Fairfax Days/Camping

 This past weekend was fun. We decided to head to Fairfax for Days of Thunder, and to hang out with some of my friends from back home that I haven't seen in a while. 

So, Friday evening, Michelle and Sam and Steve Messerli met me at Fairfax Days and we enjoyed a Cardinals game for free (with free popcorn) and then a street dance. Emma enjoyed getting foul balls the entire baseball game, and she earned a quarter per ball and ended up making $2.25. She was pretty happy about that. 

At around 9:30pm, the kids were getting tired and over it, so my parents took them home for the night. The rest of us headed downtown to the street dance, and enjoyed some good music, beer, and caught up with each other. It was a great evening. We stayed until 12:30 and then headed back to mom and dad's house. We were shot!

On Saturday, we all headed up to Diamond Lake. It was a beautiful day, even if it was a little windy. We spent the day doing typical lake stuff. We went on a walk, sat around in lawn chairs and visited, Emma did some tubing, we went on a boat ride, and we enjoyed some really good food. 

In the evening, it was chilly, so the fire felt really good. We had some people over to the fire, and just enjoyed a relaxing evening. The kids spent the entire afternoon and evening, running around with other kids and having a great day. At 9:30 I finally rounded them up, showered them, and then put them to bed. They were so tired, they could barely make it into the bed. I only made it to about 11:00pm, and I was ready for bed as well. 

On Sunday, we spent the morning just hanging out, visiting, and making a great brunch. We decided to meet up with Rachel and Elena and go to the Fairfax parade. It was actually a pretty good parade, and the kids really enjoyed it and were really happy to see each other again. 

We let the kids play in the park for a while after the parade, and then we called it a day and started the trek back to Sioux Falls. We got home around 7:00pm (after eating supper at Hu Hot) and spent the beautiful evening unpacking, doing laundry, shooting some hoops, and going for a nice, long walk. 

Now, it's time to get ready for another busy week. We have softball, soccer bible camp, swimming lessons, and then we have to pack/prepare for camping in Gary this weekend for 4th of July. This week is going to fly by. Also, how is next weekend 4th of July already?!

Jeff and Samantha's Wedding

 This last weekend was a busy, and hot one. It was finally the wedding weekend! We kept busy, but had a really fun weekend. 

On Friday evening, we had the rehearsal supper in Parker. Barb made fajitas, which were really good. We all enjoyed some good food, and then we checked out the decorations and the venue and just enjoyed seeing everything. 

Then, we did actually practice for the ceremony. Emma and Elliott practiced walking the dogs down the aisle, which went pretty well. It was super hot outside (like 95 degrees and humid), so we kept it pretty short and  called it a night. 

On Saturday, we headed out to Parker around 1:00pm. Emma got her hair done, and then we just spent some time at the venue while the bridesmaids got dressed/ready, and then while pictures were going on. 

At 4:30pm the ceremony started. It was extremely hot outside. Like, sweat your butt off as soon as you go outside. But, it was beautiful out there, and it was a sweet ceremony, with personal vows and everything. 

After the ceremony, we took extended family photos, and then the bridal party went to the house for a while before they came back for the Grand March. We had a nice supper of pulled pork sandwiches (which Jeff made) and cheesy potatoes, fruit, and cupcakes. 

Then, there were toasts, first dances, and finally it was dancing time with Dueling Pianos. It was a really fun night, and I did a lot of dancing with extended relatives and caught up with family who lives out of town. 

At 11:00pm, the danced ended, and I took two tired kids home. We had a good time, but we were all pooped by the end of the night. 

Congrats to the newlyweds!

Emma Turns 10

 Emma is 10! She had her official birthday 11 days ago, and I still can't believe she is 10. Where does the time go?

On Emma's birthday, we went to Jeff and Samantha's wedding shower at Ron's house. The kids had a lot of fun playing with the other kids, and we had a nice brisket meal and then a big cake to celebrate Emma. Everyone also sang Happy Birthday to Emma, and seemed to enjoy herself. 

I did do a couple extra special things for Emma for her birthday. The night before her birthday, I filled her room with balloons, and put streamers in her doorway, and then put some decorations in the kitchen. I made her a "Happy 10th Birthday" banner and then wrote 10 things I loved about her all over the windows. It was pretty special. 

For her birthday, we got her a ukulele, cheetah backpack, crocs, some fidgets, and a few other odds and ends. She got a mani/pedi from Grandma and Grandpa Nelson, and horse riding lessons. She seemed to enjoy her gifts and her celebrations.

Emma's current likes:

-Anything tie-dye, cats, drawing, painting, playing with the neighbor girls. swimming, summertime, summer care, reading, staying up too late, playing softball, watching you tube, and having moving nights

Emma's Dislikes

-This list is actually pretty short. She doesn't like her brother tagging along, being asked to do chores, getting scolded, having her Ipad taken away, or when her parents are trying to be too silly 

Overall, Emma had a good birthday celebration. She is pumped to be 10. Next up, we are going to dye the tips of her hair pink. She is super excited for that. 

Camping at Newton Hills/Emma's Birthday Party

 This past weekend was busy, a little crazy, but a lot of fun. Emma had her birthday party with her friends, and we went camping at Newton Hills for it. Emma had been counting down this weekend for a long time. 

On Friday after work, John drove separate to go and get the camper and bring it to Newton Hills. So, I was tasked with picking up all the girls and getting them out to the campsite. After work, I headed home to pack up, and get the bike rack. We rounded up all the girls, and then we headed for Newton Hills. The girls were really excited, and they had to see the camper right away. Then, they went off on their bikes to explore and play at some of the playgrounds. 

We had hot dogs, fruit, chips, and cookie cake for supper (per Emma) and then Emma opened her gifts and enjoyed her friend time. The girls watched Sing 2 in the evening, and then they all slept in the tent for the night. Marie and Todd happened to be camping at Newton Hills too, so John and I went and enjoyed their campfire, while the girls (and Abby) watched the movie. 

The tent went pretty well, until it started raining at 4:00am. Then all the girls came running into the camper. We got them settled in again, and everyone thankfully slept for another couple of hours. 

Saturday the girls kept really busy. We took them to the Lookout tower, and they played some sand volleyball. We also tie-dyed some shirts, which was an adventure. The girls did pretty well with it, but it was very messy. We had pancakes, bacon, and eggs for breakfast and then made some snow cones in the afternoon, which all the girls really enjoyed. 

The day ended up getting up to the mid 80s, so we also let the girls play with some water balloons, which they really had fun with. We still have our sling shot, so they really enjoyed shooting water balloons for a lot of the afternoon. At 3:30 pm, there was rock painting at the campground, so all the girls went and did that, and then we brought them all home. Emma had a great time with her friends, and she is already planning her party for next year. 

After we got back from dropping off all the girls, Jim and Barb came to visit us at the campsite. We had burgers for supper, visited for a while, and then they headed home. John and I enjoyed a long walk while the kids watched a movie, and then we were all tired and called it a night. 

Today, we went for a nice hike on The Woodland Trail at Newton Hills. It was a beautiful hike, but it was pretty muddy from all the rain we got over the weekend. We had some quesadillas for lunch, and then we started packing up. The kids and I headed home while John brought the camper back to the farm. We spent the rest of the day doing laundry, mowing the lawn, planting perennials, and just catching up on everything. 

The heat is finally here too. Today was in the 90s, and so is much of the next week. We are going to have some hot softball games coming up. And we are into wedding week this week. So, we have a bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, and a wedding all coming up this week. It's going to be crazy!!

Setting up the tent 

Birthday wishes 

Uno time 

Snow cones 

Water balloons 

Tie Dye 

Slap Jack with dad 

Softball Emma