Summertime - Part 2

Julia turned nine in August. She had a birthday party sleepover to celebrate the day! The theme was Harry Potter and the first movie in the series was planned. The girls only watched part of it before they wandered off and created multiple fashion shows.

There was quite the spread of snacks laid out for the girls. The rest of us enjoyed it too!

After presents, cupcakes, and more giggling, the girls hoisted the birthday kid for a group picture.

We met up with family at the Sun Prairie Corn Fest to share in good weather, good food, and spending quality time together.
The kids always enjoying goofing around with their aunts and uncles.

And Julia and Finn's one cousin is sure to get a lot of their attention.

We had a nice picnic to top things off and to celebrate both Julia and Johannah's birthdays.

On the same trip we were also able to see the other side of the family. Along with the visit, we were fortunate to get a great tour of a fire station.

It was hilarious seeing each kid put on ALL the firefighter gear!

This is Julia giving a thumb's up.

We've camped in the backyard with the kids and Julia has camped with Girl Scouts, but our whole family hadn't gone real camping together...until recently. Our family and three others spent a hot (but fun) weekend at Willow River State Park.
We spent a lot of time by the water to try to stay cool.

Finn and I went kayaking for the first time. I wasn't sure how Finn would do, but he was enthusiastic and handled the vessel quite well!

Even with the heat, we still enjoyed a campfire in the evenings.

At the end of summer each year, the kids get shipped off to split a week at each of the grandparents. They excitedly call it the Kids' Vacation. Amanda and I get excited about it too - extra free time in the evenings is a great treasure!
Taking in some mini-golf is always a treat for the kids.

An evening at the ballpark with extended family made for some nice generational pictures: Julia and her Great Grandpa Ronnie.

Finn was chosen for a race around the bases dressed as a piece of pizza. He didn't win, but I think anyone who gets to dress like pizza is a winner!