Fun Times

We had a free afternoon today so we went to see what there was to do back at the children's area. That, and Alison has been looking forward to being old/big enough to ride the zipline across the river. She even saved up the $10 for the ride.

It made her very happy.

While we were waiting (it took a long time to get through the line), Russell and Kristen got to play in the fountains for a bit before the cops came to kick everyone out.

Russell's phone doesn't have a great camera, but it'll work.

We saw a flamingo woman:

And then we played in the bubble balls. What are those? Well, you got in a plastic bag

which they blow up

and then push into a wading pool full of water.

Too much fun! (Really. We were hot and tired afterward. And in need of ice cream. Too bad it's fast Sunday.)

Going Up?

One of the changes they made at Riverfest this year was moving the children's area (and expanding it) and adding a ferris wheel. So, of course, everyone had to go up.

Russell, Alison, and Kristen went after the parade and before the fireworks...

and Caitlyn and I went when we went back today for more fun.

I'm not happy about being stuck at the top.

It was fun!

Bonus: a shot from during the fireworks.

The Sundown Parade

It's Riverfest Time! It always starts with a parade, but we've never gone. But this year, Caitlyn got a text from a friend saying another one of their mutual friends was in the parade and that we should go. We figured, hey, why not? We've never been.

We saw lots of fun things. Odd selfies, while we're waiting.

Boats

Art fish

Stormtroopers!

Weird dragons

Cool women on horses

And fantastic neighborhood floats. The guy in the blue pants and green hat is Caitlyn's friend.

And this was Megan's 7th grade math teacher. She's awesome.

and Chinese dragons.

I'm not sure if we were impressed enough to go every year, but we certainly had a grand time this year.

Alison's Inner Geek

"Mom, my inner geek made me do it. She wanted to express herself."

Gardening

It's about time we turned this

Into a bed of growing things.

Here's hoping for some yummy produce in a couple of months.

STRAWBERRIES!!

We haven't gone to pick strawberries for a couple of years -- cold springs, didn't need the jam -- but we managed to drive out to our preferred farm yesterday for some strawberry picking!

They redid the front of the store, which made us all happy. It's really cute now.

Then we got our buckets and trays and got a ride out to the strawberry patch.

Alison and Kristen were TERRIFIC helpers, picking berries, running buckets back

Because Russell said "We need picking shots."

And in no time we had three trays of berries.

It took all afternoon, but we turned those into jam, strawberry puree for ice cream, a crisp, and lots and lots of berries to just eat.

Halfway through, I was wondering why I do this. And then I remembered: it's a lot of work, but the end product is SO worth it. I'm glad I was taught how. 

Rain!

Our first day of summer started off stormy. This is actually a good thing; every single county in Kansas is under a drought warning; we've had rain, but not enough. So, when Friday settled in with rain off and on all day, we were actually quite happy.

Happy enough to get out and play in it.

Megan took those, which is why they're so much better.

It's SUMMER!!

Which means, yesterday was the LAST day of school.

It's been a good year for both elementary school girls. Alison, especially, is going to miss her teacher. And both are going to miss the friends they made.

But, even with that said, they're happy for summer! (As am I. I love schedules, but sometimes, being able to be less hurried in the mornings is a wonderful thing. Remind me of this in late-July when I'm DONE with them being home.)

The Talent Show

I haven't been for years, not since Caitlyn was in 4th or 5th grade. Partially because neither Alison nor Kristen really cares enough to practice and try out. But this year, Alison came home and announced that the poems her reading group did for the volunteer luncheon (which I went and saw) made it into the talent show! So, I thought I'd go and get a video.

If You're Watching This, You Should Take This Advice

Year-End Choir Concert

They did a Dinsey theme this year, and Caitlyn was happy she got a couple of solos.

From Camp Rock 2


From Mulan:


And from High School Musical:


She also got one of the Choir Leadership awards, which made her very happy. I was glad that Ms. Costello recognized that Caitlyn is always there and willing to sing. It's not been a perfect experience, but it's a good one.

The Lego Movie

We LOVED IT.