At Least One per Summer...Waterparks

What would summer be without a trip or two to the waterpark? Analise made sure we didn't miss out on our opportunity to go in a lazy river, giant pool or down some fast moving waterslides. She planned a trip for her friends to Splash Valley in Apple Valley.

A favorite was the slides where you could ride in a tube. This one below was like a toilet flush at the end where they spun around before coming out. Most came out facing forward, Analise decided to come down backwards. The girls all looked a bit worried before they went down but in the end they all said it was fun and went on again.

Of course many rounds of the lazy river took place as was as multiple trips up to the fast moving tube slide. They also enjoyed a body slide that dropped them off the end.

Surprisingly, Analise was willing to try every single water slide, even the body slides. She said they were all a lot of fun and that she is officially over her fear of waterslides. It took about 7 years for her to be able to say that but we are thankful the day came!

This was one of Analise's last times to have Fiona, Ella and Tessa together with her. We hope the group will still get together next summer for Art Club at Tessa's house. I think Ella had it will all my picture taking by the end. It is hard to believe next week is the final week of summer for the girls.

EveryMeal

It has been a bit since we volunteered at EveryMeal a few summers back. We thought we would make a return this summer with Erin's friend Joy to do an evening food packing session. Analise's friend Tessa was also able to join us this year.

We were thankful to share some fun volunteering experiences that gave us time to catch up with friends. We packed yellow bags which means easy to prepare food from anywhere. These bags can be eaten as is or with the help of a microwave. Over the course of the night, our team packed 3,324 bags.

Grandma and Grandpa Visit

Grandma Jan and Grandpa Bruce came for our final weekend in July. We hung out at our house and played Cribbage and indoor games, badminton in the yard and Emma got to spend her gift card at Dicks from grandma. She bought a white Nike sweatshirt and a purple Nike t-shirt for cross country.

The girls have wanted to try Queen Thai Sushi since it opened this past year so we decided to takeout from there. Then we went out to see Comedy Sportz in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday evening. The teams did a great job with their Improv skills and everyone got some laughs in. It is good to catch up and see what everyone has been up to the past few months.

Art Camp with Tessa's Mom

For the past two years, Tessa's mom has held an Art Camp for Analise's group of friends at her house. They do a variety of crafts every other week and the camp keeps them connected with each other over the long summer months. Analise was excited to tell us about her apron that she designed with a flower print.

She also tie-dyed a shirt which may come in handy if the school decides to do a tie-dye day for school spirit week during homecoming. Her design was hot pink and black.

We are thankful that Shannon offers the camp and that they live nearby so it is easy to stop over.

Como Gardens and Heat Wave

We have wanted to get out on the weekends and do more hiking and outdoor adventures in our area however the air quality and the heat have made it tricky these last few weeks. We rejoined the Y for the next month so that the girls can train for cross country on the indoor track as much as needed without destroying their lungs. We did manage to get out to the Como area last night because the air quality numbers have improved a bit. It was still hot, but we found some beautiful ponds.

Friend Gathering

Carolyn and Brian and their girls, Angelica and Samantha, along with Wade, LiMing and their daughter, Kiris, came over to our house this past week for some outdoor games and fun. We grilled burgers and had watermelon for dinner. Emma and Analise entertained with the trampoline, some lawn games as well as indoor games.

The art table needed a good cleaning after everyone was done drawing. Telepictionary was a hit and had everyone laughing. It was lots of fun to see the girls stepping up and leading activities for the little ones.

The old building blocks and some cooperative games had a moment of glory again. It was also great to remember the excitement that the little ones bring to activities that may have been put to the side by the tween/teen group that now resides at our house.

More Grandma and Grandpa Time

Analise and Emma visited with Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Mark to celebrate their July birthdays. They hung out at the neighbor's pool in the morning hours, played cards and of course went through photo albums once the wildfire smoke came into the area. It was a good way to spend a hot, 95 degree day. Wishing the heat would disippate but it looks like it is holding on until next week.

Dan got a photo of the wildfire smoke this evening because it is extraordinarly awful looking. He commented that the sun makes it look like the end times. We are hoping they get the fires in Northern Minnesota under control.