Father's Day

Father's Day was jam packed with activities! We started the day at church for the VBS program and then Samantha & I went home to host Goldie's baby shower, while Doug & Alden went out to Jim & Sandy's house to hang out away from the girls! ;) After the shower, we went to out to join Alden, Doug, Scott, Dustin, Cecil, & Jim for some fun & sun. Doug did some knee boarding and Samantha & Alden & I rode along on the boat. It was good to get some sun! Scott gave Jim some blow up motorized boats, so everyone had fun taking those for a spin. After some water fun, we headed inside for supper and some much needed rest! The kids gave Doug some matching bike shirts, so when we get Father's Day pictures taken that's what they will wear. I got Doug some grilling tools & a kabob rack for grilling.

Goldie's Baby Shower

I hosted a baby shower for Doug's cousin Dustin's wife - Goldie on Father's Day Sunday. They are expecting a girl in late August. It was just a small group of family, but we had a good time! Goldie & Dustin live in Columbia, MO and Dustin's mom & dad - Debbie & Scott - live in Liberty, MO, so it was fun to see all of them! Goldie got some great presents and afterward we headed out to the lake for some fun & sun!

Vacation Bible School

Samantha went to Vacation Bible School at our church the week of June 14th. The theme for this year was "King of the Son - A Prayer Safari." The kids went on a safari and also learned the words to The Lord's Prayer. Samantha had a wonderful time. We invited some of her friends from outside her Sunday School class, so that was fun for her. There were 3 children of former Humboldt residents (2nd to last picture)- Aston Blazer (son of Holly (Straw) Blazer), Samantha, & Drew Moyer (son of Alison (Hammon) & Josh Moyer) - so that was really neat! I was in charge of crafts this year: Day 1 - safari picture frame, Day 2 - African necklace, Day 3 - safari sunset sand jars, Day 4 - maracas or drums, Day 5 - safari suitcase. Next year I'm in charge of the whole VBS - so keep your fingers crossed for me! :) The very first night, Samantha fell during "recreation time" and split her knee and both palms of her hands up pretty good. She recovered nicely, after walking around the house very awkwardly for a few days. Doug was also involved in VBS this year, as he had to participate in the little skits for the opening part every night of VBS. Doug also did 65 iron on shirts for the kids/adults, which kept him VERY busy. On Father's Day Sunday, the kids sang songs and Doug did skits for the congregation. Samantha was very cute and new all the words to the songs - very impressive for a 3 year old! She even learned the words to The Lord's Prayer over the week!

Hair Cut and Sandy Birthday

Alden got a new Style a week ago. Sam would like to point out her hair was cut too. It was also Sandy's Birthday and we went out to ruby tuesdays with the McKnight side that Saturday night Debbie got her aprons with matching ones for the kids!

Swimming Lessons for Samantha

Samantha started Swimming Lessons at the Community Center last Wednesday. I was very worried about her because she is very nervous around the water if she doesn't have someone she knows near her. She surprised me, and did very well! She still hasn't put her whole head under water yet, but I think she'll get there by next Wednesday when the lessons end. There are over 10 kids in her class and only 1 teacher most of the time, so I'm not sure that she's learning much, but she is making new friends and having fun. :)

Great-Grandma Richardson's 80th Birthday Party

We had my grandma's 80th Birthday Party in Pawnee City on June 7th at the Schilling Bridge Winery. All of my grandma's 10 kids were able to come home for it and many of the grandchildren. My kids had a blast as there was a Polka Band for a few hours to entertain people, and a great grassy terrace for the kids to play ball on. We had a great turn out of guests and friends of my grandma - about 150 people!! Samantha had a lot of fun with Macy & Katie! The day ended with a tornado warning for our drive home to Plattsmouth that evening! It was pretty scary, we had ping pong size hail and bad winds that we had to drive through to get into the clear, but we made it home safe & sound! All of my aunts/family that were left in Pawnee City ran to my grandma's house so they could get into her basement! :)

Sand In the City

Once we got back to Plattsmouth, on the day of Doug's triathlon, we drove the kids up to Omaha to see the Sand in the City event. The kids thought the sand castles were really neat! Alden wanted to play in it and Sam didn't want to get dirty - just like normal. They voted for their favorite - Alden's was the one that looked like the College World Series and Samantha liked the big Teddy Bear one.

Doug's Triathlon

Doug finished his 2nd Triathlon last weekend. Doug & I drove to Norfolk on Friday evening and spent the night, and he did the Norfolk Triathlon on Saturday morning. It was horrible weather for a race! It was 45 degrees and rainy and wind of 20+ mph! Thank goodness the swimming was inside! He did awesome! It was a 500m swim, 10 mile bike ride, and 2.5 mile run. Next up: Plattsmouth Triathlon on August 1st.

(In the pool: he's the one with the orange swim cap).