Summer Vacation: Lincoln, NE

First stop on our summer vacation: Grandpa Mike and Grandma Susie's new house in Lincoln, NE. The opportunity to slow down and spend a few days relaxing felt luxurious, and the four of us really enjoyed catching up Grandma and Grandpa and familiarizing ourselves with their new digs. Unkie Grant joined in the fun for a few days midway through our stay, and then Aunt Sara, Uncle Jeff, and cousins Lily and Carter arrived to spend the last two days of this leg of the trip with us and Grandma and Grandpa. It was a lovely week, and a perfect way to kick off our summer travels!

That's A LOT of love for Grandpa. (It's tough to even see him in there.)

Hallie and Unkie Grant. Could her limbs be any longer?

The one sweet moment shared between Will and Hallie.

They loved taking baths in Grandma's huge new tub.

And Tom loved manning Grandma and Grandpa's new grill.

The coy pond at Grandpa's friend Theo's house.

Watching the coy devour the snacks they tossed into the pond.

The boys.

Grandpa Mike and baby Carter. 

After we said grace the girls ate holding hands.

Tom and the girls on the way to the children's museum.

Riding on their "Dad Trains".

Playing together at the children's museum.

Cowgirls!

Preparing for a career in law enforcement.

Or a life of crime.

I think she has her "mug shot face" down.

Riding along in a fire truck.

Taking care of the babies.

Dressing up as a bear? 

Performing a little ditty on stage.

Thinking long and hard about which song to sing.

She's made her decision.

Meanwhile, another number from astronaut Will.

Sara's home is on the stage.

Someone didn't like the way the performances were going.

Chilllin' in the strange, built-for-infants water table.

Carter the astronaut.

And then the face-painting began.

The girls did most of their own painting.

Obviously.

They were very proud of themselves.

And their talent was immediately apparent.

Meanwhile, Tom and Will played a game of chess.

And then returned to find this.

Carter got to eat his lunch in a huge rocking chair...

And in a Mars rover.

All that museum-going was too much for Carter.

Cutie patooties.

Next stop, Council Bluffs, IA!

June Catch-Up

The iguana's last hurrah - he bit the dust the next day.

Waiting for the water to hit her.

Working on her castle.

Still painting.

Our baseball set-up (Will in the front yard, facing away from the house;
Tom pitching from the curb, and me fielding from across the street.

On occasion, Hallie helps me field balls. While
wearing only underwear and brown Mary Janes.

And occasionally she gets distracted any plays on the neighborhood
stone wall. Again, while wearing only underwear and brown Mary Janes.

The picture actually belonged in May's catch-up post,
but I somehow missed it in my downloads. Will drew
this picture of and for me for Mother's Day.
Those black things are my muscles.

Will went on his first sleepover in June - you can see a pic of Will and his buddy Logan playing at the park before the sleeping part of the over here.

Will while slept over at Logan's house, Tom and I took Hallie on a dinner
and ice cream date in downtown Bryan. She made a colossal mess with
her royal blue ice cream, but on the plus side, the color of the ice
cream camouflaged the huge goose egg on her forehead.

Will and two of his pre-school friends - Kennedy and Jenna - reunited for summer
swimming lessons. I wish I had a picture of them 2+ years ago - they all look so old now.

Waiting for their turn on the lily pads.

Playing on the snake.

Tom and the kiddos near a small pond we found while
wandering around an Oklahoma City neighborhood.

Happy Birthday, Gramps!

Happy birthday to this young-at-heart (who in the last four days has sword-fought, camped, fished, played disc golf, played soccer, water-skied, tubed, picked raspberries, built robots with Legos, played Uno, rode horses, organized a slip-and-slide party, and set off fireworks with the kids) Grandpa!

Sword-fighting

Camping

It's no wonder he's tired...