The days are zipping by far too quickly, as they always do, but we are squeezing as much fun out of summer as we possibly can while also enjoying plenty of lazy moments too! And while this could easily be broken into at least 5 blog posts, I'm just going to record all of our latest summer happenings right here.
New town, new park. This one was dubbed awesome until Adam got stung by a wasp.
Playgrounds are still such fun, especially for these two!
And this one had an awesome nature trail that we had to explore, too.
Nothing like a Mickey bar to cool off after fun in the sun!
Everyone helped me with a sewing service project one lazy day.
There is no way to convey to the kids the 56 times that I didn't lose my cool while teaching all 4 of them how to use the sewing machine.
Hopefully they just won't remember the 57th time, in which I did lose my cool and made someone cry.
They all did a great job! Even Emma, whose picture I couldn't take because she had the heaviest lead foot that enabled her to finish her sewing in record time.
We've spent a few afternoons with our sweet neighbors!
It's always fun, games, and a whole lot of Reeses candy when we're all together!
Leah has started earning volunteer hours for the high school Silver Cord program (50 volunteer hours for every year of high school) and every shift seems to comes with a perk of some sort.
When she volunteered at the DSM children's 'museum' we discovered how fun it is- especially Noah!
And for this afternoon art camp in the park,
everyone got to join in the fun!
The animal sculptures were the biggest hit-
look at these little cuties, and their creations too!
It always makes me happy to see everyone enjoying simple, childlike pleasures like painting in a park.
And as much as we make fun of it, we really do love Ledges. Our summer wouldn't be complete without the trip!
With the lack of rain the creek wasn't quite as exciting to wade through this year, and the mud slide was even more disappointing- either everyone has grown or the slide shrunk!
Don't be fooled by this face- it was still a blast!
Especially because we were with our besties the Tolberts-
and because we got to stop at our very favorite ice cream shop on the way home! Noah, who continues to experience everything again for the first time, said we had to take a picture right here, just like last year.... or maybe it was the year before that. I can't find the picture but I bet my faithful blog reader Noah could!
That same summer day, because sometimes schedules line up like that, we went to the tiny little Madison County fair. Cute farm animals- check!
Funnel cakes and Dutch ribbons- check!
Some more tame than others...
Tractor wheels as tall as your tallest kids- check!
Garth Brooks music on the way over, amazement over the variety of people small town fairs draw in, and laughter over your kids idea of what exactly 'barrel racing' might be (when you get in a barrel and roll down the hill? when you get inside the barrel and let the bull ram into you until you fall over?)- check, check and check!!
It was a fun night at the fair!
One morning we looked out the window and found a man in the tree! We're still cleaning up from last July's derecho.
And one morning Noah, Emma and I went to the Des Moines Farmer's Market, where you could naturally expect one to buy lemons
and pineapple drinks!
Emma picked out a hat!
And some donuts.
And Noah enjoyed a quiche, some honey lemonade, and found a penny!
Another day we drove out to Uncle Farmer Bob's house to play with our 31st Street friends. We've all moved different directions over the last year, and we always have fun when we get back together again.
It felt a lot like visiting Grandma and Grandpa Gardner's farmhouse in Idaho back in my childhood.
There was a creepy basement, a secret staircase, 100-year-old doorknobs and keys and roll top desks and pocket doors between rooms, and a landline! The big girls had a great time calling their cellphones and chatting with each other.
Everyone is getting bigger and bigger- these have been our Iowa friends from the beginning.
We had some little friends over one morning and they helped me fill up our birdfeeders- Noah was a happy helper, too, and reminded me that you're never really too old to enjoy a good scooping and pouring session. And a side notes- our birds are getting quicker and quicker about draining the birdfeeders, sheesh!
We drove east one afternoon to see Auntie Jenny! She was in Iowa with her boyfriend and his kids visiting his family. It was such a treat to see them here!
Phew!! It has been a full and fun summer. Not pictured would be the late mornings, pajama days, screen time hours, books upon books being devoured, daily piano practice, visitors to the house including second cousins, young single adults and missionaries, afternoons at the pool, and late nights where we all gather back together again. Four weeks until school starts and we are hoping to have just as much fun as we can before the new normal sets in for the fall.
