July 20-27 Bob's Birthday Trip

We headed to Ana's on the 20th. Diane stayed, and Bob went to Jimmy's in Wisconsin on the 22nd to help him get his tractor started. We all met in Iowa at Tom and Trina's on Friday and celebrated Bob's 70th birthday and Grace's 4th birthday over the weekend.  

At Ana's the girls had swimming lessons, Claire went to gymnastics, watered flowers, painted boards, rode bike, and we all "picked rock," and wore gramma out!

Popsicle break

The girls helped Mommy paint the trim boards for the sun room

Ready for swimming lessons

Lydia the cowgirl

Claire on "cowback"

Cecelia riding piggyback

Corey converted their barn to host parties, meetings, reunions, or weddings

Check out the ceiling fan

View behind the barn--note the "animals" in front of the shop

Bob, barn, and silo

Corn crib gazebo

. 

Cecelia, Ariana, and Claire, Lydia and Annika patiently wait for the group picture

Cecelia, Claire, Ana,and Lydia enjoying the bench

Everyone wanted to help Grace open her gifts

Grace turned 4 on July 27th

Grampa tests the frosting on his birthday cake

Thank Heaven for little girls

Ariana 10, Andrew 8, Jett 7, Caiden 6, Claire and Matthew 5,
Grace and Annika 4, Cecelia and Lydia 2

Who needs a pool when we have a sprinkler!

The kids played ball, had a race, threw water balloons, and had fun together

All grampa wanted for his birthday is to make footprint pavers of all the kids at the party

Jett carves his name on his block

Lydia is on the spot

Matthew making a great impression

Caiden putting his name on his footprint while Cecelia and Annika watch

Grampa with Claire, Lydia, Ari, Cecelia, Annika, Caiden, Andrew, Grace, and Matthew

Fourth of July--Bob made a buy!

View from one end......

to the other

This camper came "all deck-ed out"

South Dakota June 21-27, 2014

RJ sports his new tee that Grampa and Gramma sent

from South Dakota

Julia Christine arrived a month early

June 25, 2014

Grampa and Gramma sent this shirt from Custer!

Julia Christine was born a month early to surprise Doug and Sara and big brother RJ.  Sara called at 8 a.m.(EDT) to tell us about the new baby--we were on Mountain time in South Dakota. (can you figure it out?)  I sent the t-shirts from Custer, but Julia's looks more like a dress--she was only 5# 10 oz.



Captured at Bedrock City



Mount Rushmore



and Mount Rockmore (at Bedrock City)

Andrew and Grace measure up

Matthew and Andrew trying to be brave enough to touch a snake at Reptile Gardens

The level  at Cosmos says that they are the same height!

We met Fred and Barney



We saw these characters at Storybook Island



Bambi, Matthew, and Thumper

Andrew logging in the old fashioned way

The "tale" at the Dinosaur Park



Bob and Diane with the Flintstones




The plate on the bench says, "Rest a while Bob so we can play a little longer."

A beary nice place

Baby bears trying to get up in the world

The kids were really impressed with Crazy Horse (can you see his face in the background?)

Belle Fourche--the Geographic Center of the United States

Devil's Tower in Wyoming--the boys tried to climb it

We met the sheriff in Deadwood

Jimmy and Kelly's "home away from home"

The kids decided to scrub the pool area

 

On the way home, we visited Lawrence Welk's home and met his niece



The church at Strasburg, ND, Lawrence Welk's birthplace



St. Mary's Church at Hague, ND