Vacation Stop #1

After swim season wrapped up we headed out of town for vacation.  Our first stop was to spend some time with Chuck and Sandra in Grand Forks, North Dakota.  We borrowed some DVD players, loaded up the iPads and got ready for a very long drive.  Thankfully, Jan was going up then too so about half way the kids got into the car with her, which they enjoyed more than driving with us!  I always enjoy spending some time on the Korsmoe's farm and I was looking forward to seeing the kids run free on all the land.  Not only did they run, they got to sit on the horse, swim, have amore's, and play with sparklers.  The first night we were there Annika asked Grandma if she they could build a fire pit and have smore's so the next day they went out, gathered rocks, and built their own pit.  After dinner we headed out and have a lovely night of smore's and sparklers.  Annika also had a blast helping Grandma do chores in the barn.  We all had a good time and always look forward to going back.

Swim Team

 We decided to sign Annika up for swim team this year on Derek's team.  I knew she could swim, but was very nervous about how she would interact with the other kids.  The first day she cried and wouldn't get in the pool  The second day  I had to go with her and sit on the deck and she did great.  Slowly she started gaining confidence and by the end of the second week she didn't need me to come anymore and was having a blast.  She went from swimming in the smaller pool to swimming the length of the bigger pool in the deep end.  She competed in three meets, and winning two of her heats in the second meet.  She swam in the championship meet at one of the high schools and wasn't fazed by the deep end that was way over her head or the blocks that were almost taller than her.  But what I loved the most about the season was her confidence.  Not just with swimming but with her ability to be around new people.  She was having just as much fun playing with the other kids as she was swimming.  We are so beyond proud of how hard she worked and cannot wait to see what she wants to do next!

Birthday Getaway/June Date

This year on our birthdays, we decided to take a couple days to ourselves, so we dropped the kids at my parents, got in the car and drove about an hour south of the city and checked into a nice Bed and Breakfast.  We have never stayed at a B&B but thought that it would be fun, and it was a heck of time.  Since we went in the middle of the week, the few other couples that were there were very spread out, and we were able to enjoy a nice, peaceful time in the pool, walking the grounds, enjoying good food, and comfortable room.  It was a great way to spend our birthdays.

The view from our room.

Looking out from the patio where they served lunch.



Old Shawnee Days

After days of rain, we finally got a nice night and we decided to take the kids to Old Shawnee Days, a fair in Old Shawnee Town.  We fought the mud, but the kids loved the rides, got to enjoy some ice cream, and in the end, didn't want to leave.  

Home Depot

Home Depot offers a program on the first Saturday of each month where the kids get to build something.  They are free kits where the kids use real tools and learn some basic tool skills while putting together something neat.  It was a little hard to let her do it on her own at times, but in the end she put her truck together all on her own.  She loves to build and learn how things work.  When I had to put the repaired tire back on my car, she was right there, learning how to do it.  

Getting her certificate for completing the truck.

Teaching Asher how to use a hammer to build their Helicopter.

Swim Team

Annika is old enough for swim team so we signed her up for Derek's team this summer.  She was so excited to go that first day and has been doing more and more each day.  She is improving every day, but most important she is having such a good time!