Twin Cities

In mid August we traveled to Minneapolis to attend a wedding reception and spend time with family. On that Saturday we took a trip to the Mall of America. Of course we had to make a stop in the American Girl Store. Bella got a Lanie Doll and Emma got some accessories for her doll Kit. The weekend ended up being really fun and the girls got to meet their cousin Aaron for the first time and reunite with Adam and Isaac which we had not seen in 2 years.

Our Great State Fair!

Wow! It's been a while since I posted anything so here it goes trying to play catch up. The girls and I went to the Iowa State Fair on the first day. Big mistake the temp was around 110 degrees that day so we lasted from about 8am to 2pm. I did not get to see everthing I wanted to, but maybe next year. The girls did go on a pony ride and we did little hands on the farm as we do every year and we had some good eats. We of course had to ride the Ye old mill which is a tradition that I always rode that ride with my grandma and now I am trying to start riding it every year with my kids. The girls also liked playing in the fountains at Pella Plaza since it was so hot.

Adventureland with the Dehmers

Monday the kids and I went to Adventureland with the Dehmers, Angie's mom, and Justin's mom. The girls rode many more rides than I thought they would. Thank goodness for the people I was with since I get sick if I go in a circle too much they rode with the girls on most of the rides. Emma's favorite ride was the log ride and I am not quite sure what Bella liked the best. She claims it was the log ride, but when we were riding it did not seem like she was having fun especially when we went down the big hill and got wet! Congrats again to Justin Dehmer for taking the MstM Blue Devils to a 43-0 baseball season and winning the state 1A title!

Warren County Fair

Last week the girls and I stayed with my sister's family at the Warren County Fair for a couple days. My niece Haley had a horse that she was showing so we thought it would be fun to just stay in our camper with the 5 of them. I now realize that my camper was only made for 1 family. It was a little cramped, but we still had a good time. The kids got to ride a real pony ride, which they loved and a train ride. Haley did a great job showing her horse for it only being her first year.

Summer Fun

We have had so much fun this summer using our new boat. Almost all the kids love being pulled on the tube....except of course Emma and Bella :) Both of them have come a long way with their swimming though. We just wish summer was a little bit longer!

NVOS

This weekend we went to my hometown to celebrate the 2010 New Virginia Old Settlers. On Saturday morning we did the kids foot and bike races. Grace got 2nd in the foot races and Wyatt got 1st in the bike races in their age groups. Let's just say Bella and Emma have some work to do on their speed!! Then we did the penny scramble where they had a large circle drawn on the street and when they called your age you would go and grab as many pennies as you could get. The had so much fun with that. We then went to our old neighbors cooker where they were in the BBQ contest and we got to try some or their yummy food they were cooking. Thanks Russell and Krista for letting us try your food! Ben then decided to try a game that was set up by the fire dept where you spray a bowling ball with the fire hose against an opponent to see who can get it to the other one's side. The little girl that he was against caught him by surprise and started spraying him so it turned into a water fight. After that we went to Grandma Kathy's to change and soak up some air conditioning. Then back to the parade for us. What a fun weekend we had.....I always look forward to going back "home" for the weekend and celebrating my hometown. It is fun to show the girls where I grew up.....

Our New Boat

Last Friday Ben and I purchased a new pontoon boat with my mom and Mike as co-owners. We have been wanting a boat since we bought our camper last July. We found a 2008 brand new boat just wating at the dealership for us calling our name! The girls and I camped at Lake Rathbun all weekend before the 4th of July to save our spot then Ben and Grandma Kathy came at the end of the week to join us. On Friday we picked up our new boat, and without much experience we put the boat in the water. It took a bribe of a new toy to get Emma in the lake. Bella would not even take that bribe she refused to get in the water. I think with more boating they both should learn to love the lake like me....or it will be a very long summer at the lake for them!