Cousin Fireworks

The kids were joined by cousins Adam, Andy and Karlie (and later,  Meagan) to light off fireworks. They had dinner at Grandma Cindy and Hal's place, and played with sparklers.

Afterwards, we met up at Papa Ken and Bev's place to shoot a bagful of fireworks. The kids enjoyed getting a chance to use punks to light them all by themselves.

Come about 10 pm, we all headed to the lake for the big fireworks show. Here's a pic of the after-party.

Go Fourth Parade

We timed it just right, arriving at the usual viewing spot to see the start of the parade. It wan't long before we got to see Adam (no pic ... he was on the far side) and Lindsey come through. Besides candy, the kids scored bottled water and otter pops.

Boys Sleepover at Skamakowa

Tor, Adam and Andy joined Papa Ken (and Daddy) at the Skamakowa property for a boys sleepover. The boys helped Papa do some work, hauling branches from a downed tree over to the fire pit to be burned. They worked hard and were proud of how big the fire got.

In their free time, the boys hiked through the woods, played some toss-and-catch with a football, and tended the fire. For dinner, Papa Ken grilled up hamburgers.

We all sat around the firepit and talked boy stuff until bedtime. Papa set up a canopy to keep the boys dry, and they snuggled into their sleeping bags for the night.

Everyone slept outside, and slept in until 8 am. We had pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon for breakfast, then the boys did some more cleanup work around the property. We made a quick trip to play at Vista Park before heading home. The boys all agreed it was a great time!

Busy Day

In the morning before the big announcement from Brock and Kayleigh, these wonderful kids showed up to play all day-Jillian, Bridget, Tor, Adam, Andy and Karli. They went from one activity to another. First it was the Hoverboard, Ripsticks, and scooters. Then game the squirt guns and water shooters that felt pretty good in the sun, but when a couple were soaking wet that had to come to an end.

 They Playfort got a lot of use. Here they were using the platform as a stage. Andy is in the hammock. Tor and Karli are dancing to the music provided by Bridget. Jillian is ready to do something on the high bar while Adam is the audience. Brock was trying to keep order over this crew most of the day.

 At one point of the day I declared a quiet time and had everyone get a book to read for awhile. They did need a break from all that activity and heat. After that they all joined in a game of croquet. Good kids-good day!

Junior Bridesmaids & Ringbearer

The kids received some big and happy news today. Kayleigh asked Jillian and Bridget to be her Junior Bridesmaids, and Brock asked Tor to be his Ringbearer. The kids were so excited! They had been hoping for this.

Just before, the kids (with Karlee) had welcomed Kayleigh home with some signs that spelled out her name ... Bridget came up with the idea.

Sunday School Teacher

At church this morning, the kids were dismissed to go to Sunday School. We found out afterwards that there was no teacher in the room ... and that Jillian took over and taught the class (Bridget, Tor and another boy)!

Here's the kids hanging out at Papa Ken and Bev's house after church.

Another Successful Swim Lesson

The kids finished up their final day of the June session of swim lessons with "free swim", joined by Daddy. Jillian moved up to Level 7 and Bridget moved up to Level 4. Tor stayed at Level 1, and wasn't too happy about it, but he improved alot.