Magician's Assistant

We went to a magic show at the high school this morning. We all had so much fun watching the tricks, and Natalie even got to go on stage to help with one!

Drummers

Today was the last library story time for the summer, and it was definitely the best! The theme for the summer reading program has been music, and today the kids got to play drums!

Exploration Place

My mom and I took the kids to Exploration Place this morning to use the free tickets they got as part of the summer reading program at the library.
 

Lemonade!

Natalie and Max have been wanting to set up a lemonade stand, and today seemed like the perfect day. We had no other plans, and the weather was nice, so we made some cookies, lemonade, and a sign, and set up shop after Emma's nap. We had more business than I expected and actually sold out of cookies by the end of the afternoon. Natalie said her favorite part was handing out cookies, and Max said his favorite part was eating.

Nebraska Vacation

We vacationed in Nebraska over the weekend, and we had the best time! I know I always post that our trips are fun (and they are!), but they usually involve a good chunk of fussing/fighting/crying. Traveling with little kids is hard, so we're always prepared for quite a bit of work when we travel. This time was (dare I say?) fairly easy! The kids were so great in the car, at restaurants, at the hotel, at church. They're always full of surprises!

We traveled with Maria's family and Grandpa Mike and Grandma Beth. We visited the Lincoln Children's Museum and the Omaha Zoo, but the main attraction was the family get-together at Chris' aunt and uncle's house in Omaha.

Children's Museum fun:

Fun at the zoo:

Aunt Jill's little dogs were a hit with the kids.

We even had a mini family reunion to celebrate Grandpa and Grandma's anniversary.

A sure sign of a fun trip is tired kids!

Puddle Jumpers

"Dance Party"

Chris' coworker got married this evening, and we all had a fun time at the wedding. We even stayed at the reception for the first part of the dance, and the kids had a blast on the dance floor. Max has been referring to it as the "dance party" ever since we've been home.

 

Happy Birthday, Chris!

His birthday was actually yesterday, but we have had a fun two days celebrating!

Our Day

Chris had a work lunch today, so the kids and I picnicked at the splash park.

But the real excitement of the day was brought by this little stinker:

Emma spent the whole day setting new climbing records. Watching her little mind learn today was both fascinating and terrifying. She has now climbed everything in our house that we expected her to some day climb, but she also climbed things today that Natalie and Max never tried. She even figured out how to get up the bunk bed ladder without the first step that Chris removed back in February. She had a busy day.
 

Summer Lovin'

Summer is flying by, and we are loving every sweaty minute. As we biked home from the park this morning, Natalie said, "This is the life!"

Fourth of July in Yates Center and Iola never disappoints. 

We have been trying to get outside as early as we can each morning, but the heat still seems to find us!

The kids have been having a blast with the summer reading program at the library. They get prizes for reading each week. Emma chooses a new board book for her weekly prize, but the big kids like to pick something from the prize chest. This week they chose these cute stuffed bird sewing kits.

Aedan and Emmet came over for a Nerf gun fight in the basement a couple weeks ago, and Max was in Heaven. Emma didn't participate in the Nerf gun fight, but she did enjoy modeling Aedan's sunglasses.

Corn on the cob!

Nothing says summer like corn on the cob!