Buffalo Bill Days!

Greetings! I know I haven't posted in a month, but there hasn't been anything really exciting happening worth posting about. We've been spending quite a lot of time at the club, both exercising (I joined a 90-day Challenge at Lifetime!) and at the pool. Every week has been much of the same. Mira has swimming lessons every Saturday, and Amelia takes ballet on Wednesday nights. Look for a post on her last ballet class this week!

This past weekend we did get out of the big city to stay in Lanesboro for Buffalo Bill Days. My siblings, their families, and mine all congregate at Mom and Dad's house for the weekend. It's so fun and relaxing and the cousins can get to know each other better. We have lots of bean bag toss games, make s'mores at night, head to town for some of the festivities, watch the fireworks just across the street from Mom and Dad's house in this great open space in the country, and go to the parade on Sunday. We are tuckered tonight!

Dad and Sara taking on Jeff and Duey in the bean bag toss:
We celebrated Abby's birthday:
Sweet cousins:
Mira and Amelia enjoyed a dip in the pool:
Mom and Kelly at home:
Amelia showing her patriotic side at the parade:
Mira and Amelia at the parade:
Mira and Logan:
The kids got more candy than they know what to do with! It's a great yearly tradition we look forward to.

Fun family time

My sweet sister Kelly and her two kids visited us this weekend. We had such a wonderful time and Mira and Amelia got to know Chesney and Logan a little better. Now that they are back from Australia, we are making up for lost time!

We spent Saturday afternoon at the swimming pool. The kids had a great time! Mira tried the rope swing for the first time. And Kelly and I went down the water slide!

That evening, Chris graciously agreed to watch all four kids while Kelly and I met two college friends for dinner. What a great evening out we had!

Sunday was a movie day, then Logan came with to Mira's birthday party with her classmates. (Chesney wasn't feeling well.) Seventeen 6-year-olds and me! It was loud and busy. But Mira had a great time. It was fun to see her interacting with her classmates. Here is Mira and Logan at the party place.
And Mira with her "boyfriend" Isaac:
Mira received so many cool presents. One of them was a Barbie doll with a hair straightener that put pink streaks in hair. She tried it out on Amelia this morning.

One satisfied customer. Pretty!
The sweet kids just before it was time to go.
So much fun packed into a short weekend! We'll have to do it again soon!

Little Miss Sleepy Pants

And, Amelia the day after:
This kid never naps anymore.

And . . . three hours later:
Mira and I took advantage of Amelia's nap and skipped off to the pool for a couple hours. It was fun to have alone time with her and watch her swim. She's gotten really, really good this spring!

Sleep tight, sweetie pie! We have a big day tomorrow.

Happy 4th of July!

A little weatherman told us that it was supposed to rain today, so Randy and Terrie had their annual 4th of July party on Saturday this year. And what a beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful day it was! (And I'm so glad it was yesterday for it's pouring out as I write this post on Sunday morning.)

Our happy hosts!
Amelia enjoyed some quiet time on a raft:
Loving the water on a hot day:
Amelia let Chris take her out on the jet ski . . . and then promptly told him to bring her back in! She's not too adventurous.
Mira was high-flying from Uncle Matt:
Mira and her cousins rode on the Seadoo behind the pontoon:
Jumping off the dock using the springboard:
Just enjoying the view. I love this suit of Amelia's. It reminds me of the bloomers they used to wear in the 1930s.
Amelia and grandpa Randy on the hammock:
Amelia on her third dessert!
Mira's first taste of a sparkler. She was a little unsure of it, like I was when I was a kid.
Amelia tried a sparkler too!
All in all, the weather was beautiful and it was a spectacular fireworks show at the end of the evening. Thirteen boats were docked in our bay to watch our show, put on by Chris's cousin Travis and his friend and a couple other houses. It was the best fireworks show the lake has seen yet!

Many thanks to Randy and Terrie for another wonderful summer holiday. It was great fun!

Dells/Waunakee vacation!

We got back on Sunday from a lovely trip to the Wisconsin Dells and Waunakee to visit Sarah, John, and the Samuelson gang. We had so much fun at the waterpark and visiting with Sarah and John. It was a great weekend.

Hanging with my girls at the wave pool:
Amelia enjoyed the kiddie pool:
Mira on the lazy river:
Chris and Ameila at the wave pool:
Mira tackles a big wave!
Hanging with Dad at the pool:
Mira is ready to hit the slopes, um, waves:
Me and sweet cousin Sarah:
The kids all had such a wonderful time together!
Finally, a bath for Mira, Amelia, and GeorgiaRae. I dare anyone to find a similar photo of 4 little girls from 30 years ago!
Many thanks to Sarah and John for two nights' lodging. We were able to get so much quality time with them and their kids. We took a leisurely walk to their neighborhood park, then had a great afternoon dip in their neighborhood pool. We hired a babysitter and had a delicious leisurely dinner out. It was a great relaxing weekend. And no sunburns!

Amelia was going to drive home, but she was too short to reach the pedals:


Mira was certainly happy to see Winter again.

Our little ballerina

Amelia had her first official class tonight! She picked ballet as her summer class and really enjoyed it! She got a new leotard and tutu for her birthday and was ready to dance!
I wasn't sure how she would do in a class setting since she's never taken one before. She was certainly one of the more talkative ones, very outgoing. She listened pretty well, but we'll have to talk about listening to the teacher a little better.
They learned 1st position, 2nd position, and the Hokey Pokey!

More kissing!

Help! Mira mentioned last night that when Connie, our daycare person, was putting the little kids down for a nap, she and Isaac put a blanket over their heads and kissed! This is at least their 4th kissing incident.

What do we do? I don't want to forbid it, for fear of sending her directly into the arms of her 6 1/2 year old boyfriend, but I don't feel comfortable with her kissing him either. I know it's experimental and she feels a little naughty and excited when they kiss, but, man . . . she's a bit young!

Any advice for a mom out there?

Father's Day!

We had a great Father's Day at Randy and Terrie's house on Lake Charlotte. The weather was beautiful so the kids were able to enjoy the beach all afternoon.

Here is Chris opening his gifts. Iron Man 2 CD, two polo shirts, and a pair of jeans. He'll be stylin'!
Mira on the pontoon:
Chris, Randy, Mira, and Amelia on the beach:
Chris and his girls. Sunny!
Me and the girls on the pontoon:
We hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day!

We love our dog.

We love our dog. We love our dog. We love our dog . . .