Adventure Fest

On Saturday we went to the 1st annual Adventure Fest put on by the YWCA. It was a free family event that included a fish sandwich meal, real fishing in the swimming pool, a talk on local fish, turtles, and frogs, lots of games and outdoor activities, bounce houses and many vendors with fun booths. Things like this help make Sterling a great place to raise a family!

Adventure Fest-2

My highlight was climbing the rock wall. After reaching the top I got to repel down. I'm ready for Expedition Impossible now!

Jadon loved shooting a paintball gun!

Here are some fun poses from the other night. Leah has a chimp and polar bear tied onto her with snakes and Jadon was being "Rocket Man" with his blankie cape.

Garden Update

This week we've harvested carrots, broccoli, and tomatoes. I made broccoli soup and beef with broccoli-yum! I love eating food grown in the backyard! Most of our tomatoes are green, but we've had about 5 ripe ones so far.

We got another visit from Velvet. The only thing cuter than her is seeing my kids holding her :)

The Rooftop Experience

This weekend Brian and I celebrated our 10th Anniversary in Chicago with friends and family over the span of 3 days. We kicked off the festivities with a Cubs/Cardinals game at a rooftop overlooking Wrigley Field. We enjoyed socializing, game watching, and all the food and drink we cared to consume. It was a close game, but Cubs won in extra innings. What a fun way to watch a game!

We were across the street from the ballpark, but had an amazing view. Plus, this rooftop had several large TVs and shady spots to see the game when we got too hot in the sun.

Brant, Larry, Keith, and Brian

Jessica, Me, and Julie

The 3 Jones outlaws (sisters-in-law)
Dick and Judy

Friday Night

As my friend Jessica put it, "Now I know where you get your crazy side."

10 years baby!

After the game we hung out at a couple of bars in Wrigleyville, which I had never done before. They were very loud and lively, and if you can't beat 'em you join 'em, right? We had fun goofing around and dancing before heading back to our hotel. That night Sarah and Greg met up with us for dinner and we had Chicago-style pizza in our hotel restaurant. Yum! A few of us pushed the limits of exhaustion and went to the 96th floor of the Hancock for a drink. What a full and fun day!

Air Show

Brian enjoyed listening to the air show on his wind-up radio. Dale, Charles, and Mark are playing in the background.

Here, 2 planes are about to cross paths as they complete a heart in the sky.

We had to take our picture by this new statue of Marliyn Monroe.

On Saturday, it rained heavily 'til about 2:00, so we missed quite a bit of the Air and Water Show. Julie, Jessica, Sarah, Greg, Brant, Amie, Brian, and I had a nice lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery and by the time we were done, the sun came out and we walked over to Oak St. beach. We met up with our friends Mark and Anita Johnson and their 2 kids. Unfortunately, they spent most of their day enduring the rain. We really appreciate them coming in, though, and we enjoyed the time we had together. The air show was fun and relaxing.

Odyssey II

My Aunt Sue and Uncle Les

On Saturday night, 12 of us enjoyed a night out on the Odyssey II, which docks at Navy Pier and cruises around the Chicago harbor. Since we were celebrating our 10th Anniversary and my parents were celebrating their 40th, the staff had sprinkled rose petals on our table and greeted us with complimentary champagne. The band also announced our special occassions and called my parents up for a special dance with some other couples. They brought us out special dessert, too. We had a delicious meal, good conversation, and fun time dancing. At 10:15 we watched fireworks off Navy Pier from the observation deck. The whole night was very special. The next day, Brian and I had lunch with Larry, Cindy, Brant, and Amie, and then shopped Michigan Ave. a little before heading home.

Thanks to our friends and family for joining us in this celebratory weekend. Being surrounded by all of you made a fun weekend truly special and memorable. We love you! Thanks also to Brian's mom Deb for watching all 6 grandkids! You are amazing and so appreciated!!

Meeting Chandler

Dale and Nancy came to Sterling with their 2 girls for the Chicago weekend. I got to meet my niece Chandler who is now 2 months old. She is so cute! Leah loved holding and watching her. I even got to feed her a bottle. All the kids stayed with Deb over the weekend and had good cousin bonding time.

Jadon's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Jadon started Kindergarten at Jefferson. He was not very nervous the first day and he has been happy and excited about it ever since. He likes his teacher Mrs. Brennar and has some nice kids in his class.

Puppies

Jeremiah has brought the puppies over a few times.

Our neighbors breed Dachsauns and they have a litter of new puppies that Leah and Jadon have fallen in love with. Leah cried, "I want a doggie!" after the 1st time they visited our house. The puppies are adorable, but we are not going to adopt.

Beach Birthday Party

Dale and Charles had their joint birthday party at Crystal Lake. It was the last fun activity of the summer before many of the kids began kindergarten. Leah played in the water while Jadon and Brecken played with beachballs in the grass.

Dale and Charles open their presents.

Micah is so cute!

Charles shows off the snake we gave him.

It was a little cool, but Leah still enjoyed the water activities.

Jadon and Brecken played together at the park the day before school started.

Driftwood Lodge- 1st Day

We drove up north on a stormy day. When we arrived, the entire town of Minocqua was out of power. Our resort had no power the 1st two days of our vacation- no electricity, no running water. Other than desperately needing a shower, it wasn't that big of a deal. We explored and swam the first day. The next day we went to Holiday Acres and the kids rode ponies and go karts.

Leah rode Butterscotch.

Jadon rode Ozzy.