We found a new park. The kids got to float down the White River (even though it's kinda of mossy green).
They redid the park by the library so of course we had to check that out.
And then there were days of running around for Bella's party (Ryan at WalMart) which tired Bella out!
There was lots of screen time...
...and fun time! Bella became obsessed with cake decorating.
This is the moment Bella turned 11 - wearing her Gryffindor robe and "Cake O'Clock" shirt. So typical. Not sure why her arms looks so freakishly long in this picture!
Her activity choice? Going to play with the kittens at Petco.
And enjoy her free birthday cupcake, compliments of Barnes & Noble.
We found a sweet place to rock climb. Bella is practically a mountain goat - she loves to climb all over the place and I think she's pretty good! Ryan is the more cautious one, so he didn't want to wear the harness - he just wanted to "boulder" which means he could climb about 10 feet up without a harness. He spent a lot of time climbing up six feet and jumping off, but after a while he harnessed up and went high! I was proud of him because he's slightly afraid of heights and isn't up for big adventure.
Bella chose a Harry Potter themed birthday this year. She had six friends over and they had a blast.
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| Kroger did a way better job than I ever could have! |
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| Playing "Bean Boozled" where you try a flavored jelly bean. It might be hot chocolate, or it might be canned dog food! There was a lot of laughter and a lot of "Eeew! Gross!" from this one. |
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| Dry ice! This is actually Joshua's coffee! |
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| We set up a Quidditch match in the backyard (kind of like wizard soccer). |
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| Bella made these thank you gifts for each guest. |
We took advantage of "Kids Bowl Free" program again this summer. The bowling is free, you just pay for shoes. Considering how expensive bowling has become ($20 per hour is average), this was a deal!
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| Bella kind of catapults the ball down the lane. |
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| Ryan takes his game seriously - he scored 117! |
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| The money I saved with bowling I spent at the arcade! |
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| ChickFilA car picnic fo r the win! Order ahead, grab it inside, and sit in the air conditioned car. |
We also tried a new water park. For a buck an hour, the kids wore themselves out and I sat and read under a giant umbrella. That's what I call a win-win!
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| Ryan spent the entire five hours climbing the stairs and going down "Fast Freddy." |
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| Bella braved the high diving board! |
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| And here was my view. It was glorious! |
We met Maga and Papa in Troy, IL to switch off for Camp Maga. We found a sweet park to hang out in, and the kids took their Cracker Barrel leftovers to feed the swans.
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| Bella was hesitant to do this. "Can you feed them first and see if it hurts?" she asked. That kid... |
And then they were in MO for an incredibly hot week. Bella went "surfishing" and the kids got to ride the mountain coaster.
The following weekend we met in Chicago for a "this was your life" tour of all the old haunts. I won't include all the pictures here, but Jeff, my parents and I spent a few hours driving around laughing and reminiscing. It was a great way to celebrate Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary!
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| Hard to see behind the trees, but this was my elementary school. The kids were wowed by how big it is. |
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| But not as big as my high school! I hadn't been on that lawn since 1990 when I graduated! |
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| Of course we had to have New Star. Bella is now obsessed with sushi. This was her second time eating it that weekend! |
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| Love our family! |
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| And the end of the month...a rainbow! |
Stay tuned for August's adventures!
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