So many pictures, so little time.

July 4th has come and gone which means the summer is half over! I can hardly believe that we are this far into summer and we STILL haven't even made it to the pool.

Even so, we have been keeping very busy.
Marie is lucky to have a lot of fun outdoor toys in our own yard.

We spend a lot of time running through the sprinkler. Charlie likes it too.

Playing on our slide and in our pool followed by a much deserved popsicle.
And of course enjoying s'mores with our bonfires.
We even got to celebrate the 4th with sparklers and snakes. Not exactly the fireworks Andy loves to mess with, but we have to compromise since we aren't living in South Dakota anymore...

Marie also likes to water flowers with me this summer.
She has her own watering can and bucket - as you can imagine, she takes this job VERY seriously.

We also made it out to the zoo this summer. Marie always likes to spend as much time feeding the goats and watching the giraffes as possible.

We stayed around Des Moines for the 4th as Marie is battling an infection. We were able to attend a parade to celebrate. Marie was right there with the big boys chasing down the candy.

Charlie is known for his fear of fireworks. Even though he is a big hunting dog, he is so afraid of bottle rockets! Every time he heard one go off this weekend, he had to quick go find where Marie was so he could protect her. At one point, he even jumped over a chair and pushed her door open just so he could lay by her...what a crazy dog. It was annoying and sweet all at the same time.

So far, our summer has been filled with traveling and fun adventures. We are looking forward to the next part of summer which will include more traveling, the Iowa State Fair, and hopefully a few trips to the pool.