a Campfire with Cousins

The Kansas cousins were here visiting for Father's Day weekend and we soaked up as much time together as was possible.  We went out to Roy's parents Friday evening and had dinner together and then a campfire.  It was a perfect summer evening to be outside, the kids had a blast exploring the open outdoors, and roasting marshmallows is always a yummy summer activity.  Memories were made and it was a blessed time of relaxing and enjoying time together.  This was Greta's first campfire, it was her first taste of a s'more, and staying up much past her bedtime was all par for the course for this little one.    

Watching the fire pit with Daddy.  

Four of the six cousins, together again.  

Hudson looking handsome, as always, in Papa Ed's straw hat.  

Ellsy Lu and I just playing around on my phone.  

Thanks to Papa for getting the campfire space ready for us to enjoy.  

And Ranger rides always make for a fun evening on the farm.  

No More Cast Day!

The day we had been waiting for had finally arrived...June 14th.  We were calling it "No More Cast Day."  Just 5 1/2 weeks after the accident, we went into the appointment anticipating the "green light" from the doctor to resume all summer fun and activity...which he did.  The rate of healing in children is amazing, what a gift to be young.    

  

As I look back and reflect on our "broken arm experience" it was actually not that big of deal.  Sure, the initial stuff was pretty yucky, but the cast and all, proved to be manageable.  Hudson was AMAZING.  He only complained ONCE (and that happened to be the morning he got it taken off) about his cast.  He was a trooper, he took it all with stride and made adjustments with ease.  We helped him do a few things he was able to do independently before, but overall Hudson figured things out on his own by doing them with his left hand.  We are so proud of him and so grateful for God's grace and healing throughout the entire journey.  

Ready for his appointment and anxiously waiting for the technician to come and remove his cast.  

Watching closely as the cast was removed.  Hudson decided he wanted to keep this cast as a souvenir.  

God's healing power is amazing!  

Posing for a picture with Dr. Honkamp.  We are so grateful for his expertise and care.  Hudson was super careful with his arm at first, as you can see in the picture, but he has gotten more comfortable with it every day.  

Mimi gifted Hudson money so we could celebrate.  He chose Pizza Ranch for his celebratory dinner.  

And this picture from dinner is just for fun...Greta is a little dipper, always finding things to dip her food into.  She enjoyed Pizza Ranch too.    

Cave Quest VBS

One of Hudson's favorite events of the entire year had finally arrived...Vacation Bible School.  This is Hudson's 3rd year doing VBS at Westview Church and he LOVES every minute of it.  We had been anticipating it by counting down the weeks and days for quite some time.  This years VBS theme was Cave Quest, Following Jesus The Light of the World.  It was a 5 day event with great Bible stories and songs, which we are still talking about and singing to on a daily basis.  Here is a list of each nights theme...

Sunday - Jesus Gives Us Hope

Monday - Jesus Gives Us Courage

Tuesday - Jesus Gives Us Direction

Wednesday - Jesus Give Us Love

Thursday - Jesus Gives Us His Power 

Thumbs up and ready for night #2 of Cave Quest VBS.  

One of the projects they made was a prayer journal.  Hudson wrote this on his own on the first page of his journal.  

Radar the bat was the "buddy" they met on Tuesday night.  

Little sister wanted to get in on some of the fun too!  

Posing for a picture by the cave entrance on the final night of VBS.  

Hudson's favorite part of VBS was the singing.  He loves music!  

He thinks the "crew leaders" who teach the songs are so cool and comes home talking about them.  

The group of kids led a time of worship on Sunday morning.   Hudson was most excited about the celebratory ice cream we enjoyed together after church.     

Jammin' out on the stage with his other VBS friends.   Hudson did great, showing off how he knew the words and actions to the songs.   

Hudson is pretty easy to spot with his bright green cast.  

We are so grateful for another great VBS experience.  Hudson learned more of God's truths, danced and sang in worship, and met new friends.  We will be talking about how fun it was until next June rolls around...  

125th Celebration

The first weekend in June we headed to my hometown of Sioux Center to celebrate their 125th anniversary.  I remember celebrating the centennial when I was a kid, which was 25 years ago (this officially makes me OLD).  We had scheduled our visit many months in advance and took advantage of the extra opportunities for activities to do over the weekend.  We traveled up to SC on Thursday afternoon and took in a Warrior baseball game (my brother is the varsity coach).  The rest of of weekend went something like this...

We bribed Greta with breakfast to get her to warm up to Bapa and sit on his lap.  

On Friday morning we took a tour of the "famous" Casey's Bakery.  Here they are making twist donuts.  

Hudson's favorite part of the tour was watching them fry and glaze the donuts.

Checking out the big mixers in the back room.  

One of the items Casey's Bakery is known for is their delicious buns.  Over Memorial Day weekend alone they reported making 6,000 dozen buns, that is 70,000 buns!  

At the close of the tour we celebrated with birthday cake, in honor of the bakery celebrating its 70th year.  This bakery is a stop we make almost every time we go to Sioux Center, now that Hudson has discovered his favorite treat is a chocolate snail donut.     

On Saturday morning we watched the Firefighter Combat Challenge.  It included firefighters competing from around the US, as well as other local teams.  It was an entertaining attraction for all ages.  

Checking out the antique tractor display with Bapa Rog.  Two handsome farmers in their matching CASE IH shirts.  

Ready for a train ride together, big brother and little sister.  

We enjoyed some time to play in the park.  

The parade was long and the candy was abundant.  We took home, and also shared, quite a lot of loot.  

Greta got into picking up the candy too and watching everything pass by on the parade.  

Cookie Moster stopped for a picture with Hudson.  

Before fireworks on Saturday night we enjoyed a relaxing campfire, complete with our first s'mores of the summer season.  

Sunday morning there was a community wide church service.  It was a beautiful morning to gather together and celebrate and worship with community members.  

Summer Lovin'

We are lovin' summer and are so thankful for more relaxed days to enjoy outside adventures.

Hudson has a collection of sticks, from when Roy trimmed a few trees, and he has been building a "campfire" on the front lawn.  S'mores anyone?  

She is lovin' the park and I am lovin' those piggy tails.  

Greta did her first finger painting projects for her Daddy, Papa and Bapa for Father's Day.  She was a quiet little artist and kept signing "more" because she wanted more paint on her paper.   

Greta loved wearing her shades (until we lost them) and she mows the concrete daily.  

Early morning bed head...what am I to do with this mess?  

Every summer I plant geraniums in my flower pots because they bloom all summer long and always provide a lot of color.  

We are doing our best to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen in this heat.  

Park play Thursdays with friends is our favorite activity of the week.  

Hello sunshine!

This week we finally made it to a splash park and this girl was THRILLED, she loved EVERY second of it, making her a good source of entertainment.  

Fishing at Papa's Pond

We have really enjoyed the start to our summer, partly because we don't have a baby in the house and have a lot more freedom to enjoy the outdoor activities this season offers.  Greta no longer naps in the morning and is more flexible with bedtime, which gives us a whole lot more freedom to participate in fun adventures.  Hip Hip Hooray!      

Roy's parents have a pond on their property and its a quiet place to fish.  We don't make it there very often and the fish are pretty small, but its more about the unique opportunity it provides.  We joined some friends on a Sunday evening, had a blessed time and enjoyed the beautiful evening.  

Daddy introducing Greta to fishing.    

Waiting patiently and somewhat keeping an eye on his line.  

Showing off his first fish of the night!  

Greta girl taking in the action from the sidelines, with Mommy.  

Showing off another one of their catches.