The Happy Hasselds: Grandpa

WOOHOO!! July completely posted - and it's only August 15th!!

Can't believe how fast July went for us. We spent most of the time waiting for uncle Jeff and aunt Donna's wedding to happen, and then in a blink, the month was over. Here are some highlights.

Blowing bubbles with Sasha.

One day the kids and I visited the park. I took this picture because it reminded me of another one from October 2010...

I absolutely love this picture. The two kids by a creek, with Sash watching over them.

We dropped Sasha off at home and headed to ANOTHER park, because this one they get to splash in...

And it was early, but we let Bella get rid of her booster seat! She was so excited!

Birthday celebration! My girl is 8. That sounds old. I don't like it a bit. I keep asking her to stop growing, but she refuses.

Getting her skates from Grammy & Grampa.

Raven Queen from the book "Everafter High" that we're reading together. Love that we're doing that.

And then it was time to go to Chicago to celebrate Uncle Jeff and Aunt Donna's wedding!

My crazy animals at the zoo.

We met up with my cousin Erika and her family, so Bella had a friend in her cousin, Sophie.

And then it was on to all the wedding hooplah!

Thunderous applause!

As it was Bella's actual birthday, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Donna were nice enough to recognize it on THEIR big weekend.

The cutest flower girl and ring bearer that ever were.

All my favorite people.

Our family picture.

What I got to see of the big day from the back of the church (I was the wedding coordinator).

The kids went back to MO with Maga and Pap for the week before I joined them for another week.

Maga in her happy place, with her two babies.

Sasha's thinking, "Where did the little noisy ones go?"

The two early birds on the deck.

I love this picture of him. Staring off into nature.

And no trip to MO is complete without Braum's ice cream. Bella asked if I was going to take their pictures because I always take their pictures. She got extra messy on purpose for hers.

On to Silver Dollar City!

Bella covered in tiny droplets of water.

Always one for a roller coaster ride!

Ryan's first year riding by himself.

Forcing the kids to slow down a minute and enjoy the view.

Honestly. This girl cracks me up.

There is so much for the kids to do in MO. Here are few highlights of our day in Branson.

Getting meet Tow Mater...

...and Lightning McQueen.

Ryan was tall enough for the "rookie" go-karts. He passed two other kids!

Bella had a kid bumping her and trying to pass, but she maintained her position.

First time on the bumper boats. They came off completely soaked but smiling.

Photos in the giant rocking chair at the Grand Village Shops.

Bella decides to surf on the chair.

More to come next month!

Yikes. I thought I was doing better with getting posts up! Oh well...

After 4 or 5 days of riding her bike without pedals, Bella said she was ready for them to be put back on. She took off!

The kids are doing a free month trial of karate. They both love it, and look at how cute they are in their uniforms!

Last-minute summer activities! I felt the pressure of the impending school year, so we made sure to soak up as much fun as possible.

An afternoon at the spray park.

We checked out the new children's area at Conner Prairie.

There was an area for building a fort.

Ryan playing with cloud dough-a mixture of baby oil and flour. We made this before and it's pretty weird. Feels squishy like sand, but you can compact it to make sand castles and buildings.

Newly minted lamb!

Water gun fights at Grammy and Grandpa's.

And of course watermelon!

We are officially moved in. I added the kids' heights to the back of the laundry room door. If you can look at the picture up close, you'll see that Ryan is the same height as Bella, but a year ahead. For instance, Ryan is (almost) as tall at 5 as Bella was at 6!

The annual trip to Missouri! Bella spent the week with Maga and Papa by herself, then Ryan and I went to pick her up.

Swimming in the lake.

We went go-karting, which was a first for both kids.

Riding the kiddie train together.

Just, you know, hanging out with Kris Kringle.

I think Bella was giving him the full list so he can get started on it.

They're so casual. I love that they both chose their Adams Family Reunion t-shirts to wear that day.

Mini-golf is a MO tradition. Costs an arm and a leg, but the kids love it so much. This year we tried the Hollywood-themed golf place next to the wax museum.

Golfing on the red carpet!

Finding some much-needed shade! It was HOT that day!

Silver Dollar City with Maga! We spend the whole time in the kids' area. This year Bella rode the galleon all by herself-in the very highest seat! It freaked her out a bit, but not enough to miss going again with Maga!

Ryan parked himself here until the train went by.

We've always seen the sign for the "World's Largest Rocking Chair" and always knew that Route 66 goes pretty close to the highway. We found the chair, AND it was on Route 66! AND it had a bathroom-a trip trifecta!

They don't lie about this being a giant rocking chair!

I took this picture for my dad and father-in-law, both of whom will want to know this information. :o)

The store had some fun signs.

This boy. This is the mess he makes just having a bowl of cereal. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Our state fair is a great state fair! Don't miss it! Don't even be late! Hasseld family tradition!

An 80% chance of showers didn't deter us! First stop: Little Hands on the Farm! of course.

This was a new event: duck racing! Bella got chosen from the crowd, and she and Joshua launched her duck. It won! She advanced to the finals, but her duck wasn't up to the challenge.