Biking Buddies

We have had unseasonably cool weather the past few days which allowed us to be outside nearly every minute of daylight this past weekend.  

We wrapped up Marie's swimming lessons, went for walks, and enjoyed time on the bikes. Unfortunately, Andy had his first 24 hour call shift so he spent a lot of his weekend inside the hospital.

Sunday was a perfect opportunity to find a flat parking lot and continue to practice steering and stopping.

Both Marie and Bennett have been spending a lot of time on their bike this summer. 

Both are getting more comfortable and more independent on them.

Both are showing their stubborn streaks as they try to do everything on their own even if it is too difficult at first.

And, both were not ready to stop biking and go home for supper.

 

 The parking lot is near our house so we will be doing this more often for sure!

we just can't sit still

 Andy had one more day of vacation to use in July so we thought we should take advantage. Friday we went to Sioux Falls to yet another zoo this summer.

 We started with a picnic at a park, followed by a hot and steamy walk around the zoo.

 We spent the most time at the giraffes and petting zoo area...these are always favorite spots for our family at zoos.

We just couldn't get close enough to the giraffes so these 3 were trying to peek in through the fence. 

 

Bennett was very into the animals this time - it's amazing how much he changes every month. 

He really liked watching the monkeys swing around too - laughing at them when they would tumble down. 

 

Both kids liked to climb on the animal statues in the shade. This little boy will smile at anyone he sees...especially girls. I am already nervous about his teen/college years.

 

We decided we needed to cool off so we went over to Falls Park to wade in the water and eat ice cream. 

Once again - these kiddos splashed around.  They love the water and I think they always will.

 Marie loved climbing on the rocks and did so without any hesitation. She is a monkey at heart sometimes and I think it's just a matter of time before her brother is running after her.

 We also made it to the pool this weekend, went to the lake to let Gus run around, and did some shopping.

On Sunday we couldn't find Marie until we checked her room - sound asleep at 5:00.

All in all it was an exhausting but fun weekend at home with the family!

What haven't we been up to lately...

Here is a post of random things we have been doing this July

(which is rolling right on by).

We have been busy every weekend - exhausting but fun all the same.

The weekend after the 4th we celebrated with the rest of Sioux City at Saturday in the Park. 

Once again it was hot and gross but we played as long as we could, ate slushies, and tried to find the shade as often as possible.

 Grandma Nel joined us again this year for the festivities and Daddy was on call but got to play at the park with us before getting called in to deliver a baby - Marie loves it that her "daddy gets to go help ladies have babies."

 Once again the petting zoo was a favorite spot.

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We also got to spend more time at the lakes.

While Andy & I went out for dinner, Marie and Bennett played with Papa & Grammy at Arnold's Park.  

Not only did Marie go on the rides but Bennett also wanted to take some turns. 

Thankfully Marie was there to hold onto him tightly!

 This girl loves anything where she can jump, climb, spin, or tumble. We are hoping to get her signed up for gymnastics this fall/winter.

 

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 We added a toy box outside which led to us cleaning and going through our outdoor toys which led to me washing bubble wands, buckets, and anything else I could find that was covered in sand...oy.

Andy & I both agreed the dishwasher would be a great place to do this - we didn't realize the dried up soap would create so many bubbles!

 The kids had so much fun playing in the bubbles that were oozing out of the dishwasher.

 Plus it made our kitchen floor sparkling clean...for about an hour or so.

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And finally...here is our Benny enjoying our first batch of sweet corn for the year. 

We are enjoying our grill this summer and are looking forward to what our garden will produce later this summer. Currently it is flourishing or overgrown depending upon who you ask.

 

We have several tomatoes, our green beans and carrots are coming up nicely, and the pumpkins are twisting around anything and everything.  This has been such a fun project for Andy & Marie!

2 little fish

This summer is flying by!  

Unfortunately it seems like we are always playing catch up for fun as Andy & I have both been busy with work. However, we seem to find lots of time to play in the water this summer!  Anytime we have a free hour or so we head to the pool, lake, or sprinkler in the back yard.

 We live only a few blocks away from the pool so as soon as Daddy walks into the door we head to the pool.  Bennett really likes to crawl around the baby pool area and watch the waterfall on the steps.

Marie is in swimming lessons so she spends her time practicing all her new moves. She is trying really hard to get her head under water all the way without plugging her nose and getting scared. 

 We also enjoy any shoreline where we can play fetch with Gus and play in the sand.

All 3 of these kids like to splash as long as possible! 

Just one of the reasons we love summer around here!

4th of July Celebrations

Even though Andy had to get back for work on the 5th, we made the most of the 4th by celebrating with both families this year.

We started out Wednesday night in Sheldon for a BBQ and fireworks.

The kiddos had a great time playing with their cousins, watching fireworks, and playing with sparklers.

After breakfast and playtime outside in the morning, we moved on to Spencer to celebrate with Grammy, Papa, Liz, & Andrew on the boat.

Marie was so brave this time on the tube...not only did she continually ask to go faster, but she even survived being tossed into the water after a large wave hit the tube.

Bennett loved the water, too.  He liked to sit on the back swim deck and splash his feet in the water. Although I think his favorite part was eating all the snacks in the shade.

We did lots of swimming, tubing, and eating before heading back to Grammy & Papa's house for dinner, sparklers, a rousing game of "Duck Duck Goose," and fireworks.

Marie has loved being able to see her Aunt Liz so much the past few weeks. Unfortunately, Andrew and Liz are headed back to work and school...hopefully we see them before Thanksgiving!

Gus enjoyed his first 4th of July, too. 

He was not afraid of the fireworks shows and seemed to enjoy all our travels.

We drove back late on the 4th so Andy could work on the 5th. 

We were very tired from our all our fun but it was definitely worth it!

Happy 4th of July!