Who has been having a wonderful summer? We all have! As these photos will show:
Morgan decided to reopen her store of handcrafted items. She sells paintings, bookmarks, scrolls, and anything else her mind could dream up.
She even has a cash register to store her new revenue.
Once Charlie caught a glimpse of the money in Morgan's drawer, he decided to open up his own store- "Chuck's Got Bucks".
We took a break from our new roles as party hosts, and celebrated the Fourth of July at the Wells house this year.
We stayed for a long time and then headed home for some night swimming.
The swimming gave me a second wind so I took Morgan and Charlie with me to the Schradel's house to watch the fireworks.
You can pretty much sum up our whole summer with two dominant activities- swimming and camping. Here's more of the former:
Morgan's been working on her dive.
We took the camper to Hocking Hills to meet up with some other OU Alumni.
Our children were amongst the oldest ones there so we were able to take them on a more treacherous hike.
We even climbed the Ash Cave Fire Tower for some stunning views.
We had a great time despite being outnumbered by children.
One highlight was the talent show.
Morgan (and Taylor) performed a silly skit.
Taylor danced and sang to Hard Knock Life from Annie.
And Charlie performed a magic trick...
.....with a twist!
Our friend, Ryan, even got in on the fun by demonstrating his snake catching talent.
We were blessed with wonderful weather which made the campfire all the more welcomed.
The hike we did on the last day made me nervous, but the kids loved it!
Morgan has been taking swim lessons for the fourth year. I am so proud (and relieved) of what great swimmers my children have become.
Morgan started this sunflower in her kindergarten classroom. Look at it now! (It's actually a foot passed the top of that shepherd's hook now!!)
Aunt Jessica heard about a Kids Bowl Free summer program so we decided to give it a try.
We had a great time!
Then this happened. In an effort to kill a hornet, I fell of the front step of our porch and injured BOTH feet. Little did I know that it would take WEEKS before they'd heal. (I'm still waiting for that day actually.) Nothing like two bum feet to force you to slow down...
Thankfully Taylor has really stepped up and helped me around the house.
We celebrated Addison's 6th birthday at Chuck E Cheese.
Then we had a troll party for her at her house!
It's hard to believe, but this summer marks 25 years since we've graduated from elementary school. Our class was special because we were together as one class for eight years. We organized some festivities starting with an adult-only gathering at a restaurant.
Then we had a family friendly pool party at our house.
At the end of the month we took another trip with the camper to KY and TN. Charlie woke up with a stomach bug on the day were were supposed to leave so I had to stay home with him while Mark took the girls to Grandma and Grandpa's in KY.
We met up with them the next day in KY and drove to our first campsite in Pennyrile Forest in Kentucky. Charlie got to play nine holes of golf with his dad (I'm still waiting on the photos that Mark took while they were golfing.)
Then drove to Nashville where we spent the next three nights.
We loved our campsite. It was very large and shaded with a huge cement table.
The kids even made their own tether ball.
Taylor made the fire each night with a little help from her dad.
There was even a lake nearby!
The kids enjoyed swimming in the lake and playing in the sand.
I couldn't do much because of my injured feet, but luckily the children were content playing at the campsite and in the camper. We played a lot of cards and even had a Speed tournament.
Mark went to watch his team, the Tottenham Spurs, practice while I took the kids to see Despicable M3.
On our last day we took the kids to The Soda Parlor and had the best milkshakes and floats!
Mark and Charlie like the free video games there.
Finally, it was time for the event that sparked this entire camping trip- the Tottenham vs. Manchester City soccer game.
Go Spurs!
We had to race home the next morning to get this little camper register for her next adventure- 5 nights at American Heritage Girls camp.
That pretty much sums up our July. I told you- swimming and camping. Who could ask for more?
