End of Summer Fun

The last few weeks of Summer (before school started) were pretty busy.  The kids tried their hand at a lemonade stand...I think they drank most of their profits!

 We live a few minutes from the airport.  We were expecting President Obama in town for a speaking engagement...so I took the kids down to the airport to see if we could see Air Force One (I did this after my sister spotting Air Force One flying over her house!).  What a beautiful plane!  We were disappointed to not witness seeing the President, but seeing the plane was good enough!  We later found out that Obama brought a bus in from another town and then flew out on Air Force One once his speaking engagement was over.

We celebrated "Cow Appreciation Day" at the Chick-fil-A where I work.  The kids wanted to dress up their dolls/animals as well!

Katie left for Camp Harvest (church camp).  She had another great week of fun & learning!  Next year Alex will be heading to Camp Harvest and Katie will be heading to Jr. High Camp (deep breath!)...

Katie sitting beside her friend Maddy...(below) waving goodbye to her for the week.

Bristol Renaissance Faire & Jelly Bellies!

A new tradition for our family is to attend the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Bristol, WI.  Matt took Katie and Alex last year with some family friends and they all loved it!  We purchased discounted tickets around Christmas and then waited for the summer to arrive!  Unfortunately, the Faire only runs on the weekends from July - Labor Day.  This left us with a limited amount of time to attend.  We picked a few weekends that were open - but we didn't have much to work with due to vacations, work and church schedules.  The day that we decided to go was a beautiful day!  It was a bit warm, but nothing compared to the 90/100+ temps we'd seen most of the summer. 

Becki's mom made Renaissance outfits for the girl's dolls to wear.  The girls loved carrying their dolls around and the received many compliments on their outfits. 

Our first stop was "Adam Crack Whip Artist". 

We then stopped to watch "Moonie".  Both shows were wonderful and very entertaining. 

After Moonie was done, we decided to wait in the same area to watch for the arrival of the Queen and her court.  We even got to meet Jane the Phoole!

The most disappointing aspect of the Faire is the cost.  EVERYTHING costs money.  With the exception of the stage shows (which also asks for donations), you have to pay for all games, rides, food, etc.  Don't get me wrong...I expect to pay for some things once in the gates, but I didn't expect to have to pay for everything.  All this to say, next year, we will give the kids an "allowance" to spend.  I was so tired of being a mean mom by the end of the day!  We don't have extra money to spend on things and when you multiply it by 4, it gets out of hand!  So, I am excited about going again next year and hopefully having a better attitude about everything (as well as the kids having more fun too).

We left the Faire around 4 and started to head home.  We saw a sign for the Jelly Belly Factory and decided to try that.  Unfortunately, we missed the last tour by 30 minutes...but we were able to visit the gift shop and get some yummy Jelly Bellies!  It seemed to help everyone's tired attitudes!

Using the New Boots!

We had a big rain storm come through our town late July.  I love to let the kids go out and play in the street when we get a huge amount of rain, but they don't always get to do that if there is lightning as well.  This particular storm was strange in the fact that it stayed sunny above us the whole time and there was a continual sound of thunder! 

Here is Will running along the side of the street - notice his shorts!  Slightly wet...

Notice Lake Hart (Katie's name for our water puddle at the end of our driveway!). 

 I had just bought rain boots for Katie & Alex a week before! 

 The sky & clouds were absolutely beautiful!!

A Busy Tooth Fairy!

 Will has officially lost his first tooth!  It's a good thing since his adult tooth was all the way in (behind the baby tooth)!

Maddie has lost her 3rd & 4th - leaving her with a big gap in the top front!  Will also lost his second tooth about the same time.  I am thankful that the Tooth Fairy doesn't mind stopping by so much - but I am sure that she needs a break to replenish her funds!

Will on 2 Wheels!!

Will is FINALLY riding his 2 wheeler (click on to see video)!  He has been scared to death of riding without the training wheels - wouldn't let Becki work with him (even with all sorts of bribing!).  One evening, Becki somehow talked him into going out for a bit.  He really seemed to catch the idea of balancing, however he stopped pedaling and put his feet down every time Becki went to let go of him!  Then one evening a few nights ago, we look outside at the kids playing and realize that Will is riding his bike on the deck - ALL BY HIMSELF!!  What a wonderful surprise!