Rockets and rope swings- childhood dreams

We are loving summer here in Minnesota.  Last week, over the course of 7 days, the kids and I went to 5 different lakes to swim!  The following pictures were taken this past Tuesday when we met some friends at a fun, new (to us!) beach only 25 minutes away.

The water was very shallow a long way out.  Dane is one of the specks in the middle of the screen.  If you zoom in closely, the water was barely to his chest, but I was still quite nervous just because I couldn't see him very well that far away!

Sterling



The kiddos found a rope swing and took turns.



My crazy monkey!

Jesse showed the younger ones how it was really done!

Lighting rockets with Daddy.  I'm not sure if the kids or Daddy are more entertained by this!

Grandpa and Grandma came to watch too.

Random photo of Miss Nora enjoying another evening at the lake!

The summer continues

Here are a few random photos from the past week that I thought were worth sharing.

Mike has taught himself to braid Nora's hair.  I think he does a pretty amazing job- what a great Daddy!

 We have been to many different beaches over the past 10 days as the temperatures have been in the 90s frequently.  There are many to choose from.  I was so used to swimming in pools when we moved here and was surprised that there are no nearby outdoor community pools.  But the beaches completely make up for it!

Swimming tires a beautiful girl out!

The plums are ripe!

Evening chores.

I loved the way the evening light was shining on the barn.

Nora and Dane proudly holding Arianna and Quinn, our friends' 5-week-old twin girls.

Nora entertains Quinn.



Back home

We enjoyed our travels so much and saw many beautiful things, but it is always wonderful to be home.  The week we were gone was hot and dry, so things looked different when we arrive home.  The corn has tassled, the wheat has changed, and the grass is turning brown.  There is a golden hue to many things that were so green in June!

 Our garden was waiting with its lovely bounty.  We have been enjoying fresh zucchinni, cucumbers, sugar snap peas and green beans.

 The apples are getting larger on the tree, and the neighboring plum tree is full and nearly ripe!

 Different flowers are blooming in the yard.

 Dane finished his teeball season last week.

 The warm weather makes the lakes very inviting!

 Although I miss the mountains, I would not trade my country road running.

 Before we left, our three younger cats all disappeared one night.  We were heartbroken to think we might not see them again.  The day we left, Rascal appeared again.  When we arrived home, we still were missing two kittens.  Two days later (10 days after disappearing) Posey showed up, looking healthy as could be.  We still haven't seen our dear Sammy and realize we may never see him again.  Sadly, our steer Sully died while we were gone.  So the past few weeks have been tough in the animal department.

Posey

Rascal

 The chickens continue to do very well!



Though miles may lie between us, we're never far apart, for friendship doesn't count the miles, it's measured by the heart

The week of July 4th, we headed west toward Montana to meet up with the Shepherds.  We had not seen the four of them since November 2009, far too long!  Our time together reminded us why we always felt like family and why we must get together sooner next time!

On our way to Montana, we took the longer route down through South Dakota, stopping at the famous

Wall Drug in Wall, SD.

We then visited Mount Rushmore and drove through the beautiful Black Hills.

It was so amazing to see Jeff, Renee, Carter and Camden again.  As we waited for the fireworks show in Big Sky, the kids played and wrestled and ran!

They had so much fun just playing at the condo we rented.  Dane showed Carter how to play chess, even though he doesn't really know the game well himself!

Nora and Camden played Life.

We drove to Yellowstone National Park one day and saw some of the sights.

I enjoyed morning runs in the mountains which reminded me of the years we lived in Idaho.  I hadn't missed the mountains so much until this reminded me of all the loveliness of a morning mountain run.

The day before we left, the kiddos tried some fun activities at the resort.

We made the trip home in one long day, with only a few brief stops along the way.  Dane and Nora travelled so well and loved seeing all the new places, including the badlands of North Dakota.