yikes

Yikes I have some catching up to do. Why can't I just blog on a regular basis? It is so much easier when I feel like it catches a glimps of our everyday life instead of a travel-log.  Honestly I doubt many people even read this so it is more for me than anybody but I love, love, LOVE going back a looking at past blog posts.  I love that it brings back memories I had totally forgotten otherwise.  I really must do better.  Now that summer is here and I have a little more time (when we are not outside enjoying the summer) then I will try to do better.  I was thinking tonight that I really only have 2 more weeks of Summer here in Omaha.  After that, we leave for Utah for 10 weeks for some rotations and then by the time we come back it will be Fall and then Winter (because Season usually go like that you know) and then Spring (are you catching on now?) and then we MOVE!!! Where to?  We have absolutely no idea but most likely it will be away from Omaha.  We have so many memories here and it is going to hard to leave.  What am I talking about this for already? I still have months ahead of sappiness...I mean happiness.
What a wonderful Summer it has been already.  Here is a glimpse
Last month, I surprised Addie by taking her to Wicked.  She was SO excited and we  both LOVED it.  WOW! What an experience and I'm so glad I got to share it with this amazing girl.  This girl is pretty wonderful and I am continually amazed by her.  I'm sure she gets tired of me always nagging her to speak slower but she has such wonderful things to say, I want to make sure we (and others) can understand her.  We can all learn a lot from Addie.

Addie played volleyball this year and really enjoyed it.  I think she liked the team aspect of it best because she some days it was more like dodge ball.  I agree Addie, if a ball is flying toward your face, you should run away from it.  That is the safe thing to do...maybe just not on the volleyball court.  I'm kidding (mostly) but it was fun to watch her and she did improve.

 Kimball played soccer for the first time this year and did really well.  That kid has skills.  He can be one sweet and stubborn kid.  I wish more people could know Kimball like we know him (without the temper attached).  He is a real gem but so much quieter than Addie (which isn't hard ;) so people usually don't get to know him but he is really thoughtful and melts my heart often.

 We have enjoyed camping some this Season.  We camped by a lake and I don't know why I didn't think to bring an extra pair of clothes and shoes for my kids because of COURSE they are going to get wet.  They had a lot of fun searching for bugs (what else) and trying to skip rocks.  Here is our homemade clothes line over the fire.

 Darn that smoke, it always follows beauty so Avonlea couldn't get away from it. Notice her wet pant legs.  I wish we would have chosen a warmer day to go.  It was SO cold that night.  In the morning, we all just stayed in our sleeping bags and sat in the tent waiting for it to warm up.

 Kimball graduated ZOO Kindergarten.  It was so fun to watch his little presentation.  They made a video of "What Does the Fox Say" which was so dang cute...now if only I could figure out how to upload it to the blog.  He really loved Kindergarten and it was very good for him to go at least for the year.  I will be homeschooling both Kimball and Addie this next year and I really pray it goes well.  I'm sure it will but it will be a whole new ballgame.

 We have had quite a few crazy storms here.  The sirens have gone off at least 3 times in the last 2 months which always make for fun nights in the basement.  Here was one night before the sirens went off and the clouds looked like pop-corn.  We luckily have just had strong wind and rain here at our exact location.  I know many places had much worse with actual touch-downs.  When we first moved here, I was pretty freaked out but now, it is almost more of an adventure and the kids think it is pretty fun to sit in the basement and track the weather on the T.V.

 Along with the storms have come some BEAUTIFUL weather and it hasn't been all that hot yet.  We went to Arrowhead State Park with several friends and rented some boats.  What a wonderful day.  I loved taking the kids out in the canoe and seeing all the snapping turtles.  Ammon and I have decided that once we start making a pay-check.  The "toys" we are going to buy for ourselves are some kayaks or a canoe.  

 Avonlea and her best friend Maylie.  Seriously these girls love each other so much.  

 Jarom loved just leaning over and having his hand glide in the water.

 Ammon did all the work and I just sat back and relaxed cause I'm lazy like that sometimes.  Actually I offered to switch him spots but I think he liked having all the control ;)

 Avonlea enjoyed a little fishing.  I'm surprised the fish didn't just jump onto her line just to get a chance to be with this little cutie.  She is such a happy thing (most of the time) and she would have just hugged those fish to death I'm sure.

Ammon found a great way so keep Jarom cool.

 Ammon is on a rotation right now in Lincoln which is about an hour away.  We decided to meet him one day after work at a half way point and went on a little hike.  It was beautiful.  Hiking here does not even compare to anything in Utah but there are many beauties and it is incredibly lush and green.  I will for sure miss that.

 This was a date I took Kimball on last week.  We went fishing, or rather, he went fishing since I don't have a NE fishing license but I read him stories while he fished.  Our good fishing pole was all tangled up and I couldn't get it to work but he used this little Barbie fishing pole and got really good at casting.  Too bad there wasn't much line.  No bites but good memories.

This is turning into a really long post but we have had a lot of fun this summer.  We had to check out the display at the Children's Museum.  Pretty fun stuff.  I really need to take the kids there more often.  We love that place.

 Probably our favorite thing so far this summer was our trip to Nauvoo with Ammon's mom.  Teresa flew out here and we drove down to Nauvoo.  It was PERFECT!  We had such a wonderful time and we were there the same time as the BYU performing group of Living Legend which was amazing.  So many wonderful dances and performances of people's history.

 We also found a tandem bike to ride.  THIS WAS MY DREAM COME TRUE.  It is my goal to one day have a tandem bike.  My sister Valerie and I rode a tandem around Nauvoo about 15 years ago and then my friend Erin and I did about 13 years ago but then the tandem was gone and we couldn't rent one until this last time.  Not only did I get to ride a tandem but it was with the man of my dreams in one of my favorite places on earth.  You can't get any better than that...well maybe if I had worn a different color shirt so it didn't look like I was getting ready to go hunting in the dark and the pictures would have turned out better but really, who cares about that.  Teresa was so nice to take the kids on a wagon tour while Ammon and I toured Nauvoo on the bike.

p.s. Riding a tandem is NOT as easy as it looks.  Is it Erin? (wink wink)

 The kids petting the horses after the wagon tour

 We gave the kids turns on the tandem as well.  It was a memory I will keep forever.  What a wonderful day.

This picture makes me laugh.  Addie was a little sore in the rear after riding the tandem.

 She much preferred Pioneer Pastimes.  Don't I have the cutest little pioneer girls?

 I love the Women's garden.  It is so inspiring to me the vision that it gives of the important role that women have.  I remember coming to this garden when I was 14 and really being touched.  It is fun to come and see how many of these stages  I am in. It was actually the kids idea to act out the statues and I'm glad we did. Cheesy I know, but memorable.

 It was so great having Teresa there to join us.  We love her so much and it was wonderful to share this with her.

Well if you made it through all of that, then you must be family.  Who else would have made it all the way to the bottom with so many pictures and the travel-log.  More to come, sooner rather than later, I promise.