On the Farm: Irrigating the Corn & a Horse Ride at Sunset
Karlie was impressed with the height of the corn in the field!
The girls always enjoy coming to Kansas to visit our family. Thankful for opportunities to spend time with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great grandparents, and more extended family! They look forward to their time spent and adventures while in Kansas.
Brina making sure Midnight had company after finishing her stretch of irrigation pipes.
Karlie using a wrench to start the water in a new corn row.
Counting the rows so she can make sure to water the right ones.
Checking out the fields and walking across the irrigation bridge.
They are fascinated by all the neat stuff Grandpa Russell does on the farm!
Of course, Grandma and Grandpa’s animals are always a big highlight for them too. Going for a carriage and horse ride at sunset!
A fun ride as the sun sets! My camera was having a hard time with the lighting and all the animal movement.
A beautiful sunset to end a fun day in Kansas!
Travel & Vacation: Kansas Family Reunion
Our family at Lake Milford this summer!
All my immediate family members were able to come to Lake Milford this summer for a long weekend together. We had a blast! We went swimming, boating, skiing, kneeboarding, tubing, played games, celebrated birthdays, ate great food, laughed, and had a wonderful time making some new memories together. Even our family’s soon-to-be newest member was able to join us for the weekend. My youngest brother Josh will be getting married later this year and his fiance Megan (who we have known for many years) was a part of the fun family weekend! Grateful for a weekend to catch up and have fun!
My parents, siblings, spouses, and kids!
We are a wild crew at times, drive each other nuts occasionally, but all-in-all we know how to have a good time together! Yes, I am blessed to call this crazy bunch my family!
Relaxing for a few minutes at Cracker Barrel.
Rocking and playing checkers!
Travel & Vacation: The Grown Up Kids Having Fun Paddleboarding
Megan and Josh did really well on the paddleboard!
The lake was perfect for paddleboarding. Not only did the kids have fun trying out their talents on the paddleboard, but the adults had a blast too. It was great seeing everyone get up and zip (yes some faster than others) across the lake on the paddleboard. Thankful for some time of fun, laughter, and the chance to try a new activity with family!
Amber showing off her paddleboarding skills!
Who says the kids have all the fun! I think the adults had just as much fun on the paddleboard! At least Amber did!
Jake taking Brina with him on the paddleboard.
Megan and Josh gliding around the lake on the paddleboard.
Dad heading out to the middle of the lake on the paddleboard.
Keeping it steady.
Becky taking off!
Becky and Nicko on the paddleboard.
Lee was up and going in no time!
Nicko going for a ride with his Dad!
Dad teasing Jeremy before take off!
Jeremy paddleboarding on Lake Milford.
Uncle Lee and the kids!
Looking a little crazy!
Nathan and Grandma Penny
Grandpa Russell and Nathan
Lee and Becky going for a ride across the lake.
Nathan taking his Mom on the paddleboard.
Fun times at the lake.
Jake started out kneeling….
Once he was out a little ways he decided to stand up….
And he was successful! Jake cruising around Milford Lake on the paddleboard.
Travel & Vacation: Kids Paddleboarding on Lake Milford
Yes, five kids can fit onto one paddleboard – Sierra, Brandon, Karlie, Nathan, and Brina
On our last full day at Lake Milford Nate used his money to rent a paddleboard for several hours. It provided a lot of fun entertainment for everyone! The kids had a grand time as well as the adults trying their balancing skills on the paddleboard. Thanks Nathan for sharing with everyone. What a fun day!
Nate and Brandon on the paddleboard!
Brina and Brandon going for a ride on the paddleboard
Getting instructions from Uncle Jeremy
Nate and Sierra on a roll
Sierra and Nathan cruising across the lake
Karlie steering and Brina on for the ride
Brina’s turn to paddle while Karlie rides (or splashes in the water)
Nathan and Karlie on the paddleboard
Karlie in control of the paddleboard now as Nathan hangs on
Brina trying it out on her own…don’t go too far!
Karlie testing her paddleboard skills
Sierra going for a ride with Brandon on the paddleboard
Sierra demonstrating her balancing talents!
Brandon is a little concerned that Sierra’s balancing acts may result in getting him tipped over
Brandon, Brina, and Sierra all standing on the paddleboard. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have more movement and it is much easier to tip over.
Goofy kids!
Trying to catch their balance without flipping the paddleboard.
HOLD ON…..
Brandon thought it was hilarious that all the girls fell off the paddleboard.
Karlie, Brandon, Sierra, and Brina trying to get back on!
Gliding across Lake Milford
Brandon driving the paddleboard now
They are having a grand time!
Beautiful day for paddleboarding across the lake with cousins!
Brina smoothly sailing around on the paddleboard
Karlie taking Brina and Brandon around the lake.
Travel & Vacation: Boating and Fishing on Milford Lake
Uncle Trace & Aunt Michelle fishing! Look at the flying fish in the upper right of the picture!
We had a blast with family at Milford Lake this summer. During the day there were a lot of different activities going on at the same time so everyone could have fun doing something they enjoyed from swimming, fishing, tubing, water skiing, knee boarding, and more fun. Uncle Trace was our expert fisherman that weekend!
Brina hanging out on my brother and sister-in-law’s boat!
Karlie on the boat at least briefly, she didn’t stay on the boat very long!
Jake taking pictures as Brina crashes on his lap. Lots of sun, wind, and lake fun make very tired kids!
Brina all tuckered out and taking a power nap on the boat! Good idea!
Hanging out with Zachie!
Uncle Josh teasing Nicko!
Look there’s Grandma Penny and Zachie on the fishing boat!
Beautiful day for fishing!
Travel & Vacation: Family Fun at Milford Lake
Having a blast with Nicko’s new bubble toy!
We started and ended our days at Milford Lake in our cabin at Acorn Resorts. All of my immediate family stayed in one cabin and several other family members were in cabins around us. We didn’t always see everyone in the morning, but everyone met back at our cabin for dinner together every night. During the day you would see a lot of family members swimming, on the boats, and doing various activities. We celebrated my nephews birthday the night before, but we saved the gifts to open in the morning. He was very excited!
Nicko opening his birthday gifts!
Very happy with his new shirt!
We moved the bubble fun outside!
Bubbles can be quite entertaining and fun!
Trying to catch and pop the bubbles!
Nicko’s LED Lighted Birthday balloons!!! The LED balloons are always a hit with the kids. We have had great luck with the illooms brand of LED Balloons lasting much longer than the package states. You can find a variety of styles at Walmart or online!
The girls made some cool glow stick designs to hang over their beds at night!
Travel & Vacation: Family Reunion at Acorn Resorts on Milford Lake
A lively round of golf (the card game) with the kids!
Our weekend with family in the the Acorn Resorts on Milford Lake was a lot of fun. We had a blast playing games and splashing around in the lake. We even were able to celebrate some birthdays during our weekend together! Thankful for a great weekend with our family!
Karlie enjoying her time at the lake!
Who wants to play “chicken”?! Brina and Nathan are ready! Thankful that the girls had a chance to hang out with their cousins and for the memories they have created!
Karlie jumping off the tube!
Another serious lake competition!? 🙂 No, just having fun! Look out for Amber and Sierra!
Ouch! That one looked painful!
Sierra’s very proud of her talent! Hilarious!
Brina springing off the tube!
Nicko having a grand time swimming around the lake!
Oh no, here she goes again. Look out below!
This cool contraption was flying over head as we were swimming around in the lake. Looks like fun too!
Karlie was always ready to go FASTER!
Brina, Brandon, and Karlie on the tube!
Nate, Meg, and Sierra got some air on this one!
Whoa! Hang on!
They are having a blast!
Karlie and Brandon going for another spin!
Candice and her friends sailing across the lake on the tube!
They even let me go a couple times! Loads of fun on the lake!
We had a grand time zipping along on the tube!
The kids are all showered after a fun day at the lake. Passing the time watching TV while the adults get dinner ready!
Happy Birthday Nicko! He had a super cool cake! The trucks on top were a huge hit too!
Time to celebrate and eat some delicious cake!
Pavilion Recreation Complex – Ice Skating, Bouncy Castles, George the Train, Playground Fun, Picnic, and More!
Karlie enjoying her time on the ice!
The girls had a blast hanging out with their cousins and friends at the Greenville Pavilion Recreation Complex this summer. Every Friday this summer the kids could get in to ice skate, play on the bouncy castles, ride on George the Train, play at the park, and get a snack for $10 each. The parents would get in for free (although we didn’t get the snack)! 🙂 The ice skating was only for 2 hours, but the rest of the activities you could do all day.
Karlie and Nicko having fun on the pile of snow they left in the ice skating rink!
Look out! Here comes Brina!
Karlie having fun!
Our friends Ashley from Reflecting on the Simpler Things in Life and Bradley having a blast too!
Goofy girl!
Zachie hung out with me the first time we went on the ice. He didn’t really like the ice skates too much, but had fun playing in the snow pile!
Brina waiting for Zachie to go down the slide with her!
Snack time – Oreos and Juice Bags!
Ready….Set…..Go!!!
Karlie going down the slide with Nicko!
I am getting beamed with snowballs from my nephews!
Karlie chasing Nicko! The second time we went out on the ice we had the kids keep their shoes on. We were the only ones on the ice the second time and all the kids had a blast with just their shoes on the ice. The ice skates were a good idea, but at least for the younger kids the regular shoes were a bigger hit in the ice skating rink.
Brina flying on by me!
Watching the Zamboni clean the ice skating rink. This was fascinating for the kids!
Riding on George the Train. At the end the conductor let all the kids push the button and honk the horn. So exciting!
Whose ready for a picnic!?
Grabbing a bite to eat so they can go play again!
Easily entertained….
Brina on the four wheeler!
Travel & Vacation: Our Weekend at Sadlers Creek State Park
Thankful for a wonderful, relaxing, and fun weekend away with the family.
We had a great day swimming, biking, and playing at Sadlers Creek State Park near Anderson, SC. Our tent was surrounded by trees but we could still see Lake Hartwell. The first night we played card games until late at night and crashed. The second night we experimented by toasting smores, starbursts, twillers, and fruit chews over the camp fire. They were a fun camping treat! We wrapped up the second night at the campsite relaxing and sharing some of our favorite summer memories. We are blessed and so much to be grateful for in our lives.
Silly girls enjoying their time camping at the lake.
Brina’s favorite were the toasted twizzler bites!
Karlie’s toasted marshmallow!
The Toasted Starbursts were goey, crispy, and delicious! My favorite of the toasting “experiments”.
The Toasted Fruit Chews were a little harder to do because if you waited too long they would drop off your stick. The ones that survived the heat of the fire got great reviews from the kids!
The best way to eat a Marshmallow – completely crispy and toasted over a flaming fire! Yum!
A full day of family fun in the sun results in two sleepy kids!
Brina swimming in the lake!
Karlie’s got a collection of sticks, wonder what she’s up to now!
Brina splashing around in Lake Hartwell.
Karlie all smiles as she gathers her sticks for some fun!
Our weekend camping went by quickly. We had fun, relaxed, and spent time together. We biked, swam, played games, ate great camp food, laughed, and had a grand time creating memories. The girls decided after this weekend that we need to make camping a more regular activity because they enjoyed it so much. Thankful for opportunities to spend time together and create these precious memories.
Travel & Vacation: Camping at Sadlers Creek State Park
Ready to unload the van and start camping!
Our family had a blast going camping at Sadlers Creek State Park this summer! It was the first out of the yard tent camping with just our family. The girls have been asking to go camping so we decided to do it! The Sadlers Creek tent camping area is near Anderson, South Carolina and almost all the tent sites overlook Lake Hartwell. It was beautiful, peaceful, and a lot of fun spending the weekend together. There was enough trees between the campsites you had some privacy. We ran into our friends from church the first night too! We biked everywhere and had fun swimming in the lake. There were two restroom facilities near us both with showers which was nice especially with the kids!
Once we arrived we biked everywhere. It was a great way to get around, explore some neat areas, and get some exercise! We biked to several different places that had sandy beaches, many of them were quiet with no other people around. After setting up the tent and camp area we picked out a couple of beaches we wanted to come back to the next day.
Karlie enjoying some time playing at a playground nearby!
Enjoying a walk and watching the beautiful sunset the first night we arrived.
The girls were thrilled with our morning guests! The geese were not scared of the kids and hung around for about 30 minutes.
Time for breakfast in our camp – ham, hashbrowns, eggs, and coffee!
Brina giggling at something!
Ready to go for a swim at one of the beaches we discovered!
Jake found a great place to jump off into the water!
Brina jumping off the “diving board”!
Karlie’s turn!
Swimming at the lake.
Trying to figure out how to do a belly buster.
Brina splashing around at Lake Hartwell.
Karlie probably could live in the water. She loves swimming around!
Brina enjoyed cruising around on her bike!
Exploring the area!
