Pineview!

Once again, we had a GREAT time up at Pineview reservoir with my family.  The condo’s we stay at are right by the lake and they each have a hot tub on the deck (needless to say, the hot-tubs were a hit among the grandkids!).  It’s so great to sit around late into the night laughing with family.  We were able to go to the monastery, boating, and played on the beach.  Oh and pool the first night was great too. 

Mike playing Go Fish (with the Old Maid cards :)

This was the best family picture we could get at the monastery.  Yeah, not great. 

Seriously the tree lined path to it is beyond beautiful!  It was interesting to watch the monks come in and do their chants and prayers.  One of the monks talked to Marcus and said he was 84 years old and had been at this monastery for 62 years!!  He also said it gets better everyday :).  I just can’t imagine that!  That’s definitely a lot of chanting.  He was from St. Louis and hadn’t been back since he came.  He was such a nice guy and even told Gracie a joke (What’s the difference between a monk and a monkey?  Monkey’s have a tail.).  Anyway, it was good to get to hear from one and see that they’re just sweet people. 

The next day we spent at the lake.  We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to go boating!

Mike and Nate had a crazy ride!!  I cannot believe they were able to hold on.  Mike was half off of it at one point. 

Mike took Sadie and Max on the tube.  They had so much fun and Sadie and Max were so brave.  Unfortunately, when we slowed the boat down to stop, the front end of the tube caught the water and dumped them all out.  Mike was having a heart attack trying to get Max and Sadie out.  He said underwater he felt like he was on top of Max, and then he was worried Sadie was under the tube.  It all was only a matter of seconds that they were under-water, but they came up sad and crying.  I was worried they were going to be totally scared, but they calmed down fast and still had a great time.  Thankfully everyone was safe :)

Building sandcastles is serious business!!

Madi was able to get up on the kneeboard this year!!  Kylie helped her get started and she was able to hang on a get up.  She kept doing funny tricks like “no hands”, and doing the thing bull riders do with their arm. 

So proud of her!!

Max watching his big sis. He kept cheering her on. 

I’m bummed I didn’t get more pictures of the family at the condo.  But we had such a great time and we’re so thankful for great family!!  Now we get to spend some time with Mike’s family and his mom is coming to stay with us this weekend.  It’ll be fun!

A visit from our best-ies.

Before we left on my family’s vacation to Pineview, our good friends the Stottles were able to come visit!!  It was SO good to catch up with them again.  They’ve been in Colorado for almost a year now, so it was great to get together.  The kids had a great time playing.  Love this picture of them together!  Hopefully we’ll get out to CO to visit them sometime soon. 

Madi was able to get a picture of the adults.  Blurry, but it works :)

Camping with the Knights

Marci and Trent invited us to go camping with them last month.  I gotta admit, at first we were nervous.  Mike and I aren’t the best campers.  But this was probably the most fun camping trip we’ve had!  We’re so glad we went.  It was beautiful up there and we rented a trailer so we stayed nice and toasty at night.  The kids had fun fishing and roasting marshmallows and starburst.  I introduced Marci and Courtney to the awesome-ness that is the Monopoly Card game (SO fun).  Thank you Knights for taking us along!

 

They were SO excited to sleep in the trailer, and they did great!  Thank heaven for Trent coming to rescue us in the night.  One of the nights I woke up cold (yikes, not supposed to be cold in there) and realized the heater wasn’t working.  I shook Mike awake and he couldn’t figure out what was going on.  So I made him go over and ask Trent to come help.  Poor Trent, it was like 3:00 am!  I’m just such a baby, I didn’t want to freeze!  Trent was able to get it fixed and we were warm again in no time.  Mike and I were talking about how every family needs a Trent that can come rescue them in the night.  Haha, he knows how to do everything :)

The kids caught a ton of little fish.  They were so excited!  I’m glad they caught something, Marci and I had left at that point.  And when we were there nothing was happening.  I really wanted Madi to catch her first.  So no pictures of it…but she got a few!

Cute cousins.

Um, it looks like Max is pulling his pants down in this picture??  Interesting.  Haha

My little graduate

Madi graduated from Kindergarten last month!  Very bittersweet day for me.  She looked darling and said her part perfect (“But we’ll remember all our friends and keep them in our hearts”).  She practiced that line over and over, and did a great job :).  She was SO sad to leave Kindergarten behind and not see her friends and Mrs. Willmore everyday.  But then I’d remind her all the fun things summer has in store, along with the fact that she’d be a big first grader in the fall!!  Then she was happy about it.  She’s lost her two front top teeth, so now Max and her match.  At least for a little while. 

She wanted to have a little photoshoot before we headed to the school.  Oh, and Madi bought that headband with her own money from Maurices!  Very exciting for her.

Grandpa Nield was the one who was able to finally get her first top tooth out.  Mike and I could not grab a hold of it!  They’re so tiny!

It was SO fun having my mom and dad stay with us.  My dad helped us get our lawn looking good again, and they also helped us purchase some trees.  We are so thankful!!  It’s nice to get those trees in there to start growing…it can take so long for them to get big.  My mom and I had fun shopping and talking.  I miss having her around.  I’m happy I live closer to her home now so that when they get back from Hong Kong we can hang out more often.