Family Fun
Hop, Skip, Jump, Play, Swing, and Braid
All the kids had various ways to go up and down the road before they could open their treasure box – including running, skipping, hopping on one foot, hopping on two feet, etc….
After breakfast every morning while the cousins were here the five kids got to open up an envelope with clues leading to that days treasure chest. Before opening the treasure chest for the day they were required to complete the tasks or solve the puzzles before locating the treasure chest. It was something fun that they looked forward to doing every morning. All the kids participating and had a blast completing the tasks assigned each morning. Every morning it was something different (sometimes it was a puzzle, scavenger hunt, physical activity, or something else).
They are almost to the finish line! Keep going! They all made it and received their goodies for the day.
Sweet girls drying off and doing some chalk drawings after a swim in the pool
Noah and Skipper! Skipper loved having all the kids running around and playing outside all week!
Aunt Mirm showing the girls a neat game!
Brina loves little kids! She was so sweet pushing her two little cousins in the swings. Too cute!
Aunt Mirm wanted to try a new type of hairdo and Karlie was her test subject…..needless to say Karlie was patient, but not overly impressed with the styling. She was a good sport about it though!
Brina undid her braids that Aunt Mirm had done. She loved having her snazzy crinkled hair that day!
Brina wanted me to take a picture of the back of her hair too!
Family Fun at Welcome Ranch!
Brina and Aunt Mirm swinging at Welcome Ranch
We had the opportunity to spend an entire day with Jake’s sister Miriam and her family. It was a fun day full of games, fun, good food, and we ended with a trip out to Welcome Ranch. At Welcome Ranch we got to see a variety of farm animals, ride horses, go on a huge Radio Flyer Red Wagon, and have a pizza picnic at the ranch. After all the fun at the ranch we wrapped it up with delicious ice cream at Bruster’s. Thankful for some fun with extended family over the summer vacation.
They had a baby goat names Eloise who was quite entertaining to watch.
All the girls are ready to ride!
Noah taking a turn on the horse.
Karlie loving it!
Uncle Paul was hilarious!
Sweet Nadia had a blast and wasn’t even scared riding the big horse!
Jake having fun!
Noelle’s turn for a ride!
Aunt Mirm all smiles!
The kids in front of the giant red Radio Flyer wagon! Awesome!
Our families at Welcome Ranch! Grateful for some fun time together this summer!
Outdoor Summer Activities – Pool, Games, and More!
We spent a good bit of our summer time in the pool when we were home. Last year I got a blow up seesaw for the pool. It was a big hit with the kids! The hardest part was staying on when you were all wet!
Having fun in the pool!
We put crepe paper across the two doors with kids sleeping in them. They thought it was hilarious when they woke up and were barricaded in the room. They had a blast running through it that morning!
Karlie reading the “clues” for the treasure hunt that morning.
Looking for another clue!
The girls came up with a bunch of outdoor games for the whole family to play. One of them was a relay race in the side yard. The Dad’s even participated!
Another game required the teammates to hit the baseball.
Now were ready for the bike and scooter races!
Hula Hoop contest!
Noah thought he was pretty smart doing it on his arm instead of around the waist!
The youngest had the best hula hooping skills! She won hands down as the best hula hooper in both families!
Aunt Mirm braiding the girls hair. The thought that was pretty cool having all the fancy braids!
A lot of girly chitchat, giggles, and silliness going on in the back of the van.
Window Easels
Noelle’s window art
One of our fun summer crafty activities that ended up a big hit with all the kids was Window Easels! Each kid (ages 4 to 12) got to pick their own window as their easel and could draw whatever they wanted on it. I had a stack of window paint (like the ones you put on car windows) and each kid could come grab what colors they needed for their particular artwork. They had a blast doing it. I didn’t get a huge amount of pictures during the activity because I was helping distribute the paint and wiping up any drips as they happened. It has a big hit! I left the painted easels up for the rest of their stay so everyone could enjoy their artwork for several days. You could see the artwork both inside and outside of the house which was pretty neat! Some of the kids choose to paint both the top and bottom windows (while standing on a chair) while others just wanted to do one window.
Brina did both of her windows
Noah’s creatively decorated windows!
Nadia, the youngest one of the group, had a lot of fun doing her window – “All by herself!”
Karlie packed a lot onto her window – Art, Names, Signs, Shapes, Math, and more fun stuff!
Not only was it a lot of fun it gave me a good excuse to scrub down the windows this summer too! It was the perfect summer craft. It kept the kids entertained for quite awhile and there were very little clean up. Plus no one had to wait for turns at the easel because everyone had their own and they all painted at the same time. It was fun watching them paint and hearing them chitchat at the same time.
Fun at the Zoo!
Watching “Joy” the elephant play
We were able to squeeze in a fun trip to the Greenville Zoo with our cousins during summer vacation! A big thanks to our sweet cousin who shared zoo passes with us! Joy the elephant was playing with her tire while we were there. It was the last week Joy was at Greenville Zoo. A couple days later they were transporting her to a new zoo in Colorado.
Sweet girls!
Hanging out in the shade at the Giraffe exhibit. There were 3 giraffes in the pen and the Momma is expecting another one any day now! Great times with the cousins!
The turtles were very fascinating to watch!
A quick picture of the girls on the bear as we worked our way through the zoo!
We spent the morning at the zoo then headed to Cleveland Park to eat a picnic lunch and play on the playgrounds. It is always fun going on special trips with cousins. Thankful for a fun time together with family!
Welcome Family!
We painted “Welcome” on our driveway as we waited for extended family to arrive!
We have had a great summer break with our kids home from school!!! We packed in great adventures, time with our extended families, camps, Vacation Bible School, lots of memories, fun, history, road trips, flights, and much more! So thankful for a wonderful time with our family. Thanks for being patient with me as I enjoyed extra time with my family. It is my intention of getting back on schedule here soon. I will be posting some pictures of our summer fun soon!
Our first big summer adventure was having Jake’s sister and her family come stay with us for a week. They arrived on the same day the girls got out of school. We had a blast! As an added bonus of fun we also got to see Jake’s cousins who live in the area several times throughout the week as well. Thankful for family and fun times together!
The girls enjoying popsicles and ice cream bars!
The guys enjoying their game!
A pool full of fun!
The kids breaking open the pinata!
Playing the Jelly Belly game “Bean Boozled” with extended family! Everyone is waiting with anticipation to see if Aunt Cindy got a good flavor!
Snow cones were a hit with the kids one hot afternoon!
Fun at the Lake in Connecticut!
Brina hoping to catch something in the lake!
Our family was able to stop for a few hours in Connecticut this summer. Jake’s Dad lives in CT and we wanted to catch up since we were driving through on our way back home. The girls were excited to spend some time with Grandpa Tim and the rest of the crew at the lake. It was a beautiful sunny day and the lake was gorgeous. The perfect day to hang out at the lake! We had a wonderful time visiting, playing at the lake, eating delicious food, shooting off the cannon, and more! It was great getting a chance to hang out for a few hours!
Karlie was determined to catch a fish with her net. They were really fast though!
Splashing around in the lake while Grandpa Tim cools off!
Jake and Karlie went for a ride in the canoe
They did a great job out on the lake, but they got a little wet when trying to dock. I didn’t get a picture of them flipping out of the canoe when they were getting out because I was trying to help, but it did provide some good laughs watching them!
Grandpa Tim sitting up the cannon! Oh boy! Super excited to watch the cannon fire.
Grandpa Tim wanted to try out these cool shots that he got at a garage sale. At first we thought they were duds…..however, a few seconds after the initial shot there was a huge explosion and water came spraying up from the lake. I would say they were really well! Better make sure the lake is clear before firing another one!
Grandpa Tim was standing right next the cannon when he reached back to pull it back up the hill by the string a little bit, but instead set the cannon off making another big and loud explosion in front of us on the lake. He was surprised, but thankfully not hurt (other than the ringing in his ears from being so close to it when it went off). Once everyone knew Grandpa was okay everyone was laughing hysterically. The expression on Grandpa Tim’s face was priceless when he unexpectedly set off the cannon. Thankfully, everyone was okay and it is something we can laugh about now!
Karlie’s turn to shoot off the cannon! The girls loved the cannon! They haven’t set one off before so it was a lot of fun for them!
My Little Pony goodies, the perfect gift for the long road trip home! Thankful for a wonderful day with family in CT.
Greenville Drive Baseball Game & Fireworks
Greenville Drive Game
Jake’s company hosted an event at the Greenville Drive. We ate delicious BBQ and enjoyed one of the best Greenville Drive Games we have been to in our area. The girls had a blast watching the game! Since it was a Friday night they had fireworks after the game as well which are always a big hit with everyone! Greenville won with a 13 point spread.
Daddy and Brina watching the baseball game!
Karlie is very excited!
Awesome fireworks!
Great way to end the night at the baseball field
A few fireworks even hit the stadium lights!
Beauitful!
Thankful for our fun evening together!
Target Practicing
Daddy showing Brina how to shoot the black powder gun!
Brina taking a shot at the target
Daddy showing Karlie how to shoot with black powder
Karlie taking another shot!
Robotics Activities
Working on robotics!
The girls have been part of the STEM Club at their school. They have really enjoyed learning so much through the club, including more about robotics. Since they have been learning about robotics and are really interested in learning more so Jake has been doing fun robotics projects with them at home as well. Here are a few of the projects they have been working on recently.
Brina and Karlie checking out the robotic
Daddy helping the girls put together one of the robots
This is one that Jake had from college. He pulled it out and had the girls help him get it back up and running again.
Watching the robot spin around the kitchen!
