@ the Cabin

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A Dino-mite Production

This was your second play with the Great Theater Company and you loved it! Every morning for one week, you met with a group of excited five and six year olds for theater camp. You learned a lot about what it takes to put on a production and got to roar and stomp around like a dinosaur! How perfect for little, energetic boys! At the end of the week, you surprised us with a fabulous performance. Your homemade tails and hats were so neat! You did very well reading your lines and acting like a dinosaur. It was Dino-mite!!!

The Amazing Blue Angels

If you want your jaws to drop, just try tailgating at an air show. The Blue Angels came to the St. Cloud Airport this summer, and we drove out there to view this spectacular show. I was in "ahhhh" watching them fly overhead. My parents live very close to the airport, so we saved money by tailgating near it instead. The Blue Angels were amazing...their size and ability to maneuver the way they did made all our jaws drop.

Fish is Your Middle Name

Some days I think you could have been a fish! Whenever we go to the cabin, you're in the lake the entire time. You've been in the water with your clothes on, you've been in the water when it's barely 60 degrees outside, and you've brought and played with just about every imaginable toy in the water! Today this surfboard crossed your path, and immediately you took it in the water to test it out. The sun wasn't shining, the air was cool, and there wasn't a single ripple on the lake, but that didn't matter. It was a water toy, and you needed to get it to the water where it belonged! I of course followed you down there (in my polar fleece jacket) with my camera to capture another water moment. I wasn't quite sure what you had in mind... since you do need waves to surf...but you had fun experimenting and spending more time in the water!!!

The Girls

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Welcome home David, Marybeth, and the girls!!! It was so much fun having them come home this year. Because we are in a bigger house now, we had enough room to have them stay with us! This was a real treat for Lilly and Nolan. They adored their little cousins. Lilly was so excited have two little girls in the house with her 24/7. They played together from the minute the sun came up until it set at 10:00! Riding bikes, jumping on the trampoline, playing dress-up and beauty shop and giggling, giggling, giggling. Three giggling girls under one roof would make anyone smile. We even bought them matching dresses- Lilly loved being a "triplet" for the week. We sure wish they were closer...time with cousins is so valuable!

P.S. I do need to mention that the time we had with David and Marybeth was special too. We love you guys and miss you so much!

Ride On!

A four-wheeling we will go! While visiting my parents this weekend, we took the four-wheelers out for a long ride through the woods around the lake. I hadn't ever ridden on one with Mike before, so it was even new for us. Nolan snuggled in behind Grandpa Trouble and loved every minute of it. At times the terrain was a little rough, but we were on the hunt for "Lost Lake". There were times I had to say a quick prayer...

Dear Lord,

Keep us safe! I sure hope Nolan is hanging on as tight as I am. Let us not get lost.

Amen

We spent close to two hours riding and enjoying the beautiful scenery. It is something Nolan still talks about. We'll definitely have to take them out again.

At the Lake

We had a lot of fun at the cabin and on the lake this weekend. My mom and Bruce have done so much to their cabin, that it is really hard to believe it's the same one they bought a couple of years ago. It was a beautiful day, so instead of taking on a new project, we went out on the lake for the afternoon. The kids enjoyed swimming and floating at the sand bar, and Nolan and Mike tried "diaper diving" in the deeper waters of Pine Mountain Lake.

We also enjoyed watching movies, having a campfire, and going for a long four-wheeler ride. Some of my best childhood memories are the ones I made at the lake with my grandparents and parents. It makes me happy to know that Nolan and Lilly are making them too.

Pinkalicious

Lilly can be so dramatic! Seriously, this little girl really likes to act. Not necessarily on stage, but most definitely in front of her family and friends. Her expressions and reactions to things make me laugh. Because she is so theatrical, we thought it would be fun for her to participate in the Great Theater's summer production of Pinkalicious (also her absolute FAVORITE book!). She attended the camp for one week with several of her preschool friends and performed for us today. The directors taught them a lot about the components of a play, and they got to sing, dance, and act silly all week. She had a lot of fun and we were very proud of our little actress.

Cocktail Cruise

Yeah, we're done with another year! Laurie, a fourth grade teacher and friend, had us all out to her house to celebrate the end of another school year and the start of summer vacation. She lives on the river, so her hubby took us on a cocktail cruise. We enjoyed reminiscing about the year and all the fun things we have written on our June, July, and August calendars. He took us to Rumors for dinner and then we headed back to their home for more fun. Jill and I braved the waters of their underground pool before retiring for the evening. Teachers really do know how to have fun! I am really lucky to work with such a wonderful group of people.

School's Out for Summer

Nolan had a great year in Mrs. Perry's Class. He learned so much and is really going to miss her. He's already decided that Lilly needs to have her for Kindergarten too. :)


It's official, school's out for summer! This is not only an exciting time for all the children, but something I look forward to too!!! No more alarm clocks, papers to correct, tight schedules to keep, and rushed mornings. We are all officially on vacation!!!
I am really looking forward to spending the days at home with you. Just think of all the fun things we can do...