Family Fun

We had fun filled week in July(17-23) when my parents and my brother and his family came up from Louisiana to visit us. I think the thing they enjoyed most was being able to sit outside and enjoy the weather... Louisiana in the summertime is brutal!!! so we spent lots of time on my porch and deck. The first day they arrived we welcomed them by having tornado sirens blaring so they were able to spend time in my basement storage room then the weather cleared and we had a bonfire with s'mores

we took everybody to the lake..a little cloudy but very warm, lots of jet skiing and Crystal and Max kneeboarded(and could barely walk the next day)

the boys went to the Twins game and the girls went shopping and out to dinner

the cousins played so well and had so much fun..they picked up right where they left off at Thanksgiving

we went to Bunker Beach

and had ice cream of course

We went to Valleyfair..it's been over a decade for me and I forgot how much fun it is there. Cooper was old enough(and tall enough) to ride everything and we rode every roller coaster along with my niece ,brother, SIL, and my Dad even rode the coasters(he's 61-go Pop!). Quinnie enjoyed the little kiddie rides...need to go back one more time before summer ends and bring Ron

We also had dinner at Barrio(grown ups only)and my dad took the kids for bike rides and we went to the park and just enjoyed spending time together. Looking foward to seeing them all at Christmas

A Great Week

We met a friend and her kids up at our neighborhood beach today...another beautiful day(We swam 4 out of 5 days this week...sweet!Cooper finished up an awesome golf camp,we had Sonic Creamsicle drinks(the best summer treat)we swam at the pool with friends,lots of playing outside with friends, and Quinn had an eight hour playdate with her friend McKenna...this is what I love about summer....

Soccer Soccer Soccer

We wrapped up our summer soccer with four games in the Schwan's USA cup. 916 teams from all over the U.S. and the world come to my little suburb to play. Cooper's team played 4 games..Coop got a goal at one and then we went to the opening ceremonies where all the teams march into the stadium....crazy chaos and Cooper loved every minute of it.
Coop's team..the Sharks my favorite team to watch..Brazil!!

Fireworks

Coop and his buddy James

A Geeky Surprise

Ron and I surprised the kids by taking them to see Star Wars in concert. Even after putting Quinn's hair in Princess Leia buns and having Coop wear a star Wars t shirt they still had no clue where we were taking them.Not very obversant they are!! we kicked off the surprise by having pizza at Red's Savoy Inn...yum. all three were in Star Wars heaven..

One Last Hurrah!

Cooper was able to spend one last day with his pal Riley who moved to Virginia two days after our fun day at Bunker Beach(I knew I should have bought a pass this year!)a few moms and their kids from school came to hang out with Riley and his mom and siblings. A beautiful day, lots of kids, and some fun memories.

Up in the Northwoods

We spent a few days up north on Gull Lake. The weather was perfect..we put some hours on the jet ski(finally) and did lots of swimming.....and lots of golfing.

Fourth of July Fun

Great time spent with friends..fireworks(Wisconsin style-way more fun!)fishing, kneeboarding, kayaking,swimming,and fresh air..no Nintendo or TV for 48 hours.....kids and dog exhausted but in the best possible way.

Swim and Sleepover

Friday we met my friend and her kids to swim and then the girls came to my house and the boys went to her house for sleepovers. a fun way to spend a sunny day.

Brace Face

Bye bye messed up teeth.....the orthodontist told me he might need them on the bottom teeth too and might have to have them put back on when he's older too. sorry bud! Cooper wanted lunch at Jimmy John's and then he had his last Laffy Taffy for awhile. He did great and had a choice of 8 different colors for his bands and of course he picked all 8 colors...

Summer Academy Year 2

Cooper just completed his second year of a summer program. This year he wrote and illustrated his own book.The kids were able to meet an author and an illustrator of published works and learned all about the writing process. His book was "The Adventures of the Transparent Cow" and it is a hard bound book that he is able to keep.The drive to and fro was crazy (thank goodness we carpooled) and it was early(8 am!!) but seeing all the cool work he did made it all completely worth it...I am not going to lie though, today we slept in and I actually got to enjoy my coffee..

The Life Aquatic

Boy, are we loving the sunshine and hot weather. We went to the lake, finally got the jet ski out, met up with a bunch of friends at our gym pool, Quinn spent the day at a beach with her good friend KK while Coop got his braces on...it has been a great week so far..This is what summer is all about!