The summer is winding down. We kept up a pretty hectic pace all summer long. We had only 3 weekends here at home, and two of those we had guests here. We've done some camping, some visiting with family and exploring the area.
The last week of July the kids attended VBS at a church here in the area. They had a ball and we've been jammin' to the CD in the car ever since. That weekend we ventured down to Baker Park near Maple Plain to camp with my MOPs gals. We had a great time with everyone, especially the Shiefelbeins who gave us camper-envy. We will be sure to camp with them again...our families clicked really well.
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| Ethan and Cooper having lunch. |
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| Bike riding was the thing to do this weekend. |
The next weekend was a rare weekend home and we hosted my brother Jon and his daughter Michelle. It was also Grand Rapid's Tall Timber Days. We had a lot of fun seeing all the events and were able to take in a parade.
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| Clare, Michelle, Cate, Jon, Cooper, Missy |
The following weekend we went camping at Savannah Portage State Park which is close to Big Sandy Lake. We did a lot of bike riding, some hiking and a bit of fishing. We were able to take a boat ride on Big Sandy (beautiful lake) and climbed to the top of a fire tower that looked out over the surrounding trees and lakes. What a view! Even Cooper was brave enough to get to the top! The park we stayed at was fairly primitive and remote (they had no hot water for the showers on Sunday!). But on our way home we cruised through an Army Corps of Eng. campsite located right on Big Sandy and decided we'd try that one next year. It was a bit more family friendly, with a park and lake access.
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| Cooper, Scott, and Clare at the campfire |
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| Scotty making pancakes |
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| Clare, Cooper & Catie in front of Shumway Lake |
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| Loading up the truck. |
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| Our camping family. |
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| Playing at the park. |
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| Catie and Clare going WAY back. |
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| Fire Tower |
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| Catie and Clare on the way up. |
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| The view |
The week after that, my friend Sharla came up with her family and her mom to visit her aunt and uncle who live on Northstar Lake in Marcell, which is just a half hour north of here. We were able to swing up for a couple of hours and visit with them. Later that day, we headed down to the twin cities to stay with Uncle Dustin. The cousins had a great time together and we spent a lot of time on the beautiful new patio that Debbie and Dustin worked hard on. We also managed to spend a ton of money at the Albertville Outlet Mall. But we got a lot of school clothes shopping done and I got some cute new sweaters for this winter. It was a great weekend and we are thankful for Dustin and Debbie's excellent hospitality!
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| The cousins: Cooper, McKenna, Cate, Clare, Kalie |
Scott's work, MN Power, hosted a family picnic last week. It was a beautiful evening and I was able to meet a number of Scott's co-workers and their spouses. They had an inflateable jumper for the kids and some games too. It was a fun night.
Which brings us to this past weekend, which we were able to spend at home. It's been so long since we had a lazy Saturday morning at home! The kids all hung out on the couch with Dad watching TV and we made regular Saturday morning breakfast of pancakes and bacon.
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| Saturday morning at home. |
And on Sunday our sweet Clarebear turned 7!! Grandma Cheryl and Grandpa Kenny came up from Webb Lake and took Clare to lunch and shopping for the afternoon. When they came home, Clare got a special call from her best friend, Emma, calling to wish her a happy b-day. They were on the phone for 30 minutes (when she's a teenager I'm going to have to get the unlimited minutes package for sure!). It made Clare's day! After the phone call we celebrated with a taco dinner, cake and ice cream, and of course, presents! Clare said it was the best day ever. Happy Birthday sweetie!
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| The birthday table |
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| Ready for tacos! |
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| Clare is 7!! |
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| Only one boyfriend. |
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| Grandma and Cooper snuggling on the couch. |
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| Who doesn't love Barbie stuff?! |
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| Silly! |
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| Happy Birthday sweet girl! |
Clare got a whisk, spatula, flipper, and a timer for one of her b-day presents. The kids promptly put them to good use the next morning making pancakes - from scratch! Just like mom. They were yummy!
Which brings us to now. While summer is winding down, school season is gearing up. I have the kids all signed up for their activities which include gymnastics, dance, piano, and AWANA. I'm still hoping to find something else for Cooper to be involved in like football or something. We went to Cooper's preschool orientation last night and we have the girls' school open houses on Thursday where we drop off their school supplies and meet their teachers.
We have also been traveling around the area looking at potential lots to build our house on. The kids HATE this process, telling us over and over how boring it is. We're meeting our realtor at a site tomorrow that looks over a beautiful little lake. I think I'll find a sitter for that one.
This weekend we'll be heading down to the State fair. We'll enjoy the day there with the kids (I'm praying for them to be wrong about the forecasted high temps!), then we'll meet up with my folks and hand off the kids who will go home with them to spend the night. Scotty and I will then head back to the fair to a concert at the Grandstand featuring two of our favorite bands, the Jayhawks and Semisonic. We'll spend the rest of the weekend with my parents, ending in a pool party on Labor Day at my brother Scott's house. We'll head back home and school starts the next day!
For those who want to pray for us, here are some requests:
- That the kids all like their new teachers and settle easily into school and activities.
- That the kids will all meet some great new friends!
- That we find the perfect lot for our house.
- That we find a new church home.
We're missing you all and hope you all have had a great summer! Please keep in touch by commenting here or e-mailing or even a note in the mail (the kids especially love getting these...actually I love it, too!).
