Misc. Fun

 

Play time with the cousins!

 

Megan and David were allowed to drive the golf cart this summer.  Of course they both had to take Grandpa Bob on a road test before they were given the keys!  They kept the kids busy with rides the whole trip!

 

An early campfire means s'mores for the kids!

They taste so good, but they are so messy!

 

When Grandma Ginny and Aunt Tracy got the dresses and wigs for the girls, they also got a bunch of light sabers for the boys to play with.  As you can see, everyone got in on that fun, even David!

 

 

Fish fries are always a good way to get the relatives over to hang out for awhile!

 

 

The little girls got new pajamas that came with eye masks!  The girls were so excited and slept with them every night!

 

 

 

 

As you can see we all had a little fun with the wigs!  The girls would play hair dresser and they would give us a wig and pretend to cut it and curl it. 

 

Lights out!

Lake Time

 

This year the weather in Wisconsin was not as hot as we are used to.  The days of swimming on the lake were few and far between.  Time on the boat was mostly spent fishing.  There were a few days that we could make it out and it was hot enough for the kids to want to swim.  Swimming on the lake is one of my fondest memories from growing up.  We would go to my grandparent's cottage to either visit them or visit some of my cousins and the lake was always a big part of the summer.  My cousin Kellee lived across the lake and we would spend days out on the water.  When we were younger we would get pickles (during the summer everyone planted pickles and then they would pick them and sell them).  We would take the pickles that were too large and hollow them out to make boats.  Then we would put our barbies in the "boats" and head to the lake! 



 

 

Each year the kids get braver and braver and travel farther and farther from the boat.  They also do more tricks.  Of course Grandpa Bob always gives M&M's to anyone who does a cannon ball or a dive. 

 

Here the kids are all running to jump off!

 

 

 

 

Can you tell Makenna and Joelle are a little cold!

 

Katey took swimming lessons and has come so far with her swimming!  She was running and jumping off the boat all day!

 

The big kids (Katey, Tye, Dexter, David and Megan) decided that they were going to swim back to the dock instead of riding on the boat.  It was a long way but they all made it!  As a child, I can't even count the amount of times that I did something like this.  We would just take a raft to the dock and swim to the middle of the lake to lay out them swim back!

 

These two girls are just too cute!

 

 

 

The best part of the end of swimming is the ride in the golf cart back to the cottage!

 

It's Crayfish Time!

 

 

Iverson Park was always a great place to go.  There was swimming and playing and of course cray fishing!  We would sit at the edge of the stream and catch them.  Uncle Travis had the fantastic idea of taking the kids cray fishing.  We got branches and string and bait (hot dogs)!  The kids had a blast! 

 

Tye couldn't touch the crayfish because he is allergic to all shellfish!

 

They were literally crawling all over the rocks on the edge of the stream!  The kids could see them, but not necessarily catch them.  They were very quick!  Joelle was pretty excited about catching them, but wanted NOTHING to do with them when they were caught!

 

The smaller crayfish were pretty easy to catch, it was the bigger ones that were tricky!  Megan and David spent their fair share of time on the ground working on a big one!  Grandpa Bob said that there was a reason the big ones were big, they were crafty!

 

Intense fishing!

 

The girls picked a quiet spot where they thought the fishing would be good!

 

Megan working on her "big" one! 

 

All the kids showing off their catches!

 

Joelle wouldn't touch one, so I had to hold it and let her pet it! 

 

Not a bad haul! 

 

It was very exciting that the kids got to share in an activity that I did as a child.  They were just as excited as I had hoped they would be and they enjoyed it as much as we used to!  Who knows, this probably became yet another summer tradition!

Craft Time!

 

Okay so the girls didn't make their dresses, but they sure look cute in them!! 

 

Now, the tie-dyes they did make all by themselves!  This year they had no help from parents and they turned out really great! 

 

This is another yearly tradition!

The kids painted rocks to line Grandma Ginny's flower beds with.  The rocks turned out very well and made for a colorful addition to the flower beds.

 

Here is Joelle by the rocks she painted and of course the chicken decorations that she loves! 

Joelle's First Track Meet!

 

There was an All Comers track meet at Goerke Field while we were in Wisconsin.  The younger kids were so excited to run and do the long jump.  Tye entered every race!  Joelle did the long jump and the 100 meter dash.  Most of the kids did 2-3 events.  They had a great time!

 

Even though Joelle had no idea what she had gotten herself into, she was a pro!  I was very impressed with how quickly she caught on.  A photographer from the Stevens Point Journal was there and posted her picture in the newspaper!  The photo in the paper was almost an identical one to the one below! 

 

The girls are warming up for the long jump!  What a bunch of hams:)

 

Here is Joelle getting ready for the 100 meter dash.  She is the third kid from the right.  She did a great job! 

 

I have been trying to find a similar track meet here in Arizona since Joelle had a such a great time.  No luck at this point, but I will keep trying!