It was a crazy weekend, but it was really fun. The weather was beautiful, Hannah was along and had a really good time, and we just had fun at our favorite camping spot. 

This week has consisted of more softball, and then we are camping again this weekend at Lake Herman. So, I better get some stuff done around the house. Today was a beautiful day. The kids and I had a picnic in the backyard, read some books, and played some games. Now, everyone is relaxing and John and I are going to go for a nice, relaxing walk. 

Tubing!

Father's Day cards 

Hiking 

Emma turns 9!

 Well, I'm a week late, but Emma turned 9 last Tuesday. It's totally crazy to think about having a 9 year old. She had a great birthday. Her big gift from John and I was a hoverboard, which she was super excited to get. We also got her some pjs, a purple unicorn shirt with the number 9 on it, and some unicorn sandals. She also got to bring a cookie cake to summer care to share with her friends, and then in the evening she picked to go to Texas Road House. Grandma Barb, Grandpa Jim, Jeff, and Sam met us there, and we had a nice supper. Emma even got to sit in the saddle and have everyone yell "yee-hah" at her. She said it was kind of embarrassing, but she enjoyed it. 

Emma is overall a really good kid. She plays well with her brother, she listens for the most part, and she cares about how other people feel. She is a good friend, and she likes to be active and to be doing things. She still loves her mom and dad, she still likes to sleep in our bed sometimes, and she still loves getting hugs from us. 

Emma's likes:

Softball. She is playing on a league this summer, and it has been so fun to watch her learn and grow. She is getting better every week, and she seems to really enjoy playing. I personally love to watch her games, and I am going to miss them once the season is over. 

You tube. I don't especially like this one. Both her and Elliott can find some pretty dumb things to watch on Youtube. We do limit their Ipad time, or else they would melt their brains and stare at the Ipad for hours. I try to encourage actual movies or games, and sometimes I win that battle. 

Books. Emma does like to read. I usually have to tell her that we should read, but once I do, she takes off. Her current favorites are Dog Man, Stick Cat, Heidi Hecklebeck, and Mia Mayhem. I love to read with Emma, but a lot of times she wants to just read by herself, which is totally ok. 

Swimming and camping. Emma is a little fish. She loves to swim, either at the pools or in the lakes. She is currently taking swimming lessons, and she continues to become a stronger swimmer. She is already planning our trip to Wild Water West this summer. She would live at the pool if we let her! She also really loves to camp. We usually stay really busy swimming, biking, doing activities, tubing, and having campfires, and she loves all those things. 

Summer care. Emma asks us to pick her up as late as possible from summer care because she loves it so much. They are really good at planning activities and keeping the kids busy, and she has met some good friends this summer, so she is loving it. 

Baking. Emma and I try to bake together as much as we can. We do more baking in the winter, but we love to make cakes, bars, cookies, monkey bread, and muffins together. She is getting better and better at baking, and I can't wait to up our game as we go along. 

Emma enjoys many other things as well, but these are the highlights. She also enjoys running around with the neighbor kids and picnics in the park. 

Emma's dislikes:

Homework. We had another tough year with homework. Emma is very smart, but she lacks motivation. It's hard to make Emma care about school. We got a little better at the end of the year, but it was a struggle. I'm hoping 4th grade goes a little smoother. 

Dealing with emotions. Emma still has a little girl inside her that freaks out once in a while when things don't go her way. She can overreact to things at times, and get huffy or cry. It doesn't happy as much as it used to, but it still happens sometimes. 

Those are the major ones. She really never likes having chores or being told "no", but she is getting better with those things as she gets older. 

I love our little 9 year old very much, and I can't wait to see all the things we will get to do this year. We have more camping trips planned, showing projects and bunnies at the fair, and we are going to the Black Hills next month. 

We love you Emma! Stay true to yourself and always be kind :)

Her tiny little basketball cake 

9 years young 

Lewis and Clark Camping

 June is in full swing, and it has been hot and dry. We've had about two weeks of 90 degree weather with very little rain. We have been keeping busy with softball a couple nights a week and hanging out with friends/family. 

Emma is still enjoying softball. Some days she doesn't want to go, but once she goes she has a blast. She can field and throw pretty well, and her hitting continues to improve. It is really fun to watch her. Grandpa Jim has been asked to be a first base coach for her games, and he is really enjoying that. 

Softball continue to go well for John and I as well. My women's league is having a decent year and has a winning record at the moment. Our church league is okay this year, we are probably sitting at about .500. But both teams are fun to play on and we are enjoying being on softball teams again this summer. 

Two weekends ago, we had a get-together at Johnny and Kristina's house. Johnny grilled for us, and we enjoyed hanging out and visiting with Erica, Bert, Marie and Todd. It was a really nice evening. The kids also all played well together, and Emma even had a sleepover at Abby's house. She was super excited about it. Then on Sunday, Todd made ribs for us when we went to pick up Emma. It was a great weekend!

This past weekend, we camped in Yankton. We splurged this year and got some prime spots and had a really good time. The kids and Jim and Barb went up Thursday morning, John went Thursday evening, and I went Friday evening. We were a little worried it was going to be a really hot weekend, but we ended up getting really nice weather. Friday evening was a very tolerable 82 degrees and a beautiful evening. We went on a nice bike ride, had a fire, and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery. 

Saturday was a nice, busy day. Once again, it was a calm, mid-80s day, and it was beautiful. In the morning, we brought the kids to an organized program that the park was putting on. It was a sports themed activity, where the kids could play like 15 different games. We did some pickle ball, basketball, soccer, bocce ball, frisbee golf, boomerang, crochet, frisbee, horseshoes, and badminton. The kids really enjoyed it, and they got some free T-shirts at the end. After an hour or so of the sports, we headed to the visitor's center to look around and explore. Once again the kids had fun and it was a great way to spend some time. 

After that, we headed back to the campsite for lunch. We made a breakfast scramble, and then took the kids to an Eagle scavenger hunt that ended with a telescope where we could look at the baby Eagle. The kids really enjoyed this, and then we went back to the ampitheatre to make a craft. After all that, we headed back to the camper and Emma went swimming while Elliott and I played frisbee and darts. We made some pizzas for supper and then went on a Gavin's Point hike. This was another organized event, and we were the only ones who attended. It was a really fun hike, and we even got to do some exercises along the way. We had a great camping day. We ended with a fire and some smores, and then let the kids relax with a movie and called it a night. 

Sunday was a little warmer and windier, but still a nice day. In the morning, the kids and I took a bike ride. We ate brunch in the late morning, and then the kids wanted to do some swimming. Jeff and Sam came to visit in the afternoon and we spent some time visiting and playing some bean bags. We ate an early supper of Philly Cheese Steaks and then everyone headed home. I stayed at the campsite for one extra night since I happened to have today off. It was kind of weird to spend the night in the camper by myself, but it was kind of fun as well. 

I went for a 6 mile bike ride in the evening by myself, and it was really relaxing, and hot and sweaty. It was fun to just be able to worry about myself. After the bike ride, I read my book for a while and just relaxed. After doing some cleaning, I relaxed with a downloaded movie on my phone and then called it a night. Today, I slept in, went for a long walk along the lake, and then packed up and headed home. 

Now, I am just catching up at home with some laundry, cleaning, and getting ready for softball tonight. It's been a great catch up day. Tomorrow is Emma's 9th Birthday (what!?). So, she gets to pick where to eat tomorrow evening and we have a couple surprises for her. She already got her hoverboard from us for her birthday, but I do have a couple smaller things for her to open tonight. Both kids have swimming lessons this week, as well as regular swimming days and field trips. We are looking at another crazy week ahead. 

Next weekend, we are camping in Yankton again, in our same spots. We have plans to go cart, Dairy dock, go to the new Yankton pool, and to go tubing/boating. Plus, Emma is bringing Hannah T along for her birthday next weekend, so it's going to be a busy, crazy weekend!!

Playing Sorry lakeside 

Ready to hike 

Learning about Boomerangs 

Petting a Salamander 

Emma's photography skills 

Helping crack eggs