Summer activities

Summer break is in full force!  We have been busy with different activities, camping/boating and violin lessons.  We have added in tennis for Josie and Ella and they loved it.  It was only 3 weeks but to know they enjoyed it is good.

Eli has been doing swim and is ROCKING it.  He is swimming under water and swims with out any floaty.  He is currently working on diving!  It is such a workout for him and always sleeps so good the nights after swimming!  I am very proud of his hard work in swimming!

And last but not least, Ella has skateboard lessons.  There is a young guy here in town that was willing to teach her and so far she LOVES it!  I hope it continues and hopefully will do some sweet tricks!  Tricks that don't break any bones that is.....

The girls also have several little 4-h day camps they are signed up for.  Ella did a Muck n Slime one and loved it.  They played in a mud pit and made mud slime and mud pies and all things dirt.

Summer Things

Summer is here and we have been able to get out and enjoy some things!  We participated in the Seton golf tournament with some friends.  This was my first time playing in 2 or 3 years and I was AWESOME!! JK! Although our team did come in third place for something.

Family Kayak trip are always fun.  We borrowed a small adult kayak for Josie so Eli could have his own, and she did great with it.

Eli loves to kayak, he just doesn't last long and gets tired.

We also had some special visitors come...Grant and Micah! They came for a visit and we were so happy to see them.  The girls were so excited and they had so much fun.  We met at one of Jody's other friends house in the evening and when I said it was time to go the girls' were so upset.  Ella had tears in her eyes, but none fell, because she didn't want to go. :(  

We were able to go to the beach with them and spend the afternoon swimming and catching up.  So they were able to spend more time with the boys.  Group hugs! We were sad they had to leave but we will get to see them again at the end of summer for a special camping trip! 

Jody and I!

Until next time!  Great to see you all!

8 1/2 years old

The girls turned 8 1/2 and that is when we celebrated them!  Besides their birthday sign and a special 8 breakfast and treats for school, we did nothing for the girls in December.  So now 6 months later we celebrate them!  This was a big one for the girls.  We have had an electric razor scooter thing in our attic for 11 years.  Joey had won this thing at a benefit and it was now time to get it used.  So we decided we were going to give it to the girls this year because Josie had learned to ride a friends hoover board  and she had asked for one.  So if we got a hoover board, and gave the scooter, both would have something to ride.  

So we had charged both items and had them with bows on them in the garage.  Joey asked for the girls to get him a beer and when they went out they saw them.  Big smiles all around and instant riding happened.  They have been on them ever since.  We said that these were for both of them and they had to share between the 2.  So far so good.  Ella didn't know how to ride the hover board yet but has since figured that out!  

Ella on the hover board

And Ella on the scooter

And Iris, the neighbor friend, happened to have one of the scooter things too and her dad got a new battery for it since the girls were getting theirs.  These girls are cruising the neighborhood, watch out!

Josie on the scooter.

The girls also had a little birthday party on the boat.  3 friends came on the boat for the day.  We swam, ate, played at the beach, tubed and swam more.

They had Frozen, the movie, cupcakes...(not the best work I have done, but the kids helped)

Swimming in the middle of the lake.  It was the HOTTEST day of the year so far at 97 so it was a perfect day for the lake.  We are lucky dad was able to take some vacation time to take us all out.

Here is the group!  We let Eli have a friend come too so he would leave his sisters and their friends alone!

Cupcakes on the boat!

Iris and Josie tubing!  Thumbs up means go FASTER!  

I think everyone had a great day and had fun!  I know the girls had a blast!  Happy 8th birthday girls.  We love you and think you are pretty incredible!  Keep doing you! 

In 6 months I will have  a couple of 9 year olds!!!! 

Memorial Day weekend

Memorial day weekend....of course, we camped and went boating like we have in the past.  This time it was cold though.  Friday night we were in our hats/gloves/jackets and we even took a space heater for in our camper just in case.  I think this was just a nice time for Joey and I try to our new electric blanket for the camper.  It worked great if you were wondering :-)  

The cold/chilly weather made it so we could play my campground clue game.  Like the original game but instead of rooms we had campground areas, different weapons and people! 

Places: at the campfire, camper, lake, picnic area or lake, etc..

Weapons: marshmallow roaster, flashlight, rock etc..

People: mom, dad and others we camp with..

Josie was the winner with mom committing the crime and the lake with the stick :)

And winning...she won the minnow races at our friends campsite.  They have gutters and everyone gets a minnow and who's ever makes it to the end wins.  Josie's won so she won a 5lb bag of Reece's peanut butter cups.  LUCKY!

Always great to see friends.  Notice the sweatshirt.  It was chilly and the water was VERY cold.  No swimming for me.

We did the usual stuff, but watching all our friends kids get along is so neat to see.  Josie and little Ellie have a special little bond.  And that is evident by Josie pushing Ellie on this toy and both having such BIG smiles.  Josie is def my mother bear and loves babies! 

 

Onward and Upwards

The end of the school year 2020-2021 has come to an end and WE MADE IT!!  Masks, pandemic, social distancing...the kids made it and without a quarantine too! This was such an interesting year for all of us.  But to wrap up the year, the girls both received the Math award and also Best Helper award (which after today when I was given so much grief for giving everyone a minor chore, I find hard to believe.)

Onward and upwards to 3rd grade!

And here is their last day of school pictures.  If I had time I would do some neat side by side, but I don't.  So here they are, with masks, on their last day of (apparently chilly) day of school! Masks and all!

I am, very proud of the girls!  I think they did so well this year.  Josie only missed one spelling word otherwise 100% from both on spelling words.  Obviously, math is a strong point with them (they get that from me :-) and being able to handle the masks and all the covid stuff with ease has really proven to me these 2 are quite AWESOME!!  I can't wait to see what great things 3rd grade has in store!