Independence Day

Fourth of July always brings great memories and this year was no exception.  It's taken awhile to share the great pictures, but better late than never - and we are still in the same month, so that's a win!  

Here are the highlights from the Fourth of July 2023 - 

Morning shenanigans around the house... 

Doing 4th of July nail art...

Derek and Emily were kind enough to host us again in the afternoon and evening.  

Sparkler action...

Snaps were a favorite too...

Who doesn't love a good smoke ball?

Evening cuddles...

Fourth of July always means brings memories and time with family and friends.  So thankful for that this year and always.  Time with family in SD this summer was incredible - always too short - but incredible nonetheless.  

Early July...

Early July brought time in South Dakota with our families.  It is food for the soul to be with them and make memories together.  

The big cousins went to Wild Water West one afternoon.  They braved the HOT weather and had a blast splashing in the water and riding the water slides.  

The little girls weren't quite big enough to go... but they had fun dropping the kids off and looking at ALL the fun from the fence line.  They are already counting the days until they are 7 years old - the fictitious age they were told they have to be to go there.

Good memories are always made around the dinner table...

Not sure what is happening here, but I coin it 'happy chaos'.  There is always activity, always noise, and always laughter at Auntie and Uncle's house.  And when you combine the laughter, noise and activity of nine children (including Q and S), it creates 'happy chaos', which I absolutely love.  

There was crafting...

And gaming...

And game playing with Grandma Jane...

Swimming with the big cousins...

Lots of time spent on the golf course after hours - not golfing, but doing gymnastics and tumbling.

There was a wicked Spikeball tournament - which was a new game to us all.  

The grand champions of the tournament were none other than myself and Meredith.  We were even tasked with a rematch from Quinn and Sullivan, who just couldn't believe that they lost to two old people.  Game 2 didn't prove to be any better for them - they went on to be defeated 2-0 by the old ladies!

While we were in SD, Quinn received her score for her AP Environmental Biology test that she took.  It is an extremely hard test (2nd hardest of all AP tests), so she was preparing herself for the reality of not passing the exam.  Not only did she pass the test, but did so with an AMAZING score.  So what does one do to celebrate such an accomplishment?

You eat ice cream, of course!!!

We spent a good deal of time with Nana and Papa too, but sadly there isn't as many documented memories.  The girls went shopping with Nana, who of course spoiled them beyond measure.  We had great meals together, went to the movie Elemental with them. 

We also drove over to Pipestone, MN, to check out the national monument over there.  

Ryan is always good for finding the national parks/monuments/landmarks.  In all of the time that we lived in SD or visited in the summertimes after we moved, we have never made it to this one.  

We walked the nature trails and looked at all the pipestone that the indigenous people used for various purposes.  

While some people climbed rocks...

...others found a bench to rest and relax on.

Lots of fun had with the Auntie and Uncle, the cousins, Nana and Papa, and Grandma Jane... summer always produces the best memories with family.

KCMO and More...

We have been to Kansas City countless times with the Boyles and countless times we have talked about taking the Boulevard Brewing Company tour.  We never got around to it until this trip.  So the day before the Taylor concert, we dragged the kids (who were less than thrilled to be joining us) to the brewery tour.  We figured Saturday was all about the kids (and Taylor), so Friday could be family time at the brewery!  

The girls were sporting their pre-concert Taylor apparel...

Before the tour began...

About 5 minutes into the tour, and this is how the girls felt about the tour...

Throughout the tour...

After the tour, we headed to the sampling room where us adults tried a few more samples.  The kids sat with us for awhile, but soon ditched us.  This is how we found them.  Looks like each of them were having loads of fun!!

I think we all agreed that it wasn't the most exciting of tours and it wasn't quite what we expected, but I don't think the adults felt quite the disdain for it that the kids did.  

The following day brought joy back into their life as it was the most glorious day of all - Taylor Swift day!  And speaking of Taylor Swift, I forgot to post the pics of ALL the incredible bracelets the girls made in preparation for exchanging them at the concert with other Swifties.  

Back in June, Sulla and I started making the bracelets while Quinn was at camp.  We each cranked out quite a few.  Sullivan ended at 50 bracelets and I made 30.  

Quinn was busy at camp and wasn't able to make many while she was there, so she cranked out most of hers in the car on the way to Sioux Falls and some while in SD too.  She ended up with 50 herself. 

The girls each sporting the bracelets that I gave to them to trade...

With 65 bracelets apiece, I thought that there was no way they would be able to trade all of them with others.  Too my great surprise I got a text from the girls while they were at the concert and they had traded ALL their bracelets before they even got into the stadium.  Mind blown!  

What a fun tradition and a great way for all the fans to connect to one another.  Leave it to the Swifties!