Summer Update

It's time for some pictures!! (And lots of them)

* A quick note, though... after I downloaded all of the pictures to the blog here, I realized they seem rather small in size. But if you just click on the photo, a larger image will pop up and you will be able to see some of the details better.

We've had a good summer, and now it's nearly over! In less than two weeks the kids will be in school again. Wow! Here's how we've been spending our summer break....

The end of the school year also brought the end of TaeKwonDo classes for the kids. (They get the summers off.) The boys tested for their yellow belts and passed. Karis wasn't ready at that time, but with a re-scheduled test time, we were able to help her study for her testing after the boys. And she passed, too! One thing all of the students get to try to do after their testing is to break a board. When the boys tested, they declined; not wanting to even attempt it. But Karis was all for it. I was there and watching and seeing her try again and again, kicking this board - I didn't think she was going to do it. But then all of a sudden, her kick went right through. She was on cloud nine, to say the least. So to document her momentous feat, here she is with her new yellow belt and her souvenir broken board.


Hi-yah!


At the end of June our small town had its annual festival days. One of the events is a tractor pull. Kids get to pedal this tractor which has weights in the back, to see who can go the furthest. Our dear Karis was the only girl in her age group to try, so obviously won first in the girls category. But she also beat all of the boys in her group except one. That's our little go-getter!


Two nights during the festival we have a carnival set up on our main street. It's like this little fair right in the middle of our downtown! Talk about the highlight of the summer. The kids absolute favorite was the Scrambler. Here Kurt was roped into going with them (as they had to have an adult riding along, too).


And then this one just cracks me up. I took this while the ride was going, so was happy to actually get them in the camera screen. Click on the picture and you can see Karis' expression. It's hilarious!


The kids also rode on a few of the kiddie rides.
Nate and Ben on the Elephants:


And Karis, too:


In June and July the boys played baseball. They have played for a couple of years now, but were somewhat hesitant to play again this year. We encouraged them to try it, do their best and have fun. And by the end of the season, their skills had improved and they were enjoying themselves, to boot.

Nate waiting for the next hit:


Ben up at bat:


Then later in the summer a couple from our church invited us to a "hillside slide" at their place on the farm. They took black plastic, laid it down one of their hills, and pumped water down it... turning it into a 100 foot water slide! Our kids had an absolute blast! It was a very memorable event. These kids ran up the hill and slid down more times than I could count.

Here's Nate in action, heading down the slide. (You can see at the bottom of the slide was a sectioned off area that filled with water, so you slid into a shallow "pool" of sorts.)


Here's a view from the other side:


Ben was the most hesitant to try, but once he gave it a go, he was hooked.
Getting ready to run:


And an action shot:


Then Karis had at it:




Oh, what fun!!


In July we took a very quick "vacation" in combination with a business trip Kurt needed to make. We drove about four hours away to a place called "Adventureland" in Des Moines, Iowa. It is an amusement park similar to World's of Fun (where we've gone the past two summers), but on a smaller scale. And we all really enjoyed it! The kids loved the rides, and Kurt and I really liked how clean the park was, and that most of the workers were retirees who truly enjoyed what they were doing. Just a fun and family-friendly atmosphere.

Here are the kids at the front of the amusement park:


And then the whole family:


Our first ride was a ferris wheel type of ride. Ben wasn't so sure he wanted to go, but we all hopped on and he ended up loving it.


We took a "Sky Ride" across the park and I have to say, I tried to swallow my fear for Nate and Karis in front of me. There were no seatbelts on this ride; just a bar that pulled down in front of you. So too much wiggling or leaning over too far could potentially result in catastrophe. But the kids didn't blink an eye and thought it was way cool to be up and above the park and be able to see the rides and people below.


We were at the park on a perfect day weather-wise. A warm day, but not too hot. Yet warm enough to enjoy the water rides. Here Kurt, Nate and Karis try out the "Saw Mill Splash". It doesn't get you too wet, but still lots of fun.

Up, up, up...


Now on their way down...


Refreshing!! :)


All the kids drove the bumper cars many times. Here's Nate flashing a grin:


Then the token "Log Ride" was another hit. At the end of the day when the lines, which weren't all that long to begin with, were even shorter, the boys went on this ride many times in a row without getting off. In this first shot I so wish the power line wasn't over Ben's face, but I had to post it because I love Nate's expression.


So fun!


Then the absolute, hands-down favorite ride of Adventureland was the "Outlaw". Again, at the end of the day, the kids just rode on this one many times in a row. This first shot shows them each in their own seats at the back of the roller coaster.


Then Karis taking the prime spot - the front! Weeeee!


There's so much I didn't post about our mini vacation, but it was such a super fun, packed 48 hours.

The week after Adventureland the kids had church camp. All the kids were together in the same age group and stayed two nights - same as last year. They had a great time - and the boys are already looking forward to next year when they get to stay four nights. !!! (But I'm not sure I'm ready for that!)

Here is Karis with her counselor, Janelle:


And then Ben and Nate with their counselor, Tyler:


Before I know it I'll have first day of school pictures to share! Crazy, I know. But for now, we'll enjoy these last two weeks of summer break.