Summer Memories Part 3

Ah, August was lovely.

We started off the month with a week in Iowa, a whole posse of cousins together for lots of sweet time at parks, picnics, and many hours of fun playing.

Note that Momma was somehow thrust in among the jumpers when Elliot began boycotting... Graceful. Super graceful.

It was lots of fun to have our Canadian cousins in town as well!

One day involved a scavenger hunt at a park, with teams of cousins finding clues from photos taken at the park earlier.

We even came away with a sweet family photo! (Thanks, Bets!)

We got to tour a dairy farm, where my Uncle Arlan is now working (owned by my mom's cousins).

Lunch with Grandma Vaupel at Pizza Ranch was special as always!

The day after we returned home was the 8th grade "Day in Duluth" trip. It was fun to join in! We started with cinnamon or caramel rolls at Tobie's.

Victor and Josiah joined in for some of the hiking up the stream near Lester Park.

We also got to have some fun friends over for "super boy time" several mornings. The "6-boy" and "8-boy" playtime is a definite highlight for our boys!

We really enjoyed the Pastors & Families Lake Day.

Perhaps Momma took a little wild tubing ride there (complete with a violent exit from the tube halfway through). Man, it was fun!

Look who actually considers drinking from a bottle an acceptable form of nourishment! (Not that he's had a lot of practice, but it does provide the thrilling possibility of a date night or something crazy like that! Sons 2 and 3 never really took to that.)

Woohoo, the family room is completed!! What an answer to prayer and lovely gift from the Lord! (A separate post is due on that whole project.)

Victor had a super fun outing to a Twins game with the Lee boys. It rained, and he got back SUPER late (well, super late for him), and he had an absolutely fabulous time!

 

Ah yes, summer was full of refreshing, encouraging fun. The Lord is kind.

Summer Memories Part 2

The fun of July...

We had a fun family daytrip up to Duluth, partly in research for the upcoming Day at Duluth for the 8th graders.

Calvin grew in size and cuteness...

Some fun with cousins

Another "goal sheet" reached was to camp in the backyard with Dad!

Some s'mores began the evening...

... and tent time!

The big boys slept outside with Dad. All the way until 10:45pm.

Summer Wednesday Connections at Long Lake Park were another summer highlight.

The boys encouraging Calvin during his tummy time

Victor and Josiah had the honor of serving as ring bearers at a wedding! 

They did an excellent job in their role.

And the next day, we headed off for a week in Iowa with the Anderson clan.

Vacation Days

We are home.

Another sweet, crazy, fun summer vacation under our belt.

The highlights of this trip:

Friday: Arrived in Iowa, spent the afternoon hanging out and playing with cousins. After supper, we also went to a local creamery for some very good ice cream!

Grammy's Bible story time with all 10 grandkids! They learned different truths about "God is ..."

Saturday: We imitated a long-time Anderson extended family tradition (going to Rochester to meet up with our extended family for one afternoon/evening/morning at a hotel all together). Our destination was a bit closer, but it was just fabulous to enjoy swimming, eating, playing, reading, and hanging out without needing to run lots of different directions for a day!

Sunday: We wrapped up at the hotel and had a fun picnic at a park together. Headed back to Grammy and Grandad's for afternoon naps, and then the Laser crew, Katterson crew, and Grammy and Grandad headed to Des Moines for 2 days and nights of great fun and adventure!

Monday: Off to Adventureland! Our boys were so excited! Everyone had a ball, riding the train (Josiah, Silas, Elliot, and I went 3 times), enjoying other rides, and playing in the water park. We stayed until suppertime and then enjoyed the complimentary dinner at the hotel, which was super nice. The boys slept really well that night!

Tuesday: We headed to the Living History Farm for our Tuesday excitement. It was very interesting, a beautiful day, fun tractor rides, and lots of fascinating things to learn about. Afterward, we drove back to Cedar Rapids for the remainder of our vacation.

Wednesday: For lunch on Wednesday, Mom took Betsy (and Hadley), Krista, and me to a fun, quaint restaurant to eat and look at fun decor. In the afternoon, Kate and I prepared supper (mini meatloaves my Mom already had ready, potato wedges, berry and romaine salad, dinner rolls, and "Selfish Bars" for dessert. Then we headed out for an all-family photo shoot, with some special bonus Katterson family pictures. So sweet. My sister and brother-in-law are uber talented... (Photos here not from them. :) Separate post coming.)

Thursday: My parents gave Kevin and Krista and Ben and me a chance to head out for a breakfast together, which was so fun. It was a rainy day, so we spent a bit of time getting decorated for Grammy's birthday celebration in the evening.


Friday: We had a day at the farm! Uncle Arlan and Aunt Sue let us help harvest potatoes, and then we all had a big picnic lunch by their pond, followed by some very successful fishing! In the evening we celebrated Kevin's upcoming birthday.

Notice my dad photo bombing this shot...

Saturday: We headed for a nostalgic breakfast at the Amana's (though our beloved Brick Haus restaurant is no longer...). We used to celebrate my grandparents' anniversary regularly in the Amana's, and this time we went there to celebrate Grandma Vaupel's 95th birthday. It was a sweet time. Afterward we browsed some of the nearby stores, then headed home. Grandad and I took the kids to a park to play for a while, and then we enjoyed the typical Saturday night pizza dinner.

Sunday: We went to church and then packed a picnic to eat at a park. It was another beautiful day, and it capped off a very beautiful vacation!

Monday: We headed home bright and early, the travel made much more fun because we got to caravan with the Lasers! They will stay with us tonight and then launch off the rest of their epic road trip back to British Columbia.

It was a sweet gift to enjoy these days, and we are thankful for so many mercies from God sprinkled through every day!